What is Quaker Connect?
Quaker Connect is an experimental project funded by the Lilly Endowment through Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas. It aims to help Friends meetings and churches try new experiments and learn from each other how to connect the depths of our Quaker tradition and testimonies with the reality of our local context under the guidance of Spirit. The program is based on the assumption that a thriving Friends meeting is deeply connected--to God and to the community it serves--in living out its unique calling.
Chico Friends Meeting's application to participate in this experiment was accepted for the 2026-27 project cohort, and CFM approved three members, Gayle Matson, Rick Narad and Rebecca Senoglu, as lead participants, or "apprentices," (to use the project language). The apprentices have been meeting together weekly, and monthly with a spiritual "companion" or coach employed by FWCC. They also participate in a monthly Zoom meeting with other apprentices throughout North and South America, and recently spent 4 days with the entire apprentice group and project leaders in worship, fellowship and learning in Richmond, Indiana.
To learn more about the Quaker Connect concept, we hope you will visit the Quaker Connect website. You may also want to check out some of these resources from our apprentice group orientation in Indiana last winter by Wes Daniels, author of A Convergent Model of Renewal: Remixing the Quaker Tradition in a Participatory Culture. And finally, to see some of the questions your apprentices are asking themselves and will be exploring with CFM Friends, see this document.
Chico Friends Meeting's application to participate in this experiment was accepted for the 2026-27 project cohort, and CFM approved three members, Gayle Matson, Rick Narad and Rebecca Senoglu, as lead participants, or "apprentices," (to use the project language). The apprentices have been meeting together weekly, and monthly with a spiritual "companion" or coach employed by FWCC. They also participate in a monthly Zoom meeting with other apprentices throughout North and South America, and recently spent 4 days with the entire apprentice group and project leaders in worship, fellowship and learning in Richmond, Indiana.
To learn more about the Quaker Connect concept, we hope you will visit the Quaker Connect website. You may also want to check out some of these resources from our apprentice group orientation in Indiana last winter by Wes Daniels, author of A Convergent Model of Renewal: Remixing the Quaker Tradition in a Participatory Culture. And finally, to see some of the questions your apprentices are asking themselves and will be exploring with CFM Friends, see this document.
What do the apprentices do?
For the first half of 2026 the apprentices have been learning and discerning through a series of videos, articles and other readings, meetings and investigatory "assignments" for reflection and discussion. Each assignment is framed by a Scriptural reference. As the project develops, the apprentices will recommend mini-experiments for the meeting to undertake with the goal of helping our Light shine brighter within and outside the CFM community.
What are the assignments about?
Assignment #1: Mapping the Terrain
Our first assignment examined the area closest to our meetinghouse and the proximity in which we find ourselves. We were to explore our immediate neighborhood with fresh eyes, and ask ourselves what we notice that perhaps we don't see when we drive to meeting. How rooted are we in our neighborhood? How known are we? How much do we interact with the ecology of our neighborhood? What and where are our ministries? Where are opportunities for outreach or service? Where do our members and attenders live relative to the meetinghouse? Then we were to create a physical or digital map to indicate what we had discovered.
Our map indicated the homes of members and attenders with red dots, places of ministry or service with gold stars, the immediate neighborhood in red overlay, and the meetinghouse with a large blue star.
Our first assignment examined the area closest to our meetinghouse and the proximity in which we find ourselves. We were to explore our immediate neighborhood with fresh eyes, and ask ourselves what we notice that perhaps we don't see when we drive to meeting. How rooted are we in our neighborhood? How known are we? How much do we interact with the ecology of our neighborhood? What and where are our ministries? Where are opportunities for outreach or service? Where do our members and attenders live relative to the meetinghouse? Then we were to create a physical or digital map to indicate what we had discovered.
Our map indicated the homes of members and attenders with red dots, places of ministry or service with gold stars, the immediate neighborhood in red overlay, and the meetinghouse with a large blue star.
Friends who are interested in knowing more about how this mapping inquiry was helpful to the apprentices might find these articles from our course work to be useful. Click on the orange boxes, below, to access the articles online.
Assignment #2: Mapping Change
Our second assignment focused on where our meeting is in time. What has changed over the years in our meeting and in the community around it? What is new or changing now in our meeting and surrounding community? What was going on in the world and locally when our meeting first came into existence? How have recent events, such as COVID and current US militarization affected our meeting?
The task is to create a timeline to look for ways in which the events around us have influenced our meeting over the years, and to understand how we have responded. Some of the changes that have occurred may need to be grieved, honored, forgiven or memorialized. Others offer insight into the uniqueness of who this faith community is. Ultimately we hope to understand how change may draw, excite, or motivate us into a future call.
Again, Friends who are interested in understanding more about the context for this assignment may be interested in some of these assigned readings and videos.
Our second assignment focused on where our meeting is in time. What has changed over the years in our meeting and in the community around it? What is new or changing now in our meeting and surrounding community? What was going on in the world and locally when our meeting first came into existence? How have recent events, such as COVID and current US militarization affected our meeting?
The task is to create a timeline to look for ways in which the events around us have influenced our meeting over the years, and to understand how we have responded. Some of the changes that have occurred may need to be grieved, honored, forgiven or memorialized. Others offer insight into the uniqueness of who this faith community is. Ultimately we hope to understand how change may draw, excite, or motivate us into a future call.
Again, Friends who are interested in understanding more about the context for this assignment may be interested in some of these assigned readings and videos.
Assignment #3: Mapping Communication
Our newest assignment is to examine our communication within and outside of the meeting. If you are interested in having more context for this assignment, you can stay current with our research and inquiries by exploring these background articles and videos:
Our newest assignment is to examine our communication within and outside of the meeting. If you are interested in having more context for this assignment, you can stay current with our research and inquiries by exploring these background articles and videos:
For questions, comments, or contributions to the Quaker connect work, please contact Gayle, Rebecca, or Rick.