At the end of July 2024, I spent a week at Quaker House at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York. I was invited as the Friend of the Week to lead conversations and deepen discussions of the week’s themes, centered around spiritual grounding for social change and the greatest challenges we face that we can act on.
Quaker House is the newest faith house on the Chautauqua grounds, in its fourth year of operations in 2024. The Friends in Residence, Kriss and Gary Miller, create spaces for worship, service, conversation, music, and community. They offer Quaker perspectives as they intersect with Chautauqua Institute’s programming and experiences.
During my time at Quaker House, I had the chance to share about my work at FCNL and in the world during a public event. I spoke about the impact of working at FCNL on September 11, 2001 and how my work has included joys and challenges of the uncomfortable edge of faith and “real life.” I talked about the ways that I endeavor to create structures and systems that make people and institutions more likely to act with care, love, and compassion.
I also led a reflection on Quaker perspectives on the week’s themes and speakers, naming the importance of clearly seeing things, finding your role, and connecting through shared stories and experiences. Participants discussed queries in small groups to consider how they might ground themselves for further action.
Being at Chautauqua has stirred up a lot of thoughts – about curiosity, exclusivity, catalyzing for change, and the containers we create for vulnerable conversations. Quaker House is building a community and opening space for growth at Chautauqua with challenge and love. It’s been an amazing and inspiring time, and one I hope informs how openly I engage with others as I return to my regular life and work at FCNL.
