Adult Education Activities

Educational Resources
for Friends

Adult Education Opportunities at Durham Friends Meeting

The Adult Education Committee can be reached at dfmadulteducation@googlegroups.com.

● First Day Post-Worship Q & A - An open time for asking questions and discussing Quakerism. After rise of the 9:00 am worship and the 10:30 am worship on the third Sunday of each month. For more information, contact the Adult Education Committee.

● Quakerism 101 - A series of 90-minute classes focusing on the history, identity, values, practices and organization of Friends, and how they work at Durham Monthly Meeting. Offered at least once a year. For more information, contact the Adult Education Committee.

● Third Thursdays - (beginning in May 2025). An evening meal followed by a time of worship sharing on some aspect of our faith and practice as Friends, or by a more programmatic learning, study, or training opportunity. Childcare available. Meets for dinner at 6:00pm/program at 7:00pm in the main Meetinghouse the first Thursday of each month. For more information, contact the Adult Education Committee.

● Friendly Bible Study - Meets via Zoom from 4:00-5:30 pm on First and Third Thursdays. Everyone is welcome to drop in when able. No prep needed. This is a communal study group of learners with Spirit as our teacher. Zoom link is in the Meeting calendar and here. For more information contact Diane Wilkinson or Marsha Green.

● Experiment With Light - Meets 9:00-11:00 am in the Historic Meetinghouse on First and Third Fridays. Friends meet together for an extended directed time of spiritual listening. Contact Andrew at barnhillwright@gmail.com or go to www.experiment-with-light.org.uk to learn more.

● DFM Library - Located at the far end of the entrance lobby. Open whenever the Meetinghouse is open. Friends may, on their own, check out, borrow and return any book or pamphlet.

Educational Resources for Friends

Especially for Newcomers

● Quaker Beliefs & Worship. A basic introduction to the ways of unprogrammed Friends. From Quaker.org (affiliated with Friends Journal and Quakerspeak). https://quaker.org/

● New Quaker Hub. With a checklist for new Quakers. From FGC (Friends General Conference). https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcresources/new-quaker-hub/

● What Do Quakers Believe? From The Quaker Information Center at Earlham School of Religion. https://quakerinfo.org/quakerism/beliefs

● Silence & Speech: For Anyone New to Quaker Worship. A pamphlet By Richard F. Allen. From FGC’s Quaker Press.

Videos & Podcasts

● Quakerspeak. Well-produced short video interviews with Friends about many, many aspects of Quaker life, values and practices. A great learning tool, especially if you are new to Friends. https://quakerspeak.com/

● Five Quaker Podcasts. Friends Journal’s 2023 recommendations and links for “Quaker podcasts you should listen to.” https://www.friendsjournal.org/5-quaker-podcasts/

● Quaker Faith & Podcast. Quirky low-budget podcast that ended in 2019. https://quakerpodcast.org/

Journals

● Journal of North Carolina Yearly Meeting - Conservative. This is our own yearly meeting journal, which contains accessible, easy-to-read stories (some of them about Durham Meeting) discussing our lives, values, and practices as Friends. See, for example, Issue #7, which features the story of how Durham Friends adopted same-sex marriage in the 1990s. https://www.ncymc.org/home/journal

● Friends Journal. A general readership magazine with articles on a variety of subjects for a wide spectrum of Friends. https://www.friendsjournal.org/

Books & Resources

● Pendle Hill Pamphlets. Short reads, central to Quaker discussion for many years now. You can find many of these in the DFM library. https://pendlehill.org/learn/pamphlets-books/

● FGC Resources. From Friends General Conference. https://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/

● List of Quaker Booksellers & Publishers. From Quaker.org. https://quaker.org/bookstores-and-publishers/

Quaker History

● Friends Library. Online access to many significant historical Quaker texts. https://www.friendslibrary.com/

● Quaker History. An academic history journal. https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/394

Online Courses

● Pendle Hill. Online courses and other resources from an American Quaker retreat and education center. https://pendlehill.org/learn/

● Woodbrooke. Online courses from a British Quaker education and resource center. https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/

Durham Friends Meeting

Adult Education Activities Educational Resources for Friends