Friends General Conference

Nurturing faith and Quaker practice

Spiritual Deepening Program

photo by Mike Goren

Go Deeper with the Spiritual Deepening Program!  

The Spiritual Deepening Program offers a collection of experiential activities and resources for small groups of Quakers and newcomers to explore together, with the goal of building connections with Quaker roots, growing as a spiritual community, and listening deeply to the Light Within.  The program grew as a response to a deep hunger among Friends for spiritual relationships, improved sense of faith community, and a better understanding of the roots of our Quaker faith and spiritual practices.
 
The Spiritual Deepening Program seeks to deepen the life, worship, and witness of Quaker meetings, individual Friends, and newcomers.  The program serves those who are new to the Quaker way by presenting resources important to the personal and communal spiritual journey.  It serves Friends who are no longer new by providing additional depth and encouragement to continue their travel on the Quaker journey.

Spiritual Deepening Program participants explore Quaker thought, share and listen to each other’s spiritual stories, and practice new ways of connecting to Spirit.  

The program materials are designed for participants of all ages and stages in their spiritual journey.  Participants engage in activities, discussions, role-plays, spiritual practices, art and music exercises, and worship sharing. The content has been compiled and developed by Friends throughout the U.S. and Canada and includes materials drawn from high quality existing curricula and resources, as well as newly developed activities.

There are two ways to get involved:

Friends and newcomers who are interested in connecting with Quaker thought, connecting with each other, and building deeper connections with Spirit have two opportunities for participating in the Spiritual Deepening Program.

Form a Spiritual Deepening small group that meets in-person to experience Grounding, Sharing, and Practicing activities and exercises together.  Groups can form at any time and can meet for as few as 3 sessions or for as long as a year.

 
Learn More about Offering Small Groups in Your Meeting
 
 
 

Join a Spiritual Deepening eRetreat, together or as individuals, to build spiritual community and explore Quaker practices and faith over a 4, 6, or 8-week online session led by a seasoned facilitator.  eRetreats are offered quarterly on the topics of Silence & Light, Beloved Community, Becoming Patterns & Examples, and Understanding and Healing White Supremacy.

 
Learn More about the eRetreat Experience
 
 

About the Spiritual Deepening Program

The Spiritual Deepening Program is flexible and affordable.  The suggested fee for participating in the program is $20-35 per participant, on a pay-as-led basis.

The program exercises and activities are designed to speak to the condition of both newcomers and Quakers, as well as adults and children, and to build relationships of mutual learning.  Inviting newcomers to join a Spiritual Deepening small group or eRetreat can serve as outreach and offer a way to integrate newcomers into the life of the meeting. 

The materials for children can supplement a meeting’s First Day School programming or be available for meetings to use when families come for worship.

FGC offers training and ongoing support for Friends who lead the Spiritual Deepening small groups in their home meetings.  Small group leaders within meetings have access to the Spiritual Deepening Library of exercises and resources and are supported in customizing the Spiritual Deepening experience to meet the needs of their small group participants.

 

Interested in Learning More?

Join the Spiritual Deepening mailing list to receive announcements about program updates and opportunities to register for upcoming eRetreats.

Contact us at [email protected]