In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) invite you to learn more about the sometimes baffling practice of silent worship. Whether you’re a long-time Friend or someone who has never stepped into a mostly silent meeting, we are pulling back the curtain to explore what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in worship.

The Purpose of Ministry

We speak with author Rhiannon Grant about her book, Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship: What, When, How, and Why. Rhiannon helps us understand the purpose of spoken ministry in the silent meeting, explaining how speech that deepens silence is a vital part of our shared spiritual practice. 

Quote: “The purpose of ministry then might be understood as deepening the silence of meeting for worship.”

• Read a review of Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship by Paul Buckley at FriendsJournal.org. 
• Learn more about Rhiannon Grant’s book and other Quaker Quicks at QuakerBooks.org/Collections/Quaker-Quicks.

Our First Meetings for Worship

Peterson and Sweet Miche share their first experiences in Quaker worship: Peterson’s search for community after 9/11 and Sweet Miche’s feeling of guidance at Pendle Hill. We also hear from Paula Christophersen, a Quaker in Germany, who shared her first experience of ministry.

• You can watch the full video of Paula Christophersen on YouTube or at QuakerSpeak.com.

Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship

Peterson introduces a new format for meeting for worship he’s been experimenting with: Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship. This model of worship uses the meeting’s existing structure to guide newcomers by making the internal work of worship visible and conversational.

Quaker Fiction

We explore how writers use fiction and poetry to make the internal, mystical experience of worship visible.

• Anne E.G. Nydam’s story, “The Conduits”, reveals the flow of connection in meeting through glowing lines of light.
• Peterson shares two of his short stories! “Penn’s Spring”, uses a mysterious, unexplained wet patch on a meetinghouse wall to represent a spiritual movement in a “stagnant and dry” meeting. “What Is Actually There” features a high-schooler named Jordan reflecting on the enduring effort of the Quaker path.
• “A Fine Showing for the Court of Owls” by Jonathan Doering is a story about the radical Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lay.

Read Quaker-themed fiction and poetry in the November 2025 issue of Friends Journal.

For the extended video version of this episode, visit the Friends Journal YouTube channel.

Listener Responses

Who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quakerness? The character could be from a book or movie. They could be a hero or even a minor character, and they do not need to be Quaker. 

• This month’s fictional “Quakers” include: Pooh Bear, Maisie Dobbs, Gumby, Ted Lasso, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, WALL-E, Stevens from The Remains of the Day, and Dorothea from George Eliot’s Middlemarch. 

Next Month’s Question

We want to hear from you! What do you believe now that you didn’t believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism? 

Leave us a voice memo with your name and town at 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). (+1 if outside the U.S.) You can also reply by email at [email protected] or on our social media channels.

 

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Transcript

Sweet Miche (00:00)

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, what happens in a Quaker meeting for worship?

 

Peterson Toscano (00:12)

Rhiannon Grant tells us about her new book, Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship. What, when, how, and why? Sweet Miche and I, along with Paula Christophersen, share our very first experiences in a Quaker Meeting for Worship.

 

Sweet Miche (00:25)

Peterson will reveal a new worship format he’s been experimenting with in his home meeting. It’s called Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship.

 

Peterson Toscano (00:34)

And we hear your answers to the question, who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quakerism, even if they aren’t a Quaker or even human? I’m Peterson Toscano.

 

Sweet Miche (00:45)

and I am Sweet Miche.

 

Peterson Toscano (00:47)

This is Season 5, Episode 3 of the Quakers Today Podcast, a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. The season of Quakers Today is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends’ Fiduciary.

 

Sweet Miche (00:59)

Peterson, when you attend Quaker meeting for worship, what is happening inside your head?

 

Peterson Toscano (01:04)

Well, some days my thoughts are like, I don’t know, an experimental jazz performed by howler monkeys. But I usually settle in or fall asleep.

 

Sweet Miche (01:17)

Sometimes maybe you do both.

 

Peterson Toscano (01:19)

Yeah, yeah, that’s yeah

 

Sweet Miche (01:23)

If you are a long-time Quaker worshiper or someone who’s never experienced a mostly silent meeting for worship, today we are going to pull back the curtain and look at the mystery of Quaker worship.

 

Peterson Toscano (01:38)

We will do this in unconventional ways, including short stories about Quaker worship and personal experiences. I’ve attended Quaker Meeting for Worship since 2001.

 

Sweet Miche (01:49)

Not everything in 2019.

 

Peterson Toscano (01:51)

So it means what do you remember about your very first time in a Quaker meeting for worship?

 

Sweet Miche (01:56)

I was at Pendle Hill. I had just started my Quaker Voluntary Service fellowship. When I really sank down into worship, I actually had not quite a vision, but I had a really visceral feeling that a friend who had passed away while I was in college was with me in the room. Before she passed away, she was just so excited about becoming a rabbi and was one of the only religious people I had in my life at that time. And I just felt

 

her in that space and she told me that the Quakers were where I was supposed to be. What was your first meeting for worship, Peterson?

 

Peterson Toscano (02:34)

⁓ I remember the exact date, September 16th, 2001, which was less than a week after the 9-11 attacks. Well, I had just moved back north from Memphis, Tennessee to Hartford, Connecticut, started a new job, didn’t know anybody at that job. The second week at school, there were these attacks and I needed to be with other people of faith, but I was so terrorized by churches because of my own bad experiences in the past.

 

Unfortunately, there was a woman, Diane Wineholtz, who was the head of the middle school. She was out and proud as a Quaker. And so I was like, she’s a Quaker. Let me find out where the Quakers are. I went to the Quaker Meeting House in Hartford. I walk in, I was a little late, but then nothing started. And I was just like, ooh, somebody forgot to start. I don’t know. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know it was quiet. I never been. And then I realized, no, that’s what it is. They just sit quietly. Okay.

 

Nobody spoke. were no messages. It was a pure hour of silence. I almost think we were like stunned into silence. It was a disturbing time in history. And I found it so amazing to be in that silence, enveloped in that silence.

 

Just be still.

 

It just felt so right and so good.

 

Sweet Miche (04:02)

you

 

Peterson Toscano (04:04)

you

 

Sweet Miche (04:16)

Paula Christophersen, a Quaker in Germany, spoke about her first experience in worship.

 

Paula Christophersen (04:22)

you

 

My first ever Quaker meeting for worship, I was late, not knowing what a Quaker meeting house looks like. Does it look like a house people live in? Does it look like a church? And so by the time I’d found it, it was 10 past the hour, I peeked through the glass window in the front door and a friend opened the door for me and said he wants to come in. I followed his invitation and went into the meeting room and I found it surprisingly easy to settle into the silence. Usually meditation is very hard for me.

 

I have a very active ADHD brain, wants to get up to all kinds of things and just being present on my own is hard. But being in that silence, I felt so comfortable, so calm, so held and friend stood up, gave ministry, now silence again. Second friend gave ministry, silence again. And then words came and I told myself, this is your ego speaking. You’re a guest. You’re not.

 

here to minister. My heart started beating so fast. And I remember I kind of found myself on my feet. I don’t really remember standing up, but I’d also read that you should trust that words will be given to you. And I did. And they were. But I sat back down and immediately my heart was beating calm again. And that was a profound experience. And I came back the next Sunday. And the Sunday after that. And the Sunday after that.

 

think the idea of sitting in silence for an hour with people you’ve never met before is quite daunting to a lot of people. You might fear that it’s awkward silence or very boring silence. Nothing which happens. You might be afraid that you’re doing it wrong. So I think for everyone curious about it, I just want to affirm that meeting for worship means being together in

 

warm silence, welcoming silence, the silence that we stay in because we know what we are gathered around is beyond words, and the silence that acknowledges that we can bring all of who we are, just as we are, into that space. We just have to be open.

 

Sweet Miche (07:05)

That was Paula Christophersen from the QuakerSpeak video, My First Meeting for Worship. You can watch the full video on YouTube or at QuakerSpeak.com. Huge thanks to Layla Cuthrell for filming and editing QuakerSpeak videos.

 

Peterson Toscano (07:22)

Me, Paula and I attend what are known as unprogrammed meetings. With unprogrammed worship, friends sit in silence for about an hour. If someone feels inspired, they will stand and give a message. Some Quakers meet in churches for what is known as programmed worship. This is more what I was expecting in my first Quaker worship service, a conventional church service.

 

Sweet Miche (07:48)

Then there are semi-programmed meetings. These offer a hybrid experience between the unprogrammed and programmed meetings. These Quakers sing hymns and hear a message from a pastor. They also include a period of silent worship where friends center themselves and share messages. Diana Ko grew up Quaker and later converted to Judaism. In a recent Substack essay,

 

She describes attending a Quaker memorial service and rediscovering the physical memory of worship.

 

Peterson Toscano (08:22)

Diana wrote, quote, in those first few moments, sitting in the bare sanctuary filled with old friends and strangers alike, I remembered my body, my mind, my heart remembered how to find the inner light, that of God. I centered immediately. My heart rate slowed, my breath quieted, my mind emptied. I found myself smiling even through the tears.

 

as one after another of us rose in the silence to offer a happy memory of a beloved woman.

 

Sweet Miche (09:07)

process of Quaker worship seems mysterious in part because we don’t always talk about it. In Peterson, this led you to develop a new format for worship that helps open the curtain and reveal what’s happening inside people’s heads.

 

Peterson Toscano (09:23)

call it, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship. I’m really excited to share this idea, especially because it can help first-time visitors feel more comfortable in their first experiences of unprogrammed Quaker worship. Before we get there, let’s talk a little about what it means to speak during worship. In both unprogrammed and semi-programmed worship, friends sit together in silence,

 

But that silence can be broken when someone feels led by the spirit to speak.

 

Sweet Miche (09:57)

actually teach an intro to Silent Worship at my meeting because there aren’t a lot of concrete answers to know how you have a message. But I wanted to give new friends as much of a roadmap as I can.

 

Peterson Toscano (10:11)

That’s why I love the title of Rhiannon Grant’s book, Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship, What, When, How, and Why, Ultra Concrete.

 

Sweet Miche (10:21)

Absolutely. We got to talk to Rhiannon about her book.

 

Rhiannon Grant (10:30)

What’s the purpose of having ministry in meeting for worship?

 

Sweet Miche (10:35)

you

 

Rhiannon Grant (10:37)

As with meeting for worship more generally, there might be many purposes for the many people who give ministry. Wanting to share, wanting to teach, wanting to connect, feeling that one must speak, feeling that it’s right. And there could also be no purpose, or no purpose known to us. We give ministry when we’re led to do so, and it need have no purpose for us beyond following a leading. That said,

 

I think we can discern some of the purposes which ministry can serve in worship. It can complement and enrich the silence. By giving us some shared words, it can focus our attention. We can be surprised and challenged by what comes up in the unprogrammed worship. And when a message is articulated in spoken ministry, this effect is heightened. It can be difficult to listen to, and that can be a benefit. Ministry can remind us that unprogrammed worship

 

is not merely a time of rest or of peace and quiet, or of individual meditation, but a shared activity in which we are holding open a space for the spirit to move. The purpose of ministry, might be understood as deepening the silence of meeting for worship.

 

Speech which deepens silence might seem counterintuitive, because in ordinary context we think of speech and other sounds as breaking silence. In order to understand this, we have to both have a good grasp of the role of silence in meeting for worship, and how ministry differs from other kinds of speech.

 

Quaker silence is a tool, a useful practice, rather than an end in itself. That means that speech within that practice is part of, rather than breaking or lessening, the experience. If we think about silence in a theatre performance, we can understand that the audience talking breaks the silence, but it’s right that the actors speak when the time comes. In a meeting for worship, there is no audience.

 

Anyone present may be given something to say.

 

Sweet Miche (13:02)

That was Rhiannon Grant, author of the Quaker Quickbook, Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship. What, when, how, and why?

 

The process of Quaker worship seems mysterious in part because we don’t always talk about it. In Peterson, this led you to develop a new format for worship, one that helps open the curtain and reveal what’s happening inside people’s heads.

 

Peterson Toscano (13:31)

Sometimes visitors or newcomers walk into unprogrammed Quaker worship and have no idea what’s happening. It can feel mysterious, even intimidating.

 

So I’ve been working on a way to make that experience more welcoming, especially for first timers, young people, and those who are just learning the rhythm of Quaker worship.

 

Sweet Miche (13:58)

You’ve got my attention. What’s the idea?

 

Peterson Toscano (14:00)

Yeah, it’s called Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship. It’s a special kind of unprogrammed meeting designed to help people see what’s happening behind the silence. It takes a little planning. The meeting first chooses a date and two volunteers who will help open and close the worship. At the normal time, everyone gathers and settles into quiet for about five minutes. Then the two volunteers stand. One might say,

 

Welcome friends. Today we’ll experience meeting for worship with attention to worship. We’ll pull back the curtain on what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in silence. Then the two volunteers briefly share how they personally settle into worship. And after that, they might say, we’ll sit in worship 45 minutes. If you feel led to speak, please rise and share your message. You’ll know our worship has ended when one of us begins greeting our neighbors. When the worship does end,

 

the two greeters speak first. They describe what their worship was like, where their minds went, what they felt in their bodies, what distractions or moments of clarity they noticed. Then everyone introduces themselves. People can share a bit about their own worship experience, but they don’t have to. And I think it would be great if everyone introduced themselves that day. And then of course, a potluck, right? During lunch, committees then set up tables and displays so newcomers

 

can learn more about the life and work of the meeting.

 

Sweet Miche (15:30)

I love that. It feels so accessible, but it’s also just a regular meeting for worship with a gentle guide built in.

 

Peterson Toscano (15:41)

Exactly. And it uses the same time and structure the meeting already has. Same childcare, same eating or cooling, same space, but it opens the door wider. A meeting might want to do this quarterly. And once friends know the format, they can invite family, neighbors, or anyone who’s been curious about Quakers. It’s a simple way to make worship visible and welcoming without changing its heart.

 

Sweet Miche (16:06)

And Quakerism at its heart is such an experiential face. In my intro to silent worship, I could talk all day long about silent worship, but it does really take actually worshiping to gain insight. In Peterson, I remember the very first episode of Quakers Today.

 

You were hosting solo back then. It was barely a twinkle in your eye. You spoke with author Anne E.G. Nydam a Quaker writer and block print artist. She read from her story, The Conduits, about a young woman having a mystical experience in meeting for worship.

 

Peterson Toscano (16:51)

Here’s an excerpt.

 

Anne EG Nydam (16:54)

The first time Maggie saw the conduits, she was nine years old, sitting in meeting for worship, bored by the stillness and the silence as always, and idly counting the flowers printed on her mother’s skirt. Vera Penny stood up. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God, the old woman said, her thin hand making a gesture as if she were scattering a handful of bird seed.

 

Maggie blinked at the glowing ripple that spread through the air where Vera’s fingers traced their arc. She stared as the conduits came into focus, glowing lines spreading from Vera’s hands, face, and powder blue cardigan toward everyone else in the meeting room. Who has seen the wind? Vera went on. Neither you nor I. But when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by. So

 

with the divine. We know God is there not because we see God, but because we see the effects of love moving through the world like wind.

 

Maggie looked down at her own chest and saw the light touching her. She felt an unexpected warmth as she realized that there were more lines, channels between her and her parents sitting beside her, her friend, Sora, across the room, and Mr. Price, who always asked what book she was reading and really listened to the answer. The harder Maggie looked, the more lines she saw, until there were lines connecting each person with every other person.

 

Heart to heart to heart. Then she noticed John Barlow sitting on a bench by himself. He sat in a shadow, none of the threads of light quite reaching him, as if a hole were torn in the web. But just before the light reached the man, something hard and jagged blocked the flow, so that he seemed tense with cold in his walled off hollow where the light couldn’t reach.

 

Peterson Toscano (19:07)

you

 

I love how Anne uses the conduits of light to reveal what’s usually invisible in our worship. It made me wonder if I wrote a story set in a Quaker meeting, what metaphor would I use to describe the musical experience of worship or whatever kind. That question led me to my short story published last year on FriendsJournal.org.

 

Sweet Miche (19:41)

You created a whole world inside a small Pennsylvania meeting, one that felt stagnant and dry, both literally and spiritually.

 

Peterson Toscano (19:50)

It takes place during a scorching drought. Without warning, a wet patch appears on one wall of the meeting house and keeps growing. Now, this is weird because the building has no plumbing. It’s on a hill and hasn’t rained in weeks. It’s just no explanation. It’s just weird.

 

Sweet Miche (20:07)

And you bring in newcomers who shake up the meeting. And then, there’s poor Terry, the 27-year-old on building and grounds who suddenly has his hands full.

 

Peterson Toscano (20:16)

It’s a blending of the ordinary and the impossible that reveals something true about the soul.

 

Sweet Miche (20:22)

The November 2025 issue of Friends Journal features more Quaker-themed fiction and poetry. No surprise several take place in a meeting house during worship. Lillian Edmonds’ story, My Ghosts, follows a woman nearing her 80th birthday, remembering her childhood and meeting. Jonathan Doering also gives us vivid history in a story, A Fine Showing for the Court of Owls. It features

 

radical Quaker abolitionists, Betrebin and Sarah Lay. Both had witnessed the horrors of slavery in Barbados before settling in Pennsylvania.

 

Peterson Toscano (21:00)

On time he burst into the room dressed in military gear, pierced a book that looked like a Bible with his sword and red pokeberry juice that looked like blood splashed everywhere.

 

Sweet Miche (21:13)

That may have been the loudest meeting for worship with attention to business in history.

 

Peterson Toscano (21:17)

and the most violent. think they physically threw him out of the building. Whoa.

 

Sweet Miche (21:22)

And Peterson, you also have a story in this issue. It opens inside the mind of a snarky teenager sitting through worship.

 

Peterson Toscano (21:31)

Yeah, it’s called What is Actually There?

 

Sweet Miche (21:35)

You’ll find Peterson’s story along with others and a collection of poems in the November 2025 issue of Friends Journal or online at friendsjournal.org. As always, we’ll have links to our show notes at quakertoday.org.

 

Peterson Toscano (21:56)

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Quakers Today.

 

Sweet Miche (21:59)

⁓

 

Music on today’s show comes from Epidemic Sound.

 

Peterson Toscano (22:02)

Season five of Quakers Today is sponsored by Friends Fiduciary. Friends Fiduciary unites Quaker values with expert investing. They serve more than 460 organizations with ethical portfolios, shareholder advocacy, and a deep commitment to justice and sustainability. They’re a Quaker nonprofit offering cost-effective professional investment services to friends’ meetings, churches, schools, and organizations.

 

With five value aligned portfolios managed by SEC registered firms, every holding is screened for Quaker values. In 2024 alone, they distributed $16 million to their constituents. Learn more at friendsfiduciary.org.

 

Sweet Miche (22:53)

Season 5 is also sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. AFSC works at the forefront of social change to meet urgent needs, challenge injustice, and build peace. For over a decade, AFSC has supported divestment campaigns worldwide. Today, its Action Center for Corporate Accountability works to expose and reduce corporate involvement in mass incarceration, immigrant detention,

 

border militarization and the Israeli occupation. Visit investigate.afsc.org for resources to help you divest from corporate sponsored state violence. Learn more about other initiatives and actions at afsc.org.

 

Peterson Toscano (23:42)

Visit QuakersToday.org to see our show notes and a full transcript of this episode. And if you stick around after the closing, you will hear listeners’ responses to the question, who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quaker-ness, even if they aren’t Quaker?

 

Sweet Miche (24:03)

Thank you, friend. May you experience peace and clarity in the silence.

 

In a moment, you’ll hear listeners’ voicemails responding to this month’s question.

 

Peterson Toscano (24:19)

first. Let’s tell you what we’re asking for next month. Here’s the question. What do you believe now that you didn’t believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism? Let me say that again. What do you believe now that you didn’t believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism?

 

Sweet Miche (24:39)

We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-782-5377. That’s 317-QUAKERS. You can also email us at podcast at quakerstoday.org or podcast at friendsjournal.org.

 

Peterson Toscano (25:04)

And of course, feel free to leave a comment when you see this question pop up on our social media pages. All these details are in our show notes over at wakerstoday.org.

 

Sweet Miche (25:15)

Now we hear your answers to the question, who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quaker-ness, even if they aren’t Quaker? They could come from a book, comic, cartoon, film, TV show, or video game.

 

Peterson Toscano (25:30)

So sweet Mish, I’ve been asking people this question and then they were like lost. They were like, we don’t know. And last month I mentioned Dinah from George Eliot’s Adam Bede, but I’ve changed my mind. My answer now is Gumby. Have you heard of Gumby before?

 

Sweet Miche (25:45)

I have I had a little I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but I had a Gumby figurine growing up. Okay

 

Peterson Toscano (25:52)

So Gumby is a claymation character from the 50s. Gumby is curious, kind, quietly persistent. He bends, but never breaks. Gumby, his family, his friends, approach the world with imagination, compassion, and a deep, steady sense of peace that feels a lot like Quakerism in motion.

 

Sweet Miche (26:14)

I need to check out some of Gumby on YouTube. I’ll watch it. And I was thinking about my answer all month and despite having some serious critiques I have of the movie, Wally really speaks to my condition as a Quaker. He lives simply in his little container. ⁓

 

Peterson Toscano (26:33)

Wait, wait, Wall-E, like that robot movie, Wall-E. Yes. Okay, yeah.

 

Sweet Miche (26:38)

Wall-E. Yeah, he’s a little square robot and he lives in a square container with his little found object trinkets. But his whole purpose is to restore our earth. And in the whole movie, he never chooses to fight, but he chooses to repair things and persist despite threats. I also asked this question to Rhiannon Grant.

 

Rhiannon Grant (27:05)

My answer is that there are many fictional candidates but one of them is Jedi characters from Star Wars. The case I would put is that Qui-Gon Jinn is the most Quakerly Jedi because at the same time as belonging to this ancient order who value their tradition and their ways of doing things, he’s also

 

connected to the living force in Quaker terms, moving with the spirit, doing things that break the rules, even gambling when the occasion calls for it, in order to support peace and justice.

 

Sweet Miche (27:49)

We also received several responses to this question on our social media pages.

 

Peterson Toscano (27:55)

Yeah, and that happened after I mentioned Gumby. Once I put it out there, then people felt like, okay, I get it now. So from Facebook, Dee from South Africa, who’s also my mother-in-law, wrote, I love the Pooh Bear books by A.L. Milne. The characters are kind, never judge, and don’t try to change each other. They love supporting each other and really live in the now. I vote for Pooh Bear.

 

Sweet Miche (28:22)

Vonn New chose Maisie Dobbs, the main character in Jacqueline Winspear’s series of historical mysteries. Vaughn writes, she’s a post-World War I private investigator and psychologist based in London, using her keen intellect, psychological training, and empathy to solve crimes.

 

Peterson Toscano (28:43)

And Kri Burkander offered another wonderful example, Ted Lasso. Which is a TV show I’ve never seen, but now I need to because Cree writes, one of his slogans is to be curious, not judgmental. He’s a delightful character and the whole show is just fantastic. He leads with his heart and though people often think he’s naive, the community he builds allows everyone to shine.

 

Andy Fidoten (28:49)

You

 

Peterson Toscano (29:09)

It’s a beautiful reminder that Quaker values are sorely needed in our hurting world.

 

Sweet Miche (29:14)

We also received an email response from Frank Bishop in Virginia, who chose Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Frank writes, Dorothy is swept up into a world she doesn’t recognize and finds the courage to follow the yellow brick road, a path that feels a lot like the Quaker journey. Along the way, she brings together the scarecrow seeking wisdom, the tin man longing for a heart, and the lion searching for courage. Together, they pull back the curtain to expose the truth behind the great Oz. To me, Dorothy stands for courage in the face of tyranny and deception. That courage has marked friends since the 1600s, especially the women who carry truth and light into the world at great personal risk. Dorothy reminds us of that spirit.

 

Peterson Toscano (30:02)

I never would have thought of Dorothy.

 

Yeah. And here are our voicemail responses. Thank you to everyone who shared your reflections. We love hearing the voices and the imaginations of friends around the world.

 

Sweet Miche (30:19)

And remember, you can always join the conversation. Leave us a voicemail, send an email, or comment on social media. You’ll find all the details in our show notes at quakertoday.org.

 

Peterson Toscano (30:31)

Or you can make me extra happy by leaving a voicemail. I know it’s scary. You can do it. The number is 317 Quakers or 317-782-5377. Look at QuakersToday.org. You’ll find it. Thanks. Don’t forget to read good fiction.

 

Sweet Miche (33:41)

 

In a moment, you’ll hear listeners voicemails responding to this month’s question.

 

Peterson Toscano (36:11)

First, let’s tell you what we’re asking for next month. Here’s the question. What do you believe now that you didn’t believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism? Let me say that again. What do you believe now that you didn’t believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism?

 

Sweet Miche (36:31)

We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-782-5377. That’s 317-QUAKERS. You can also email us at podcast at quakerstoday.org or podcast at friendsjournal.org.

 

Peterson Toscano (36:56)

And of course, feel free to leave a comment when you see this question pop up on our social media pages. All these details are in our show notes over at wakerstoday.org.

 

Sweet Miche (37:08)

Now we hear your answers to the question, who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quaker-ness, even if they aren’t Quaker? They could come from a book, comic, cartoon, film, TV show, or video game.

 

Peterson Toscano (37:23)

So, Sweet Miche, I’ve been asking people this question and then they were like lost. They were like, we don’t know. And last month I mentioned Dinah from George Eliot’s Adam Bede, but I’ve changed my mind. My answer now is Gumby. Have you heard of Gumby before?

 

Sweet Miche (37:38)

I have, had a little, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but I had a little Gumby figurine growing up.

 

Peterson Toscano (37:44)

Okay,

 

so Gumby is a claymation character from the 50s. Gumby is curious, kind, quietly persistent. He bends, but never breaks. Gumby, his family, his friends, approach the world with imagination, compassion, and a deep, steady sense of peace that feels a lot like Quakerism in motion.

 

Sweet Miche (38:07)

need to check out some of Gumby on YouTube. I’ll watch it. And I was thinking about my answer all month and despite having some serious critiques I have of the movie, Wally really speaks to my condition as a Quaker. He lives simply in his little container.

 

Peterson Toscano (38:26)

Wait, wait, Wally, like that robot movie, Wally. Yes. Okay, yeah.

 

Sweet Miche (38:31)

wall. Yeah, he’s a little square robot and he lives in a square container with his little found object trigits. But his whole purpose is to restore our earth. And in the whole movie, he never chooses to fight, but he chooses to repair things and persist despite threats. I also asked this question to Rhiannon Grunt.

 

Rhiannon Grant (38:56)

My answer is that there are many fictional candidates, but one of them is Jedi characters from Star Wars.

 

The case I would put is that Qui-Gon Jinn is the most Quakerly Jedi because at the same time as belonging to this ancient order who value their tradition and their ways of doing things, he’s also connected to the living force in Quaker terms, moving with the spirit, doing things that break the rules, even gambling when the occasion calls for it.

 

in order to support peace and justice.

 

Sweet Miche (39:43)

We also received several responses to this question on our social media pages.

 

Peterson Toscano (39:48)

Yeah, and that happened after I mentioned Gumby. Once I put it out there, then people felt like, okay, I get it now. So from Facebook, Dee from South Africa, who’s also my mother-in-law, wrote, I love the Pooh Bear books by A.L. Milne. The characters are kind, never judge, and don’t try to change each other. They love supporting each other and really live in the now. I vote for Pooh Bear.

 

Sweet Miche (40:15)

Yvonne Noux chose Maisie Dobbs, the main character in Jacqueline Winspear’s series of historical mysteries. Yvonne writes, she’s a post-World War I private investigator and psychologist based in London, using her keen intellect, psychological training, and empathy to solve crimes.

 

Peterson Toscano (40:34)

And Cree Burkender offered another wonderful example, Ted Lasso. Which is a TV show I’ve never seen, but now I need to because Cree writes, one of his slogans is to be curious, not judgmental. He’s a delightful character and the whole show is just fantastic. He leads with his heart and though people often think he’s naive, the community he builds allows everyone to shine.

 

It’s a beautiful reminder that Quaker values are sorely needed in our hurting world.

 

Sweet Miche (41:05)

Frank Bishop in Virginia chose Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Frank writes, Dorothy is swept up into a world she doesn’t recognize and finds the courage to follow the yellow brick road, a path that feels a lot like the Quaker journey. Along the way, she brings together the scarecrow seeking wisdom, the tin man longing for a heart, and the lion searching for courage. Together, they pull back the curtain to expose the truth behind the great Oz. To me, Dorothy stands for courage in the face of tyranny and deception.

 

that courage has marked friends since the 1600s, especially the women who carry truth and light into the world at great personal risk. Dorothy reminds us of that spirit. It’s a great one.

 

Peterson Toscano (41:45)

I never would have thought a Dory thing.

 

Yeah. And here are our voicemail responses.

 

Andy Fidoten (41:53)

Hi, this is Andy Fidoten in New York City. I’m responding to the query of what fictional character represents Quaker-ness. I myself, I will admit I’m not a Quaker, but I love a Quaker very, very much. The novel, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro has a main character, he’s a butler at the end of the Second World War, and he’s just trying to be the best butler he can in a world that is sort of moving away from his practices.

 

What I love about the butler so much is that he is this very traditional person and his life is built around a real sense of goodness and badness, of morality, of the way that the world functions. But it’s also cut through with this deep compassion and empathy that shakes out of his being, just infuses the story and it just reminds me of what I’ve.

 

experienced in Quaker spaces, which is both a deep reverence for tradition and for the past and for the things that have come together to build this current moment, but also a feeling that above all what matters is compassion and empathy and kindness.

 

Peterson Toscano (43:08)

Thank you to everyone who shared your reflections. We love hearing the voices and the imaginations of friends around the world.

 

Sweet Miche (43:14)

And remember, you can always join the conversation. Leave us a voicemail, send an email, or comment on social media. You’ll find all the details in our show notes at quakertoday.org. ⁓

 

Peterson Toscano (43:27)

Or you can make me extra happy by leaving a voicemail. I know it’s scary. You can do it. The number is 317 Quakers or 317-782-5377. Look at QuakersToday.org. You’ll find it. Thanks. Don’t forget to read good fiction.