Y’all come to the…

2007 FLGBTQC Midwinter Gathering in North Carolina!

The planning committee for Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns (FLGBTQC) is excited to announce its Midwinter 2007 Gathering has been scheduled for Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2007, at the beautiful Summit Retreat Center in Brown Summit, North Carolina (just north of Greensboro). The theme for the gathering is “Many Voices, One Spirit,” reflecting the spiritual and religious diversity among Friends, especially the multi-faceted expressions of Quakerism in North Carolina. North Carolina has the second largest Quaker population in North America and is home to FUM, FGC, EFI, and independent meetings, all of which can sometimes be found within a few miles of each other.

The theme of the gathering also embraces the deep history of North Carolina Friends that dates back to the founding of the Religious Society of Friends in North America and may be unknown to many Friends. The story of Quakers in North Carolina has long been one of diligent and courageous work toward equal and just treatment of all people. That story continues to be written even today.

Preliminary plans include a plenary session led by Max Carter, director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro; a panel of speakers from each yearly meeting represented in and around North Carolina; worship in the manner of semi-programmed Friends; and, breakout sessions around such topics as the paths individuals have taken to arrive at their current Quaker practice. There will also be a lot of fun, including fireside chats, folk dancing, and field trips to local historical Friends sites.

This is the first ever gathering of FLGBTQC in any location between northern Virginia and Florida. We are excited to share the stories and histories of NC Friends and hope that you will be able to join us!

For more information about our meeting location, check out The Summit

website - http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/TheSummit/

For more information about FLGBTQC, click on http://flgbtqc.quaker.org/

To read about the yearly, monthly and associated meetings tied to the

Carolinas, follow these links:

For more information about our plenary speaker, Max Carter, read below:
Max L. Carter is director of Friends Center, campus ministry coordinator, director of Quaker Studies, and adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC. Descended from long generations of Quakers, Max was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and did alternative service at the Friends Schools in Ramallah, Palestine. He is a recorded Friends minister. With his wife, Jane, he continues to travel to the Middle East each year on service projects with students and to support the Israeli and Palestinian peace communities. At Guilford, Max teaches courses on simplicity and plainness in world cultures, intentional community, Quaker history, and spirituality. His interests include biking, gardening, the Amish, conflict transformation, and jogging.