Queries

Queries from the 2013 edition of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice (proposed)

The Queries are a device long used by the Religious Society of Friends for prompting both corporate and individual self-examination. Queries are an encouragement to continue your search, deepen your journey, and engage the mystery.

No particular usage of these queries is prescribed; Friends should feel free to select, to combine, to discuss, and to reflect on these in the order that works best for their situation. Friends might consider at Meeting for Business using queries that pertain to the issues at hand.

1. Aging

Do we welcome the approach of old age, both for ourselves and for others, as an opportunity for wisdom, for detachment from turmoil and for greater attachment to the Light?
How might I attend to what love requires of me in each new stage of my life?
Have I arranged the practical matters regarding possessions, location of documents, burial, etc., that will arise when I die or am unable to communicate so my family is not unduly burdened?
Am I comfortable with the relationships I will leave behind?
How can we support that of God in one another in the face of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges?
How do we support caregivers who may be overwhelmed by the chronic needs of the one receiving care?

2. Caring for One Another

In what ways do I show respect for that of God in every person?
Do I reach out with spiritual and practical care to those with special needs?
Am I comfortable making my own needs known to my Meeting?
How do we share in the diverse joys and transitions in each other’s lives?
Do you consider the needs of grandparents and older members of the family circle?

3. Community

Are love and unity maintained among you?
What helps our Meeting build trust in one another?
How do we get to know one another in our spiritual community and in other religious communities?
How do we make time in our lives for our Meeting?
How do our conflicts have the potential to enrich the life of our community?

Diversity

Does your vision of a just society include people living their lives without fear of discrimination based on who they are, what they believe, and whom they love?
Are we willing to be in communion with each other, open to our differences yet secure in the one Spirit that calls us all to be Friends?
Do my decisions reflect the voices of people of color, people of different sexual identities, people of different ages and economic conditions?
Do I take the risks that right action demands?
Do I seek out and listen to perspectives that promote equal access, inclusion, and welcome for people of all cultures and backgrounds?
How do we work toward creating a community of different people, rather than being a community that just lets different people in?
Do we take the time to see what we want to become as people and as a global community, and do we humbly acknowledge that we have some work to do?

5. Education

How can we most effectively foster a spirit of inquiry with a loving and understanding attitude?
What effort are we making to be better acquainted with Quaker faith and practices and the beliefs of other faiths?
Do we take an active and supportive interest in schools, libraries, and other educational resources in our communities and elsewhere?
Do we also see nature as a teacher and a guide?
Do I strive to develop my physical, emotional and mental capacities toward reaching my Divinely given potential?
How do we prepare ourselves and our children to play active roles in a changing world?

6. Equality

Do you search yourself for and strive to eliminate prejudices?
How do we respond, as individuals and as a community, to prejudice and injustice?
How do we benefit from inequity and exploitation?
Do you oppose the use of our resources for human exploitation?
How do we show through our ways of living that love of God affirms the equality of all people?

7. Home and Family

Do you regularly seek God’s guidance?
Do you make your home a place of affection where God’s presence is felt?
Do you allow time for family worship and spiritual exploration, taking care to include both the very young and very old?
How do you take care that commitments outside the home do not encroach upon the time and loving attention the family needs for its health and well-being?
How does the Meeting support families of all kinds in their attempts to improve communication, family life, and the rearing of children in an atmosphere of love?
Do you cultivate healthful and moderate habits, avoiding the hazards of drugs, intoxicants, and over-indulgence generally?
Can you keep a sense of humor and avoid taking yourself too seriously?

8. Integrity

How do we seek truth by which to live?
How do we recognize it?
In what ways does my life speak of my beliefs and values?
Do I strive to be truthful at all times, avoiding judicial oaths? In what way is my life in harmony with truth as I know it?

9. Listening

When is it hardest for me to be ready to listen?
To what extent do I open myself to the risks of listening?
How have I been changed by deeply listening to another, to God, to nature?
How does my own perception affect the way I understand what others say?

10. Meeting for Business

Are our Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Business held in the spirit of worship, understanding and forbearance?
In what ways do we each take our right share of responsibility in the service of the meeting?
Do we humbly set aside our own preconceived notions as to proper action, seeking instead Divine guidance as to the right course?
When direction seems lacking, is this seen as a challenge to a more prayerful search for truth?
Is the Meeting aware that it speaks not only through its actions but also through its failure to act?

11. Meeting for Worship

Do I prepare my heart and mind to receive the power of God’s presence and love?
How does worship deepen my relationship with the Divine?
How is this inspiration carried over into my daily life?
Are our Meetings for Worship held in expectant waiting for Divine guidance?
How does our worship inspire our Meeting’s activities?

12. Membership

How can I actively support the meeting community?
How can I support the Clerk of Meeting and clerks of committees?
How am I maturing into the fullness of membership in this spiritual community?
How does the meeting community nurture my spiritual growth and transformation?
In what ways does the Meeting make its needs clear to each of us?

13. Outreach

How does my life witness to my Quaker faith?
How do I reach out to new attenders and encourage their exploration of Quakerism as a spiritual path?
How does our Meeting convey Quaker faith and practice to the wider community?
Do you find ways to encourage members, attenders, and all seekers to continue attending Meeting?

14. Peace

How does my life reflect “the virtue of that life and power which takes away the occasion for war”?
Where there are hatred, division, and strife, how are we instruments of reconciliation and love?
How do our lives illustrate our understanding of the basis of our peace testimony?
As we work for peace, are we nourished by peace within and among ourselves?
How do we regard those we believe have harmed us or others?
How does this affect our spiritual lives?

15. Simplicity

Am I aware that the ways in which I choose to use my time, my possessions, my money, and my energy reflect my most deeply held values?
How do we support one another in our search for a simpler life?
What am I ready to release so that I can give my attention to what matters most?
What in my present life most distracts me from God?

16. Social Concerns

How do I express my faith in action?
How are my actions grounded in my faith?
Is my sense of justice based in love?
Do I endeavor to face the pain of the world and respond to it with forgiveness and compassion?
Are you concerned for those in our society who are disadvantaged?
Do I make an idol of that which I am led to defend?
How do I avoid demonizing those who march against my concern?
Do I take my full share of civic responsibility?
Do I avoid partisan assumptions and rhetoric?

17a. Stewardship of Personal Resources

Do we regard our resources as gifts from God, to be held in trust and shared according to the Light we are given?
What are we doing as individuals and as a meeting to nurture our gifts?
How do we encourage the members of the larger community to be careful stewards of their gifts?

17b. Stewardship of the Earth

Do you seek to preserve the beauty and balance of God’s world?
How do we use the world’s resources with care and consideration for future generations and with respect for all life?
Do you endeavor to understand the detrimental changes affecting earth systems and humanity?
Do you seek to meet your needs in a sustainable way by preserving resources, enhancing the health of the earth, and by protecting the future?
Do we intentionally explore and live our conviction that there is that of God in all creation?

18. Vocal Ministry

How do I discern when to speak and when not to speak, both in Meeting and elsewhere?
How do we encourage Friends to allow ample time to absorb the previous message before speaking?
How do I practice listening to the Truth which may be revealed by others?

19. Youth

Do you establish family standards including the mutual obligations of youth and adults?
How do we get to know and care for our youth as individuals?
What have we learned from the wisdom expressed by our youth?
How do we share our deepest beliefs with our youth, while leaving them free to develop as the spirit of God may lead them?