“Friend Jon connected well with students from both Quaker and other backgrounds. His vibrant spoken word messages touched on themes of environmental stewardship, peace, equality, justice and other quaker testimonies with an authenticity and immediacy that expanded the vocabulary of worship for all of us.”

Read the rest of John’s letter…

Tom Hoopes, Religious Studies Teacher at George School

“Jon Watts brings people together across boundaries of age, theology and musical taste. After Jon’s recent performance at George School, I heard a wide range of affirmative responses from various people. A spiritually-seeking teacher in his late twenties remarked, “Wow. Jon Watts is the real deal. He’s got it.” A very savvy girl of 18 said, “He is SO hot! I have all of his CDs.” A colleague in her 50’s noted, “I love his stuff. And my kids and their friends all have his music on their iPods.”

Read the rest of Tom’s letter…

Walter Hjelt-Sullivan, Academic Dean of Pendle Hill

“Jon Watts is a skillful and perceptive performer. His performances take on the flavor of a Meeting for Worship. It is clear to me that Jon both prepares the play list to create that atmosphere and listens carefully to follow the leadings of the Spirit in the moment. What I appreciate most about Jon and his ministry is the honesty, sincerity, and transparency of his journey. He continuously seeks to be faithful – to find the true message that has been given to him.”

Read the rest of Walter’s letter…

Max Carter, Director of Friends Center at Guilford College

“After witnessing the profoundly positive impact Jon’s work has had on the Quaker community at Guilford, I have felt moved to share the fruits of his labor with the wider Quaker world. I hope that Jon’s music will inspire others to dig deep into the experience of early Friends and discover, as Jon did, deep resources for our lives today.”

Read the rest of Max’s letter…

Jon Watts performs his “Quaker hit” from the “Dance Party Erupts During Quaker Meeting for Worship” video, “Friend Speaks My Mind” at Friends Meeting at Cambridge on his 2010 two wheel tour.

See his vlog from Boston:
http://bit.ly/azyxe5

Pendle Hill’s daily Quaker Worship transforms into a raucous dance party as the result of some unconventional ministry from Jon Watts. Filmed and edited by Ben Schilling. The music video for “Friend Speaks My Mind.”

• Lyrics to “Friend Speaks My Mind”, the song featured in the video
• Download the song

Learn more about Jon Watts:

• About
• Listen
• Upcoming Shows

Shirley was a patient and deep listener, asking questions like How did your musical ministry develop and What do you see Quakerism offering to the world?  Take a look:

http://www.pendlehill.org/blog/266-jonwatts

Some of the lyrics have provoked dialogue, specifically about the relationship between modern Quakerism and Christianity. Here are a few of my own thoughts…

Let’s start with:

“I’m not a Christian
but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s Inner Light
But he’s not my savior.”

Full Lyrics

If you visited my website seeking an anti-Christian Quaker manifesto, you were probably disappointed. After a Guilford College education and a year living in community with all types of spiritual seekers at Pendle Hill, I am decidedly “Christian-curious” and have no illusions about the roots of my religion.

One job of the artist is to tap into the pulse of a community and give voice to the knots that need to be unraveled in order to move toward clarity and healing.

So if you are surprised and slightly offended by the theological statements in the song, you might be amazed by the number of Friends who approach me in solidarity with its handling of the Quakerism/Christianity relationship.

Alternately, if you find yourself in solidarity with the song’s message, you might be surprised by the number of Friends who contact me, confounded and upset by this particular approach.

Or, you might not be surprised at all.

Sometimes these two types of Quakers are living in the same communities and attending the same Meetings, but they have watered down their language so much that they never have to confront their differences.

More often, their Meeting houses are separate but in the same cities, ignoring each other altogether.

Please start talking to each other.

(If it sounds a bit like I’m talking to my parents, estranged from one another and stubborn about an old conflict, it’s because I am. Many folks in my generation – the generation that is inheriting the religion – are dissatisfied with the branches we’ve been given and the older generation’s resignation. See: convergent Friends)

Truth-telling often breaks open a scar – previously painful, static and hidden – now painful and fluid, out in the open. It is up to us to breathe mindfully and speak our hearts, doing our part to see that the breaking open moves toward healing and reconciliation rather than furthering the divides between us.

…and as happy as I am for my artist-character to be receiving attention around a controversial idea, the important thing is that there is peaceful, clarifying and reconciling dialogue in our communities (here’s my plug to book me to come to your Meeting and help foster that dialogue in person).

It can be overwhelming to think about “healing” the splits, and perhaps it is not God’s intention for Quakerism to return to being one big whole. But certainly we are not meant to simply ignore the discrepancies in our spiritual identity without engaging in dialogue…? It is uncomfortable, but for God’s sake, can we just speak our truth, breathe, examine it, love ourselves, each other and the truth as it is in the present moment? Be truthful, be courageously faithful, the next step will be revealed in good time.

We are not Christians and non-Christians. We are humans: beautiful, afraid, in pain. Love your neighbor.

TODAY I AM RELEASING MY FIRST EVER MUSIC VIDEO!

Sorry for the “all-caps,” but I have to express my excitement.  This has been a long time in the making and I only get to release my first music video once!

Plus… it is really good!  I promise.  We filmed it in April at Pendle Hill with many familiar resident faces.  The concept of the shoot was “Meeting for Worship turns dance party” and it came out so well!  …thanks to filmmaker Ben Schilling, his helper Allie and all those who graciously came to worship, dance and be filmed.

So, without further ado… watch this!

(and please – share it with your friends, relatives, relative strangers, others in your Meeting… spread the fun!  Just send them to that url!)

News and Tidings

Since last I wrote to you, I attended FGC, which was in-tense.  My performance went very well (check out my enthusiastic audience!) but besides the Gathering’s normal intensity of a week overflowing, there were a few tragedies, including a major skateboarding accident and Bonnie Tinker’s bicycle accident which resulted in her death.  Emotions ran high – Friends looked to the Spirit and to each other to guide them through grief.

Now, as promised, I get to do some fishing.  I am here at the Woolman Semester in Northern California where I am living with my brother and his wife and newborn and helping with various projects, including promotion and outreach.

So… if you know of a (more or less) high school aged teenager who could benefit from a transformational semester of Truth-seeking with other amazing young Quakers, send them to www.woolman.org!

My questions about my own near future plans remain unanswered, though I’m certain that everything will find it’s right place.  I ask for your prayers.

Further Youtubery

I believe that I mentioned once in a newsletter a few months ago that it was my intention to set out into the strange and wild world of Youtube.  I can say this much: I’ve embarked!

My Youtube channel is a place where I will be uploading videos of my performances, lectures and other visual presentations.  I’ve already put up a few:

• Several videos from the FGC performance in Blacksburg this summer: Faded, Instructions for Us(e), and We Are Lovers of Our Lost Earth
• The story behind the song “I’m Great” and performance at Solebury Monthly Meeting this Spring.
• An interview about the artistic concept behind Mixed Vice Work
• My performance of “Friend Speaks My Mind at FGC Gathering ’08 in Johnstown, PA
• THE BRAND NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “FRIEND SPEAKS MY MIND”!!!

(no more caps, I promise.)

Since most folks on this mailing list are Quakers and probably have no reason to know much about Youtube, I’ll explain:

Youtube.com is a website where anyone can register to have an account to which they may upload videos, subscribe to the videos of others or just generally be friendly (though if you’ll notice the comments section below some videos, “friendly” isn’t always an accurate description.)

If by some strange mishap you’ve found yourself with a Youtube account, you can subscribe to my videos and I can subscribe to yours!  Let’s be Youtube friends!  Alternately, you could keep up with my RSS feed (though that is an internet lesson for another newsletter…)

For now: watch, enjoy, share! 

It is my intention that my art be healing, stimulating, helpful, enriching.  A source of joy, letting go, inspiration and passion.

Peace, Friend!
Thanks for Reading!
Watch my new music video!

Jon

I want to be on the go
I want to see from the go
I want my “love is cheap” and “sex, release”
and even eat and sleep on the go

Oh no
Your “love is cheap” and “sex, release”
are costing you your peace
Don’t you know when you’re paying a price?
Put away your wallet
(the Spirit gives advice)
And when you listen to your conscience
it pays you back twice
Don’t be convinced by economics
just live out your life
And when you see something wrong
don’t close your eyes
Listen to this song or look at the sky
and say “I know I’m not perfect
This pile of shit is mine
and I’ve been working and working
and I’m doing real fine
I fuck up. I fuck up sometimes
I’m not bad because I’m not standing in a line
and I’m not going to show you a gang sign”

Pendle Hill lives on, faithful in strife
at least another time to sing Auld Lang Zime
and you can say these words
to make you faithful and strong
because I promise afternoons will be hang time

And just listen
I mean listen for the bell
there’s always a bell when you need to hear it
And next time you hear this
don’t fear it

Love,
(Spirit)

I found Quakers when I was just a kid
and now I’m studying them
I hope you know how that is

I’ve got George Fox on my right, James Nayler’s on my left
and Margaret Fell is holding us together
give her some respect

It’s that first generation we look back to
to find out what being a Friend means through and through
I don’t fully understand it
I don’t know if I can
but I understand enough to know that I am a fan

I’m like, damn, I didn’t think that I would do this anymore
I got bored
listening to lectures felt like a chore
But now I’m begging Max Carter just to tell me some more
Oh lord

So when I heard this Christian stuff
I’d get uncomfortable a lot
I’m like, What does Jesus have to do with George Fox?
And when I heard the word Christ it would make my jaw drop
but now I kind of understand the man I’ve got a soft spot

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

Now I’m a liberal Friend
That means F-G-C
and tons of other acronyms that set me free
and I’ve been running the gammut
from Quaker camps to sandwiches
with the Young Friends crew
I know we offend you
but yo, we’re Quaker like the rest of y’all
Just ‘cause we go to bed later
doesn’t mean that midnight isn’t Quaker

And yo I’m sorry like everybody
that Quakers had to split
but just don’t blame Elias Hicks for all our problems
We’re the Society of Friends
it’s time we acted like it
and start to work together just to try to solve them

So all you Friends in the Meetinghouse
put your hands up
and then twist them at the wrist
like you just got out of handcuffs
That’s how you clap for me
you’ve got to clap silently

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

I found George Fox living in a journal
and it’s fertile
I’m learning
I mean, I’ve jumped a lot of hurdles
and done a lot of discerning
just to get to where I’m sure that
the ancestors are working for certain
met the Spirit in person
now I’m living life nurturing worship
(in certain circles there’s a focus on service)

Now I know you might say
“Well, that’s some backwards theology”
I know you might say
“Well, that’s not right”
But that’s the way that I grew up
and it’s the way that I’m presenting it
Let’s hold all our differences in the Light
Alright

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

To
Richmond Friends Meeting
BYM
FGC
Guilford College
QLSP
Pendle Hill
Earlham College
Shiloh Quaker Camp
Catoctin and Opequon
FCNL
AFSC
Langley Hill
Friendship Friends Meeting
Ashland Vineyard

FRIEND SPEAKS MY MIND