Videos
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
Learn more about Jon Watts:
Watch more videos on Jon’s Youtube Channel!
Having my most recent venture into online video so widely shared among the Religious Society of Friends has caused me to step back and examine the forum that I so suddenly plunged into… Quakers on youtube!
I thought it might be useful to share some of the interesting and odd resources that I’ve found. And things seem to be progressing relatively quickly.
For example, we’ve come a long way since January, 2008, when this video was compiled:
…and since these non-Quakers were the most visible folks discussing Quakerism in video form:
(…and I just searched and searched for the original “introduction to liberal Quakers” video that was just a list of spiritual opinions from someone who hadn’t ever been to Meeting. But it must have been taken down. And enough old videos from folks unfamiliar with our movement!)
Martin Kelley pointed me to this great video from Callid Keefe-Perry, which is a reaction to the lack of self-description from Quakers on youtube.
More great vids from Callid at his channel,
THEOPOETICSdotNET
The following video is one in a series of tasteful and well-produced videos on Quakerism according to Watford Friends Meeting in Watford, England from user srekauq:
My favorite Quaker video of all time, Can We all Be Friends, is not online. But it is available in the Pendle Hill Bookstore, and if we bother producers Coleman Watts and Betsy Blake enough, they just might put some of it up on youtube!
…and where are we headed with electronic/video outreach? Check out this interview with Raye Hodgson of Ohio Yearly Meeting’s Electronic Outreach Committee:
Some more Quaker video resources:
- Quakerquaker.org/video
- The Bridge Film Festival, An International festival of student films from Friends, (Quaker) schools and Meetings worldwide.
And of course, I’ve been focusing on the liberal Quaker perspective, but there are also some strong resources from other branches:
Have you ever judged someone for being too judgmental?
It’s funny how the obvious irony of it doesn’t prevent me from that attitude. I have to catch myself.
In 2005, I was walking around the streets of Coimbra hating the people around me for destroying our natural world and for not caring for our animal neighbors. Cars’ exhaust, concrete, construction workers, folks in business suits… I convicted them all of neglect and hatred and I despised them for it. I sentenced total strangers to angry looks and disregarded their humanity because of their sins.
…until it occurred to me that our neglect and objectification of the natural world comes out of our own pain and brokenness. My actively hating someone will cause them to feel hated — which will cause more pain — which will cause them to act out of their brokenness — which will cause more destruction.
I vowed to stop contributing to the problem.
Greetings, Friends!
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
Jon Watts tells the story of being a camp counselor at Shiloh Quaker Camp and introducing battle rapping as an afternoon activity, which leads into his song “I’m Great”.
ABOUT
Jon Watts is a Quaker rapper and spoken word poet who tours the country with his guitar and bicycle.
