On Coming Home: Part II

Now that you know how I got here, let me tell you a little bit of what I have been up to. It has already been exciting work. My position, intern, is defined as assisting in all things Friends Center.

I would like to fill you in on what some of my bigger projects have been. The project I have probably devoted the most energy to is creating a web presence for Friends Center. It has been quite an experience. I took a class on computer programming in high school, but as I approached this project, that class seemed like a lifetime ago. I have been learning about html, facebook pages, and many other things. It's been fun to learn, and has expanded my horizons. Feel free to check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Friends-Center/. 

I have also been working on an updated alumni database for the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the program, we are trying to collect information for potential reunion activites next fall. The other big project I have been working on is a brochure that contains information on the speakers we are bringing to campus this year. Working on this has gotten me really excited to hear the folks who are coming, and what they can offer our community here at Guilford. The list includes several authorities in their respective disciplines, including Shane Claiborne, Najeeba Sayeed-Miller, and Stephen Zunes. Keep your eyes open for that brochure. If you are in the area you won't want to miss these speakers.

Another fun part of the summer is the opportunity to travel. As many Yearly Meeting sessions happen over the summer, we are enjoying getting out on the road and getting to see Friends. I had the pleasure of attending North Carolina Yearly Meeting - Conservative a couple of weeks ago (see previous blog post) and am really excited to be attending Friends United Meeting Triennial sessions this weekend in Wilmington, OH. I will also attend North Carolina Yearly Meeting - FUM over labor day weekend at Black Mountain, NC. One of my passions in Quakerism is inter-visitation. It is so good to be able to travel among F(f)riends and share in fellowship and worship. I don't think that I ever would have guessed how much work goes on here at Guilford over the summer, but everyone seems to be working at least as hard as they do during the year.

While change is inevitable, it also feels like there are some things at Guilford which will never change. Most of the changes that are apparent to me are in the facilities. Founders has been updated, there's an art installation on the quad, and another set of "new apartments".  But the spirit feels the same. My favorite part of my work has been meeting with students who are here this summer. They easily could have been students when I was a student here. There is the same search for truth, hunger for spirituality, and kind-hearted concern for others. It is so good to know that what was so crucial to my Guilford is experience is still alive and well. Guilford was such a formative experience for me in so many ways. Here I not only learned about music, but also about myself, and about the world. It's good to know that students are still thirsty for knowledge, and that that thirst is being assuaged, if not quenched.

And so that is what I am up to. If you would like to be in contact with me, please feel free to call or e-mail me. My office number 336.316.2379 and my email is sebensnp@guilford.edu. Also, if you find your way to campus, please stop by my office. It is located in the Community Center, in what used to be the meditation room.

Nathan Sebens '06, Friends Center Intern

On Coming Home: Part I

Four years ago, as I shook President Kent Chabotar's hand and received my diploma, I remember wondering, "Will I return to Guilford?". Then, it seemed clear to me that the answer was yes. However, it was not evident how or when this "return" would happen. Now, that is also clear. I am so excited to be coming home. I simply cannot imagine a better way to return to Guilford. I am both honored and humbled to begin my work as the first ever Friends Center Intern. This blog post will be dedicated to introducing (or re-introducing) you to me. I will start where I ended last, by filling you in on what I've been up to since Guilford. I will tell you where I have been, what I have done, etc...

Graduation '07, John Wilson Irwin, Saul Meyerson-Knox, Nathan Sebens, Amber Donaldson

I graduated from Guilford with a Major in Vocal Performance, a Minor in Quaker Studies, and as a member of the Bonners Scholars program as well as the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program. I officially graduated in December of '06 and was excited to continue my studies at the Earlham School of Religion, but took a temporary position teaching elementary music. I entered this position knowing it would only be for the spring, until I headed up to Earlham. I learned a lot about myself and the American educational system in those six months. I was grateful for the experience, but my real excitement was around the studies that awaited me at ESR.

So I moved to Richmond, IN in the fall of  '07 to begin a Masters of Divinity program at the Earlham School of Religion. While there, most of my classes focused on Quakers Studies, Biblical Studies, and Pastoral Care. I stayed at ESR for exactly one half of the program. In my last semester there, I felt as though I was being called to return to performance. I had begun to perform in the local community theater (Richmond Civic Theatre) and had accepted a position as a choir director for one of the local meetings (West Richmond Friends). It became clear that this was where my energy was. My passion had shifted back to the performance world which I had all but forsaken to attend ESR. And so, with the help of my community, I discerned that it was time to leave ESR and see if I could make performance my vocation, as well as my career.

  

ArtReach '10-'11, Nathan Sebens, Stevyn Carmona, Ashley Brown, Taryn Bryant

I think that the challenges one faces when they choose to make any type of performance a career are well-documented. I found that for the most part, all the stories I had been told were accurate. I continued to be involved with the local theater and the choir at West Richmond, but also found myself needing to spend more and more time in that haven for actors, the restaurant industry. I attended several professional auditions before I was offered my first paying role with The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati. Over the next two years, I went from being in the chorus for a couple of shows with the Children's Theatre, to becoming a full-time member of ArtReach, the touring arm of the same company. So I got my wish to be a full-time professional actor. It was amazing to be doing what I loved, and getting paid for it. However, near the end of my nine-month contract there, it again felt like something was missing. I missed the intentional spiritual community which had surrounded me at Guilford and at ESR. And so I was left to ponder what would happen next.

As my girlfriend and I discussed potential moves (we discussed things like an "around the world" trip, farming in Australia, and a move to San Diego), it became clear that we both wanted to move back to North Carolina. This was exciting at first, but very quickly the need for a job and a place to live began to weigh on both of us. I knew I would feel better if I could at least line up a few prospects (no small feat in this economy). And so I began to look for potential positions, especially but not exclusively in performance. At the end of one especially frustrating day, I thought to myself, "There probably isn't anything, but I'll check Guilford, just in case." And lo and behold, when I looked on the Guilford website, I found the listing for this job, and it immediately felt right. I had a very real sense that I had found what I was looking for. I didn't know if I was called to do this work yet, but I knew that I was called to apply. As the application process continued, it became obvious that this was the work I was supposed to do this year. And as they say, the rest is history.

So here I am, back at my Alma Mater, and loving the work that I am doing. Tomorrow I will post another entry entitled "On Coming Home: Part II" in which I will discuss the work I am doing here, and how it feels to be back on campus.

in the Light,
Nathan Sebens '06, Friends Center Intern

Living the Faith: North Carolina Yearly Meeting - Conservative

Sing and rejoice ye children of the day and the light; for the Lord is at work in this thick night of darkness that may be felt: and the Truth doth flourish as the rose, and lilies do grow among the thorns and the plants atop the hills, and upon them the lambs doth skip and play.
-The Journal of George Fox

I felt blessed to be able to visit with North Carolina Yearly Meeting - Conservative (NCYM-C) this past weekend. Their annual sessions were held at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The theme for the sessions was Living the Faith: Becoming the Beloved Community. This was the first time I had ever attended a yearly meeting that wasn't the yearly meeting I grew up in (North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM) and it truly was a wonderful experience.

Immediately, I was struck by the feel of the sessions. This group felt like a family that I was immediately welcomed into. It's very clear that they, as a body, have really struggled together to find what the Divine is calling them to, and are the stronger for it. This is a body that isn't afraid to gather together and really work through the hard issues.

Evelyn Jadin

The theme was contemplated through bible study, inter-generational evening sessions, and plenary sessions. The keynote address was given by a graduate of the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program here at Guilford, Evelyn Jadin '06. She challenged those gathered to honestly consider the work we are called to, as well as the tools we are given for that work. It seemed that all those who were present were ministered to by her message in some way, and a rich worship followed her speaking. The worship over the course of the weekend always felt covered, and led by the Spirit.

NCYM-C is a size that makes it possible to involve the youth in the work to be done at annual sessions. The younger members who were present really added to the sense of a gathered meeting community. I personally got to spend a morning helping to care for the Young Friends (on a trip to the beach, no less), and was impressed by their sense of community and interest in their own developing faiths.

It is always good to be able to come together and worship with those in our large family of Friends. Thank you to the Friends of North Carolina Yearly Meeting - Conservative for being so welcoming, I was certainly blessed to be with everyone there.


Nathan Sebens '06, Friends Center Intern

A Blog for Friends Center

Welcome to the new blog for Friends Center at Guilford College. Here we hope to post longer updates about what is going on here at Friends Center. This blog will be used for reflections on speakers, updates on visits made by our staff people, reflections on general Spirtuality and Quakerism, and hopefully much more. We also hope to balance the contributers between staff and students, so that you can be exposed to many points of view. We, as a staff, are really energized about the work that is before us, and hope that through this blog, you can share in that excitement. Thanks for coming along on this new and exciting journey with us!

Nathan Sebens '06, Intern at Friends Center