On November 8th 2025, Beacon Hill Friends House supported the Life and Power project in hosting a virtual workshop with 16 Friends participating. The workshop was focused with the queries:

​How do we face the reality of abuse, past and present, in community? What boundaries are important when engaging in this work?

​How do we support each other in practicing our peace testimony in our communities and our homes, interrupting harmful behavior as well as supporting healing and repair?

Our intent was to create the kind of environment that helped participants practice listening, building skills that they could take back to their communities and everyday interactions. We prepared, quite intentionally, for listening, and our experience affirmed our decision to create ample space for grounding.

Worshipful conversation - spirit-led sharing - was introduced with the analogy of dropping a pebble into a pool of still water and waiting for the ripples to travel across the water, and settle back into stillness.

The space between sharing suggested deep listening, and Friends reflected on sensitive topics including truth-telling amongst Friends; interpersonal aspects of the peace testimony juxtaposed with anti-war activism; the roles of victim, perpetrator and bystander; and themes of power, sexism, racism and privilege.

We held a spiritually grounded space together, supporting the capacity for courageous listening and responding. Perhaps we have a greater sense of how to build communities with the ability to notice and interrupt abuse, and where survivors would find listening ears and support.