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Dear Reader I can still remember the excitement with which a Baptist visitor greeted me, after hearing my sermon about Friends business practices. Not exactly "altar call" material, you might think, but for this visitor among Friends it was a revelation that a part of the Body of Christ actually took Jesus' Headship of the church seriously enough to forsake voting in favor of coming to unity according to the leading of the Spirit. If my memory serves, the same sermon was a revelation to some Friends in the congregation who knew all about not voting but somehow hadn't gotten the point that our peculiar business practices weren't intended to increase representative democracy in the church but were--instead--to exalt the theocratic rule of God. As Friends of Jesus, we seek a third way between the spirit-killing constraint of legalism and the despairing freedom of antinomianism. (Read Romans 8 and John 14-15.) To draw to a close our short series of articles on things Friends do well, we've invited Marty Grundy and Margaret Benefiel to reflect on Friends and corporate discernment. And Rich Swingle tells a fascinating tale of how this functioned in his artistic endeavor. In the end, I suppose that I would admit that corporate discernment and accountability is not something we do well. But, at least we are trying. I recently had occasion to request the help of a clearness committee for some decisions I was facing. How scary to open my life to scrutiny, and what a humiliation to admit that I needed others' counsel! But how else will we enter the Kingdom of heaven if we aren't willing to remove the crowns from off our own heads? Ben Richmond

Cover Stories 12 The Body of Christ: A Practical Lesson Marty Grundy What if "church" isn't about self-realization or individualism? Marty Grundy shares her experiment with being part of a corporate Body gathered in Christ's name. 14 Maturing in Christ Corporate Spiritual Discernment as a School of the Spirit Margaret Benefiel A case study: The pastoral search committee prays for guidance, but remains divided. What is going on? Is the Quaker ideal of unity in Christ a false hope? 16 A Clear Leading for the Protagonist, But Not for the Playwright Rich Swingle A one-man play given by the playwright sounds like a exercise in individualism. But, Rich Swingle discovered that his play about John Woolman needed to be re-shaped by the community of faith. 19 Building Peace Around the World Quaker International Affairs Staff Meet Patrick Nugent From Cuba to Vietnam, from East Africa and New York to Brussels and Tokyo: Quakers are working in quiet ways to build peace. Patrick Nugent attended a gathering of these workers and lets us know what they are up to. 22 Quaker International Affairs Work in the 20th Century Stephen Collett Stephen Collett, formerly of the Quaker United Nations Office, puts it in historical perspective. Features 2 Viewpoints 4 Committments Johan Maurer 5 News from Friends United Meeting 6 Jamaica Work Team 8 News 18 Salt and Light Question: When Is a Committee Not a Committee? Bruce Bishop 24 Bible Study Bring the Cows Home, Faith Jan Hodson 25 Reviews She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall by Misty Bernall Becoming Me: A Story of Creation by Martin Boroson 26 Passages 28 Classifieds 30 Meeting Directory 35 The Back Bench Of Mutual Interest Stan Banker

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