Saying Goodbye

After six years directing the QuakerSpeak project, it’s time for me to move on. Thanks for being a part of it, and stay tuned for what’s coming next.

Click here to keep in touch with Jon.

Download the music Jon composed for QuakerSpeak

Watch the story of QuakerSpeak

Jon Watts

Jon Watts launched and directed the QuakerSpeak project for its first 6 seasons. Keep up to date with Jon’s work at his website.

33 thoughts on “Saying Goodbye

  1. Thank you so much Jon for your amazing work with QuakerSpeak. Wonderful! Thank you!!

    Good luck with your new endeavors.

  2. So very grateful for thy faithful ministry, Jon. If Quakers are allowed to be proud, I am of thy dream turned into vital ministry. And if not, well, then, I have unquakerly pride in thy dream turned into vital ministry! Walk in the Light as way opens into thy next ministry.

    1. Thank you for the support, inspiration, and guidance throughout the years Max! I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program at Guilford and the faithful mentors I encountered there.

  3. Jon, I heard you when you were “just” a singer and had my doubts. But I can doubt no longer.
    You’ve done a phenomenal job in launching Quaker Speak. Thank you from this old folk.
    I’m impressed with your ability to see opportunity and seize it for the good of all, not just
    yourself. I hope this gift will lead you in new directions on behalf of Quakers. Embrace the future whatever it may be for all of us, Quakers and non-Quakers. It will include climate change.

  4. Jon, thank you for being so faithful to the leading you had to undertake this project. You have provided an immense offering to the present and future of Quakerism, indeed. Your mind, skill, and talent have been used so well — the QuakerSpeak series is invaluable for education and outreach in these digital times. Thank you, thank you! (And, yes, of course I want to stay in touch!

    1. Paulette! Thank you for your kind words, Friend, and for being one of the people who took a chance on my editing skills early on in the project’s lifespan! Looking back on the interview we did together, I am reminded of the power and strength in your voice and your faithfulness to your own leadings.

  5. Yay, Jon! Thank you so much for this wonderful chunk of your spiritual journey. What a gift it has been to so many people, including you. I look forward to seeing where your path takes you next. I will always have in my heart that time we spent together in the row boat on the pond at The Meeting School as you shared with me your discernment about moving forward from that place. I am certain you have more amazing things ahead. Keep on movin’ forward, f/Friend!

    1. What a wonderful memory, Sheila! As was the case then too, clarity can be bittersweet, but is always a relief when it comes. Hope you are well, Friend. -Jon

  6. Best wishes to your next adventure, Jon. Quaker Speak was an amazingly successful undertaking. Thanks for making it happen. I’ve personally watched every week!

    1. So lovely to hear from you Tim! It was your assignment in Music History class that kicked this all off… if it hadn’t been for your encouragement to explore early Quakers’ relationship with music, I may never have discovered how much I love interviewing Quakers! Hope you’re well, Friend.

  7. Dear Jonathan, I’m so very proud of you and all your hard work to make your amazing vision come to life. Having seen you go through the labor pains of giving birth to each of your projects, I know how hard this one was (extra long gestation!) and how much of your energy it took to create and maintain it. Congratulations on knowing when it’s time to move on and let Spirit continue to guide your ministry. Much love always, Maggie Moon

  8. The number of views is a testament to the impact of Quaker Speak. I look forward to it. It has been bold and clear. It has added another dimension to the Quaker discussion, along with Friends Journal and the many great books such as Douglas Gwyn’s A Sustainable Life.
    Best wishes for your next steps. You have assured us Quaker Speak will be in good hands.
    As a fellow traveler (now Episcopalian, Presbyterian) in what was formerly called the wider Quaker fellowship, but with deep Quaker roots, I know my religious and spiritual formation has been enhanced by your work.
    I want to thank you and all who have been involved in this project both named and unnamed.

  9. Your videos have had an international impact in Quaker communities. So well done. Blessings in your future endeavors.

  10. I wish you well in your next undertaking. I also wish well the continuation of Quaker Speak that will happen led by someone else. I have looked forward to the videos. Thank you for all the experiences you have provided and your service to Quakers.

  11. John…. thinking back to those earl days, when you shared your dream of a ministry that would tell the contemporary Quaker stories …. and to see it grow into just that.
    A Ministry that helped us all to grow.

    This six years was a ‘gift of the Spirit’!

    Thank you and blessings for the next part of your life journey.

  12. Dear Jon, I’ve watched all of them except when I was overseas… thank you so much for them, as others have said – for your faithfulness. No doubt what comes next for you, will also be spirit led, exciting, challenging, fun. Light and love, Helen Gould from Australia.

  13. Thank you Jon for the inspiring videos. This is such a wonderful resource that will live on. Best of luck in whatever you do next.

  14. Thank you so much for your video ministry. I am a newly convinced Quaker of 10 years and count on your videos to continue to learn and grown in Quaker faith. May your path forward continue to be as fruitful for you as this past one has been.

  15. Dear Jon, Words cannot express how much you and your leadings have touched my spirit and my life. I’ve watched all of the Quaker Speak videos, dozens of them multiple times, plus showed many to my high school Quakerism students at Brooklyn Friends School. I recall with fondness your heartfelt performances at Brooklyn Friends School during your 2010 East Coast bike tour and our lovely evening conversations at my apartment. Thank you for everything you have gifted me and the wider Quaker world thus far and may the way open for you in the next phase of your life! Blessings to you… Peace, Marna

  16. As one of your most recent interviewees, I want to express what a joy it was to work with you. Your kindness, care, and enthusiasm for our project helped us co-create a beautiful video. Best wishes to you on your next endeavor.

    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Shelley. It wasn’t difficult to get excited about QEW’s work… it is so important! I hope Friends continue to connect through the video for years to come!

  17. You are great in front of the camera too! I am inspired by your commitment to Quaker outreach. Thank you for being just as vulnerable and courageous as your speakers. A Creative Genius, can’t wait to see what you cook up next. Buena suerte, Amigo!

  18. As a person living in a small country, New Zealand, it is wonderful all the Quaker Speak programs through which I have learned much more about Quakers. I am happy to be a Patron too.
    I wish you much success in wherever the Spirit leads you.

  19. Well done and Godspeed, Jon. What an amazing journey from our nascent lunch of many years ago. You are a Quaker social entrepreneur par excellence and have made a major contribution to our efforts to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one.” I look forward to your continuing journey.
    Norval Reece

  20. Thank you for your example of faithfulness, Jon. I’ve been nourished and challenged by QuakerSpeak, and it’s a valuable resource for my meeting. I feel deep gratitude for your ministry and will hold you as you discern what’s next.

  21. Thank you, Jon, for your example of faithfully following a leading of Spirit. You are using your talents well and it has borne many fruits of the Spirit in our Meeting in Monteverde and elsewhere. May you continue to be faithful wherever Spirit leads you – looking forward to seeing where that is!

  22. These Friends speak my mind! I will just add my deep appreciation for what you have created, the skill with which you have enlisted, interviewed, and edited an incredibly meaningful and important collection of conversations and reflections of Friends from many walks and places. I have watched every one, returned to some multiple times, and will continue to see them as a resource for my own spiritual journey and for sharing the Quaker wisdom and search for Truth with others.

  23. Jon – Thank you for your gifted documentation of our Faith. Whatever you next take on I am sure will be similarly cogent, interesting, and compelling.

    Grace Cooke (At PYM)

  24. Jon,
    We’ve been so blessed by your ministry. Newcomers to Friends report having learned of us through you. You have spread appreciation both internally and externally for who Friends are and what we bring. You’ve also helped us think anew about what it means to reach out, trying things that have not been tried before. Thank you for your vision, your faithfulness and your skill. Blessings on your next venture!

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