From Jay Worrall: Each year somewhere between forty and forty-five thousand people visit the historic Arch Street Friends Meeting House in Philadelphia. Some are tourists from as far away as China, Papua New Guinea, or Australia; others represent every state in the Union. A respectable proportion are from Philadelphia and the greater bailiwick of PYM who frequently report that, "I have lived in (pick a neighborhood or nearby town) all my life and this is the first time I've been to a Quaker meeting house."

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Frank Lenik of Woodstown Meeting, who has been instrumental in efforts to find and disarm land mines or unexploded ordnance from war zones, is currently in Vietnam getting a hands-on feel for the problem and seeing how the devices are used on the ground. You can read updates from his trip on his blog at the Woodstown Monthly Meeting Website.

Frank will speak about his experiences at the June 13th Salem Quarterly Meeting at Mickleton MM. All are welcome to attend.

For more background on Frank's work, check out the February 2008 Hope Bulletin.

New for 2010: All families seeking PYM tuition aid must apply for tuition aid from their school. This is in addition to submitting PYM tuition aid applications, signed by your Meeting's Clerk, to your Friends school by February 15. (PYM applications, timelines, and guidelines can be found at www.friendseducationfund.org).

We have asked schools to tell us whether each applicant family is eligible for financial aid from the school in a scenario where that family’s effective income was reduced by 20%. If the school reports ‘yes’ then the family has met the need standard for PYM. As a final reminder, in order to apply for PYM aid, families must first apply for tuition assistance from both their Monthly Meeting and their school. If Friends have questions about this, the PYM Education office will be happy to speak with you: Elkem@pym.org or 215-241-7224.

The Quaker Parenting Initiative has published a new book called Paths to Quaker Parenting Using Quaker Beliefs, Testimonies, and Practices: The Quaker Parenting Initiative's Guide.

In this book a group of Quaker parents explore the thing that parents of faith attempt and that parents of Quaker faith attempt in our particular way - to parent in the Light. They shared questions and experiences of how Quaker faith has supported and guided their parenting. Through the process of writing the book, the Writing Group was able to see parenting as a spiritual journey. This book is the outcome of that sharing.

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In the first months of 2010, HMM will offer two series as part of its adult First Day Programming. Starting with a focus on leadings, members and guest speakers will reflect on present day work on Native American concerns, peacemaking in Africa, and a garden project with women at a half-way house. The second series highlights poetry, including HMM poets, Walt Whitman’s poem, Song of Myself, and a visit to Whitman’s home in Camden.

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Workshops at Summer Sessions are a way for people to have a hands-on, transformational experience while exploring a subject and building skills with a small gathering of Friends. Interest groups give people access to information and resources about issues or organizations that enrich Friends lives and support our work.
Learn how to apply now.