This summer, Third Haven Friends Meeting is hosting two sessions of a summer nature and mindfulness camp. The camp weeks are part of an effort both to support families in the meeting and reach out to families in the surrounding community. [Read more…] about Summer Camp Fun and Community Outreach
Religious Education
Welcoming New Young Friends Program Staff
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Lori Sinitzky as the incoming Young Friends Program Facilitator. The search committee conducted interviews with three finalists from a strong candidate pool, and were in unity to bring this recommendation forward to the General Secretary, who joyfully accepted the committee’s recommendation with thanks for their work.
Lori is excited to join the collaborative work with Young Friends on journeys of exploration and discovery, community, unity, and self-actualization. Lori is a member of Green Street Monthly Meeting and participates in the Worship and Ministry committee. She is a passionate Quaker and educator with 15 years of experience in Friends schools. She describes herself as a spiritual seeker with a family history of diverse spiritual practices. Lori has a deep commitment to Quaker ways, social justice, and full inclusion of all people. She brings mindfulness practices and a love of the visual and performing arts to all aspects of her work.
Lori is joining the Youth Programs team as we prepare for Annual Sessions, and will be the program Assistant for Young Friends there, working with current Young Friends Co-Facilitator Kody Hersh. Lori will transition into the Facilitator position starting at Fall Continuing Sessions.
The search committee included two Young Friends, Kaise Coyle and Mary Denham (co-clerk of Young Friends), along with Robert Rosenthal, who serves as the adult clerk alongside Young Friends clerks and is a long-time Friendly Adult Presence in the program. Elizabeth Croce, Middle School Program Facilitator, and Melinda Wenner Bradley, Youth Engagement Coordinator, also served on the committee.
Please join us in welcoming Lori!
Resource Friends at Annual Sessions!
At the 2018 Annual Sessions this year, there will be a booth during free time and dinner time on Thursday and Friday where Resource Friends will be available to talk with you about their work and what they might be able to support for you and your meeting. They will also be offering workshops on Friday and Saturday. Resource Friends help our community thrive by providing support in specific areas of concern in our monthly and quarterly meetings. They offer a diversity of gifts and an extensive “how-to” knowledge-base. [Read more…] about Resource Friends at Annual Sessions!
EMIR Healing Center ministry supported by Green Street Monthly Meeting
Green Street Meeting’s Quaker Social Change Ministry group in support of EMIR Healing Center is having a “Fill a Bookbag” drive to gather school supplies for 85 children participating in the center’s programs this year.
EMIR stands for “Every Murder is Real.” The center, in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, was founded by Green Street member Victoria Greene, after her son Emir was murdered. Victoria has spoken about the work of EMIR Healing Center in keynote addresses at PYM Annual Sessions and the FGC Gathering, as well as in a QuakerSpeak video.
Murder is devastating to families. Children risk falling behind in school or being unprepared due to the traumatic emotional and financial consequences of murder. Parents and caregivers may still be struggling with grief and trauma long after the incident. The ministry support group is pulling together backpacks with school supplies for the children, so their families have one less thing to worry about.
You can help by writing a check to Green Street Friends Meeting, memo EMIR Fill a Bookbag, or shopping an Amazon wish list and having the supplies shipped directly to EMIR Healing Center. The ministry support group will assemble the backpacks in August. Learn more at http://greenstreetfriendsmeeting.org/emir.html.
Young Adult Friends Minute of Appreciation and Incoming Clerk
On April 27-29, the Young Adult Friends community gathered at Green St Monthly Meeting for our annual spring retreat. In business, the body approved by consensus the nomination of Carl Stanton as Pastoral Care Committee co-clerk. The body also approved the following minute of appreciation for outgoing clerk/YAF, Janaki Spickard-Keeler. [Read more…] about Young Adult Friends Minute of Appreciation and Incoming Clerk
Young Friends Program Transitions
With deep gratitude, the PYM community acknowledges the many gifts of Young Friends Program Co-Facilitators Hannah Mayer and Kody Hersh as they each enter new stages of their lives and ministries, and move on from the Young Friends program. For many years they have anchored the Youth Program team with both administrative and program work, and also modeled for us deeply caring, authentic relationships with Young Friends. Their approach to youth work has helped to shape how our yearly meeting is moving forward with collaborative energy and joy in youth programs. [Read more…] about Young Friends Program Transitions
Junior Friends Conference Hosted by Abington Quarter
“This is the best week of my life.” 4th Grade Student
For more than forty years, Abington Quarter has supported two summer youth programs for members and attenders of Friends Meetings within the Quarter: Junior Friends Conference (JFC) and Middle School Friends Conference (MSFC). The opportunity to join the Junior Friends Conference is open to all young people in PYM completing grades 2-6! The JFC program is a one-week residential conference. This year, it will be held Sunday, June 17- Friday, June 22, 2018 at The George School in Bucks County. The week will feature: arts, ecology, games, worship, swimming, talent sharing, team building, and campfires.
The JFC program offers participants the opportunity to live in a “Friendly” community that strives to live Quaker testimonies. It is called a “conference”and not a camp because while there is fellowship and fun, the focus is to provide an environment rich in Quaker values. The hope is for all children to benefit spiritually, emotionally and physically as a result of their experiences. A 5th Grade student reflected: “Thank you sooo much for helping me to come here, and I can’t explain how thankful I am to be in this wonderful community.”
Friends are asked to register no later than April 30, and questions can be directed to Karen Shanoski shanoski@comcast.net.
Young Adults at FCNL Spring Lobby Weekend
Day 1- Feeling the Faith behind Lobbying
We gather on Saturday, March 17 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Hundreds of Young Adults from 40 States convene to learn how to effectively lobby our government from a place of faith on the topic of immigration for Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Spring Lobby Weekend. Today we go deep right away to answer the questions: “Why are we here?” and “What stories do we bring?” In small group discussions there is a shared shyness about opening up and telling our stories, but it starts, and our advocacy corps member gives guiding support for what stories are useful when talking to our representatives. When we gather back in our large group of around 400 people, we settle into silence and Friends begin to share their stories. Many of the people who stand up share that they themselves are DACA recipients, or have family members who are undocumented, and whose families have been affected by the criminalization of immigration in the United States. My witness to our lobby topic deepens in the worshipful sharing. In closing worship a Friend stands and quotes Assata Shakur, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Day 2- The Lobby Ask:
On Day 2, Immigration & Domestic Policy Lobbyist at FCNL, Hannah Graf Evans, introduces us to the lobby ask, or in other words, what exactly we are asking our government to do. This is the wording given by FCNL: “We urge Congress to protect Dreamers by enacting a pathway to citizenship without breaking families apart or ramping up extreme border enforcement. Passing protections for Dreamers is just a first step. True immigration reform will require much more to align policy with our shared values of welcome, compassion, and diversity.” You can find the full lobby ask here.
At the keynote today, Greisa Martinez Rosas from United We Dream shared her story and why she fights for people who are undocumented. She also shared with us a Mexican proverb, “They tried to bury us, but they did not know we were seeds.” You can watch the full speech on FCNL’s Facebook Page.
Day 3- Lobby Training.
After a Congressional Staff Panel, we gather in state-groups to plan our lobby visit. I meet with PA but there are other PYM YAF’s who are representing New Jersey. We have an afternoon appointment in Senator Casey’s (PA) office so there is a sense that the pressure is on. One of the most helpful pieces of Spring Lobby Weekend was the Lobby Visit Roadmap they shared with us (FCNL’s strategy for an effective meeting). It includes introductions, thank yous, the ask, and having three people share their stories, followed by repeating the ask, more thank yous and a post visit follow-up email. In our Pennsylvania delegation we identified the people who would be sharing stories today, which included a DACA recipient who is a student at Penn State, a friend from rural PA with a Christ-based faith approach to the ask, and ME! (Before working at PYM I did a lot of work with undocumented communities and I’m grateful I was able bring this experience here.)
In the afternoon we follow the lobby visit roadmap and have a semi-successful meeting with a staffer of Senator Casey. Successful in the fact that Sen. Casey supports our ask. However, discouraging because the staffer believes the Democrats have no power even to get this on the floor right now. As I reflect on the meeting on the front steps of Russell Senate Office Building, Casey walks right up the stairs next to me!
Day 4- Lobbying and a snow storm
Unfortunately on the final day of Spring Lobby Weekend a snow storm picks up and I head off early as to not get snowed in. However the PA delegation kept lobbying and met with staffers of Senator Toomey!
written by Meg Rose
Young Adult Engagement Coordinator
PYM Youth March for Our Lives
On Saturday, March 24, at Spring Continuing Sessions, Youth from across PYM participated in the March for Our Lives at the Capitol in Harrisburg, PA.
The morning program was spent in preparation: wondering about how we let our lives speak as Friends, talking about what it is like to attend a march/rally, and processing different perspectives on the issue of gun control. Youth returned to the space where meeting for business was being held and gave a report of their concerns, including where they align with the March for Our Lives platform, and what they hope will change. One of the YM recording clerks later claimed the big piece of paper they had written on, explaining, “For the minutes!” They are now part of the history of PYM.
Also before lunch, the PYM body attending Sessions was asked if they had words to share with the youth, sustenance to send them off to the march in the afternoon. We acknowledged that for some Youth, this was their first time attending a march or rally like this. There was a lot of experience bearing witness among Friends in that room! Out of the silence, Friends called out,
“Be strong!”
“You are loved!”
“Stand in your truth!”
“God is with you!”
“Speak truth for justice!”
And many other messages.
We arrived at the Capitol and joined in the March around a city block and then assembled with the group on the Capitol steps. We carried the PYM banner and homemade signs. We chanted with other marchers. We created chants! One was “We want silence, not gun violence!” We stayed together, and took care of one another in our group, which was joined by about a dozen other Friends.
Back at Harrisburg Meeting during the debrief of the experience, the young Friends shared feelings of hope and calls to action. One MSF participant said, “Before, talking about this, I felt like we were in a bubble. But we’re part of something bigger.” They reminded us that there’s more to do, and suggested ways PYM and their local meetings can support them to network, stay in touch, and share information with each other.
They were student activists on Saturday. Not our future, but our now.
Youth Programs, Give Feedback on Vision & Mission
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The Proposal
- This group should meet no less than 4 times per year, and be available for consultation as needed with the Youth Engagement Coordinator
- Support the staff and volunteers in carrying out the mission and vision of the PYM youth programs
- Serve as a sounding board for Youth Engagement Coordinator
- Ongoing evaluation of the MSF and YF guidelines to ensure that they still meet the needs of the group and serve to support the vision and mission of youth programs
- Support the organization and coordination of Youth Resource Friends
- Consult with Administrative Council on any matters related to Youth Program staff
- Provide policy guidance for staff and volunteers throughout the yearly meeting, including those related to child safety
- Assisting with communication between youth programming and various communities within the YM
- Regularly evaluate that the YM youth programs are supporting the Strategic Directions of the YM and that programs are serving the needs of youth (recommend surveying youth who are involved and those not involved to identify areas of improvement)