The Gathering is coming to Haverford College! This is the first time since Friends General Conference began in 1900 that it is being held in the immediate Philadelphia area! This is your first invitation to be part of “a great people to be gathered”, June 30-July 6, 2024!
What’s Gathering, you ask?
The Gathering is a week of Quaker worship, workshops, and community for all ages. Friends come together from across the US and Canada (and sometimes further) to deepen our connection to one another and to Spirit. Gathering attenders range from newborns to elders in their 90s, and include both long-time Friends (mostly from the unprogrammed, liberal tradition), and those newer to Quakerism. In structure, it’s part conference and part family camp. In content, it provides an abundance of opportunities to learn about Quaker practices, to foster your spiritual life – and to have fun together.”
If that sounds sort of like PYM Annual Sessions, but without the Meetings for Business, that’s right. There are workshops in the morning, all sorts of multigenerational activities in the afternoon, plenaries (insightful speakers) in the evening, as well as designated activities and workshops for younger Friends (Junior Gathering-infants to 9th graders) Young Friends (High School Gathering) and Adult Young Friends.
But, what about Annual Sessions?
How can you attend both? This year, its easy. Annual Sessions will be only one day, Saturday, July 6, just at the end of Gathering, so you can do both! Sessions will be held at Haverford College, so even if you can’t come to Gathering, come to Sessions. To compensate for a short Annual Sessions, Spring and Fall Sessions will be lengthened to full weekends, so you can help get the Yearly Meetings business done and enjoy the other things that usually happen at Sessions.
Visit the FGC website and watch for lots more information! or reach out to Schuylkill Monthly Meeting member, Frank Barch.
