In this year’s Fall issue of the The Tote Bag: PYM Religious Education and Family Resources newsletter you’ll find events and resources to support getting ready for children and youth programs in meetings, including programs on welcome and safety for adults who serve religious education programs. Also shared below are ideas for celebrating our world family of Friends with World Quaker Day on October 1st and the upcoming 400th birthday of George Fox. The Anti-racism Learning & Action section of the newsletter focuses this time on Native Justice and recommended books that center Native American voices.
[Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events Fall 2023
News
Pennswood Village Rededicates Its Peace Pole
In 2001, Pennswood Village, the Quaker-founded retirement and health care community in Newtown, installed a Peace Pole in front of its community center. Two of the speakers were atomic bomb survivors (Hibakushas) from Japan, Mr. Shigeyuki Yama from Hiroshima and Mr. Hideo Tose from Nagasaki, the sites in 1945 of the two atomic bombs detonated over those cities which killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians.
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ʻĀina – Help for Maui Wildfire Survivors
“ʻĀina,” Hawaiian for “land,” means that which feeds; a worldview of reciprocity and familial relationship between people and land.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Epistles for Annual Sessions 2023
Annual Sessions 2023 gathered Friends from across the PYM four-state region and beyond. While we have gathered for two hybrid Continuing Sessions, this was our first hybrid Annual Sessions, which included residential participation; Friends online were joined by those at The College of New Jersey during the weekend days. Following yearly meetings’ annual gatherings, outgoing epistles “to all Friends everywhere” are shared widely in our global Quaker community. (You can read others from 2023 posted on the Friend World Committee for Consultation website.) Shared below are links to this year’s epistles from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Please read and share widely, especially with Friends who might not have attended Annual Sessions. The epistle committee seeks to capture what occurred during our time together and how Spirit moved among us. [Read more…] about Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Epistles for Annual Sessions 2023
Scope of FGC’s Communications After Quaker Cloud
When it comes to websites, web hosting, social media engagement, and other forms of electronic outreach, Friends General Conference (FGC) is in a period of evolving engagement with Friends and their meetings. Previously, FGC hosted several meeting websites through Quaker Cloud. That service, which will end at the end of 2023, was a useful tool for many meetings who needed a simple web presence.
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Young Adult Friend Alex Emmert Shares Experience With Quakerism and Annual Sessions
We sat down with 19 yr. old Young Adult Friend, Alex Emmert to find out what drew him to Quakerism from his upbringing as Baptist, what he enjoyed most about Annual Sessions and what he is looking forward to seeing from Quakers in the next decade. Alex shares his personal, truthful experiences with Quakerism and insights on outreach to other young adults seeking solid spiritual grounding. [Read more…] about Young Adult Friend Alex Emmert Shares Experience With Quakerism and Annual Sessions
Annual Sessions Recap: Sunday, July 30
We have concluded the 343rd Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The “Mott Memo” daily recaps here on the website are a brief look-back on the day’s events. Shared below is the news from Sunday, July 30.
- Watch for the 2023 Epistles to be posted as their own story in the coming days!
- Minutes from Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business will be posted on the Sessions pages of the website.
After several hot and stormy days, Sunday dawned fresh and cool — a welcome way to begin a day that would include packing up and farewells for those on campus at The College of New Jersey. [Read more…] about Annual Sessions Recap: Sunday, July 30
Annual Sessions Recaps: Friday & Saturday, July 28 and 29
This is the 343rd Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting! We’re sharing the Mott Memo daily recaps here on the website, a loving tribute to the august Quaker, Lucretia Mott. Each Mott Memo is a brief look-back on the day’s events. We hope you enjoy taking part in Annual Sessions through this tradition. Shared below is the news from Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
Because of a power outage on campus at The College of New Jersey on Friday evening, our recap and the Mott Memo were delayed and Friday and Saturday are combined below.
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Annual Sessions Recap: Mott Memo for Thursday, July 27
This is the 343rd Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting! We’re sharing the Mott Memo daily recaps here on the website, a loving tribute to the august Quaker, Lucretia Mott. Each Mott Memo is a brief look-back on the day’s events. We hope you enjoy taking part in Annual Sessions through this tradition. Shared below is the news from Thursday, July 27.
It was a very full day at Annual Sessions! Early morning worship grounded a day of connection, sharing, and laughter.
Thursday’s Bible Study continued a theme from the Spiritual Formation Retreat’s exploration of the Good Samaritan, and explored the Parable of the Sower. Participants had the choice to work with the parable in a discussion group or in a breakout room where the Godly Play version of the story was shared, and they reunited for final reflections. The conversation included themes of generous/wasteful spreading of seed and pondering the identity of the sower, the seed, and the places where the seed fell. When have we each been the sower, the seed, the rocky or thorny ground — and the good earth ready to receive and grow? A resource lifted up in the time was The Gospels: A New Translation by Quaker scholar Sarah Ruden. [Read more…] about Annual Sessions Recap: Mott Memo for Thursday, July 27
Annual Sessions Recap: Mott Memo for Wednesday, July 26
This is the 343rd Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting! We’re sharing the Mott Memo daily recaps here on the website, a loving tribute to the august Quaker, Lucretia Mott. Each Mott Memo is a brief look-back on the day’s events. We hope you enjoy taking part in Annual Sessions through this tradition. Shared below is the news from Wednesday, July 26.
The College of New Jersey is buzzing with preparations for online and onsite programs! Staff arrived today on campus to set up tech spaces, childcare and youth rooms, tents for conversations on the lawn, tables for registration and welcome, and more. In this time of preparation, special attention is being given to how we will gather in hybrid ways when Friends arrive on campus on Friday. Three years of online Annual Sessions and our Continuing Sessions programs in the past year have set the stage for us to connect both across Zoom and in person as a blended community. Close to 400 Friends are registered for this year’s Annual Sessions, joining on Zoom, as commuters to TCNJ, and staying on campus in the dorm. [Read more…] about Annual Sessions Recap: Mott Memo for Wednesday, July 26
