For the first time since February 2020, Bucks Quarterly Meeting of Friends met in person, ironically, both times at Middletown Friends Meeting. The difference between 2023 and 2020 was the presence of computers, screens, microphones, and projectors that are all part of the technology needed to hold a hybrid Quarterly Meeting. [Read more…] about Bucks Quarterly Meeting Goes Hybrid
News
Religious Education Resources & Events for Spring 2023
Spring begins here in the northern hemisphere this week! We often talk about renewal in this time, and there is also a duality about springtime that can feel liminal. In March, the warmer sunlight belies the chill still in the air. Flowers pop up along the edges of lawns still covered in autumn leaves. Easter has the dual, entwined messages of death and loss with resurrection and joy. Resources and ideas are offered below for families and meetings as we move into the spring months! [Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events for Spring 2023
About the Annual Spring Kickoff: An Interview with Sean Connolly
Arch Street Meeting House has reimagined the annual William Penn Lecture! The inaugural Annual Spring Kickoff will happen Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 5-7pm. The evening will include a cocktail hour and will be followed by a presentation by John Dickinson, portrayed by Doug Thomas. Join the “Penman of the Revolution” as he discusses his role in the journey that took us from colonies to country. In anticipation of this event, we interviewed Sean Connolly, Executive Director of Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust, to learn more about this exciting new take on a beloved event. [Read more…] about About the Annual Spring Kickoff: An Interview with Sean Connolly
Spring Continuing Sessions: Friends & Neighbors
Across the Yearly Meeting, Friends gathered on March 11 and 12 for Spring Continuing Sessions. This year we tried something new, and rather than be at one meeting on Saturday, we gathered at six meetings in three states! As we seek to gather in new ways this year, all of our Sessions events are working to blend hybrid and onsite experiences so that Friends can participate in a variety of ways. Spring Continuing Sessions was our most recent experiment – and it was a hit! Worship and Meeting for Business were based at Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia in the morning with Friends joining on Zoom. In the afternoon, meetings opened their doors and hosted six regional gatherings for an afternoon of uplifting activities led by PYM Community Engagement and Youth Programs staff.
[Read more…] about Spring Continuing Sessions: Friends & Neighbors
FCNL Policy Committee Request for Discernment Regarding Reproductive Health and Abortion
Since its inception, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has been a voice for Quaker meetings and churches to lobby for the concerns of Friends on Capitol Hill. On abortion and reproductive health care issues, Friends have historically not been in unity, leading FCNL to take no position for or against abortion legislation. However, after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, the Policy Committee heard concern from Friends around the country about FCNL’s lack of stance on the issue of abortion. [Read more…] about FCNL Policy Committee Request for Discernment Regarding Reproductive Health and Abortion
Lenape Voices: the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
On January 15, 2023 Birmingham Meeting hosted a special program with guests Adam Waterbear DePaul and Grandmother Shelley DePaul, members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. Adam is a member of the tribal council and is its Chief of Education and Tribal Storykeeper, and Grandmother Shelley is a Clan Mother and has also been a storykeeper and instrumental in preserving the Unami language of the Lenape. Both have worked in the university setting and helped bring the story of their people to the wider world through classes and exhibits in libraries and museums, public presentations like this one, and their involvement with the Lenape Nation Cultural Center in Easton, PA. [Read more…] about Lenape Voices: the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
Care Package Challenge Met
We are so excited to share with you that we have now fully met – exceeded, in fact – the Worship & Care Package Challenge! Back in early November, we announced to you that a generous Philadelphia Yearly Meeting family had agreed to donate $30,000 if we could meet that amount through new and increased gifts. Because of Friends like you, we did it. Then, our generous PYM family extended the Challenge by $20,000.
Life Cycle of Meetings Series
Many Quaker meetings are changing. A lot of our numbers are smaller. What are some of the ways we might adjust? What does it look like to have faith and cherish our communities while also recognizing that our energy levels are getting low? An upcoming series of conversations explores the life cycles of meetings and offers support and resources for questions rising in meetings. [Read more…] about Life Cycle of Meetings Series
Impact Investing by People at Pennswood Village in Kenya
Some Pennswood Village residents in Newtown have donated $6,500 to fund a Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) group in Kenya. Soon they will be getting reports on how and what the members of the group are doing.
The Pennswood Village residents are now engaged in international impact investing — sending money from a country with one of the highest median incomes in the world, $43,585, to one of the lowest, $1,870. Gallup 2021 [Read more…] about Impact Investing by People at Pennswood Village in Kenya
An Interview with Naomi Madaras, a Quaker Chaplain
To attain the highest standard in chaplaincy is no easy feat and Naomi Madaras is taking it in stride, along with her full-time job as chaplain at St Luke’s University Hospital, a volunteer position as clerk of the Young Adult Friends community, a commitment to running a half marathon with her father every year, nurturing new friendships in Bethlehem, and caring for herself, her cat, and her home. [Read more…] about An Interview with Naomi Madaras, a Quaker Chaplain
