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of the Religious Society of Friends

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Minutes from March 23 Eco Justice Collaborative Q/A

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With thanks to Kri Burkander, recording clerk, minutes of the evening’s Eco Justice  Q&A follow:

Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch opened the session, reminding Friends that this is the beginning of our Continuing Sessions. Our Zoom interface allows us to connect across time and space in a different way. Our gathering tonight will allow us to season this work, which will also be on Saturday’s agenda. We settled into worship, with some 50 Friends in attendance. [Read more…] about Minutes from March 23 Eco Justice Collaborative Q/A

Violence, Safety, and Belonging: Shaping the World We Need

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With thanks to Signe Wilkinson for providing the editorial cartoon that ran in Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.

Quaker testimonies of peace, equality, and community are important to Friends everywhere. The past week’s incidents in the U.S. have highlighted the need to build an equitable world and the need for action.

It’s the fundamental belief in equality that has led many Friends to actively drive change. [Read more…] about Violence, Safety, and Belonging: Shaping the World We Need

Quakers in Education: Terry Nance, Part II

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This interview with Terry Nance is the second in a two-part series. It follows our earlier conversations with Sa’ed Atshan, Maurice Eldridge, and Sarah Willie-LeBreton. We suggest also reading part 1.

A Quaker who attends at Swarthmore and Central Philadelphia Monthly Meetings, Terry Nance, Ph.D., has been a part of Villanova University’s faculty for over four decades, working actively to build diversity, equity, and inclusion among students and within the University’s systems. In July 2020, she was named the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), while continuing to serve the institution as Chief Diversity Officer.

[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Terry Nance, Part II

A Quaker in Beirut, Lebanon: Interview with Friend Tony Manasseh

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Tony Manasseh (Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting) is a third-generation Quaker who grew up in a country that used to be referred to as “the Switzerland of the Middle East.” His home city, Beirut, was a financial engine that powered the region, and the country had a multicultural vibe that drew international investment.  In the 1960’s it was also a place that brought the different cultures of the region into close proximity, building relationships centered in common interests that embraced diversity and supported a distinctive Middle Eastern culture.

Since then civil war, political change, economic distress, and Covid have been tough on the region. The aftermath of a devastating ammonium nitrate blast that tore facades off buildings and blew apart a large swath of homes overlooking the waterfront made everything worse. According to the World Bank the blast caused between $3.8 and $4.6 Billion dollars of damage.

Since then the economy has been mostly in freefall. [Read more…] about A Quaker in Beirut, Lebanon: Interview with Friend Tony Manasseh

Zachary Dutton on Wednesday Worship, Meditation, and Resources for Faith

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Since the first week in February, Zachary Dutton has facilitated a Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting program that shares a new type of mid-week worship from 7:00-8:00 PM each Wednesday. In his role as Associate Secretary for Religious Life,  Zachary Dutton listens deeply to Friends in the community; today’s interview focuses on worship, meditation, and upcoming ‘Runway to Sessions’ programming.

You’ve been running Wednesday Worship for more than a month now; how have they gone; what have you learned from them?

They have been wonderfully deep, moving, and illuminating. Attendees have expressed awe and inspiration at the diversity of techniques people have for settling into their center and embracing liberation in the spirit with each other. [Read more…] about Zachary Dutton on Wednesday Worship, Meditation, and Resources for Faith

Quakers in Education: Terry Nance, Part I

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This interview with Terry is the first in a two-part series. It follows our earlier conversations with Sa’ed Atshan, Maurice Eldridge, and Sarah Willie-LeBreton.

A Quaker who attends at Swarthmore and Central Philadelphia Monthly Meetings, Terry Nance, Ph.D., has been a part of Villanova University’s faculty for over four decades, working actively to build diversity, equity, and inclusion among students and within the University’s systems. In July 2020, she was named the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), while continuing to serve the institution as Chief Diversity Officer. [Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Terry Nance, Part I

How to Prepare for Continuing Sessions: March 23, 26 and 27

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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s upcoming Continuing Sessions on March 27th will feature three issues of importance to Friends; Membership, Climate Change, and AntiRacism.

It is hoped that Friends at every meeting or worship group will feel led to participate, and that these issues will be brought back to your communities to inform and sustain Friends in an ongoing partnership towards a better world.

[Read more…] about How to Prepare for Continuing Sessions: March 23, 26 and 27

Quakers in Education: Sa’ed Atshan

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This profile is the third in a series of Q&A articles on Quakers in higher education.

A Palestinian Quaker, a published author, and a thoughtful, deeply compassionate person, Sa’ed Atshan has a doctorate in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. He is an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College and a member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.

[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Sa’ed Atshan

Care and Aging Coordinator, George Schaefer, on Sabbatical March 15-June14

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No matter where you go in the Yearly Meeting region, someone is likely to know PYM’s Care and Aging Coordinator, George Schaefer, and to have felt his helping hand. A deeply knowledgeable Friend, and a trained social worker, George treads skillfully in those areas where many hesitate to go. [Read more…] about Care and Aging Coordinator, George Schaefer, on Sabbatical March 15-June14

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