During the second year of the global pandemic, Doylestown Meeting continued to adapt to the challenges presented by these unprecedented times. With resolve, we came together as a community to support one another in worship, outreach, activism and spiritual growth.
Major highlights from the year included
Reopening (And Closing) Our Meetinghouse
After nearly 18 months of closing our meetinghouse due to the pandemic, we opened our doors for in-person worship on August 1. Vaccinations were highly recommended and masks were required for those in attendance. The Property, Communications, and Ad-hoc Reopening Committees worked to make this reopening possible. The meetinghouse was then closed again in mid-October due to the rise of the delta variant. We offered Meeting For Worship on Zoom for the entire year, including a “hybrid worship” combining the Zoom and in-person meetings while the meetinghouse was open.
Walking Worship
In conjunction with closing the meetinghouse in October, we started “Walking Worship.” For this unique worship experience, Friends gather in silent worship in the front yard of the meetinghouse each First Day. From there, we walk to a public labyrinth, just a block away. After walking the labyrinth in silence, we return to our meetinghouse. Friends have enjoyed this opportunity to worship in a new, COVID-safe way, and it has continued through the winter months. We also gathered for an outside Christmas program in the backyard of the meetinghouse in December, which included a bonfire and sing-a-long.
First Day School
Our robust First Day School program continued this year. The majority of meetings were held monthly via Zoom, with our FDS coordinators dropping off supplies to children and their families to support monthly themes and activities. In addition to Zoom meetings, there were also some wonderful in-person activities, including an annual trash pick up and ice cream outing, Christmas caroling, and observing nature at Lake Galena.
Fourth Sunday Forums
We continued our Fourth Sunday Forum collaboration among the Pastoral Concerns, Worship and Ministry, and Peace and Social Concerns Committees. These monthly forums took place via Zoom after Meeting For Worship and included topics such as: Mysticism and Everyday Miracles, Social Media and Quaker Life, Quaker Activism and Spirituality, and Poetry and Spirituality.
Stewardship Of Our Property
In order to facilitate hybrid Meetings For Worship, we had WiFi installed at the meetinghouse. We hope to use this in the future for presentations and to enhance the First Day School curriculum. We also concluded a large waterproofing job for our basement.
Preserving Our Past
A joint effort between our Historian and Communications Committee saw the archiving of the last 20 years of our Monthly Business Meeting minutes. We plan to submit these minutes to the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College.
