“Since the religion of the Society of Friends is based on an inward experience, deeper than intellectual concepts, it cannot be taught in the same way that subjects are taught in school.” — H. Brinton, Guide to Quaker Practice.
Ministry & Care Resource Friends help our community thrive by providing support in the areas of Quaker ministry, worship, eldership, pastoral care, and care for the aging. Through the teaching ministry, Resource Friends in Ministry & Care offer informational tools and spirit-led experiential opportunities to facilitate learning. They provide support in the area of spirituality and aging. Meeting retreats and workshops address topics including meaningful retirement, emotional care, physical health, as well as aging at home, memory loss & dementia, and death & dying.
For more information about Ministry & Care Resource Friends fill out the inquiry form.
Current Resource Friends
George Schaefer, He/Him/His
George Schaefer is a member of Abington Friends Meeting and a PYM Resource Friend offering assistance to meetings in the areas of Mental Health & Wellness, Aging and Pastoral Care with an emphasis on conflict transformation and the function of eldership among Friends. From 2009 until 2021, George served PYM as the Care & Aging Coordinator. In this role, he offered to monthly and quarterly meetings retreats and workshops on a variety of pastoral care topics including Listening for Transformation and Spirituality and Aging. George also facilitates opportunities for learning Quakerism 101 (and beyond) courses.
Anna Moore, She/her/hers and Joe Moore, he/him/his
Joe’s career was in Human Resources for a large corporation. Since retiring in 2003, Joe has served in many community and Friends’ activities. To name a few, he was clerk of our meeting for 5 years, has worked on Healing Racism training programs and activities in the meeting and beyond, has served the broader Quaker Community by being our Caln Quarter Representative, sang with Tribe 1, a group often performing in Quaker venues, and is an active AVP (Alternatives to Violence) facilitator, both in the Palestine and Israel and in our community.
Anna was a clinical social worker and social work educator. She has been involved with the Healing Racism activities in our meeting and in the community. She has served on our Care and Counsel committee for 25 years, half of those as convener.
In 2016, motivated by our own aging questions and experiences, we volunteered to develop and facilitate a small group discussion group on Aging. As many as 25 members of our community participated in this program. We realized that this was an area of great interest with a need for both information and sharing on a personal level.
Deborah Cooper, she/her/hers
Deborah Cooper, M.Ed is a licensed professional counselor and a member of the Friends Counseling Service and a former coordinator of this service. She maintains a small private practice in the Philadelphia area. For the last 15 years, she has been pursuing an interest in mindfulness meditation, and she now offers several weekly classes in meditation and Buddhist thought. A member of Germantown Meeting, she is the mother of four and grandmother to eight.
Ted Taylor, he/him/his
Since 2007 Ted’s released ministry has been in service to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton as Director of Pastoral Care & Training. In this ministry he oversees the spiritual and emotional care provided by the hospital’s more than twenty employed, volunteer, and intern chaplains. Ted also supervises a clinical pastoral education training program. Ted is a liaison to the religious communities located in Mercer and surrounding counties; and he is a clinical resource for bioethical and end-of-life dilemmas, currently serving local and state-wide ethics committees. Ted also offers private and group consultation in pastoral care and bioethics through Princeton Pastoral Consulting. He is a founding member of the Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey.
A diplomate in clinical pastoral supervision through the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy, he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and a graduate certificate in Healthcare Law & Policy from Union Graduate College. He has led the steering committee of Quakers in Pastoral Care & Counseling as clerk, and has served on the board of trustees of Mercer Street Friends.
Ted resides in Ewing Township, Mercer County, NJ with his husband Kevin Hulbirt. He is a recorded minister in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and an active member (treasurer, past clerk of meeting) of Yardley Monthly Meeting in Yardley, PA, who endorse his pastoral care ministry.
Joan Broadfield, she/her/hers
Joan Broadfield has a background of service as a community mediator and as a youth aid panelist, and as a parent and partner in a biracial family, as well as service as clerk to her small meeting. All these areas served her learning about community and care. Her history of work and volunteer efforts in the Yearly Meeting became a place to learn community care in the workplace. She is a member of Chester Friends meeting, serving as recorder and recording clerk, and is the clerk of Chester Quarter. She has recently finished service with Lansdowne Friends School where she clerked the Committee on Trustees, and with Media Fellowship House, still serving on co-opted basis on their Communications Committee. She has signed up to mentor young people with Amachi in Chester. She has a degree in music education (Lincoln University) and has had graduate work in Adult and Organizational Training (Temple U).
Susan Hoskins, she/her/hers
Susan W Hoskins is a lifelong member of Newtown Meeting (Bucks), a graduate of George School, Earlham College and Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work. Susan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with certifications in gerontology, senior service management and field instruction. After 20 years as a family therapist in a community mental health center, she transitioned into aging services and dedicated 17 years as Executive Director of the Princeton Senior Resource Center. She is now the Executive Director of the Friends Foundation for the Aging. She is currently Clerk of Care & Counsel after serving as Clerk and Assistant Clerk, as well as Nominating, Worship & Ministry and Peace & Justice. She has co-produced a live/video series on Aging Well and spoken on a range of topics to community groups. Susan also volunteers at the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank and Arch Street Meetinghouse.
