Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s upcoming Fall Continuing Sessions begins with a Friday evening, November 5th program with music therapist Molly Hicks, and proceeds with meeting for worship and business the next day. On Saturday Deborah Cooper, a licensed professional counselor, will lead a mindfulness meditation program before lunch followed by an afternoon program of Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. Sessions closes with an intergenerational program Sunday with the author and artist Anastasia Higginbotham, creator of the Ordinary Terrible Things series.
News
Lawnside, Saddler’s Woods, and the Underground Railroad + Bookcases and Books at 4th and Arch Street
Friends sometimes share pieces they write about their lives and their meetings. These two came from Dr. Susanna J. Dodgson, of the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia. One section features an upcoming October 24th Medford and Haddonfield Quarterly meeting program on Quakers and the South Jersey underground railroad. The event features Linda Shockley, an expert from the Lawnside Historical Society. It will document the significance of Peter Mott and Lawnside itself—which grew into a large and thriving African American community. The other is about Susanna’s love of books and the gifts of the artisans who recently created bookshelves at her meeting.
Youth Religious Life & Program News
In this story:
- Giant Children’s Meeting is Back this Fall!
- Young Friends Staffing Announcement
- October issue of The Tote Bag focuses on collegial sharing and connection
Famous Quaker: Benjamin Banneker, an Astronomer and Mathematician
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was a self-educated African American mathematician, astronomer, surveyor, compiler of almanacs, and writer. He was also a regular attender at Quaker meetings and an abolitionist who gained fame and recognition for his contributions to science and his prescient correspondence on multiple subjects, including race, with key intellectuals of the time.
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Ujima Friends Peace Center Introduces Friendly Spaces for Children
The Ujima Friends Peace Center (UFPC) is a worshipping Quaker community in North Philadelphia. It is a ministry of the Fellowship of Friends of African Descent. Their mission is to support the spiritual nurture of Quakers of African descent and provide opportunities for the sharing of their concerns. They recently launched its Freedom Summer programming for 2021.
Ayesha Imani, the Clerk and President of the Board of UFPC shared with us the experience at the first Ujima Friends Summer 2021. We previously shared a story about the work of the Friendly Spaces project through Ujima Peace Center.
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Friends Prepare for World Quaker Day
The picture above shows Friends at Newtown Meeting as they assembled in 2018 to honor World Quaker Day. While the meeting has been gathering virtually during the pandemic, they are still planning to celebrate this ‘special day’ of Friends’ activities around the world. [Read more…] about Friends Prepare for World Quaker Day
Friends Council on Education’s 90th Anniversary
The Friends Council on Education (FCE) is celebrating its 90th Anniversary with events over a twelve-month period, from April 2021 to April 2022. The two founders Hadassah and Morris Leeds are pictured above.
Friends Council launched the celebration in April during their spring annual meeting. Their QuakerEd Talk series is a continuation of the commemoration. Throughout the year FCE is lifting up the voices of national leaders and individuals who have been influenced by Quaker education. This exploration of the important issues of our time and the future of Quaker education has broad appeal and is open to all Friends, Friends educators, and members of the broader community.
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Assist Afghan Refugee Resettlement
PYM Quaker communities and individuals have asked how to help!
The recent events in Afghanistan have led to a dramatic uptick in the number of refugees who will need resettlement — a number that has reached crisis levels and requires unprecedented response.
Many meetings have contacted PYM for information about how they can collaborate with churches and communities to help. Resources and a video can be found below. [Read more…] about Assist Afghan Refugee Resettlement
Pastoral Care Resources for Individuals and Emergency Grants for Monthly Meetings
The Hurricane Ida Storm damaged meeting properties and placed many Friends in our PYM Community in precarious situations. While no injuries have been reported, many meetings sustained multiple tree losses, flooding, and significant building damage. A member of Plymouth Friends experienced damage to her home. Upper Dublin Meeting had many trees fall in their driveway and burial grounds, with estimated damages to the meetinghouse and property of $60,000. As of this date, many are involved in cleaning up in the areas devastated by the storm’s tornados and floods. [Read more…] about Pastoral Care Resources for Individuals and Emergency Grants for Monthly Meetings
Interview with Zachary Dutton: Love is What Allows Us to Let God Lead Us
Zachary Dutton has been PYM’s Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life since September 1, 2014. In these seven years he has been a leader on PYM staff. He also stewarded implementation of our seven strategic directions, and grappled with how best to meet a complex set of community needs with smaller staffing footprints. Overall, Zachary has been a facilitator of change and has focused attention on new issues.
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