 November/December 1999 (XXXVII 5) |
till giddy with the success of the Quaker Heritage Celebration last fall, Bucks Quarterly Meeting quickly formed an Outreach Committee. In its first year, the committee has revised a pamphlet about Quakers in the area, sponsored an art show, and given Meetings guidance on getting publicity in local news media, in addition to ongoing projects.
Some of the members from the Heritage committee were happy to be involved again and other Friends volunteered to fill empty positions onthe Outreach Committee. With several projects going at once the need for subcommittees became apparent. The subcommittees meet as often as needed between committee meetings, thus being able to bring to the larger monthly committee meeting a report which has already solved many problems.
The first meeting of the committee opened with a bang. The committee approved a plan to revise our pamphlet, "Quaker Meetings In Bucks Quarterly Meeting." The new edition is titled "Today's Quakers in Bucks Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends." We expected to print 1,000 copies. Then we got a call from the Mercer Museum inviting us to team up with the Mercer Museum and the Michener Museum in Doylestown. The museums were in the process of planning events, displays, and more, to tie into the Edward Hicks exhibit this fall at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. One of the Mercer Museum's programs is "Quaker Bucks County." Our committee considered this a good opportunity to further spread the word on Quakers and Quakerism. In order to cover the museums, we had to print 10,000 brochures. We will use some of the brochures at other outlets such as Washington Crossing State Park and the Bucks County Visitors Bureau.
"Today's Quakers in Bucks Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends" contains a photo, local map, and pertinent information for each Meeting. In addition, there is a large map of the area so that Friends and Seekers can see an overview of the Meetings' locations. There is one panel in the brochure which speaks to the history of Quakers, another which explains our Quaker ways, and a third which lists our schools and institutions. Luckily, much of the material from the Quaker Heritage Celebration brochure was usable for this project.
Also tying in with the Philadelphia exhibit of "Peaceable Kingdoms" by 19th century Quaker artist Edward Hicks was a Newtown exhibit of work by living Quaker artists in Bucks County, organized by a subcommittee of the Outreach Committee. The visual art show included 59 works in watercolor, oil, ceramics, bronze, wood, photography and other media. Organizers identified some 110 artists within the Quarterly Meeting in the process of bringing the exhibit together. Opening night of the four-week exhibit at the Legacy Gallery featured refreshments provided by the artists and a trio of high school jazz musicians. All the local newspapers provided coverage.
Another subcommittee is working on outreach through the media. It has given Monthly Meetings a sample press release and a short pamphlet explaining how a press release should be written. Several non-Friends have signed up for a Quakerism class as a result of newspaper publicity.
Another project is a Speakers Bureau. There are Friends in the Quarter who have a lot to share with potential seekers by speaking to groups on Quakers and Quakerism. In addition, there are Friends who are able to speak about service projects, mentoring programs, the job they hold and how their faith guides them in today's world. Someone on the committee is going to call Friends in the Quarter who have interesting careers and talents and ask them to be ready to be hooked up with an organization which needs a speaker. One Meeting received a request for a speaker and an appropriate person was lined up.
We had a tent at the annual Middletown Grange Fair in August with a display of Quaker quilts, and bulletin boards loaded with photos and flyers and our newsletter. Two Friends in Bucks Quarter volunteered to juggle for the children who came to our tent with their parents. We got balloons with "Quakers are Friendly!" printed on them for our young visitors. Our new "Today's Quakers ..." brochure was available for visitors, along with materials on Quakers and Quakerism. Our Grange Fair tent had 2,700 visitors this year!
As each of our projects gets finished we will continue to add others. Those that are less successful, for whatever reason, will be laid down. The Outreach Committee is a new endeavor for Bucks Quarter, and Friends in the Quarter are excited about the many diverse possibilities for outreach that lie ahead.
Sandra Langhart
Buckingham Meeting (PA)
Coordinator for Bucks Quarterly Meeting
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM