A workshop was held on Saturday May 7, and we returned to the questions we’ve held since 2020 about navigating the new normal of life through the ongoing pandemic. We highly recommend to readers the guidance on virtual gathering authored by Emily Provance, a Traveling Minister of New York Yearly Meeting. [Read more…] about Workshop on Gathering Virtually
Resources for Meetings
Policy on Advocacy Explained
Quaker practice invites Friends to listen deeply to the Inward Teacher and then to follow the leading that comes as a result. This is foundational to our faith, and individuals and meetings expect ourselves to be guided by Spirit in our daily decisions and with the direction of our lives. One way of responding to Spirit is through political action, including creating lasting and structural change through local, state, and federal legislation. Individuals may do this without limitation. When monthly, quarterly, and yearly meeting engagement is political, in addition to seeking unity in spiritual discernment we must also consider what is legally necessary for our non-profit organization. [Read more…] about Policy on Advocacy Explained
Approved Policy on Advocacy
Administrative Council, after months of research and listening, approved a Policy on Advocacy in our yearly meeting which encourages Friends to follow their individual leadings and also articulates the limitations of a religion under the law. This story shares the policy and offers context and examples.
[Read more…] about Approved Policy on Advocacy
Resource Friends Offer Tech Support to Meetings
Resource Friends help our community thrive by providing support in specific areas of concern in our monthly and quarterly meetings. These are Friends who offer a diversity of gifts and extensive “how-to” knowledge. [Read more…] about Resource Friends Offer Tech Support to Meetings
Religious Education Resources for March & April 2022
A parent in my meeting shared with me that they were not sure how to talk to their children about Russia’s war on Ukraine. I recalled a line in an article that had resonated for me as a parent and educator: We don’t have to protect children from difficult feelings, but we must not leave them alone with them. The Tote Bag newsletter for March/April has many resources and events to share with meetings and families, but these ideas for supporting one another and talking about ways to create peace are perhaps the most important. [Read more…] about Religious Education Resources for March & April 2022
Stories of Faith on the Road to Easter
We are a people full of stories. Stories help us create meaning, make sense of our world, and develop identity. Stories are how some of the greatest teachers, including Jesus of Nazareth, shared their message and showed the path of a faithful life. This series of Godly Play and Faith & Play stories about the life and ministry of Jesus can be used during the time leading up to Easter, and are for viewing with meeting communities or sharing at home. While the style of this storytelling is often associated with programs for children, we all need and yearn for stories. These are for all of us at any age! [Read more…] about Stories of Faith on the Road to Easter
QuakerSpeak Completes 8th Season, Gears up for Season 9
QuakerSpeak videos are useful tools for researching the faith. You can post links to them on your social media or website, or embed them in newsletters. Friends enjoy sharing them with the community. They are concise lessons in faith and practice delivered in well edited soundbites.
With over 856,000 video views on YouTube, 2021 saw the most viewers yet in the Quaker video project’s eight-year run. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the QuakerSpeak team created and posted 18 all-new videos, while vigorously promoting classic videos to new audiences. [Read more…] about QuakerSpeak Completes 8th Season, Gears up for Season 9
Ways to Enter the Season of Lent as Friends
The enthusiastic response to the adult religious education Advent program in December 2020, and feedback heard in conversations around the Yearly Meeting about a yearning for opportunities for Bible study, are on the minds of program staff. We’re sharing three opportunities to join online programs offered by progressive Christian organizations and faith leaders during the season of Lent. There is a variety both in how they are structured (asynchronous, sessions online, self-guided) and also in the grounding for content. One explores anti-racism as a spiritual practice, another uses the art of Vincent van Gogh and his studies of light, and the third is a theological exploration of “Jesus Deconstructed.”
[Read more…] about Ways to Enter the Season of Lent as Friends
Meetings and Individuals Are Invited to Acquire a New Tool: Trust Circles
In addition to being co-clerk of the yearly meeting, Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch is clerk of PYM’s Ministry and Care Committee. She has shared this news story in the hope that meetings and individuals will be inspired to learn about Trust Circles and participate in transforming our yearly meeting. [Read more…] about Meetings and Individuals Are Invited to Acquire a New Tool: Trust Circles
Birmingham Friends Meeting: Exploring Quakerism with Newcomers
Sallie Jones and Leslie Leonard from Birmingham Friends Meeting, West Chester, PA, share a story about their program, Exploring Quakerism for Newcomers. The program provides an overview of Quakerism and how Friends meetings work. Two members of the meeting lead the program and orient seekers to the faith and help them build relationships within the meeting.
[Read more…] about Birmingham Friends Meeting: Exploring Quakerism with Newcomers