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of the Religious Society of Friends

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Kennett Friends Meeting Solidarity with LGBTQIA2S+

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Kennett Friends Meeting
April 20, 2025

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Asexual or Agender or Non-binary, and Two-Spirit (The plus-sign signifies additional identity terms). The danger posed to members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community has always been present. However, the threat to LGBTQIA2S+ lives is now growing, as the recent flood of “anti-gay” state laws clearly shows. Examples of this legal assault on civil rights include laws banning gender-affirming medical care, censoring discussion of LGBTQIA2S+ people in schools, and laws allowing discrimination based on “religious freedom.”

As a minority-within-a-minority, trans people are specifically targeted. The scapegoating of trans people by political campaigns puts them in even greater danger. At such a time we are called to do more than assure persecuted people and communities of our acceptance, goodwill, and support. We of Kennett Meeting commit ourselves to active solidarity with LGBTQIA2S+ people everywhere, in ways including:

• Being individually responsible for understanding the processes and systems of social devaluation for all marginalized groups.
• Declaring to the world that individuals are entitled to joy, celebration, and freedom from persecution regarding their sexual orientation, gender, race, or religion.
• Actively supporting and campaigning for laws and policies that promote equality including safeguarding marriage rights.
• Providing a safe space for all LGBTQIA2S+ children, adults, and families.
• Continually educating ourselves on issues of concern to the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
• Charging our committees to consider the LGBTQIA2S+ community in their work.
• Being allies in word and deed.

In support of this minute, we endorse the following actions:

• Identifying changes/additions to curriculum for children and adult education.
• Booking June PRIDE Month speaker and/or event.
• Sharing resources on our website on relevant topics around the processes and systems of social devaluation for all marginalized groups.

Finding Ourselves in Quakerism 101

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Authorship attributed to Joyce Munro.

“Am I a Quaker? I don’t know what I should be doing in worship. I don’t know what I would be signing up for if I wanted to be a member here.”

Allison Ramsey-Henry echoes the energy that draws 25 older folks and 12 younger ones on a rainy Saturday, April 12, to crowd the Unami Monthly meetinghouse for a four-hour intensive called Quakerism 101. [Read more…] about Finding Ourselves in Quakerism 101

The Return of Benjamin Lay | Quintessence Theatre Group | Press Release

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Press Release provided by Quintessence Theatre Group.


QUINTESSENCE THEATRE  PRESENTS THE AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION OF THE RETURN OF BENJAMIN LAY BY NAOMI WALLACE & MARCUS REDIKER

The one-man show is inspired by the life of radical revolutionary Benjamin Lay, an 18th-century Pennsylvanian Quaker who advocated for the abolition of slavery in the American colonies
 [Read more…] about The Return of Benjamin Lay | Quintessence Theatre Group | Press Release

Old Haverford Friends Meeting Reimagining Land to Be a Mini Forest

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At Old Haverford Friends Meeting, over April 12 and 13, volunteers planted 20 trees on the meeting’s grounds. The planting is a continuation of an ongoing effort to reimagine the land as a mini forest—one that can offer environmental benefits, habitat for wildlife, and a space for reflection. [Read more…] about Old Haverford Friends Meeting Reimagining Land to Be a Mini Forest

 Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting in Support of the LGBTQIA+ community

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This past First Day, Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting (LVMM) had a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. At that Meeting, LVMM approved the following minute of concern in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. We previously approved sending it to both of you once approved. I have also attached the minute as a .pdf and Word version.

As is our practice, our Corresponding Secretary, Nancy Johnston, will forward you a printed copy of this minute on our official letterhead.

With love and gratitude, we stand in solidarity with members of the LGBTQIA+ community within our meeting and beyond. 

As Quakers, we believe that there is that of God in everyone. From this belief flows the Quaker testimony of equality, based in the religious conviction that all people are of equal spiritual worth, that each one of us is unique and precious, a child of God. LGBTQIA+ people are no exception. Indeed, it has been our direct experience that the gifts of the Spirit are bestowed without consideration of distinctions such as gender, race, age, disability or sexual orientation.

Accordingly, it is clear to us that acts of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, whether by individuals, organizations, or governments, are a grave assault on our most deeply cherished testimonies and beliefs.

Our meeting has been powerfully enriched by the many contributions of our LGBTQIA+ members and attenders. Without them, we would not be the meeting that we are and that we love.

Downingtown Monthly Meeting Minutes Their Support of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

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At Meeting with Attention to Business this day, Downingtown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends minutes their support of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s recent corporate witness undertaken to block federal immigration enforcement officials from entering houses of worship for immigration enforcement activities. This step was taken to ensure Quaker values are maintained as we support vulnerable community members. We hold in the Light those individuals impacted by this new policy as well as those who are actively moving this lawsuit forward on behalf of long held Quaker principles of peace, equality, and social justice. [Read more…] about Downingtown Monthly Meeting Minutes Their Support of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust Unveils New Exhibits | Press Release

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) is excited to invite the public to explore the completion of major renovations and brand-new museum exhibits.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the success of the ongoing A Place for Friends Capital Campaign, ASMH now features a fully reimagined Lobby and West Room exhibits, with new stories, interactive elements, and technology. In the West Room, enhanced lighting showcases the simple, yet breathtaking, beauty of the historic 1811 worship space that was designed by master carpenter Owen Biddle, Jr.

Arch Street Meeting House’s two-acre property on the corner of 4th and Arch Streets in Old City has been a part of the community for nearly 324 years since Pennsylvania’s Quaker founder, William Penn, deeded the land as a burial ground in 1701, and the meetinghouse was later built between 1804 and 1811. Joining its legacy as a place of Quaker worship, ASMH has served as an exhibition space since at least 1904 when thousands of Quakers from across the Greater Philadelphia region commemorated the meetinghouse’s centennial. Reimagining and preserving historic sites like ASMH is crucial for maintaining Philadelphia’s diverse cultural landscape and its place as the first World Heritage City in the United States. By exploring the diverse stories of our country’s past in the meetinghouse’s exhibits, we can protect irreplaceable sites like ASMH and enrich our community.

“We’re getting ready for the U.S. Semiquincentennial in 2026, and we’re thrilled to unveil phase one of these exciting upgrades. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that the museum can honor the rich history of Arch Street Meeting House while making it a more welcoming, educational, and compelling place for people of all backgrounds,” said Sean Connolly, Executive Director of Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust. “This project represents a major step in preserving our site and ensuring that the unique story of Quakerism and its impact on American history continues to inspire future generations.”

“Quakerism played a vital, yet often overlooked, role in the shaping of our nation,” said George McNeely, Trustee of Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust. “This is the Quaker City and it’s known as the birthplace of American democracy, so Philadelphia’s revolutionary story must include Quakers’ commitments to religious freedom, community, equality, and the belief that every voice matters.”

About Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust

Located in the heart of Old City, Philadelphia, Arch Street Meeting House (ASMH) is a museum and National Historic Landmark operated by Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT). ASMH is also an active Quaker place of worship for the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia. Since its first documented burial in the 1680s and its official 1701 deed from Pennsylvania’s Quaker founder, William Penn, ASMH’s two-acre property has been actively and continuously used by both the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the greater community.

In 2011, the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) was formed to preserve the historic building and grounds and welcome the public to participate in programming to learn more about Quaker history. Last year, Partners for Sacred Places found that through ASMHPT’s stewardship, the meetinghouse’s programs, education initiatives, space sharing, and rentals bring an annual economic impact to Philadelphia valued over $5 million.

Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) preserves, operates, and interprets the meeting house and grounds which will serve to increase public understanding of the impact and continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.

Arch Street Meeting House
Instagram: @historicasmh
Facebook: @archstreetmeetinghouse

#HistoricASMH #MeetQuakerHistory

About the A Place For Friends Capital Campaign
‘A Place for Friends’ is a campaign that will empower Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) to make the capital improvements necessary to engage with an ever-expanding community of visitors, worshipers, and those curious about Quakerism. ASMHPT has contracted some of the region’s best engineers, architects, preservationists, and historians to complete the capital improvements by 2026 in conjunction with the Semiquincentennial of the United States.

As the Trust’s first Capital Campaign in over 25 years, this ambitious project aims to raise $4,700,000 in funding over two phases for vital improvements and ensure the long-term preservation of Arch Street Meeting House, a historic and culturally significant site in Philadelphia. Through individual giving and grant funding, ASMHPT has already made significant progress, raising $3.6 million. This success in the earliest phase of the campaign, which accounts for approximately 66% of the $4.7 million goal, demonstrates the strong support that the community has for preserving this important pillar of Philadelphia’s Quaker history.

For more information about ’A Place for Friends’, please visit historicasmh.org/aplaceforfriends.

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Photo credit Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust and Eddie Einbender-Luks

Link to Images: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ianxo1k590k5yfpib4y6c/AAGjsa8pN9D3V-aD2ZGdvRE?rlkey=5o5gswklvhw8435x0ipnvd0kq&st=izp36e55&dl=0

Kayla D’Oyen
Development &
Communications Manager
kdoyen@historicasmh.org
215-413-1804×103

Chestnut Hill Monthly Meeting Letter of Support Concerning Lawsuit for Religious Liberty

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We are with you — and commend your joining with New England and Baltimore Yearly Meetings and Adelphi and Richmond Friends Meetings in recently submitting a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

We admire this speedy reaction to the rescinding of religious protections of people in Religious buildings and the broadened power of the Department of Homeland Security. We agree that our Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom is at stake and that your strong response is exactly what is needed.

In his drafting of the Pennsylvania Constitution, William Penn wrote “No people can be truly happy, though under the greatest enjoyments of civil liberties, if abridged of the Freedom of their Conscience as to their Religious Profession and Worship”. Further, “No men, nor number of men upon earth, hath power or authority to rule over men’s consciences in religious matters.”

We are all struggling with what is currently unfolding in Washington, D.C. However, we are heartened by your forthright and speedy action in defense of religious freedom.

With sincere and heartfelt appreciation,

Miyo Moriuchi
Clerk, Chestnut Hill Monthly Meeting
Philadelphia, PA

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