Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Friends

Friends Fall Festival

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Downingtown Friends Meeting is thrilled to announce they will host their annual Friends Fall Festival on October 9, from 9am to 4pm at their address of 800 E. Lancaster Ave., on their historical property and Quaker Meetinghouse in Downingtown. This event has become an autumnal tradition for all ages within our community, and with all the family fun, quality shopping, live entertainment, various activities and homemade food it has to offer, it’s easy to see why! 

  • Shopping – quality thrifting at great discounts will be available, as will crafts and jewelry sold by local artisans, and a silent auction featuring local goods and services provided by your neighbors!
  • Food – we’ve got lots of homemade goodies, including vegan chili and soup, hot apple cider, and baked goods galore with cakes, cookies, breads and pies (with plenty of gluten-free options), ready to take home and share!
  • Fun – in addition to live music and tours of the Hershey Trees planted by Quaker John Hershey 100 years ago, we will also have plenty of kids’ activities, games and crafts, and hayrides!

40% of proceeds from the event go toward the stewardship of our Quaker Meeting and the remaining 60% are donated to local charity organizations in our community.

A Quaker Theological Ecosystem Weekend Workshop

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Fri, October 1, 7:30pm – Sun, October 3, 12:00pm

Join Christy Randazzo via Zoom and explore Quaker theology through the framework of an ecosystem, seeing how the seemingly chaotic and disorganized nature of Quaker theology actually becomes a beautiful symphony.

This program will be online via Zoom and will follow this schedule:

Friday, October 1: 7:30pm – 9pm
Saturday, October 2: 9:30am – 12pm (break mixed in), 1pm – 2:30pm, 4pm – 5:30pm, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Sunday, October 3: 9:30am – 12pm (break mixed in)


For more information and event registration, please click A Quaker Theological Ecosystem Weekend Workshop.

“Supporting our Transgender Neighbors”

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North Branch Society of Friends is offering a free webinar “Supporting our Transgender Neighbors” as part of our Peace and Justice initiative.

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Jun 22, 2021, 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Quakers For Peace and Justice Series “Supporting our Transgender Neighbors” Presented by North Branch Friends

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fHCMtgStRZ-KjlNrBCJhsg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

———-

Webinar Speakers

Spencer Bergstedt
Spencer Bergstedt is a consultant, public speaker, educator, and author specializing in LGBTQ workplace, health care, and educational inclusion issues. Spencer has been advocating for LGBTQ people for over 30 years. His work on transgender legal issues has garnered him an international reputation for both scholarly theory and practical application. Spencer’s work has impacted birth certificate and driver’s license policies, youth participation in after-school activities, and self-help legal information for trans people throughout the US. His lived experience as a transman, combined with his legal expertise and executive leadership roles, brings a unique breadth of understanding to his clients. Spencer is an engaging presenter who fosters greater understanding on the topic of gender diversity in an open and supportive manner.

Lyndsey Sickler
Lynz is 44 years old, non binary, and uses They/Them pronouns. They identify as queer, poly, kinky, body and sex positive and have over 20 years experience with advocacy, community and resource support work for TLGBQIA+ youth and young adults, 25 and under.

Alexandra St James
Grace and Face, Class and Sass, the Force of Nature that is Alexandra St. James will leave you breathless. This Activist, Actress, Artist will leave the audience spellbound as she challenges your views on various topics. Alexandra has been a fixture in the LGBTQ+ community for more than 20 years. She has been active in fundraising for various charitable causes and uses her time to educate and entertain the masses.

 

 

Supporting our Transgender Neighbors

Written on:

North Branch Society of Friends is offering a free webinar “Supporting our Transgender Neighbors” as part of our Peace and Justice initiative.

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Jun 22, 2021, 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Quakers For Peace and Justice Series “Supporting our Transgender Neighbors” Presented by North Branch Friends

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fHCMtgStRZ-KjlNrBCJhsg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

———-

Webinar Speakers

Spencer Bergstedt
Spencer Bergstedt is a consultant, public speaker, educator, and author specializing in LGBTQ workplace, health care, and educational inclusion issues. Spencer has been advocating for LGBTQ people for over 30 years. His work on transgender legal issues has garnered him an international reputation for both scholarly theory and practical application. Spencer’s work has impacted birth certificate and driver’s license policies, youth participation in after-school activities, and self-help legal information for trans people throughout the US. His lived experience as a transman, combined with his legal expertise and executive leadership roles, brings a unique breadth of understanding to his clients. Spencer is an engaging presenter who fosters greater understanding on the topic of gender diversity in an open and supportive manner.

Lyndsey Sickler
Lynz is 44 years old, non binary, and uses They/Them pronouns. They identify as queer, poly, kinky, body and sex positive and have over 20 years experience with advocacy, community and resource support work for TLGBQIA+ youth and young adults, 25 and under.

Alexandra St James
Grace and Face, Class and Sass, the Force of Nature that is Alexandra St. James will leave you breathless. This Activist, Actress, Artist will leave the audience spellbound as she challenges your views on various topics. Alexandra has been a fixture in the LGBTQ+ community for more than 20 years. She has been active in fundraising for various charitable causes and uses her time to educate and entertain the masses.

 

 

Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton

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This is the second in a series of articles about Quakers who’ve impacted the fields of education and contributed to global scientific, medical, political, or economic leadership. The first article was published on September 23 and covered Elise Goulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins.

Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933) was a Japanese Quaker who became the first Under Secretary General for the League of Nations. Nitobe was born into a samurai family on Honshu, the main island of Japan. While in college, he became a Christian and later a Friend. In 1884, He moved to the US for post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. There he began attending Quaker meetings, telling friends, “I very much like their simplicity and earnestness.”

[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton