For People of Faith: An Urgent Call
If War is Not the Answer, What is?
The Emerging Majority - Progressive American Radio
Pilgrimage to England’s Quaker Country
Choir Concert at George School
Caretaker Position Available: Wrightstown Monthly Meeting
Newtown Friends School Christmas Tree Sale
The Spirituality and Practice of Active Nonviolence
American Friends Service Committee
Auction at Middletown Friends Meeting at Langhorne
Meetinghouse Needs Volunteers to Welcome Tourists
American Friends Service Committee Donations
Snippets of News from the Quarter and Other Places
Israel/Palestine-Palestine/Israel Conference
Meeting for Worship at Pennswood Village
Middletown Friends Meeting at Langhorne Midweek Worship
Doylestown Meeting Friends Silent Vigil for Peace
Planting Seeds, Growing Spirit
Thanksgiving with the Native Americans
Culinary Classics at Chandler Hall
The Emerging Majority - Progressive American Radio
PYM’s Meeting for Worship and Financial Stewardship
Pendle Hill Thursday Night Forum
Chandler Hall Worship Services Organizers:
NOVEMBER 2003 |
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1 |
1:30-5pm |
American Friends Service Committee celebrates more than 85 years of service. |
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1 |
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Michener Museum in New Hope PA. |
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1. |
9:30-4:00 |
Planting Seeds, Growing Spiri |
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2-3pm |
“QUIDDITAS” |
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11 8am |
Middle East Working Group at Friends Center. Jean Zaru will be the keynote speaker. |
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14 |
6:30-9:30 |
Culinary Classics at Chandler Hall. |
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15 |
3-5 |
Thanksgiving with the Native Americans |
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15 |
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PYM Meeting for Worship and Financial Stewardship, at the Meetinghouse at George School. |
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23 |
11:30-1:00 |
Quakerism in a Nutshell at Doylestown Meeting. |
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Looking Ahead |
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Dec 27, 2003 Jan 1, 2004 |
Young Friends (14-20) YouthQuake Estes Park, Colorado. Info: 215-241-7222. |
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Dec 28, 2003 thru Thursday, January 1, 2004. |
Yoga as Body Prayer for Heart and Soul. |
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Jan 10, 2004 |
Annual Gathering of Quaker Public Educators. |
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June 21-July 5, 2004 |
Pilgrimage to England’s “Quaker Country.” |
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What can you as a person of faith do to protect creation and the next generations of God’s children from the threat of nuclear weapons? Help the Urgent Call reach its goals by endorsing the Urgent Call and ask your friends and family. Friends should study the issues. Work with others to respond to the threat of nuclear weapons. Work on an interfaith basis with people in your community and state. Share your concerns with your federal legislators. For more information, call Charley Peterson at 215-968-0127.
The Quaker School at Horsham welcomes you to a Fall Open House. Dates are Thursday, November 6, 2003, and Thursday, December 4, 2003. Both are from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The Quaker School at Horsham is a coeducational school for children with learning differences in Grades 1-8. Call 215-674-2875 to register or www.quakerschool.org
Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict!
Bridget Moix works for the Friends Committee for National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in the public interest, focussing on the international issues. Prior to this position, she worked for the Quaker United Nations Office following issues of conflict prevention, peace-building and alternatives to war within the UN context. Bridget Moix holds the degree, “Master of International Affairs,” granted by Columbia University. Her undergraduate degree is from Ohio Wesleyan University. Date is Thursday, Dec 11, 2003, at Pennswood Village at 7pm. Info: 215-968-0127
I thought you might like to begin your work week with a little good news for a change. At the budget conference on Saturday, our Monthly Meetings brought forth commitments (covenants) that exceed last years by 7percent. That is a very significant increase in financial support at a time when some of our Meetings are also feeling a financial pinch, and the increase is crucial given that we have also just heard about an (expected) 30 percent increase in health costs coming our way.
Equally important and encouraging, though, was the tone of the conversation. There were more positive comments about the values of what PYM offers to our Meetings and members with less negative feedback than I’ve ever heard at such a discussion. And there was real appreciation for the efforts we are making to be thoughtful, disciplined, (dare I say) strategy in planning our work and applying our resources as a Yearly Meeting. This all reflects well on each of you, as staff members, and on the quality of the work you you are doing and the better ways we are communicating with Meetings and members. (The above event was at the Meetinghouse on Nov 15th, 2003.)
The Bucks Quarterly Meeting Singing Group will meet at Friends Village on December 17th at 7:30 pm. Chis Kerr will play the piano. Jonathan Snipes will be there to ask folks what they want to sing.
Be part of The Emerging Majority every Friday between 1 and 2 PM on WBNW am 1120 and WPLM am 1390 (Boston). Ben and Dennis Tafoya were members of Doylestown Meeting. Their new show aims to create an on air community for people who are passionate about economic democracy, peaceful foreign policy and human rights. Info: 1-617-953-2530.
On June 21 to July 5, 2004. This year’s installment of the biennial tradition will include visits to some of the Friends Schools in Great Britain. Contact Debora Sines Pancoe and Craig Pancoe at 215-887-0995 or
cpancoe@verizon.net
The 50-voice Earlham College Concert Choir is touring the East Coast with an engaging program of traditional, multicultural and contemporary musical selections. This is a convenient off-campus opportunity for alumni, parents and friends to connect with Earlham. Admission is free, with a reception to follow. Program is on Wednesday, January 7, 2004, at the Meetinghouse. Info: 1-610-658-5269. Thanks go to Brenda Rose Simkin.
Don’t forget the singing event at George School on Wednesday, December 10. The group will sing a variety of holiday music. I have been there several times. Jackie Coren, director, does do a great job!
The Chandler Hall Auxiliary will be on December 1st, 2003, at 2:pm. The Auxiliary Holiday Party is for residents of Chandler Hall. There will be freshments and decorations. Individual visits are welcome. Also, the Chandler Hall Auxiliary helps raise funds for the skilled care facility of Bucks Quarterly Meeting in Newtown.
DEAR FRIENDS,
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO MOVE, SEND ME YOUR CURRENT
ADDRESS AND THEN YOUR NEW
ADDRESS AND ZIP CODE!
INFO: SANDY LANGHART at 215-860-9747 or 215-598-8246.
Wrightstown Monthly Meeting invites applications from those interested in working with our active Meeting in the Caretaker position. The Caretaker maintains the Meeting’s buildings and grounds (which includes the Meeting House, a social hall, nursery school/First Day School classrooms and cemetery grounds), schedules facilities and provides a Friendly point of contact for the general public. The Meeting seeks someone who will feel comfortable being a part of the ongoing life of the Meeting and supporting the activities of the Meeting through their activities both as Caretaker and as part of the Meeting community. A full position description will be provided upon request. The new Caretaker will assume their responsibilities beginning, February 1, 2004. The Caretaker is provided with a family residence on the grounds in a lovely stone house and receives an annual salary. Inquiries and applications (with resume and references and letter describing interest and approach to position) should be directed to: John King, Clerk, PO Box 130 Penns Park, PA 18943 or jking@ursinus.edu
Newtown Friends School will have a Christmas Tree sale to be held on the George School campus, from December 6-7 and December 13-14. Trees will be 4-11 ft. Cost is $20-$80. Wreaths will also be available. Proceeds will benefit the school.
On Sat, Nov 22, and Sun, Nov 23, two members of Doylestown Meeting, Carol Miller and John Bailie, will conduct 12 hours of training on the way of active nonviolence. This training is for anyone interested in deepening their commitment to nonviolence. The cost is $125.00 which includes the training manual and meals. A limited number of scholarships are available. The training, based on the Fellowship of Reconciliation model, will take place at the Doylestown United Methodist Church. Info: 215-348-7884.
We are going to learn about the meaning and keeping of Advent. Shirley Smith and Christine Smith from Doylestown Friends Meeting will teach how to make an advent wreath to take home and share with our families and friends. If you are coming for the first time, don’t forget to have your parent fill out the permission form on the back of the flyer. Date is Sat, Nov, 15, 2003. Peace Pals begins at 7pm. Parent pickup is 9pm. Bring $3.00. Peace Pals meet at Wrightown Meeting. Info: 215-598-8566. More Peace Pals needed for ages 4th-8th grade. Come and enjoy the fun!
This is a one hour introduction to Quakerism and Doylestown Friends Meeting, on Sunday, November 23, from 11:30 - 1:00. We are pleased that you have interest in Doylestown Meeting, and we’d like to invite you to a special event designed to help you get to know us a bit better. We’re holding an informal presentation/discussion covering new attenders’ basic questions: Quaker Worship - what are all of us doing just sitting there? Quaker Testimonies - What do we believe? Quaker Business Process - How do we ever make decisions if we don’t vote? The History of Quakerism - How did William Penn get up there on City Hall? Faith into Action - Why are we always demonstrating about something? - The Doylestown Meeting Community - Who are we? Info: 215-345-0575
This Annual Public Gathering celebrates more than 85 years of service to humanity at its annual public gathering, challenging audiences to find creative ways to put their faith into action. The program runs from 1:30 to 5pm. on Sat, Nov 1, at Friends Center, 15th and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia. The speaker is a civil rights activist, Jean Fairfax from AFSC. Her topic is “Defending the Right to Public Education - from the 1950’s to the present. Keynote speaker is Roger Wilkins, a pulitzer prize-winning author & professor of History and American Culture at George Mason University. The presentations will be followed by three simultaneous panel presentations offering an analysis of current threats to public education. Info: 215-241-7049.
The Peace Vigil at the Liberty Bell that began in 1999 continues each First Day afternoon between 4-5 pm. This is a meeting for worship in the manner of Friends that lasts for an hour. Usually, it’s a handful of people. Last week, with a concerted effort, Friends from three states swelled the ranks to 60. John Andres Gallery, of Chestnut Hill Meeting articulates that this vigil is “for prayer, and for peace.” His reflections appear in Pendle Hill Pamphlet #358: Reflections from a Prayer Vigil for Peace.
All are welcome to come to the auction, on Friday, Nov, 7, 2003. There will be a covered dish supper at 6.30, and the auction begins at 7:30. We will have a fun-filled spectacular evening where a jar of mother Belew’s bread and butter pickles goes for $40.00, to an antique chair that sells for $10!! It’s anybody’s guess what will be here and what treasures you’ll go home with. Please come and enjoy good food, friends and fun. Info: 215-453-7325 or 215-357-4302.
Philadelphia’s new Constitution Center will open July 4, 2003. We can only guess the impact it will have on the number of visitors to the Fourth and Arch Street Meetinghouse. We need you to help as volunteer guides.
Our Quaker heritage is a gift from the past that the tourists want to experience and explore. They treasure what it stands for: A way of life based on religious freedom, the founding of a nation, etc.
Tour guides and school groups are finding the Arch Street Meeting House a significant addition to their tour of Philadelphia. They don’t have to wait in long lines or go through metal detectors. They get to sit down and share in the dialogue. Last spring over 25,000 visitors came to the meetinghouse (over 1,000 on one day!).
The Quaker message needs to be told and Arch Street Visitors Program needs your help to do it. Call Sandy Sudofsky at 215-627-2667.
We will have another meeting of our Peaceful Hands group tonight. Please join us if you can. A group of us with similar concerns are welcoming others to join us for an evening of peace related conversation. All are welcome to bring your hand crafts, your bills to pay - anything you would normally do with your hands on a Tuesday evening - or just spend the time with us, dialoguing about ways to direct our common energies toward our community, and the world at 7pm. Childcare is available. Friends will meet on the second Tuesday of each month at Quakertown Friends Meeting, Rt 579 & White Bridge Road, Quakertown, NJ 08868. Call for directions: 1-908-537-2719
Peaceful Hands (Quakertown Friends Meeting) is being laid down for the time being, but the women’s group will continue meeting on the last Tuesday of the month. Info: 1-908-537-2719.
Needed: 4 bars of soap, 1 plastic bottle of shampoo (in plastic bag), 1 tube of toothpaste, 4 adult-size toothbrushes (in packaging), 1 hairbrush, 1 wide-tooth comb, 1 finger nail clipper, 1 box of adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted preferred). Donors are encouraged to include $5 for each kit to help pay shipping costs. Send to AFSC, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1479.
BQM Singing Group will meet at Makefield Meeting on Nov 19 at 7:30 pm. Dave Kashoff will play the piano.
BQM Outreach Committee will meet at Pennswood Village at 7:30, Nov 19. Info: Kellie Schussel Edens.215-428-0196.
BQM Oversight Committee meets at Buckingham Meeting on Thursday, Nov 13.
You may want to go to Godspell in New Hope/Solebury Public High School. There will be a Musical Adaptation of the Gospel of St. Matthew with rock music. This is held in the Stephen J. Buck Theater. You can come on Nov 13th, 14th, and 15th.
On November 8th, will be Israel/Palestine-Palestine/Israel, What Cansts Thou Do? Conference will be from 9:15-3:30, at Friends Center, 15th and Cherry Sts., Phila, by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and American Friends Service Comittee. Jean Zaru will speak at 10:am. Call Gail Newbold for flyers. Also call Ruth Matson (1-610-352-5813) for information.
Meeting for Worship is at Pennswood Village every first day morning at 10:30 am at Barclay Lounge. We would like other Friends in Bucks Quarter to join with us in Worship.
Middletown Friends Meeting at Langhorne now has midweek Worship from 7-8 pm every Wednesday. The third Wednesday is Worship Sharing at 7pm.
Doylestown Meeting Friends continue their Silent Vigil for Peace at the corner of State & Main Streets, and invite members from other Meetings to participate as well. The Meeting has added the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons to the Peace Vigil Message. The Vigil is from 6pm-7pm every Tuesday.
DEAR FRIENDS,
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO MOVE, SEND ME YOUR CURRENT
ADDRESS AND THEN YOUR NEW
ADDRESS AND ZIP CODE!
INFO: SANDY LANGHART at 215-860-9747 or 215-598-8246.
Parent/Teacher Training Day
The program will be at Gwynedd Friends Meetinghouse, on November 1, 2003, from 9:30-4:pm. Cost is $10. Keynote address by Doug Ross (Radnor Meeting): “Growing Spiritual Lives of Children and Youth.” Workshop topics include: curriculum and library resources, how to overcome barriers to teaching First Day School, tools and resources for training new teachers, Quaker parenting, nonviolence and children: helping children find peace in today’s world, bullying, middle schoolers: we love them, ideas for games and intergenerational activities, teaching styles, learning styles and multiple intelligences, networking opportunities. Homemade soups & desserts. Info: 215-241-7008 or helenfields@pym.org
The Quaker School at Horsham welcomes you to a Fall Open House. Dates are Thursday, November 6, 2003, and Thursday, December 4, 2003. Both are from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The Quaker School at Horsham is a coeducational school for children with learning differences in Grades 1-8. Call 215-674-2875 to register or www.quakerschool.org
On Nov 15, come tour the Churchville Nature Center’s 1500’s era Lenape Village from 3-5, followed by a Thanksgiving-style dinner beginning at 5pm with local Native Americans & CNC educators. Info: 215-357-4005.
You are invited to attend the Culinary Classics at Chandler Hall. Enjoy a beautiful evening of music, flowers, gourmet food and wine. This charitable event will feature local restaurants, wineries, bakeries, confectioneries and caterers. Date is Nov 14, 6:30-9:30pm at Wright Meeting Hall. Donation: $50 each ticket, purchased in advance. Info: 215-860-4000 x 1502.
Camp Onas, the Friends Camp in Bucks County for kids 8-14, had a wonderful, fun-filled summer with many BQM Quaker kids attending. Call Sue Neiger Gould, Director, to learn more about camp Onas for next year. Info: 610-847-5858.
Be part of The Emerging Majority every Friday between 1 and 2 PM on WBNW am 1120 and WPLM am 1390 (Boston). Ben and Dennis Tafoya were members of Doylestown Meeting. Their new show aims to create an on air community for people who are passionate about economic democracy, peaceful foreign policy and human rights. Info: 1-617-953-2530.
This will take place on Saturday morning, November 15, in the Meetinghouse at George School on Route 413 south, in Newtown, PA. It is sponsored by the PYM Financial Stewardship Committee, the committee charged with bringing a budget for approval by Yearly Meeting in session each March. As you no doubt are aware, last year’s budget process was a difficult one.
One November 1, 2003, there will be a charity auction under the auspices of the James A. Michener Art Museum (located in Doylestown, PA) though the event is taking place in New Hope, PA. Forty-eight painted and decorated fiberglass mules will go on auction with proceeds divided equally among the Michener Museum, the Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and the non-profit org. of the sponsor/s choice. American Friends Service Committee has been designated by one of the sponsors, a landscape architect, to receive 1/3 proceeds from the sale of one of the mules - SIR KNIGHT. Tickets are $125 each for VIP preview reception (champagne and martinis, oysters and reserved seating) and $60 for general admission. AFSC gets one complimentary general admission ticket. One-third of the proceeds of the sale of the Bucks County Mules to go to the American Friends Service Committee.
A Renaissance Musical Ensemble performance at Southampton Friends Meeting House. Music of the “Halloween-All-Souls” with period instruments. Please join us for this festive event. Date: Nov 2, Sunday, at 3pm.
The program is “Unraveling the Web of Violence” at Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse, Swarthmore College. The program will explore the social construction of violence from the interpersonal to the global level and the connections that bind these levels together. Structures of violence based on economic, gender, racial and cultural divisions have been created by the powerful and accepted by the powerless. What will it take to unravel the web of violence? How do we begin to create an alternative reality, to develop a new story that does not depend on domination and exploitation? Date is Nov 13, 03. Lecture begins from 7:30-9pm. Info: 1-800-742-3450, ext.121.