FEBRUARY 2004

FEBRUARY 2004
7	Sat	. 6:30pm	Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Bucks County Cook-Off
13	Friday	6:00pm	BQM Worship and Ministry at Makefield.
15	Sunday		Bucks Quarterly Meeting at Buckingham, A Witness for Peace.
20	Friday	9-3	A Workshop on Clerking with Arthur Larrabee.
28	Sat	7:00pm	Hunterdon Speakers Forum.
28	Sat	8:00pm	Coalition for Peace Action Concert in Princeton.
29	Sun	2:30-6:30	Quakerism 101 with Jonathan Snipes at Newtown. First of two sessions.
Looking Ahead
March 25-28, 2004	Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
June 28-July 13, 2004	Pilgrimage to England’s “Quaker Country.”
April 23-24, 2004	Arch Street Meetinghouse. Forgiveness, Reconciliation & Restorative Justice.

FCNL Ecumenical Advocacy Days

“I Will Feed them with Justice,” the 2004 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice. Date is March 5-8, 2004, in Washington, DC. Sponsored by a broad range of denominations and coalitions, including Friends Committee on National legislation, the gathering will focus on Africa, Korea, Colombia, Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Judilee and economic justice, and nuclear disarmament.

Karin Lee, FCNL senior associate for East Asia Policy, and David Culp, legislative representative for the Quaker Nuclear Disarmament Program, are among the featured speakers at the four-day education and lobby event. All sessions for the first three days will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Crystal City, across the river from Washington in Arlington, VA. The final day of lobbying will be centered at the Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill.

Info: http://www.advocacydays.org/ or 1-202-547-7503.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Bucks County

Planned Parent Action Fund of Bucks County invites you to the Eighth Annual Cook-Off on Saturday, February 7, 2004. Time is 6:30pm. Enjoy the chili, bread, salad, beer, wine, and dessert. This event will be at the Eagle Fire Company, in New Hope PA. Please respond on or before February 2nd. Info: 215-785-4597 ext. 19

Hunterdon Speakers Forum

Community groups along with the local student chapter of Amnesty International at Hunterdon Central High School (in Flemington) is hosting Chris Hedges at 7 pm, Saturday, February 28th, for a joint student/community forum.

Chris Hedges, a foreign correspondent for 15 years and a member of the New York Times team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of global terrorism. He also won the 2002 Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. Chris has seen war up close - in the Balkans, in the Middle East, in Central America - and has been troubled by what he has seen: friends, enemies, colleagues, and strangers intoxicated and even addicted to war’s heady brew. His book, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, tackles the ugly truths about humanity’s love affair with war. Info: Nancy Macaulay 1-908-537-2719. $3

The snow date is February 29 for this. For directions - http://www.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend 2004, which will take place March 6-8 in Washington, DC, promises to furnish young people with the tools they need to bring a message of peace and social justice to Congress and give them the opportunity to bring that message to members of Congress. The weekend costs $50, not including transportation and some meals. Participants will stay at the William Penn House, which is co-sponsoring the event. William Penn House (http://www.quaker.org/penn-house) is a Quaker conference and hospitality center on Capitol Hill. For more information about the 2004 Spring Lobby Weekend, or to register for the event call 1-202-547-6000 x 140 (toll-free 800-630-1330x140). Meetings, churches, schools, and colleges should consider sponsoring young adults who would benefit from attending.

WANTED:CAMP ONAS CAMPERS FROM BQM

Now is the time to register for a fun-filled summer session at Camp Onas, the Quaker Camp in Bucks County for children 8-13. Use the enclosed brochure to register, or if you can’t use the brochure, pass it on to a family with a child who may be interested in going to Camp Onas. A special Quaker rate and financial aid is available. Call Sue, the Director of Camp Onas, at 610-847-5858 with any questions. Don’t delay. Camp Onas fills up quickly.

Peace Vigil

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.

Coalition for Peace Action Concert

Michelle Shocked and John Sebastian will perform at the Nassau Presbyterian Church on Saturday, 28, 2004 at 8:00 in Princeton, NJ. Michelle Shocked became an overnight success 15 years ago and John Sebastian has been entertaining audiences for forty years. Proceeds to benefit the Coalition For Peace Action. Info: 1-609-924-5022.

Meetinghouse Needs Volunteers to Welcome Tourists

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.

Peaceful Hands

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

American Friends Service Committee Donations

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.

Peaceful Hands

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.

Friends Meeting Friends: Friends House Moscow 2004

This is a tour to Ukraine, Russia, and Latvia to connect with small Quaker worship groups. Dates: approximately June 9-26. Tentative schedule: Kiev, 3 nights, Moscow, 5 nights, St. Petersburg, 3 nights, Riga 3 nights. Pre-tour planning will include introduction to the Cyrillic alphabet and the Russian language. Approximate cost includes flight from San Francisco $3800. Info: Julie Harlow, 1163 Auburn Drive, Davis, CA 95616. Includes a donation.

FCNL Ecumenical Advocacy Days

“I Will Feed Them with Justice,” the 2004 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice. Date is March 5-8, 2004, in Washington, DC. Sponsored by a broad range of denominations and coalitions, including Friends Committee on National Legislation. More details to follow in the March Quakerphernalia.

Info: http://www.advocacydays.org/ or 1-202-547-7503.

A Workshop on Clerking with Arthur Larrabee

How can we use the Quaker decision-making process in Friends schools? How can we develop a clear understanding of roles, responsibilities and inclusivity, especially as these relate to decision-making in a Friends school?

Arthur Larrabee has led many workshops on clerking. He has served as clerk of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the Committee in Charge of Westtown School, and Central Philadelphia Month Meeting and as well as numerous committees and boards.

Fee: $75. Feb. 20, 2004, 9am-3pm, Friends Center, Phila.

Info: 215-241-7245

BQM Worship and Ministry at Makefield

Bucks Quarter Worship and Ministry will meet at Makefield Meeting on Friday 13, 2004. Bring a dish and enjoy fellowship at a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm and address some of the FAQ (frequently asked questions) and issues concerning the worship service at Chandler Hall. We will aim to compose an information sheet to aid meetings in planning their worship service at Chandler Hall. For info call Carole Wicker at 215-493-9406.

Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Restorative Justice

The program will be at Arch Street Meeting House, April 23-24. The people involved: Sulak Sivaraksa, Buddhist peacemaker from Thailand; Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, member of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Paula Green, founder of the Karuna Center and international facilitator of reconciliation; Joseph Sebarenzi, former speaker of the Rwandan parliament, genocide survivor and conflict transformation trainer; Miki Jacevic, facilitator with Women Waging Peace, and others.

Registration $180 ($150 if paid by March 26, 2004) $90 for full-time students. The registration fee covers all keynote addresses, facilitated workshops, musical entertainment and share meals. Info: 215-627-2667.

Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul

Winter Festival Concert

This program will be at the Stephen J. Buck Memorial Theater located in New Hope-Solebury High School. Eileen Ivers is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, if available. Info: 215-862-3821.

Pilgrimage to England’s

Quaker Country

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

mailto:cpancoe@verizon.net

Bucks Quarterly Meeting at Buckingham

A Witness for Peace

Come join us on Feb 15th for singing, a program on Witnessing for Peace, dining in style (in the gym) and conducting business. The Peace Center will provide programs for the youngest of us. In the morning Priscilla Adams will share about her almost 30 years of being a war tax resister: the beliefs, the actions, the consequences. She views this specific action as part of the social change movement and speaks to the interconnectedness and importance of the witnesses of each of us. The presentation includes an update on the current IRS/Justice Department case against PYM. All questions and views are welcome. For directions, call David Smith or Bethann Morgan at 215-766-0621.

Quakertown Meeting’s Energy Dilemma

For some years we have had a programmable thermostat in the meetinghouse so the building was heated to operating temperature only on the weekend to save energy...the 2day/5 day variety which was commonly available when we bought it, so the Meeting House was heated for a few hours on Saturday as well as on Sunday. Since it was only a few hours each day, we didn’t think much of it. But then, when the minute** came out, we revisited the matter and discovered, based on the last two winters one relatively mild and the other relatively cold - that heating the building only one day would save about 300 gallons of propane a year and about $500. So we have bought and installed a 7 day programmable thermostat ... now much more available. We are less clear what the Meeting should do about our electric energy and have laid that over. Our usage is fairly modest, so we don’t see it as a compelling matter, and we might well be willing to pay a premium if we thought it would matter. But there are so many pitfalls (e.g. Enron owning GreenMountain) that it’s difficult to know where to turn. Doug Meaker on behalf of Quakertown (NJ) Monthly Meeting. Info: (908) 995-2276.

Quaker Pilgrimage to England

Next summer, PYM Education & Religious Education will again sponsor a pilgrimage of Friends to “1652 Country” in the north of England. Join us to visit Quaker meetings, historic sites, and the lush, countryside where George Fox and the first Friends inspired many to join them in worship. The trip runs from June 28 to July 13, 2004, a week later than previously announced. We will stay in the beautiful Glenthorne Country Guest House located in Grasmere in the Lake District. During the first week of the trip we will travel as a group to the Quaker history locations. The estimated cost of $2,000 covers lodging, meals, and transportation for the organized portion of the pilgrimage. The second week will be organized by YOU-on your own at your own expense. Info: 215-887-0995.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Yearly Meeting will be on March 25-28, 2004. Annual Sessions of PYM will be at Fourth and Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia. Planning is in full swing for the sessions. Info: 1) Interspersing workshops, business sessions, and community activities, 2) Increase in the amount of space available for community-building activities by using the Arch St Mtg House grounds and the Holiday Inn. 3) Creating more experiences in which we are together as a community of all ages. 4) Providing a room in the meetinghouse for families to regroup. Come to experience God’s love as a Yearly Meeting community.

PYM Friends Workcamp Celebration & Visioning Day

The program will be at Arch Street Meetinghouse from 10:00am to 3:00pm on February 21, 2004. Workcamp participants, supporters, or anyone who is interested in the future of the Workcamp programs are encouraged to come to this day and join in the continuing discussion of the future of the Friends Workcamp program. We will begin by sharing our Workcamp experiences, and rejoicing in the Workcamp’s rich history. In the afternoon we will have brainstorming and visioning for the future of Workcamp. There will be a catered lunch. Please RSVP by February 7th to reserve lunch. Info: 215-241-7236 or 1-800-220-0796, Ext. 7236. Snow date for this event will be February 28th.

Friends General Conference

FGC will be held on July 3-10 2004 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It is an intense week of study, worship, spiritual renewal & joyous fellowship.

Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland

This program was established in 1987 for peace and friendship building program that focuses on preventing violence by building understanding and promoting interaction among people in the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland. Teenagers in the program are 15 to 17 years of age and are selected and paired to spend the weeks in July together in an American home where they can become friends in a neutral environment. For more information: 215-493-8511.

Quakerism 101 With Jonathan Snipes

For attenders, new members, and those who would like a refresher course. Jonathan Snipes will be leading us through Quakerism 101 in a two session format from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm on February 29th and March 7th at Newtown Meeting. At each session we will break in the middle with a potluck dinner. To register and for more information, call Caroline Wilson. 215-343-8951.

Snippets of News from the Quarter and Other Places

BQM Singing Group

BQM Singing Group will meet at Makefield Meeting on Tuesday, the 24th.

Call to Action - Bring the Troops Home Now!

Call to Action - Bring the Troops Home Now! On March 20, 2004, the first anniversary of the U.S/U.K. invasion of Iraq, people in cities around the world will join together to protest. In the U.S., major demonstrations are planned in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and many other cities. http://www.internationalanswer.org/.

April - Middletown