First Day Meeting for Worship10:30 am
First Day School 10:30–11:15 am
Wednesday morning Meeting for Worship 8:30–9:00 am with GSFS
First Sunday evening Meeting for Worship6:30–7:00 pm at Stapeley Hall
March 2010
Sunday, 7th 9:15 am Worship & Ministry Committee Meeting
9:30 am Breakfast with a Friend—Bob Dockhorn
Rise of Meeting Coffee Hour—Jean Prestas and Hewitt Malone
12:00 Care & Counsel Committee Meeting
Saturday, 13th 7:00 pm Peace & Social Concerns Film Forum (see below)
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
Night - Go to bed early! And put clocks forward an hour. Daylight Saving Time begins.
Sunday, 14th 9:15 am Peace & Social Concerns Program (see below)
Mining the Richness of our Meeting
Rise of Meeting Coffee Hour—Ethel Trefsger/Dick Betts/Jim Glackin
What can we do to create racial justice? See About our F/friends Section
Sunday, 21st 9:15 am Property Committee Meeting
10:15 am Sharing on the Third Query,Spiritual Nurture, Ministry,
and Religious Education
Rise of Meeting Monthly Meeting Lunch—V. Anderson and T. Smith-Diggs
Report from Hospitality Committee
Sunday, 28th 9:15 am Friendly Bible Study
Rise of Meeting Coffee Hour—JoAnn Seaver and Jean Gajary
Second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7 pm—Experiment with Light, Quaker Meditation. If interested, please contact Jean Gajary at 215-292-4426 or JoAnn Seaver at 215-438-6106.
Peace and Social Concerns
Second Saturday film presentation,Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. Second Sunday, Mining the Richness of our Meeting, gathering both before and after meeting for worship. Please see the About our F/friends Section for information.
DRAFT Minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business Held Second Month 21, 2010
At Green Street Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, held at 45 West School House Lane, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Second Month 21, 2010:
We gathered in worship shortly after the appointed time of 12:45 pm. The Clerk read the second Query on Meeting for Business from Faith and Practice.
12-09-1The Clerk reviewed the agenda with Friends.
12-09-2Alyson Scott reported for the Care and Counsel Committee on two matters. The first was to report on the request for marriage under the care of the Meeting from Jennifer Cromley and Catherine White. A Clearness Committee met with the couple and reported favorably to Care and Counsel. Care and Counsel recommends that the Meeting take this marriage under our care. The Meeting approved. An Oversight Committee will be appointed next month.
The second matter was a letter of transfer from Atlanta Friends Meeting on behalf of Loretta Lucy Miller. Friends gladly received the letter and approved accepting Loretta Lucy Miller into membership.
12-09-3Sharon Mullally, for the Futures Committee of GSFS, introduced the presentation of the work on a master plan for GSFS and the meeting campus. James Unkefer of DIGSAU began a presentation, starting with a summary of the process of creating the master plan. The current stage of the process is holding a number of sessions with community members to consider what is working well, what may need change and possibilities for the future. The recently developed priorities are part of this process.
He continued with a review of the history of the land and campus of both the meeting and the school from the early 1800’s to the present. Jamie provided detailed information about the current use of space in the school, meeting and bank buildings, and campus land. Enrollment figures and space per student over the years was included. Possible additional resources, such as play spaces, facilities and learning spaces and the necessary footprint were also reviewed.
Friends asked many questions for information and to express ideas. Questions and comments included the following areas:
- Increasing green and permeable space
- Managing parking, many ideas – also bike spaces
- Increased space for physical activity
- The need for better cafeteria space
- The use of bus service to reduce car traffic
- Use of geothermal and other energy technologies
- Sharing facilities within the community
- Making choices with the resources we have, maintaining enthusiasm despite our limits
- Maintaining the identity of GSFS
When further work has been done there will be additional opportunities for the Meeting and community to respond.
Given the nature of this session, approval of the Minutes was held over to next month.
We adjourned then to meet again on Third Month 21, 2010.
Robert Dockhorn, Interim Clerk
TylaAnn Burger, Recording Clerk
Members Present: Richard Bansen,Shirley Bansen, Anne Bayless, TylaAnn Burger, Elizabeth Cunningham, Robert Dockhorn, Russell Endo, Marjorie Felton, James Glackin, Thomas Hardy, Paul Jablonski, James Hood, Gabbreell James, Andrew Jickling, Sharon Mullally, Alyson Scott,JoAnn Seaver, Ethel Trefsger, Margaret Walters.
Attenders: Calla Bush, Bethann DiGiovanni, Kenyatta James, Peter Lems, Geniver Montalvo, Robert V. Peters, Martha St. George,
Guests: Peter DiCarlo, Harold (Koof) Kalkstein, James Unkefer,
Staff: Gail Woodbury, Secretary
About our F/friends
(News and announcements of concern to the Meeting)
Second Saturday of the month film presentationsfrom Peace and Social Concerns
March 13, 7-9 pm.Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
A master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.
Despite these achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. Five years in the making and the winner of numerous awards, Brother Outsider presents a feature-length documentary portrait, focusing on Rustin’s activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice and human rights.Walter Naegle was Bayard Rustin's partner from 1977 until Rustin's death in 1987 and is archivist of the Bayard Rustin Estate. Walter works at New York Yearly Meeting.
Mining the Richness of our Meeting and Promoting Racial Justice, Second Sunday, March 14. Peace and Social Concerns sponsors an exploration of the richness of outlook within our meeting in two sessions, one before meeting and one after.
Session I at 9:30 am in the Social Room, with child care provided. The activities will be both playful and serious. We have two goals: getting to know each other better and keeping a lookout for social outreach projects that will energize and use the talents of our meeting community. We will also have time to explore some of the issues raised in the two films: Traces of the Trade and Brother Outsider, the latter being fresh in our minds after the screening on Saturday night, March 13.
Session II at 12:15 pmwill be at a table in the lunchroom or in the Jones Room. We will continue the experiences begun before meeting to ask, “What can we do to create racial justice?” Our answers are expected to lead to action on issues of racial justice in our community, our country, and our world. Informed and moved by seeing the documentariesTraces of the Trade -- A Story of the Deep Northand Brother Outsider, we are primed to take on the challenges the documentaries lay out for people of faith.
Anyone interested is welcome to join us, preferably for both, or for one or the other.
Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (March Sessions)March 26-28
Theme for March Sessions: We Make The Road By Walking: How are we called to be prophetic in our witness?
Yearly Meeting in Session Part One will be held from Friday, March 26 through Sunday, March 28, at the Arch Street Meetinghouse. Please see the article in the “News and Announcements Section” for more information. Friends may be particularly interested in the Saturday evening session.
Request from Elizabeth Cunningham, Recorder
Does anyone have old membership directories hanging around your house? A former Meeting secretary threw out 50 years worth, and we need information from them. If you have some you would be willing to give or lend, please get in touch with Elizabeth Cunningham or Gail Woodbury. We will return them if you wish, or give them to Friends Historical Library if you would rather. Please contact me at 215-848-1852 or . Thank you very much in advance.
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The Third Query on Spiritual Nurture, Ministry, and Religious Education
Does our Meeting encourage the ministry of both word and deed? How does our Meeting recognize, develop, and nurture the gifts of our members and attenders of all ages?
Does our Meeting prepare all its members and children for worship and for a way of life consistent with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends? How do we teach about Quaker practices in business and worship and their importance to the functioning of our Meeting community?
In what ways do we support each other in order to seek God's will and act upon our understanding of truth? Is there opportunity in our Meeting to share the excitement of religious discovery and the possibility of religious transformation?
Does our Meeting provide opportunities for all in the Meeting to learn about:
- the Inner Light, the living Christ within, the Bible, the writings of Friends, our Christian heritage, other religious traditions and their respective roles in the history and formation of Friends' principles?
- the common testimonies Friends declare?
- the variety of expression Quaker faith takes today?
Do I maintain as part of my personal and family life those daily practices that focus on continued spiritual growth, with disciplined worship, inward retirement, and communion with the divine spirit?
Do I frequently read the Bible and other religious literature, including the records of the lives and experiences of Friends? Do I take the time to explore these resources with others, and likewise encourage my children?
Do I share my own faith and spiritual journey, and encourage such sharing within my family?
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News and Announcements
(Friends, if you want a copy of an announcement, please let me know and I will make one for you. Please do not take it from the bulletin boards and therefore deny the knowledge to other Friends.)
Benefit Concert for Mountain Meadow on Tuesday, March 2nd at 7:00 pm at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting. (100 E. Mermaid Lane, 19118) Donations requested.
Mountain Meadow isa Philadelphia-basednonprofit organization that helpsyouth from LGBTQ familiessucceed in school and daily life. Their web address is
Come enjoy the soulful, sweet, funny and moving music of folk singer/songwriters Mary Shapiro (Washington, DC) and Patricia Morrison(Tucson, AZ) and support the vital and unique work of Mountain Meadow as they serve youth from LGBTQ families. Find out more and listen at Alternative activities will be available for restless children.
Workshops and/or Short Courses at Pendle Hill
For more information about any of these weekends, call Pendle Hill at (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150, ext. 3, or visit . Matching scholarships are available; please ask.
(Only the titles of workshops are listed. Please go to their website or call them for more information.)
Mar. 5-7 Finding Your Voice through Poem-making and Short Narratives
Mar. 12-14 Bread and Poetry Workshop with Nancy Saunders
Mar. 12-14 Spirit-led Decisions
Mar. 19-21 Sabbath Economicswith Will O’Brien
Mar. 19-21 When the Bough Breaks – You Can be Whole Again (For women only)
Mar. 19-21 Lives of Service – A Working Retreat
Mar. 21-25 Beyond Diversity 101 (A 5 day short course)
Mar. 26-28 Nurturing the Spiritual Life of the Meeting
Apr. 2-4 It’s All About Resurrection - Body and Soul
Apr. 23-25 Advanced Clerking Clinic
Friends Conference on UnemploymentSaturday, March 6
Are you unemployed and feeling the pinch? You’re not alone! Join us for a day long conference for unemployed Friends and meeting members who are trying to help. Attenders are also welcome. The conference is sponsored by Friends Counseling Service of PYM and financially supported by Friends groups who are concerned about the growing problems of unemployment, with its financial difficulties and resulting effect on morale.This conference will be held from 9 am to 3:30 pmat Burlington Conference Center in New Jersey. Thomas Swain, presiding clerk of PYM, will speak from his own experience of going through a period of unemployment and will give encouragement and perspective. A number of Quakers from related professional fields will contribute their time and skills by leading workshops. Computers and assistance with using the Internet and writing resumes will be provided on site.Registration is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. If you are unable to afford this, please let us know so we can make arrangements for you to attend anyway. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Elliott, conference coordinator, at r telephone her at (215) 843-4827.
Penn Treaty Event (PYM Indian Committee, co-sponsor)
On Saturday, March 6, a Quaker Meeting will be held with Native Americans to commemorate the 1682 Treaty of Friendship between William Penn and the Lenni-Lenape People. It will be held from 10:30 am to 12:30 pmat the Arch Street Meeting House. This is sponsored by the Penn Treaty Museum in cooperation with PYM Indian Committee. Meeting will be followed by Lenni-Lenape singing, drumming, dancing and 'food and drink of the time.' Friends, Lenape, and the general public are invited. Free admission. Information updates can be obtained via Nancy Gibbs, Director of Arch Street Meeting House () or from Indian Committee co-clerk Kate deRiel().
Benefit for Haiti Earthquake Relief at Burlington – Sunday, March 7
Come enjoy Haitian culture and a Creole dinner to benefit Haitian earthquake relief. Haitian art, music, and speakers will be featured. “Taste It Creole Cuisine” Restaurant and Underground Railroad Center will host this second event on Sunday, March 7 from 1 to 4 pm. To make a reservation or for more information, please call Carol Strawson or Pam Anderson at 609-387-3875.
These fundraisers are sponsored by Burlington Meetinghouse and Conference Center, Taste It Creole Cuisine, Underground Railroad Center, and Vivant Art Collection to support the relief efforts of AFSC, All Hands Together Haiti and Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia.
Annual Meeting of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC)
Thurs.-Sunday, Mar 18-21 – Hosted by Friends in Baltimore Yearly Meeting, the annual Meeting will be held at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, 5424 Mount Gilead Road, Reisterstown, MD 21136, located about 30 miles northwest of Baltimore-Washington International airport (BWI) and downtown Baltimore. Registration and information are now available on the FWCC website:
Annual Sessions – Theme: “We Make the Road by Walking”
March Sessions - March 26-28, at Arch Street Meetinghouse, Philadelphia.
Yearly Meeting in Session Part One will be held from Friday, March 26 through Sunday, March 28, at the Arch St. Meetinghouse.The theme for this year’s Sessions is “We Make the Road by Walking” and our focus is Prophetic Witness.
A preliminary schedule containing registration information will be published in the Winter Issue of PYM Today, available on or about February 1. For those who prefer it, online registration will be available at that time as well. Please visit or contactSessions Coordinator Lou Ann Merkle at 215-241-7238 or . Although it is possible to attend without pre-registering, advance registration is appreciated, especially for those who wish to purchase meal tickets.
Anchoring worship will begin our weekend together, and after dinner on Friday night we will explore some landmarks along the path we have walked together since Summer Sessions. We will celebrate through music, worship and stories as we create a gathered community.
Business at Saturday morning’s plenary will include further consideration of the frequency of our Yearly Meeting sessions, which began at November’s Interim Meeting. There will be a report about our new Eco-Justice Program, and examine some action steps we might want to take along that road.
The afternoon plenary is devoted to an in-depth investigation of the intersection between education and prophetic witness. How do our schools (both public and Friends Schools), our teachers and our children provide models that shape our vision and inform our active witness in the world? When does inquiry lead to action? What could our Yearly Meeting do to strengthen the support for Friends in education and the education of Friends? Various perspectives will be represented, with time for reflection and sharing.
The keynote speaker on Saturday evening will be Vanessa Julye, co-author (with Donna McDaniels) of Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship. Vanessa will share stories and lessons from her ministry of racial healing.
Woman in Social & Political Leadership
This is a program scheduled for three sessions in March and three in April at Medford Leas in Medford, NJ. Cost, - $120. For more information, please see posting on bulletin board at the head of
the stairs.
Meeting on PYM Worship & Ministry
The next gathering of PYM Meeting on Worship and Ministry will take place on April 17, at Central Philadelphia MM, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.Contact: Jorge Aráuz, convener, at , 215-421-5811.More detailed information will be available later.
Friends Employment Opportunity
Children’s Religious Life Coordinator - Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Position Summary:
Supports meetings in the work of children’s religious education and nurturing the spiritual lives of children. Serves as a resource person for the PYM community. Develops resources and training for religious educators who work with children through Grade 5. Assists Meetings with the overall planning, implementation, and evaluation of First Day School programs and other opportunities for children to participate in the life of the Meeting. Works collaboratively as part of the PYM staff team to nurture the faith, practice and witness of Quakerism in our young people and the adults who work with them. This position is full time with benefits.