THE FRIDAY BEE October 25, 2024
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 |
10:20am | Greeter | Anthony Stover |
10:30am | Child Care | Starts in kindergarten building across the driveway from Meetinghouse |
10:30am | Meeting for Worship | (Hybrid: In-person & on Zoom) ⬩ ⬩ ⬩ |
10:50am | First Day School | Older children attend Meeting for Worship with their families until 10:50 am, when their teachers will lead them to the Committee Room. Questions? Please contact Carla Childs. Note: Children of any age are always welcome to join their families in Meeting for Worship. |
11:30am | Introductions & Announcements | Bobbie Horowitz |
11:45am | Refreshments | Ed Stivender & Beth Rafter |
PROTOCOL FOR MEETING FOR WORSHIP (Zoom, hybrid, in-person)
Please maintain silence as you enter the Zoom meeting or the meetinghouse so Friends can center and settle into worship.
Our current COVID-19 safety measures for the meetinghouse are as follows:
MEETING NEWS & EVENTS |
ADULT CLASS LECTURE: October 29, 7:00pm (Zoom link below)
George Fox, Economics and the Testimony Against War - Stephen Angell
We will consider George Fox's life and witness in the context of the economic systems of his day and his and the Society of Friends' evolving testimonies against outward wars.
George Fox was the founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Friends have been celebrating his 400th birthday all year!
George Fox declared that he “lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars.” What were the economic challenges he faced? How are we living out the Peace Testimony in this time of war when militarism is built into our economic system?
REMEMBERING BOB SEELEY - Conscientious objector counselor, international peace activist, and writer
REMEMBERING RICHARD TAYLOR - Lifelong ‘warrior for peace,’ author, and social activist
UPCOMING MEMORIAL SERVICES – AARON WUNSCH, BOB SEELEY, DICK TAYLOR
Please save the dates for remembering our Germantown Monthly Meeting Members –
GMM FELLOWSHIP AT FRIENDS FREE LIBRARY – Next Sunday, November 3
Fellowship/Refreshments after Meeting for Worship next Sunday, November 3 will be hosted by Friends Free Library and will be held in the library immediately after announcements. Hot tea, cider, water, and refreshments will be provided. Stop by, visit, enjoy some refreshments, and check out a few books!
SAVE THE DATE! Annual GMM Retreat: May 2-4, 2025 at Camp Dark Waters!
Our annual weekend retreat will be May 2nd - 4th at Camp Dark Waters in nearby Medford, NJ. Join us for a time of spiritual nourishment and community bonding. We will enjoy shared meals, worship, and fun activities for all ages including canoeing, a ropes course, nature walks, and fireside singing. We’re committed to making the retreat accessible for all. Stay tuned for more information regarding costs, financial assistance, boarding (camp cabins or a nearby hotel) and transportation (driving, public transit, or car share). We can’t wait to see you there!
Retreat Committee: David Mettler, Sam Angell, Pamela Williams, Dorothy Cary, Jim Fiorile, Adrienne McDonnell, Caroline Rhoads
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR DECEMBER & JANUARY REFRESHMENTS!
Thank you to all who have provided refreshments after worship in the past months and those who have volunteered for October and November! You have added so much to the fellowship of our community. We hope everyone will volunteer for this a couple of times a year. Available dates needing Refreshments providers:
To sign up, please contact Becky Johnson. THANK YOU!!
Note: Refreshments expenses are reimbursable or can be credited as in-kind donations to GMM (tax deductible).
GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL (GFS) NEWS & EVENTS |
FOOD & FELLOWSHIP: LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW GFS DINING HALL
The new GFS Dining Hall in the All School Commons and Center for the Arts opens on Monday, October 28. Find out more about the fresh, nutritious food program, and the community-minded, women-led dining company that is partnering with GFS. With minimal processed food, an emphasis on local vendors, and formalizing composting, they are focusing on a healthy & sustainable approach to dining. Read more here.
ATTEND GFS MEETING FOR WORSHIP DURING THE WEEK
GMM is welcome to attend Meeting for Worship during the school year.
Schedule for upcoming week
QUAKER NEWS, EVENTS, RESOURCES |
This fascinating and inspirational documentary tracks the life and work of Philly-based Quaker activist George Lakey, whose message of nonviolent social change remains more vital and resonant than ever. (Review & film trailer, click here)
This film has been in development for 3 years and it was worth the wait! If you haven’t seen it yet (or have and want to see it again), I can think of no better way to spend a couple of hours leading up to the most stressful election ever, than watching this film and being inspired by George Lakey’s life and work for justice. ~~ With gratitude, Ingrid Lakey
Two chances to view this film:
Bullfrog Films will be distributing "Citizen George" on DVD and streaming for academic use and community screening events.
To donate toward the grassroots support for this film, click here.
PHILADELPHIA QUARTERLY MEETING – This Sunday, October 27
plus, a Celebration of Philadelphia Friends - Arch Street Meeting House: 220th Anniversary!
Join Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust, Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, and the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for a spectacular fall day full of Quaker fun for all ages. Location: 320 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
THRESHING SESSION: A BENCHMARK FOR CLIMATE CHANGE WITNESS - October 29, 7:00 pm
Friends are invited to a threshing session (on Zoom) to consider the benchmark prior to November Sessions.
The session will be guided by these queries:
For more information and link to register for the Zoom, click here
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANTS AVAILABLE
The Grandom Institution has reopened its grant application period and extended its deadline to Friday, November 1, 2024. Grandom supports clean energy and energy affordability solutions for low income people in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. More information is available at The Grandom Institution.
GAZA: RAVAGED YET RESILIENT – A Story of a Medical Mission - Sunday, November 3, 12:00pm
Join Voices From the Heart and Prayers for Peace Alliance for a moving event featuring Dr. Sameer Khan and Dr. Ahlia Kattan as they share their experiences from their May 2024 medical mission to Gaza. They will discuss the humanitarian work they carried out in Gaza, the challenges they faced, and the resilience of the communities they served.
MORAL INJURY COMMUNITY HEALING CEREMONY - November 21, 4:00 - 6:00pm (in-person only)
From GMM Member Peter Yeomans (who has been involved with this for many years) –
The purpose of the ceremony is to provide Veterans involved an opportunity to both unburden some of the moral pain they carry from their military experiences, as well as an opportunity for their stories to help the public reflect more deeply on the moral complexity of military service and warfare. Thus, as Veterans share their stories, the public is asked to wrestle with the responsibility they may also have for these very same experiences. (More info & registration, click here)
Where: VA Medical Center in West Philadelphia – 3900 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, 7th floor Community Hall
Advanced Registration Required: Register, click here or call - 215-823-4393
PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING (PYM)
WORSHIP IN THE 2024 ELECTION SEASON
Quaker groups and organizations offering worship around the 2024 U.S. elections: Click here
A collection of Quaker organizations, upon hearing the concerns that F/friends are holding around the upcoming 2024 elections, are joining together to offer a series of worship for centering, reflection, and listening for the presence of Spirit during this time. Especially in moments like these when emotions are high and the path forward is uncertain, listening with others - and linking that listening across communities - can help ground us as we navigate what this election will mean for us all. – FCNL
OTHER (VIRTUAL) WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
QUAKER ORGANIZATIONS
Stay connected with news, work and resources of various Friends groups.
Click on the links below (only a partial list), and bookmark them for easy reference!
Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting (PQM)
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM)
Friends General Conference (FGC)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Friends Council on Education (FCE)
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
TAKE ACTION! |
GERMANTOWN AVENUE CRISIS MINISTRY (GACM) – HOLIDAY FOOD & WINTER COAT DRIVES
Winter Coat Drive: Volunteers needed!
Holiday Basket Collection: Volunteer to distribute Thanksgiving & Christmas food baskets to families requesting help. Baskets will include everything needed to prepare a traditional holiday meal.
To volunteer – Contact GACM: 215-843-2340, and complete Volunteer Application on this page
Learn more about Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministries – click here
“REACH-OUT” for PEACE – A monthly vigil to defuse nuclear war: This Saturday, October 26
Join the Brandywine Peace Community's monthly “REACH-OUT” for Peace" in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA this Saturday, October 26 – from 10:00am - 12 noon. Location is near the Welcome to Chestnut Hill sign on Germantown Avenue, near the well-traveled intersection with Mermaid Lane, and across from the farmer's market. Peace flags, large banners, and signs will be provided, with a bell-tolling for peace. To learn more, click here.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER FOR THE ELECTION (thanks to Power Interfaith for this helpful list)
IN GERMANTOWN & NEARBY |
WALKING TOUR: Early 20th C. Black Business & Civic Community in Philadelphia
Based on the 1913 booklet by J. Gordon Baugh, A Souvenir of Germantown - highlighting black business and civic community history in Germantown. Refreshments served after the tour.
GERMANTOWN SCIENCE & ART CLUB PRESENTATION – Monday, October 28, 7:30-9:00pm
Why We All Drink the Schuylkill River: Improvements after 1854 to the Water Supply of the Municipalities of Northwest Philadelphia County
This presentation is a case study of the solutions to technical challenges in the provision of water to the residents of Northwest Philadelphia that arose in the City of Philadelphia under the Consolidation of 1854.The new City of Philadelphia Water Department sought to improve the reliability and safety of the water supplied to Northwest Philadelphia by linking four separate existing systems into one efficient and resilient whole. Original photographs and engineers’ sketches from the period 1870 to 1906, drawn mostly from the Historical Collections of the Water Department, illustrate the story.
