THE FRIDAY BEE                                April 10, 2026  

 SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 12 

9:00am

Meeting for Business

Hybrid –

In the Committee Room, and use the same Zoom link as for worship.

10:20am

Greeter

Joan McIlvaine

10:30am

Child Care

Starts in kindergarten building across the driveway

10:30am

Meeting for Worship

In the meetinghouse for hybrid worship, or 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

Jonathan Busser

11:35am

Zoom Social Time

Zoom attendees, please stay online to join in a Zoom social time after Meeting for Worship!

11:40am

Refreshments

Joan McIlvaine, Katy Hineline & Mary Segal

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. Masks are optional in the meetinghouse. Feel free to wear one if you wish. We have a supply if you’ve forgotten yours. If you have a fever or are feeling unwell, please stay home and join our worship on Zoom.

MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS

Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Sunday, April 12, 9:00 - 10:15am

Hybrid: On Zoom & in-person. Please use the Meeting for Worship zoom link.

AGENDA

  • Query 5 – Faye Steacy
  • Opening worship
  • Review of agenda – Karen Lightner
  • Approval of the Minutes from the March 2026 Business Meetings
  • Care and Visiting – Peter Samuel
  • Standing Nominating Committee – David Mettler
  • Retreat Committee – David Mettler
  • Fellowship Committee – Anne Stassen
  • Budget Presentation – Jim Pifer and Jonathan Rhoads
  • FCNL Priorities – Bill Cozzens
  • Reading ”Racism, Not Race” – Rob Smith
  • Announcements
  • Closing Worship

(Attenders are welcome at business meeting. Please notify the clerk (Karen Lightner) in advance if you wish to attend.)

MEETING NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO/LIMITED PARKING IN COMMONS THIS SUNDAY 

When?  This Sunday, April 12

Due to a set up from a student event celebrating the national Day of Silence, the Commons space where many of us typically park on Sundays will be largely unavailable.

  • There may be a small portion of available spots on the Commons (along with the usual handful of spaces behind the meetinghouse and along the graveyard side) – and let’s try to save these spots for those who most need that accessibility.
  • The GFS parking lot across Coulter Street will be open for our use.
  • All will be back to normal next week!

Thank you for your patience as we support this student program, and apologies for the inconvenience.

ANTI RACISM DISCUSSION GROUP

When & Where? Monday, April 13, 7:00pm, on Zoom

We will discuss recent news and actions of the Administration such as ICE actions and Birthright Citizenship. If interested, please contact John Colgan-Davis for the Zoom link.

QUAKERS ENDING MASS INCARCERATION COLLABORATIVE - Attend an Interest Meeting!

When? Wednesday, April 15, at 7:00pm on Zoom

GMM Member Tom Grabe, and former member Jeff Powers formed a group – Quakers Ending Mass Incarceration Collaborative (QEMIC)... and they are having their first interest meeting this week!

This Collaborative will seek to reduce mass incarceration, reduce its effects on people who are incarcerated and their families, and assist those recently released from incarceration in their transition back into society. The group  will engage in the education of Friends and community members regarding how the current carceral system operates, both systemically and at the individual level.

HAVE ANY BOARD GAMES YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE?

The Fellowship Committee is building a board game collection to use for our occasional and ever-popular GMM Game Nights (and possibly for events like the Retreat, etc.). If you have games in good shape, with all their pieces, that need a new home, please contact Anne Stassen in the Meeting Office to discuss (gmm@germantownfriends.org).

VOLUNTEERS ALWAYS NEEDED FOR REFRESHMENTS!!  ☕🍪

Our weekly coffee, tea & yummy snacks don’t happen by magic.

We need to recruit volunteers from amongst members/attenders to make them happen!

REGISTER NOW FOR THE GMM RETREAT 🌲🛶

Happening May 1-3, 2026 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.

LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER!

More volunteers needed to host small get-togethers in their homes (8-10 folks?) from our Meeting (GMM). These popular events are fun, casual gatherings, and a fantastic way for us to get to know each other better.

What might these look like?

The options are limitless! A dinner (some of you might remember the old “Friendly 8’s dinners”); an afternoon tea; a wine & cheese gathering; a weekend brunch; a picnic; a walk in the Wissahickon; anything, really!

These are typically potluck, last for a couple of hours, and can be as casual (or fancy!), as thematic, as family-oriented (or even pet-friendly!), as each host prefers.

Interested in volunteering to host? 

QUAKER NEWS & EVENTS

CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ANNA T. JEANES: STORIES OF STEWARDSHIP AND GENEROSITY

When? Tomorrow, Saturday, April 11, 10:30am - 2:00pm

Where? Stapeley Hall (6300 Greene Street)

Join in at the historic Stapeley Hall to celebrate Anna T. Jeanes' Birthday and how this Philadelphia Friend's faith and generosity continue to shape our world today. Please consider joining this free event! You'll hear inspiring stories of stewardship and generosity, while learning how you can follow in Anna's footsteps and build your own legacy of impact. 

WELCOME TO QUAKERISM (4-part) SERIES

When & Where? Thursday, April 16, 7:30pm on Zoom

Topic: 10 Peculiar Things You Should Know About Quakers (part 3 of 4)

The Welcome to Quakerism series started over again in January, with four monthly sessions on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. Great for newcomers and for anyone wanting a “refresher!”

Program Highlights:

  • The series is designed to be accessible: no advance reading or homework is required.
  • Sessions include a mix of local speakers, QuakerSpeak videos, and small group discussions.
  • The four-session series is being repeated a number of times, so newcomers can join at any point and still experience each topic.
  • Meetings can be attended individually, and all are welcome to join. Meetings may be attended from home or by gathering for a “watch party” at someone’s house or meetinghouse.

Remaining Monthly Topic:

  • May 21: Beyond Sunday Morning (This session will rotate topics such as spiritual practices, Quaker activism, and the wider Quaker world)
WHICH QUAKER PRACTICES HAVE SHAPED YOUR LIFE MOST DEEPLY? Focus Groups

When & Where?  Choice of April 19, 20, 21 – Virtual groups (e.g. Zoom)

Friends General Conference (FGC) is exploring an opportunity that could help more people experience the depth of the Quaker tradition. We intend to pursue a grant from the Lilly Endowment supporting projects that invite people to experience Christian spiritual practices that deepen faith and nurture Spirit-led community. For Friends, these practices may include waiting worship, communal discernment, nonviolent resistance, retreats, and faithful witness in the world.

In the coming weeks, FGC will host Listening Sessions and provide ways for Friends to share ideas, hopes, and concerns. They want to hear from all who care about the future of Quaker spiritual practices.

FRIENDS MUTUAL AID MARKET

When? Saturday, April 11, 9:00am - 12:00noon

Where? Greene Street Friends School (School House Lane parking lot & around the school campus)

Mutual Aid networks are opportunities to provide material support to each other. Within our local communities are enough material resources and assets that can be reallocated to those who may need it.

The core principles in organizing this market include:

  • We can support one another by reallocating, exchanging, and providing material support and resources to our neighbors, friends, and community members.
  • This free exchange of goods allows us to reduce consumption and recycle goods in ways that meet each others' needs.
  • Participants are encouraged to give what they can and take what they need.

Donations & Volunteers needed & welcomed!

JOIN THE APARTHEID-FREE MOVEMENT:
HOW QUAKERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO END ISRAELI APARTHEID

When & Where?  Saturday, April 11, 2:00 - 3:30pm – Virtual/Online

In 2023, AFSC launched the Apartheid-Free campaign, asking communities of all types to make a public commitment to work to cut ties with Israeli apartheid. Over the past few years, more than 60 Quaker communities have responded to this call, including nearly 50 Monthly Meetings and two Yearly Meetings.

This workshop will highlight the goals of Apartheid-Free as an effective tool for education and discernment around taking action for Palestine and share specific ways Quakers are partnering with the larger Apartheid-Free network.

FRIENDS ARE SEEKING HOUSING!

We’ve received separate emails from two local-ish Friends, each seeking housing.

Sharing here, in case anyone has suggestions, insights, opportunities for either of them –

1)  A graduate of Westtown and Berklee School of Music, who was raised in Downingtown Friends Meeting is moving their recording studio business to Germantown this spring, and seeks housing in the area. Please contact Kieran Ferris.

2)  An Attender with Schuylkill Friends Meeting (in Phoenixville) is looking for an apartment to rent. She is chemically sensitive so anything without fresh paint would fit well. Old hardwood floors, not recently refinished, divine. Please contact Jane Klein.

HELP ENVISION AN INTERNATIONAL QUAKER (AND QUAKER-FRIENDLY) POETS COLLECTIVE

We are currently in a "dreaming phase," of building an international Quaker (and Quaker-friendly) Poets Collective. We'd love you to be a part of our creative community. We need your perspective to help us shape what our collective could become. Friends have a profound way of practicing vocal ministry in the manner of poems. We want to build our poetic community around the actual needs, rhythms, and dreams of the poets who inhabit it. We are asking to hear from YOU!

In Peace and Poetry ~~ Jesse White, Alexander Levering Kern, and Lisa Lundeen

DEEPENING OUR WORSHIP DURING QUAKER MEETING

When?  Saturday, April 25, 9:30 - 11:30am

Where? Hybrid – Pendle Hill (338 Plush Mill Rd, Wallingford) & on Zoom

In this workshop, Ingrid Lakey, Eileen Flanagan, and Dwight Dunston are coming together to bring forth practices and conversations to strengthen the quality of worship for Friends, seasoned and new to Quakerism. Whether you yourself have struggled to stay close to spirit, or you have witnessed the quality of worship impacted by the disconnection from spirit in others, this workshop is for you.

Free and open to the public. Registration required.

REGISTER NOW FOR PHILADELPHIA QUARTERLY MEETING

When?  Sunday, April 26, 9:00am - 4:30pm

Where? Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting (1501 Cherry Street)

Theme: Called to Repair: Friends Engaging Reparations Work at Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting (PQM)

Friends are invited to a day of worship, fellowship, learning, and shared discernment. The day will include worship with Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting, lunch fellowship, Meeting for Business, and a hybrid, interactive conversation on reparations work led by Green Street Meeting's Reparations Committee. Optional early session (in person only) offers deeper connection for those already engaged in reparations work.

SOJOURN DAY WITH PQM AT PENDLE HILL – Register now

When? Saturday, May 9, 9:30am - 4:00pm

Where? Pendle Hill (338 Plush Mill Rd, Wallingford, PA)

Pendle Hill warmly welcomes Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting (PQM) and Concord Quarter for a special day of fellowship and exploration at Pendle Hill. This free, small-group gathering (limited to 30 participants) will include worship, a guided campus tour, shared lunch, a variety of afternoon activities, and the simple gift of being present in a beautiful, contemplative setting.

PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING (PYM)

GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL (GFS) NEWS & EVENTS

FRIENDS FREE LIBRARY UPCOMING EVENTS

Where? Friends Free Library – across the GFS campus from the meetinghouse

Author Event: Seth Tannenbaum ’04 ⚾

When: Thursday, April 16, 7-8:30 pm

Join us for a reading and conversation with GFS alum and professor Seth Tannenbaum as he discusses his new book, Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark. Light refreshments and a book signing will follow.

A Reading with Eco-Poet Forrest Gander 🌳

When? Thursday, April 23, 7 pm

We are honored to welcome Pulitzer Prize winner and translator Forrest Gander to GFS. With degrees in both geology and literature, Gander is a leading voice in "environmental poetics," often exploring the intimate, complex intersections between humanity and the natural world. He will read from his latest work, Mojave Ghost: A Novel-Poem, followed by a book signing.

ATTEND GFS MEETING FOR WORSHIP DURING THE WEEK

GFS welcomes GMM to attend Meeting for Worship during the school year.

  • Middle School Worship: Monday, 4/13, 10:20 - 11:00am
  • Lower School Worship: Thursday, 4/16, 9:00 - 9:30am
  • Upper School Worship: Thursday, 4/16, 10:10 - 11:00am

TAKE ACTION!

SUPPORT WITH COLLECTING DIAPERS FOR FAMILIES

Family Promise of Philadelphia (formerly known as Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network) is running a community Diaper Drive –

Right now, we are experiencing a significant shortage and are in the process of connecting with our community members and partners so we can meet this need for our families. Any contribution, small or big, would make a great difference for the families we serve.

  • Seeking diapers of all sizes & brands (& they can coordinate pick-ups for large donations)
  • Drop off location: Family Promise of Philadelphia (7047 Germantown Avenue)
CRAFTING JUSTICE: GAZA MEMORIAL QUILT

Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) invites you to co-create an art piece by sending in fabric tiles for inclusion in a social justice quilt. It will be designed by Gazan artist Taimaa Salamaa, assembled by artists in Detroit, and displayed in Detroit and other locations in the US – reflecting the intersectional nature of oppression and the power of art as a form of resistance.

Key Dates:

  • Register to participate here by tomorrow, Saturday, April 11
  • Participate in the virtual workshop with Taimaa on April 12 (optional).
  • Deadline for submitting (mailing) your quilt square – Friday, May 1, 8:00pm ET
GUIDE TO ICE WATCH HOTLINES AND IMMIGRATION RESOURCES

Provided by GMM member John Colgan Davis; also available at the resource table at GMM on Sundays. 

A list of resources and organizations with guidance on immigration support.

Many of these on-the-ground organizations have been working with immigrant communities for years.

TRYING TO FIND SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS?

Mobilize is a central posting site that has opportunities concerning local actions for protest and in support of social justice.

➤ LIST OF ONGOING/WEEKLY SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS

CLICK HERE for a list of ongoing, weekly/regularly scheduled vigils & protests supporting immigrants, Palestine, peace, Constitutional rights, etc.

  • Includes standing events such as — Fridays @ Fettermans, Mondays @ McCormicks, We the People Wednesdays, etc.

(These used to be listed every week in the Friday Bee, but we are consolidating them into their own linked document.)

Have more ongoing protests and vigils to include? 

Send them to the GMM Office (gmm@germantownfriends.org)

GERMANTOWN & NEARBY

52 WEEKS OF FIRSTS COMES TO GERMANTOWN – First Circus Performance in America: 1793

When?  Saturday, April 11, 11:00am - 1:00pm

Where? Philadelphia School of Circus Arts (6452 Greene Street)

Step right up! The thrills, the acrobatics, the spectacle … America’s first circus performance wowed crowds in Philly. Celebrate the art of awe at the place where center-ring first stole the show.

For 250 years, Philadelphia has been first — first in freedom, first in innovation and first in fun. In 2026, the city celebrates that legacy with 52 Weeks of Firsts, a yearlong, citywide series of events highlighting the groundbreaking ideas, inventions and milestones that began right here.

  • a Once Upon A Nation storyteller sharing the true story behind the First
  • family-friendly activities and games
  • live music and entertainment
  • giveaways and selfie stations

See more weekly “Firsts” here

FIREFLY HOURS: MOVE WITH NATURE, QI GONG IN THE GARDEN, AND MORE!

When?  Tuesday - Thursday, April 14 - 16, 5:00 - 7:00pm

Where? Awbury Arboretum (1 Awbury Rd)

Move With Nature | Tuesday, April 14

Listen and look at the beauty around you to create a piece of art. Whether through movement or craftmaking, let the garden be your muse in this workshop lead by Kera Gibbs.

Qi Gong in the Garden | Wednesday, April 15

Decompress from a long day with qi gong at Awbury Arboretum with practitioner Eileen Kelsall. Qi gong is a longstanding Chinese tradition that combines soft movement, deep breathing, and meditation. All levels are welcome.

Birdwatching | Thursday, April 16

FIREFLY FAMILY NIGHTS

When?  Thursday & Friday, April 16 & 17, 4:00 - 7:00pm

Where? Johnson Historic House (6306 Germantown Avenue)

Celebrate Autism Awareness Month on two special evenings with free sensory-friendly family activities, storytelling, and community connection.

QUAKER RESOURCES

OTHER (VIRTUAL) WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
  • Pendle Hill – Daily Zoom meeting for worship online from 8:30-9:10 am
  • Friends Council on National Legislation (FCNL) Witness Wednesdays: Weekly worship at 5:15pm (ET)
  • Friends General Conference’s (FGC) has many options for worship & discussion, including Newcomers & Seekers, Friends of Color Monthly worship, BIPOC Womxn’s space, White Friends Confronting Racism, Gen X Friends (new), Neurodivergent Friends (new). The offerings keep growing! Click here for the calendar
  • Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) Worship with Attention to Gaza/Palestine: Tuesdays, 12:00noon (ET) 

FOR QUAKER NEWCOMERS: Friends General Conference New Quaker Hub

QUAKER ORGANIZATIONS

Stay connected with news, work and resources of various Friends groups. 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)