THE FRIDAY BEE July 24, 2026
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, JULY 26
10:20am
Greeter
TBD
10:30am
Child Care
Starts in kindergarten building across the driveway
10:30am
Meeting for Worship
In-person in the meeting house, or remote (on Zoom).
10:50am
First Day School
During the summer months, our First Day School class takes a pause.
Children of all ages may join together for play in the kindergarten.
Children are always welcome to join their families in Meeting for Worship. Those wanting more activity may go to the kindergarten after a period of worship with their families, or go to the kindergarten from the start.
Our standard First Day School will resume in September!
Questions about First Day School at GMM?
Please contact Carla Childs.
11:30am
Introductions & Announcements
Karen Lightner
11:35am
Zoom Social Time
Zoom attendees, please stay online to join in a Zoom social time after Meeting for Worship!
11:40am
Refreshments
Victoria Spaeth Nyce (tentative)
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 NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
GMM WORSHIPS AT GREEN STREET MEETING IN AUGUST – STARTING NEXT SUNDAY - August 2!
Germantown Friends Meeting House will be closed for the month of August.
We will worship at Green Street Friends Meetinghouse (45 W School House Lane) every Sunday in August. To join remotely, look for the Green Street Meeting’s Zoom link – which will be in the Friday Bee starting next week.
Our meetinghouse will re-open for worship on Sunday, September 6th.
ART SHOW ON BARTRAM'S GARDEN BY ROB SMITH
When? Opening reception – Saturday, August 8, 5pm - 7pm; Show runs through October
Where? Studio 34 Art Gallery (4522 Baltimore Ave)
There will be a show of photographs by our member Rob Smith entitled "Bartram's Garden: The Seasons" at the Studio 34 Art Gallery (4522 Baltimore Ave), with an opening reception on Saturday, August 8, 5pm-7pm. The photographs will be available for purchase, with the proceeds going to Bartram's Garden. The gallery hours are Mondays - Fridays, 5-7:30pm, and during Studio 34's arts events. The exhibit will be up through October, 2026.
- For more information, see https://events.humanitix.com/bartram-s-garden-the-seasons
QUAKER NEWS & EVENTS
FRIENDS FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUEER CONCERNS EPISTLE
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns (FLGBTQC), co-clerked by GMM Member Karen Lightner, met during Friends General Conference Gathering, July 7-12, 2026 in Burlington, VT.
A QUIET ROAR: THE UNPARALLELED LIVES OF BAYARD RUSTIN & SARAH MAPPS DOUGLASS
When? Saturday, July 25, 11:00am - 12:00pm; OR 12:30 -1:30pm
Where? Arch Street Meeting House
A theater performance that bridges the lives of Rustin and Mapps Douglass, two phenomenal Black Philadelphian Quakers who walked the halls of Arch Street Meeting House a century apart.
PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING (PYM)
- PYM Weekly Update
- PYM Events Calendar: Check out upcoming and ongoing programs promoted by PYM
GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL (GFS) NEWS & EVENTS
BREAKTHROUGH PHILADELPHIA CONTINUES THIS SUMMER
Yet another summer of energized learning and activity at the GFS campus for students and teaching fellows engaged in Breakthrough Philadelphia! For over 30 years, over 1600 students have participated in Breakthrough’s programming during the school year and summer months, in partnership with GFS.
Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia supports highly-motivated and traditionally underserved middle and high school students on a path to top-choice high schools and colleges, setting a critical foundation for postsecondary and career success. A dual-mission program, Breakthrough simultaneously provides pre-professional training to inspire college students to pursue careers in education.
TAKE ACTION!
NATIONAL MEMORIAL ACTION DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR ICE VICTIMS
When? Saturday, July 25, l0:00 - 11:00 am
Where? Wissahickon and Rittenhouse Streets
Honoring recent ICE victims Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Guerrer, calling for accountability, and to remove ICE from local communities. RSVP to Paula Paul.
WE MAKE PHILLY LAUNCH PARTY
When? Saturday, July 25, 2026 3:00 - 6:00pm
Where? Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive)
Help us celebrate the people who make Philly home!
Philadelphia has always been shaped by the people who live here: the neighbors who show up for one another, the families building roots, the faith communities serving their blocks, and the everyday people who keep this city moving. Join in as we celebrate the launch of this campaign with a true Philly-style block party: food, music, community, and the people who are building a future where every neighborhood can thrive.
CLIMATE CRISIS IS NOT NEUTRAL: RECLAIMING LAND, CULTURES & FUTURES
A Decolonial Climate Justice Community Training & Gathering 2026
When? Saturday, August 1, 9:30am - 6:00pm
Where? Taller Puertorriqueño (2600 N 5th Street)
Join us for a powerful day of Indigenous-led panels, workshops, storytelling, ceremony, and collective visioning. This gathering creates space to learn from one another, uplift Indigenous and Latine leadership, strengthen community connections, and co-create solutions rooted in reciprocity, resilience, and collective care.
WRITE GET OUT THE VOTE POSTCARDS!
Sign up to write Get Out the Vote postcards to some key states for the November 3 midterm elections –
– Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio & Wisconsin.
These postcards are proven to boost Democratic turnout by up to 1.3%, which can be enough to tip the scales!
TRYING TO FIND SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS?
Mobilize is a central posting site with opportunities for local actions for protest and in support of social justice.
- See more here, and bookmark their site!
➤ 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
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY FRIDGE HOSTS A QUARTERLY POP-UP MARKET
When? Saturday, July 25, 12:00 - 2:00pm
Where? Friends United Methodist Church of Germantown- FUMCOG (6001 Germantown Avenue)
Connect with neighbors and pick up free essentials like food, toiletries, and baby items. Please bring your own bag, no pets inside, and take only what you need so others can share. Share with anyone who might benefit!
GERMANTOWN GEMS & CARILLON RECITALS AT WYCK
When? Monday, July 27, 7:30 - 8:30pm (Wyck grounds open at 6:30pm)
Where? Listen from the Wyck Garden (6026 Germantown Ave)
Bring a blanket or yard chair and come sit in Wyck’s yard to enjoy the multiple (free) concerts being played at the First United Methodist Church (FUMCOG) just across the street! Recitals are 7:30-8:30, rain or shine.* Programs and seating are available in the Wyck yard.
FRIENDS OF THE WISSAHICKON – VOLUNTEER DAYS
When & Where?
- Tuesday, July 28, 9:30am - 12:30pm - Devil’s Pool Clean Up – More info here
- Wednesday, July 29, 9:00am - 12:00pm - Volunteer Service with David Bower – More info here
Be part of keeping Wissahickon Valley Park beautiful and sustainable!
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)