Adult and Children's Activities
2025 Schedule of Special Events
Sunday, December 29, 2024, 9:45am to 10:45am
Worship Sharing - What is your mindset for the new year?
Read the poem, “Where does the Temple Begin, Where Does it End?” by Mary Oliver, POETRY: Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does It End? by Mary Oliver – The Value of Sparrows
Worship sharing focuses on particular questions (Queries) and helps us to explore our own experience, sharing more deeply than we would in normal conversation. It seeks to draw us into sacred space, where we can take down our usual defenses and encounter each other in “that which is eternal.”
The guidelines for worship sharing have been evolving among Friends for the past half century, drawing on many different sources. Click here for basic guidelines for worship sharing.
Queries
Does the poem speak to you? If so, what does it say to you?
What is your mindset as you approach 2025? Your heartspace?
What is your challenge or leading in the new year? How is Spirit beckoning our community?
Sunday, Jan 5, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Being an Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community
Being an Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community by Amber Roadcap, Executive Director, LGBTQ
Center of Central PA. The director of the newly purchased hub for LGBTQ folks in Central PA will share how they serve individuals and how Quakers can be a faith ally. Ms. Roadcap will also give an overview on inclusive pronouns and answer any questions attendees may have around the LGBTQIA+ community.
Sunday, Jan 19, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Bible Exploration
Bible Exploration with Ruth Woodlen, Ruth Woodlen is an ordained Methodist Minister and has served churches in southeast PA. She holds a Masters in Divinity and has assisted us in exploring the Bible in previous forums.
Saturday January 25, 2025
Citizen George - pizza and movie night
We will watch the film Citizen George which premiered this past summer at the Friends General Conference gathering. Citizen George presents the life and work of Philadelphia-based Quaker activist George Lakey, a non-violent revolutionary who has worked his entire life for justice and peace, guided by his ideal of societal transformation. See flyer here. The event is free but bring a dish to share. Pizza will be provided.
6 to 6:45pm – pizza dinner
7pm – Movie starts
Harrisburg Quaker Meeting House
1100 N 6th St., Harrisburg, PA 17102
Sunday, Jan 26, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am (the original AVP program is postponed)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Learn about FCNL, a national Quaker organization. John Hayden of Harrisburg Friends Meeting will report on his work with FCNL and local activities concerning the Dauphin County Prison System.
Sunday, February 2 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Bible Exploration - “In the Flesh vs. In the Spirit” Galatians 5:1-26
Bible Exploration with Ruth Woodlen, Ruth Woodlen is an ordained Methodist Minister and has served churches in southeast PA. She holds a Masters in Divinity and has assisted us in exploring the Bible in previous forums.
Sunday, February 16, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Bible Exploration - Galatians - Living the Gospel
Bible Exploration with Ruth Woodlen, Ruth Woodlen is an ordained Methodist Minister and has served churches in southeast PA. She holds a Masters in Divinity and has assisted us in exploring the Bible in previous forums.
Galatians 6:1-18.
Sunday, Feb 23, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Quakers and Anti-Slavery Efforts in Central Pennsylvania
Quakers and Anti-Slavery Efforts in Central Pennsylvania by Matt Green
Exploring the 19th century struggle to free enslaved persons, particularly through organizations such as the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and the Underground Railroad, provides valuable insights into the intersection of values and activism. Quaker principles, often summarized by the acronym SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship), guided their anti-slavery efforts, emphasizing equality and community responsibility. By examining
their actions, we can see the importance of community collaboration, steadfast integrity, and a commitment to peace and equality - all vital in transformative activism.
A Quaker from Exeter Meeting in Douglassville PA, Matt has expressed his lifelong passion for history as a volunteer researcher for Pottsgrove Manor, a colonial home of ironmaster John Potts, founder of Pottstown and for the “Bound To Serve” Black History program. He worked as an interpretive Park Ranger at Valley Forge National Park and currently as a tour guide at the Peter Wentz Homestead in Montgomery County. Matt focuses on the American Colonial period and the development of the iron industry in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Saturday March 1, 2025, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Pizza & Movie Night: Where the Olive Trees Weep
This film is a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian
people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest
for justice. Click here for the flyer
Where the Olive Trees Weep
Saturday, March 1, 2025
5:30 to 6:15 - Pizza dinner. Please bring a dish to share
6:30pm: Movie Starts
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Friendly Singing with Marci Pickering
Sunday, March 23, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Spiritual State of the Meeting
The Spiritual State of the Meeting Report to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) provides a narrative, approved by the meeting, on its own spiritual and cultural matters. The report responds to queries that come from our book of Faith & Practice and the PYM Ministry & Care Committee. The PYM community relies on these reports to share the joys and struggles in the lives of our local meetings. They provide direction for Yearly Meeting business and programming so they meet Friends’ needs. Harrisburg Friends Meeting will gather and will ponder several guiding queries from Faith & Practice chosen by PYM. Our responses will be compiled into our report.
Sunday, March 30, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward Community, by Reverand Yvette Davis
“The Old Eighth Ward in Harrisburg – Development Replacing Community” Dressed and speaking as Harriet Smith, Rev. Yvette Davis will describe the notable people who lived in The Old Eighth Ward between 1850 and 1910. Before the Civil War there were enslaved persons and free Blacks living in the surrounds of the Capitol building. There were bustling shops and oyster houses run by successful entrepreneurs. By the time the 537 properties were set for demolition, the population was 37% black and 63% white. Immigrants from Hungary, Greece and several other European countries were a part of this diverse community squeezed between the Capitol building and the railroad.
The Old Eighth Ward. It was demolished after 1911 to serve the powers that be and the proponents of the City Beautiful Movement who saw the Ward as shoddy and broken.
Rev. Yvette Davis, director of Popel Shaw Center for Race and Ethnicity, Dickinson College, Carlisle is a Harrisburg resident with a deep appreciation for Black history and skill in sharing it as a performing artist. Davis is a leader in removing racial barriers and building community in our region.
Sunday, April 20, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Easter Intergenerational Program: The Spiritual Importance of Water
Water is the representation of wisdom, peace and purity. The spiritual meaning of water lies in its reflection of the human spirit and the inner connection of all creation.
Everyone is welcome to our Easter Intergenerational program. It will include some discussion, a book about the importance of water and fellowship through music and singing with Marci Pickering.
April 27, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP): Transforming Conflicts and Lives in Post-War Palestine and Israel by
Joe DiGarbo and Steve Alderfer from Lancaster Friends Meeting helped to introduce AVP in Palestine and Israel during a military occupation which involved periods of military violence in Gaza and the West Bank. Israelis and Palestinians who have lived both a separated yet integrated existence welcomed AVP workshops. The extenuated war on Gaza has halted this effort.
A grassroots worldwide movement dedicated to building peace in ourselves and our homes and communities, AVP provides a clear vision and path to living that brings out the best in people. Starting in 2013, Joe and Steve introduced AVP to Israeli organizations as well as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. They will discuss AVP’s potential for both groups since Gaza has been largely destroyed and the social fabric of both heavily imprinted by violence.
May 4, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Extended Meeting for Worship: Queries on Building Inclusive Communities
With their mentor Jesus gone from their midst, the 11 Apostles are gathered together and feeling a bit shaky without Christ's presence. They are meeting on the day of Pentacost, which according to Jewish law, was 7 weeks after Passover. Read Acts 2:1-24. The stunning events of the day are an indicator that God is including everyone within the circle of grace.
“The first fulfillment of Jesus’ promise [at Pentecost in the New Testament] came in community so everyone could see the Spirit as a single source as its flames rested on everyone. In this setting it would be impossible for a few people to claim the Spirit came to them, but not to others. It would also be impossible for someone to say, “Well, I see there is a flame on everyone else’s head but I’m sure there’s no flame on my head. I’m not worthy enough.” Since they couldn’t see the flame on their own heads, the community affirms what it sees, “Yes, there is a flame on your head too. We are all one in the Spirit.”
- Janet Hoffman, 2002 from Practicing Peace: A Devotional Walk Through the Quaker Tradition edited by Catherine Whitmire
How do we accept each other as God loves all of us? What are my practices to develop more tolerance of our varying spiritual paths?
May 18 and June 1, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Finding Clarity - How Quakers find Clearness (2 sessions)
Many of us face a dilemma when trying to deal with a personal problem, question, or decision. For people who have experienced this dilemma, Quakers have developed a method called a 'Clearness Committee' that draws on both inner AND communal resources to deal with personal problems. The Clearness Committee is testimony to the fact that there are no external authorities on life's deepest issues, not clergy or therapists or scholars; there is only the authority that lies within each of us waiting to be heard. In the first session, we will learn about the process of a Clearness Committee, and in the second session we will put this method into practice.
May 25, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
QuakerSpeak video #459 “The Work of Quaker Earthcare Witness” followed by discussion led by the Worship and Spiritual Growth Committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBZUEeX1M0
Queries: In what ways are political realities tempting us to look away from the needs of the Earth and its residents? What does climate justice mean for me as a person of faith in central Pennsylvania? What does climate justice mean for our Quaker meeting? How are we staying grounded in our faith and our commitment to climate justice? How shall we move forward?
June 15, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Things I Learned from My Father/Father Figure!
Sharing on this topic. Reflect and note any experience or quality in your own father’s life that made an impact on yours. Maybe it was a fatherly weakness that instructed you. Work it out to a 1- 2 minute story and share it on this Father’s Day.
We will first hear from 3 Meeting members/attenders: 1) Jennifer Stone, the only daughter of the late Oliver Stone, who demonstrated to her and within his Washington DC meeting “the epitome of commitment to Quaker values of pacifism and spirituality rather than conformity to societal pressures.” 2) Yuri Plowden will introduce her father, Tamami (Tom) Kusuda, an engineer for the US National Bureau of Standards and an immigrant from Okayama, Japan; and, 3) Claranne LaCour will tell what her 94-year-old father’s death showed her about his values and lifestyle.
Come prepared to share your own story.
June 29, 2025, 9:00am to 10:45am
Pancake and waffle breakfast followed by Singing!
Join us for breakfast and fellowship followed by singing.
