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.
Sunday, Jan 26, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP): Transforming Conflicts and Lives in Post-War Palestine and Israel
Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP): Transforming Conflicts and Lives in Post-War Palestine and Israel by Joe DiGarbo and Steve Alderfer These Lancaster Quakers 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.
A potluck including Middle Eastern foods will be at 12:15pm.
Sunday, February 2 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.
Sunday, February 16 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
To Be Determined
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.
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 9:45am to 10:45am
Friendly Singing with Marci Pickering
