April 7, 2008

Greetings Friend!

Here is your monthly bulletin of news from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. You may wish to refer to the Calendar of Events on the PYM web site at www.pym.org/pm/cal.php. Thank you for helping to connect the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting community.

Allen Reeder, Editor, PYM News
215-241-7215
news@pym.org

3/15 Application Deadline, 7/27-8/21 China Summer Workcamp for 2008!
This year’s Workcamp, to be held from July 27 to August 21, 2008, is looking for participants! See a short video at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=g1Hxx2jyheg.

The Workcamp begins in Shanghai, one of the most developed cities in the world, for a few days of sightseeing. Participants will then travel to Hunan province in rural central China, a beautiful and remote area. For three weeks, participants will join Chinese, Korean and Japanese volunteers in teaching English and environmental studies to local children. There will be regular days off for participants to explore a nearby city, visit the families of students, go on hikes, and shop at a local market. The Workcamp concludes with a graduation ceremony for all students.

As a participant in the Workcamp, you will directly affect the lives of young children in rural China by sharing your knowledge of English with them. You will also get to experience both urban and rural China first hand at a time when China is coming into it's own as one of the most important countries in the world and continuing to experience rapid economic and cultural change. But what's really unique about this program is it brings together a diverse group of people of vastly different ages, nationalities, and backgrounds to learn from one another by living and working together. No matter what your experience with teaching and traveling, there is something you can contribute to the community of students and teachers and something you can take away.

Visit http://www.pym.org/workcamp/China/china.htm to download the application and find more information about the program. Apply by March 15th 2008. Contact Anne Triest, China Summer Program Coordinator, at chinaworkcamp@gmail.com or 617-504-3103, with questions or just to talk with a real live person about the China Summer experience. The China Summer Workcamp is co-sponsored by American Friends Service Committee, PYM, and Westfield Monthly Meeting (NJ).

5/1-5/4 Gaviotas Founder Speaking in Philadelphia
The sustainable community of Gaviotas, Colombia, is lauded by the United Nations as “A Village to Reinvent the World.” 22,000 acres of rainforest now thrive, providing jobs for the poor, on land where people said “nothing could grow.” PYM’s Earthcare Working Group Clerk Hollister Knowlton visited there in June 2005, one of only a handful of North Americans ever to see it. Now, Gaviotas founder Paolo Lugari is coming to Philadelphia. EWG encourages Friends to attend Thursday, May 1, lecture ($10-25) or entire weekend May 1-4. Register at www.friendsofgaviotas.org or contact Hollister at 215-247-0718 or h.knowlton@comcast.net .

5/2-5/30 Doylestown Quaker Artists Set Show
Fourteen artists from Doylestown Meeting are having a show May 2 to 30 at the Advanced Medical Solutions building, 54 E. Oakland Ave., Doylestown PA. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The opening reception is Friday, May 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. with music by Faith & Practice. A percentage of all sales will be contributed to Doylestown Meeting.

5/15, 5/16 Opportunity for Advocacy in Washington DC
The Center on Conscience and War will sponsor a day of workshops and a day of lobbying focused on legislation concerning conscientious objection. The workshops are Thursday, May 15, and lobbying is Friday, May 16, in Washington, DC. The main speaker is attorney Peter Goldberger, who has represented war tax resisters in court. He also represents Agustin Aguayo, who is currently seeking discharge from the Army for his conscientious objector beliefs. See all the events outlined at http://www.centeronconscience.org/lobbyday2008/.

If you are considering this lobbying trip for the first time, feel free to talk with Joan Broadfield, PYM Peace and Justice Coordinator, 215-241-7240 (joanb@pym.org).
Whether you are a teacher planning to take students or a Meeting member collaborating with others in your Quarter, you can stay at the William Penn House in Washington if you sign up in advance. Visit http://www.williampennhouse.org/.

5/20, 5/28, 6/4, 6/12 Fun-O-Thon, Anyone?
Our recent PYM Annual Fund Phonothons have been so enjoyable that the volunteers renamed them “Fun-O-Thons”! We need additional volunteers for this important work on May 20 and 28, and on June 4 and 12. You will get the chance to talk directly to other Quakers and ask them to share your joy in your faith community by making a contribution to the PYM Annual Fund. We gather at 6 p.m. at Friends Center (15th and Cherry streets in Philadelphia), and are finished by 9 p.m. Training will be conducted while you enjoy a catered meal. In addition, your parking and transit expenses will be reimbursed. Please call Wright Horne at (215) 241-7115* or e-mail wrighth@pym.org. Thank you.

5/23-5/26 National Conference for Young Adult Friends
“Living as Friends, Listening Within” is the theme of a conference for Young Adult Friends on the holiday weekend May 23–26 in Richmond, Indiana. The purpose of the conference is to explore leadings among young adults (18-35) from across our many branches of Quakerism and across the United States and Canada.
Register online, and read resources for participants, bios of the planning committee, information about the workshops offered by Earlham School of Religion, and much more. Visit www.fgcquaker.org/qy/yaf-conference-2008.

Questions? Contact Sadie Forsythe, PYM Young Adult Friends Coordinator, Sadief@pym.org 215-241-7075.

This conference is funded by Friends General Conference, Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and The Newlin Center for Quaker Thought and Practice.

5/23-5/25 Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), North Philadelphia
A Second-Level Alternatives to Violence Project workshop will be held the weekend of May 23-25, 2008, at Casa Amistad/ Friendship House in North Philadelphia. Anyone who has completed a Basic AVP workshop is welcome to participate. For information, please contact Jorge Aráuz at 215 421 5811 or cityquake@aol.com .
This workshop is sponsored by the PYM’s Fairhill Friends Ministry working group, which also sponsored two Basic AVP workshops last year at Friends Neighborhood Guild. Another Basic workshop was scheduled at the end of April.

7/13-7/17 and 7/20-7/24 Nancy Bieber Leads Spiritual Retreats at Pendle Hill
Lancaster Friend Nancy Bieber will offer two July retreats at Pendle Hill, each including one-on-one spiritual direction, extended time for reflection, and group learning and sharing. “Spiritual Discernment: Noticing God’s Nudges,” July 13-17, is designed to help participants discern God's guidance for particular situations in their lives.

“Practicing Prayer Today: An Invitation,” July 20-24, will explore a variety of forms of prayer and how to integrate prayer into everyday life. Nancy Bieber has extensive experience as a spiritual director and retreat leader and teaches prayer at Lancaster Theological Seminary. She has served as clerk of Lancaster Meeting (PA).
More information is available at www.pendlehill.org, or call (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150, ext. 3. Pendle Hill is a Quaker retreat and study center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

7/25-7/27 Pendle Hill Offers Quakerism Weekend
Would you like a solid introduction to Quaker faith and practice, or is there someone in your Meeting who might welcome this weekend workshop? July 25-27 Pendle Hill offers an Inquirers’ Weekend on Basic Quakerism. The facilitators are scientist Barry Scott, a member of Central Philadelphia Meeting, and writer and teacher Eileen Flanagan, assistant clerk of Chestnut Hill Meeting.

For more information, call Pendle Hill at (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150, ext. 3, or visit www.pendlehill.org. Matching scholarships are available; please ask. Pendle Hill is a Quaker retreat and study center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

8/8-8/9 Teacher Training in Conflict Resolution
The Nonviolence and Children Working Group of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting will offer its annual summer training for elementary and middle school educators on August 8 and 9, 2008. The title is “Building Safe Communities in our Classrooms and Conflict Resolution Skills in our Students.”

The two-day training at Friends Center in Philadelphia will offer practical strategies and activities to:

* Build a caring classroom community
* Teach kids creative conflict resolution skills
* Help kids learn to manage their anger
* Integrate conflict resolution teaching into on-going classroom curriculum
* Support kids' resiliency

The training runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 8, and Saturday, August 9. Pennsylvania Act 48 credits are available. Scholarships available to PYM members. $40 fee includes training, meals, info packet and hand-outs. For more information and to register contact Elke Muller at elkem@PYM.org or 215-241-7223.

8/31 Byberry Meeting Celebrates Anniversary With Picnic
Byberry Meeting (PA) will celebrate the 200th anniversary of their meetinghouse on Sunday, August 31, Labor Day weekend, with the Abington Quarter Picnic. The picnic will follow worship at 11:00 a.m. at the meetinghouse at 3001 Byberry-Southampton Road in Philadelphia. Byberry Friends will supply food and drink. RSVP to Clerk David Nepley via email davesuzanna@msn.com or phone 215-396-2621 (M-F till 3 p.m.).

Can I Repay God?
If I acknowledge that all I have has come from God, how then can I return the favor? I can live a good life, help others without being asked, nurture the world in which I am allowed to live. And if I “give back to God” by giving to my faith community, I not only repay my debt to God in some small way, but also join with others who share my beliefs. Please continue your support of our Yearly Meeting - our faith community - by sending a contribution to the PYM Annual Fund. If you have already contributed, please consider making an additional contribution. Thank you.

Gardening at Fair Hill
Friends are invited to come help tend the flowers and vegetables with neighbor children at Historic Fair Hill Burial Ground in North Philadelphia. The lovely five-acre Quaker burial ground has green grass, tall trees and a family of red tailed hawks.
The children will be watering, weeding, or harvesting with caretakers supervising every Sunday afternoon from May to November. If you are a gardener or like playing checkers or reading aloud, come join us at Historic Fair Hill. There is parking available and the Route 23 bus stops at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Cambria Street. For more information, visit www.fairhillburial.org or call Jean Warrington at 215-870-8348.

From the Greater Pennsylvania Climate Action Project
Last month we looked at “big picture” Global Warming numbers such as the current CO2 atmospheric concentration being 383 parts per million. But what do these numbers mean to us on a personal scale?

Every gallon of gasoline an auto uses puts out about 20 lbs. of CO2. This translates to 571 lbs. per 1000 miles at 35 MPG and 1333 lbs. per 1000 miles at 15 MPG. Approximately 1.5 lbs. CO2 is produced for each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed. A KWH will light two 60-watt light bulbs for 8.3 hours or two 13-watt compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) for 77.9 hours.

The impact of one person’s choice is small, but collectively we have a large impact. The EPA’s national ENERGY STAR Change a Light campaign has received more than 1.2 million pledges from Americans to change nearly 4 million light bulbs to ENERGY STAR CFLs. This means prevention of more than 1.5 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

The global climate is changing; we may still have the opportunity to slow the rate of change, giving people and other living things time to adapt. For people, sea level rise and shifts in food and fresh water resources will lead to migrations and conflict situations. The impacts of climate change will challenge us to be faithful to our Quaker testimonies of equality and peace. Next month we shall take a look at what we as individuals can be doing toward reducing climate change.

0% Interest College Loan Program for Quaker Students!
Financial Aid for post-secondary education for members and children of members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

The Mary Jeanes Loan Fund and Anne Townsend Grant Fund are now taking applications from members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting for post-secondary financial aid for the 2008-2009 school year. Loans average about $1000 per academic year.

May 1, 2008 is the deadline for submission of applications. For more information, or to request an application, please contact the Education Programs Office at PYM:
1-800-220-0796 Extension 7223 (elkem@pym.org).

Please visit our website at: http://www.pym.org/education, and click on “Financial Aid.”

Dear Friends,

I am asking for your help. The PYM Committee on Friends Education, in conjunction with the Friends Education Fund, is planning to launch a fundraising campaign to augment the funds available to support tuition assistance for Friends children attending PYM Friends schools.

In order to be successful in this campaign, we need personal testimonials from you.

We have been challenged by prospective donors and by the PYM Bequests Granting Group to show that parents appreciate support from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. We need to show them that the aid is important to the attendance of Friends children at Friends schools.

We have two important meetings on the horizon, so we need to hear from you as soon as possible.

Please reply to this email and tell us why a Friends education is important to your family, and how you have felt supported by PYM. (If it is helpful, please ask your student if he or she has a specific thought or experience to share.)

With warm regards and appreciation,

Tom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Hoopes
Director of Education
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
tomh@pym.org
215-241-7224
1515 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: 215-241-7045
www.pym.org/education

Quaker Parenting Website Updated...
The Quaker Parenting Project’s updated web site is now online, www.quakerparenting.org. Look there for information about what this PYM project has to offer Meetings and their parents in the form of workshops, parents discussion series and materials. Coming soon will be a list of books relevant to Quaker parenting.

Job Opportunities

French Quaker Center Seeks Resident Friends

Resident Friend(s), French-speaking essential, sought to volunteer for Congénies Quaker Centre, near Nîmes, France. 15 flexi-hours per week, 3-6 months minimum. Studio-flat. Applications by mid-May; start date by arrangement.
Information: centre.quaker.congenies@gmail.com.
CQC, 11 ave. des Quakers, 30111 Congénies
+33 466 71 25 93  www.maison-quaker-congenies.org

Job Opening: AFSC Seeks Deputy General Secretary for Program.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is currently recruiting for a senior management position, the Deputy General Secretary for Program. This new position advances the mission and vision of AFSC and supports organizational priorities through consistent implementation of programs in support of achieving the goals defined by the AFSC Strategic Plan. Accountable for staff, plans, budget, services and products of reporting units.

The job description is posted at www.AFSC.org/jobs. From there click on “Current Openings” and then the job title for this position. Interested candidates should submit a resume/CV and cover letter online by April 15. Contact jobs@afsc.org with any questions.