“Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it.” 

There were two meetings on May 15 where Friends were invited to come share their thoughts and leadings about Worship, including the use of technology in worship. The queries for these meetings were:

There was a hybrid meeting before Worship with Friends on zoom and in person at the Third Street Meetinghouse and an in-person meeting at the Hector Meetinghouse after Worship. A total of 17 Friends participated in the two meetings and shared about this. 

Friends feel that it is important that Friends who do not want to worship in person inside, or are unable to come to in-person worship for other reasons, are able to join our Meeting for Worship over zoom and the benefits of this accessibility outweigh the discomfort experienced by some Friends in this. It is important and helpful that we have Hector Meetinghouse where Friends can worship in person with no technology present, and can worship in person outside when weather permits. (Worship at Hector is outside every Sunday without rain now.)

It is also helpful that in our Meetingroom at TSMH Friends can sit with their backs to the wall where zoom images are projected, and Friends can sit off camera if they wish to. At the hybrid meeting at TSMH, as Friends shared their preferences about different aspects of the technology, it became clear to all attending that we can’t please everyone in all aspects – there were some directly contradictory preferences expressed!  It was generally agreed that we can live with these differences and some Friends expressed an intention to develop a greater sense of comfort with the aspects of the technology that they found challenging.

It was noted that we have largely succeeded to meet needs for formal Worship over the last two years, but we have not done as well with meeting needs for informal, social contact around Worship and generally. Many Friends do linger after Worship for informal connection with other Friends, both in person and on Zoom, but there are limitations in these informal connections that leave a continuing sense of loss.

The Ministry and Worship Committee is pleased that Friends came to these gatherings and shared thoughtfully about this, and is pleased that there was a solid sense of support for continuing hybrid worship.

An offering in June is: Claiming Our Collective Power: Social Witness Among Friends. In collaboration with Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in the UK, this program includes pay-as-led Wednesday Speaker Series, June 1, 15, & 22, 1:00 – 2:30pm EST. Friends are welcome to register for any or all of these sessions, to engage with leaders from the American Friends Service Committee, Earth Quaker Action Team, Green Street Meeting, and Lancaster Meeting around questions of individual and collective social witness. There is also a weekend workshop, Friday June 24 – Sunday, June 26. Pendle Hill enthusiastically invites at least one member from each Meeting to attend this workshop that explores how Friends can engage in prophetic witness and social action as communities.

You can read about all upcoming programs at https://pendlehill.org/learn/workshops-courses-events/. Pendle Hill is committed to the accessibility of our programs, and encourage requests for financial assistance as needed.

Cai Quirk: Beyond Pink and Blue

Cai Quirk is completing a productive four-month artist residency at Pendle Hill Quaker Center near Philadelphia.     

There are two chances in June to see/hear some of Cai's work, Beyond Pink and Blue. These two, different talks will be shared through zoom on June 6/7 and 6/14 at 7:30pm ET. Click here to register.

Cai writes, "We live in a world of many vibrant colors, especially now as spring is turning to summer, but when it comes to gender, society trains us to describe the world only in terms of pink and blue. Even as knowledge and ideas of gender have expanded in recent years, the gender binary is still too often seen as default. Beyond Pink and Blue uses poetry and photography to explore gender through metaphors of color and nature."

The minutes from Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business can be found on the right-side column of our website.

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched. In person at the Third Street Meetinghouse or through Zoom. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

This committee meeting is open to all who would like to attend. Please feel free to come and bring your own concerns or interests. At this time we are meeting via Zoom; use the gray button below or:

Meeting ID: 891 7172 6300

Passcode: earthcare

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched. In person at the Third Street Meetinghouse or through Zoom. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

This is an “open” committee, meaning that all are welcome; participation does not go through the Nominating Committee process. Please feel free to come and bring your own concerns or interests. At this time we are meeting via Zoom; use the gray button below or: 

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted. If you have any questions, please call Elizabeth Schneider 607-351-0057.

Women’s Fellowship

Please join us every third Friday evening for a friendly, informal virtual gathering. You don't have to attend Meeting, or even change out of your sweat pants to hang out and chat. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

Men’s Fellowship

First Thursdays, Friends, join us at Ithaca Bakery! Quaker men—and anyone who wants to hang out with Quaker men—are warmly invited.

Women’s Chair Yoga now by Zoom

This long-running group, which met for years at the meetinghouse, now runs on Zoom, making it more accessible than ever. To join in, email <jaihari10@gmail.com> The group is about half Friends and half neighbors, nurturing the Inner Light. No yoga experience required. There is a sliding-scale fee. For more info or questions, Nancy Gabriel, 607-339-7123; ntg2@cornell.edu.