Philadelphia Yearly Meeting threshing session on climate change witness, 10/29/2024

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers) will hold an online threshing session on climate witness on 10/29, 7-8:15 pm.

This is Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s proposed climate benchmark:

  1. Measure carbon footprint of YM operations, gatherings, and facilities
  2. Identify how YM could be carbon net zero by 2030
  3. Invite monthly meetings to strive for 50% carbon reduction for members & meetings by 2030

Friends are invited to this threshing session to consider the benchmark prior to fall Continuing Sessions on 11/8/2024. Read more about it.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is one of the equity partners of Friends Center. As such, Friends Center’s LEED Platinum green building is already helping advance the benchmark.

The session will be held via Zoom. Please register here to get the link.

Text gives title of the threshing session on climate change witness on October 29, 2024. There is an image of a hand holding the earth. On the left side, the earth is yellow, smoky, and sulfurous. On the right side, the earth is thriving, with green grass and trees, a blue pond, white clouds, and a flock of geese flying by overhead.

We Vote reminder: Request mail ballot by 10/29/24

Thanks to Committee of Seventy‘s We Vote campaign for sharing useful information for voters.

One option when making a plan to vote is voting by mail. If this option works best for you or your loved ones, please make sure to submit your application for a mail-in ballot by 5 pm on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

That’s *1 week from today*!

In Philadelphia, see the website of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, https://vote.phila.gov, for more info.

Philly premiere of film “Free Exercise”

The Philadelphia premiere of the film “Free Exercise” will be on 10/29, 6:00-8:30 pm, at the Museum of the American Revolution.

According to the filmmakers, it “focuses primarily on 6 American faith communities with deep roots in Philadelphia—Quakers, Baptists, Black churches, Catholics, Mormons and Jews.”

As shown below, the trailer includes footage shot at our sibling site, the Arch Street Meeting House.

The screening is free. Registration is required. See https://freeexercisemovie.com for link to register.

What is Tri-Co Philly?

It’s the Tri-College Philly program of Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and Swarthmore College! (They were all founded by Quakers.)

The program’s classes are held here at Friends Center, in the heart of #CenterCity #Philly.

Credit: @tricophilly on Instagram

Red Letter Revival here on October 19, 2024

Hands are raised up on the right. In the center the text "Philadelphia 2024" is above a red flame icon. Text on the right says, "Red Letter Revival."

Just announced: Night 2 of the Red Letter Revival will be here at Friends Center on the evening of October 19, 2024.

Red Letter Christians says the gathering will offer “an alternative vision where Christians creatively dissent to make justice real.”

They describe Red Letter Revival as “a dynamic gathering bringing together hundreds of faith and community leaders, students, and people of faith to celebrate – and cultivate – a new vision of Christianity – one with love at its core.”

We’ll add more details as they become available.

Read the full event overview: Red Letter Revival Philadelphia.

Red Letter Revival Philly. Reviving Jesus's justice for our time. October 18 and 19. Philadelphia. More detailed text follows. The information is available at Red Letter Christians dot org.

“Too Beautiful To Live” at Friends Center

TBTL podcast recorded an episode in front of a live audience in the Race Street Meetinghouse on 9/25/2024

TBTL describes itself as a daily show hosted by two longtime friends goofing their way through the world the best they can. Join Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh as they cover the most important topics of the day, from 25 year-old film reviews to whether or not Andrew’s neighbors are secretly using his garbage bins.

TBTL invites listeners to “hang out with your imaginary friendos, in person, live from the Friends Center in Philadelphia for a night of fun with fellow Tens.” (Their “tens of listeners,” that is.)

UPDATE: The episode is now online: https://www.tbtl.net/episodes/4304

Quote: Quakers were “very boisterous when they started out… Then somebody got embarrassed & they entered a period known as Quietism. They would have long silent periods during their meetings. Basically the thing Andrew & I are most scared of during an episode of TBTL is even a moment of silence!”

Citizen George premiere a success

The #Philly premiere of “Citizen George” here last Thursday was a success!

The film is a documentary about the life and activism of George Lakey, a member of the Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), here at Friends Center.

Learn more about the film and watch the trailer at georgelakeyfilm.com.

Congratulations to the film committee, shown here. Filmmaker Glenn Holsten is on the left. George is the third from right, wearing his Earth Quaker Action Team’s (EQAT) Vanguard campaign t-shirt.

A group of eight people stands at the bottom of a staircase. They are smiling widely. A poster in the background says, "Ceasefire now."
Credit: Ingrid Lakey