Adult Religious Education provides monthly sessions on a variety of topics. Most sessions are hybrid, with some Friends meeting in person and others on Zoom. When possible, Zoom sessions will be recorded and posted on the website. In addition to Friends from Foxdale and Friends School, we also welcome participants from Upper Susquehanna Quarter and other local faith communities.
Past programs have focused on diverse topics such as Friends' spiritual journeys; local Quaker history; nontheism among Friends; preparing for worship; advocacy; and a Kenyan Quaker describing her ministries. Suggestions are welcome, and can be sent to Ann Sidone (annsidone1@gmail.com).
Sunday November 10 at 1:00PM
Please join the State College Friends Meeting Adult Religious Education Committee for Vu Truong presenting his spiritual journey: Quaker Meetings as a Community of Practice. He will discuss the historical and contemporary linguistic practices of Friends, and how they attracted him to his (ongoing, unfinished, perhaps unfinishable) journey of becoming a Friend by convincement. Special focus will be on the public image of Friends to non- and pre-Friends. We will also read selected extracts of inspirational writing by Friends--so please feel free to bring your favorite Friendly quotations and passages! This will be a hybrid program.
The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88194490526?pwd=Si9RK0VRcHh5ak9ONGh4MTFVdjU0Zz09
Sunday November 17th
Please join us for our social hour chat after Meeting for Worship on November 17. We'll gather at about 12:30 for no more than half an hour to discuss Pastoral Care. This informal, in person gathering will be held in the meeting room once folks have had a chance to grab a snack and a drink. Katy Lumley-Sapanski and Doug Miller will share information about our Meeting’s Pastoral Care committee, its importance, and how you can be involved. Hope to see you there.
November 24th at 1:00
Friends, please join us in the Meeting Room for an important SCFM meeting concerning a proposed meadow project. SCFM's Climate Justice Working Group and the Gardening committee are coordinating this project and will share information about our vision for transforming the large grassy area next to the meetinghouse into a wildflower/grassland meadow. We will present information about the rationale for a meadow and the logistics of the project. Following the presentation, there will be a discussion to get feedback on the project. The Nov. 24 gathering is one step in the discernment process which, eventually, we hope will lead to agreement on how to move forward with re-purposing the lawn. We look forward to providing information and the opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Religious Education Archives
September 11, 2024
Laurie Mulvey of World in Conversation
Laurie is the founding director of World in Conversation at Penn State, a center that has been built on her pioneering dialogue work. With 35+ years of mediating difficult conversations, Laurie understands both the notable challenges as well as the profound possibilities of talking to our adversaries. That is why her work is devoted to redefining the rules of engagement for collaborating across our divides.
View her presentation.
Passcode: Xz.P7*U*
Quakerism 101 Winter 2024
This winter, the State College Friends Meeting Adult Religious Education Committee offered Quakerism 101-- a series of workshops designed to help deepen people’s understanding of Quakerism. Each session started with a presentation followed by a discussion time.
1) Quaker History- January 28 with Selden Smith
Transcript
2) Quaker Beliefs and Values- February 11 with Martin Melville and Doug Miller
Watch the Zoom Recording
Passcode: 5w.Psf3d
Resources:
BYM and PYM Faith and Practice
Quakerspeak.com Quaker Basics videos (https://quakerspeak.com/basics/)
Anything by Parker Palmer
Brother Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence
George Fox’s journal
Friends for 350 Years, Howard Brinton
3) Quaker Decision Making, Business Meeting- February 25 with Vilmos Misangyi
Presentation Slides in PDF Format
4) Living as a Quaker and Meeting for Worship- March 17 with Laurie Jeffrys and Eliza Bradley
Watch the Zoom Recording
View the Presentation Slides