Weekly Announcements
December 2024 & January 2025 Activities with Descriptions Below:
Sunday, December 22
9:00 a.m. Meeting for Singing – Christmas Music! All Welcome, in John Barnes Room
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break & Fellowship, hosted by Engagement & Stewardship Committee
Tuesday, December 24
7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Caroling, John Barnes Room
7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Meeting for Worship, Meetinghouse & Zoom (until approximately 8 p.m.)
Sunday, December 29
9:00 a.m. Meeting for Singing, in John Barnes Room
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break & Fellowship, hosted by Property Committee
Sunday, January 5
9:00 a.m. Meeting for Singing, in John Barnes Room
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, hosted by Finance & Library committees, John Barnes Room
11:15 a.m. Adult Class: Bringing in the new year with community, John Barnes Room
Sunday, January 12
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, hosted by Hospitality Committee
11:30 a.m. Meeting for Worship to Attend to Business, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
Sunday, January 19
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, hosted by our Worship & Ministry Committee
11:15 a.m. MLK Sing-Along of Songs for Social Justice, John Barnes Room
12:15 p.m. All Clerks Meeting, Short Stable & Zoom
Sunday, January 26
9:00 a.m. Meeting for Singing, in John Barnes Room
9:45 a.m. Early Gathering for MFW, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship, in Meetinghouse and on Zoom
10:00 a.m. Sandwich Making for Face to Face, in Short Stable
11:00 a.m. Coffee Break & Fellowship, hosted by Engagement & Stewardship Committee
11:15 a.m. Adult Class: Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence, John Barnes Room
Christmas Breakfast & Program
Our Family Programming Committee, with special help from our Hospitality Committee, warmly invites our Meeting community to join in a Christmas Breakfast at 8:30 AM on Sunday, December 15th in our John Barnes Room. Following the breakfast, we will move into the meetinghouse for our regular Sunday Meeting for Worship. Immediately following worship, at approximately 11 AM, we will return to the John Barnes Room to watch the wonderful Christmas Program featuring our Meeting youth! Please come and join in the holiday fun!
Christmas Eve
Our Worship & Ministry Committee invites all to join in a special evening of peace and joy on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, as we gather together in the John Barnes Room for Christmas Caroling beginning at 7 PM, followed by a special Christmas Eve Meeting for Worship in our meetinghouse and on Zoom (using our regular Zoom link, available in our Weekly Announcements and by request) at 7:30 PM. We ask that the section of the meetinghouse closest to the East Wing be reserved for Friends wearing masks. At approximately 8 PM, Friends are invited back to the John Barnes Room for homemade Christmas cookies, milk and hot apple cider. Merry Christmas to all!
Winter Coat Drive
Our Youth Committee, with the help of young Friends, is currently holding our annual Winter Coat Drive! Please bring in new or gently used winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves (only the listed items, please!). There is a collection basket in the John Barnes Room as well as the vestibule. The collection will go through the end of December and will benefit Face to Face in Germantown. Thank you for your support!
Abington Quarterly Meeting Holiday Newsletter
The AQM Holiday Newsletter offers information about activities at Monthly Meetings in our local area. Please take time to browse through.
MLK Day Special Program: January 19
All are welcome to join in a special sing-along of Songs for Social Justice in honor of the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Friends will gather in the John Barnes Room at 11:15 AM, following our coffee break and fellowship, and we will join in song led by Justin Solonynka and Courtney Gable. Please plan to join us for what promises to be a moving experience.
All Clerks Meeting: January 19
Clerks & Officers of Meeting, please plan to attend our All Clerks Meeting at 12:15 PM in the Short Stable and on Zoom. Please plan to attend or send someone to represent your committee.
Sandwich Making for Face to Face
All are welcome to join the Meeting youth at 10:00 AM on Sunday, January 26, to make sandwiches for Face to Face to distribute to those in need. You are welcome to attend Meeting for Worship for the first few minutes, or as long as you wish, and then join us. The more the merrier – many hands make light work!
From our Peace & Social Justice Committee
Abington Monthly Meeting has approved a peace minute drafted by members of the Peace and Social Justice Committee calling for the immediate cessation of violence in the Middle East. This was forwarded to the Friends Council on National Legislation to share with Congress.
Click Here to read the minute.
Upcoming Adult Classes
Sundays at 11:15 AM
January 5: Bringing in the new year with community
Please pull up a chair with Chris Berry by a warm fire in the John Barnes Room as we welcome the New Year. We will be nourished by connection with each other - as well as by listening for whispers of what wants to happen in our lives this year. Hope you can make it!
January 26: Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence
Bryan Miller, Executive Director of Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence, will be the presenter for our Adult Education class on Sunday January 26. Mr. Miller will provide an update on his organization’s progress toward energizing and organizing people of faith and their houses of worship to seek an end to gun violence. Included will be a review of the emerging role of PYM's Friends Ending Gun Violence (FEGV) collaborative in partnership with Heeding, exemplified by the November 2024 Memorial to the Lost Dedication at Arch Street Meetinghouse. He will share the view that the results of the recent election make faith-based campaigns like Heeding's and FEGV more critical than ever.
February 2: Benjamin Lay Lecture
Watch for details on this year’s lecture topic and speaker.
February 16: Antiracism
Wanda Wyffels will facilitate this session.
February 23: Quaker Process
George Schaefer will facilitate this session.
Registration & Survey for FDS and Child Care
If you have children or young friends in your family, please complete
this survey to help us learn more about your family and to register them for First Day School (grades k - 12) or childcare (ages 0 - 5). In the case that you would not like to register your child(ren) for First Day School or child care, please complete the survey anyway to let us know more about your family and how we could support you in the meeting.
Meeting for Singing
Meeting for Singing takes place every Sunday at 9 AM in the John Barnes Room, except Meeting for Business days. Please join us! No musical experience is required, just a willingness to enjoy some time singing together!
Meeting for Worship to Attend to Business
All are welcome and encouraged to attend our next meeting for worship to attend to business on Sunday, December 8 at 11:30 AM in the meetinghouse and on our regular Sunday Zoom link. Our Hospitality Committee will host a coffee break prior to meeting for business. Please join us!
Ongoing Connections for Friends of Color, hosted by Friends General Conference (FGC)
Virtual Worship for Friends of Color:
Evening Weekly Worship
Event Details - every Weds evening at 7pm.
In 2018, Friends General Conference began hosting virtual worship for People of Color. FGC established this practice as a result of a request by Friends of Color who participated in a retreat that summer. This is an opportunity for Friends of Color to connect across the United States and Canada. For more information and the link to participate:
Click Here
Benjamin Lay Play Coming to Philadelphia
Tickets are now available for the Philadelphia production of the play, *The Return of Benjamin Lay*, co-written by Marcus Rediker, to be performed at the Quintessence Theatre Company (Sedgwick Theater) in Philadelphia May 1-18, 2025.
https://quintessencetheatre.org/thereturnofbenjaminlay
Historic abolitionist Benjamin Lay was a fascinating and fearless man who spoke out against the horrors of slavery, and he was a member of Abington Meeting. This important play shares his story. More information about Benjamin Lay, including his removal from membership and recent reinstatement as a "Friend of the Truth," can be found on our website.
Click Here to view these resources.
Time to Share our Joys!
Especially now, Friends need news of joy. If you have a new job, a new family member, a life event of any kind, a new endeavor or milestone or accomplishment (big or small), please share your happiness with Friends! The "News of Friends" section of our monthly newsletter is the perfect place to do this, so please bring a smile to others in the Meeting community by sharing your joy! Please email a few sentences about your joy to Loretta at AMM@abingtonfriends.net.
Coffee Break Hosts Needed
Friends are encouraged to sign up to host a coffee break following our meeting for worship. Committees, families or individuals are welcome to sign up to host. If you'd like to work with someone else, feel free to find a Friend and sign up together.
Click here for our Coffee Break Sign Up Sheet.
Some Friendly Reminders...
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Our First Aid Kit for the meetinghouse is kept on the kitchen counter in full view for easy access. It is important that it is replaced there if moved.
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Food and beverages are not permitted in the meetinghouse. Please enjoy your refreshments in the John Barnes Room or on the porch.
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If you are meeting after First Day Worship or any other time when Cathy/Mike/Bob are not immediately available, please remember to lock both Short Stables doors and/or the meetinghouse (whichever you have used) when you leave. All clerks with codes should also remember to set the alarm after using the meetinghouse. Otherwise, the buildings may be open for a substantial period of time before Mike or Bob or Cathy return to the property. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation.
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When you are present at the meetinghouse, please remember to wear your nametag. If you need a nametag, please sign up on the list just below the nametag shelf in the John Barnes Room.
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When you visit our meetinghouse property on Sundays or for special events at other times, please do not park on the grass. Thank you!
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Please remember that our meetinghouse driveway is One Way. We have had some near-misses recently with cars exiting the property the wrong way. Please remember to enter by Greenwood Avenue, and exit only onto Meetinghouse Road. One Way signs are posted along the driveway.
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Many of us consider our meetinghouse to be a second home, so as a friendly reminder, please treat the Meeting property as though it really is your home: Pick up trash, wash and dry your dishes, turn off the lights, and lock doors on your way out. Please remember that we do not have a Caretaker to clean up, so we all share this responsibility. Thank you, Friends!
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Please rinse all items before putting them in the recycling bin. Please remember that ALL items with recycling codes (such as plastic cups) go in the recycling bins - there has been some tendency to put some recyclables in the trash, and then the trash has to be sorted.
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The sections of the meetinghouse closest to the East Wing have been designated as an area to be used ONLY for Friends who choose to wear masks. We ask that Friends who wish to be unmasked kindly sit elsewhere in the meetinghouse. Friends wearing masks are still welcome to sit anywhere, but we acknowledge that some Friends prefer to sit only near others with masks on. Please maintain safe distancing, because comfort levels vary among Friends, and some Friends are higher risk.
As Friends, we are called to be ministers to one another...
If you are struggling or wish to be held in the Light, or if you’re concerned for another member or attender who is struggling, please tell anyone on Care of Members Committee. For concerns about meeting for worship or its vocal ministry, please talk to anyone on Worship & Ministry Committee.
Clearness committees are offered by both Care of Members and Worship & Ministry for different issues:
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Care of Members arranges clearness committees for membership, marriage, and for help in resolving conflict. We can provide assistance on identifying resources to help address personal or financial challenges.
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Worship & Ministry arranges clearness committees to help anyone with a strong leading or concern that is especially spiritual and potentially a called ministry, with the goal of helping the Friend achieve clarity regarding: the nature of the concern or leading; next steps; and potential future support for faithfulness to that leading.
Your Help is Needed
If you believe in the good work that we do at our beloved Abington Friends Meeting, please give regularly so that we can continue our work within our community and the wider world. This is a friendly reminder that donations of any amount are needed to continue this work. Please click on the
How to Donate tab for specific ways to donate, including credit card, ACH and Venmo. Checks should be payable to Abington Monthly Meeting. Thank you for your generosity!
Daily Worship with Pendle Hill
In need of more frequent Quaker connection? You are invited to join the Pendle Hill community for worship, which takes place in the Barn and online from 8:30am to 9:10am every day, Monday through Sunday.
Join Pendle Hill worship via Zoom
Our daily Meeting for Worship, a gathering based in silence, is central to life at Pendle Hill and has been held every day since Pendle Hill first opened its doors in 1930. We invite you to join us, whatever your beliefs, convictions, and experiences
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Learning Opportunities at Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill offers many interesting and enlightening programs all year long. For complete information about what's coming up,
click here.