Notes from Pastor Ashley / December 7, 2022

Dear Friends, All of a sudden, it feels like Christmas is upon us! This Advent, I am reading a free devotional called The Season of Waiting by Kate Bowler. She is a writer I always enjoy, and I highly recommend her book Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved). For this week in her devotional, Kate Bowler wrote, “The fragility of the people we love makes Christmas layered with a lot of…

Barbershop Holiday Sing-In / December 8, 2022

I sing in a barbershop chorus, the Greensboro Tarheel Chorus, which is a local chapter of the international Barbershop Harmony Society. We are having a holiday sing-in, open to the public, at New Garden Friends Meeting on Thursday, December 8, at 7:00 PM. We are renting the Meeting Room as an outside group, but all members of the NGFM community (and the greater Greensboro community) are invited to join us. Part of the hour-long program…

Overwhelmed by Racial Injustice? / December 7, 2022

The Carolina Peacemaker, Greensboro’s African American newspaper, recommended the book DO the WORK! An Antiracist Activity Book (2022) By W. Kamau Bell (African American man) and Kate Schatz (European American woman). It’s a good one! From the Cover: “For all the people overwhelmed by racial injustice and white supremacy in America, who’ve taken some action and know they can do more, but don’t always know what to do or how to do it, or are…

Books Needed for Little Free Antiracist Library / December 7, 2022

“New Garden’s Little Free Antiracist Library has been a great success and is getting a lot of traffic! Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the wonderful collection of books, promoting antiracist themes! We need to replace books that have been taken, so please check your bookshelves at home for titles by black authors, books that teach about racism, biographies of people in under-represented populations, etc. The books may be placed in the…

Religious Education Update / December 7, 2022

Simple Christmas Simple Christmas is THIS Saturday, December 10th, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. There will be model trains, stories, crafts, music, fellowship, and general merriment. Would you like to lead a craft or activity and help make magic happen? There are many craft ideas and supplies available for those interested. Volunteers are also needed for set up and clean up. Contact Karin Heller. [email protected] Children are Welcome at Meeting for Worship & Meeting for Wiggles is…

Two New Zoom Conversations Coming this Spring / 2023

Where the Words Come From – Experiences of Vocal Ministry in Meeting for Worship What is happening when we speak (or sing) in a meeting for worship? How do we tell whether or not it is the right thing to do? Has that changed over time? How much does our mind, or intellect or ego, or heart and emotions play a role in deciding when to speak or what to say? Do other people in…

A Pair of Pennsylvania Friends Meetinghouses with (Loose) NGFM Links / December 2022

                The New Garden Friends Meeting namesake Meetinghouse is located in New Garden Township equidistant from the Chester County Seat (West Chester) and Valley Friends Meetinghouse. With hope this (very stretched!) family link will spark future NGFM links with our Mother PA Meeting, Valley Friends evolved from land granted to it by Lewis Walker (the original settler of Tredyffrin Township). It is a beautiful meetinghouse built in 1871…

The Holding In The Light List / December 7, 2022

There have been a few questions recently about why some names are not on the Holding in the Light list. When we receive a pastoral care concern, we ask whether people want to be added to the Holding in the Light list (as well as whether they would like a card, a visit, or a meal). Some people choose not to be added to the list, and we respect their wishes. If you have a…