Events
Tea-and-Chat with Quaker Parents
Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. EDST – virtual
Being socially isolated from other parents can be really hard right now. Through the New England Yearly Meeting, Gretchen Baker-Smith and Harriet Heath are co-hosting a weekly Zoom Tea-and-Chat with Quaker parents during this stay-at-home time. Join a free-form conversation. To sign up email Harriet Heath at [email protected].
The Testimonies as Directives for Living with Children
The Testimonies are held as a way of living. As such should they be guides for family life?
Facilitators: Emma Richter and Harriet Heath.
January 18
Is it reasonable to expect peace in my family?
January 26
What does it mean to treat everyone equally when we are including the toddler, the teenager, and grandparents?
January 31
How can we live simply when we need cell phones and our kids want Legos for Christmas?
February 8
Stewardship. That is something we can do as a family.
February 15
Service. How can we find meaningful service projects for our kids?
February 28
How can we expect our children to live with integrity when they are only beginning to know who they are?
March 8
Living in community. Isn’t that what we are doing?
For further information contact Harriet Heath at [email protected].
Searching to Better Nurture and Guide Children
Wednesdays in March 2022
Parents, drawing from their Quaker faith can find their deepest hopes and identify their values. Seasoned Queries give a bridge between dreams and everyday life. Queries such as, where is that of God in my child and in me, challenge us to look deeper into the foundation of our faith and into our family life.
Wednesdays in March a five week series starting on the Second. Using these kinds of questions we will reflect on our family life, its joys and frustrations and describe alternative scenarios as we move from dreams to reality.
For further information contact Harriet Heath at [email protected].
Parenting Creatively in a Quakerly Manner
Starting October 19, 2021
Parenting Creatively in a Quakerly Manner, a five-week virtual discussion series, offers parents an opportunity to reflect on their lives with their children, to consider what their long-term hopes are for their children and themselves and to explore how their current parenting supports those hopes. To be facilitated by Emma Richter and Harriet Heath, the time together will provide space for worshiping, sharing and exploring current information and skills relevant to parenting. A more detailed description of this series is in the workshop section of this web site. For further information contact Harriet Heath at [email protected].
Coming: Watch for further information
Training for Quaker Parenting Initiative facilitators
An opportunity to learn an approach to working with parents that leaves the decision making with the parents while providing access to the information and skills parents need to be able to carry out their decisions.
Gathering of Quakers working with parents. Watch for further information.
Across this nation there are Quakers seeking to support parents in their lives as parents and as Quakers. This gathering will be an opportunity to:
- Report the needs we each are finding among Quaker parents for support and guidance.
- Share what each of us is doing to meet the needs we see in our Quaker parents.
- Learn what others are doing.
Quaker Parenting Mutual Support Groups
Starting mid November
Groups provide Friends, who are currently parenting children, a space for mutual conversation and support. Though sponsored by the New York Yearly Meeting, Friends United Meeting, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, ALL Quaker parents are welcome to participate, regardless of location or affiliation.
To register for the winter series starting mid-November use the following link tinyurl.com/QPMSG21
QPI Presented at
Friends General Conference
June 28 – July 3 and its not too late to register for any of the following. Go to www.FGCgathering.org
June 28 through July 2, 2:00 to 3:30 EDST
Melinda Wenner Bradly, a QPI steering committee member, is leading a five day workshop on All Together Now: Centering the Needs of Families. The workshop will ask the question what if the needs of families and young people were at the heart of meeting life? What would change? What would be lost? What would grow?
Thursday July 1, 4:30 – 6:00 PM EDST
A one afternoon workshop introducing the Quaker Parenting Initiative: Who we are. What we do. and What we have to offer. The discussion will review the rich insights and guidance Quakerism with its beliefs, testimonies and practices Quakerism has to offer parents. These we will relate to typical parenting situations. The workshop will review a brief history of the Quaker Parenting Initiative with a description of what we do and how we can support Meeting Programs particularly Outreach and Religious Education committee work. Led by Harriet Heath
Friday July 2, 4:30 – 600PM EDST
A one afternoon workshop discussing, The Testimonies as Guides for Our Parenting/Grandparenting. We will demonstrate how the testimonies can guide our parenting. By taking one of the testimonies, simplicity, we will relate it to a common parenting/grandparenting situation, namely gift giving, demonstrating a process people can use to guide their parenting. Led by Harriet Heath