April 2015

Dear friends,

It is my joy to write to you with magnolias and corylopsis abounding outside as I type. Worship this morning was deeply centered, and it was terrific to have the Friends Council on Education’s “Educators new to Quakerism” group with us. The ministry, to me, was at times soothing and in another moment powerfully provocative. For all of this, I am so grateful. There are some other “beautiful happenings” on campus, too, including our QuakerBooks partnership, Phil Gulley’s upcoming lecture, and the good feeling of having full programs.

Last week, the beloved bookstore QuakerBooks of Friends General Conference (FGC) moved to Pendle Hill! FGC and Pendle Hill are undertaking this bookstore collaboration as a six-month experiment, to find out if relocating to our campus is a way to overcome challenges faced by walk-in booksellers in an age of “Amazon.” If you value walk-in bookshops, you can help ensure an ongoing store with a focus on topics of interest to Quakers and their friends. Please show your support by making book purchases here and recommending QuakerBooks to others. We are thrilled to invite everyone we know to come enjoy this fully stocked and expertly staffed store. Hours of operation are Thursday through Monday, 9:30am-4:30pm. For phone orders, call 1-800-966-4556.

Our upcoming conference on Ending Mass Incarceration has filled up and registration for the Answering the Call to Radical Faithfulness certificate program has closed with twelve amazing participants from around the U.S. (and there are still spaces open in the next run of that program which begins in the Fall). Of course, we also have an array of weekend, 5-day, month-long, and extended residency educational programs. Nature photographer David Foster is one such resident Friend; he arrived this week from Atlanta for a 10-week stay as our latest Minnie Jane Artist in Residence.

Many local people will enjoy the lecture by the humorous and insightful Quaker pastor Phil Gulley who will speak on May 4th. If you plan to attend, please reserve your spot here. We will be live streaming the lecture for those of you who cannot join us that evening; you can register for that here also.

The campus is gorgeous in the springtime – please come for worship, education, fellowship, and renewal with us (it’s also a great time of year for our farm-to-table meals!). Our community looks forward to welcoming you.

In Peace,

Jennifer Karsten
Executive Director