Quaker Voluntary Service

For their Fall Retreat the Boston house focused on Grief, which is also their theme for the month of October. They spent their time at the house of local Friends and QVS supporters Pat Moyer and Bruce Nueman in New Hampshire. Both Pat and Bruce have served as Spiritual Nurturers in the past. The Fellows did grounding activities, played games, wrote about the four stages of community and spent time in nature.

Today QVS is recruiting at multiple colleges. You can find ​Zenaida Peterson at the UMass Amherst Nonprofit and Social Impact Fair and Ruth Cutcher at the Wilmington College - Ohio Career Fair.

For their Fall Retreat the Philadelphia House was going to do peer clearness and house covenant but instead they talked about emotional labor, defensiveness, emotional bids and also had some conversations about race, class and gender. Seems like they also spent a bunch of time in canoes and kayaks.

Please join us for a space of Waiting Worship on the eve of the United States elections, November 4th, 2024 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Here is the Zoom link for those joining Virtually.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89461291310?pwd=Q2NWdGFPc05wRnBFbURmc1FSY2QvUT09

Passcode: 552750

Join Quaker Voluntary Service staff member Hilary at the Smith College career fair (in the indoor track and tennis building). She’ll be there 3:30pm-6pm!

Portland Fellow Paloma and QVS Alumna Lydia are seen here distributing safer s*x supplies and reproductive health resources at the Paw Team’s clinic for the pets of low income and houseless people. They dressed as a v***a and a condom, met many adorable pets, and were wonderful representatives of reproductive health for Outside In.

The QVS Philadelphia Fellows carved pumpkins as part of their QVS day this Monday at Central Philadelphia Meeting. Happy Autumn.

Executive Director Hilary Burgin shares about her summer sabbatical in a recent blog post:

"As you know, I had the incredible gift of taking the summer away from work. I hosted friends and family for weekend trips to my house, gardened, watched hours (and hours) of videos on home repairs and renovation, learned how to and then fixed drywall, canoed 59 miles of the Allagash River with my mom, took a timber framing class at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, swam in Ashfield Lake (a four minute walk from my house), and so much more."

Read more here: https://quakervoluntaryservice.org/moments-of-utter-presents-hilarys-return-from-sabbatical/

QVS Recruitment Coordinator Ruth Cutcher met up with QVS Alumns Liz Nicholson and Walid Sicdm for lunch in Greensboro, North Carolina last week on a trip.

We are holding all our Friends in North Carolina in the light who are struggling in the aftermath of the Hurricane 🕯

We have discerned to hold Meeting for Worship with Attention to Palestine on Tuesdays only moving forward as it seems to be when more people are able to attend. A QVS staff member will continue to lead a 30-minute meeting for worship on Tuesdays at 12:00 noon ET / 9:00am PT. We hope you can join us!

If you would like to attend, but this time doesn’t work for you, please contact [email protected] and we might be able to add another time that works well for folks.

Additionally, here are some other Quaker organizations holding virtual meeting for worship opportunities:

American Friends Service Committee Meeting for Worship with Attention to Peace in Palestine & Israel: https://afsc.org/events/meeting-worship-attention-peace-palestine-israel

Friends General Conference Worship for Friends of Color: https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/ministry-on-racism/programs/virtual-worship-for-friends-of-color/

World Quaker Day Global Worship on October 6th (semi-programmed): https://fwccemes.org/calendar/world-quaker-day-2024

National Zoom Call for Worship with Attention to the Election on November 3rd:
https://quakercall.net/join-the-conversation

In peace,

Haley, Rai, Zenaida, and Ruth

Sign up here: https://lu.ma/qvsworshipwithattentiontopalestine

Last Sunday the Twin Cities Fellows Abbie Herbrechtsmeyer, Nora McClellan, and Rev. Atuhaire Moses worshiped with Minneapolis Friends Meeting. They attended a talk by Paula Palmer on the Quaker-run Indian boarding schools and then attended for semi-programmed meeting. Later there was a Spiritual Nurturer gathering at the QVS house.

Read about Rev. Atuhaire Moses's experience at National Orientation here: https://quakervoluntaryservice.org/listening-to-the-inner-voice-a-reflection-by-rev-atuhaire-moses-on-his-experience-at-national-orientation/

QVS Boston Fellows gathered together to help harvest at Muddy River Herbals in Canton, Massachusetts. Muddy River Herbals grows plants for medicine and their mission is:

To grow healing plants that sustain New England's people and landscapes. We are devoted to ecological growing methods that are in rhythm with the environments of eastern Massachusetts and the wild species that share our fields. The herbs that we tend are lovingly cared for from the moment we sow them in the soil to the time that we place them in your hands.

Check them out at: https://www.muddyriverherbals.com/

The QVS Philadelphia House gathered at the Clark Park Dog Bowl for worship with attention to transition and dogs.

QVS is visiting Oberlin College! Come find Ruth on October 1st from 10:30-2:00 near the entrance to the main library. Learn about if a Fellowship in Boston, Minneapolis/St Paul, Philadelphia, or Portland, OR is right for you. Please share widely!

The first QVS day for the Portland House started with Tarot readings at Taborspace for a morning check in, and then they went to Laurelhurst Park in the afternoon.

This Sunday the Boston Fellows worshiped at Beacon Hill Friends House and then spent time together debriefing the experience at a near by park. We're so grateful to the many Quaker meetings and Churches that offer the Fellows spaces to worship and connect with Friends.

This quote, by Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio, is on the wall at QVS Executive Director Hilary Burgin s house.

What you think about it?

Local Orientation for Portland Fellows involved meeting alumni, visiting the cities many Farmers Markets, having a Potluck and this cute DOG!

QVS Day for Boston involved a picnic by the sea.

Every year the Local Support Committee in Portland, OR has presented the new Fellows with personal, lovingly handmade, quilts. Every year it's so gosh darn sweet - there's nothing that says Welcome to a Quaker service year like a quilt that was made by committee.

This year QVS days are held on Mondays, they used to be on Friday but it felt better to start the week together as a group!

The Minneapolis - St. Paul Fellows started the day at the Mississippi, then did some collaging about spiritual centeredness at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Pete Rode, clerk of Twin Cities FM, joined us for a clerking workshop in the afternoon!

Before attending Friends Meeting At Cambridge - Quakers, Boston Fellows talked about their spiritual lives near the Charles River. Catch the Fellows this Sunday, September 15th at Beacon Hill Friends House!

“Friends believe the divine Light is accessible to all people, regardless of race, s*x, age, or material wealth. Everyone has the potential to respond to God within. All persons ought to have the opportunity to develop their talents and skills under the leadings of the Spirit. Equality is not sameness. It is equality of respect. Every person is a child of God.” (New England Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, 1985)

Photos from the Foundations of Oppression workshop at National Orientation at Pendle Hill.