|
A meeting for unprogrammed worship both through expectant silence and through spoken words.
All Are Welcome
News and Events
Subscribe to E-Newsletter
Sharing the Experience of Summer Gatherings
The 1st First Day Program on Sunday, Sept. 5 will be an opportunity to share our experiences of various Friends gatherings that have been attended over the summer. These include the Friends General Conference Gathering and the annual sessions of Illinois Yearly Meeting and Western Yearly Meeting. All are invited to share and explore the value of these gatherings to our spiritual and communal growth.
MCGM Corn Roast
The 5th annual old-fashioned corn roast and pot luck picnic of the of Metropolitan Chicago General Meeting will be on Saturday, September 4, 2:00 p.m. till dark. This year will also be a celebration of the 40th year anniversary of the McHenry County Friends Worship Group (now Upper Fox Valley Quaker Meeting). The corn roast will be at Alice and Bill Howenstine’s Pioneer Tree Farm, 4614 Pioneer Road (3 miles north of McHenry, half mile off Rt. 31), McHenry, IL 60051; 815-385-8512. A map can be printed from the farm’s web site: www.pioneertreefarm.com.
2:00-5:00: volleyball, hiking, hayrides, horseshoes, croquet, feeding the chickens, frisbee, or your own favorite game…and good conversation!
5:00: pot luck supper – roast corn, lemonade, ice tea, and coffee will be provided by Upper Fox Valley
Evening: campfire, singing, stories
Camping overnight is okay. Breakfast can be a co-op affair and you are welcome to join Upper Fox Valley Meeting Sunday: discussion group, 9 am , worship, 10 am, (held at Crystal Lake Montessori School), followed by a simple pot-luck.
What to bring: Some food to share (and cooler, if needed); soft drinks (if desired); your own non-disposable plates, cups, utensils; folding chairs or blankets to sit on (there are four picnic tables and benches); mosquito repellent; sun-tan lotion; musical instrument; camping equipment, of course, it you want to camp overnight. DRESS FOR THE WEATHER WITH OUTDOOR CLOTHING.
Allen Jay Symposium
Allen Jay participated in all of the great social and spiritual changes Friends experienced in the 1800s, from the Great Separation to peacemaking and mission work to the creation of Friends United Meeting. His family moved to Grant Co., Indiana, near Marion, when Jay was young. Jay went to Farmers Institute Quaker Academy near Lafayette and ended up buying a farm and farming there for 12 years during which time he was an influential member of Western Yearly Meeting. He was then called to help with the education of Quaker children in the North Carolina area following the devastation of the Civil War. His work there made him a famous and respected figure. A powerful speaker despite having a cleft palate, he was in demand ecumenically as an effective evangelist. His last years were spent at Earlham College where he served as superintendent. Under his leadership Earlham was brought to financial stability and several new buildings were built.
Joshua Brown, editor of the new edition of Allen Jay's autobiography and pastor of West Richmond Meeting; Tom Hamm, Earlham Archivist and Quaker historian; and Max Carter, director of the Friends Center at Guilford and who has done extensive research on Jay's work during the Reconstruction, will share insights into one of the best-known Quakers of the 19th century during a presentation entitled "Allen Jay, 1831-1910: A Centennial Symposium" beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 11 in Stout Meetinghouse at Earlham College. The Symposium includes a visit to Earlham Friends Collection, a tour of campus as Jay knew it, a visit to his grave in the Earlham Cemetery, and a visit to West Richmond Friends Meeting. On Sunday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. will be a meeting for worship at the Farmers Institute Academy in West Lafayette, Ind., where Jay and his wife Martha lived before and during the Civil War.
Fall Picnic
The annual picnic will be on Sunday, October 3 after meeting for worship. This time of fellowship and fun will also be a time to welcome new and welcome back returning students.
ILYM Continuing Committee
The Continuing Committee of Illinois Yearly Meeting will meet on Saturday, Oct. 23 at the Evanston meetinghouse. Evanston Meeting will provide for a noontime meal for all attenders as well as child-care for those who request it.
CFS Holiday Market
The Chicago Friends School will be having a holiday market to benefit the school. They are looking for craft items and other gift items to sell. The Market will be on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Chicago Friends School, 2205 W. Belmont.
|
