Toward the end of This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century, coauthors Mark and Paul Engler argue that Quakers have often acted powerfully as a “prophetic minority” in U.S. history—sometimes to great practical effect. According to the Englers, “Quakers served as the backbone of the movement against slavery in both the United States and Great Britain.” They also note that, “Later on, Quakers would play important roles in the women’s suffrage, civil rights, antiwar, and antinuclear movements.” …
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Hello NEYM monthly meeting friends! 
Greetings from Pendle Hill! I am the new communications and outreach coordinator here, and look forward to being in touch regarding our programming and educational opportunities.
I am reaching out today because several of you had a chance to join Doug Gwyn in his bible study half hours at NEYM annual sessions and I thought you might be interested to know that Doug will be joining Pendle Hill to teach an entirely online course this fall. This means that, without needing to come to campus, you have the opportunity to join in learning community with Doug again! Please share information about this course with your meetings as you are called.
More information about the course is available at our website, but I’ve also pasted information about the course below:
Quaker Studies Online– A Sustainable Life: Quaker Faith and Practice in the Renewal of Creation
September 5-November 20, 2016
This course offers an opportunity to reframe Quaker faith and practice within the horizon of the global concern for sustainability. This reframing allows us to reclaim the Quaker tradition with fresh understanding and renewed purpose. The course is built around Gwyn’s book A Sustainable Life: Quaker Faith and Practice in the Renewal of Creation and several relevant Pendle Hill pamphlets, and will involve webinar conversations with thoughtful Quakers engaged in sustainability work, including Steve Chase, Marcelle Martin, Brian Drayton, Pamela Boyce Simms, Eileen Flanagan, and Ruah Swennerfelt.
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have questions or concerns. For questions about financial aid and group discounts please contact Steve Chase at schase@pendlehill.org or (610) 566-4507, ext. 123. Register today to save your spot!
I know that Radical Faithfulness was also the theme of NEYM Annual Sessions this year, and I wanted to extend an invitation to you and those at your meetings to consider applying for this year’s cohort of Pendle Hill’s flagship Radical Faithfulness course. More information below:
September 26, 2016-May 22, 2017 (online and on campus)
Core faculty: Steve Chase
Guest faculty/presenters include: Rev. Dr. William Barber
Called to faithful action for peace, social justice, and sustainability? Want to work more effectively with others for positive change? Ready to learn more about nonviolent action and grassroots organizing? Then consider joining Pendle Hill’s intensive 9-Month Online/On-Campus Program on Spiritual Activism and Faith-Based Organizing (with five on-campus residencies).
For full schedule, information about financial aid, and other program details see here.
I have attached flyers as well, thank you for sharing these two educational opportunities! I look forward to being in touch.
With gratitude,
Lina
Lina Blount
Communications and Outreach Coordinator Pendle Hill 338 Plush Mill Road Wallingford, Pennsylvania 610-566-4507, ext. 122
Today, I was struck powerfully by the fact that there are so many proverbs in scripture that express some lazy and erroneous conventional “wisdom” that we should question and reject. An example of this is the frequently repeated notion in Proverbs that if you love God and are faithful to the Spirit’s leadings, you will inevitably be protected from harm and suffering, avoid persecution, be prosperous, and enjoy nothing but good things in life.
The sacred stories offered in the gospels about the arrest, cruel torture, and humiliating public execution of Jesus as a rebel leader at the hands of the Roman Empire puts the lie to this very naive notion. While loving God and loving what God loves does open us to great joy, communion, and near endless gratitude, it does not protect us from suffering persecution or betrayal at the hands of others. In one of the gospels, even Jesus is reported to have said on the cross, “God, God, why have you forsaken me?”
Yet, the resurrection story of Easter says to me that we while we can suffer betrayal and persecution at the hands of others, we are not forsaken. We are not alone. We are not without divine love and spiritual resources. In fact, the message of the resurrection story to me is that evil can be evil, but it can’t kill the Spirit–and God’s Spirit always remains available to accompany us on a path that can deepen our joy, inspire our courage to challenge the corrupt ways of empire in the world (and in our hearts), and help us become much needed channels of divine love and healing so we are able to say in the midst of intense suffering and betrayal, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”
To this, I would only add, “Forgive me, Divine Spirit in which we all live, move, and breath, for I so often do not know what I do and I so often miss the mark.” Blessed be.
Steve Chase
Apr 1 – Aug 31, 2015
Pendle Hill’s new certificate training program, Answering the Call to Radical Faithfulness, is designed for people of faith who want to learn how to foster a sustainable society that embodies care and concern for the natural world, social and economic justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and peace. Students in this training program will:
Throughout the program, students will be supported by a team of faith leaders, nonviolent action trainers, and community organizers coordinated by Pendle Hill’s Director of Education Steve Chase. For more information, click on the links below, or contact Steve Chase, Director of Education, at 610-566-4507, ext. 123.
Applying to the Program
Who Should Participate?
Program Learning Objectives
Core Components of the Program
Program Schedule and Themes
Educational Philosophy
A Word About Online Learning
Program Costs and Scholarships
Faculty and Advisors
