Vitality

Thank you to everyone who gave so generously through the end of September. With your help, wemet the $20,000 match goal before the end of FGC’s fiscal year! Your gifts support FGC programs and services that nurture the spiritual vitality of Friends, and you are deeply appreciated.  Many of you added personal notes of support for…

For me, a big thing is ‘what does God want me to do?’ And my answer to that is use my work to somehow provide comfort, to somehow improve the lives of other people, to create moments of connection as opposed to ‘How far am I? How much further can I go?’ – Brandon Stanton,…

In the early 1980s, an interfaith group, including Quakers, was led to deepen their solidarity with immigrants in Central America. That contributed to the beginning of the interfaith sanctuary movement. The litigations that FGC and several affiliated yearly meetings have recently signed on to, as well as the countless ways Friends and meetings are standing together…

Ashley M. Wilcox is the Executive Director of Public Friends. Their mission is to ensure the future of Friends in North America by supporting and developing Quaker ministers to a professional standard. The views expressed here are Ashley’s and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Friends General Conference. LG’s story is not unusual. A…

You may know that the Friends General Conference Staff was in retreat this week at Pendle Hill in Wallingford, Pennsylvania this week.  I am happy to let you know that we have been rejuvenated and given language around our strengths and gifts. Besides letting you know how great our time was with one another, a…

Who’s ready for another reference to “The Wizard of Oz?” At the dawn of the 20th century, two journeys began. In 1900, L. Frank Baum introduced the world to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. That same year, Friends General Conference was born. Both have since spawned countless new versions, remixes, and re-visions. Quakerism, like Oz,…

Last week I shared the stories of two congregations in a major metropolitan area:  my meeting and my childhood church in DC.  I promised that I would discuss how each community could contemplate outreach and growth.  However, I’ll generalize the answers for even further relatability. In one faith community, the neighborhood became largely Spanish speaking….

Intermountain Yearly Meeting Statement of Conscience This statement was approved by the body gathered for the Intermountain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society ofFriends (Quakers) meeting for business on May 31, 2025. As Quakers, members of Intermountain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, we believe in the inherent worth of every person. We…