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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…

FGC recommends the following tip for newcomers to the Quaker faith: Attend your yearly meeting annual session to observe and participate in the decision-making process.

One thing I recall about growing up churchy in the 1980s and 1990s was that church was typically nearby, part of the community, and, broadly speaking, a family of families. I grew up in the Greater Tried Stone Baptist Church in the Columbia Heights section of Northwest Washington, DC. Established over a hundred years ago, Tried Stone…

Read this evoking poem from Trayce Peterson, one of the co-clerks of the Young Adult and Youth Gathering.

In the case of Mennonite Church USA et al v. DHS, the suit that FGC is involved in, a briefing schedule has been set by the court.

Earlier this year, I sent a message comparing the 125th anniversary of the publication of The Wizard of Oz to the 125th anniversary of Friends General Conference, both occurring this year. At the annual sessions of North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), I continued that idea, reminding Friends that even though the Quaker faith exists in many…

Friends General Conference has updated its page on groups that support faithfulness.

In this video, Dr. Harold D. Weaver, Jr. and Dr. Emma Lapsansky-Werner share about the making of “Black Fire.” In the process, they explore topics like segregation in Quaker spaces, liberation, and direct repair for slavery.

The 2025 Young Adult and Youth Gathering ended on a sweet note. See a few photo highlights here, and learn about the program itself.

An introduction to Daquanna Harrison, her recommendations for Quaker practice, and how she became a Friend.

This week, my colleague Johanna alerted me to a poem written by Langston Hughes. It reads, in part: I swear to the LordI still can’t seeWhy Democracy meansEverybody but me. It reminded me of a speech from Frederick Douglass that I am quite familiar with, in which he asks “What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?” I…