Newtown Quakers Celebrate World Quaker Day Via Zoom Meeting

Newtown PA

05 October, 2020

2:52 PM

Description

Newtown Quakers Celebrate World Quaker Day Newtown Friends Meeting sent greetings and love to people throughout theworld on October 4 in celebration of World Quaker Day as they gathered virtuallyvia Zoom for worship in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (www.newtownfriendsmeeting.org). There are approximately 400,000 Quakers worldwide in North, Central and South America, Europe, the UK,East Europe, Russia,Africa, Southeast Asia, The FarEast, Australiaand new New Zealand. The goal of World Quaker Day is for Quaker Meetings and organizations aroundthe world to share something about Quakers with the public -- atalk of "Why I am a Quaker," or "My Spiritual Journey" by amember, the founding of their Quaker Meeting, or maybe "Things aboutQuakers You Didn't Know." DuringCovid-19, the events are of necessity virtual and online. Or talks are about well-known Quakers like John Woolman, Judi Dench,William Penn, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, John Greenleaf Whittier, the Barclaysof Barclays Bank, Joan Baez, Susan B. Anthony, the Cadburys of CadburyChocolates, the Clarks of Clark's shoes, Bethlehem Steel founder Joseph Whartonfor whom the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is named, JohnsHopkins, Ezra Cornell of Cornell university, or Bonnie Raitt. Other talks sometimes focus on people raised as Quakers like James Michener,Daniel Boone, James Dean, and Philadelphian Samuel Nicholas, "The FightingQuaker" and founder of the Marine Corps during the Revolutionary War. Sometimes, the public is just invited in for a cup of coffee and an openhouse. Newtown Quaker Meetinghouse is currently closed for all events due to thecoronavirus pandemic but activities of the Meeting and the Meeting's 340members continue online and outdoors (such as the biweekly vigils on Newtown'sState Street in support ofracial justice). When the Meetinghouseat 219 Court Street, Newtown, doesre-open, all events will continue to be open to the public as usual.