Vital Friends April 2017: FGC goes green with the Friends Meeting House Fund, an Earth Day-themed reading list from QuakerBooks & More, a resource for parents promoting sustainability in their families, and an interview with upcoming Gathering plenary speaker and clerk of New York Yearly Meeting’s Earthcare Working GroupPamela Boyce Simms.
FGC is proud to provide resources to individual Friends and Quaker meetings that aim to treat every day like Earth Day. We strive to see "that of God" in all creation and lead lives that are sustainable and encourage others to do the same. In this issue, learn more about the green grants we offer through the Friends Meeting House Fund; meet our new Conference and Events Associate Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt; view a web resource and a reading list from QuakerBooks & More to inspire your family's sustainability efforts; check out important updates and deadlines about the FGC Gathering; and read an interview with upcoming Gathering plenary speaker Pamela Boyce Simms about Earthcare and how to adopt a more eco-friendly mindset.
In the Spirit,
The Staff of FGC
This issue contains:
Featured Program: Friends Meeting House Fund
Welcome to FGC: Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt
QuakerBooks Reading List: Earth Day Recommendations
Featured Resource: Nurturing a Sustainable Family
Gathering 2017: Registration Updates and Deadlines
Words with Friends: Pamela Boyce Simms
Show us your Meeting House!
For over 60 years, the Friends Meeting House Fund (FMHF) has helped Friends buy, repair, and make energy-efficient upgrades to their meeting houses. The FMHF maintains grant gunds from which Meetings with modest resources may request support for facilities improvements. Recently approved projects have focused on environmental sustainability and inclusive accessibility.
On March 27th, FGC welcomed Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt as the new Conference and Events Associate to the Gathering team. She succeeds Susan Lee Barton, who is becoming our Administrative Associate.
How can we become better caretakers of our planet? Get inspired for Earth Day and the year ahead with these titles for readers of all ages from QuakerBooks & More!
How can we live more sustainable lives and raise children to be more mindful of their impact on the Earth? FGC's Nurturing a Sustainable Family web resource was created help parents encourage a greater awareness of Earthcare in their families and strengthen their own Stewardship testimony as well.
In less than three months, the 2017 FGC Gathering will be underway in Niagara, NY! Here's some helpful information to keep in mind:
Early registration is happening now. It will continue until April 16th. Attendees seeking financial aid or special accommodations are encouraged to apply early. Standard Registration starts April 22nd. A late fee of $60 will be applied to those who register for Gathering (full-time or part-time attendance) beginning June 1st. Click here to register now.
Attending the FGC Gathering for the first time or as a non-Quaker? We prepared a Newcomer Guide just for you! Click here to read it.
Learn everything you wanted to know about the Gathering (but were afraid to ask) on the Gathering FAQs page online. Click here to view the FAQs.
If you need to get in touch with a member of the Gathering team, use the Gathering Contact Form to ensure that your query is directed to the appropriate staff person. Click here to access the form.
How can we become more conscious of the impact we have on the natural world in our day-to-day decisions? What can we do to achieve unity with the Earth? Environmental activist Pamela Boyce Simms draws from her experiences as a Buddhist-Quaker to offer her suggestions for achieving oneness with our planet.
FGC helps Friends deepen Quaker worship and practice, and supports welcoming and inclusive Quaker communities. Your gift will empower a 35,000-strong community of love and faith.
