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Cathy Draine
Originally from Tennessee, I came to Pendle Hill directly from working with children in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After years of social activism, I needed healing and reenergizing. I was also seeking to grow as an artist and writer, and to have an audience for my plays. The Pendle Hill community became a family that loved, supported, and challenged me through every presentation, and in my process of transformation. I have carried this experience with me in my graduate program in Cultural Production at Brandeis University.
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Eleanor Harris
"Originally from Alabama, I’ve been living in Minnesota for 25 years and am a member of Minneapolis Friends Meeting. After working for a large corporation, and then Public Radio International, I took a sabbatical to reevaluate how I am called to be of service.
Through Pendle Hill’s Resident Program, I have gained a deeper sense of what it means to live in a diverse community, and to be a friend, and a Friend, doing God’s work in the world. I am now serving Pendle Hill as Associate Director of Development." Read More
Genevieve Wimp-McCann
A dancer who grew up Catholic in Chicago and was once in the US Air Force, a self-proclaimed Wild Woman with a love for mandala art, her spinning wheel, James Weldon Johnson, bell hooks, and giant hemlock trees, Genevieve Wimp-McCann came to Pendle Hill in 2006-2007 as the Minnie Jane Quaker Artist in Residence. Read More
Tom Affleck
“Before I came to Pendle Hill, I had never been to a Quaker meeting for worship, nor had I any experience with Quakers. I almost had a fear of silence and would pray constantly, with words. I’d never really take the time to listen, or to sit quietly. I’ve since come to realize through Quaker meetings and my prayer class the importance of a daily period of silence, of contemplative and meditative prayer, of taking the time to listen for God and to truly live out the words: “Be still and know that I am God.” Doing this, not just by myself, but with a prayer partner and in a group, has been so important to my faith development here. Read More
Anthony Manusos
My year as a resident student at Pendle Hill (1987-88) was a life-changing experience. At the time I was relatively new to the Religious Society of Friends—I had been attending meeting for only three or four years—but I was already deeply committed to Quaker service. A member of the Quaker US/USSR Committee, I helped edit The Human Experience, a collection of fiction and poetry by American and Russian writers that was jointly published in the US and USSR. Read More
Trish Roberts
"IT CHANGED MY WHOLE LIFE. I once saw a sketch in the New Yorker magazine, which had a moving van with these words on the side: 'Paradigms shifted.' That describes my Pendle Hill experience. Read More
Jena Botte
"I am taking three full-term courses and no short-term courses. In a sentence, my experience with learning here is the cliche 'I get out of it what I put into it.' It has been up to me how deeply I want to delve into the reading and reflection and personal growth around the topics. Committing to showing up to class and fully participating has been my minimal expectation. Outside of class, there are many enriching ways to further engage in the class learning - some of which I have embraced (discussions, journaling), some not as much (additional, supplemental readings). I have experienced my classes as a perfect balance of whole class listening and questioning, small group and partner sharing, and individual reflection and reading time. Other class participants freely share their experiences and ask questions that I hadn't thought to ask. What a gift! The dynamics between us all have been rich and inspiring." Read More
Tom Lomas and Nancy Lomas-Bassuk
Opportunities for learning at Pendle Hill are rich and varied. The courses seem, in almost a magical way, to foster the unfolding of the spirit. Courses enable students to explore topics in a manner personally meaningful to them. Much informal learning takes place through casual conversations in the dining room.
I would say that my year at Pendle Hill has been the richest growth experience of my life." Read More
Carmen Lamothe
Pendle Hill is a community that provides a rich infusion of spiritual service, education and experience. As I've interacted with Pendle Hill's diverse population, I've been enriched with their positive energy, insight and love. I'm grateful for the space and support Pendle Hill provides." Read More
Elisabeth Dearborn
The experience of living in community with people from all over the world, sharing in common the spiritual search, has been profoundly nourishing. Living so simply, choosing not to be on email, and having my phone on for only half an hour each day has helped me listen to ‘the still small voice within.
With so many opportunities for learning available here, I've enjoyed steering a course among them that has nourished me deeply. Deep solitude has been the most powerful of all, embedded as it is here in the context of a present and loving community."
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