December 2014

Dear Friend,

Reflecting on the year at Pendle Hill, I recall the sights and sounds of vocal ministry, laughter, new and returning faces, and prophetic voice. I’m grateful for the deep silence in which we ground ourselves every morning, listening for the beckoning of the Inner Teacher.

In the spring, civil rights leaders Vincent and Aljosie Harding were in residence with us. We were deeply saddened by Vincent Harding’s death in May. His last public dialogue drew 140 seekers from various traditions to our community for an evening conversation. That night, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Poet Sonia Sanchez, Reverend Donna Jones, Professor Keith Reeves, and many others lent their voices to the exchange in which Professor Harding called on Americans to create a real democracy together – a true “WE the people.” Saying that this can only be done with deep, constant practices of dialogue, he called for “co-believers, co-workers, co-strugglers, and fellow travelers wherever they are, to find spaces where they can explore questions and be prepared to transform themselves and this country as agents of healing.”

Vincent Harding added, “I think there’s a word for us doing that, and without question, I think that the spelling of that word may be Pendle Hill.”

Will you donate to support our work to provide a Quaker space for all people to learn, restore, listen, and be inspired to build beloved community in the world?

Looking ahead to 2015, I note the ways that Vincent Harding’s call has already guided us. Much of our programming will be centered on creating a just and peaceful world for all people. Please see our April/May conference on Mass Incarceration, our June Young Adult Friends Conference on Equality, and our new certificate program Answering the Call to Radical Faithfulness. We can do this necessary healing and building together. WE the people.

Thank you for being part of our community.

Jennifer Karsten
Executive Director