Pittsburgh Friends Meeting Member Survey

Clearness & Care Committee: Paper copies of the survey, “Questions on Membership” will be available on the piano March 4th. Both paper and electronic survey responses are requested by March 4th. The link for electronic surveys is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFN2D3C .

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting Fun and Games party

First Day School Committee: Everyone is welcome to a Fun and Games Party on Sat., March 10th 5-9 pm at the Meeting House. Shake off the winter blahs with us! Bring your favorite board/card game and a dish to share. Potluck from 5-6 pm, with games to follow. Children 14 and under must have adult supervision.
Check our website www.quaker.com/pghpamm/!

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting Letter Writing

First Sunday Letter Writing. Following Meeting for Worship, letter writing to elected officials about topical issues supported by FCNL and AFSC. In Library. Materials and support provided. Topic: Ending the War in Afghanistan.
Check our website www.quaker.com/pghpamm/!

IUP Concert Supported by Pittsburgh Friends Meeting member

Concert at IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania
by Jim Cahalan
As part of the national Appalachian studies conference co-organized by distant Pittsburgh Meeting member Jim Cahalan, Si Kahn (sikahn.com) will be giving a featured concert at IUP on March 24 at 8 PM in Fisher Auditorium. Originally from State College, Si has worked for nearly a half-century in the South as a community and labor organizer in the coal fields and textile mills, and he is the founder of Grassroots Leadership, an organization dedicated to social justice. A celebrated songwriter, his song “Aragon Mill” has been covered by over 30 other musicians. His songs cover a wide range of topics including civil rights, women’s rights, labor and race relations, community organizing, war and peace, the environment, and politics. He has also authored four books, the most recent entitled Creative Community Organizing: A Guide for Rabble Rousers, Activists, and Quiet Lovers of Justice. Tickets are only $15 ($8 for students) and may be bought at the door; this concert will draw well but, in a 1,400-seat auditorium, not sell out. You can program your GPS (or print out your Mapquest or Google map) to send you to 403 South Eleventh Street, Indiana, PA 15705-1008–and you’ll find yourself right beside Fisher Auditorium, with plenty of free parking nearby. True folk-music aficionados can go to Calliope House’s Dervish concert at 7:30, Saturday, March 10, at the Carnegie Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., and buy a $15 Si Kahn ticket on discount for $10, from Jim at intermission. All proceeds will go to two non-profit entities dedicated to education and social justice: the national Appalachian Studies Association and IUP’s new Center for Northern Appalachian Studies.

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting calendar

2/29/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship

3/2/12 LEYM teen Spring Retreat – March 2-4, 2012 – Earlham College, Richmond, IN
3/4/12 Sunday Worship, no Bible Study March, Letter Writing, “Questions on Membership” survey by Clearness & Care, Worship Sharing to discern FCNL’s legislative priorities for the 113th Congress.
3/7/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
3/10/12 Saturday First Day School Fun & Games party 5-9pm
3/11/12 Sunday worship, Business Meeting
3/12/12 Monday EECM Men’s Shelter Meal, Spiritual Healing
3/14/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
3/17/12 Saturday FCNL Spring Lobby Weekend
3/18/12 Sunday worship, Ministry’s Adult Education – What Makes a Vital Quaker Meeting? South Hills Worship Group
3/21/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
3/25/12 Sunday worship, Sherwood Oaks Worship Group
3/28/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
3/31/12 Saturday LEYM Representative Meeting, Perrysburg, Ohio

4/1/12 Sunday Worship, Bible Study Genesis, Letter Writing
4/4/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
4/8/12 Sunday worship, Business Meeting, First Day School Easter Egg Hunt
4/11/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
4/15/12 Sunday worship, Ministry’s Adult Education – What Makes a Vital Quaker Meeting? South Hills Worship Group
4/18/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
4/21/12 Saturday First Day School Bonfire
4/22/12 Sunday worship, Sherwood Oaks Worship Group
4/25/12 Wednesday Library work party, Wednesday worship
4/29/12 Sunday worship
Check our web page at www.quaker.org/pghpamm!

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting supports PIIN

PIIN Update
by Sarah Bowen-Salio
As you may or may not know, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) is a network of local Christian, Jewish, and Muslim congregations and affiliate organizations which works together on important issues such as: gun violence, public transit, education, and civil rights for immigrants in our region. Pittsburgh Friends Meeting was one of PIIN’s founding congregations. On January 12, 2012, Ian Samways and I attended PIIN’s first meeting of the year. Held at Temple Sinai, it and was a powerful meeting with inspired singing, ministry, and many “Amens!”
At this meeting, we agreed to change our name from Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network to Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (still PIIN, although we will become the Southwest branch). This change reflects the realization that, in order to fix public transit, education, gun violence, and civil rights for immigrants in Pittsburgh, we need to put pressure on Harrisburg. We can only do this if we have a state-wide reach. Some members of the Board have experience with transforming local interfaith impact organizations into statewide networks. Planning and coordination is already underway to join forces with a few Pennsylvania cities. PIIN’s transformation into a statewide organization will probably take several years and the focal point of leadership will stem from Pittsburgh.
At this meeting, we also elected three brand new board members: one Christian, one Jewish, and the other Muslim. The Muslim was a woman who breaks many stereotypes!
PIIN’s 9th annual banquet will be held on Sunday, April 22, at 5 PM at the Westin Convention Center, 1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15222. This is PIIN’s largest fundraiser of the year and monies raised will help to keep the lights on, pay the salaries of the community organizers, and fund the work of PIIN’s task forces. The keynote speaker will be Rabbi Jonah Pesner of Temple Israel in Boston. Rabbi Symons, of Temple Sinai, is a personal friend and assures us that Rabbi Pesner can preach like a Baptist Minister. It should be a speech to remember! Tickets are $50 and reservations are due by April 10.
The tickets only cover the cost of the event itself. PIIN gets the majority of its monies from the ads and patron donors which are printed in the ad book, which will be debuted at the banquet but will also be distributed at PIIN actions throughout the year. While PIIN is grateful for the ads that we have contributed the past, they noted that the total amount of ads we’ve contributed has slowly dwindled from $2,000 in 2004 to $875 last year. As a founding member of PIIN, we can – and must – do better.
Do you belong to an organization or know a business owner that might be interested in supporting PIIN with an ad? The cost of an ad starts at $100 and goes up from there. Do you shop at a local store or eat at a local restaurant that would be interested? Do you know any individuals who might be willing to contribute at least $5 to PIIN? All donations are tax deductible!
Together, we can help to make this one of PIIN’s best years ever – and I have faith that we could raise well more than $2,000. Our community needs PIIN now more than ever! Please help us to stand by PIIN’s commitment to social justice in this vital election year. If you have any questions or would like to get more information, please email me, Sarah Bowen-Salio.
Check our website www.quaker.com/pghpamm/!

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting Fourth Sunday

Fourth Sunday, February 26, 2012, 10:30 am Meeting for Worship at Sherwood Oaks, Cranberry Twp. For more information, contact Rusty Sweitzer, Margaret McCoy, Leonora Cayard, or Ralph Peabody. Sherwood Oaks Meeting is under the care of Pittsburgh Friends Meeting.