| First celebration at Dublin triennial
 The first celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of FWCC took place in Ireland last month during the 22nd triennial. Three hundred Friends from around the globe sang 'Happy Anniversary" and tossed balloons around the plenary room. The birthday cake was then delivered by - appropriately - a leprachaun! This celebration took place on the last evening of the triennial. |
Large turnout for Philadelphia area event
These were followed by celebrations over the weekend of September 15-17, when over 170 Friends came to the Philadelphia area from as far away as England, Ireland, Mexico and the west coast of the US. Haverford College hosted a reception in the Magill Library with a welcome from President Stephen Emerson. Swarthmore Friends Meeting was the host of the next day's program. Friends whose connections with FWCC go back decades joined younger Friends and others who wanted to learn more about FWCC. They heard twenty presenters plus a choir from one of the Philadelphia Hispanic Friends churches.
Panelists spoke on FWCC-related topics that ranged from why FWCC was created and how FWCC has served to uplift our testimonies to challenging us to look at the face of Friends in the future. You can see photos from this event on our website.The program and a new graph showing the growth among Friends since 1937 are also on the website. Look for downloadable audio files of speakers' talks to come soon. |
Cambridge, MA celebration last weekend
Celebrations continued last weekend in Massachusetts, where Friends in Cambridge hosted a forum addressed by Executive Secretary Margaret Fraser and several former and current FWCC representatives from New England Yearly Meeting. At a potluck lunch which included a large birthday cake and a chocolate fountain, participants were able to watch a DVD of the previous weekend's events in Pennsylvania. |
