News

Rediscovering Friendsby Mary JaneMy first encounter with Quaker meeting was in London. I remember the stillness, the plain woodenbenches and the plain glass windows looking out into Covent Gardens. Having been raised in an Evangelical tradition, I was surprised how well the quiet suited me but when I got home, I resumed worship with my family church. During my first marriage, I raised my children in an Episcopal Church. While I appreciated the community, I questioned the amount of money...

On Wednesday, July 10, Kate Chilton's friends and family will gather at the meetinghouse beginning at 6:00 pm central, with worship beginning at 6:30 and tea service at 7:30. For those unable to come in person, Zoom access will be available (to request access information, please email memphisfriendsmeeting@gmail.com). Below is the wonderful obituary written by Kate's brother Randy. Look for a MFM remembrance of Kate also in the upcoming July MFM newsletter. KATE CHILTON (August 11, 1952-June 5, 2024) Kate Chilton (Catherine Magruder...

Finding FriendsBy Kent One day when I was about 7, I asked my mother if she thought people who didn’t worship the way we did would really go to hell.She answered by asking, “What do you think,” and I simply said “No, they don’t.” It didn’t make sense that God would love some people and not others, no matter what was said in church or in my catechism classes.In my adult life, very much on the periphery of Christian faith, I had several powerful experiences that I simply...

Memphis Friends’ Meeting, 3387 Walnut Grove Road, (F/N), 1-5pmWith appreciation and respect for the Chickasaw people who were stewards of our area long before settlers arrived, the members of the Memphis Quaker Meeting have planted two raised beds in the “Three Sisters” tradition. Many native American groups, including the Chickasaw, used the companion planting of corn, beans and squash (the Three Sisters) to conserve water and enrich the soil while producing food. Our garden honors this tradition.More info: https://experiencememphisgardens.org/

Recently, at the memorial service for Mark Gilley, Memphis Friends were able to share with Mark's friends from other parts of his life the news that over the years a few of Mark's poems had appeared in the MFM newsletter. We also brought smiles to the faces of old friends when we recalled how Mark had come to the meetinghouse during the pandemic to play the meeting's piano.

Experiencing the EclipseMany Memphis Friends traveled over the Mississippi River to Arkansas to view the eclipse while others stayed in Memphis. Debbie writes, “My husband, one of my friends, and I went to Pocahontas, AR, northwest of Jonesboro. We had a scenic site on the Black River to sit, eat a picnic lunch and enjoy the wait. It was truly amazing. I was really surprised at how dark the whole sky was at totality.” Robert saw the eclipse at his cabin west...

Friend Pat Stone JessupPatricia Stone Jessup passed away in the early hours of March 13. A lifelong Quaker, Pat had attended a Quaker Church in North Carolina as a child and was a faithful attender at our meeting for three decades. In her early days with us she led several seminars that met every Sunday evening for about six weeks on bible study or prayer. She was active with our food ministries, held us very intentionally in the Light, and...

Our meeting has officially "adopted" a Memphis storm water drain!In an effort to reduce the debris being dumped into our rivers, the City of Memphis Storm Water Program has asked individuals and organizations to adopt and name a storm drain.  We answered the call.   Our adopted drain is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Prescott (on the Prescott side of our property). It has been named and labeled "Plain Drain."The City of Memphis has 56,000 storm water drains.  What goes...

Friend Marian Fuson – 1920 to 2024Marian Fuson passed away on February 7 at her home in the Quaker Kendal Retirement Community in Kennet Square PA. She was 103 years of age.Marian was born to Quaker parents in New Jersey where she attended Moorestown Friends School. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1942 and joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation when Bayard Rustin visited the campus. In 1945 she married Nelson Fuson and they moved to Nashville where Nelson taught physics...

Every two years, FCNL, Friends Committee on National Legislation, gives us the opportunity to give input into their legislative priorities discernment for the next two-year session of Congress. It’s a Spirit-led process to help discern what our government should be working on during the current events of our day and how policies might affect our times.  We don’t try to pinpoint every issue because FCNL has resource constraints and expertise constraints. Rather we ask the question: Where is there possibility for...