PFG Epistle 2018
To Friends Everywhere,
Palmetto Friends Gathering met at Columbia Friends Meeting in South Carolina on March 16, 17 and 18th. Our theme was “The Good Samaritan- Nonviolence in Action: Loving Thy Neighbor. Elijah Miles, youth program director welcomed 9 young people aged 3 to 19 with art, poetry and music activities focusing on the Gathering theme. Chuck Fager shared thoughts and reminiscences about the life of SC educator Martha Schofield of Aiken during Reconstruction, and about Martin Luther King Jr. during the Selma March in 1965. Toni Rockwell nourished Friends with many healthy food choices at meals.
Friends plan to strengthen ties among meetings and work with the intention to create a more welcoming and nurturing environment for Young Friends and their families as they are the future of our Society, locally and at large. Jim Henderson will carry a Minute of Travel to the upcoming Piedmont Friends Fellowship and Piedmont Friends Yearly Meeting. We look forward to next year’s Gathering, our 30th, on March 15, 16 and 17 2019.
What is Palmetto Friends Gathering?
Palmetto Friends Gathering is a fellowship of Quaker meetings in South Carolina that follows the unprogrammed manner of worship. The meetings include Aiken Worship Group, Charleston Monthly Meeting, Columbia Monthly Meeting, Five Rivers Monthly Meeting, and Greenville Monthly Meeting. Unprogrammed meetings traditionally meet in silence until someone in the group rises to speak, usually for a short message. After a period of about an hour, the clerk of the meeting closes the silent worship by welcoming everyone. People then greet each other, announcements are made, and people visit, return home, or continue with subsequent planned activities.
The Gathering meets annually each Spring for a weekend of worship, programs, and fellowship. The location of the gathering moves around the state from year to year.