Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Celebration of Compassion, Joy, & Plain Ol' Fun

When: Thursday December 18, 6:30PM
Where: 1515 Cherry Street, Friends Center Library
What: Movie (The Agronomist), brief Quaker worship, and hangin' out enjoying the holiday season

I'm sure a lot of you, like me, have been thinking about the ways that Christmas sometimes seems to be a celebration of capitalism and consumerism, which can sometimes make the holiday seem a little meaningless. The message of Christmas in our culture doesn't always seem centered on the celebration of someone (Jesus, I mean) who said he was sent to preach good news to the poor, and to set the burdened and battered free. (Luke 4:18).

This Christmas I hope we'll think about the message of love that's repeated often in Jesus' teachings, and how we can use that spirit of compassion to make a difference. Let's not forget the connection between compassion, joy, and plain ol' fun.

With that in mind, you're invited to a showing of the movie, "The Agronomist", about a Haitian radio journalist who tirelessly worked on behalf of the Haitian poor for many decades. We'll have plenty of snacks and time to enjoy each other's company, as well as a brief time of Quaker worship.

Hope you can make it!

Julian

PS, there's also a wonderful event (no direct connection to Quakers) to benefit Haiti being held at Take The Lead dance studio, Sunday December 14, 6PM. It's a dance performance to benefit Haiti Outreach, which "builds communities while addressing the concrete concerns of obtaining clean water, housing, and education for those in the greatest need and made more crucial after being hit by 4 hurricanes in September." More info at:
http://www.philadelphiadance.org/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=954&year=2008&month=12