Friends around the world are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of George Fox, founder of Quakerism. According to his Journal, Fox was born in July 1624; his exact birthdate is unknown. Here is a roundup of some events Friends have organized recently.
June 29 celebration of Fox’s birthday at the Arch Street Meeting House. Photos by Eddie Einbender-Luks.
In Philadelphia, Pa., Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) partnered with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to host a June 29 celebration of Fox’s birthday on the meetinghouse grounds, according to Kayla D’Oyen, development and communications director for ASMHPT. Around 800 visitors attended throughout the day, D’Oyen said. Three historical interpreters portrayed Fox, William Penn, and Hannah Callowhill Penn. Attendees sang “Happy Birthday” and ate cake and cupcakes. Melinda Wenner Bradley and Kristin Simmons of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting presented the Faith & Play story “George Fox’s Big Discovery” among other tales. A roundtable discussion of learning from Quaker history featured Dwight Dunston, host of The Seed podcast from Pendle Hill; Robin Mohr of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Section of the Americas; Brian Blackmore of American Friends Service Committee; and Hazele Goodridge of the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia and Friends Pantry & Community Fridge.
Roundtable discussion of learning from Quaker history featured. Left image (l to r): Dwight Dunston, Robin Mohr, Brian Blackmore, and Hazele Goodridge. Photos by Eddie Einbender-Luks.
Worcester (Mass.) Meeting hosted a potluck on July 14 featuring a birthday cake for George Fox, according to Mary Chenaille, a member of the meeting. The approximately 25 attendees also watched videos about early Quakerism, including the QuakerSpeak video “How Quakerism Began.” Friends also considered queries developed by FWCC in honor of Fox’s birth anniversary.
In the United Kingdom, on July 13, Sudbury Meeting in Suffolk held a concert with the theme “War and Peace in Music,” featuring musicians Natasha Holmes on cello and Pavlo Beznosiuk on violin, who performed three songs: “Song of the Birds” by Pablo Casals, Sonata “La Guerra” by Johann Paul von Westhoff, and “Ferdinand the Bull” by Alan Ridout. The event also featured strawberry cream tea for guests to enjoy and circle dancing. More than 120 attendees participated, including members of other religious traditions invited through the meeting’s connection with the ecumenical group Churches Together in Sudbury, according to Eliza Jones, correspondence clerk of the area meeting.
Also in the UK, Cambridgeshire Area Meeting held a July 13 celebration at Peterborough Meetinghouse, which drew 50 people, according to Alison Langford, a member of the event planning group. The event included visits to Peterborough Museum, Peterborough Cathedral, and Railworld Wildlife Haven. Adults reflected on George Fox’s contemporary meaning while children searched for treasure and played games on the meetinghouse grounds. The observance also featured intergenerational circle dancing, singing, and eating birthday cake.
Other recent and upcoming celebrations of the birth anniversary include discussions of Fox from the perspectives of nontheists, Indigenous people, African Americans, Ugandans, Kenyans, and Bolivians. Pilgrimages, play performances, speakers, a gathering to view a meteor shower, exhibits, film showings, and readings from Fox’s Journal are also planned.
Correction: We originally misidentified the location of Sudbury Meeting. It is located in Suffolk, England, not Northwest London.
It is a good article with some great photos, but the one labelled “Circle dancing at Sudbury Meeting in northwest London. Photo courtesy of the meeting.” Is actually from Sudbury, Suffolk.
Thanks Craig, we just learned that and have corrected it!