QVS Network Grows With Your Support

“Every day as a QVS volunteer I am challenged and inspired by the experiences and struggles of the people I meet at my work placement. In struggling with stories of survival and the overcoming of obstacles many have experienced, this work has released in me an appreciation for the resilient beauty that lies at the core of the human experience. The Atlanta Friends Meeting has served as a nurturing and supportive social grounding and safety net, and I have felt welcomed and accepted by them since the first day I arrived. They have also provided a safe space for the QVS volunteers to engage in deep spiritual work, and our mentors have been more than available to us in times when that work has been individual in nature and unique to our own paths of personal spiritual development.”   

-Justin Leverett
QVS volunteer 2012-2013
Illinois Yearly Meeting

Dear Friends,

Quaker Voluntary Service has begun the work of transforming lives and meetings

We are sending you news of the work and asking for your ongoing support. The Light and enthusiasm around QVS has been exceptional, encouraging, and humbling – and is only matched by the challenge of shepherding this calling faithfully to life. This is a challenge we know we can meet with your ongoing support.

The charter Atlanta QVS house is off to a great start!

In partnership with Atlanta Friends Meeting, the first QVS house is alive with the energy and commitment of seven young adults who have dedicated a year to live together in intentional Quaker community and work in a variety of social change organizations. They are connecting deeply with the Atlanta Friends Meeting through worship and spiritual nurturing relationships facilitated by QVS.  They are living a rich life together as a household, learning how to cook and shop on a limited budget, conducting weekly meetings and worship, sharing their diverse understandings of Jesus, discovering ways to resolve conflict, and using mass transit (and bikes!) to get to work. They are exploring together what Quaker service means both inwardly and outwardly. They are a marvelous first QVS cohort!

The QVS network expands to Philadelphia and Portland in the fall of 2013

QVS envisions a national network of mutually supportive and accountable Quaker service houses, involving the whole of our faith community.  This approach allows us to have a broader impact and more efficient operations as we work together to collectively run and support this transformational program in several locations.

In the fall of 2013, the Atlanta house will be joined by two new QVS houses in Philadelphia, PA and Portland, OR.  The Philadelphia house is moving forward with the collaboration of the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting and the minuted support of Germantown, Chestnut Hill, and Green Street Meetings.   The Portland QVS house will be under the joint care of two evangelical Friends churches (Reedwood and West Hills) and one unprogrammed meeting (Multnomah). We are excited about this cross-branch collaboration and eager to discover what we can accomplish with three times as many volunteers in three cities.

We are thrilled that the vision of a thriving, national network of QVS communities is coming to life. We look forward to shared orientation of volunteers from all three places, traveling ministers visiting each site, and effectively leveraging our resources across the country.

We deeply appreciate and continue to need your support to make this vital work happen

We invite you to partner with QVS to support this exciting new venture in combining service and witness with spiritual growth, intentional community, and strengthening the Quaker way, as we re-envision Spirit-led service for our time.  With your help, we have raised over $100,000 to date in gifts and pledges from individuals and foundations, making the Atlanta launch a success. And, nearly half of this year’s budget will be covered by fees paid by the agencies which currently have QVS volunteers.  As we grow the network, the percentage of our budget covered by agency fees will increase, but we need your support to get there. We still need to raise approximately $80,000 before July 31, 2013 to provide programming and support for our current volunteers and to lay the groundwork for our two new locations to reach more young adults and more Friends meetings and churches.

Challenge gifts will double your contribution