Dear Friends,

I write today to invite you to join me in supporting the launch of a groundbreaking new online venture, Thee Quaker Project.

The 21st century has brought challenges and opportunities for the Religious Society of Friends that our spiritual ancestors couldn’t have imagined. Let’s now look to the next generation of Friends, innovate the way we tell our stories, and ensure that the torchlight of the Religious Society of Friends stays strong and visible, even and especially through times of upheaval.

Thee Quaker Project builds on my 15 years of experience lifting up the stories of Friends as the founding director of the QuakerSpeak video project and as a touring Quaker songwriter. During that time, I’ve watched over 4 million new eyes discover the Religious Society of Friends–I’ve observed a broad hunger for the unique stories Quakers have to tell and the profoundly memorable way we tell them.

First, we need to invest. We are living through a revolution in communication technology–one that is entirely online. It’s past time for a 21st century Quaker organization with the skills and strategies required to make our stories visible online; an organization which is responsive to the ever-changing world of virtual communications.

Second, we need to innovate. As the project reaches hundreds of thousands of new people, we are in a unique position to build a broad base of support and establish a new approach to funding our Quaker organizations. This new funding model is well established in the world of online content creators, and only requires the seed capital to set it on the path to sustainability.

It’s a bold new idea, and one that I can’t do alone. That’s why I’m inviting you to join the growing coalition of Friends supporting this dream. Together we contribute our time, our financial resources, our expertise, and our spiritual energy into building a new future for the Religious Society of Friends.

in peace
Jon Watts