Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Young Adult Friends Epistle

To Friends Everywhere,

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting gathered July 30 to August 3, 2008 at De Sales University in Pennsylvania. Young Adult Friends participated in activities throughout the yearly meeting this week. We were present in business sessions, made presentations for the committees we served, led workshops and interest groups, staffed programs for children and youth, and after all other scheduled activities had concluded we met together with our peers in the evenings.

We valued these late night opportunities to gather and develop deeper personal connections past geographic boundaries with Friends we hadn’t met before or hadn’t seen in a long time. The YAF evenings were not pre-planned and allowed for way to open and Spirit to move among us. We looked forward to coming together each night because we didn’t know what was going to happen in the time we shared. First-time attendees and regulars alike expressed appreciation of this time to come to know others and to warm us to other fellowship opportunities, such as at meal times.

YAFs spent time discussing what it meant to have a spiritual home. Many of us long to feel more visible and appreciated in our monthly meetings. The PYM Clerk visited with us for several hours. All appreciated this time of deep sharing about our journeys, and desire for deepened multigenerational community. We shared candidly with the clerk that YAFs are often not members of a particular meeting because we may have been away from our home meeting when our associate membership expired, or because we are too transient to ask for membership in one place at this time in our lives. The requirement of meeting membership for some committee service led us to consider how this may inhibit the full participation of some among us who are eager to serve. While acknowledging that some YAFs are already quite active in committee service, we would be excited to see even more involved in this way.

YAFs are here within PYM and we desire to be recognized. It is time for both meetings and young adults to consider how we can engage with each other more meaningfully.
We invite further conversation on what this could look like. More young adults will come and stay within our meetings when multigenerational engagement is deeper.

We left De Sales with renewed commitment for “Sharing our Journeys: in Love, Light and Peace” (which was the theme of this summer’s Sessions.) Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Adult Friends will meet again October 10-12, 2008 at the Burlington Meeting House & Conference Center, with the intention for deep fellowship and discernment of how we can build the Beloved community we yearn for.

In loving peace,
Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Click here for registration information

May 23–26, 2008

Want to hear about the recent Young Adult Friends conference held in Richmond, Indiana?

Read the Young Adult Friends conference Epistle.

Philadelphia Young Adult Friends

(PYAF)  is a group of young adult Quakers (roughly 18-35) and Quaker sympathizers meet together and talk about their experiences and needs as young adults.

PYAF seeks to share life experiences and attitudes, and come together as an energetic, supportive community of seekers. They have a foundation in Quaker principles, ethics, and practices.

Different people take turns hosting the potluck meals with fellowship and worship. PYAF gatherings are generally in the Philadelphia, with occasional events in the suburbs. To organize a gathering, pick a date and time, and announce it on the PYAF listserv.

Email  pyaf-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join the listserv and learn where our next event is.

Questions? Please contact one of the PYAF list moderators:
Angelina Conti: angelina.conti@gmail.com
Pamela Draper: draperpamela@gmail.com (215)-727-0321