 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003 (XXXXI 4) |
Quakers move in mysterious ways. Attenders and new Quakers know this. Among these mysteries is the governance structure of the Religious Society of Friends.
As a relatively new Quaker myself, clouds of unknowing still surround me. But one mystery — Yearly Meeting — is slowly coming clear. And this is important. After all, we keep getting appeals for money from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Just what are they doing with it, and why should we care?
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) focuses its efforts on support for the Monthly Meetings within its region (roughly, eastern Pennsylvania, most of New Jersey, Delaware and a bit of Maryland). It has three top priorities: to create more visible and welcoming Meeting communities; to support religious education for children and adults; and to enable community service and witness that expresses our faith.
Let me quote PYM’s Elizabeth Foley:
Our sole job is to support Friends and Meetings in their leadings, and to train them as volunteers….
This is what we should be about: training clerks, recorders, First Day teachers, administering grants to Meetings. Did you know that in the two previous fiscal years PYM made more than $1,000,000 in grants to Monthly Meetings? Strengthening the faith community that spawned all other Quaker institutions is where our work must go. Monthly Meetings are the backbone of our faith community, and meeting their needs is what we are about.
And how does this translate into action?
PYM programs available to local Meetings include Making New Friends (to attract new members) and Deepening and Strengthening Our Meetings as Faith Communities.
To help Monthly Meetings strengthen their religious education programs, PYM offers curriculum materials, teacher training, planning help and workshops. The Library, with its many resources, is also available to teachers and members.
Local Meetings can call on PYM for advice in the areas of outreach and public relations, pastoral care, conflict resolution, and repair and management of Friends meetinghouses.
Nearly half a million dollars in tuition aid went out last year to help Quaker students.
Some $600,000 went to aid Friends in retirement communities and nursing centers, as well as to help keep aging Friends in their homes.
PYM offers financial support and volunteers to Quaker agencies with a national or worldwide focus to support their work.
Mystery solved! Yearly Meeting is there to help us as individuals and as a Meeting. To do that effectively, PYM needs our support too, both financial and personal. Now that you (and I) know this, we know what our responsibility is, don’t we?
Betty Steckman
Clerk of Yardley Meeting (PA)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM