321st Annual Sessions

March 24, 2001 – Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia
July 17-22, 2001 – DeSales University, Center Valley, PA
November 10, 2001 – Called Session, Central Philadelpha Meeting House

In our Annual Sessions, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting take its name literally. Once a year, any and all PYM Friends have the opportunity to assemble.

However, in odd-numbered years, we get a little elaborate. We hold a brief session in March to handle administrative necessities such as budget and nomination approvals, and then gather for a week in July for extended worship, business, and fellowship in what we call Residential Yearly Meeting. Available here are the minutes of our 321st Annual Sessions, which are the records of each portion of our deliberations, as well as our outgoing epistle, which is our "family letter" to other Yearly Meetings and to the wider world.

Also available here are the minutes of a "called session," held on November 10th. When a concern emerges that cannot be deferred until a regularly scheduled annual session, then the Clerk may assemble a called session. The terrorist attacks on New York and the District of Columbia on September 11th raised such concern. The called session on November 10th was neither our first nor our last consideration of these events, but it is a focal point for our discernment as a corporate body.

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MARCH SESSIONS

MINUTES

• morning session
  1. Introductions
  2. Welcome to Visitors
  3. Treasurer's Report on Last Fiscal Year
  4. Budget for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Next Fiscal Year
  5. Friends Fiduciary Corporation
  6. Nominating Committee
  7. Reflection and Discussion on Our Material Resources as Expressions of Our Faith
     
     
• afternoon session
  8. Concern for Friends of Britain Yearly Meeting
  9. First Presentation Regarding Incorporation of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
  10. Coming Together as a Community of Faith
      
      
• evening session
  11. Talk by John Punshon

RESIDENTIAL YEARLY MEEING

AGENDA

MINUTES

Tuesday, July 17
• evening session
  1. Epistle
  2. Welcome
  3. Worship and Ministry

Wednesday, July 18
• morning session
  4. Welcome to Visitors
  5. Presentation of the Agenda
  6. Epistle
  7. Living Our Faith in the Conduct of Our Business
  8. Revision of Faith and Practice
• evening session
  9. Welcome to Visitors
  10. Epistle
  11. Interim Meeting Report
  12. Standing Committees and Working Groups — A Work in Progress

Thursday, July 19
• morning session
  13. Visitors from Bolivia
  14. Epistle
  15. Living Our Faith in the Raising of Our Children and Young People
• evening session
  16. Welcome to Visitors
  17. Epistle
  18. Membership Statistics
  19. Living Our Faith in Proclaiming the Good News

Friday, July 20
• morning session
  20. Welcome to Visitors
  21. Epistle
  22. Incorporation of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
  23. Incorporation of Westtown School and George School
  24. Incorporation of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
• evening session
  25. Epistle
  26. Welcome to Visitors
  27. Storyteller
  28. Minutes and Community Talent Show

Saturday, July 21
• morning session
  29. Minute from Young Friends
  30. Welcome to Visitors
  31. Epistle
  32. Living Our Faith in Witnessing in the World About Us
• evening session
  33. Welcome to Visitors
  34. Outgoing Epistle
  35. Anne Thomas of Canadian Yearly Meeting

Sunday, July 22
• morning session
  36. Outgoing Epistle
  37. Consideration of Proposed Incorporation Bylaws

OUTGOING EPISTLE

MIDDLE SCHOOL FRIENDS EPISTLE

INCORPORATION BACKGROUND

CALLED SESSION REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH

MINUTES

Copyright © 2001, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM