PYM Presiding Co-Clerks Frank and Jean-Marie Barch presented the following report in the called December 8th Meeting for Business in Continuing Sessions. They shared information gathered from Monthly and Quarterly Meetings in response to the three PYM Initiatives launched at Annual Sessions in July 2020.
Clerks of Meetings who have not already submitted feedback to Jean-Marie and Frank Barch may use this form to do so.
Meeting for Worship with Attention Business at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is held at Fall and Spring Continuing Sessions and during the summer at Annual Sessions in late July. Nominations are approved and yearly meeting wide initiatives are reviewed or established.
The following minutes were taken by recording clerk, Kri Burkander and approved in Sessions on December 8th. There were 104 participants in the meeting, which began at 6:30 and closed at 8:45. [Read more…] about Minutes of PYM’s Meeting for Business in Sessions – December 8, 2020
Jonathan Rhoads, presiding clerk, introduced elders, members of the pastoral care team and the clerks group, and welcomed visitors and first-time attenders with us this morning. [Read more…] about Minutes of 340th Annual Sessions Meeting for Business of August 2, 2020
340th Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Held by Zoom video conference
Worship: Acting clerk Jonathan Rhoads introduced himself and we settled into worship. Boone acknowledged that the land on which we are meeting is recognized as the homeland of the Lenni Lenape people.
Introductions: When worship ended, Olivia Brangan had us create a word cloud with our locations and explained all the tech matters. Clerk asked clerks group, elders, pastoral care team members, visitors and first time attenders to introduce themselves. He then called on Melissa Rycroft, clerk of Nominating Council.
Epistle Committee: Melissa presented the following names to make up this year’s epistle committee: Anthony Stover, Germantown Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia Quarter; Yelena Forrester, Chester Monthly Meeting, Chester Quarter; and Joan Broadfield, Chester Monthly Meeting, Chester Quarter. We were in unity with this list.
Minutes to this point were accepted in unity.
Clerk introduced our speaker for this evening, Marcelle Martin
Providence Meeting Middle School Friends’ concern for immigrants began when we saw pictures of immigrants on the news and how they were being treated at the US Mexico border. That led to our first fundraiser and learning more about the immigrant situation. We heard that families were being separated, and knew we needed to learn more about migrant life at the border and how we could help. [Read more…] about Youth Call for Action in Support of Immigrants
Clerks Zoom Call minutes – 3.17.20
Christie took attendance at 7:01 – initially there were 25 on the video conference plus another 12 on the phone, growing to 61 finally.
Christie read a defining statement from a registrant and then led the digital community in worship.
Defining Statement: The challenging thing about this pandemic is that it pits two of our most deeply held values against each other. The first is the health and well-being of our community. The other is that a direct and unmediated relationship with the Divine is best experienced together, in community, as one body. [Read more…] about Minutes from 3.17.20 Clerks/Coordinators Zoom Meeting
The Quaker Life Council approved the following minutes of appreciation as a sincere expression of gratitude to the Friends who facilitated the recent January 26 Threshing Session on Membership and to the monthly meeting that hosted. In addition to continuing a process of discernment about membership that has had many years of seasoning in our wider yearly meeting, this was an opportunity for intervisitation during which Friends from across our yearly meeting community could join a meeting for its worship on Sunday and take part in its community life. Intervisitation is an important part of Quaker tradition because it serves to reinforce the bonds we need in spiritual growth.
[Read more…] about Threshing Session on Membership Minutes of Appreciation
View a downloadable/PDF version of the report here.
Introduction
The bulk of this report is made of minutes of exercise taken by PYM Recording Clerk, Jim Herr. The minutes review the proceedings of the day. Following the minutes of exercise, the report contains a transcription of collections of “advice to the yearly meeting” in response to several queries that participants wrote down in small groups. Find in Appendix A the advance documents that were provided ahead of the threshing session.
Minutes prepared by Recording Clerk, Kri Burkander and approved in Sessions
PYM Continuing Sessions, November 2, 2019
We gathered back together in worship after our morning program, which grounded us in an appreciation for our gifts and our community, and nourishing fellowship over lunch.
[Read more…] about Afternoon Minutes from Meeting for Business at Fall 2019 Continuing Sessions
The Young Adult Friends community would like to minute our appreciation for our member Catherine Campbell, for her service as PYM’s Young Adult
Engagement Intern these past several months. With hindsight, we can clearly see the Spirit at work in the fortunate alignment of Catherine’s need and availability for an internship with the community’s need for dedicated support and intention in planning this March’s action at Berks Detention Center. Catherine was unquestionably the “logistics Queen” of this action, and was able to smoothly wrangle a very complete bilingual website and brochure for the action, a school bus from West Philadelphia to the action to transport dozens of community members, and sustainable lunches to nourish us after the cold and windy morning before heading to Continuing Sessions. Beyond these logistical feats, we have been blessed by Catherine’s spiritual presence and ability to keep our community grounded. Our coordinator Meg Rose specifically highlighted her joy in experiencing Catherine’s infusion of fresh energy in the PYM office as a fellow YAF to validate ideas and concerns in the day to day. Our whole community recognizes Catherine’s embodiment of the key Quaker values of integrity and community and we hope to have her among our group for a long time to come after the conclusion of her internship.
