The Providence Friends Meeting in Media, Pennsylvania, is among 31 new listings added by the National Park Service to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. The new listings join more than 800 sites, facilities and programs already in the network that provide insight into the diverse experiences of freedom seekers who bravely escaped slavery and allies who assisted them. [Read more…] about Providence Friends Meeting Added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program
Governance & Stewardship
Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting Awarded $8000 Grant
Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting has completed a major improvement to its meetinghouse, supported in part by an $8,000 grant from the PYM Quaker Buildings & Programs Granting Group. The project focused on replacing windows and a door in the main worship space. The result is a room that better holds worship and invites the community to gather again. [Read more…] about Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting Awarded $8000 Grant
This Summer with Programs and Religious Life
The Summer is near and you may be wondering about how you can stay involved in the yearly meeting’s activities in the coming weeks. There is a whole roster of programming for you to choose from! [Read more…] about This Summer with Programs and Religious Life
May 2025 | Joint Council Update
On Saturday, May 10, the three councils that support Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—Quaker Life Council, Administrative Council, and Nominating Council—held their meeting in the joint format. In this structure, all three councils meet together as one Joint Council to worship, discern, and conduct business collaboratively. This allows the Joint Council to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the week following the meeting.
This May with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
This May, there are numerous programs available for Friends across the yearly meeting. Caln Quarter will gather at Camp Swatara from May 2 through May 4, with special programming for middle school and young Friends (ages 18 and under), along with a sizable Young Adult Friends (ages 18–35) group in attendance. The YAF community will also come together for a potluck on Friday, May 9. The following day, May 10, Gwynedd Friends Meeting and the Eco-Justice Collaborative will host a viewing of Citizen George, a documentary about Friend George Lakey, at the Ambler Movie Theater. The Disability and Caregiver Support Groups will continue to meet in May and will hold their final two sessions in June and July. Meanwhile, staff are preparing to launch registration for Annual Sessions, which will take place July 23–27 at Cheyney University. [Read more…] about This May with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
April 2025 | Joint Council Update
On Saturday, April 12, the three councils that support Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—Quaker Life Council, Administrative Council, and Nominating Council—held their meeting in the joint format. In this structure, all three councils meet together as one Joint Council to worship, discern, and conduct business collaboratively. This allows the Joint Council to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the week following the meeting.
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust Unveils New Exhibits | Press Release
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) is excited to invite the public to explore the completion of major renovations and brand-new museum exhibits.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the success of the ongoing A Place for Friends Capital Campaign, ASMH now features a fully reimagined Lobby and West Room exhibits, with new stories, interactive elements, and technology. In the West Room, enhanced lighting showcases the simple, yet breathtaking, beauty of the historic 1811 worship space that was designed by master carpenter Owen Biddle, Jr.
Arch Street Meeting House’s two-acre property on the corner of 4th and Arch Streets in Old City has been a part of the community for nearly 324 years since Pennsylvania’s Quaker founder, William Penn, deeded the land as a burial ground in 1701, and the meetinghouse was later built between 1804 and 1811. Joining its legacy as a place of Quaker worship, ASMH has served as an exhibition space since at least 1904 when thousands of Quakers from across the Greater Philadelphia region commemorated the meetinghouse’s centennial. Reimagining and preserving historic sites like ASMH is crucial for maintaining Philadelphia’s diverse cultural landscape and its place as the first World Heritage City in the United States. By exploring the diverse stories of our country’s past in the meetinghouse’s exhibits, we can protect irreplaceable sites like ASMH and enrich our community.
“We’re getting ready for the U.S. Semiquincentennial in 2026, and we’re thrilled to unveil phase one of these exciting upgrades. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that the museum can honor the rich history of Arch Street Meeting House while making it a more welcoming, educational, and compelling place for people of all backgrounds,” said Sean Connolly, Executive Director of Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust. “This project represents a major step in preserving our site and ensuring that the unique story of Quakerism and its impact on American history continues to inspire future generations.”
“Quakerism played a vital, yet often overlooked, role in the shaping of our nation,” said George McNeely, Trustee of Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust. “This is the Quaker City and it’s known as the birthplace of American democracy, so Philadelphia’s revolutionary story must include Quakers’ commitments to religious freedom, community, equality, and the belief that every voice matters.”
About Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust
Located in the heart of Old City, Philadelphia, Arch Street Meeting House (ASMH) is a museum and National Historic Landmark operated by Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT). ASMH is also an active Quaker place of worship for the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia. Since its first documented burial in the 1680s and its official 1701 deed from Pennsylvania’s Quaker founder, William Penn, ASMH’s two-acre property has been actively and continuously used by both the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the greater community.
In 2011, the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) was formed to preserve the historic building and grounds and welcome the public to participate in programming to learn more about Quaker history. Last year, Partners for Sacred Places found that through ASMHPT’s stewardship, the meetinghouse’s programs, education initiatives, space sharing, and rentals bring an annual economic impact to Philadelphia valued over $5 million.
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) preserves, operates, and interprets the meeting house and grounds which will serve to increase public understanding of the impact and continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.
Arch Street Meeting House
Instagram: @historicasmh
Facebook: @archstreetmeetinghouse
#HistoricASMH #MeetQuakerHistory
About the A Place For Friends Capital Campaign
‘A Place for Friends’ is a campaign that will empower Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) to make the capital improvements necessary to engage with an ever-expanding community of visitors, worshipers, and those curious about Quakerism. ASMHPT has contracted some of the region’s best engineers, architects, preservationists, and historians to complete the capital improvements by 2026 in conjunction with the Semiquincentennial of the United States.
As the Trust’s first Capital Campaign in over 25 years, this ambitious project aims to raise $4,700,000 in funding over two phases for vital improvements and ensure the long-term preservation of Arch Street Meeting House, a historic and culturally significant site in Philadelphia. Through individual giving and grant funding, ASMHPT has already made significant progress, raising $3.6 million. This success in the earliest phase of the campaign, which accounts for approximately 66% of the $4.7 million goal, demonstrates the strong support that the community has for preserving this important pillar of Philadelphia’s Quaker history.
For more information about ’A Place for Friends’, please visit historicasmh.org/aplaceforfriends.
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Photo credit Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust and Eddie Einbender-Luks
Link to Images: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ianxo1k590k5yfpib4y6c/AAGjsa8pN9D3V-aD2ZGdvRE?rlkey=5o5gswklvhw8435x0ipnvd0kq&st=izp36e55&dl=0
Kayla D’Oyen
Development &
Communications Manager
kdoyen@historicasmh.org
215-413-1804×103
This April with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
The Programs and Religious Life Team has an abundant month of gatherings ahead, and they invite all to participate this April! [Read more…] about This April with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
Friends Respond to Gun Violence Through Community and Care
Annual Sessions to Address Deferred Question: How Are We Called at This Moment?
Photograph of a building at Cheyney University.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Annual Sessions will take place from Wednesday, July 23 – Sunday, July 27 at Cheyney University’s campus, offering a space for Friends to worship in community and practice our faith. The theme of sessions, Members One of Another, reminds us that our faith is not just about the places we meet, but the relationships we build, nourish, and support. [Read more…] about Annual Sessions to Address Deferred Question: How Are We Called at This Moment?