Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Governance & Stewardship

Report on Quarterly Meeting Leaders Gathering

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On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, approximately 30 leaders from our quarterly meetings met for the second of three annual gatherings. At this gathering, our Co-Presiding Clerks, Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch, shared some thoughts on the relevance and importance of quarterly meetings. They noted that quarterly meetings have, “more intimate connection with their members and simultaneously can have greater perspective on the gifts and talents of members as those attributes fit into the large whole of the yearly meeting and beyond.” [Read more…] about Report on Quarterly Meeting Leaders Gathering

Quaker Educator: Interview with Jay Marshall, Dean Emeritus of Earlham School of Religion

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 This interview with educator, Jay Marshall follows our earlier conversations with educators Terry Nance, Sa’ed Atshan, Maurice Eldridge, and Sarah Willie-LeBreton.

A recorded Friends minister of North Carolina Yearly Meeting, Jay Marshall graduated from Guilford College in 1985. He earned his M.Div. in 1988 and a Ph.D. in 1992 from Duke University. He served as a Dean of the Earlham School of Religion, retiring in 2018 after 20 years of tenure.  He continues to serve the Earlham religious community as Dean Emeritus. [Read more…] about Quaker Educator: Interview with Jay Marshall, Dean Emeritus of Earlham School of Religion

PYM Community Gathering: Reopening Our Meetings

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The Runway to Annual Sessions launched on May 4th. Our first gathering engaged 80 participants who convened virtually to share concerns and hopes regarding the process of re-opening to in-person gatherings by the end of 2021.  The evening was facilitated by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s (PYM) Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life, Zachary Dutton, and supported by General Secretary Christie Duncan-Tessmer.

[Read more…] about PYM Community Gathering: Reopening Our Meetings

Ujima Friends Peace Center – Freedom Summer 2021

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Ujima Friends Peace Center is a worshipping Quaker community of people of African Descent who have committed themselves to the village with residents of North Philadelphia to decrease various forms of violence that arise from systems of oppression. The Center can be contacted at admin@ujima.org. Below is a story about their summer plans.

[Read more…] about Ujima Friends Peace Center – Freedom Summer 2021

Runway to Annual Sessions 2021: Gathering on Reopening Our Meetings

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The Runway to Annual Sessions 2021 begins on 4th May with the Gathering on Reopening Our Meetings. All Friends are warmly welcomed to be present.

We invite you to share concerns, learnings, and hopes regarding how our religious society may begin a process of re-opening to in-person gatherings by the end of 2021. During the gathering, we will revisit the notes of our January 26th meeting about hybrid gatherings and explore the possibility of developing guidance to meetings and other local Quaker communities on re-opening.

[Read more…] about Runway to Annual Sessions 2021: Gathering on Reopening Our Meetings

Introducing Runway to Sessions with Olivia Brangan

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The Runway to Annual Sessions 2021 begins on Tuesday, May 4, and runs through July 24. The Runway to Annual Sessions are the weeks that lead up to Annual Sessions week (July 27 – August 1) and is filled with workshops, gatherings, youth programs, a multigenerational documentary viewing and discussion, a Young Adult Friend retreat, a Collaborative Fair, Q&As, and reports from PYM representatives to other Quaker organizations.

[Read more…] about Introducing Runway to Sessions with Olivia Brangan

Mullica Hill Meeting – A New Membership Type for a New Need

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On April 19, 2021 Mullica Hill business meeting approved a new membership category for long distance attender/members within their community: Affiliate Membership. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice specifies that “the monthly meeting is the final authority in all matters concerning membership, and all membership occurs in the monthly meeting.” As a faith of continuing revelation, Friends can and do review and alter their practices over time to meet current needs, as is exemplified in Mullica Hill’s decision. 

[Read more…] about Mullica Hill Meeting – A New Membership Type for a New Need