Last week, the Mott Memo was shared as a recap of sessions activities, providing Friends with a understanding of what took place during the gathering. This week, the official minutes from Spring Continuing Sessions are being shared. [Read more…] about Spring Continuing Sessions Minutes | 2026
Continuing Sessions
Mott Memo | Spring Continuing Sessions 2026
The Mott Memo is a message for Friends in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) to know what happened during sessions activities. Some Friends reading this message joined online this past weekend, while others didn’t directly participate but still want to know what had taken place.
However you were able to connect this past weekend, we hope this update provides you with the opportunity to stay close to your community of Friends.
Friends are also encouraged to take the Sessions Survey, even if you did not attend Spring Continuing Sessions. Your feedback will help navigate these gatherings in the future.
[Read more…] about Mott Memo | Spring Continuing Sessions 2026
February 2026 | Joint Council Update
On Saturday, February 14, 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. Their practice is to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the weeks following the meeting.
Each month, the council selects one item from its agenda or conversation to lift up. This month, the council is lifting up the continued discernment of how the these monthly joint meetings are going.
General Secretary Holding Listening Sessions on Yearly Meeting-Wide Witnesses
Chris Mohr, General Secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, led a listening session over Zoom during the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting (PQM) session this past Sunday, January 25. The day, originally planned to be hybrid, was fully virtual due to snow.
[Read more…] about General Secretary Holding Listening Sessions on Yearly Meeting-Wide Witnesses
January 2026 | Joint Council Update
On Saturday, January 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. Their practice is to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the weeks following the meeting.
Community Led Workshops at Annual Sessions
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) is bringing back community-led workshops at Annual Sessions. Friends can submit a proposal to lead a workshop that connects with this year’s theme, Members One of Another, or that supports Friends’ faith and commitment in the life of the yearly meeting.
[Read more…] about Community Led Workshops at Annual Sessions
December 2025 | Joint Council Update
On Saturday, December 13, 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. Their practice is to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the weeks following the meeting.
PYM Explained • A Resource on How Meetings, Friends, Ministries, and Structures Link
Each part of PYM Explained provides how the yearly meeting lives as one connected body and leads into what comes next. This virtual version is shared so Friends are able to interact with it for easy research and finding.
Community Through PYM This Fall
October began for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting with the announcement that Chris Mohr will serve as the next General Secretary. Friends have come to know his work through the years, and the announcement invites tenderness across community of Friends as PYM continues through a time of transition. Christie Duncan-Tessmer’s final weeks in the role brought thoughtful messages and shared gratitude for her service; the month closed with thanks that her leadership has shaped how Friends move together in faith.
At the Home of Martha and Mary
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- Luke 10:38-42 New International Version
