Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

General Secretary

February 2026 | Joint Council Update

Written on:

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.

February Minutes

[Read more…] about February 2026 | Joint Council Update

General Secretary Holding Listening Sessions on Yearly Meeting-Wide Witnesses

Written on:

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

Written on:

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.

January Minutes

[Read more…] about January 2026 | Joint Council Update

December 2025 | Joint Council Update

Written on:

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.

December Minutes

[Read more…] about December 2025 | Joint Council Update

A Letter from PYM’s General Secretary: Starting Service With Visits Among Friends

Written on:

Dear Friends,

Greetings and best wishes for winter! I hope you, your family, your friends, and your Friends are all doing well; even in the face of some challenging times.

I began service as General Secretary on November 8, at Fall Continuing Sessions. It was a day of discernment, fellowship, and sinking down together in small groups in the afternoon workshop. It was a rewarding way to start!

[Read more…] about A Letter from PYM’s General Secretary: Starting Service With Visits Among Friends

PYM Explained • A Resource on How Meetings, Friends, Ministries, and Structures Link

Written on:

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.

[Read more…] about PYM Explained • A Resource on How Meetings, Friends, Ministries, and Structures Link

Community Through PYM This Fall

Written on:

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.

[Read more…] about Community Through PYM This Fall

Celebrating Christie Duncan-Tessmer

Written on:

After more than two decades of service to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, including ten years as General Secretary, Christie Duncan-Tessmer has stepped down from her role. Please join us and other Friends across our community in pausing to reflect with deep gratitude for her leadership, creativity, and commitment to the health and vitality of our yearly meeting.

[Read more…] about Celebrating Christie Duncan-Tessmer

October 2025 | Joint Council Update

Written on:

On Saturday, October 11, 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 week following the meeting.

October Minutes

[Read more…] about October 2025 | Joint Council Update

Questions and Comments About Administrative, Quaker Life, and Nominating Councils Working as a Joint Council

Written on:

Friends who attended Annual Sessions in person or via zoom know that the council Tri-clerks asked for questions about how council functions. We received many more than we were able to answer in the brief period available, so we are sharing the full list of questions here and will be writing responses to share in the next several weeks.

If you have further questions you would like the tri-clerks to respond to, please send them to us to add to the list below.

What questions or comments do you have about the experiment currently underway with Administrative, Quaker Life and Nominating councils working as a joint council?

Please email any question or comment to CFilauro@pym.org. [Read more…] about Questions and Comments About Administrative, Quaker Life, and Nominating Councils Working as a Joint Council

Update your contact & Meeting information at pym.org/updates

© 2026 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting · Privacy Policy