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.
Governance & Stewardship
A New Jersey Friend Collaborates with Meeting Members and Neighbors for Food Donations
Jeanne Van Orman of Princeton Monthly Meeting in New Jersey is partnering with her meeting and her retirement community, Princeton Windrows to gather food and deliver it to Mercer Street Friends using the support from the driver at Princeton Windrows.
A Letter from PYM’s General Secretary: Starting Service With Visits Among Friends
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!
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Friends Participated in Stewardship This Past November
PYM Friends connected online and in-person this past fall for Fundraising Friends, Fall Continuing Sessions, and a Friends in Business event. Each of these opportunities brought Friends into clear work; they looked at financial stewardship in their meetings, reviewed the yearly meeting’s two witnesses, and considered how board service supports community as a whole.
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Food Assistance Within the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Community?
As we move into the holiday season, many in our wider community are seeking ways to support neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting would like to share a list of meetings and affiliated groups that operate food pantries, meal programs, holiday food drives, or other efforts that help feed our communities. A list has already been started; we would need to make it current.
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FWCC Invites Friends to Participate in a National Study on Religious Life
Friends all over the United States have been invited from the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) to take part in a religious life survey they are helping promote. Our yearly meeting is sharing this opportunity so meetings in our region can participate.
FWCC links Friends across the Americas through worship, dialogue, and fellowship; PYM participates by naming representatives to its Sections of the Americas to keep those connections active. The survey asks for one response from each congregation, offered by someone who knows the meeting well, and it gives Friends a direct way to add clear or current information about community life.
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An Invite Before the Next Fundraising Friends Gathering Comes Together
Ensuring monthly meetings have the financial resources they need can be challenging work; PYM formed a new cohort for Friends who hold fundraising or stewardship responsibilities in their meetings, called Fundraising Friends.
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December Brings Together Our Shared Faith in PYM
November opened Philadelphia Yearly Meeting with Friends from across our region gathering for Fall Continuing Sessions activities on Zoom and at Arch Street Meeting House. Friends took part in affinity groups, worship, business sessions, and a multigenerational workshop; Fall Continuing Sessions also welcomed Chris Mohr as General Secretary.
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Quaker Connections Study Tour to Bolivia | Financial Aid for YAFS
Quaker Connections Study Tour to Bolivia: Strengthening Relationships of Solidarity and Mutual Learning, Jan 7-20, 2026
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Horsham, Hockessin, and Crosswicks Meeting Share How They Make Their Newsletters and Mailings
Three meetings that publish regular newsletters shared how they put their updates together. One prints and mails copies. Another sends a PDF after formatting the pages. Another writes a weekly email. The formats differ. Each one gathers information from worship, business, committee work, and parts of Quaker faith in one place.
