Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Ujima Friends Sewing for Africa

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Since 2019, members of the Ujima Friends Peace Center have partnered with Sankofa Artisan Guild to make reusable, environmentally friendly menstrual pads, pouches, and under garments for African girls’ whose educations are compromised due to “period poverty.” The group, now known as the PanAfrican Sisterhood Health Initiative (PASHI), is led by a group of Black Women elders most of who are community workers, keepers of the culture, educators, activists, counselors and lovers of the arts. The Friends Foundation on Aging supports funding for the project.

The Ujima Friends Peace Center provides the space, sewing machines, and willing hearts and hands to this project. The project was renamed by Maulana Ron Karenga, the creator of Kwanzaa, who thought the project was fabulous and worthy of the name Pan African Sisterhood Health Initiative (PASHI).

A picture of some of the girls who have received the pads.

Each shipment has included 300 reusable kits with purses to carry them in and masks.  The countries served so far: Cuba, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Sudan, and Tanzania.

Dr. Ayesha Imani, Head of School/Founder of the Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School and member of Ujima Friends Meeting, shares about PASHI:

The fact that we get elders and young people together to sew, eat, and share stories while making menstrual pads for girls in Africa is really wonderful. We have also been making and sending masks. The latest addition to the project is the birthing pads and bags that we are sending to help fight against infant mortality and maternal morbidity, increasing sanitation in the birthing process.

Others are welcome to join in sewing together for Africa and the diaspora. The project is held at the Peace Center every Wednesday from 10am – 2pm. There is limited space, but if interested in visiting please contact Dr. Imani. If you have a sewing machine, you are welcome to bring it! There are plans to expand the project into Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School and Imhotep Institute Charter High School.

Friends can visit the Ujima Friends Peace Center website to learn more:  www.ujimafriends.org

Donations can be sent to:Ujima Friends Peace Center,PO Box 50647,Philadelphia, PA

Photos courtesy of Dr. Ayesha Imani

Young Friends Support the Peace Fair

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A small but enthusiastic contingent of Young Friends helped make the Bucks Quarter Peace Fair, on September 17, a great success. The Peace Fair brings dozens of nonprofits doing work aligned with Quaker values to a wider audience, along with craft vendors, live music, a book sale, kids’ games and a range of food offerings. Starting the day bright and early, before the opening of the Fair, the Young Friends helped set up vendor booths, unloading the vendors’ materials and putting up tents to keep things moving swiftly.

Their help on Saturday was greatly appreciated, with many members of the Peace Fair committee and Buckingham Friends approaching Friendly Presences and facilitators, expressing how helpful the Young Friends had been, and how deeply grateful they were for our team.

With the help of Tim Cunningham, the Young Friends got trained on how to run the games in the Kids Peace Games area and were assigned to stations. They spent the day staffing the bowling lane, the bean bag toss, the dunk tank, and other various games! Our small but enthusiastic team went all out helping in the games area, explaining the games to kids and making sure every child got a prize after playing, keeping them engaged and excited to play.

Young Friends know how to juggle service and fun!

But it wasn’t all hard work. After the first shift at Peace Games, Young Friends broke for lunch, explored the Fair, and went down to Peddler’s Village together, before regathering to do the second shift of the game booths.

As the Fair came to a close, under the direction of Peter Ray, our Young Friends helped break down and pack away the materials from the Fair, collecting the folding tables from all over the grounds, packing up the Peace Games into cars, the tents, the stage, and the Peace Fair Grill, until everything was stored away in the meetinghouse or in cars. After clean up was done, Young Friends still had energy for a few dynamic rounds of gaga, and enjoyed a pizza party and a celebration of the first Young Friends gathering of the school year (plus the birthday of Young Friends Program Facilitator Clare Chalkley).

Look for announcements about the Young Friends Winter Gathering, coming up in December. Young Friends at the Fair were excited to hear about the gathering in the works, especially with the option of it being an overnight retreat– and we are too! Keep an eye out on the Young Friends events page on the PYM website for information on a gathering around the winter holidays!

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Thanks to the authors of this story, Clare Chalkley, Young Friends Program Facilitator, and Robert Rosenthal (Central Philadelphia Meeting), Friendly Presence, for their planning and care of this annual program in relationship with Bucks Quarter planners!

A Seeker’s Story

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There was a collective feral growl from the four corners of the 30-odd members of the Gallagher extended family.

“He’s doing what!?”

“Dad is attending a recruiting meeting next month,” announced the Gallagher family matriarch. He’s on the brink of renouncing Catholicism and becoming a Quaker.”

I swear, you’d think I was filing divorce papers.

The feral growl became a feral roar.

“HE’S DOING WHAT!?” [Read more…] about A Seeker’s Story

Reflections and Updates: The African American Museum of Bucks County

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Friends from Bucks Quarter met virtually once again on August 21, 2022. It was meant to be our first venture into hybrid meeting, and our host, Fallsington Meeting, was up to the challenge. The coronavirus, however, had other plans for us. Meeting in person was contingent upon low transmission levels of the virus; unfortunately, the transmission level was stubbornly stuck at moderate, and we made the disappointing decision to meet only on Zoom. [Read more…] about Reflections and Updates: The African American Museum of Bucks County

Giant Children’s Meeting: What’s Next?

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In the Fall of 2020, as children returned to school online and many meetings settled into hosting worship on Zoom, the question of how to support religious education programs and community for children and families in meetings was on many minds. Local meetings did amazing things in the depth of the pandemic — care packages, calls and notes to young Friends and their families, outdoor programs when possible — even online Christmas pageants! The PYM Children & Families program was also experimenting, and Giant Children’s Meeting was born from both necessity and hope. Now we’re ready to discern what’s next for creating children and their families in our wider PYM community. [Read more…] about Giant Children’s Meeting: What’s Next?

Thank you to Youth Programs Staff

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With great thanks to Alix Vallery and Elizabeth Croce, Youth Program staff for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and of course our meeting families, we had children for the first time since April 2021 at Western Quarterly meeting’s recent gathering! [Read more…] about Thank you to Youth Programs Staff

Religious Education Resources & Events for Fall

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When the afternoon sunshine softens and the crickets take over for the cicada chorus, I know it’s back to school time. The former classroom teacher in me feels the tug to get ready for the new year, and of course in meetings we may be getting ready to welcome children and youth back from summer adventures to school-year routines. One of the ideas I’m thinking about a lot is rethinking “First Day School” — both that language and the scholastic model. It’s not “the way we’ve always done things” as Friends, and the interruptions of the pandemic continue to create opportunities for new ways of exploring, listening, and being community in our meetings. Join me for a conversation on this! Below you’ll find resources for Fall and events for conversation, service, and fellowship.
[Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events for Fall

Aging Quakers and Gardening

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In my first months as the PYM aging support coordinator, I reached out to many of the Quaker aging communities in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. One interesting resident focused activity I kept hearing Friends bring up was gardening. Around the world, gardening has been recognized for its values of reducing stress, improving moods, providing opportunities for exercise, mobility, socialization, and community outreach while connecting with all aspects of nature. Perhaps Quakers feel particularly connected to gardening because of the quiet peace time with plants provides. More than that, Quakers have also found that gardening reflects our concern for the natural world. [Read more…] about Aging Quakers and Gardening

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Epistle for Annual Sessions 2022

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Annual Sessions 2022 gathered Friends from across the PYM four-state region and beyond. Visitors from other yearly meetings and Quaker organizations were warmly welcomed. Following yearly meetings’ annual gatherings, outgoing epistles “to all Friends everywhere” are shared widely in our global Quaker community. (You can read others from 2022, some of which were read during our Sessions, posted here on the FWCC website.) Shared below are links to this year’s epistles from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Please read and share widely, especially with Friends who might not have attended Annual Sessions. The epistle committee seeks to capture what occurred during our time together and how Spirit moved among us. [Read more…] about Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Epistle for Annual Sessions 2022

Plumstead Friends Pack Food Bags for Ukrainian Children

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click – click – soy – rice … click – click – soy – rice … click – click – soy – rice …

This chant helped the assembly line move smoothly and efficiently, as volunteers from Plumstead Friends Meeting filled bags with rice, powdered soy, dehydrated vegetables and vitamin powder, that, when cooked, will provide complete nourishment for a hungry child. These particular bags are destined for the children of Ukraine, who have been suffering since Russia declared war on the Ukrainian people back in February 2022

[Read more…] about Plumstead Friends Pack Food Bags for Ukrainian Children

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