Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Continuation of PYM’s Middle School Friends Program

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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Middle School Friends (MSF) program connects the space between the Children and Families program and Young Friends. It is a time when youth continue to find their own place within our community, learning how to listen to Spirit, discern, and be together in faith. The care offered in the program helps MSF youth keep a sense of belonging as they move forward within the Religious Society of Friends.

[Read more…] about Continuation of PYM’s Middle School Friends Program

October Opportunities That Invite PYM Friends Of Every Age

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As Fall begins, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting community gathers again, with different opportunities to be together at Haverford Friends Meeting, Friends Center, Arch Street Meeting House, and online.

These opportunities invite Friends of every age and group, from families and Middle School Friends to whole committees, to gather in fellowship, discernment, and learning as a faith community, continuing connection through time spent as Members One of Another. [Read more…] about October Opportunities That Invite PYM Friends Of Every Age

Every Ministry. Every Meeting. Every Friend. Has a Story.

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Friends from every meeting, region, and generation across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting carry impactful legacies forward each day. Committees and meetings record minutes, councils carry forward the business of the yearly meeting, organizations in our region act in ministry, and faith moves through individual Friends. Each of these moments creates a story worth sharing. [Read more…] about Every Ministry. Every Meeting. Every Friend. Has a Story.

Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting Updates Marriage Minute

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We affirm that marriage “in the presence of God and these our Friends” is a sacred commitment between two people. There is nothing about this significant spiritual event that should limit it to heterosexual couples. The spiritual and community benefits of marriage should be available to all couples regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity. [Read more…] about Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting Updates Marriage Minute

Questions from the Body During Session Regarding the Work of Council as Received by the Tri-Clerks

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Friends who attended Annual Sessions in person or on Zoom know that the council tri-clerks invited questions about how council functions. More questions were received than could be answered in the time available. The clerks prepared written responses in the weeks that followed, and those responses are being shared here. The clerks met their commitment to answer promptly; the delay was only in distribution.

Key to abbreviations:

AC = Administrative Council

QLC = Quaker Life Council

NC = Nominating Council

JC = Joint Council

[Read more…] about Questions from the Body During Session Regarding the Work of Council as Received by the Tri-Clerks

Learning and Action in Five Areas of Climate Care

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Creating a Playbook for Climate Action is a tool for Friends and meetings to work in five areas: activism, education, reducing our carbon footprint, finances, and mourning loss & instilling hope. The playbook gives a framework to set goals, share ideas, and track progress.

The playbook connects with Climate Witness: Let Our Actions Speak! Thread Gathering on Saturday, October 25, at Arch Street Meeting House with participation also available online. The day is intergenerational, with workshops and activities for children, youth, and adults. The playbook may not be named in every workshop, however Friends will find that each workshop touches one or more of the five action areas and can be carried into their own planning for themselves or their meeting. [Read more…] about Learning and Action in Five Areas of Climate Care

Finding One Another Made Easier

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Friends in our yearly meeting use a mix of tools to share information and stay in touch. Some of these tools help with conversations, some with finding meetings, and some with keeping contact details current. Together they give a picture of how community life continues between gatherings. [Read more…] about Finding One Another Made Easier

PYM Welcomes New Development Associate and Friends Counseling Service Counselor

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We are thrilled to welcome Alix C. Vallery as Development Associate (pictured left) and Ashley Slaff as a new counselor with Friends Counseling Service (pictured right). We are excited for the experience and dedication they will bring to their roles within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. [Read more…] about PYM Welcomes New Development Associate and Friends Counseling Service Counselor

Greenleaf Fund | Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting | A Short History

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Authorship Attributed to Fred Melroy, Clerk of Greenleaf Granting Group

The Greenleaf Boarding Home began in 1896 with a generous gift of money from Anna Thomas Jeanes to Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting along with a gift of property in Moorestown NJ from the Paul Family. Daughter, the famous suffragette Alice Paul, became a resident and passed away there in 1977.  The Legal name is the Friends Boarding Home of the Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting but became known as “The Greenleaf” in 1930 due to the bucolic campus sporting many gardens including those for growing their own fruits and vegetables.

Over the years Greenleaf expanded to include a skilled nursing facility, and many members of the Quarter volunteered at the home or donated gifts of money and food.  However, across the country smaller retirement homes suffered from lack of occupancy in the 1990’s and ultimately The Greenleaf Building was sold to Moorestown Friends School 2008. Proceeds from the sale along with the Greenleaf endowment were transferred to Friends Fiduciary under the care of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.  Currently the corpus of the fund is more than $13 million. A granting group was established and income from the fund is distributed to needy elderly Quaker’s with priority given to those from the Haddonfield Quarter. The current granting group is clerked by a member of Haddonfield Quarter and made up of members from both the Quarter and greater PYM. The recipients of Greenleaf Grants receive collectively approximately $400,000 a year.  Demand is currently outpacing income so approvals in the future will be limited, with Haddonfield Quarter getting top priority.

 For more information visit the Aging Grants Web Page or contact grants@pym.org.

Millville Monthly Meeting Statement On PYM Lawsuit

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Adopted 2025.8.10 in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Millville Meeting with this statement expresses its support for the separate lawsuits that our umbrella organizations, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and Friends General Conference, along with other Quaker, Christian, Unitarian Universalist, Jewish, and Sikh organizations have undertaken against the federal government’s new policy under this Trump Administration regarding ICE raids at houses of worship and other “sensitive places” that undocumented immigrants have used until now to meet essential religious and secular needs. [Read more…] about Millville Monthly Meeting Statement On PYM Lawsuit

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