PYM’s Committee on Friends Education reminds families that monthly meeting members’ children attending or applying to Friends Schools are eligible to apply for educational support for the 2021-22 school year. Funding for all grants comes from the National Friends Education Fund and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting endowment income from the Jonathan Rhoads Fund and other PYM education endowments. [Read more…] about Tuition Aid for Friends Children in PYM Friends Schools
Middle School Friends
Middle School Friends Made Pie!
Middle School Friends began their Fall Hangout series with a fun afternoon of baking!
After spending some time getting to know each other through introductions and a “favorite thing about fall” scavenger hunt, Chef Alix (our fabulous MSF Assistant!) led everyone through the steps of making a key lime pie. Each pie had its own unique characteristics – just like our Middle School Friends – and they all were delicious! [Read more…] about Middle School Friends Made Pie!
Youth Call for Action in Support of Immigrants
Providence Meeting Middle School Friends’ concern for immigrants began when we saw pictures of immigrants on the news and how they were being treated at the US Mexico border. That led to our first fundraiser and learning more about the immigrant situation. We heard that families were being separated, and knew we needed to learn more about migrant life at the border and how we could help. [Read more…] about Youth Call for Action in Support of Immigrants
Youth Programs Host Virtual Camp Swatara Gathering
Young Friends and Middle School Friends gathered last weekend for an online version of our traditional Camp Swatara gathering. In addition to staples of our usual programs — worship sharing, business meeting, and committee time — we got creative and reinvented some of the most treasured parts of the Swatara gathering for this digital platform.
In lieu of the usual Saturday morning hike up the Appalachian Trail to the rock pile, we gathered in the morning for a group “hiking” game that we could all do from the comfort of our backyards and living rooms. Saturday night, the two youth programs came together again for a talent show and campfire song circle where musician Simon Purchase James led us in song. [Read more…] about Youth Programs Host Virtual Camp Swatara Gathering
Gathering Together: Support for Families & First Day Programs
Last Sunday, a handful of families in my meeting decided to try online Children’s Meeting (our First Day program for children) and worship together online. It was a last-minute decision to fire up my Zoom account and see how it worked. We posted the information on Facebook and sent out a quick email on the meeting listserv. Two hours later, when we gathered across households, we were joined by a former attender now living in Seattle, and three other PYM families who had seen the Facebook post. We came together across miles and even time zones to share songs, a reading, queries, and waiting worship. [Read more…] about Gathering Together: Support for Families & First Day Programs
Meet the Middle School Friends Team
Huzzah! We’re excited to welcome new staff members to the Youth Programs team. Kristin Simmons joins Elizabeth Croce as MSF Co-Facilitator, and Alix Vallery joins as the MSF Program Assistant. Both bring new gifts and skills to the MSF team and will contribute to the wider Youth Programs mission and vision.
Elizabeth Croce says it best, and speaks for the whole Youth Programs team: “I’m thrilled to welcome Kristin and Alix to the MSF staff team! Together, the three of us bring diverse experiences, passions, and ideas that will enrich the MSF program. I am so excited to continue growing the MSF program with this multi-talented team.” [Read more…] about Meet the Middle School Friends Team
Threshing on Membership Report
View a downloadable/PDF version of the report here.
Introduction
The bulk of this report is made of minutes of exercise taken by PYM Recording Clerk, Jim Herr. The minutes review the proceedings of the day. Following the minutes of exercise, the report contains a transcription of collections of “advice to the yearly meeting” in response to several queries that participants wrote down in small groups. Find in Appendix A the advance documents that were provided ahead of the threshing session.
Middle School Friends Winter Gathering
Middle School Friends had a wonderful time at Lancaster Friends Meeting during their Winter Gathering, January 31 to February 2. We were super excited to see new and returning participants come together as a community.
Youth Programs Team Updates: New Staff and An Invitation
New staff! The Youth Programs team is delighted to announce that Crystal Hershey has agreed to serve as the Children and Families Program Assistant. While Crystal is a new addition to our team, she is a familiar face in youth programs and the PYM community.
[Read more…] about Youth Programs Team Updates: New Staff and An Invitation
MSF Fall Gathering: Apples, Unicorns, and Community
October 18th – 20th, Middle School Friends joined together in community and autumnal fun at West Chester Friends Meeting. We are grateful to the meeting community for hosting us, and their warm welcome after worship on Sunday morning.
We had a busy weekend playing next-level hide and go seek with the lights off, having a birthday party for a newly minted 13 year-old, as well as cooking and sharing meals together. We visited a local orchard to pick apples, enjoy cider and cider donuts, and explore the orchards in the last moments of warmth in the season. We were also visited by a friend of the MSF program, Tara Rubinstein, who heeded our call that MSF was interested to learn more about the complexities of gender. Within this workshop, we learned about pronouns, the gender unicorn, and even explored within our gender affinity groups about what we value and what challenges us within these affinity groups. On Sunday morning, some participants attended worship with the meeting, and others joined with their Young People’s Group for an exploration of ”The Questions We Ask,” a lesson created for teens to explore the creation story in Genesis laid alongside the Big Bang Theory. The approach is addressed to “Quaker skeptics,” the young Friends who are questioning stories and information in our religious faith and wider culture.
The weekend was filled with community, learning, and fun! We hope to see everyone on November 2nd for Continuing Sessions!
