PYM Youth Programs welcomed Spring with a series of weekend events that included young people of all ages! We’re excited for our upcoming Annual Sessions July 26-30th. Be sure to stay connected for news about Fall programs for children, youth, and families!
[Read more…] about PYM Youth Programs Welcomed Spring with a Series of Weekend Events
“We recognize that the well-being of the earth is a fundamental spiritual concern. From the beginning, it was through the wonders of nature that people saw God. How we treat the earth, and its creatures is a basic part of our relationship with God. Our planet as a whole, not just the small parts of it in our immediate custody, requires our responsible attention.” — Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, 1997.
[Read more…] about Earth Day Recommended Reads: Resources for Children, Youth & Families
Westtown School’s Quaker Leadership Program (QLP) plays a significant role in nurturing Quaker identity and providing experience with faith and practice for students and adults in the school community. QLP students were part of the PYM Young Friends group who volunteered at the Bucks Peace Fair in September and a group from the school attended Fall Continuing Sessions. Over their spring break in March, three QLP students and two faculty members participated in the Friends Committee on National Legislation’s 2023 Spring Lobby Weekend.
PYM Youth Programs have been busy connecting in-person! Two recent programs included a trip to Washington DC for older youth and a Family Overnight for children and families.
The weekend of January 27-29, ten Young Friends (high school) and Middle School Friends from three local meetings traveled to Washington DC with Friendly Presences (adult volunteer chaperones) and Youth Program staff to spend the weekend building friendships, learning more about African American history, and reflecting on how to be agents of change in our world. The group stayed at Friends Place on Capitol Hill, a Quaker learning center and guesthouse. The trip was conceived by the youth from Lancaster Monthly Meeting, who wanted to visit DC and meet other Quaker youth. They collaborated with staff from the yearly meeting Youth Program to organize the itinerary, plan programming, and invite other youth from around the Yearly Meeting.
[Read more…] about Winter Youth Programs: City & Camp!
Onward into the new year and new opportunities to learn and grow together in our Yearly Meeting in 2023! Two of those opportunities focus on intergenerational worship and Bible study. We have so much to learn from one another in our approaches to these topics, and the PYM “Worship & Care Package” is one way we will explore new possibilities together. Friends who support religious education in our meetings are a community of practice; let’s consider about how we might accompany one another in the next year, sharing the ways that children, young people, and their families are part of our meeting communities. [Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events for Winter 2023
The “Worship & Care Package” for PYM, a recently announced endeavor to support worship and pastoral care in our yearly meeting, includes two worship paths for Friends to walk together as we seek to deepen our experiences in faith community. One path is support for intergenerational worship, and the other is Bible study in the manner of Friends. Both practices are present in the roots of Quakerism and would have been familiar to early Friends. Today, we have an opportunity to explore intersections between Bible study and continuing revelation, generational experiences of the stories, and listening for how ancient texts can speak to our condition and witness in the world. Always, we can wonder together. [Read more…] about A Care Package for Bible Study
This week is one that wants to be filled with gratitude – especially for family and neighbors. In our beloved Philadelphia Yearly Meeting family there are stories on stories of our connections with neighbors. [Read more…] about A Week of Gratitude Alongside Trauma
One gift we may receive in Quaker worship is the way that one person’s experience of the Divine expands another’s. A gathering of Friends in worship brings many glimpses of the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. Like the many colors in a quilt, each person’s experience alongside the others creates the whole, and the pattern changes each time we worship together. Worship that is engaging for Friends of multiple generations is a kaleidoscope of the experience of Spirit. [Read more…] about A Care Package for Intergenerational Worship
Friends of all ages from across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting came together on Saturday, November 5, for our first fully hybrid (online & in-person) Sessions! Our Sessions theme “Living with our neighbors, growing into beloved community,” was alive in our community as we worshipped, played, discerned, and listened with care to one another and for Spirit moving among us. There were 250+ registrations with Friends attending from 67 local (monthly) meetings and visitors from six other yearly meetings. [Read more…] about Fall 2022 Continuing Sessions Recap
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