On Saturday, May 10, 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. This allows the Joint Council to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the week following the meeting.
Each month the council chooses one thing from their agenda or conversation to highlight. This month they were excited by Brooklyn Meeting’s Quaker Walk and some of PYM meetings’ and Friends’ participation.
The Quaker Walk to Washington began on May 4th at the Flushing meetinghouse in New York City and finishes today at the National Mall; Friends on the Walk arrived yesterday at Friends Meeting of Washington having crossed through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland on their journey.
The council members were energized by the Walk and its goal to demand that “our government honor the rights and freedoms granted to all human beings by our creator, particularly those of free speech and due process, owed to citizens and noncitizens alike.” Several PYM monthly meetings were along the route & able to host walkers including Princeton, Springfield, Westtown, London Grove, Germantown, and Central Philadelphia; George School was a host on the route, too. Others, including Trenton, Chestnut Hill, and Abington, had members who participated in the Walk or helped host walkers from elsewhere. Friends interested in learning more about the Walk can visit the official website or read this FAQ on the PYM website.
