Saturday July 27, 2019 Plenary speaker, Valerie Brown, offered a keynote centering in trust and love and we explored the questions: What does it mean to you to center in trust and love? Why is this meaningful? The participants were engaged in reflection and discussion on these questions through poetry, …
People think of Annual Sessions as a linking of different meeting communities and a grounding of our Faith in business, fellowship, and care. For children it is Quaker summer camp. And for families it is a time to be together with other families like them – to talk about raising …
Lynne Piersol began the report by inviting those who met with her on July 27th, 2019 to join her in standing before the audience or sitting on the stage. FULL REPORT Yesterday, representatives from 8 Quarters, including 3 Coordinators, and 3 Quarter Clerks or Assistant Clerks met with Chris Lucca, …
Dear Friends, everywhere, We the Young Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting gathered together at The College of New Jersey located in Ewing, New Jersey from Wednesday, July 24the , through Sunday, July 28the , focusing on this year’s theme; “How do we center ourselves in trust and love?” Throughout the …
We as Friends are called to work and witness for justice, wholeness, and connection. We feel a hunger to be gathered in the Spirit despite great pain and brokenness within our body and in the wider world. Worship Sharing: Questions of Race, Inclusion & Diversity July 28, 2019 To Friends …
Emma Condori-Mamani is a Bolivian Friend. She is traveling for two months in the United States to speak with youth, American Friends, climate change NGOs, and others. She came to PYM’s Annual Sessions to share the work of Quaker Youth in Bolivia regarding climate change with Americans. As Emma meets …
Thursday evening PYM’s Clerk, Chris Lucca, noted that some 50 Friends of all ages had gathered to discuss the query raised by one of our younger friends about the future of the Religious Society of Friends. Richard Schiffer of Swarthmore meeting was invited to present the epistle on New Zealand. …
It was a joyful moment when the Community Engagement team revealed Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s quilt made of squares created by monthly meetings, Quaker groups, and community members. 33 have been submitted so far, and we know that there are many quilters out there who continue to ready their community’s square. …
By Tara Rubenstein and Grace Sharples Cooke; photos by Frank Barch Margaret Fell – who is called the “mother of Quakerism” for her essential role in the early movement- had a gift of hospitality. She opened her home, Swarthmore Hall, to Quakers for worship. This year at Annual Sessions we …
Please find below a statement regarding the change in our keynote address at the 2019 Annual Sessions. This statement is an expression of our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and growth around anti-racism. Bucks Quarterly Meeting was a partner in the drafting. Announced in the brochure that was mailed to Friends’ homes …
Our Friends who attended the Spiritual Formation retreat shared closing queries and a sense that they want to carry the spirit of the experience into the future of Sessions and the yearly meeting. Spirit is what we are all about. Valerie Brown, our featured afternoon workshop presenter, shared a YouTube …
Storytelling image above – by Richard Morse After checking in to Annual Sessions Wednesday afternoon, picking up their room cards, and getting golf cart rides to their housing, Friends connected around a TCNJ catered dinner of barbecued chicken, salad, and baked potatoes with an array of toppings. They sat in …
When Friends reflect on Annual Sessions last year you can always tell if they attended the pre-sessions retreat. They say things like “I felt so grounded.” Or, “That was the best way to begin.” Or, “every Quaker gathering should begin that way.” So, it was obvious that PYM would want …
By Melinda Wenner Bradley, Youth Religious Life Coordinator What does the intersection of intention and action look like among Friends? The programs planned for children, youth, and families at Annual Sessions, and our practices in the Quaker community of PYM Youth Programs, are among the possibilities! However you attend Sessions …
PYM’s Annual Sessions is officially underway as of today with the start of our pre-sessions spiritual retreat this afternoon. Our PYM Sessions truck has been unloaded at the College of New Jersey and our golf carts are out ferrying staff to prepare all of our spaces. This year will be …
This page includes information to help prepare for Annual Sessions 2019. The College of New Jersey 2000 Pennington Road Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Links to directions and a Campus Map are on the PYM website. Please review the Agenda and Advance Documents now posted on the website, and check back for …
Put Thursday July 25th and Friday July 26th on your calendar for two very interesting workshops being offered as part of PYM’s Friends in Fellowship series. All you need to do is attend PYM’s Annual Sessions at the College of New Jersey, near Trenton. Annual Sessions is free (meals are …
In these politically charged and challenging times, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and fall into despair or indifference. Hope for a better future, “the world we seek” comes with the actions we take together on issues we care about. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) provides the tools we …
This is part IV of a four-part story written by Haverford resident, Nancy Warren. A study of history uncovers the role a home near Haverford Meeting (Buck Lane) played. It served as an important Quaker boarding house that sheltered World War II refugees for American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). This …
On Thursday at Annual Sessions we will be joined by Abigail Leedy, a recent graduate of Philadelphia’s Central High and an attender at Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Before going to college, she’s taking a “gap year” to work full time as a trainer for the Sunrise Movement, a national, youth-led …