Quakers are holding in prayer and the light the families and loved ones of those who we lost at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018, at the Kroger grocery store in Kentucky on October 24, 2018, and in other acts of hate that will go untold. We …
With gratitude for their service, Youth Sprint III has been laid down, having completed their work on the Vision and Mission statements for Youth Programs, and with the formation of a Youth Programs Advisory Committee (YPAC), approved by the Quaker Life Council at its meeting on October 20, 2018. The …
Friends from Chestnut Hill and Frankford Meetings, along with many others, joined Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM) on Wednesday 10/24 for an evening at Friends Center on Imagining Philadelphia without Cash Bail, co-sponsored by CPMM and POWER. About 50 people gathered to hear from Public Defender Keir Bradford-Grey, an organizer …
Love and labour within Salem Quarter was released into our wider religious Society of Friends with PYM’s First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative. During the kick-off workshop at Annual Sessions 2017, participants leaned in toward understanding Tribal Sovereignty. Recently, following the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) convention in Denver, outreach was …
Friends in the Upper Susquehanna Quarterly Meeting (USQM) met for the Fall Family Gathering at Crystal Lake on September 21-23, 2018. To our joy, we welcomed in 28 children, a wonderful bounty of young energy and activity. Workshops included: Personal reflections on the spiritual journey through prison, by Mujedded Muhammad of Columbus, OH Centering …
Greetings from the Indian Committee We want you to be aware of on MONDAY NOVEMBER 5th 10PM PBS will broadcast DAWNLAND Our friends Wayne Newell and Denise Altvater (AFSC WABANAKI) are among those featured. See link below. Thanks to Elizabeth Koopman About the Film They were forced to assimilate into white …
This fall we decided to publish something different – an edition of Faith in Practice that included graphic storytelling. You can access a pdf file, but it has also been printed and mailed to PYM members and attenders on our mailing list. In it, we are featuring the work of …
On Sept. 28th, 2018, the Willits Book Trust of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting presented copies of the Autobiography of an American Slave to a group of Cumberland County College Equal Opportunity Fund Students at Historic Bethel Othello African Methodist Church in Greenwich, New Jersey. The students were taking part in a Freedom Tour, Freedom …
General Secretary Report on Staff Activity to Councils Mid-September Through Mid-October 2018 Business and Finance: Our fiscal year ended September 30th! The year-end prompted a variety of tasks including communications with monthly meetings and quarters about their final covenant payments, getting out last minute grants and payments and closing the …
Blessings from Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly 2018, a two-day celebration within Lenapehoking! Members of Indigenous organizations in Philadelphia came together providing a second year’s acknowledgment & celebration of their Indigenous cultures, shinning light on their unique presence in Philadelphia. During the Friday evening Teach-In at Friends Center, Chief Brooks (Delaware …
Quakers have a long history of political engagement. As the midterm elections approach, the PYM / FCNL Legislative Policy Collaborative encourages all Friends to engage in constructive dialogue with candidates at Town Hall Meetings and via Letters to the Editor. FCNL’s website section on Questions for Candidates offers nonpartisan guidance on issues …
At a recent meeting, the Quaker Life Council considered and celebrated the expression of Quaker Faith & Practice that is our Ujima Friends Peace Center. In the year that it has existed, the center has forged profound connections with the community in which it is located in North Philadelphia. Friends …
Hooray! The 2018 Edition of Faith & Practice is now available for order (and to be shipped) on the Quaker Books Website. Order them now!
On Thursday September 20, we spoke to the co-clerk, Shirin Scotten, of Croatan Friends Meeting in New Bern, NC. Shirin said that mail is not being delivered to the region yet, but UPS is delivering. Water is being handed out by local supermarkets daily. As stores reopen residents are being …
Green Street Meeting’s EMIR Ministry Support Group says a heartfelt “Thank you!” to everyone at Green Street, the meetings in Philadelphia Quarter, and beyond who supported our school supplies drive in summer 2018. The drive benefited 103 children whose families had lost a loved one to homicide, and who received …
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting collaborated with QuakerSpeak to look at what makes newcomers tick and how we can be more sustainably welcoming. Four videos are on the horizon, and the first was just released: See more QuakerSpeak videos
Now the Work of Christmas Begins by Howard Thurman When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to …
To All Friends Everywhere, We, the Children of PYM, came together for Annual Sessions at The College of New Jersey, July 25-29, 2018. We gathered to discuss Earthcare, one way we can let our lives speak. Resident artist Anna DeCaria hosted a sustainable weaving workshop. We used recycled fabric to …
Dear Friends Everywhere, The Young Friends program of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) gathered at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, New Jersey, for the days of July 25, 2018 through July 29, 2018. Our community welcomed Friends, both old and new as well as the new incoming Young Friends …
As September begins, we are sharing the thoughts of Friends who spent Annual Sessions with us last July. They were glad to be present for interesting workshops, important meetings for business, and plenary presentations by talented speakers like Dr. Amanda Kemp, Ayisha Imani, and Walter Sullivan. Annual Sessions gathers Friends from …