Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Annual Sessions

SURVEY FOR 2025 ANNUAL SESSIONS!

Welcome to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions

 

July 2025: Members One of Another

 

Gathering as a community is part of our shared commitment to each other and our faith.

This year, Annual Sessions will return to a five-day Sessions format. Friends can expect keynote speakers, opportunities for fellowship, learning, worship, and thoughtful attention to the work of the yearly meeting.

This summer, Annual Sessions will take place at Cheyney University and on Zoom. We are grateful to be partnering with Cheyney – The first Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Cheyney University was founded in part with a grant from a Quaker family. This partnership is an opportunity to nourish meaningful relationships. Friends are invited to join as a community – either in person or online – based on what works best for you.

Ways to join

Wednesday and Thursday of Annual Sessions are online-only, using Zoom. All registered participants will receive the link.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be hybrid. Friends are welcome to attend onsite at Cheyney University or take part online through Zoom.

SURVEY FOR 2025 ANNUAL SESSIONS!

Schedule

Wednesday, July 23 2025
All events on Wednesday take place on Zoom

  • 1:00 – 4:00 PM – Spiritual Formation: Friends are encouraged to start the Sessions week with an opportunity for grounding and learning with the Spiritual Formation collaborative. Together we will explore the topic Enabling the Presence of Spirit at Meetings for Business. We will have readings and small and large group discussions based on William Taber’s “Four Doors for Meeting for Worship.”
  • 6:30 – 9:00 PM – How can we sing God’s song in a strange land…in such a time as this? (Psalms 137:4, Esther 4:14 and 16)
    Keynote speaker: Ayesha Imani- Founder of Ujima Friends Peace Center and Ujima Friends Meeting.
    What do we do right here, right now in the midst of our pain, nearly paralyzed by fear, fighting a sense of despair, witnessing our world in peril? Let us open our hearts and minds and allow ourselves to draw inspiration from the presence of the Divine and the legacy of our ancestors.
    Bio: See highlights to learn more about our keynote speakers
Thursday, July 24 2025
All events on Thursday take place on Zoom

  • 9:00 AM – Waiting Worship
  • 10:00 – 11:30 AM – Lectio Divina Bible Study: Members One of Another
    Scripture: Romans 12:1–6a
    Theme: Members One of Another
    With Salvador Orellana
    This Bible Study invites Friends into a reflective, prayerful exploration of what it means to live in spiritual and communal dependence. Based on the contemplative practice of Lectio Divina, we will listen carefully to Paul’s vision of the Body of Christ in Romans 12—especially the powerful verse in verse 5: “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”As members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—a community made up of many meetings and ministries—we are called to consider how this spiritual truth is expressed among us: across differences, beyond outward identities, and toward deeper unity in the Light.
  • 12:00 PM – Lunch and Online Fellowship on Zoom
  • 1:00 – 2:00 PM – Affinity Group: Friends with Disabilities
    Affinity groups invite Friends with shared identities to gather for an hour of conversation and connection. If you are a Friend with a disability, we hope you will join!
  • 2:00 – 5:00 PM – Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business:
    • Land Acknowledgment – We will open business with an acknowledgment of whose land we are meeting on, and of the indigenous people who live and have lived in this region since long before European colonization.
    • Nominating Slate – The body is asked to approve new appointments serving the Yearly Meeting.
    • Guidance on Advocacy and Lobbying – The body is asked to discuss the Guidance on Advocacy and Lobbying.
    • Budget Approval – The body is asked to approve the Yearly Meeting Budget. To learn more about the budget in advance of this meeting, Friends are encouraged to attend the Budget Q&A on July 16.
  •  5:30 – 6:30 PM – Affinity Group: Friends of African Descent Affinity Groups
    Affinity groups invite Friends with shared identities to gather for an hour of conversation and connection. If you are a Friend of African Descent, we hope you will join!
  • 7:00 – 8:30 PM – Communities of Practice – Building our Connections
    A community of practice is collection of people who share a common passion – or ministry – and they learn and grow together. This real-time conversation is an opportunity to meet Friends, share stories, and exchange resources around
    • Ministry & Care
    • Peace & Social Justice
    • Governance & Stewardship
    • Religious Education
    • Outreach & Communication
  • 9:30 – 10:30 PM – Young Adult Friends Fellowship on Zoom
Friday, July 25 2025
Friday events are hybrid unless otherwise noted. Join us at Cheyney University or on Zoom.

  • 8:00 AM – Onsite registration opens at Cheyney
  • 9:00 AM – Waiting Worship (Onsite Only)
  • 9:00 AM – Youth programs begin (Onsite Only)
  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Memorial Meeting for Worship
    Memorial Meeting for Worship is a special time of honoring Friends from our Meetings who have passed away in the last year. We celebrate the gifts they shared and hold their memories in the Light.
  • 12:00 – 1:00 PM – Lunch on campus and Lunch Fellowship on Zoom
  • 12:30 – 2 PM – Artist in Residence and Worship
    • Join Artist in residence Tim Simmons for a creative workshop entitled “Find Your Sound”. In this workshop, participants will engage in a series of easy-to-follow musical improvisation games that encourage deep listening, spontaneous community music-making, and courageous risk-taking. (onsite only)
    • Worship sharing in small groups.
  • 2:00 – 5:00 PM – Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
    • LGBTQIA Minute – The body is asked to approve a minute that affirms our commitment to the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals
    • Joint Council update – The Joint Council, which provides guidance and governance to the Yearly Meeting, shares an update on topics of importance to the body
    • State of the Meeting Report – Guided by the Spiritual State of the Meeting reports monthly meetings submitted to Ministry & Care committee, the clerk of Quaker Life Council will present.
    • Climate Witness Stewards Report – Friends serving as Climate Stewards share about what the Yearly Meeting is doing to address climate change, and offer calls to action for individuals and Meetings.
    • Climate Witness Benchmark Review – The Yearly Meeting’s work and progress toward achieving carbon neutral operations will be reviewed.
  • 5:00 – 6:30 PM – Dinner on Campus
  • 5:30 – 6:30 PM – Quaker Parent and Quaker Grandparent Affinity Groups
  • 7:00 – 9:00 PM – Keynote Speaker: Joyce Ajlouny- General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee AFSC General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny will share how the American Friends Service Committee, grounded in Quaker values for over a century, works globally to challenge unjust systems and build peace especially at this critical moment of rising repression and authoritarianism, and the world’s catastrophic failure of conscience as war and genocide rage unchecked. Through its framework of Resisting injustice and championing immigrant rights, demanding Palestinian rights and a ceasefire in Gaza, and challenging runaway military spending; Building sanctuary, mutual support, and just peace; and Persisting in courageous, principled action as it has for nearly 11 decades, AFSC offers a vital witness. Joyce will issue a powerful call to action, inspiring us to join, as “members one of another”, this faithful, collective Quaker witness.
    Bio: See highlights to learn more about our keynote speakers
  • 9:00 – 10:00 PM Table Fair – Friends on Campus at Cheyney can head to the table fair to learn more about the important efforts happening by PYM Collaboratives, Sister Orgs and other Quaker groups. Refreshments and inspiration provided!
  • 9:30 – 11:00 PM – Young Adult Friends Fellowship
Saturday, July 26 2025
Saturday events are hybrid unless otherwise noted. Join us at Cheyney University or on Zoom.

  • 8:30 – 9:00 AM – All Ages Worship
  • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Youth Programs
  • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
    • Greetings from Cheyney University’s President – Aaron A. Walton, President of Cheyney University, will welcome everyone to campus this morning.
    • DHS Lawsuit Update – The suit challenges an immigration enforcement decision that interferes with and could significantly impact freedom of religion. Updates will be shared on the progress of the suit.
    • General Secretary Search Update
    • Singing Together – Friends take an interlude to join together in song
    • Creating Safe Spaces in our Meetings – Discussion and discernment
  • 12:00 – 1:00 PM – Lunch on Campus and Lunch Fellowship on Zoom
  • 12:00 – 1:00 PM – LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Meeting onsite (during Lunch)
  • 12:45 – 2:00 PM – Artist in Residence and Campus Tours (Onsite Only)
    • Join Artist in residence Tim Simmons for a second creative workshop entitled “The Steps in Your Journey”. In this workshop, participants will move through a space, contemplating the steps they have taken in their journey to arrive at this moment. At each step, they will be invited to stop, read, and draw or write something as an entry in their “passport.” It is not required to have joined the workshop on Friday.
    • Take a tour of historic Cheyney Campus, led by Cheyney staff.
    • If the weather is hot, we will have water sprinklers for all-ages outdoor play!
  • 2:00 – 5:00 PM – Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
    • Creating Safe Spaces Discussion, Part 2 – How are we led as a body to create safe spaces in our meetings?
    • Singing together – Friends take an interlude to join together in song
    • Arch Street Meeting House Report – Learn about exciting developments at ASMH
    • General Secretary’s Report: A Decade of PYM’s Big Picture – What is the big picture of PYM? How can understanding this picture help your Meeting?
    • First Reading of the Epistle – The Epistle Committee for the 345th Annual Sessions will present their first draft of the epistle.
  • 5:00 – 6:30 PM – Dinner on Campus, Dinner fellowship on Zoom – BYO craft project!
  • 7:00 – 9:00 PM – Quaker Fun Night (Onsite Only)
    Choose one activity, or stop by them all. Activities are for all ages and abilities!
    • Kickball – join a team for some Friendly athletics!
    • Drum Circle with Tim Simmons – make joyful noise with the guidance of our artist in residence! No prior experience required.
    • Arts and Crafts – work with Friends to create a visual story project, or bring your own craft project.
Sunday, July 27 2025
Sunday events are hybrid unless otherwise noted. Join us at Cheyney University or on Zoom.

  • 8:00 AM – Check out begins for Friends staying onsite
  • 9:00 – 10:00 AM – All Together Worship
    Friends are encouraged to join All Together Worship from home, from your meeting, or onsite at Cheyney. This worship experience is designed to center our youngest Friends while providing a time of worship that is meaningful for all.
  • 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Youth Programs
  • 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
    • The future of Sessions
    • Approve Epistle
    • TBD
  • 12:00 PM – Lunch onsite in Cheyney Hall
  • 1:00 PM – Final Checkout from Dorms

Youth Program Schedule

Friday, July 25 2025
  • 9 AM to 12 Youth Programs
  • 12 to 1 PM Lunch with Families
  • 1 to 2 PM Intergenerational Activity
  • 2 to 5 PM Youth Programs
  • 5 to 6 PM Dinner with Families or Youth Staff
  • 6:30 to 9 PM Youth Programs
Saturday, July 26 2025
  • 9 AM to 12 Youth Programs
  • 12 to 1 PM Lunch with Families
  • 1 to 2 PM Campus Tours/Intergenerational Activity
  • 2 to 5 PM Youth Programs
  • 5 to 6 PM Dinner with Families
  • 6:30 to 9 PM Intergenerational Activity
Sunday, July 27 2025
  • 9 to 10 AM All Together Worship
  • 10 AM to 12 Youth Programs
  • 2 to 1 PM Lunch with Families and Departure

SURVEY FOR 2025 ANNUAL SESSIONS!

Tara Rubinstein
Sessions and Events Coordinator
(215) 241-7228
trubinstein@pym.org
Simone Small Gellizeau
Director of Program & Religious Life
(215) 241-7008
sgellizeau@pym.org

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