Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Covid 19

“Let it Shine” Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting- hosted by Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia

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Register for January 23rd, 2022 Winter session of PQM.

Gather with Friends across Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting to connect with dear friends and make new connections.  Join us for the whole day or the portions you are able to attend:

10:30 AM      Meeting for Worship

  • Your registration confirmation email provides a zoom invite to join our host, MMFP / Arch Street Friends for worship.

1 – 4  PM       Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting convenes

  • The winter session opens with the program, followed by our business meeting. Details below:

Quaker Worship In the Time of Covid: What Have We Learned?

Our host meeting, the Monthly Meeting of the Friends of Philadelphia (MMFP) (aka Arch Street Friends) has organized this timely program, expected to run about one hour.  Friends across PQM will speak on what we have learned from meeting for worship during Covid-19 pandemic. We’ll look at what meetings are doing now and what’s next for our Quaker communities.  Bring your questions, concerns and tips to share.

Nancy Love, Clerk of MMFP will moderate the panel of speakers and open discussion format.

Speakers are being invited from meetings in PQM. Confirmed panelists include the following friends. We will update this page as others confirm their participation.

  • Bruce Birchard, Clerk Worship & Ministry Committee, Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting
  • Carol Clark, Clerk of Unity Monthly Meeting
  • Rebecca Heider, Clerk Worship & Ministry Committee, Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting
  • Rob Smith, serves on Worship & Ministry Committee, Germantown Monthly Meeting
  • Walter Hjelt Sullivan, serves on Worship & Ministry Committee, Green Street Friends Meeting

A companion resource page will be uploaded to this site by 1/23/2020. Friends are welcome to share recommendations at pqmcoordinator@gmail.com.

PQM Meeting for Business

The preliminary agenda includes:

  • Nominations for officer positions
  • Minute celebrating Ujima Friends Meeting’s formation
  • News of the Quarterly Meeting

A more complete agenda will be uploaded to this site soon.

Contact Kathleen Karhnak-Glasby, PQM clerk, at karhnak@gmail.com with questions or suggestions.

Pastoral Care for Our Children in These Times

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As the pandemic continues, and this week our nation struggles once more against the legacy of racial injustice and violence, our children look on. 

Children and teens are experiencing the continued uncertainty of Covid and its impact on school, peer relationships, and future plans. Additionally, the events in Washington D.C. on January 6 were deeply disturbing and young people may feel anxiety, confusion, fear, sadness, or anger, and have questions about what they see and hear in the media and from friends. As parents, we’re holding space for our children’s feelings alongside our own anxiety, fury, and questions about moving forward. What follows are resources specifically for children, youth, and families.*

[Read more…] about Pastoral Care for Our Children in These Times

For Our Children: A Quaker Parent’s Perspective

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Abigaile Brace-Higgins is a member of Mickleton Meeting and serves on the planning circle for PYM Giant Children’s Meeting programs. This article originally appeared in the Salem Quarter News, Fall 2020.

On March 16th, 2020, I laid down in the cool, muddy-grass at the foot of a tree in my backyard and looked up at the bare branches crackling like brittle-veins across the clear sky in the stark morning light. My two and a half year old son, Keegan, played quietly in his sandbox next to me. The heavy news of Covid-19 was thrashing like a storm all around us, but in that moment we were still. Nowhere to go, anytime soon. The impossible sadness of tragedy befalling thousands of people around the world pounded deep inside me. As a parent of a young child, my mind swelled with questions: How should my child understand this? How should I help him adapt? To cope? To stay safe? How long is this going to be? How are we going to move forward and stay connected to all those in our lives we hold dear? [Read more…] about For Our Children: A Quaker Parent’s Perspective