On Saturday, October 12th, the three councils that support Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—Quaker Life Council, Administrative Council, and Nominating Council—held their first meeting in a new joint format. In this structure, all three councils meet together as one Joint Council to worship, discern, and conduct business collaboratively. A key feature in the joint format is the approval of minutes during the meeting. This allows the Joint Council to share the minutes in a news story with the PYM community in the week following the meeting.
Peace
Talking about the Election with Children and Youth
Authorship is credited to Melinda Wenner Bradley (West Chester Meeting), Quaker Religious Education Collaborative
The intensity of the election cycle is an experience both for adults and for the children and youth in our families and communities. Depending on their age, preschoolers to teens may be aware of the anxiety in the adults around them — and experiencing their own anxiety about the outcome of the election in November.
[Read more…] about Talking about the Election with Children and Youth
Peace Begins with You: A Gathering for Children & Families
“If we are to create peace in the world, we must begin with the children.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Peace Begins with You: A Gathering for Children and Families” is a Sunday afternoon for families with children to come together for fellowship, learning, celebrating peace and how we can each live in our truth and be peacemakers. We hope Friends in meetings will participate and bring their friends. Grandparents are welcome too! Families with children in Friends schools in the Philadelphia area are also warmly invited.
The program will include a workshop with Dwight Dunston, aka Sterling Duns, a West Philly-based facilitator, hip-hop artist, educator, and activist with deep experience in facilitating Kingian Nonviolence programs and working with children.
In addition to Dwight’s workshop, there will be intergenerational activities, parent/guardian worship sharing, a children’s story and activities, snacks (always!), and time to simply enjoy being together.
With the upcoming 2024 Election, and rising concern about election violence and societal conflict, this afternoon program is aimed at giving our children tools to explore the Quaker Way of the Peace Testimony and to know they are part of a wider community standing with courage for peace and justice.
Questions? Please email Kristin Simmons, Youth Engagement Coordinator, ksimmons@pym.org
Please register below.
Active Peace: Breathing and Living the Peace Testimony in Times of Unrest
Apr 13, 2024, 1:00-6:00pm
Standard Price – $100
Subsidizing Price – $125
Subsidized Price – $75If the subsidized price is financially inaccessible, please wait to register and first apply for financial assistance by using the link on the event page.
Quakers have always been called to be arbiters of peace and truth in times of societal confusion and unrest. And since the beginning, it has been pivotal to the spiritual tradition to be in accountable community while ushering in a more peaceful world.
In this workshop, we will explore the ways that Quakerism has influenced parts of society to embody and champion peace and how individuals, communities, and movements can influence Quakers to continue to evolve our way of thinking and acting to make the journey towards the beloved community a tangible reality.
Using Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work, research, and philosophy, participants can expect to deepen their own understanding and commitment to the peace testimony and explore new ways to live out peace in their homes, meetings, and communities.
Friends Join Pilgrimage for Peace Walk
From the PYM statement in response to the crisis in Palestine in October:
These are not problems that can be addressed with one approach or with attention to one side or one truth or one thread of history. We are required by our faith to work for justice and peace. We must do this together with our neighbors. Resolution won’t be immediate, but participation in the resolution must start now. [Read more…] about Friends Join Pilgrimage for Peace Walk
Middle East Collaborative Shares Peace Resource
[Read more…] about Middle East Collaborative Shares Peace Resource
Feature Film about Friend Rustin Bayard Opens November 3rd
A movie focused on the life and work of Friend Bayard Rustin is being released in the coming days, joining the 2002 documentary Brother Outsider and offering a new way for the wider public to learn about the peace, labor, and civil rights organizer and activist. [Read more…] about Feature Film about Friend Rustin Bayard Opens November 3rd
AFSC Meeting for Worship with Attention to Peace in Palestine and Israel
The Quaker Engagement Office of the American Friends Service Committee invites you to join us in a Meeting for Worship with attention to peace in Palestine and Israel. This is a time for Friends to come together in worship and solidarity as we grapple with the tragic events and lives lost as a result of ongoing conflict. Please share this invitation with your meeting or church and members of your community.
AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire Now
Join the American Friends Service Committee to take action and write to Congress during this heightened period of crisis in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. AFSC will share an update from our staff on the ground, then help you engage with us in making calls to the White House and your member of Congress, calling for an immediate ceasefire. We will also show a tutorial on effective letter writing and spend time writing letters together. We will share resources and other action items that can increase our collective voices at this critical time.
Thank you for offering prayers and support as we witness the horrific scenes of violence and destruction in Palestine and Israel.
AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire Now
Join the American Friends Service Committee to take action and write to Congress during this heightened period of crisis in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. AFSC will share an update from our staff on the ground, then help you engage with us in making calls to the White House and your member of Congress, calling for an immediate ceasefire. We will also show a tutorial on effective letter writing and spend time writing letters together. We will share resources and other action items that can increase our collective voices at this critical time.
Thank you for offering prayers and support as we witness the horrific scenes of violence and destruction in Palestine and Israel.