Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

spiritual grounding

BOOK TALK! Spice Up Your Life with Jay Marshall

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Join Quaker author and minister Jay Marshall in conversation with Windy Cooler, convener of the Friends Incubator for Public Ministry, for an evening that celebrates Jay’s new book, Spice Up Your Life: Reflections on the Testimonies.

A lifelong Friend and former dean of Earlham School of Religion (as well as active advisory board member for the Incubator!), Jay writes with warmth and wit about bringing creativity, intention, and joy into the ordinary patterns of daily life. Drawing on stories from his pastoral work, travels around the world, and reflections on Quaker testimonies such as peace, equality, and simplicity, Spice Up Your Life invites readers to see faithful living as an adventure of curiosity and deep listening.

For Quaker public ministers, Jay’s reflections offer a timely reminder that spiritual vitality grows out of attention to both the inner life and the small acts of love that make up community. His attention to silence, storytelling, and simplicity resonates with the daily work of those who serve publicly, helping us find stillness beneath the noise and courage to live out our leadings with joy.

In this live conversation, Jay and Windy will explore:

 

  • How Quaker testimonies continue to shape the rhythms of modern life and ministry

  • Why storytelling and writing remain central to the Quaker witness

  • What silence and simplicity can teach us about presence and discernment

  • How curiosity, travel, and openness to difference keep ministry fresh and creative

Expect an evening full of humor, reflection, and depth as two seasoned ministers consider how to “season” our lives and our service with imagination, gratitude, and delight.

Free and open to all. Donations very welcome. All donations support the grassroots, collaborative work of the Friends Incubator for Public Ministry.

Kairos: A Spiritual Journey

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What spiritual practices sustain you?

What does prayer/contemplation mean in your life?

How do you support yourself and others during challenging times?

Are you creating space for spiritual learning?

How does your spiritual practice permeate your way of being in the world?

The term kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word describing an opportune and decisive moment; a combination of time and place that generates the ideal environment for actions, words, and/or movements.

This retreat is designed for nurturing the Effetá in our life – the movement of being attentive to the Spirit in our challenging world. Participants will have an opportunity to reconnect with one another as we explore and nurture our experience of being in relationship with the Divine. In this space, we will be invited to contemplate and reflect on how my/our openness to the Spirit is manifested in my/our presence in the world.

We will explore practice and queries that will support participants in their spiritual journey as we individually and collectively build in the importance of hope and love in time of adversity. Participants will create a unique space for spiritual growth by combining key practices from Quaker and other faith traditions, and they will have the opportunity to engage in contemplative praying of the Scriptures as they experience the deep practice of worship sharing.

Extended Meeting for Worship

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Swarthmore Friends Meeting invites you to  a day of extended meeting for worship and spiritual fellowship with other Friends. All are welcome. Please bring a bag lunch.  Beverages will be provided..

Extended worship is an opportunity to be seeped in the Divine in the company of other Friends. For over twenty-five years, Friends in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting have met periodically on Saturdays for a full morning of unprogrammed worship (usually about three hours), followed by fellowship over a bag lunch.   In the afternoon we share how we were touched by the Spirit in the morning worship, and we center again in gathered silence together.

For many this is a regular practice that helps us hear how God is leading us, a mini-retreat in the midst of busy lives.  During the meeting for worship, Friends are invited to make their bodies comfortable and, as needed, to quietly leave and then to return to the room. Although moments of restlessness may occur, especially at the one hour mark, most newcomers to Extended Worship are surprised at how quickly time passes, and by about how refreshed they feel.  All are welcome.

Since 2020, gatherings for extended worship have been held online monthly via Zoom, usually on the first Saturday of the month.  In-person gatherings in the Philadelphia area are now infrequent, and a special opportunity to be gathered by the Spirit together.  In-person gatherings are now being held about five times a year at Quaker Meetings in New England.
Remember to bring your lunch.  Attend just a portion of the day or the full day.There is no cost to attend. No advance registration is required, except if you require child care.  If you would like child care, please contact us at least two weeks in advance.

Schedule (times are Eastern Time, USA):

9:15 to 9:30 Gathering and Welcome

9:30 to 12:30 Extended Meeting for Worship

12:30 to 1:30 Brown Bag Lunch (bring your own)

1:30 to 3:00 Worship Sharing

3:00 to 3:15 Clean-up and departure.

Creating Community: PYM’s Disability and Caregiver Support Groups

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Throughout our yearly meeting, individual Friends and Monthly and Quarterly Meetings are diligently working to make our communities more accessible for any and all who are impacted by disability. We are overjoyed to share that the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is offering two different support groups: a Disability Support Group for Friends with disabilities and a Caregiver Support Group for Friends who are caregivers of those with disabilities. These support groups are open to members and attenders of PYM who self-identify as having and/or supporting individuals with any kind of disability, physical or mental, visible or invisible.
 [Read more…] about Creating Community: PYM’s Disability and Caregiver Support Groups

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