
Last Saturday, June 28, Friends gathered to learn how Friends in our yearly meeting work together through collaboratives. Collaboratives engage individuals across local meetings in the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting region. Members generally hold a concern for a joy, social justice issues, or perhaps spiritual formation; these ministries can transform and engage our yearly meeting into an interconnected, community organized space.
This gathering was one way to stay connected before Annual Sessions, which will take place July 23 to 27.
Follow this link to register for Annual Sessions.
First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative: The collaborative shared how this work grows from love and friendship with Indigenous people. They shared about the need to face truth, including Friends’ history with Indian boarding schools and harmful mascots. The collaborative shared how they have been traveling, accepting invitations, and building relationships with Indigenous nations. The collaborative is asking Friends to hold them in the Light as they explore ways to honor the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, September 30, for children who died during the boarding school era and for survivors who carry that history. They named the need for repair, and shared how their work supports language revitalization, native plantings, and land care led by Indigenous communities.
Middle East Collaborative: The collaborative shared how they stay connected with Quaker meetings and schools in the Middle East. They shared about the violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and their work to provide information, support peace efforts, and connecting for hard conversations. The Collaborative has also hosted courses, such as Why Palestine Matters, and supported actions aligned with Quaker values, including advocating for an end to apartheid and occupation.
Eco-Justice Collaborative: The collaborative shared how their work connects love for creation with practical action. They shared about building connections, providing resources, and inviting others into the yearly meeting’s climate witness. These Friends named how they focus on both personal steps and systemic change, from electrifying homes to advocating for policies that care for the earth. They emphasized how spiritual strength and community help them face grief and stay hopeful. They also shared about projects like Friendly Households, which bring people together to live more simply and support one another.
Addressing Racism Collaborative: Friends reflected on how their work holds both grief and the need to keep going. They named efforts across the yearly meeting, including reparations work, support for communities facing racism, and ongoing struggles with historic harms. They spoke about how this work grows through relationships, listening, and steady effort, even when it feels hard. Friends asked others to consider where they might connect, support one another, and carry the work forward with love and honesty.
Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative: Friends shared how they carry this work with spiritual grounding and deep care for those impacted. They named their partnerships with groups like Heeding God’s Call and Mothers in Charge, and the ways they witness to lives lost, including through the Memorial to the Lost installations. Friends spoke about the need for both public witness and work in community.
Spiritual Formation Collaborative: This collaborative offers ways to deepen spiritual life, whether in individual meetings, across quarters, or through programs open to everyone. Their work centers on spiritual practice, building relationships, and helping Friends be present alongside one another in their faith. The collaborative offers retreats, reading groups, spiritual friendship circles, and workshops on topics like aging, grief, and holding one another in the Light.
If you are in need of more information on the collaboratives, please reach out to Claire Kinnel at ckinnel@pym.org.