Our yearly meeting helps local Quaker communities find meaning and purpose through engagement in a larger network of Friends. Shared endeavors are good ways to engage with others, and there are many ways of working together.
Threads & Thread Gatherings
Threads relate to information & gatherings along important themes. Thread communications and thread gatherings are organized by staff in collaboration with Friends in the yearly meeting. They are in the care of the Quaker Life Council and the staff contact is the Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life.
Collaboratives
Collaboratives unite individuals across the yearly meeting (PYM) into a dynamic, “community organized” yearly meeting. Collaboratives group Friends with similar ideas and interests into committees that help launch PYM projects or activities. There are currently 7 formed collaboratives:
- Eco-Justice Collaborative
- First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative
- Legislative Policy Collaborative
- Middle East Collaborative
- Spiritual Formation Collaborative
- India Friends Collaborative
- FWCC and Other World Relations Collaborative
- Nuclear Disarmament Collaborative
Sprints
Sprints allow our community to respond to leadings at the moment. They provide agility in addressing a specific need as soon as it arises and helps to get the job done quickly. They last no longer than 1-6 months; the shorter the better. They can be under the care of any other structure, such as councils, committees, and collaboratives.
Resource Friends
Resource Friends help our community be healthy and thrive, by providing expert support in areas of need in our monthly meetings and on the yearly meeting level.
Bridge Contacts
Bridge Contacts help us connect with the movement of Spirit across our extended community. They keep current with the news, events, leadings, and activities in our yearly meeting network, and connect their constituencies to it. Bridge Contacts proactively identify opportunities for collaboration and make introductions.
Granting Groups
Granting Groups are the basic building block of PYM’s grant making. Each Granting Group is made up of volunteer members of PYM’s constituent Monthly Meetings, appointed by PYM’s Granting Committee; Membership changes over time. These Friends distribute grants on behalf of all of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s members.