Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) was founded in 2011 and though young in years, QVS sees itself as “a modern expression of a long-standing tradition of Spirit-grounded service and witness in the Quaker tradition.” The first QVS house was piloted in 2012 in Atlanta, GA. It was soon followed by others in Philadelphia and Portland, OR, Boston, and finally Minneapolis. [Read more…] about Quaker Voluntary Service – Reflecting on a Life Changing Work Experience
Governance & Stewardship
General Secretary Report, Jan-Feb 2021
On a regular schedule PYM’s General Secretary, Christie Duncan-Tessmer, publishes a report to PYM Councils detailing work that PYM Staff has completed. You can read a full archive of reports to councils or read her report for the first two months of 2021 below. [Read more…] about General Secretary Report, Jan-Feb 2021
Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean
To meet Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Ph.D. is to encounter an exceptionally grounded Friend with a deep knowledge of human societies. Currently Swarthmore College’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty since 2018, Sarah was appointed after having chaired the Department of Sociology & Anthropology (2009-2018), chaired the President’s Task Force on Sexual Misconduct (2013-14), served as Associate Provost (2005-8), and coordinated the Black Studies Program on and off for more than a decade beginning in 1998. Somehow, as she does all this, she has still found time to be present in leading PYM towards growth in important areas. [Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean
Share Your Meeting’s Spiritual Self-Assessment
Dearest Friends in PYM Monthly and Quarterly Meetings and other PYM Quaker Groups,
We trust this finds you seeking to be grounded in Spirit and in your community of faith. 2020 has certainly been a year filled with both opportunities and challenges! The Ministry and Care Committee of Quaker Life Council is once again asking for your help as we look to better understand the spiritual state of our yearly meeting through this past year.
To accomplish this, we are asking meetings to consider responding to the following queries: [Read more…] about Share Your Meeting’s Spiritual Self-Assessment
PYM Statement Concerning the January 6th Capital Insurrection
The events that have happened in our nation’s capital are deeply concerning. Below is a quote from Faith and Practice followed by a message from your Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Co-Clerks, Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch, and the General Secretary, Christie Duncan-Tessmer [Read more…] about PYM Statement Concerning the January 6th Capital Insurrection
Join Virtual Worship “Near” You
For Meetings Who Want to be “Found “ by Seekers Everywhere
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is compiling monthly meeting virtual worship offerings to post online. If you are part of your meeting’s leadership team and your meeting has not yet filled out the worship and events survey there is still time to do so. Once you fill this out, we will get the information on your meeting’s page on the PYM website. This will help people find you.
Meeting Owl Pro Device: Technology to Support Digital Worship
The pandemic has resulted in technology becoming an essential part of many Quaker meetings as in-person worship came to a stop at most meetings. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s (PYM) monthly meetings have had to find new ways to keep the community together through Zoom video calls or Facebook Live videos.
These new ways of worship have had a silver lining; members and attenders not able to typically attend worship in person have been able to join digitally. Digital worship creates a path for long-time members who no longer live near the meetinghouse and seekers new to Quakerism to attend. Many meetings have decided that offering a way for Friends to worship digitally is here to stay, even after a return to meeting in person. For those considering this option, there is technology available to support hybrid forms of gathering that offer a meaningful experience for attending in person and digitally. [Read more…] about Meeting Owl Pro Device: Technology to Support Digital Worship
Tuition Aid for Friends Children in PYM Friends Schools
PYM’s Committee on Friends Education reminds families that monthly meeting members’ children attending or applying to Friends Schools are eligible to apply for educational support for the 2021-22 school year. Funding for all grants comes from the National Friends Education Fund and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting endowment income from the Jonathan Rhoads Fund and other PYM education endowments. [Read more…] about Tuition Aid for Friends Children in PYM Friends Schools
Tax-Smart Giving
We are a community of Friends connected by faith, and worship is a big part of what we do together. But Friends meetings and PYM are also responsible for properties, utility bills, staff, and programming that our Quaker community values and relies on. All of this requires financial support.
Here are some tax-wise suggestions on how to provide that support without breaking the bank.
Clerks’ Report at Meeting For Business
PYM Presiding Co-Clerks Frank and Jean-Marie Barch presented the following report in the called December 8th Meeting for Business in Continuing Sessions. They shared information gathered from Monthly and Quarterly Meetings in response to the three PYM Initiatives launched at Annual Sessions in July 2020.
Clerks of Meetings who have not already submitted feedback to Jean-Marie and Frank Barch may use this form to do so.
