Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has multiple October events that will provide ways to engage within our community before Fall Continuing Sessions. Three opportunities include fellowship of the thread gathering, a family-centered peace-building event, or the collective discernment over climate during a virtual threshing session. Each of these events offers a unique opportunity to engage with the PYM community and prepare ourselves spiritually for the work ahead. Whether you are seeking fellowship, family engagement, or discernment on critical issues, these events will help ground us as we come together as a faith community:
Governance & Stewardship
Friends Counseling Service: Key Questions Answered for Accessible Mental Health Care
The Friends Counseling Service (FCS) serves members and attenders of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) who are in search for guidance, comfort, and assistance. This service offers accessible mental health care to Friends across PYM with counselors providing individual therapy, couples counseling, and family therapy sessions. We connected with Janaki Spickard Keeler, Friends Counseling Service Coordinator, who provided additional insight into the service by answering some key questions.
Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting on “Going Veggie” and Using “Creating a Playbook for Climate Action”
Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting has embraced a new initiative to support climate action by “going veggie” on the third Sunday of each month. This meeting-wide project is the result of collaboration between the Climate Action and Hospitality Committees, reflecting a shared commitment to addressing climate change.
Sarah Whitman, a member of both committees at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting, shared her perspective and the behind-the-scenes on this new initiative. “Last spring, we started a Climate Action Committee to help the meeting address climate change,” Sarah shared. “There have been individual leadings and practices related to climate change, but not a project that the whole meeting does together. I happen to be a member of both Hospitality and the Climate Action Committee, so I felt like this was an opportunity for synergy between those two committees.”
Update From the Listening and Lobbying Sprint of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Authorship of this update is attributed to the Jeanne Elberfield and the Listening and Lobbying Sprint of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
Friends, I am writing this update with much optimism in my heart and mind. The Listening and Lobbying Sprint is working diligently towards a draft policy and guidance addressing political lobbying for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Over the past few months, we have learned from a nonprofit expert and PYM’s lawyer about the IRS definitions and limitations on lobbying for a 501(c)(3). We have had regular conversations about how this information helps us to find a solution that mutually satisfies Friends who are led to political advocacy, the PYM Quaker community with diverse leadings and ministries, and the PYM as a 501(c)(3). We continue to ask Spirit to guide our hearts and minds as we navigate our way forward. [Read more…] about Update From the Listening and Lobbying Sprint of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Answer the Call: Share How Your Meeting is Engaging for Election Day
As Election Day, November 5th, approaches, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is asking members and monthly meetings to share how they are preparing and engaging Friends and their communities. From participating in the election efforts to spirit-led discussions. Friends are called to act, and PYM wants to hear how your meeting is living out that call. Whether your meeting is doing voter registration drives, holding discussions on community responsibility, or engaging in prayerful reflection, let us know what Friends are doing near you to inspire and mobilize your region for the upcoming election!
[Read more…] about Answer the Call: Share How Your Meeting is Engaging for Election Day
We Invite You to Join a PYM Granting Group!
Granting groups are a very meaningful part of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM), and each group is thankful for the volunteers who give their time and effort as granting group members. PYM Friends are encouraged to join a granting group to have the opportunity to practice philanthropy through discernment and to be part of distributing grants on behalf of all of PYM’s members.
[Read more…] about We Invite You to Join a PYM Granting Group!
Religious Education Resources & Events Fall 2024
Summer is waning, the crickets are singing, and it’s time to get ready for the next year in religious education programs! The Fall issue of The Tote Bag: Religious Education and Family Resources is here to support getting ready for children, youth, and intergenerational programs in meetings. This includes new resources to support middle school engagement, explore Bible stories with children, and how to talk together with young people about election issues. With the upcoming election in November, staff have been thinking about how to support families and young people to feel grounded in our testimonies of integrity and peace. Two specific events for adults and children/youth are happening this fall. Read on!
[Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events Fall 2024
New Schedule for Councils Meeting Jointly
Our current governance structure was set up with a goal of simplifying our governance and administration. Some adjustments have been made, such as adding a Clerks Group which encourages the clerks of the councils and officers of the yearly meeting to all collaborate. Another change is that the three councils, Quaker Life, Administrative and Nominating, have met jointly for about an hour every month for many years now. Over the course of the past two years, the clerks and Governance Advisory Committee have been watching for new opportunities that allow the councils to be increasingly effective in meeting our community’s needs, responsive to the spirit and respectful of the council members’ commitment. [Read more…] about New Schedule for Councils Meeting Jointly
Transition in General Secretary role in 2025
At Annual Sessions this year, the clerk shared the news that General Secretary Christie Duncan-Tessmer will be leaving her position in July 2025. A search committee is forming, a plan is in place, and there is a year for transition. Read on for Christie’s resignation letter below this note from Melissa Rycroft, Presiding Clerk.
In her decade as General Secretary, Christie Duncan-Tessmer exemplified servant leadership. Christie focused on PYM as a “We.” She understood how to take the gifts, skills, talents and dreams of the whole body and helped US become our best selves. She sees herself as a person who helped us do these things; she didn’t do these things on her own. From generously cooking for everyone to taking meticulous notes, she did an exceptional job modeling the type of leader that can work with and for everyone—monthly meetings, quarterly meetings, and staff alike—towards a common goal, utilizing everyone’s strengths.
Qualities that she has brought to the role and gifts she has shared with us:
Visionary—Christie can see ways to help the yearly meeting function, skillfully figuring out how the parts of the yearly meeting can operate differently, but work towards the same goals. For example, her efforts on the Strategic Directions and Implementation Plan were key to helping the yearly meeting understand and accomplish our objectives. The Powerpoints and presentations she’s built to explain and expand our work have proven to be incredibly useful tools, both for those familiar with our shared work and those who are encountering it for the first time.
Strategic—Christie is an exceptional listener, many times capturing the essence of a message more clearly than it was originally expressed. In so many meetings she’s listened attentively, taken copious notes, and returned with a plan that summarizes and encapsulates the fundamental aspects of the previous conversation. She hears our dreams and turns them into possibilities. In one clerks group meeting, we brainstormed for almost three hours. Over our next few gatherings, she presented a cohesive, comprehensive plan that incorporated the best of our ideas.
Generous—Christie is generous with her time, attention, and hospitality. On many occasions she’s focused not just on how to gather people together, but also on how to make sure they are cared for. From the very first council retreat at Burlington Meetinghouse, Christie cared for us by preparing food, instigating a rousing game of Exploding Kittens, and offering opportunities for us to socialize. Her generosity made it possible for me to be a presiding clerk from Upper Susquehanna Quarter – without her willingness to host me in her home, I don’t know how I could have served the yearly meeting from 175 miles away. During a Phillies game, her family gave up the TV room so my partner and could sleep, even though it was the playoffs. I didn’t realize until later that her family watched on a laptop together, instead of the big screen tv.
Faithful—While it could be easy to become task-focused in our yearly meeting work, Christie continually draws us back to Spirit and reminds us to reflect ourselves as a faith community, even when we are immersed in administrative business. She has crafted many of the charges for our committees and sprints, making sure to ground us in our faith community and shared spiritual life.
It has been a privileged to witness Christie’s thoughtful, reflective, and spiritually grounded approach to leading Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
Melissa Rycroft
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Clerk
She/Her/Hers
On the ancestral lands of the Susquehannock
June 14, 2024
Dear Melissa,
I’m writing to follow up on the conversation we’ve had about the end of my service as general secretary and to formally tend my resignation from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. My targeted final date will be July 31, 2025.
It is a privilege to go to work every day expecting to worship, knowing that everything we do as a community is to live into God’s call to us, and being accompanied by Friends who are authentic and have amazing gifts to share. At a recent first meeting of a sprint, the participants were asked to share how their faith shows up in in their walk in the world. Friends shared stories of connection, healing, wholeness, truth, artistic expression, and family legacy – and that was a normal day at work at PYM.
In the last ten years we have midwifed a shared vision of where we are called to go together. We have developed structures that help us get things done such as threads that focus us on the core ministries of our meetings and sprints that make space for people who have enormous gifts to participate for a short period of time. We have an understanding of the yearly meeting as the community of all the Friends and meetings in our geographic region, along with their ministries. We have created and evolved a governance form that is able to care for the needs of the community while encouraging the ministry of Friends. We have struggled – and continue to struggle – as we seek ways to be a place of belonging for all Friends on this path and as we figure out how to be faithful servants together and to trust one another and God. It has been a very rich decade, filled with gifts, emotions and challenges.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you, the clerks group, our councils and community members. I’ve appreciated every Sunday that I’ve worshiped with meetings across our geography. I’ve loved collaborating with the staff to create programs, support and community. Just as we’ve been able to do the work we’ve done because the previous general secretary and Friends created a strong platform to serve from, the solid ground we’ve constructed will support the next general secretary in accompanying our religious community in its next steps.
The coming year gives us plenty of time to prepare and transition. At the end of sessions next year I look forward to, as my predecessor said, a promotion to being a member of the community again.
In faith,
Christie
General Secretary Search Committee
After more than ten years of service as General Secretary and twenty years with PYM, Christie Duncan-Tessmer will be stepping down from her position at the end of July 2024. More information about this transition can be read here.
The yearly meeting is immediately beginning the process of seeking our next General Secretary. Following long tradition and good practice, a search committee will be established to manage the search and bring a finalist candidate for approval to the body. The Quaker Life, Administrative and Nominating Councils will jointly support the committee and have approved a charge to give it direction (the full charge may be read below).
The Search Committee will be responsible for identifying finalist candidates to present to the joint councils. The councils will then present their recommendation to the yearly meeting in session which is responsible for appointing the General Secretary, as directed by Faith & Practice.
The immediate next step is to identify Friends to serve on the committee and nominations are invited and welcome. They can be given to Cecilia Filauro, Executive Administrator, at cfilauro@pym.org.
The committee will include 6-9 people who will be approved jointly by the three councils. Together, the people serving on the committee will have the experiences, perspectives, and the skills to support their responsibility for identifying qualified candidates. Specific needs for the committee are described in the charge; they include:
- Quaker process – the ways in which Friends worship, listen, discern and move forward.
- Non-profit administration – the requirements and responsibilities for running a small to mid-size non-profit organization.
- Non-profit governance – the roles and responsibilities of a governance structure in relation to the organization and to the chief executive officer.
- Monthly and quarterly meetings – the needs of Quaker meetings for healthy functioning and being in relationship with one another.
- Larger Quaker landscape – the range of Quaker organizations and yearly meetings with which PYM is in constant relationship.
- Governance members – at least one member of the committee will be a member of Quaker Life or Administrative Council. The treasurer is ex officio.
- Diversity
- Age – Because we want to see a Quaker community that includes Friends of all ages, we’ll see age diversity on the committee: half the committee will be under 65. At least two members will be under 35.
- Race – Because of our commitments to belonging and to addressing racism we’ll see racial diversity on the committee: at least a third of the committee will be BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) Friends.
- Experience – Because we want to nurture leadership and because Friends in the yearly meeting have a wide range of experience with Quakerism, at least one Friend who is newer to Quakerism or to service in a high-impact governance group will be included.
- Committee members will be spiritually grounded Friends who are familiar with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. They do not need to be members.
- Nominations for membership on the committee will be solicited from the councils and from the body.
- The clerk will be appointed by the Joint Council. The committee may appoint an assistant clerk, recording clerk, or any other role.
- A staff member will not provide logistical support for the work of the committee. Initial meeting logistics can be set up by staff but ongoing work will need to be supported by the committee and the search firm.
The committee will be appointed by the councils jointly and will report directly to the councils and in writing to the PYM body on a quarterly basis. On an ongoing basis, the committee will be responsible to the Clerks Group which includes the clerks of the three councils, the presiding clerk, rising clerk and treasurer. The General Secretary is also a member of the Clerks Group but will not be involved in the administration of the search process.
The committee will identify a search firm to assist and support it in its work. A search firm is necessary as it can provide a large-scale search, has extensive experience in the unique needs of a search for a senior leadership staff role and can provide logistical support that the committee will need and that can’t be provided by PYM staff. The search firm will be one that has experience working with Quakers and Quaker organizations.
Friends will hear updates of the process throughout the next year as we prepare for a new chapter in the way our extended family is supported by the gifts and administration of staff. Until a committee is appointed, questions can be directed to Nikki Mosgrove, clerk, at NMosgrove@pym.org
General Secretary Search Committee
Charge:
With Divine assistance the committee will support the process of seeking unity on identifying the next General Secretary by shepherding the search process and bringing finalists forward for decision.
Background:
In July 2025 the current General Secretary’s service will be complete. The Administrative Council holds authority for the process of seeking the successor and is sharing that authority with Quaker Life Council and Nominating Council. Together they will set up the committee charged with managing the search process.
Composition of the Committee:
The Committee will include 6-9 people. Together, the people serving on the committee will have the experiences, perspectives, and the skills to support their responsibility for identifying qualified candidates. These include:
- Non-profit administration – the requirements and responsibilities for running a small to mid-size non-profit organization.
- Non-profit governance – the roles and responsibilities of a governance structure in relation to the organization and to the chief executive officer.
- Quaker process – the ways in which Friends worship, listen, discern and move forward.
- Monthly and quarterly meetings – the needs of Quaker meetings for healthy functioning and being in relationship with one another.
- Governance members – at least one member of the committee will be a member of Quaker Life or Administrative Council. The treasurer is ex officio.
- Larger Quaker landscape – the range of Quaker organizations and yearly meetings with which PYM is in constant relationship.
- Diversity
- Age – Because we want to see a Quaker community that includes Friends of all ages, we’ll see age diversity on the committee: half the committee will be under 65. At least two members will be under 35.
- Race – Because of our commitments to belonging and to addressing racism we’ll see racial diversity on the committee: at least a third of the committee will be BIPOC Friends.
- Experience – Because we want to nurture leadership and because Friends in the yearly meeting have a wide range of experience with Quakerism, at least one Friend who is newer to Quakerism or to service in a high-impact governance group will be included.
- Committee members will be spiritually grounded Friends who are familiar with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. They do not need to be members.
- Nominations for membership on the committee will be solicited from the councils and from the body.
- The clerk will be appointed by the Joint Council. The committee may appoint an assistant clerk, recording clerk, or any other role.
- A staff member will not provide logistical support for the work of the committee. Initial meeting logistics can be set up by staff but ongoing work will need to be supported by the committee and the search firm.
Accountability:
The charge for the Search Committee and its members will be approved by jointly by the councils.
The Clerks Group will be responsible for bringing nominations for the committee membership to the Joint Council.
The committee will report in person (or by zoom) to the Joint Council quarterly. At each significant stage in the search the committee will report in writing to the Joint Council. The committee will always be available for responding to the questions or needs of the councils, through the clerks of the councils.
The committee will be held accountable on an on-going basis by the Clerks Group which will ensure that it maintains momentum and the work is completed. In the event the committee requires assistance, whether the need is perceived by the committee itself or by others, the Clerks Group is responsible for providing the assistance.
The committee will report in writing to the PYM body on a quarterly basis.
Responsibilities (what the committee will do):
1. Hold the meetings and the work of the committee in the manner of Friends, grounded in Spirit.
2. Identify a search firm that has experience working with Quakers and Quaker organizations. The search firm will support the logistics of the search and will assist the committee in meeting its responsibilities.
3. Collaborate with the PYM Finance office regarding resources and contracts.
4. Develop a timeline for the search including candidate identification, and consultations and communications with governance, staff and the body.
5. With input from the Personnel Committee, review the job description of the General Secretary. Recommend changes to the Joint Council for approval.
6. Identify a potential interim General Secretary to serve on a short term basis if needed. This will allow maximum flexibility in the timeline.
7. Identify a committee member who will be in regular two-way contact with staff, including:
- a. Organize an initial hearing by the committee from staff on their needs and hopes regarding the General Secretary.
- b. Organize a mid-point meeting with the committee and the staff.
- c. Report to the staff on a quarterly basis at a minimum.
- d. Receive and report back to the committee questions, thoughts and concerns from staff throughout the process.
8. Ensure the General Secretary position is posted and well publicized.
9. Carefully review all application materials.
10. Conduct interviews.
11. Members attend at least 80% of the meetings; come to meetings having read all advance material.
12. Recommend two to three finalist candidates to Joint Council and arrange for interviews of the candidates by councils and by staff.
13. Maintain confidentiality.
Outcomes:
1. The job description will be updated as needed.
2. Two to three finalist candidates will be identified. PYM Friends and staff will be informed of the process all along the way.
Next Steps:
1. The Joint Council will bring a single finalist candidate forward for consideration of approval by the yearly meeting in session.
2. A Transition Plan will be set up by the councils and leadership staff to facilitate the incoming General Secretary’s orientation and success.
