At January’s council meeting, council members reflected on the “Joint Council Experiment”, the new format in which all three councils meet together with a single agenda. The councils have now met three times in this new format and Friends have begun to elucidate, in various ways, how the new format works & how they feel about it.
Staff
Whats your Gift? | Sharing Skills in Our Community of Friends
Quaker communities thrive when members share their unique gifts and skills. The Gifts & Skills Collection is a PYM initiative designed to highlight the range of Friends’ contributions and talents. This initiative invites Friends to share their gifts and connect with others who have similar interests or experiences. The goal is to build community by matching gifts, skills, or area of interest with opportunities to collaborate and support shared work.
[Read more…] about Whats your Gift? | Sharing Skills in Our Community of Friends
Net Zero Consultant | Request for Proposals
For decades, PYM has set benchmarks to guide our shared witness on critical issues. With the Creating a Playbook for Climate Action, this tool provides meetings with practical resources and ideas for planning, taking action, and staying accountable in areas like activism, education, and reducing carbon footprints.
[Read more…] about Net Zero Consultant | Request for Proposals
Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities | Annual Report – October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024
Members were Tom Armstrong, Cherie Clark, Miriam Fisher Schaefer, Tom Grave, Carol Ann Gray, Winnie Hope, Lois Kuter, and Fran O’Neill. We welcomed attender Edie Paige for her insights at our meetings. New group members: Winnie Hope began attending in February 2024. We welcomed Terry Cooke in August 2024 as an ex-officio member from the Granting Committee.
PYM Welcomes New Director of Development and Middle School Co-Facilitator
We are thrilled to welcome Joe Kirkenir as Director of Development (pictured left) and Daniel Doan as Middle School Co-Facilitator (pictured right). We are excited for the experience and dedication they will bring to their roles within PYM.
[Read more…] about PYM Welcomes New Director of Development and Middle School Co-Facilitator
PYM Connect Launches Next Phase in Second Week of January
Next week, PYM Connect reaches a new phase as many Friends will start engaging with this online space for the first time. It is a chance for our community to use the platform to share, collaborate, and celebrate among Friends. [Read more…] about PYM Connect Launches Next Phase in Second Week of January
Program & Religious Life | A Year in Review
Hello Friends,
How has spirit moved among us in 2024? As we, the staff of PYM’s Program and Religious Life Department, reflect on this question, we have many joyful tidings to share.
The Big Picture
This year we saw many examples on how being a part of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting community gives Friends a place to share their gifts and ask for support in times of need. This flow of sharing and receiving is a core part of what it means to be “part of the body.” Our PYM programs create spaces of joy, learning, spiritual nurture, and concrete resources. And none of it would be possible without Friends like you sharing their gifts, showing up, participating, and building community together. Thank you!
Read on to hear more about the programs and events we’re proud of this year.
[Read more…] about Program & Religious Life | A Year in Review
New Case Management Services for PYM Friends
A new resource is available for Friends in our yearly meeting!
Thanks to a generous grant, members and regular attenders of PYM are eligible to receive up to 10 hours of professional case management services with an outside agency, Living Care Home Services (LCHS). LCHS, though based in Pennsylvania, serves the entire PYM region.
Case management can connect Friends with long term care, health care referrals, mental health resources, debt management and debt consolidation counseling, support with housing, help applying for social services, and help securing in-home care.
[Read more…] about New Case Management Services for PYM Friends
Strengthening Connections Across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting | PYM Connect
During Fall Continuing Sessions, Christie Duncan-Tessner, General Secretary, and Claire Kinnel, Community Engagement Coordinator, Had the opportunity to present on PYM Connect. This online community platform, set to launch in January 2025. PYM Connect is designed to support a more interconnected yearly meeting. Built as a secure, supportive space, PYM Connect will offer Friends a way to engage and share resources with one another across shared ministries and leadings.
[Read more…] about Strengthening Connections Across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting | PYM Connect
Creating Community: PYM to Offer Disability and Caregiver Support Groups
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 will be 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 to Offer Disability and Caregiver Support Groups
