Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Ministry & Care

A Worship & Care “Care Package” for PYM

Written on:

A Major Gift to PYM!

A family who loves our faith community has given PYM a challenge gift to inspire others who also love PYM to give to our community. Every new and increased gift will be matched – up to $30,000! The generosity of one family supports the generosity of all of us. This challenge gift will support a package of worship and pastoral care offerings for PYM and our meetings. It’s a care package of worship and pastoral care – a Worship & Care Package! [Read more…] about A Worship & Care “Care Package” for PYM

Rethinking “First Day School”

Written on:

On Thursday, September 29, Friends gathered online for a presentation and discussion exploring the roots of Quaker religious education and our condition in meetings today. PYM Participants were joined by Friends from meetings across the US (all the way to Hawaii) and Costa Rica, to “rethink” the way we approach children’s religious education in meetings. Is it time to release a scholastic, lesson-based model focused only on Sunday morning?

Queries anchored both small group and whole group discussion and themes that emerged included: sharing about intergenerational programs, including youth in activism and witness, and understanding religious education as the responsibility of the whole meeting. It was an inspiring conversation! [Read more…] about Rethinking “First Day School”

Ujima Friends Sewing for Africa

Written on:

Since 2019, members of the Ujima Friends Peace Center have partnered with Sankofa Artisan Guild to make reusable, environmentally friendly menstrual pads, pouches, and under garments for African girls’ whose educations are compromised due to “period poverty.” The group, now known as the PanAfrican Sisterhood Health Initiative (PASHI), is led by a group of Black Women elders most of who are community workers, keepers of the culture, educators, activists, counselors and lovers of the arts. The Friends Foundation on Aging supports funding for the project. [Read more…] about Ujima Friends Sewing for Africa

Young Friends Support the Peace Fair

Written on:

A small but enthusiastic contingent of Young Friends helped make the Bucks Quarter Peace Fair, on September 17, a great success. The Peace Fair brings dozens of nonprofits doing work aligned with Quaker values to a wider audience, along with craft vendors, live music, a book sale, kids’ games and a range of food offerings. Starting the day bright and early, before the opening of the Fair, the Young Friends helped set up vendor booths, unloading the vendors’ materials and putting up tents to keep things moving swiftly. [Read more…] about Young Friends Support the Peace Fair

Giant Children’s Meeting: What’s Next?

Written on:

In the Fall of 2020, as children returned to school online and many meetings settled into hosting worship on Zoom, the question of how to support religious education programs and community for children and families in meetings was on many minds. Local meetings did amazing things in the depth of the pandemic — care packages, calls and notes to young Friends and their families, outdoor programs when possible — even online Christmas pageants! The PYM Children & Families program was also experimenting, and Giant Children’s Meeting was born from both necessity and hope. Now we’re ready to discern what’s next for creating children and their families in our wider PYM community. [Read more…] about Giant Children’s Meeting: What’s Next?

Religious Education Resources & Events for Fall

Written on:

When the afternoon sunshine softens and the crickets take over for the cicada chorus, I know it’s back to school time. The former classroom teacher in me feels the tug to get ready for the new year, and of course in meetings we may be getting ready to welcome children and youth back from summer adventures to school-year routines. One of the ideas I’m thinking about a lot is rethinking “First Day School” — both that language and the scholastic model. It’s not “the way we’ve always done things” as Friends, and the interruptions of the pandemic continue to create opportunities for new ways of exploring, listening, and being community in our meetings. Join me for a conversation on this! Below you’ll find resources for Fall and events for conversation, service, and fellowship.
[Read more…] about Religious Education Resources & Events for Fall

Aging Quakers and Gardening

Written on:

In my first months as the PYM aging support coordinator, I reached out to many of the Quaker aging communities in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. One interesting resident focused activity I kept hearing Friends bring up was gardening. Around the world, gardening has been recognized for its values of reducing stress, improving moods, providing opportunities for exercise, mobility, socialization, and community outreach while connecting with all aspects of nature. Perhaps Quakers feel particularly connected to gardening because of the quiet peace time with plants provides. More than that, Quakers have also found that gardening reflects our concern for the natural world. [Read more…] about Aging Quakers and Gardening

State of the Meeting Reports, 2021-2022

Written on:

Spiritual State of the Meeting reports give all of us a glimpse into the communities of meetings in our Yearly Meeting. Together, they create a tapestry that tells the story of our yearly meeting in the last year; a vibrant community engaged in spiritual formation and witness across four states and many experiences of the Spirit. When we are together in residence at an Annual Sessions gathering, there is a thick book with the collected ‘State of the Meeting’ reports. During the years we have gathered online, the special joy of leafing through those printed reports has needed a new model. This year, we again created a virtual “book” of all of the reports. You can access them in this news story and they will also be published in a booklet following Annual Sessions.

[Read more…] about State of the Meeting Reports, 2021-2022

An Urgent Call to the Religious Society of Friends

Written on:

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has endorsed the following Urgent Call to the Religious Society of Friends.  This call to action was authored by an ad hoc group of nineteen Friends, more than half of whom are from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. In it they share that they see forces at work in our country that undermine some of our basic values: equality of all people, truth-telling, and deep listening.

Christie Duncan-Tessmer, PYM’s General Secretary says, “This call represents our Quaker faith in action: It expresses Truth as discerned in the discipline of relationship and prayer; it calls all to examine how this revelation can lead them to witness and act. It offers us all fellowship on a challenging journey.”

[Read more…] about An Urgent Call to the Religious Society of Friends

Celebrating & Nurturing Support for Queer Youth

Written on:

Throughout the month of June, Pride celebrations have happened across our PYM region. As the month comes to a close we can carry on that spirit of affirmation and inclusion. In this year when religious groups and government legislation are fighting to repress queer youth and their families, PYM celebrates the importance of our LGBTQ+ community. The Youth Programs Advisory Committee recently approved a minute of support for the LGBTQ+ youth, staff, families, and volunteers in our Youth Programs, which was accepted in June by the Quaker Life Council. There is more work to do! Shared here is the YPAC minute in full, along with resources and reflections on how we can continue to educate and celebrate belonging for all in our local meetings and yearly meeting community. [Read more…] about Celebrating & Nurturing Support for Queer Youth

Update your contact & Meeting information at pym.org/updates

© 2025 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting · Privacy Policy