Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Climate Justice

Yearly Meeting Thread Gathering on Climate Witness | Let Our Actions Speak 

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Yearly Meeting Thread Gathering on Climate Witness
Let Our Actions Speak 

Saturday, March 22, 2025
Friends Center | 1501 Cherry St. Philadelphia, PA | Zoom
Worship at 9, Event 9:30 – 4:00

The earth is calling, and we are called to listen deeply. As Quakers, what are we doing to address the climate crisis? How can we work together to be more effective? Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) has long been home to Friends who are committed to the work of climate justice, and PYM Thread Gatherings provide a sacred space for collaborative learning, resource sharing, and spiritual grounding.

Register for Thread Gathering

[Read more…] about Yearly Meeting Thread Gathering on Climate Witness | Let Our Actions Speak 

Net Zero Consultant | Request for Proposals

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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

Strengthening Connections Across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting | PYM Connect

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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

Add Your Quaker Meeting to the QuakerEarth Action Map!

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Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW), in partnership with Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), is thrilled to announce the launch of the QuakerEarth Action Map! This dynamic tool highlights Quaker-led climate action efforts worldwide—connecting, amplifying, and supporting our shared commitment to Earthcare and climate justice.

[Read more…] about Add Your Quaker Meeting to the QuakerEarth Action Map!

Ways to Connect Before Sessions

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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:

[Read more…] about Ways to Connect Before Sessions

Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting on “Going Veggie” and Using “Creating a Playbook for Climate Action”

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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.”

[Read more…] about Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting on “Going Veggie” and Using “Creating a Playbook for Climate Action”

Event Recap: Check-in on Creating a Playbook for Climate Action

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On Wednesday, May 29, Friends gathered to check in on their progress on working with Creating a Playbook for Climate Action. Participants ranged from those currently using the resource to those looking to mobilize their meetings.

The attendees talked about the efforts their meetings are making or intending to make. Ideas included updating heating systems and insulating buildings to be more efficient, carpooling, and planting gardens that support the environment. They expressed hopes to reach out further within their meetings and to other organizations within their communities.

Concerns about climate change in general were voiced. There is a feeling that people go about their daily lives, business as usual, but climate change is a reality that is already affecting the world, with rising sea levels, increased natural disasters, and record-high temperatures. Broader impacts on complex systems, including food and housing structures, and how the climate crisis impacts those were discussed.

It was lifted up that people are scared, feel disempowered, and are unsure how to take action. Participants discussed several documentaries and resources they have screened, though there is a collective concern about recommending them, as they want to make sure they are educating and supporting people in a way that doesn’t also overwhelm them.

The group discussed ways to take personal action, naming political action at the state level as an avenue. Spiritual commitment to remain seated in the Light and compassion is also a means to find comfort in a challenging topic.

Our named commitment to a yearly meeting-wide witness on climate change means we will continue to hold space for this work. The next check-in around Creating a Playbook for Climate Action will be on Zoom on October 10 from 7-8 p.m.

Learn more about the Creating a Playbook for Climate Action resource here.

Creating a Roadmap for Addressing Climate Change!

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A yearly meeting tool for Friends and meetings  seeking to live out our yearly meeting-wide commitment to address climate change is now available! The booklet Creating a Playbook for Climate Action helps Friends develop personalized plans for how to address climate change – in their meetings and in their homes.  Because frankly, great intentions sometimes need a path forward to arrive at the destination. 

[Read more…] about Creating a Roadmap for Addressing Climate Change!

George School Climate Action Club

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The March 2024 Eco-Justice Collaborative newsletter featured a story from students at George School in Newtown, PA, who are leaders of the school’s Climate Action Club. The mission of the club is to “promote faithful stewardship of the earth,” and it serves a crucial role in educating students and faculty about pressing environmental and social issues as well as encouraging youth activism. The club is composed of 9-12th grade students from all parts of the globe who are passionate about enacting change.  [Read more…] about George School Climate Action Club

Thread Gathering Rewind: Burial grounds, old meetinghouses, property issues, oh my!

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Burial grounds, old meetinghouses, property issues, oh my!  

Quakers know a thing or two about the joys and challenges of caring for our sacred spaces. The Governance and Stewardship Thread Gathering this past Saturday gave Friends from local meetings an opportunity to connect, share resources and learn from each other. The morning panel and afternoon workshops offered many resources and tools.   [Read more…] about Thread Gathering Rewind: Burial grounds, old meetinghouses, property issues, oh my!

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