Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Peace & Social Justice

PYM Involvement in DHS Lawsuit

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Today, PYM joined our neighbors in New England and Baltimore Yearly Meetings as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security.

Friends are encouraged to learn more information about the lawsuit in the press release from Democracy Forward which filed the suit, as well as this article at NBC News. You can read complaint, by following this link.

The suit challenges an immigration enforcement decision that interferes with and could significantly impacts freedom of religion.

[Read more…] about PYM Involvement in DHS Lawsuit

January 2025 | Joint Council Update

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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.

January Minutes and Reports Joint Council Experiment

[Read more…] about January 2025 | Joint Council Update

YOU ARE ON INDIGENOUS LAND: SouthJerseyQuakers Chapter

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Members of the Salem Quarter Indian Affairs Committee met with developers of the SouthJerseyQuakers platform. We were subsequently self-tasked with bringing f/Friends to the table, toward faithful examination of mutually beneficial relationship building with sovereign Nations, acknowledging that we reside on Indigenous land, land of the Lenape Nations, land known as Scheyichbi.

[Read more…] about YOU ARE ON INDIGENOUS LAND: SouthJerseyQuakers Chapter

Why DOES Palestine Matter? An Invitation to a 6 Session Course with Members of the Middle East Collaborative

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Authorship of this invitation is attributed to Deb Wood and other resources. 

As I thought about writing an invitation to the Why Palestine Matters course, I came across the following quotation, which fits the Palestine/Israel situation so well:

“The purpose of propaganda is to make one set of people forget that other sets of people are human.”

— Aldous Huxley

The Palestine/Israeli relationship and conflict can often appear so complex and intractable that we don’t know how we can ever understand enough to move forward. News coverage often lacks the entire context, leaving us unable to honor the humanity of all involved. When we stop seeing a person or group as human, we much more easily discount and discredit their experiences and humanity, making it far easier to deny their needs and right to exist.

[Read more…] about Why DOES Palestine Matter? An Invitation to a 6 Session Course with Members of the Middle East Collaborative

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

PYM Connect Launches Next Phase in Second Week of January

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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

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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

December 2024 | Joint Council Update

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The three councils that guide Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—Quaker Life Council, Administrative Council, and Nominating Council—recently gathered for their second meeting in a newly adopted joint format. In this structure, the councils come together as one Joint Council to worship, discern, and conduct business collaboratively. in an article written about this experiment this summer, this practice ensures that the Joint Council can promptly share its minutes with the PYM community after the meeting.

December Minutes and Reports Joint Council Experiment

[Read more…] about December 2024 | Joint Council Update

PYM Middle East Collaborative Endorses Apartheid-Free Pledge

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In Spring 2023 the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) launched an initiative to have faith and secular communities pledge to be Apartheid-Free. With a goal of connecting like minded communities around issues of freedom from racism, discrimination, domination, and oppression, AFSC reached out to both US and international congregations and organizations. Specifically, AFSC’s framing of apartheid is taking up the current example of Palestinian freedom, justice, and equality in the face of ongoing oppression, violation of human rights, and legal and social discrimination.

[Read more…] about PYM Middle East Collaborative Endorses Apartheid-Free Pledge

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

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