Over the weekend of February 20-21, our Middle School Friends (Grades 6-8) and Young Friends (high school) program communities were busy gathering for fellowship, worship, learning, and laughing. We welcomed new participants and re-connected with friends we’re hoping to see in person again soon. [Read more…] about Youth Hangouts & Summits
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Anti-Blackness Thread Gathering: Change Happens When A Thought Becomes An Action
On January 23, 2021, 126 people devoted six hours on a Saturday to attend PYM’s Addressing anti-Blackness Thread Gathering. Organized by Community Engagement Coordinator, Olivia Brangan and Events and Resources Coordinator, T.J. Jourian, the event featured Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Swarthmore College and Oskar Castro, Director of HR and Inclusion at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Tenaja Henson, NC Campaign Coordinator for Reproaction, while unable to attend, was also to be featured and contributed to the planning and visioning of the event, along with Sarah and Oskar. [Read more…] about Anti-Blackness Thread Gathering: Change Happens When A Thought Becomes An Action
Life in Prison as a Juvenile: Post Incarceration Stories Shared at Gwynedd
Deb Hejl, co-clerk of the Legislative Policy Collaborative, submitted the story below about healing circles at the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project (YSOP). February is a good month to focus on our nation’s problems with incarceration, because there is still time to get informed and ready for FCNL’s Spring Lobbying Sessions.
The school to prison pipeline, and ongoing inequalities faced by persons of color within the policing and judicial systems are things our society must face. Behind the large problems, though, are human hearts and minds that bear witness to the impact on children who have been sentenced to prison for a ‘lifetime of punishment.’ [Read more…] about Life in Prison as a Juvenile: Post Incarceration Stories Shared at Gwynedd
Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean
To meet Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Ph.D. is to encounter an exceptionally grounded Friend with a deep knowledge of human societies. Currently Swarthmore College’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty since 2018, Sarah was appointed after having chaired the Department of Sociology & Anthropology (2009-2018), chaired the President’s Task Force on Sexual Misconduct (2013-14), served as Associate Provost (2005-8), and coordinated the Black Studies Program on and off for more than a decade beginning in 1998. Somehow, as she does all this, she has still found time to be present in leading PYM towards growth in important areas. [Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean
Quaker Traditions Series: Part III – the Beliefs and Practice of Being Quaker
This is part III in a series of four articles on Quaker Traditions. In his role as Associate Secretary for Religious Life, Zachary Dutton has listened deeply to Friends in the community. Working with the PYM staff community engagement team he has provided answers to framing questions for this four-part series. The answers are reflective as opposed to definitive.
We recommend reading Part I: Spiritual Practice, and Part II: Worship, before reading Part III. [Read more…] about Quaker Traditions Series: Part III – the Beliefs and Practice of Being Quaker
Quakers in Education: Maurice Eldridge
This profile is the first in a series of Q&A articles on Quakers in higher education.
Friends have had a deep impact on the practice and theory of instruction since the very early years of the faith. They also have complex personal interests and engage deeply in civic society. They have served as role models, scholarly advisors, and mentors to many individuals and students, but in so many Friends meetings and worship groups they are simply beloved builders of faith community.
Quaker Traditions Series: Part II – Worship
This is part II in a series of four articles on Quaker Traditions. In his role as Associate Secretary for Religious Life, Zachary Dutton has listened deeply to Friends in the community. Working with the PYM staff community engagement team he has provided answers to framing questions for this four-part series. The answers are reflective as opposed to definitive. [Read more…] about Quaker Traditions Series: Part II – Worship
About Hybrid Meetings: How They Work
Background
Back in the fall of 2020, two gatherings took place – one for monthly meeting leaders and another for quarterly meeting leaders. Worship during the pandemic was a big topic of discussion, so we had a follow up meeting on January 26, 2121 wherein we asked monthly and quarterly meetings to let us know who in their communities had experience with virtual and hybrid meetings. These are the notes from that meeting. [Read more…] about About Hybrid Meetings: How They Work
Share Your Meeting’s Spiritual Self-Assessment
Dearest Friends in PYM Monthly and Quarterly Meetings and other PYM Quaker Groups,
We trust this finds you seeking to be grounded in Spirit and in your community of faith. 2020 has certainly been a year filled with both opportunities and challenges! The Ministry and Care Committee of Quaker Life Council is once again asking for your help as we look to better understand the spiritual state of our yearly meeting through this past year.
To accomplish this, we are asking meetings to consider responding to the following queries: [Read more…] about Share Your Meeting’s Spiritual Self-Assessment
Buried History: Uncovering the Past at Valley Friends’ Meeting
Are we are beholden to our past, or entirely free of it? It turns out that this all depends on whether you are willing to see history as a teacher. History speaks to what happened to those who walked this land before us. There is a lot to uncover, and wonder about; not all of it bears up so well in the world we live in today. But it is important to know the facts.
Valley Meeting is looking to grow a sense of community around its five acres of land. This comprises a burial ground, a meeting house, a parking lot and sheds, a community garden, a labyrinth site, and a hoped for role as part of a network of neighborhood walking trails on the fringes of that urban jungle, King of Prussia. As a way to launch a sense of storytelling around the meeting, and its history, here follows a brief history of those to whom the meeting has offered a final resting place along with some stories about how they got there. [Read more…] about Buried History: Uncovering the Past at Valley Friends’ Meeting
