Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Introducing Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch, PYM’s Co-Clerks

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Redefined clerking roles filled by some new faces

Annual Sessions 2020 saw some important changes in leadership. First, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s (PYM) clerking roles were re-adjusted to be better aligned with volunteer capacities and PYM’s needs, and Nominating Council then proposed a roster of skilled Friends to fill these redefined roles.

Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch, members of Schuylkill Monthly Meeting, were appointed to a two-year non-renewable term as Co-Clerks of PYM. Our Alternate Clerk, Jonathon Rhoads, was released from his stewardship role clerking for the community with much gratitude. Melissa Rycroft, formerly clerk of Nominating Council, and a member from Upper Susquehanna Quarter, accepted the position of Rising Clerk. James (Jim) Waddington was appointed Clerk of the Administrative Council.

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Update on Together Apart: Bucks Quarter Coordinator at Lehigh Valley Meeting

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This article about Lehigh Valley Meeting started with an emailed photo of Wendy Kane, Bucks Quarterly Coordinator, and meeting member John Marquette during a (masked & distanced) visit with members of the community. Then one email led to another and this story on the Meeting emerged. Assembled with thanks to John Marquette, our Lehigh Valley Meeting correspondent.

What is it like to host a Quarterly Coordinator visit at this particular time?

Wendy made the visit because this felt like a relatively safe time to get out and visit buildings. She’s been busy hosting quarterly meetings, publishing the Bucks Quarter monthly newsletter, and looking at ways to facilitate Monthly Meeting worship however she can. I like her energy and her strategy. Wendy assumed Holly Olsen’s role in Bucks Quarter in the fall of 2019, and brings an open attitude and good nature to the challenges we face. [Read more…] about Update on Together Apart: Bucks Quarter Coordinator at Lehigh Valley Meeting

Addressing Incarceration – Information and Engagement 9/8 & 9/13

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Like much of the nation, PYM Meetings and Friends Schools are deeply interested in America’s alarming incarceration rate. Here is some Pew survey data and articles on the topic from the PEW Research Center and the Senate that detail these concerns from 2012 on.

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is organizing a three-day program of events to further focus interested Quakers on the issue. These days of action align with the 49th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising. The uprising involved more than 2,000 people incarcerated in upstate New York’s Attica Correctional Facility. Prisoners took over the yard of the correctional facility to advocate for freedoms, wages, education access, medical care and more.

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In Person Worship and School – Horsham Meeting and TQS Embrace Distanced Attendance

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Meetings are using different approaches to cope with worship during the pandemic. This week PYM is sharing the story of Horsham Monthly Meeting and its school, The Quaker School at Horsham. Both are open, and the meeting is sharing its building with the school during the week.

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Worship in a Pandemic – Research on Religion from The Pew Research Center

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Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting Skyspace photographed by Greg Benson

The Pew Research Center (a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts) regularly conducts surveys on religion and public life. PYM met with them this year to discuss sharing their articles and research on the PYM Website, and this is our first story featuring their research.

We’ve learned that one out of eight Americans say they attended church in the past month. What do they think about online worship? Below we have excerpted some interesting facts from a series of polls Pew conducted during the pandemic. [Read more…] about Worship in a Pandemic – Research on Religion from The Pew Research Center

Fall Religious Education Planning: Connection and New Directions

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We are in a liminal space right now: there is uncertainty about what is ahead, but it is also a threshold to a new place. Thinking about planning for First Day programs this fall, I wonder what new possibilities are emerging during this de-stabilized time? In March, there was a crisis response and many meetings pivoted into online spaces; now the shift is to the new normal. Friends are thinking about how and when to return to meeting houses and what the implications are for children and young people gathering with the meeting. Some questions we might consider in this moment of community planning:
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Naomi Madaras: Devotion Gives Sustenance for the Journey

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Naomi Madaras gave a powerful presentation on Friday July 31 PYM News & Events previously reported on. We’ve been in email contact with Naomi, and now share this follow up Q&A interview.

Your Bio mentions growing up on a farm as a child; can you speak to how that now connects with your career in chaplaincy?

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Minute of Thanks to the PYM Staff

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At Annual Sessions, Terri Whiteford read this minute of thanks to PYM staff. The letter was dated August 1, 2020.

This has been a year of many unexpected events. It was February when we first discussed if the emerging pandemic would impact planned gatherings for PYM. By March it was clear that things were going to be very different for annual sessions and a residential meeting was not an option.

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Interview with Chris Mohr on Leading Bible Study at Annual Sessions

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This year was Chris Mohr’s second year of leading Bible study at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. George Schaefer and Chris co-created the class last year at The College of New Jersey. They agreed it would be good to do again this year, despite the constraints of video conferencing. It was very successful and 27-37 people attended each day. Here follows an interview with Chris about this year’s class! [Read more…] about Interview with Chris Mohr on Leading Bible Study at Annual Sessions

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