In 2018, Friends at Burlington, Haddonfield, and Salem Quarters connected to discuss a program on meetings with dwindling memberships. Together, they explored ways to collaborate and increase communications and activities among the three Quarters. The idea for a South Jersey Quakers website emerged, one that would use the same name as the Facebook account already publicizing local events. The website is now live, and they are still building a variety of content to offer.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Youth Call for Action in Support of Immigrants
Providence Meeting Middle School Friends’ concern for immigrants began when we saw pictures of immigrants on the news and how they were being treated at the US Mexico border. That led to our first fundraiser and learning more about the immigrant situation. We heard that families were being separated, and knew we needed to learn more about migrant life at the border and how we could help. [Read more…] about Youth Call for Action in Support of Immigrants
PYM’s Friends Counseling Service Coordinator: Janaki Spickard Keeler
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is excited to announce the new Friends Counseling Service (FCS) Coordinator, Janaki Spickard Keeler. FCS brings forward a spiritually sensitive, clinical expertise to care for the mental health and wellness of individuals in the wider Quaker community.
The FCS Coordinator interacts with local Quaker communities, supports present counselors, recruits new counselors, helps promote the service, and attends events throughout the yearly meeting to speak on matters related to mental health and wellness.
[Read more…] about PYM’s Friends Counseling Service Coordinator: Janaki Spickard Keeler
Quakers Making a Difference: Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting Members Donate their Stimulus Checks
COVID-19 has left many Americans in dire situations. With millions of people filing for unemployment, this pandemic has had a devastating effect on American workers struggling to survive.
Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package to help the American economy. It is hoped that stimulus checks recently distributed will help those struggling with sudden painful poverty most; however, for some people this is ‘found’ money – something they do not actually need.
Youth Programs Host Virtual Camp Swatara Gathering
Young Friends and Middle School Friends gathered last weekend for an online version of our traditional Camp Swatara gathering. In addition to staples of our usual programs — worship sharing, business meeting, and committee time — we got creative and reinvented some of the most treasured parts of the Swatara gathering for this digital platform.
In lieu of the usual Saturday morning hike up the Appalachian Trail to the rock pile, we gathered in the morning for a group “hiking” game that we could all do from the comfort of our backyards and living rooms. Saturday night, the two youth programs came together again for a talent show and campfire song circle where musician Simon Purchase James led us in song. [Read more…] about Youth Programs Host Virtual Camp Swatara Gathering
Announcing Virtual Annual Sessions 2020 Speakers and Performers
Letting Ourselves Be Known… through worship!
Marcelle Martin to ground virtual PYM Annual Sessions in worship
Marcelle Martin, a member of Swarthmore Meeting, has led workshops at retreat centers and Quaker meetings across the United States. She was the resident Quaker Studies teacher at Pendle Hill for four years and is a core teacher for the 9-month program, “Nurturing Faithfulness.” On her blog, A Whole Heart, she shares inspiration to help us be all that God has created us to be. She is the author of Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey and A Guide to Faithfulness Groups. She lives in Chester, PA with her husband, Terry. [Read more…] about Announcing Virtual Annual Sessions 2020 Speakers and Performers
Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge: Quakers Remain Important to World Peace, Economic and Climate Justice
Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge is a Quaker South African politician and activist. She is currently in Philadelphia as the Friend in Residence at Haverford College. In 2008, she received an honorary degree from Haverford. She has served as South Africa’s deputy minister of defense and of health, during which time she challenged the denial of the HIV and AIDS crisis in her home country and deputy speaker of the National Assembly. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Embrace Dignity, a nonprofit campaigning for legal reform to abolish the exploitative system of prostitution and support women wanting to leave the sex industry.
Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge: What Makes Us a Community is Shared Humanity
Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge is a Quaker South African politician and activist. She was the deputy minister of defense from 1999 to 2004 and deputy minister of health from April 2004 to August 2007. She is currently in Philadelphia as the Friend in Residence at Haverford College. [Read more…] about Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge: What Makes Us a Community is Shared Humanity
Reflection on YAF Community Worship
Join YAFS Thursdays at 7 pm for Community Worship!
At our 6th gathering, zoom windows begin to pop up, some zoom people are totally new, some you can recognize from other gatherings, some have individuals and some have groups of housemates. People greet each other and center in. This piece of technology is now the familiar door to our meeting house. Our facilitator this week, Zenaida, welcomes us into a worshipful community: [Read more…] about Reflection on YAF Community Worship
