Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Welcoming T.J. Jourian

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We are over the moon excited for T.J. Jourian to join Philadelphia Yearly Meeting staff as Events & Resources Coordinator in December 2019. T.J. will be helping us ensure events go off without a hitch, including Continuing and Annual Sessions. He will also help compile and curate resources that support monthly meetings and other local Quaker communities in their religious education, outreach, equity & inclusion, and social justice witness. Below we include his bio: 
 
T.J. is a newish-to-Philadelphia transplant from Lebanon and Cyprus, via Michigan, Chicago, Nashville, and Vermont, and a former student affairs practitioner and higher education faculty member. He is inspired and motivated by intersectional solidarity and liberation movements and movement organizers. As a social justice and equity consultant, educator, and advocate, he has worked with hundreds of institutions and organizations across Turtle Island. T.J. received his MA in Student Affairs Administration at Michigan State University and his PhD in Higher Education at Loyola University Chicago. His scholarship centers queer and trans people of color in achieving the democratic and liberatory potentials of higher education, and he is the proud papa of Bella, the prettiest orange tabby you will ever meet.

Quakers Engage with Their Congressional Representatives in Washington DC

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On Friday, November 15th, about 40 Friends from the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) area joined 438 other Friends from 43 states across the United States for meetings on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.

They came together for a day of FCNL-orchestrated meetings with congressional representatives. Conversations centered on the authorization of open-ended war and were supported by the year-round work done by a small group of Quakers in the Philadelphia area. These Friends work with FCNL to impact global and national issues through political processes open to all members of the American electorate. [Read more…] about Quakers Engage with Their Congressional Representatives in Washington DC

General Secretary Report to Councils

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Mid-November 2019

Business and Finances:

  • Our annual audit field work was completed this week. This year new requirements in audit format are in effect and we have different people in the controller role. The process has been smooth so far. 
  • Key staff, governance and granting group members have been meeting, talking and sharing documents to resolve issues and support the highest effectiveness of the Greenleaf Fund which supports those who are aging. 
  • PYM staff, archivists from Swarthmore and Haverford College Libraries and members of the laid-down Record Services Group are making plans for supporting PYM’s and monthly and quarterly meetings’ archival processes. 

Program and Ministry:

  • Continuing Sessions was held at Arch Street Meeting House.  Reports and minutes are posted on the web (www.pym.org/news). 
  • We launched the Quaker Self Portrait project which includes a census of how many people are attending our meetings on Sundays and an invitation to share what our meetings look like with selfies, quilt squares or any way a meeting would like to (haikus?!).  It also included a “soft launch” of an invitation to individual Friends to share more detailed demographics such as race and gender identity in order to create a baseline of our community demographics. 
  • We hosted 15 Friends at the first Friends in Fellowship this year with Taiya Smith (Solebury Meeting) speaking on carbon pricing and climate change. Tayia is a highly regarded China expert specializing in climate issues. She was key to designing and managing the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) under Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson. During Obama’s presidency she served as the point person on Darfur, working with the Sudanese government and rebel factions. She has also been a Presidential Management Fellow in the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (based in Washington) covering Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. 
  • Held a first meeting of key Friends to explore how Philadelphia Yearly Meeting can enhance and sustain new and important expressions of Quakerism, under the direction of the Quaker Life Council.  
  • The Community Engagement staff team met with staff at Pendle Hill to continue relationship building and seeking opportunities for collaboration. 
  • Middle School Friends had a wonderful Fall Gathering at West Chester Meeting, 10/18-10/20.  
  • Young Adult Friends is continuing ministry in migrant justice through involvement in “Drive PA Forward Campaign” connecting with YAFs who work with New Sanctuary Movement and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
  • Young Adult Friends Leadership has changed. Here is the new lineup. This new group will have dinner at Friends Center after Thanksgiving.  
    • Clerks: Mary Tierney and Catherine Campbell.  
    • Pastoral Care: Eleanor Barba and Kimani Keaton.  
    • Recording Clerk: Carl Stanton.  
  • Young Adult Friends met at Pendle Hill on Thursday 11/14. 
  • Quaker Life Council has asked for support in the process of recruiting members for the Sessions Coordinating Committee and the Program Committee. If people have ideas of who could serve on either one, please contact Zachary Dutton. 

Communications and Technology:

  • We initiated new tech to track traffic on our website. 
  • We added a “Quaker Directory” (https://www.pym.org/quaker-directory) to the website (this is an ongoing project). 
  • We started using a news aggregator tool (Feedly) to find Quaker news from around the world. 
  • A report and minutes from Continuing Sessions was up on the PYM website within a day of the event with both a news article on the morning program and the finalized minutes posted Monday. Our news feed featured the work of the group of Friends who volunteered at Annual Sessions to help in anti-racism work. Later that week, we pushed out antiracism information and tools in the weekly email.   
  • Staff training on an integrated Salesforce email system was given.  

Staff and Administration:

  • The Executive Director of Arch Street Meeting House (ASMH), Lynne Calamia, resigned after nearly seven years of service. During that time historic preservation of the meetinghouse property became paramount and we secured funding for improvements to our interpretational programs. Lynne created important partnerships with the historical community and led the campaign to have Arch Street Meeting House named as an International Site of Conscience. 
  • Caroline Boyce, of Inter-Mission LLC is serving as Interim Executive Director at ASMH and is supporting the board in the search for the next Director. 
  • Lucas Richie began working with PYM as the Grants Associate (following the promotion of Nick Gutowski to Director of Grantmaking).  Lucas brings recent experience with the Bread & Roses Community Fund and with Quaker Voluntary Service – as well as with PYM. 
  • We are in the final stages of the search for Middle School Friends Program Assistant, Children & Families Program Assistant, and Events & Resources Coordinator. The Advancement & Communications Coordinator search is in full swing. The searches for program and development positions at ASMH have been suspended while the Executive Director search is prioritized; interim support options are being explored. 
  • Staff made waffles for lunch in the GenSec office one afternoon. 

Inclusion and Anti-Racism: 

  • The Associate Secretary for Program & Religious Life and the Youth Religious Life Coordinator attended Niyonu Spann’s Beyond Diversity 101: Race training at Pendle Hill the week of 10/22.  They shared their experience with staff over lunch. 
  • Staff has explored how we want to arrange support for ourselves as we engage in anti-racism and inclusion training and taken steps to put that support in place. 
  • The General Secretary was invited by the Pastors Wives of the Church of God in Christ in the Pittsburgh region to accept an award for Quakers for our historic work in anti-slavery and to provide the Response to the Opening Remarks at the awards dinner.  She offered remarks on our complex history and continued need to address racism.  Friends from Pittsburgh Friends Meeting were invited to attend, and several did. 

Staff visits: 

  • Melinda Wenner Bradley, Youth Religious Life Coordinator, visited the Chester Quarter retreat and presented about support for youth and families in local meetings. 
  • Melinda visited Gwynedd Meeting for worship and led multi–generational program on 10/27.  
  • Grace Sharples Cooke visited Third Haven and Chester River Meetings, and had lunch with Friends from Upper Darby Meeting. 
  • Christie Duncan-Tessmer, General Secretary, attended FGC’s annual meeting of the Central Committee. 
  • Christie attended FCNL’s annual meeting. 
  • Christie attended the Friends Fiduciary Investment Committee meeting and Finance Committee meeting. 

Autumn Spiritual Formation Retreat Nurtures Spiritual Friendships

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More than 20 Friends gathered for the PYM Spiritual Formation Collaborative’s annual retreat at Kenbrook, a camp and retreat center of the Brethren Church near Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

One participant said:  “There are few experiences as enriching as that of going on retreat with people who seek to broaden and deepen themselves in life experience.  It was a pleasure to drive to Lebanon County and get to know the people I did from across PYM.  We see one another in other events which are by nature less intimate and this offers the chance to go far deeper.”

Another said:  “I thank God and praise God for what we did this weekend.  When I first got here, I was expecting it to be a great experience, but I was wondering what does “spiritual formation” mean here?  I decided I was going to let the Spirit form and reform and continue forming my soul.  And that happened in wonderful and unexpected ways.”

Friends may wish to save the dates for next year’s Spiritual Formation retreat:  from October 2 to 4, 2020, at Pendle Hill in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Photos by John Marquette, Article by Richard Alonso

Young Friends Welcome Facilitator

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On behalf of the search committee for the Young Friends Program Facilitator position, we are delighted to announce that Olivia Chalkley will step into that role beginning at Fall Continuing Sessions on November 2. The search committee was pleased to receive materials from several applicants and met with excellent finalists with many strengths and gifts.

Olivia impressed the committee with the depth and range of her experiences in Quaker youth programs, her respect for and trust in young people, and her interest in Quaker process as a grounding aspect of the Young Friends program. Friends who have worked with Olivia describe her building community, leading with integrity, and bringing the gift of playfulness to her work with youth.

Olivia is a graduate of Guilford College, where she earned her degree in English Literature with minors in Community & Justice Studies and Quaker Studies. She was the recipient of the Edward Flud Burrows Scholarship awarded to students who have demonstrated leadership in the areas of peace studies, racial justice, and the elimination of homophobia. She has served Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association (SAYMA) as the Junior Yearly Meeting Coordinator, and for many years was on staff at Opequon Quaker Camp in Baltimore Yearly Meeting as a counselor, administrative staff, and the Assistant Director. At Opequon, Olivia led workshops for youth and facilitated staff training on topics ranging from art, nature, social justice, and institutional racism. She attends West Philly Friends Meeting, and is looking forward to growing into community here in PYM!

Olivia shares:

“What I love about Quaker youth programs in general, and teen programs in particular, is that we trust youth to have profound connections with God, build community with each other, learn from mistakes, and have important thoughts. I care deeply about Quaker youth programs, both because of the transformative impact they’ve had on my own life, and because of the richness they bring to our broader faith community. I’m very much looking forward to contributing to this work with PYM.”

Please join Young Friends and the Youth Programs Team in welcoming Olivia and thanking the search committee, which was composed of current Young Friends participants, a Friendly Presence volunteer, and Youth Programs staff: Silas Mohr, Alex Schanno, Karen Gallagher, Aeryn Luminkith, and Melinda Wenner Bradley. 

World Quaker Day Happenings This Sunday – October 6

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World Quaker Day – What’s that?

It’s a project that originated at Friends World Committee for Consultation that celebrates our shared Quaker faith and heritage around the globe! This year has a sustainability theme, and Friends in places like Kenya are sharing their farm and solar projects or ideas about our global future.

Western and Concord Quarters are hosting a fall hayride and pot luck, while WHYY TV is airing Quakers the Quiet Revolutionaries,

Newtown Meeting will send greetings and love to Quakers throughout the world, gathering for worship and assembling afterwards for a group photo under a sign made by the children of the Quaker Meeting. The community plans to watch Quakers The Quiet Revolutionaries that evening from 6-8 p.m. on WHYY TV.

Medford Meeting is screening the film Friendly Persuasion.

For Friends interested in a day trip and some Quaker tourism, Catawissa Meeting (a late 1700’s log cabin meeting in Upper Susquehanna Quarter) will be convening worship on Sunday the 6th from 2-3 PM. Catawissa founder, Moses Roberts survived the battle of Wyoming and dearly loved the region and its people.

Robin Mohr, Executive Secretary for FWCC Section of the Americas says that “The thing I cherish about World Quaker Day is it is a moment to remember, even in our small meetings, that we are part of a world-wide family of Friends.”

She shares this story: “A couple of years ago, at Green Street Meeting, I led the middle school Friends first day school lesson on the first Sunday in October. We watched the FWCC QuakerSpeak video about how many Quakers there are in the world. https://fwccamericas.org/_wp/2017/03/08/seeing-the-tapestry-2016-quakerspeak-videos-and-curricula/ Then we read the story about the Friends in Ghana who had done a community litter clean up on World Quaker Day the year before, and then we went out and picked up trash around our meetinghouse. It was an opportunity to be of service in our community and to learn from Friends on the other side of the world.”

FWCC matters because it helps meetings to feel connected to Friends everywhere – even across oceans and on distant continents. As Robin says “We’re all Friends.”

In honor of the day, FWCC has a page with links to local and global sustainability projects.

PROGRESS REPORT: Response to the charges of 7/26 & 7/27/19 Annual Sessions

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In their council meeting on 9/21/19, Administrative Council decided to create a sprint with 5-7 Friends with representation from the Undoing Racism Group (URG), the Multicultural Audit Steering Committee (MASC), representatives from each council and others with relevant experience in antiracism work.  This sprint will review the 2016 URG and MASC report, as well as the “Incomplete Collection of Antiracism Work & Possibilities” document compiled by the General Secretary.  This sprint will be charged to and work with a consultant with expertise in antiracism work. [Read more…] about PROGRESS REPORT: Response to the charges of 7/26 & 7/27/19 Annual Sessions

Friday 9/20/19 in Pictures – Messages on Signs; Quaker Thoughts About Climate

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Some web stories come cascading into our in box organically. That’s how this one was built.  First, Jen Karsten, who recently left Pendle Hill to become Executive Director at The Hickman, a submitted a two line news story about what she was seeing during Fridays’ Climate Strike in West Chester PA.

West Chester Friends Students walk with their signs

Children were walking about with hand-made climate awareness signs, and residents at the Hickman community supported the children with signs of their own.

She explained she “just wanted to celebrate inter-generational witness (to Climate Action). I watched through the window …While the younger kids did a “march” around the block, some 5th graders went to the courthouse. More West Chester Friends School kids will participate in a 2nd march tomorrow.”

Then we heard from Friends Dennis and Judy Asselin, of Westtown Meeting, and they had this to share from their participation in Philadelphia:

“If we could transport William Penn into the 21st Century, I believe he would have been proud of the School Strike for the Climate which drew several thousand young people yesterday to Center City Philadelphia.”

Penn, who was an astute observer of nature and lover of community could have appreciated that all this was done, as Judy writes, “in concert with millions of other young marchers around the globe.”

She continues: “Penn prized protection of conscience over every other aspect of his Charter of Privileges for the new city of Philadelphia back in the mid-1600’s, and today freedom of conscience and the right to peaceful assembly is embedded in the US Constitution.”

Judy feels that “all movements that begin with a call to conscience and discernment of truth,” and grow organically from there.

Dennis and Judy’s photos attest to the mix of ages represented during the walk through center city with hand made signs.

“An inspiring (and) diverse group from elementary school age through college, along with a scattering of parents and other elder supports, gathered at City Hall to hear speakers, then circled down to Locust Street and back up Broad Street to City Hall to conclude their School Strike for the Climate. A common theme linked many of the signs painted on recycled cardboard, and even an old Krispy Creme donut box: “Why should we (the children) care about our future if adults in power do not act to ensure and protect it?”

Judy continues: “It’s a good question. The speakers (at the Climate Strike) ranged from ages 13 through 18, and their call for action was inspiring, linking climate justice to social and economic justice, and to the basic rights of people worldwide, not just those in the US. How appropriate that the marchers assembled right under the gaze of Penn’s statue. Is his Holy Experiment taking on new life and a new shape? ”

Beth Taylor, Clerk of Plumstead meeting, went to Sunday’s Climate march in Doylestown. She said that there were about 1000 people out in the Sunday sunshine and shared several moving photos of signs and people.

Climate Marchers in Doylestown

Then this came in from Friend John Spears of Princeton Meeting.

John took a look at what the carbon dioxide numbers need to be vs. what they currently are. He shared some facts from research–sparked by the climate strike–that he did on Friday.

  • I tried to boil it down to key facts about the experts’ pessimistic views and their advice on what needs to be done, and the practical feasibility of doing that. Cost is another question–and who pays?
  • I kept seeing repeatedly from several sources that, according to the UN report, annual global carbon dioxide emissions need to decline by 45% by 2030–10 to 11 years from now–in order to avoid dire climate consequences. And, we need to reach “net zero” (in other words, total output of emissions is offset 1 to 1 by absorption of emissions by trees, carbon capture, etc.) by 2050.
  • Global carbon emissions were about 30 billion tons of CO2 in 2010 , so a decline of 45% from that would get you to 16.5 billion tons as the goal.
  • In 2018, global CO2 emissions were 37 billion tons , so  to get to 16.5 billion tons  would require a 56% decline in global carbon emissions from 2018 levels by 2050!
  • From Google – various sources said that 80% of global energy comes from fossil fuels.
    • China accounts for 29% of global carbon emissions,
    • the US is 16%,
    • India is 7% ,
    • Japan is 4%.
    • China and  India are still building high-emission coal fueled electricity power plants. 38% of global electricity production is fueled by coal.
  • About 20% of electricity production is nuclear fueled.
  • US carbon emissions have been trending down (unlike much of the rest of the world—including Germany—which has experienced increased emissions) because fracking-produced natural gas has been replacing coal as a fuel for producing electricity. Natural gas emits less carbon than coal when burned as a fuel.

John is correct that natural gas emits half what coal does per unit of energy generated. And a much greater investment in nuclear, wind, and solar power will be required to offset carbon-based power generation. Meanwhile, after dropping for several years (because economic recessions spike emissions downward due to manufacturing decreases and other retrenchments), the US had an increase in its carbon emissions in 2018, although a 0.7 drop is projected in 2019.

Friends agree the goal is ambitious, and not everyone feels it’s possible. Still, the message that came in to PYM is that Friends hope we will try.

 

 

 

 

General Secretary Report to Councils

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Mid-September 2019

Business and Finances:

  • The 2019 fiscal year is drawing to a close with 92% of the year complete as of August 30.  Support & Revenue is close to budget.  Expenses are trending below budget.
  • The final appeal is in mailboxes and final email campaign is underway and we look on track to meet our Annual Fund goal of $300,000. Some highlights include: donors who gave this year and last year increased their gifts by an average of 7% and out-of-state donors increased giving by 9.5%; so far this year 206 Friends who had lapsed in giving gave this year – and gave $44,878; one of the email appeals will also remind Friends to give to their monthly meeting.
  • PYM’s auditors did a week of planning in August in preparation for the November audit.  This year PYM will be implementing changes required by the FASB’s (Financial Accounting Standards Board) Accounting Standards Update 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities.  The title is more formidable than the actual changes.  Mainly, the three-column audit presentation format of recent decades, Unrestricted, Temporarily Restricted and Restricted, is being replaced with two plain English columns, Without Donor Restrictions and With Donor Restrictions.  It should make PYM’s financial statements more readable and informative.
  • Over the summer we explored The Reinvestment Fund as a prospect for PYM investments in order to increase the impact of our investments. In particular we are investigating their community development bridge loan fund which would lend to projects such as community health centers, child care centers, and affordable housing.  Many community development projects include funding sources that will only pay in over time or on project completion.  These projects may have little access to other financing.  A bridge loan allows them to move forward and creates jobs.  PYM would invest through Friends Fiduciary.  The prospect was well received at Sessions and Admin Council will make a progress report at Continuing Sessions in November.
  • The Legacy Fund is launched with four gifts – total collected $71,749. What is the Legacy Fund? This is a named gift that conserves principal and generates income in perpetuity. It also makes room for the life stories of Legacy fund donors, the listing of donor names in the annual report, and the placement of these stories on our Website. In time, hundreds of Friends lives, their contributions to humanity, their communities, and the Quaker faith will be documented by the reporting we automatically do around this Legacy Fund. Initial gifts are in the names of Kirk Norris, Charlie Ufford, S. Francis Nicholson and Anne Hollingsworth Thomas Moore.

Program and Ministry:

  • The funding cycle has begun for collaboratives, sprints, and other groups in the PYM who can request funding for projects from the Quaker Life Council. A housekeeping email went out detailing the process for applying and other supportive resources for PYM groups.
  • The core team of staff who support PYM programs is called the Community Engagement Team; this team sets goals for the year in September. One of the team goals is to spend time articulating clearly the Quaker tradition so that staff can speak about it positively and confidently in the course of running programs and talking about Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
  • Young Adult Friends have had a leadership transition, and staff have supported them through developing a new clerking team.
  • August and September included many events for youth and families: a Family Play Date, Young Friends Late Summer Gathering, Young Friends Peace Fair, and the Quaker Family Meet Up.
  • Our first reception for supporters was held at the General Secretary’s home. 24 people came, enjoyed fellowship and shared their thoughts about why they give to PYM.

Communications and Technology:

  • We have evaluated and re-valuated which email system to integrate with our database. We settled on a program called Pardot and have carefully been setting up the behind-the-scenes infrastructure, testing it and creating templates that provide a structure and recognizable look and feel.
  • The online registration form for annual sessions is being rebuilt, and our staff who run the registration process attended a training on the registration program to learn more about how to facilitate an efficient and effective process.
  • Interesting web fact: PYM.org became an unlikely internet star in September. We are the first resource that comes up when people do a google search for resources on how to open a spiritual retreat. This is bringing 5000 hits a year on this topic and it comes from all over the world. Check the page out yourself:

Staff and Administration:

  • The Director of HR and Inclusion has resigned that position but is maintaining support for two key projects during the interim period. We will post the position at full time as we’ve learned it requires 35 hours a week to meet the goals of the job.
  • The Executive Director of the Arch Street Meeting House is on a temporary leave through mid-October. An Interim Executive Director is maintaining stability for this time period.

Inclusion and Anti-Racism: 

  • Following the past year of staff work to identify goals for anti-racism and inclusion work we have developed a relationship with Prototype Entities to support us in moving forward. Prototype Entities is the organization that was recommended by the Multicultural Audit Steering Committee to provide an audit for PYM.
  • The planned work with Prototype includes training for all staff and for supervisors, coaching for key staff, establishing a baseline of staff experience and developing a climate survey tool that can be used every six months and a review of the policies, procedures and documents in place.

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