Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

News

The Mighty Salem Oak

Written on:

Get a Seedling from the Mighty Oak

The seedling offspring of a 600 year old grand oak tree from Salem Monthly Meeting (NJ) are being planted in sixty Quaker locations – 20 of them are still available. In 2019 this historic tree came down. The tree was so loved that the meeting held a memorial service for it. The memorial program is reprinted below. Salem Meeting had gathered her acorns the previous year and following the tree’s demise they collaborated with the NJ Forest Service to plant them. The seedlings are now large enough to be replanted. Forty will join the landscape of New Jersey meetings. Many more are ready to be claimed for meetings or other Quaker grounds in PYM. If you would like one for your meeting, there is a simple two-step process: [Read more…] about The Mighty Salem Oak

Stories of Faith on the Road to Easter

Written on:

We are a people full of stories. Stories help us create meaning, make sense of our world, and develop identity. Stories are how some of the greatest teachers, including Jesus of Nazareth, shared their message and showed the path of a faithful life. This series of  Godly Play and Faith & Play stories about the life and ministry of Jesus can be used during the time leading up to Easter, and are for viewing with meeting communities or sharing at home. While the style of this storytelling is often associated with programs for children, we all need and yearn for stories. These are for all of us at any age! [Read more…] about Stories of Faith on the Road to Easter

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Response to the Crisis in Ukraine

Written on:

Quakers from around the world are in anguish and deeply concerned with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine and Quakers in the affected areas in this dark time. As a historic peace church, we join our call for peace in the world to their cries for peace and help. [Read more…] about Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Response to the Crisis in Ukraine

QuakerSpeak Completes 8th Season, Gears up for Season 9

Written on:

QuakerSpeak videos are useful tools for researching the faith. You can post links to them on your social media or website, or embed them in newsletters. Friends enjoy sharing them with the community. They are concise lessons in faith and practice delivered in well edited soundbites.

With over 856,000 video views on YouTube, 2021 saw the most viewers yet in the Quaker video project’s eight-year run. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the QuakerSpeak team created and posted 18 all-new videos, while vigorously promoting classic videos to new audiences. [Read more…] about QuakerSpeak Completes 8th Season, Gears up for Season 9

Retooling Our Staff Structure to Better Support Our Community

Written on:

Our strategic directions guide us to connect Friends and meetings to one another so that we may experience vibrant, Spirit-led community and deepen our relationships. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has the gift of a devoted staff who support the community in making those connections. When there is turnover, as staff members move on, we have the opportunity to reflect on their meaningful contributions and to consider what new opportunities there are to continue to build on those contributions. [Read more…] about Retooling Our Staff Structure to Better Support Our Community

Legacy Fund Donor: Amy Kawabe Kurkjian (1923 – 2020)

Written on:

Last summer Philadelphia Yearly Meeting received a significant bequest to PYM as well as a Legacy Fund gift. When the bequest arrived, accompanied by a letter from Pat McBee, the executor, we knew that Amy Kurkjian had an interesting life story. There was a second story, too. Amy’s executor and care advocate, Pat McBee, was challenged to figured out how to support Amy’s goal of living independently. Pat found a way forward and the causes near and dear to Amy’s heart, including PYM, benefited. So did Amy! [Read more…] about Legacy Fund Donor: Amy Kawabe Kurkjian (1923 – 2020)

Ways to Enter the Season of Lent as Friends

Written on:

The enthusiastic response to the adult religious education Advent program in December 2020, and feedback heard in conversations around the Yearly Meeting about a yearning for opportunities for Bible study, are on the minds of program staff. We’re sharing three opportunities to join online programs offered by progressive Christian organizations and faith leaders during the season of Lent. There is a variety both in how they are structured (asynchronous, sessions online, self-guided) and also in the grounding for content. One explores anti-racism as a spiritual practice, another uses the art of Vincent van Gogh and his studies of light, and the third is a theological exploration of “Jesus Deconstructed.”

[Read more…] about Ways to Enter the Season of Lent as Friends

Old Committee, New Name: The Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities Granting Group

Written on:

After a year-long discernment process, members of PYM’s Indian Committee, with approval from PYM’s Granting Committee and Administrative Council, have agreed upon a new name, the Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities Granting Group. The granting group’s statement below has been shared with past members, past grant recipients, Quakers, and organizations with related missions:

[Read more…] about Old Committee, New Name: The Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities Granting Group

Friends Committee on National Legislation Priorities Process

Written on:

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) will again determine its legislative priorities by asking Meetings and Churches to discern their own lists for work in Washington. During January and February, each monthly meeting in PYM will receive an invitation from FCNL to discern what issues should be the focus of FCNL’s work in Washington over the next Congress.

[Read more…] about Friends Committee on National Legislation Priorities Process

Welcoming Sheila Sorkin, Aging Support Coordinator

Written on:

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting welcomes with joy Sheila Sorkin into the role of Aging Support Coordinator; we are ecstatic to have someone with a long history of working in fields related to care for the aging. [Read more…] about Welcoming Sheila Sorkin, Aging Support Coordinator

Update your contact & Meeting information at pym.org/updates

© 2025 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting · Privacy Policy