Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

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Ways to Enter the Season of Lent as Friends

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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

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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

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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

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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

Quaker Educators: Ayesha Imani, PhD, and Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School – Part 2

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Ayesha Imani, Ph.D., is a Quaker educator who serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sankofa Freedom Academy. She is also one of the founders. This is part two of a two-part interview with Ayesha about community energy, spiritual focus, Quaker educational ideas, and the creation of the Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter school. [Read more…] about Quaker Educators: Ayesha Imani, PhD, and Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School – Part 2

Grace Sharples Cooke Farewell Interview

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Grace Cooke, Associate Secretary for Advancement and Relationship, has been stewarding fundraising at PYM for the last five years. Since May, 2018, she has also been leading the communication team at PYM. This February, she will be leaving PYM to begin a new job at the Science History Institute. While we are sad to say farewell, we are glad to share this final interview. [Read more…] about Grace Sharples Cooke Farewell Interview

Spirit of First Contact Reconciliation: What’s Going On?

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On February 5th, about 125 Friends gathered for the PYM program Thread Gathering: Restorative Racial Justice. Following a morning with Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting facilitators .O and Dana Reinhold, three different collaboratives–Middle East Collaborative, First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative (FCRC) and Eco-Justice Collaborative–offered overviews of  current work. Below is a follow-up story by FCRC. [Read more…] about Spirit of First Contact Reconciliation: What’s Going On?

Ujima Friends Peace Center Is a Ministry of Ujima Friends Meeting

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Ujima Friends Meeting announced in June 2021 that: “In an act of declaration and commitment, we, a people of African descent, our families and friends, respond to the movement of the Spirit among us to form Ujima Friends Meeting within the Religious Society of Friends. Ujima Friends Meeting is a community of faith without borders, dedicated to bearing witness to peace, justice, and love.”What follows is republished From Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting’s January Newsletter.

[Read more…] about Ujima Friends Peace Center Is a Ministry of Ujima Friends Meeting

Quaker Educators: Ayesha Imani, PhD & Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School – Part 1

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When a visitor arrives at Sankofa Freedom Academy, a Philadelphia charter school, the first feeling is one of love. A second feeling is calm – Sankofa students and teachers are full of intention and purpose. The third is respect and joy.

These school walls may hold moments of stress or success, but either way, no one is going to be left unsupported or un-loved, and the community is there to value and lift each soul, and all minds, up.

Ayesha Imani, PhD, is the Quaker educator who serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sankofa Freedom Academy. She is also one of the founders. The kindergarten to grade 12 school – which opened in 2009 and is currently the only Freedom School in Philadelphia – was inspired by Ayesha’s children’s positive experiences in Quaker schools, the Quaker faith, the need for a culturally African-centric instructional model, and the charter school movement.

This is a story of Quaker energy and spiritual focus.

[Read more…] about Quaker Educators: Ayesha Imani, PhD & Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School – Part 1

Apply for a Travel & Witness Grant at the March 1 Deadline

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The Travel and Witness Granting Group (TWGG) provides grants to support active service and witness by individuals following leadings of the Spirit.

The group has made fewer grants since March 2020 as a result of the pandemic’s impact on travel plans and gatherings.  This decrease means that the group has more funds available for future grants, and therefore welcomes applications for creative ideas that involve connecting with other communities through travel or witness. [Read more…] about Apply for a Travel & Witness Grant at the March 1 Deadline

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