Three times each year, Friends in local and quarterly meeting leadership (clerks, assistant clerks, treasurers, committee clerks) gather online with the presiding clerk and General Secretary. The gatherings include timely announcements and shared conversation, and are one way that we connect across meetings in the yearly meeting. The January 2024 gatherings included several announcements to share back to meetings, and small group discussions around topics of interest. [Read more…] about Monthly and Quarterly Meeting Leadership Gatherings
News
Spiritual State of the Meeting Report Invitation
NOTE: The deadline to submit reports has been extended to April 29, 2024
Warm greetings from the Ministry and Care Committee of Quaker Life Council. We trust this communication finds you well, grounded in Spirit and in your community of faith. All meetings are invited to submit their Spiritual State of the Meeting Reports for 2023 no later than April 15, 2024. We look forward to learning about your meeting and having the opportunity to share that learning more widely. Reports will be carefully read by members of M&C to guide our work in the next year and inform the Spiritual State of the Meeting Report for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. To learn more about how these reports are used and how they are typically composed, see these advices. If you have further questions, please contact us at ministryandcare@pym.org. [Read more…] about Spiritual State of the Meeting Report Invitation
Third Haven Helps Members and Attenders Navigate Life Stages as Friends
A meeting with Lorraine Claggett, member of the Third Haven Friends Meeting Pastoral Care Committee, during fellowship at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions opened many doors to learning about dedication, creativity, and outreach to the meeting’s aging Friends. Connecting with Dona Sorce, past Clerk of the Pastoral Care Committee was also enlightening. Several years ago, the meeting recognized many members were over the age of 50. Subsequently, the group invited George Schaefer, a member of Abington Meeting who previously served Philadelphia Yearly Meeting from 2009 to 2022 as Care and Aging Coordinator, to discuss PYM’s resources for aging Friends. We recently connected with Pastoral Care Committee members Bill Schauer, Terry Thomas-Primer, and Dee Rein to learn more about their efforts. [Read more…] about Third Haven Helps Members and Attenders Navigate Life Stages as Friends
The Friendly Seniors of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting
On November 17, 2023, Judy Owens and Patricia Williams from Haddonfield Monthly Meeting met with PYM’s Aging Support Coordinator, Sheila Sorkin, and Senior Content Manager, Tiffanie McKinnon, to discuss the life and community of HMM’s aging Friends. [Read more…] about The Friendly Seniors of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting
Middle East Collaborative Shares Peace Resource
[Read more…] about Middle East Collaborative Shares Peace Resource
New Assistant Controller Joins PYM Finance Department
PYM welcomes Albert DeGregorio as our newest staff member! Al joins PYM’s finance department in the role of Assistant Controller. [Read more…] about New Assistant Controller Joins PYM Finance Department
Concord Quarter Working Group Offers Resources and Support for Aging Friends
Concord Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting consists of 8 Meetings: Birmingham, Concord, Goshen, Middletown, West Chester, Westtown, Willistown and Wilmington. Included in Concord’s October 2016 newsletter was an article authored by Pam Leland, the executive director of The Hickman who wrote about the New York Yearly Meeting program – ARCH (Aging, Resources, Consultation, Help). The article inspired members of Concord Quarterly Meeting to create their own group meeting around mutual interest in aging issues. The initial group of 11 began meeting in May of 2017. By June of 2017, the group was led by their first Clerk, Rich Ailes and officially became known as the Concord Quarter Working Group on Aging. [Read more…] about Concord Quarter Working Group Offers Resources and Support for Aging Friends
FGC’s ‘The Gathering’ Comes to Philadelphia
The Gathering is coming to Haverford College! This is the first time since Friends General Conference began in 1900 that it is being held in the immediate Philadelphia area! This is your first invitation to be part of “a great people to be gathered”, June 30-July 6, 2024! [Read more…] about FGC’s ‘The Gathering’ Comes to Philadelphia
Ramallah Friends School Christmas Song
A message from Plymouth Meeting
During Eleventh Month Business Meeting, our Monthly Meeting united in sending in a letter conveying our love and concern for Ramallah Friends Meeting, Friends School and all people of Palestine during this time of violence against the people of Palestine and Israel that has escalated to war in Gaza and continual random violence in the rest of Palestine and Israel. The letters and reply can be found on our website. [Read more…] about Ramallah Friends School Christmas Song
Westtown Monthly Meeting Statement on the Shooting of Palestinian Students
November 27, 2023
Westtown Monthly Meeting is holding in the Light Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid, and Tahseen Ahmed – the three Palestinian students who were the victims of a senseless gun attack in Burlington, Vermont, the evening of November 25, 2023. [Read more…] about Westtown Monthly Meeting Statement on the Shooting of Palestinian Students