Hello Friends,
How has spirit moved among us in 2024? As we, the staff of PYM’s Program and Religious Life Department, reflect on this question, we have many joyful tidings to share.
The Big Picture
This year we saw many examples on how being a part of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting community gives Friends a place to share their gifts and ask for support in times of need. This flow of sharing and receiving is a core part of what it means to be “part of the body.” Our PYM programs create spaces of joy, learning, spiritual nurture, and concrete resources. And none of it would be possible without Friends like you sharing their gifts, showing up, participating, and building community together. Thank you!
Read on to hear more about the programs and events we’re proud of this year.
Youth Programs Are Growing!
This has been a busy year for PYM youth programs! Children & Families hosted multiple Family Meetups – including a day-long gathering at Pendle Hill. These gatherings were designed to provide time and space for parents and children from around the Yearly Meeting to get to know one another, build community, and share conversation. PYM also hosted two Family Overnights and an afternoon program in the fall entitled “Peace Begins with You”. Winter and spring will bring another Family Meetup and some Family Overnights. All families with children in grades 8 and younger are welcome to join us!
Young Friends continued to grow after a new format was piloted last spring. Youth in grades 8 through 12 met monthly on Saturdays to build community, to learn more about Quaker practice and issues of social justice, and to have fun together. In addition, a small group of YFs committed to being part of the steering committee – meeting a second time each month to provide feedback and to help with planning. These Saturday gatherings will continue through the winter and spring!
In addition to hosting Yearly Meeting-wide gatherings, PYM youth staff also traveled to many meetings and quarters to assist with local youth programming. These included Caln Quarter’s spring weekend at Camp Swatara, New Jersey’s Tri-Quarter gathering, Upper Susquehanna Quarter’s fall weekend, Bucks Quarter Peace Fair, Concord Quarter’s Parent’s Morning Off, and Old Haverford Meeting’s annual retreat. We love to visit meetings and quarters to get to know youth and families and to support programming!
New Disability Support Group
We are overjoyed to share that Philadelphia Yearly Meeting will be offering two different support groups: a Disability Support Group for Friends with disabilities and a Caregiver Support Group for Friends who are caregivers of those with disabilities. These support groups are open to those who self-identify as having and/or supporting individuals with any kind of disability, physical or mental, visible or invisible. The support groups will begin in January 2025, and will meet once a month over Zoom for six months. Each support group will be capped at twelve participants, and participants must be ages 18+ and a member or regular attender of a PYM meeting to register. If you are interested in participating, please register today; registration closes on Friday, December 20.
Case Management Is a Go!
Case management is a new program at PYM! It can connect Friends with long term care, health care referrals, mental health resources, debt management and debt consolidation counseling, support with housing, help applying for social services, and help securing in-home care. If you or someone in your meeting would benefit from case management services, please reach out to either Sheila Sorkin (ssorkin@pym.org) or Janaki Spickard Keeler (jspickardkeeler@pym.org) to discuss a referral.
The PYM Collaboratives Continued to be Hives of Activity!
The Collaboratives—self-formed groups of Friends from across local meetings united by shared passions and ministries—have been busy. Long-standing groups like Eco-Justice and Spiritual Formation continue to offer their wisdom and resources throughout the year in workshops, webinars, and retreats. The Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative, only a year old, is gaining momentum representing Quakers against guns. The India Friends Collaborative deepened ties with Quakers in India, and the First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative’s walking witness fosters relationships with sovereign tribal nations. The Middle East Collaborative is steadfast in its peace efforts, offering educational series and engaging with local meetings on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Addressing Racism Collaborative is seeking resources to help build an Addressing Racism Playbook for meetings. Is there something you want to do with other Quakers? Consider starting or joining a collaborative!
Called to Healing
How are Quakers “called to healing”? Our Sessions theme this year was a thread that offered many opportunities for profound depth and connection. At spring Continuing Sessions, Friends tried their hands at acting using “Quaker Plays for First Days.” We asked how Quakers of the past felt called to healing and wondered how their stories connect to our values today. We were delighted to feel the interplay of humor, delight, and wisdom.
As the year unfolded, we were blessed with many more ways to explore healing, including a workshop on George Fox’s ‘Book of Miracles’, experiencing Meeting for Worship for Healing with Lisa Bellet Collins of Falsington Meeting, and wonderful Keynotes on the power of the physical body and our connection to spirit with Tom Gates and Katy Hawkins. In each of our Sessions, Friends expressed the importance of healing together and witnessing each other in the process.
Thread Gatherings
Two thread gatherings took place this year; “Care of Property and Burial Grounds” and “Grief, loss and bereavement; a pastoral care thread gathering.” Wonderful conversations took place at these gatherings as Friends shared their joys and challenges. A resource list emerged from the “Grief, Loss and Bereavement” thread gathering that can be used to support individuals and local meetings.
Young Adult Friends
Young Adult Friends and Seekers, ages 18 through 35, gathered for a Winter Retreat at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting in January with a theme of “Being a Friend in the World,” our Spring Retreat at Camp Onas with a theme of “Welcoming Your Inner Child,” and a Fall Retreat at West Chester Friends Meeting with a theme of “Living Your Life as a Friend.” Along with gathering during Spring and Fall Continuing Sessions and Annual Sessions, YAFs also participated in a Beach Day Trip in South Jersey and a Summer Celebration Gathering at Arch Street Meeting House during the summer.
Goodbye to Melinda, Hello to Simone
Program and Religious Life director, Melinda Wenner Bradley moved on from her role in August, 2024. Melinda was a beloved leader of the PRL team whose passion for Quaker religious education and support for a thriving Quaker community was a beacon for all of us who worked with her. We’re so glad that Melinda is continuing her ministry through Faith & Play Stories, and as Clerk of Concord Quarter.
After a long process of discernment, we are thrilled to begin working with Simone Gellizeau, who will begin as the new director of PRL in January!
