The Quaker Life Council has recently approved an updated set of Threads, which are ways of organizing the work and witness that all of the communities in PYM face on a regular basis. The new list is:
- Peace & Social Justice
- Ministry & Care
- Religious Education
- Outreach & Communications
- Governance & Stewardship
Notably, the Peace & Social Justice Thread includes an emphasis on environmental and racial justice, two areas wherein a great deal of energy is rising and circulating in our meetings. This also includes our work on refugee rights and migrant justice. Ministry & Care combines two areas, Pastoral Care and Worship & Ministry. Pastoral Care and Worship & Ministry are two aspects of one essential function in our communities, that of eldership. Bringing them together highlights this idea and allows for a more iterative connection between the different aspects of eldership in our meetings. Outreach & Communications is a growing concern in our meetings, especially as it is related to making ourselves known and welcoming newcomers. Governance & Stewardship is new; it brings together previous areas of focus in monthly meeting management, fundraising, finances, and property. It adds Friends decision making process, such as clerking, committee service, and nominating. Giving these the category of Governance & Stewardship helps us recognize that there is spiritual depth even in the relationship building that is essential to fundraising and in the stewardship of building budgets.
Threads weave our yearly meeting community together by gathering people around common themes. Common threads of concern run through all our monthly meetings. When we bring the threads together across our meetings, we create the fabric of our religious society. Within a thread, people may gather and communicate, build a network, share or create resources, engage in activities, or create informational publications. Threads are identified by the Quaker Life Council. Activities and resources organized within threads are open to participation by all. The threads are organized by staff in collaboration with Friends, under the direction of the council. Periodically, the council will review the threads to determine if each should continue or be laid down. Read more about how Threads fit into our organizational structure in the Governance Handbook.
