Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has multiple October events that will provide ways to engage within our community before Fall Continuing Sessions. Three opportunities include fellowship of the thread gathering, a family-centered peace-building event, or the collective discernment over climate during a virtual threshing session. Each of these events offers a unique opportunity to engage with the PYM community and prepare ourselves spiritually for the work ahead. Whether you are seeking fellowship, family engagement, or discernment on critical issues, these events will help ground us as we come together as a faith community:
Thread Gathering: Grief, Loss & Bereavement: A pastoral care Thread Gathering
October 19th at Chestnuts Hill Meeting
Every meeting has its own way of handling grief, loss & bereavement. This thread gathering will give Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting a chance to come together for a day of learning, sharing, and building connections, where we can deepen our understanding of grief and care for one another.
Participants will start the day by talking about how meetings help with grief, loss, and pastoral care, and gather ideas from each other. In the afternoon, there will be workshops that focus on different ways to handle grief, like using sound and silence to heal, or learning about end-of-life planning. These workshops are designed to be supportive and give space to worship and heal together.
The gathering will be held at Chestnut Hill Meeting. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch. Since the event is personal, it won’t be recorded and there is no hybrid option so please join us in person.
Click here to register to be able to learn, share, and build connections.
Peace Begins with You: A Gathering for Children and Families
October 20th at Arch Street Meeting House
On Sunday, October 20th, families are invited to Peace Begins with You: A Gathering for Children and Families at Arch Street Meeting House. This special event brings together parents, grandparents, and children to celebrate the Quaker Peace Testimony and explore how we can all become peacemakers in our daily lives. Kristin Simmons, Youth Engagement Coordinator at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, hopes the gathering will “provide the opportunity for families to gather together, get to know one another, build community, and talk about ways and tools for our children to understand and live out the Quaker testimony of peace.” Families from Friends meetings and Friends schools are invited to share in fellowship, reflection, and fun.
The event will feature a workshop led by Dwight Dunston, also known as Sterling Duns, a West Philly-based artist, educator, and activist. Dwight, a certified Kingian Nonviolence Trainer, brings over a decade of experience working with children and communities to help families explore nonviolence and embody peace. Kristin adds, “We will be gathering at Arch Street Meeting House, and in addition to Dwight’s workshop, there will be intergenerational conversation and music, parent and guardian worship sharing, and a children’s story and activities.”
As concerns about the upcoming 2024 election grow, this gathering offers help children navigate challenging times with grace and peace. Kristin emphasizes that “all are welcome—parents, guardians, grandparents, friends, children of all ages! Families in meetings and Friends schools are encouraged to share the invitation with their friends.” The event will remind families and children they are part of a larger community standing together for peace and justice.
Click here to register for this family event on peacemaking.
Threshing Session: A Benchmark for Climate Change Witness
October 29th over Zoom
A proposed benchmark for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting collective witness to address climate change will be on the agenda at the Fall Continuing Sessions in November. This initiative seeks to measure the carbon footprint of PYMs operations, gatherings, and facilities, aiming for carbon net zero by 2030. PYM also invites monthly meetings to strive for a 50% carbon reduction for members and meetings by 2030.
Friends are invited to a threshing session on October 29 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. This session will provide a space for Friends to share openly, their thoughts, questions, and concerns about the proposed benchmark. Participants will be guided by queries such as:
How is my Meeting addressing Climate Witness?
How is my Meeting educating itself about climate issues?
How does measuring our carbon footprint impact the world around us?
For those who haven’t experienced a threshing session before, it is a simple and open forum where Friends can express different opinions and deepen their understanding of important issues. Presiding Clerk Nikki Mosgrove will explain more about what to expect during this time together.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting encourages all Friends to participate in this critical conversation as PYM seeks clarity in a collective response to climate change.
Click here to register and to share your opinion.
Each event, though distinct in focus, seek to nurture a sense of connections and community, offering opportunities for reflection, spiritual growth, and prepare ourselves for the work ahead.
Take time to explore these opportunities and the multiple other events we have prior to Fall Continuing Sessions on November 8th-10th, Register here as we worship together and settle our focus of this years sessions around being Called to Healing.
