Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

This is such an important event! This is such a thoughtful way to interact with the community Doylestown Friends Meeting!

What are other ways that meetings are managing conversations about the upcoming elections?

The Pastoral Concerns Committee will be presenting the September Forum on Dealing With Election Stress. We'll have a discussion on how to deal with the topic of the upcoming election in November. This will include how to deal with people who do not agree with our values as far as what party to vote for and what issues are important to us. We will also have ideas on how we can deal with our emotions, taking care of ourselves, and staying positive and constructive when talking about the election.

BE TOGETHER

Together, we can create a place where each person's presence is celebrated and valued. Every person, with every identity, witness, need, and gifts, matters.

One of the ways we as PYM Friends enjoy BEING TOGETHER is through Sessions. Friends everywhere are invited to join Fall Continuing Sessions at Arch Street Meeting House starting
November 8th.

Every contribution, of every size, support the infrastructure that allows us to BE TOGETHER.
Click below to learn more!
https://www.pym.org/donate/belonging/

Young Friends and all families-ready to connect this weekend?

Join Philadelphia Yearly Meeting at two special events!
Intergenerational families can experience a day of joy and creativity at Pendle Hill. Young Friends can also join in fellowship at the Peace Fair and Overnight.

Both events invite all Friends to build community, nurture friendships, and find peace together. We hope to see you there!

Click the link below to learn more!
https://www.pym.org/calendar/category/religious-education/youth-programs/

Comment below: How is your meeting engaging Friends and the community in the upcoming elections?

Friends are invited to attend:
FAITH INTO ACTION: A Family-Friendly Interfaith Gathering in Support of Democracy. 2:00 pm–5:00 pm, September 22, at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA. Learn more information at QuakerCall.net.

Over the next few weeks, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is focusing on the faithful practice of belonging, and how we learn together, be together, and witness together!

We will be sharing videos on social media from Inaara Shiraz, PYM’s Inclusion and Belonging Coordinator, to highlight how these interconnections in our community can create a place where each person’s presence is celebrated and valued.

Together, we can support one another and foster a greater sense of belonging. Your financial gift supports all the infrastructure for the many ways PYM allows all people and meetings to come together. Your spiritual gift supports a diverse community that, together, creates the kin-dom of God. Click on this link pym.org/donate/belonging to learn more.

We're crowdsourcing a digital Quaker glossary and you're invited to join the fun! Do you speak Spanish? KaSwahilli? Any other languages Quakers speak? We’re crowdsourcing content to be sure we have the relevant meanings of all Quaker words in all languages. We’re starting with Spanish. Whether you’d like to just stay informed about this work, or if you’d like to join the digital creation, you are welcome to join us for this online experiment! Check out fwccamericas.org/events for more!

Calling all content suggestions! PYM is working on a booklet to aid meetings, households and friends in participating in the yearly meeting wide witness around addressing racism. A significant portion of the booklet provides queries and examples of approaches and resources. Friends are invited to suggest possibilities for this content around activism, education, addressing personal impacts, finances, and mourning loss and instilling hope.

Addressing Racism Booklet Content Suggestions – Witness Addressing Racism Booklet Content Suggestions PYM has published a Creating a Playbook for Climate Change, a resource to support Meetings, households and Friends in participating in our yearly meeting-wide witness to address climate change. We are now working on a second Booklet that uses the same ap...

The submission period for workshop proposals for the 2025 Online Gathering is now open. Visit https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/what-happens/workshops/gathering-workshop-proposal-information/ for details.

Enjoy on-campus worship, meals, and time together with fellow worship community members - and other F/friends - to celebrate Pendle Hill’s birthday this September!

This weekend will include space to cultivate and deepen connections with each other, and participate in some light programming. On the 29th, alums are invited to gather online for Pendle Hill's second annual Resident Reunion to share worship and reconnect with your class year in breakout rooms!

Don't wait to book your stay. Limited on-campus space is available!
https://pendlehill.org/events/worship-sojourn-weekend-at-pendle-hill/

Join us on Sunday afternoon, September 8, from noon to 3 p.m. for an Open House hosted by Doylestown Friends Meeting. Enjoy live music from the Bucks County Folk Song Society, take a brief tour of our historic Meetinghouse, and pick up literature about Quakerism. Solebury Orchards has generously donated delicious apples for you to enjoy.

This event coincides with the Doylestown Arts Festival, so make sure to stop by for some fine folk music on your way to or from the festival. We are located at 95 East Oakland Avenue, Doylestown.

Read the FWCC World Plenary epistle at fwcc.world/epistle-of-world-plenary-meeting

Last week, around 500 Quakers met in South Africa and online for the . With representatives from 53 countries and 95 Yearly Meetings, worship groups and Quaker organisations, it was a truly diverse gathering! 🌍

Read the epistle 📃and find out more at fwcc.world/epistle-of-world-plenary-meeting

Join Friends for a three-part online series exploring Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s new book on a Quaker approach to death and dying, "A Tender Time: Quaker Voices on the End of Life." Pendle Hill’s program offers life and interactive engagement with members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s End of Life Working Group on three Wednesdays in September at 7 pm:

September 4: Aging in the Spirit – Finding Your Own Way: How do cultural, familial, and personal assumptions about aging affect you? Together we will look at new ways you could frame your experience of age, recognizing both losses and grace.

September 11: Befriending Your Mortality: What models of dying – uncomfortable and/or beautiful – have you encountered? Together we will look at how you might choose to frame a good death.

September 18: Beyond Death: Continuing Relationships: A relationship does not end when someone dies. Together we will discover ways to affirm connection and make meaning after a death.

Sign up at https://pendlehill.org/events/hand-in-hand-aging-together-in-the-spirit/. A Tender Time is available through the Pendle Hill bookstore and through QuakerBooks of FGC.

Join us this September 4-18 for "Hand in Hand: Aging Together in the Spirit, "a three-part online series with authors of "A Tender Time: Quaker Voices on the End of Life," Patti Nesbitt, Eileen Stanizone, and Kristin Camitta Zimet.

This program offers live and interactive engagement with "A Tender Time: Quaker Voices on the End of Life," the Baltimore Yearly Meetings’ End of Life Working Group’s new resource.
In these three sessions, Friends are invited into the themes of the book:
September 4: Aging in the Spirit—Finding Your Own Way
September 11: Befriending Your Mortality
September 18: Beyond Death: Continuing Relationships

Learn more and register at https://pendlehill.org/events/hand-in-hand-aging-together-in-the-spirit/

Wrightstown Friends Meeting Goes Green — Bucks Quarter Find out how Wrightstown Friends Meeting’s “Green Team” is working to put the Quaker testimony of Stewardship for the Earth into action.

September 8th at Fallsington Friends Meeting!

Join us as September 8th as we host a Family Benefit Concert, with proceeds going to support the The Peace Center; Bucks County

Headlining the concert will be the nationally recognized and award-winning husband-wife musical duo, Two of a Kind, who are known for their engaging performances and interactive concert, designed for families and children of all ages, will feature songs, puppets, movement, and stories centered around themes of peace, friendship, diversity, and social responsibility inspiring all to make a positive difference in the world while having fun at the same time!

Ticket link: https://thepeacecenter.org/events/tpc-benefit-concert-hosted-by-fallsington-friends/

Yesterday July 27, 2024 we had a wonderful talk by Brenda Walker Beadenkopf about her father Charles Coates Walker and his journey as a civil rights activist and organizer including his work with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Afterwards we sang Happy 400th Birthday to George Fox, the founder of Quakerism. Thanks to Janet Lamborn for the cake photo.

The FWCC World Plenary has begin in South Africa and online! Friends can also join at Pendle Hill, one of the "hubs" where people are gathering together to join online.
Or visit the YouTube channel with the World Quaker Songbook and fill your day with music! (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQnET8HvlED88EW8ZMafghoY75UwsJWYQ&si=k8RtBmb0_LUQOXt8)

La Reunión Plenaria Mundial en línea ha iniciado!

La familia de los Amigos alrededor del mundo, esta unida por los diferentes medios de comunicación. Dios bendiga a cada participante!

An opportunity for high school youth and college-age young adults!

We have an exciting opportunity coming up for high school and college students who are interested in considering their professional futures. On August 13-14 we will be hosting a virtual vocational discernment workshop for students titled “Letting Your Life Speak”. Students will be invited to reflect on who they are, their values, and how they might live in alignment with them; as well as where their gifts and skills meet real needs in the world. It is especially geared toward students interested in careers in social action and service. If you want to learn more, you can send us a message or click this link: https://www.friendsplacedc.org/event/letting-your-life-speak

A group of Young Adult Friends spent a wonderful day together at Brigantine Beach last Saturday. We reconnected, met for the first time, dug in the sand, had business meeting in the ocean, and attempted to protect one another from ravenous biting flies. It was an awesome day.
.. Calling all you lovely f/Friends, our next YAF gathering will be on Aug 24 (at Arch St Meeting House!) and will include a Tarot Workshop 🎴by the one and only Tara Rubinstein, food 🍒, worship 🩶, and other YAFs 🤸!

“Fox Forward” Recording of June 29 Roundtable · Philadelphia Yearly Meeting “Fox Forward” Recording of June 29 Roundtable Written on: July 11, 2024At the 400th Birthday Celebration for George Fox at Arch Street Meetinghouse on June 29, the “Fox Forward” roundtable discussion featured leaders in the Quaker community today speaking to how we can learn from the past as...

At Annual Sessions this year, the clerk shared the news that General Secretary Christie Duncan-Tessmer will be leaving her position in July 2025. A search committee is forming, a plan is in place, and there is a year for transition.

The yearly meeting is immediately beginning the process of seeking our next General Secretary. Following long tradition and good practice, a search committee will be established to manage the search and bring a finalist candidate for approval to the body. The Quaker Life, Administrative and Nominating Councils will jointly support the committee and have approved a charge to give it direction.

Read two stories to learn more:
- Christie’s resignation letter below a note from Melissa Rycroft, Presiding Clerk
https://www.pym.org/transition-in-general-secretary-role-in-2025/

- Information on the Search
https://www.pym.org/general-secretary-search-committee/

Intervisitation among Friends!

The fall season of the Pendle Hill Chorus is upon us! Join us Wednesdays evenings beginning September 11th to prepare for the December 18th concert!

All are welcome to join this non-audition community chorus to participate in this season's theme, which draws its name from one of the offerings, “Mystery” from Missa Gaia: Earth Mass. Offerings will be varied and will include music by Rosephanye Powell, Herbert Howells, G.F Handel, Bobby McFerrin, and others.

Learn more and register online: https://pendlehill.org/events/the-pendle-hill-chorus-o-mystery-music-for-the-soul/

Why is intergenerational community good for all of us, at any age? Why is it important for the future of Quakerism?
Join the conversation on August 21!
*Registration link in comments*
This event will include a combination of worship, presentation, discussion, and resource-sharing to address questions about how churches/meetings are seeking to be not only multigenerational, but intergenerational spiritual communities. We’ll address why this topic is vital at this time, how we can prepare members and the body (children and adults!) to do things “all together,” and how to respond to “roadblocks” along the journey.

Reading Quakers Sponsors of a table at
Reading Pride Festival Dietrich Park on July 21, 2024.
Hosted by Becky Little & family & friends.
Candy & Quaker Information Given Away.
Reading Quakers is a Welcoming Community!
A beautiful hot & humid day with a very large crowd of people.
Good Food & Entertainment & Berks County Organizations w/ tables & Vendors.
"Everyone is equal and precious before God."
"Equality-treating everyone, everywhere, as precious to God; recognizing that everyone has gifts to share."
"We look for the Divine in Every person we meet."
"The life and teachings of Jesus are an example of faithfulness to God."
"Our guiding principle is love."

Remembering Friend Howard Brinton, born on this day in 1884.

FWCC, the global fellowship association for Friends, is getting ready for the first-ever Hybrid World Plenary from August 5-12. Robin Mohr, outgoing executive secretary of FWCC Americas, will be giving the August First Monday Lecture at Pendle Hill on 8/5.
Robin will be speaking about the theme of the World Plenary, which is being hosted by South Africa Yearly Meeting and is "Living the Spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with Hope to God's Call to Cherish Creation and One Another." Learn more and register at PendleHill.org
After the lecture, you can join the Plenary Meeting from August 5-11 at Pendle Hill's hybrid hub either as a sojourner or a commuter.