Newsletter 5
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Spring 2014 Philadelphia PYM Yearly Meeting A Journal of Our Quaker Faith and Practice of the Religious Today Society of Friends SEEKING OUR FUTURE Long Range Planning Preparing for Annual Sessions Thank You to Our Volunteers & Donors Deepening our Worship VITAL AND GROWING PYM TODAY • SPRING 2014 Saying Thank You! spiritual practice. By that I mean a prac- ter Eckhart might be paraphrased to say, Arthur M. Larrabee tice that connects us one to another. It’s “If the only thing you ever say to an- General Secretary a way of acknowledging what we mean other person in your entire life is “thank Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to each other, a way of being in rela- you” that would suffice.” tionship by giving expression to an In this issue we are saying thank you good part of this issue of PYM inward appreciation for someone or to individuals who give of their time, AToday is about saying “thank you.” something. talent and financial resources by On behalf of all of us I want to say Meister Eckhart wrote: “If the only naming each and appreciating them thank you to each of us. Thank you for prayer you ever say in your entire life is publicly for their work. your vital and affirming participation in ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” No It is encouraging to see so many the life of our yearly meeting. Thank doubt when he penned these words names, and touching to read of the you for caring about our faith commu- Meister Eckhart was dedication of our wonderful nity including the larger Religious Soci- thinking about our volunteers. It is an expression ety of Friends. Thank you for aspiring to relationship with the of hopefulness. deepen the well of our spiritual experi- Divine. But let’s So let us say “thank you” to ence. Thank you for supporting our expand our under- each other for the gifts we give yearly meeting with mindfulness and standing of the and receive. In my experience, goodwill. Thank you for supporting it teaching to include it is a spiritual practice worth with your involvement, with your time saying thank you to cultivating. and with your financial resources. each other. After all, Thank you for being a part of the com- don’t we Quakers munity from which all of us draw spiri- believe that there is Arthur is a member of Central tual sustenance. that of the Divine in Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. I think that saying “thank you” is a each of us? So Meis- Contents SPRING 2 014 2 Vital and Growing 21 Caring For Our Community Saying Thank You! Threads Hold Us Together Holding Our Work in the Divine Light Young Adult Friends Confront Staying Connected With Your Yearly Alcohol Policy Meeting Community 23 Spiritual Growth and Renewal Long Range Planning: Preparing for Conversation about PYM Structure Deepening Our Worship 6 Annual Sessions What is Annual Sessions? On the cover An Experience of Worship at Sessions Our cover photo is of members participating in an 8 Grant Making All Together Now exercise at Annual Sessions 2013. A Great Day in Gouldtown We practiced “looking through a spiritual lens.” 9 Thank You As we look forward to naming a new General Secretary and approving a Long Range Plan this Gratitude for Your Support: year, we are called to look through our spiritual Volunteers and Contributors lenses as we discern our way forward. Photo by Joe Coscia, Yardley Meeting 2 PYM TODAY • SPRING 2014 VITAL AND GROWING Holding Our Work in the Divine Light better enable Friends of the 21th cen- the seasoning of concerns and opportu- Jada Jackson tury to share their gifts in the most nities for ministry before us in prepara- Clerk, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting effective and efficient manner. tion for Annual Sessions. But this is not the ministry of just Interim Meeting, or hank you to those who have given • General Secretary Search - Friends the Friends serving on these commit- Tthrough your monthly and quar- on this committee are working to assist tees. It is a ministry of the whole body terly meetings to the PYM Covenant. us in identifying the next leader of our of our yearly meeting. We are called to Thank you to those who have given to yearly meeting’s staff and organization. hold this work in the Divine light and the Annual Fund. Thank you to those uphold each other in our corporate who have given the most precious of • Faith and Practice Revision - Friends discernment as we approach decisions gifts - your life energy, blessings and are working to put in writing who we about our Long Range Plan and hiring time. All of these gifts to our faith com- are becoming while retaining the best of our new General munity support us in our ministries, what we are. Faith and Practice is used Secretary. Friend to Friend. by members, attenders and seekers Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the - speaking for us and about us beyond In faith, Religious Society of Friends has much our physical presence. It is an introduc- Jada Jackson to be grateful for and is in a period of tion to our faith community and a great change. Much of this change is to guide to our processes. enable us to better carry on God’s work: Holding integrity and faithfulness to • Long Range Planning - Friends work- our minutes, our processes, each other ing on this group are seeking clarity on and the world is as important as ever in Jada is a member of Trenton Monthly how to reorganize and redistribute the this time of aspiration and change. Meeting and the Burlington Meeting work and care of our yearly meeting to Interim Meeting continues to assist in House Worship Group. Staying Connected With Your Yearly Meeting A wealth of insight and inspiration PYM Thread Newsletters PYM Program Notices is yours to take advantage of on your (bi-monthly) Timely announcements and notifi- computer, tablet or smartphone. PYM Stories, resources, activities, informa- cations about upcoming programs electronic newsletters help strengthen tion and inspiration on specific aspects and events. communication, connections, of our Quaker faith and practice: How to Subscribe relationships and knowledge among • Communications & Outreach everyone in our yearly meeting faith • Finance To subscribe or manage your sub- community, across geography, time and • First Day School scription please visit our website at types of media. • Friends Education www.pym.org/online-newsletters or • Pastoral Care use your mobile device to scan our PYM Today Online (monthly) • Peace & Social Concerns QR code on the back cover of this issue and sign up right now! News to help you stay up to date • Worship & Ministry about the life of our yearly meeting. • Youth 3 VITAL AND GROWING PYM TODAY • SPRING 2014 Long Range Planning: Preparing for Conversation about PYM Structure Suzanne Day Westfield Monthly Meeting Listening and learning as rent realities and participate in the life and work of we plan for the future changing condi- our yearly meeting tions. As a result of • Short-term assignments of he Long-Range Planning Group our further discern- meaningful work T(LRPG) held Listening Sessions in ment, the “Strategic • Opportunities for developing skills nine locations in the Spring of 2012 Directions” pro- and encouraging new leadership where we heard mostly from Friends posed for our future • Nurturing vital meetings and who were already well- acquainted with were tightened up. worship groups Yearly Meeting. We heard worries, You may find • Being resources to one another yearnings, suggestions and the fact that these documents beyond our own meetings many in our monthly meetings feel (and more about the work of the LRPG) • Answering God’s call individually disconnected or uninformed about on the PYM website at www.pym.org/ and collectively what our yearly meeting is and does. long-range-planning-group. • Simplifying structure and governance We heard Friends longing for innovative • Improving responsiveness to ways to enliven our religious commu- Possibilities for our leadings nity. What these Friends urged us to Philadelphia Yearly • Focusing on a few things and doing strive for is reflected in a three-para- Meeting’s organizational them well • Handling financial affairs more graph document called “A Vision for structure PYM’s Future” that is available on the efficiently Our most recent efforts have focused PYM website. This is a vision of expec- In October 2013 we conducted a on considering ways we might better tations and hopes that need to be part “Feedback Forum” where participants organize as a yearly meeting. Form of any new plan for our yearly meeting’s reacted to three potential scenarios for a follows function. The form or structure future. future organizational structure for of PYM needs to serve the functions we The LRPG gathered information Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. These have learned are important to our mem- from inside PYM and from other yearly scenarios sought to address our pro- bers and meetings today as well as those meetings both here and in Britain. In an posed Vision, Strategic Directions, and essential to both good stewardship of energetic “Day of Visioning” in April Challenges and Opportunities in differ- finances and property and the opera- 2013, a cross- section of PYM members ent ways. The feedback from this forum tions and functions of the yearly meet- worked together vigorously under the gave very strong support for both a ing. Any new structure or ways of gov- guidance of our planning consultant, Board with executive and financial re- erning must be in balance with the Lawrence Peers. Many “big questions” sponsibilities, and a Coordinating current and anticipated levels of interest about PYM’s future were developed and Group with responsibility for oversight and energy of Friends and the financial possible strategies were generated.