The Impact of William Penn and His Holy Experiment: Then and Now
After more than 250 years, what are William Penn’s enduring contributions? How did Penn’s Quaker values inform his understanding? Where did the Holy Experiment succeed and where did it fall short? What would Penn make of Philadelphia, his “Greene Country Towne,” today?
We gather at the historic Arch Street Friends Meeting House to delve into these questions with Penn scholars and historians.
Event attendees are invited to join the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for their Walking Series at 9:30 AM and/or Meeting for Worship at 10:30 AM. Following worship, lunch will be held in the East Room, and the Interfaith Philadelphia panel will begin at 1 PM in the West Room.
This event is a collaborative partnership between the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia and Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust.
This program is part of the Religious Freedom: Then & Now initiative.
About Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust
Arch Street Meeting House [historicasmh.org], built in 1804, is a National Historic Landmark, museum, and active place of Quaker worship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The meetinghouse is a living symbol of Quaker history, values, and contributions to American democracy. Deeded by William Penn in 1701 as a burial ground for the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Arch Street Meeting House has had an estimated 20,000 burials within its historic grounds. The museum strives to share the stories of Quakers and their contributions to both the founding of Pennsylvania and U.S. history.
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust preserves, operates, and interprets the meeting house and grounds which will serve to increase public understanding of the impact and continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.
In 2011, Arch Street Meeting House became a National Historic Landmark and the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust was formed. These two actions allowed Arch Street to commit to preserving Arch Street Meeting House and welcome the public in for programming to learn more about Quaker history. The Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia still actively worship in the space, but do not maintain it.
About the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia
The Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia (MMFP), also known as Arch Street Friends, is Philadelphia’s oldest Quaker community and has worshipped since 1682. MMFP offers unprogrammed Meeting for Worship twice a week to gather as Friends in silent worship. Join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am in person, or on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm on Zoom. Visit archstreetfriends.org for more information.
Facilitators
Dwight Dunston
Dwight Dunston aka Duns is a West Philly-based Quaker artist, conflict mediator, educator, and activist. His passions/gifts include supporting folks to tap into their superpowers and supporting communities to develop the tools, skills, and techniques to stay connected across different identities. He is the host of Pendle Hill’s podcast, The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope.
Chris Mohr
Chris Mohr has served as General Secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) of Friends since November 2025. PYM is the association of 110 Quaker meetings and worship groups in the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware, South Jersey, and eastern and central Pennsylvania. The staff of PYM provides support, connection, and services to the wider body of Friends in our region.
Chris is currently a member of Green Street Monthly Meeting in Philadelphia. He first attended Friends meeting as a young adult at 15th Street Meeting in New York City. He later became a member of San Francisco Monthly Meeting in Pacific Yearly Meeting. In 2011, he, his wife Robin, and their two children moved to Philadelphia. Before assuming the position of General Secretary, Chris served as executive director of Friends Center, the Quaker building complex in Center City Philadelphia that includes the offices of PYM and the American Friends Service Committee, for over 10 years.
Liadhain Saoirse Reilly
Liadhaín Saoirse Reilly is an Irish Friend and member of Waterford Meeting in the south-east of Ireland, where she was raised. She is a sojourning member at Arch Street Friends Meeting in Philadelphia, where she serves as a member of the Worship and Ministry committee. Liadhaín has a ministry around sharing the experience of Extended Meeting for Worship as it was practiced by Early Friends and a call to nurturing Young Adult Friends communities. She is currently following a leading to travel amongst Quakers and looks forward to deepening her understanding about that journeying and visioning the next steps while serving as a Friend in Residence at Pendle Hill in the Winter and Spring.
David Unkovic
David Unkovic is a member of the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia. He serves as board clerk of the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust. A retired lawyer, he currently serves as a substitute teacher at Friends Central Middle School.
