Greetings Friend! **
Hello Friend!!
OK, so winter is definitely here! As you can see. We are snowed under... I can't see my raised beds, there is an impressive sheet of ice on my driveway and my 3 year old is obscured by all the piles of snow! I am not worried about the weather, however, because there are so many wonderful things coming up this Spring!!
I just want to jump in. Let's go chronologically, if you want to know more about any one of these things, please look at the articles in this newsletter.
March 1 is Meeting for Discernment at Purchase MM. This is an unusual opportunity for extended worship. There are queries that are brought forward, and reps from many of the meetings speak out of worship to those queries. If you have not experiences extended worship, this is a good place to start. In some ways much of the day is like worship sharing. Look at NYYM's web page for more info. www.nyym.org.
March 28-30 is the Second Family weekend at Powell House. Powell House is the retreat and conference center for NYYM. This year the topic is Stewardship: How are we called to show loving care to ourselves, our families and the wider world. Family members of ANY age are invited to attend, birth-?? There will NOT be childcare, because we will all be learning together! We did this last May and it was great. Folks from age 1 on up were all involved in Spirit-Led work! There were skeptics, to be sure. In fact, the worship we had was deep and grounded and the work we did together was meaningful, and FUN! We will use music, games, crafts, role playing, and all sorts of great ways to look at this important theme. There is a significant discount as this is for families! See the info in the Powell house section of the newsletter. or go to www.powellhouse.org. We would love to have you!!
On April 4-6 there is great stuff happening! On Friday April 4 at the Rochester Meeting House is THE VERY FIRST YAF MINI RETREAT. see the article below for more info. The important thing to know is that it is $15-20 sugg. donation, it is from 9:30-4:30, and there will be childcare! We will be looking at the concerns surrounding the pull between jobs/responsibilities, and wanting to live more fully and faithfully into a different life. How do we do that? How can we support each other? What would that look like? (see article for registration info.)
Friday Evening until Sunday mid day is Spring Sessions of NYYM. I love Spring and Fall Sessions. They are a nice way to experience various aspects of the Yearly Meeting, and not have to commit a lot of time, or money. FINANCIAL AID IS AVAILABLE. Don't be shy! Need a ride? I can help you find a carpool! There is a youth program from infant to High School. They had a great time at Fall Sessions, and look to repeat the experience. For Middle and high schoolers, there is a residential program. See the article for more info.
Wow. That's a lot. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! NOPE.
April 19 at Chatham Summit MM in NEW JERSEY, Not near Powell House, there will be ANOTHER YAF Mini retreat! Sorry you couldn't make the first one in Rochester? Still snowed in? Couldn't get a ride? Couldn't get enough and want MORE?? NO PROBLEM, we are doing it again!! Same schedule, same cost (only sugg. donation of $15-20) I will feed you! And there is child care!! Do you live in NY or Long Island? NO PROBLEM! NJ transit stops in Chatham, we can pick you up! Registration info. is in the article in this newsletter. Spread the word!!
Sorry you can't make one of the first 2 YAF MINI RETREATS? I am going to be scheduling 2-3 MORE in 2014. Stay tuned!
Lastly, May 16-18 is the Farmington Scipio Spring Gathering. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet Friends from the Farmington Scipio Region. I will fill in the details on this at a later time.
It is never too early to plan for Spring Sessions (April 4-6, Rochester), Summer Sessions ( July 20-26 at Silver Bay, NY) or Fall Sessions (November 14-16 in NYC). Look in the volunteering section for information on ways of getting involved in the wider world of Quakers. Want to know about ways you can support Ministry, advancement, worship and Spiritual Nurture in NYYM? Look the spotlight on a committee and learn about the Ministry Coordinating Committee.
I hope that you are safe and warm. They say Spring will come. I have to have faith that the snow will melt off my flower beds in time for my flowers and berries to burst forth!
Hope to see you soon!
**A word about this newsletter. I know that there is a lot of information. I invite you to skim, or to look at the list of articles and choose what is relevant to you. I am not a graphic designer, and soon I will have someone help me with layout, and editing, but until then, use what is helpful to you, and refer back when you need it. Spread it around. Send it to your clerks, print it and post it at your meetings. Use it however it is helpful!**
Peace and Blessings,
Gabi Savory Bailey
Young Adult Field Secretary, NYYM—nyym.yafs@gmail.com
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
Click on the article you want to see, and it will take you right to that part!
What is YACC?
The Young Adults Concern Committee (YACC) is a committee of NY Yearly Meeting. It is the committee that oversees the Circle of Young Friends (CYF) and the retreats they plan. YACC also plans the CYF activities for Summer Sessions each year. This committee is one way that Young Adults can find voice in the Yearly Meeting. YACC is also interested in the spiritual nurture and care of Friends between 18-35 ish. YACC meets regularly throughout the year on the internet, and also in person at Summer Sessions, and one other annual meeting.
Currently sitting on this committee are: Jens Braun- Old Chatham MM, Rosie Stillman—Montclair MM, Audrey Jaynes—Montclair MM, Jenny Pronto Adirondack/Ithaca/Poplar Ridge MM, Anthony Smith—New Brunswick MM, Alanna Badgley—Poughkeepsie MM, Joy Meilke--Wilton MM, Robin Mullaney, Nick Rozard, Alfred MM, Noah Pomerselig, New Paltz MM. If you have any questions, ideas or concerns please contact a member of YACC. You can also contact me to put you in touch with YACC. Are you interested in getting involved with YACC? They are actively looking for Friends who have gifts in organizing conferences, reaching out to new people, spiritual nurture, recognizing gifts, eldering, hospitality, and community development. Contact me at nyym.yafs@gmail.com, or co-clerks Alanna Badgely and Audrey Jaynes.
Where have I been? Where am I going?
January 26-26 Coordinating Committee Weekend at Powell House
February 21-22 co-facilitating Creativity and Spirituality Weekend at Powell House
March 1- Meeting for Discernment- Purchase Meeting
March 28-30- Co- Facilitating Family weekend at Powell House
April 4 Facilitating the YAF Mini Retreat, Rochester MM
April 4-6 Spring Sessions in Rochester
April 19 Facilitating the YAF Mini retreat at Chatham-Summit MM, Chatham, NEW JERSEY.
May 16-18 Farmington Scipio Spring Gathering
July 20-26 Summer Sessions at Silver Bay
November 14-16 Fall Sessions 15 Rutherford Place, NYC
Would you like me to come to your Meeting, or Region? Would you like someone to support the work that is already being done there? I am eager to travel to do a program, support an existing program, or simply sit and listen. Contact me at nyym.yafs@gmail.com
YAF CONFERENCES FOR NYYM ( families welcome! )
Boy, oh Boy!! I am so excited!
Here's what I have been hearing. Friends want to have conferences and retreats. The things that hold them back are time, money, distance, childcare. I believe that Young Adults do want to gather.
So I am creating a series of mini retreats that will help to remove some of those barriers.
The goals:
To create a space for meaningful sharing about our Spiritual journeys and conditions.
To provide regular times for YAF to gather for fellowship and worshipful opportunities.
To meet in the various regions of NYYM, so that by the end of the year any YAF in NYYM will be able to attend a retreat within 2.5 hours of their home.
To provide childcare so that parents can participate
To keep costs low with a suggested donation of $15-20. This would cover food, which I will provide, childcare, and a donation to the host meeting for the use of their Meeting House. No one should feel left our for lack of funds.
To keep the time short, one day, so that it is more manageable with daily life demands. We will meat for Breakfast at 9:30 and begin session at 10, we will finish up at 4:30/5.
When??
Friday April 4, Rochester Friends Meeting, Rochester, NY
Saturday April 19, Chatham Summit Monthly Meeting, Chatham, NEW JERSEY. (Chatham is very easy to get to on all major NJ highways, and super easy to get to via NJ Transit from NYC and Philly.)
So what to expect?
A one day mini-retreat for Young Adult Friends (18-35 ish). There will be time to get to know new Friends, see old Friends, and do spiritual work together. For the first two retreats we will be considering the latest Epistle from New England Yearly Meeting Mid winter Gathering. See below. Child care will be provided. Hospitality can be arranged for Friends traveling from a distance. Please contact Gabi Savory Bailey with questions nyym.yafs@gmail.com or 973.819.6807.
"It is important to consider the balance of our lives, and to ask ourselves how we prioritize this community. We live in a capitalist society that demands we focus on earning money and working a certain amount of hours, and we must support each other as we practice the countercultural act that is committing time to building community without financial gain. An essential consideration is what work Friends are led to do to support the community, and the ability to say ‘yes’ when clearly led, and ‘no’ when clearly not, even with the stress of needing to fill positions on committees.
Doing the work of the community is a privilege, and can also elicit deep gratitude. There is, indeed, present already a great gratitude for this community and the work that is part of it.
Reflecting on our spiritual condition, we acknowledge the temptation to get lost in blame, guilt, and fear. Trusting instead to live in faith, we strive to name our condition clearly, in order to open space to allow us to live more fully. We are over-scheduled, distracted, anxious, debt-burdened, insecure and lonely in our secular lives. We hear Isaiah’s challenge: “Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread, your labor on food that does not satisfy?”
Questions? Contact Gabi Savory Bailey, nyym.yafs@gmail.com, or 973.819.6807.
Want to help? Contact Gabi!
SPREAD THE WORD! FAR AND NEAR! I can't wait to see you all!!
Spring Sessions--April 4-6, 2014 in Rochester, NY
What are these Spring Sessions?? Spring Sessions are a weekend in April, we also have Fall Sessions in November, when we gather to see each other, worship, have business worship, have fellowship, and have time for committee work. And, truth be told, I really like Spring and Fall Sessions. Anyone is welcome at most Committee meetings, and there is no pressure to join one! It's like a buffet! I have experienced very centered worship at Spring and Fall Sessions as well. It is a shorter time commitment, and is not as expensive as Summer Sessions. I also like that when I am traveling a distance I can stay with hosts in their homes. This is a true gift, and I love meeting new folks, and seeing people in their own homes. It is pretty great.
Spring and Fall Sessions travel around NYYM. On April 4-6 they will be held in Rochester, NY. Friday night there is an intergenerational gathering at Rochester MM, Saturday the meetings will be held at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester. Sunday Business worship will be at Rochester Meeting House again.
This Spring there will be a Youth Program from infancy to grade 12. For Middle School and up, it is a residential program. There has been much work that has gone into that program, and It is sure to be awesome!
What I like so much is I get to see Friends in between Summers. I get to witness the work that is being done at a Yearly Meeting level, and I get to participate in that work.
This year, I will be facilitating a YAF retreat on Friday April 4, at RMM, from 9:30-4:30. See the article in this newsletter. So if you are coming out, you can stay on for both!
Low on funds? Here is the best part! You can contact your Monthly Meeting for conference funds, most Meetings have a scholarship fund. BUT if that doesn't work, there is something called the Equalization fund. You can request as much as you need for Registration fees from this fund. All you have to do is fill out the line on the registration form that asks how much you are requesting. If you email Helen Garay Toppins at office@nyym.org, she will make sure you get what you need. If you serve on a committee, that committee, and the Coordinating Committee it is under have finds to reimburse for travel to and from Sessions. Is this all too complicate? CALL ME! WRITE ME! nyym.yafs@gmail.com or 973.819.6807. I can make sure you get help and a place to stay!
I hope to see you there!
Upcoming Powell House and Pendle Hill weekends
www.powellhouse.org
Do you have a pretty good relationship with your life partner, and think things could be even better? This retreat may be just right for you. During the weekend, you will have a chance to celebrate your relationship and one another's gifts, talk and listen deeply to each other, deepen your relationship as a path to spiritual growth, and nurture the sense of joy that comes from feeling fully yourself in relation to your partner.Couple Enrichment for Friends, with Mary Kay Glazer and Mark Moss.
The weekend's activities will support two essential skills - the ability to speak one's own truth and the ability to listen deeply to the other, giving you the chance to explore who you are now as individuals and as a couple.
This workshop is for couples in a committed relationship regardless of marital status or sexual orientation.
Mary Kay Glazer and Mark Moss live in Ticonderoga, NY, and have been leading Couple Enrichment retreats for ten years. They are members of Rochester NY Monthly Meeting and attend Middlebury VT Monthly Meeting and the Ticonderoga Worship Group. Rochester Monthly Meeting and New York Yearly Meeting support Mark and Mary's ministry as released Friends.
Register by February 14th: $420/couple; $210 commuting couples. After February 14th: $440
Sharon Duane Koomler and Jerry Grant share a combined 50 years of Shaker scholarship and a special affection for Shakers - both past and present generations. Sharon has spoken and published on Shaker design, and has a particular interest in the individual call to spirituality as manifested in testimony, song, and art. Jerry is the Director of Research and Library Services at the Shaker Museum and Library in Old Chatham & New Lebanon, NY. www.shakermuseumandlibrary.org Jerry lectures on a wide variety of topics and has special interest in Shaker printing & publishing, and Shaker architecture.Social responsibility ranks high in the consciousness of Shakers and Quakers. In what ways have Shakers and Quakers responded to the needs of their neighbors at home and abroad? As we continue to look at the relationships that exist between Shakers and Quakers, participants will learn more about the history of activism in both groups and the myriad of ways each continues to be present in the world. As special "hands-to-work" project is planned to benefit Powell House. Sharon Koomler and Jerry Grant return to share the Shaker perspective alongside active Quakers.
Register by March 1st: $220 adults; $110/ages 13-22 and commuters; $55/infants to 12. After March 1st: $240/$120/$60 Children's Program and Childcare with 3 weeks notice.
". . . forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us . . . "Forgiveness
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22)
Forgiveness is:
- Giving up the wish for a better past
- The fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. (Mark Twain)
- Letting go of the desire for revenge
- An act of faith
In the gentle, healing space of Powell House we will consider the burdens we carry from the past as we reflect on what we mean by forgiveness. Why it is so difficult? Why does it matter? Who is it intended for? We will seek to lighten our hearts and release the pain of resentments, great and small, that we have carried.
Margaret Lechner is a third generation convinced Friend and a member of Purchase Meeting, NYYM. She has created experiential learning environments in the classrooms at Earlham College, the trails of Grand Canyon, the shambas of Kenya, churches of El Salvador, and NY state prisons. She has learned about forgiveness from inmates, mothers of the disappeared, and from a stone spider that she carried for too many years. She travels in the ministry of facilitation with a minute from NYYM. Margaret Hawthorn is a long time member of Monadnock Friends, NEYM. In 2008 she completed an M. Div. at Earlham School of Religion. For 35 years Margaret and her husband Bruce MacDougall ran a home for mentally disabled veterans; their three daughters grew up there. In 2010 their oldest daughter Molly was murdered in her home in rural New Hampshire as she studied for final exams to graduate from nursing school. That day Margaret vowed not to turn to hatred. The years since have been an exercise for her living into that commitment.
John Calvi is a Quaker healer with 30 years experience working with abuse survivors, tortured refugees, inmates, and Quaker meetings. His first book, The Dance between Hope & Fear is available from Amazon beginning June, 2013.Rest, Repair, and Restoration - This workshop is designed for each person to lay down his/her burden, rest body and mind, and learn new ways to live and work carrying less tension, fatigue, and worry. Learn some simple clothes-on massage, energy work, and meditations that will wash the noise of the world out of your being. Be prepared to sleep more, relax deeply, and begin laughing more often.
Register by February 25th: $220/adults; $110/ages 13-22 and commuters; $55/infants-12. After February 25th: $240/$120/$60. Children's Program and Childcare with 3 weeks notice.
We will explore the faith and practice of Quaker nontheists and the richness of a spiritual life not necessarily dependent on a belief in God. While sharing our theologies, we will remain grounded in what we "now experimentally." We invite all seekers, to celebrate and deepen our own beliefs and practices, and our appreciation for the beliefs and practices of others, so that we may all enjoy what Henry Cadbury called "the natural variety in Quakerism."As early as 1976, the Friends General Conference Gathering hosted a well-attended Workship for Nontheistic Friends. In the decades since, Friends have become increasingly aware of the theological diversity of our Religious Society. Through experience and statistical studies, we have learned a large proportion of our members and attenders are somewhere on a spectrum that includes postchristians, agnostics, atheists, secularists, and humanists. How can we be nontheists and Quakers too? If our Quaker life is not centered on belief in God, what is our center? What are our challenges? How can theists and nontheists enrich each other while holding views that differ?
Teens and young adult Friends are especially invited to this workshop.
Robin Alpern, a lifelong Friend and a member of Scarsdale Meeting, is one of the originators of the Nontheism Among Friends workshop. She has co-led the workshop many times at the FGC Gathering since 1996. Robin contributed an essay to Godless for God's Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism, David Boulton, ed. available from www.quakerbooks.org. Some of her other writings on nontheism can be found at www.nontheistfriends.orgDavid Britton, a member of Morningside Meeting, has been a nontheist Friend since he was eight, and has led workshops on nontheism among Friends at FCG Gathering for the past two years. A Vietnam era conscientious objector, he claims to have PSTD from the war on poverty and currently participates in the leadership of the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow www.endnewjimcrow.org. He teaches psychology and studies neuroscience at the City College of New York, after having laid down his efforts to get rich in the technology sector. Dave plays the Irish flute and pennywhistle, and recently dusted off his banjoy mandolin and has been known to get in trouble at Powell House for trying to entertain instead of wash pots after dinner.
Register by March 7th: $220/adults; $170/full-time students/ $110/ages 13-18 and commuters; $55/infants-12. After March 7th: $240/$190/$120/$60. Children's Program and Childcare with 3 weeks notice.
THIS IS A FAMILY WEEKEND. It is intended for whole families to participate, thus, there is no child care as all children, no matter the age, will be in sessions with everyone else. The sessions are intentionally planned to be multigenerational.
How do we answer Spirit's call to love and care for one another? How do we nurture that of God in our families, our friends, and ourselves? Join us for a practical, hands-on exploration of loving kindness through play, worship, art, and music. In this intentionally multi-generational weekend, all ages work together to develop connections within and between families. This weekend is coordinated and facilitated by Gabi Savory Bailey, Young Adult Field Secretary for NYYM and others. There will be planning support and input from a variety of other concerned individuals and NYYM committees.
May 2-4--Self! in a time of Responsiblity
We are of an age when we are attending to many needs: jobs, mortgages, children, aging parents, homes, finances. How do we keep our selves true and strong in the whirlwind of responsibilities? How do we take care of ourselves physically, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually? Let us take some time to think about our own lives for a change. There will be time for fellowship and enjoyment of Powell House's beautiful grounds. Conference runs from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch.Self! in a time of Responsibility.
This conference was born from the tongue-in-cheek "circle of middle-aged friends," but we welcome those who are not-quite-middle-aged or just-past, too. Conference facilitators are Jessica Fleischer-Black and Sarah Way, members of Brooklyn MM.
Special family-friendly pricing! Families with children should register early (at least three weeks in advance!) so Powell House can arrange childcare.
Register by April 21st: $220 for families of 1-2; $330 for 3-4; $440 for families of 5 or more.
After April 21st: $240/$360/$480
NOTE! Registration page will show $440 for everyone. Be sure to click the appropriate family size and the amount should reflect that as you confirm registration. Please call 518-794-8811 if you have any questions or challenges in registering.
There are times when we are being called to participate in extraordinary personal, community, and societal transformation. Quaker Earthcare Witness, Transition Towns, and the Pachamama Alliance are all working to unite people who are determined to heal the Earth in a purposeful, living web of relationship. This workshop will empower participants to become change agents within their communities, using the practical methods of the Transition Town resiliency model. Transition Towns provides a framework for creating the changes needed within each community to deal with climate change, economic instability, and the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The weekend will combine the best of the Pachamama Alliance's Awakening the Dreamer Symposium with Transition Town training.
This workshop will enable participants to:
- Explore the sacred connection with the Earth that fuels our concern
- Understand the dynamics and techniques of community organizing
- Learn tools for supporting both the outer work of transforming your community's fossil-fuel dependence, and the inner work that is essential to resilience
- Develop an action plan to make your home community a Transition Town
The workshop will be led by Reb MacKenzie (NEYM), Fred Doneit (Poughkeepsie Meeting), and Pamela Boyce Simms (Hudson Meeting). All are trained Awakening the Dreamer facilitators, and Pamela is a led trainer for the Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub. Financial assistance is available from the Yearly Meeting's Earthcare Working Group.
The cost includes a premium for the TT training of $108 per person . . . this is a special reduced price from the usual TT training fee of $150; and for Quakers, the EWG will provide assistance to defray this extra charge.
Register by March 25th: $328/adults; $218 ages 13-22 and commuters; $55 infants-12. After March 25th: $348/$228/$60 Children's Program and Childcare with 3 weeks notice. This program is especially encouraged for young people ages 16-30.
Upcoming Pendle Hill weekends
www.pendlehill.org
Jen Karsten and Soledad Alfaro
This is a workshop for middle-school teachers seeking the training and materials necessary to promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of wetlands and watersheds.
Katy Hawkins
Explore everyday practices that bring the yogic teachings to life.
Nancy Reeves and Kenneth Sutton
Whether you are an experienced recording clerk or newly called to this service, you are invited to join in a weekend on the practical and spiritual dimensions of recording.
There are funds available to help make conferences possible! PLEASE contact me, Helen Garay Toppins (office@nyym.org) or the clerk of your Monthly Meeting to find out how to get financial assistance. Questions about Transportation? Let’s talk. I bet there is a solution!
Spotlight on a committee: Ministry Coordinating Committee
A word about Coordinating Committees:
Each Committee in NYYM reports to one of four coordinating committees: Nurture, Witness, General Services and Ministry. This helps to support committees, streamline communication, and help organize Business sessions. Each member committee sends a rep. There are also at large members who serve on the committees. Coordinating Committees meet 4 times a year, Spring, Fall, and Summer Sessions, as well as a weekend in January at Powell House. If you would like to know about other committees or sub committees, visit www.nyym.org.
MINISTRY COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Purposes & Objectives
The Ministry Coordinating Committee (MCC) functions as the administrative body for the work of the Ministry Section, which is composed of the committees and task groups concerned with the spiritual life and pastoral care of the Yearly Meeting.
Committees
- Advancement
- Committee on Conflict Transformation
- Ministry & Pastoral Care
- State of the Society
- Committee to Revise Faith & Practice
- Committee on Sufferings
- Worship at Yearly Meeting Sessions
Functions & Activities
The Coordinating Committee provides guidance and care to its constituent committees and task groups. It receives minutes concerning proposed recording of ministers from monthly meetings, appoints clearness committees regarding these minutes, and takes recommendations to the Yearly Meeting for approval. It administers distributions from the Stevens Fund.
Organization & Method of Appointment
Each quarterly, half-yearly, and regional meeting appoints one member of the Coordinating Committee; Farmington-Scipio appoints two. Following the NYYM guideline, MCC recommends that a Friend is appointed for a three-year term and may be reappointed for a second consecutive three-year term. The Yearly Meeting names three members at large upon the recommendation of the Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee, one each year for a three-year term. Each committee and task group in the section appoints a representative to the Coordinating Committee. MCC appoints a clerk and a recording clerk, and other clerks as needed. The clerk or another appointee represents MCC on Sessions and Liaison Committees, and to the YM budget process.
Meeting Times and Places
MCC meets during Spring, Summer, and Fall Sessions, during Coordinating Weekend at Powell House in the spring, and at other times as needed.
Finances
The YM Operating Budget provides money for administrative and travel expenses of MCC, and program expenses of constituent committees. Some committees have additional sources of funds as described on their Handbook pages.
Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS)
A Year long internship in Portland, OR, Philadelphia, PA, or Atlanta GA. Volunteers live in a communal house, work in the community and worship and are supported by a local Meeting. The website is great! Really worth a look. AND you get health insurance. :) Check it out!
DEADLINE FOE APPLICATIONS IS MARCH 15. This is a GEM of an opportunity.
Young Friends in Residence (YFIR)
Are you interested in living in a Quaker community with other young adult Friends? If so, then Young Friends In Residence (YFIR) may be the perfect program for you!
We are looking for young adult interns who will live in intentional community with 1-2 other interns. Work includes developing youth and adult programs focused on creating a space for friends of all ages to experience, live in and respond to Spirit. Interns are encouraged to immerse themselves in the local community and participate in the life of Perry City Monthly Meeting and the wider Quaker Community. An openness to grow and deepen spiritually is required as is experience in Quaker practices.
If you have any questions, or want to request more information, including a more extensive job description and an application, please email us atYFIRwg@gmail.com
American Friends Service Committee has many opportunities to volunteer, and to intern. Learn more at www.afsc.org
Spot light on a NYYM Young Adult Friend: Check back here next month! We will have another YAF soon!
Know a young adult, or parent of a young family, who is doing good work? Let me know, so I can include them. nyym.yafs@gmail.com
What’s going on with YAFs and families in the Yearly Meeting?
These are examples of gatherings past and present. If you see something interesting, see me and I will set you up with a contact person.
15th Street MM- Friends under 40 (anyone is invited) meet once a month after Meeting for Worship, choose a local eatery (inexpensive preferably) and walk to lunch. It is a very informal gathering, for fellowship and food.
Brooklyn MM- Young Adult Friends meet for a potluck once a month at the home of one of the YAF from the meeting. There is time for food, worship and fellowship. At least once a year there is also a gathering in the old Quaker cemetery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, for a picnic, and sometimes worship. They also organize hikes, and other excursions outside of the city.
Ithaca area MM -- YA Friends gather once a month at Burtt House, a property owned by Ithaca Monthly Meeting, in Ithaca. They have a potluck and fellowship.
Rochester MM Parents worship sharing-- Rochester Friends met for an hour of parents' worship sharing while their children engage in an activity downstairs. The meeting begins with silent worship, followed by individual check in, then a query and worship sharing. Afterwards there is a family pot luck dinner.
Rochester MM family worship--This was an experiment in a monthly opportunity for semi-programmed Worship for people of all ages.
Brooktondale worship group--This group is under the care of Poplar Ridge Monthly Meeting. They meet the first Sunday of the month at a community center. People of ALL AGES are welcome. The format will be very simple. It will start with a query, prayer, scripture, poem or song to help lead us into worship together. Then we will sit together and share as led until 5PM.
NJ/AFRM family worship and potluck--last fall fall, five families with children ranging from 18 months to high school age, met for worship sharing, a potluck and fellowship. We had the worship sharing in the nursery, all we welcome to participate. The younger ones of us popped in and out. It was a great opportunity to meet other families, and get to know each other a little better. We hope to do it again.
All Friends Regional Meeting Arts Day--All Friends Regional Meeting experimented with forging and nurturing friendships among Friends across the region and generations by conducting an Arts Day at Chatham Summit Monthly Meeting one late Saturday afternoon and evening in April of 2012. It was a resounding success with 48 children and adults attending, many of them young families. Artists from various meetings oversaw mini-workshops in sculpting, fabric construction, origami, book-cover making, and beaded jewelry making. A show and tell, potluck and singing finale capped off a very enjoyable arts day. One parent said she felt like she had been on vacation and a child asked if we could do it every week!
Family Day at Easton MM, Easton, NY.
Easton Meeting invited families with school-age and preschool children from all of the Northeastern Regional Meeting to Family Day,Saturday, June 29 - a program of fun, fellowship and getting acquainted. This program was presented as a response to parts of three Advices from Faith and Practice: From Advice Five: "Meetings are urged to help parents and children share religious experiences at home and in the meeting for worship and to give them an understanding of the principles and practices of Friends."From Advice Six: "Parents and older Friends are advised to be sensitive to the insights of younger people and to keep a close and sympathetic contact with them."From Advice Seventeen (adopted July 27, 2012): "Friends are advised … to share with our children and others our love for God's creation." We also recognize that many Meetings do not have a sufficiently large group of school-age children to have a vital and meaningful First-Day school or youth program. We are thinking "out of the box," and hope that this day will inspire other Meetings in our region to find ways for Meetings to work together to communicate to our children our Quaker values and how we have learned to live these values.
Chatham Summit MM, Chatham, NJ
YAF and families, 17 in total, met to have breakfast at a diner before Meeting for Worship. Meeting ended up being cancelled because of an icy drive, so we met in the home of a family. It was a blessed time!
We also met in my home for a game night. It was great fun with kids swirling around and lots of laughs.
March 1, 2014 Meeting for Discernment -Purchase MM (click for a link)
What is this Meeting for Discernment? It is a time to gather in extended worship around some queries. It is a time to listen deeply to each other and how God is moving in us corporately and individually. It is a time to spend together with others who are also faithfully trying to discern. I love them! It is a day long event, and I usually come away nurtured by wonderful worship. Questions? Contact me: nyym.yafs@gmail.com
Friday, April 4, 2014 - April 6, 2014
Spring Sessions will be held
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Rochester NY, and will be hosted by Farmington Scipio Regional Meeting. There will be a youth program! Please come and see the work that happens when we gather together. It is a chance to meet new Friends, see familiar faces, browse through the committees, and spend time in worship. I love Spring and Fall Sessions almost more than Summer Sessions. We look forward to seeing you there! Questions? contact me at nyym.yafs@gmail.com or contact Helen Garay Toppins at the NYYM office 212-673-5750, office@nyym.org
July 20-26 Summer Sessions at Silver Bay. More on this later. Please mark your calendars. This is a week of worship, fellowship, business, play, Friendship and listening. We hope you can make it!
November 14-16 Fall Sessions will be hosted by NY Quarter and will be held at 15 Rutherford Pl., New York City.
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