NYYM Spring Sessions 2024

Spring Sessions, April 5-7, 2024

At Oakwood Friends School and Online

NYC Quakers are part of New York Yearly Meeting (NYYM), which represents all the Quaker meetings in New York State and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey. Spring Sessions is one of the three times a year that members of the NYYM community gather to worship, conduct business, and have fellowship together. These gatherings are a great place to meet other Friends and learn about Quaker practice, and are open to anyone who is interested in Quakerism and our Quaker meetings.

Friends Decision-Making and Clerking:
Participating in Meetings for Business With Joy & Confidence

Hybrid Event at powell house
February 2-4, 2024

This is a workshop for everyone who wants to deepen their understanding of Quaker decision-making; it’s for clerks, but not just for clerks. For clerks, it will be an opportunity to learn and sharpen skills. For others, it will be an opportunity to get better grounded in what Quaker decision-making is all about. It is expected that each person will leave the weekend with new energy and enthusiasm for participating in meetings for business, well grounded in both the theoretical and the practical. There will be handouts, exercises and opportunities for experience sharing. 

 Among other topics, we will consider:

• The fundamentals of a Quaker meeting for business  

• What is a “sense of the meeting,” and how is it different from consensus?

• What is the meaning of “unity?”

• Why “standing in the way” is no longer a useful concept.

• Techniques of “good” clerking.

• Dealing with difficult situations

Steve Mohlke is a longtime Friend and former clerk of Ithaca Monthly Meeting. He served as co-clerk for the 2017 Friends General Conference Gathering and currently serves as General Secretary of New York Yearly Meeting. Steve has facilitated Clerking programs many times in person as well as online. He often experiences working through differences in a meeting for business as spiritual connection.

Oh is a Friend and co-clerk of Racial Healing and Wholeness Committee at Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. They engage in Environmental Racial Justice work as a community activist in the Philadelphia area. They serve as Elder for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and have facilitated programming for Annual Sessions Spiritual Formation Retreat. ,O has also provided workshops with PYM Quaker Life Counsel, on Truth & Transformation exploring the transformative practice of deep listening to increase our capacity for healing by responding compassionately to incidents of racial wounding.

PoHoCo Meeting, Winter 2024

Online & In-Person at Powell House
January 5-7, 2024

Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds.

Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.

Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.

Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.

New Year’s Eve Celebration

IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
December 30, 2023 - January 1, 2024

At this annual event, we have activities for all ages – but what we plan is up to you. There are workshop slots for YOU to offer an activity, so give it some thought before you arrive. Previous years jave included cookie making, energy work, enneagrams, musical collaborations, tai chi, Pilates, a clay workshop, and a walk to Dorson’s Rock, among others. Right after our evening meal on the 31st, it’s Cabaret! Bring your instruments, a song, story, poem and/or skit to share with everyone on New Year’s Eve. Our cooks will have a "Quaker midnight" feast ready for us. We’ll conclude the celebration with a brunch on January 1st.  Contact Regina HERE to offer an activity.

In order to offer an enjoyable and safe we will assign rooms as we receive registrations, and close the event when all rooms are full! Hope to see you HERE for some fun times.

Crafting Sacred Connections:
The Art of Hybrid Worship

In-Person at Powell House
October 6-8, 2023

When we hold our meeting for worship in both our meetinghouse and on Zoom, it allows a whole new level of accessibility for people who can’t come to the meetinghouse for whatever reason. It’s God calling us to make space in new ways. We call it “hybrid” or “blended” worship, and we call the work of holding these spaces together “tech host,” or “Zoom host,” or something else that emphasizes the “tech”. But the work is really care of worship with attention to connection. The work is challenging, pushing us out of our comfort zone whether that comfort zone is the tech part or the worship part. It’s a burn-out job when there’s only one or two people doing it, and it takes a team of people who can support each other when it gets hard, teach each other the tips and tricks, and pray for each other to be faithful. This workshop is for tech teams (including teams of one who want to grow larger) to come together, teach each other about how to hold that connection, share what works and what doesn’t, and bring home new energy and inspiration for supporting hybrid worship.

David Coletta: As a teenager in the late 1970s, David came to Quakers through the New England Yearly Meeting Young Friends program, and volunteered as staff for another decade. Completing a first career in technology and yearning to focus on people rather than machines, he discovered that the pandemic created the ideal conditions for him to find that work. David’s leading is to serve Quaker meetings and organizations by exploring faithful use of technology that supports worship and community. David has served NEYM as the tech team lead for annual sessions for the past three years, and has a ministry under the care of Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting, Cambridge, Mass. David lives in Dorchester, Mass.

We envision a year of Friends growing together in community and seeking spiritual nurture with each other, with EVERYBODY'S GIFTS acknowledged and honored. The program will include small group discernment, retreats, worship, and opportunities to explore topics of interest. And, as always, you have the opportunity to go deep with a partner or consistent small group. In our September retreat we will focus on building community and begin our intentional friendships to support growing together.

PoHoCo Meeting, Fall 2023

Online & In-Person at Powell House
September 1-3, 2023

Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds.

Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.

Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.

Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.

PoHoCo Meeting, Spring 2023

Online & In-Person at Powell House
May 5-7, 2023

Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds.

Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.

Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.

Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.

Lament

Online
March 10-11, 2023

Lament can be described as an expression of the suffering, grief, and sorrow we feel at a soul level. It is a way to be honest with ourselves, the Divine, and one another about those deeply felt places of vulnerability that can bring us to our knees while also creating openings for spiritual depth during our faith walk. 

Schedule:

(Times listed for both west and east coast)

Friday: 4:00pm -5:30pm PST | 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST

Saturday: 12:00pm -1:30pm PST | 3:00pm - 4:30pm EST

Saturday: 3:00pm -4:30pm PST | 6:00-7:30pm EST

Lynette Davis (she/her) is a writer, spiritual companion, and mental health peer advocate. She believes stories can change the world and create meaning in life and enjoys holding sacred space for healing and spiritual deepening through the expressive arts, especially for queer creatives and changemakers. Additionally, Lynette partners with nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and private practice healers implementing their communications and digital outreach strategies and currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator for The School of the Spirit Ministry. 

Lynette is also the author of Success To Die For: Breaking Down Assumptions About Anxiety, Depression, & Suicide and Their Impact on Business Women and a contributing author of the Illuminate Bible study series by Barclay Press. 

She earned her MA in Theopoetics and Writing from Earlham School of Religion and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rutgers University with a BA in Sociology. Lynette has been a convinced Friend since 2016 and is a member of Ujima Friends Meeting. Connect with Lynette at http://sacredpausetoday.com 

Truth

Online
February 10-11, 2023

Telling the truth can be hard. It sometimes makes us anxious. Wilmer Cooper contended that all Quaker testimonies, including truth, can be seen as originating from a concern with the testimony to integrity. How can we get in touch with our integrity when the truth scares us, feels complicated, or causes us to doubt something or someone we are invested in?

Martin Kelley (he/him) is an American Quaker, writer, blogger, workshop leader, and editor. Much of his focus is on outreach, renewal, and the Christian roots of Quakerism. Martin has been sharing the story of Quakers as senior editor of Friends Journal magazine since 2011. He has been blogging as the Quaker Ranter for even longer and is founder and admin of the QuakerQuaker discussion forum.

Equality

Online
January 6-7, 2023

Intersectionality is a way of looking at community experiences of oppression and empowerment as webs of relationship that impact freedom and equality. In this retreat we are going to take a deep dive into what it might mean to engage in freedom work for and with everyone.

Khalila Lomax (she/her) is Baltimore Yearly Meeting's STRIDE (Strengthening Transformative Relationships In Diverse Environments) Coordinator. STRIDE is dedicated to creating accessibility and inclusion in BYM's camps and other outdoor experiences. To get a sense of Khalila’s ministry work in Baltimore Yearly Meeting, please see the attached report from 2021.

PoHoCo Meeting, Winter 2023

Online & In-Person at Powell House
January 6-8, 2023

Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds. 

Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.

Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.

Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.

Emotional Separateness & Openness

Online
November 11-12, 2022

Boundaries are vital to real intimacy. When we are able to separate our needs from the needs of others we can see people for who they are, not who we want them to be -- or what we fear about ourselves. We can be more fully present, and offer our gifts more skillfully and wholeheartedly. In this retreat, we will explore how emotional separateness and openness, despite their apparent tension, work in unity for greater faithfulness and more deeply loving community life.

Kody Gabriel Hersh (he/they) is a queer, trans, Quaker youth worker with roots in traditional Timucua, Seminole, and Miccosukee territory (Florida, U.S.). Their public ministry among Friends has touched on building robust intergenerational community, nurturing the spiritual lives of young people, liberatory sexuality and sexual ethics, abuse prevention and response, solidarity with marginalized peoples, decolonization, and nurturing faithfulness in oneself and others. For a QuakerSpeak video in which Kody speaks about how Jesus affirms their queerness, please follow this link.

Time to Be Tender

Online
October 21-22, 2022

How does anyone have the time to really be present to the people in our communities? To ourselves? To the sacred? What might it mean for Friends to cultivate communities where spaciousness in our daily rhythms - time for ministry, for recreation, for our relationships with each other and with God - is part of our commitment to each other and to the Spirit?

Adria Gulizia (she/her) is a lawyer, mediator, teacher, and mother. For the last few years, she has carried a concern for how Friends’ traditional faith and practice translate into an increasingly unstable, atomized and uncertain world. In her ministry activities and in her daily life, Adria is passionate about inviting all into deeper relationship with the Spirit of Christ, which spoke so strongly to early Friends and continues to speak today. She is a member of Chatham-Summit Monthly Meeting (New York Yearly Meeting), the Friends of Jesus Fellowship, and the Board of Advisors of Earlham School of Religion, which she will serve as clerk starting in the autumn of 2022. She has facilitated workshops on a variety of topics, including spiritual gifts, listening as a practice of pastoral care, and Friends' traditional commitment to the Lamb's War. Adria’s writing has been published by Friends Journal, Pendle Hill and Illuminate, a Bible study curriculum written by and for Friends. Her blog, In the Shadow of Babylon, can be found at shadowofbabylon.com.

In the famous story of John Woolman worshipping with the Delaware Indians, Chief Papunehang, said, in response to a prayer offered by Woolman in English, and not interpreted for the Delaware, “I love to feel where words come from.”  That is as good a description of vocal ministry as I know-seeking the place where the words come from.

Vocal Ministry- making ourselves available for the Divine to speak through us- is a key element of our distinctive form of worship. Yet many of us feel uncertain about this part of our practice, feeling our way by trial and error, with little, if any, feedback.  And many meetings name vocal ministry as a problem with which they want help; either there is too much, or too little, or it is often ungrounded.  Rarely have I heard a meeting say that their vocal ministry is just as they would hope for.  Some Friends have blurred, and even lost, the distinction between sharing our own thoughts and feelings and vocal ministry which comes from the Divine.

As vocal ministry led by the Divine almost always happens in the context of a gathered meeting, we will begin by creating a community of depth and trust, learning to open to that place where deep worship, discernment, and vocal ministry all originate.  From that place we will explore practices which make us more available to the promptings of the Divine for us to speak out of worship: listening with our whole being; opening our hearts to God and to the gathered body; learning to “read” the readiness of the room to receive vocal ministry; understanding vocal ministry as a process the whole gathered body supports; and learning how to better distinguish the voice of the Divine from our own reflections.

Our work will be immediate and experiential- long on experience and short on theory- and grounded in love and affirmation.

Christopher Sammond loves facilitating the creation of a safe space that invites all Friends to open in heart and spirit, to re-member their wholeness, to share in a sense of rich community, and to touch the Divine Source. He has led scores of interactive workshops and retreats for Friends over many years, including ones at Powell House, Woolman Hill, Pendle Hill, Earlham School of Religion, the Friends United Meeting Triennial, the Friends World Committee for Consultation World Gathering, and the Friends General Conference Gathering. Christopher brings years of experience working with meetings on their worship life when serving New York Yearly Meeting as their General Secretary. Over the past two years, Christopher has facilitated online retreats and workshops for both monthly meetings and gatherings of Friends. He lives in upstate NY with his wife Barbara, their dog and two cats.

Schedule:

Friday Evening: 7:00-9:00

Saturday Morning: 9:30-12:00
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00-4:30
Saturday Evening: 7:00-9:00 

Sunday Morning: 9:00-12:00