Friends General Conference shares the following yearly meeting announcements that may be of interest to Friends in the United States and Canada.

Alaska Friends Conference

Alaska Friends Conference is engaged in a reparations process to return land to Native people. See more info from the Alaska Beacon here.

American Friends Service Committee

American Friends Service Committee is now accepting applications for their hands-on learning program, Emerging Leaders for Liberation. Applicants must be 18-22 years old as of April 1, 2024 and have a relationship to an AFSC program, a Quaker college/organization, or a Quaker Meeting. The cohort will begin meeting in April 2024. The application will close on March 1st.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting

Funds are available to Support Global Majority Friends to Attend the FGC Gathering. Baltimore Yearly Meeting will cover registration fees for Global Majority Friends to attend the 2024 FGC Gathering, “Rooted in Story” using funds set aside through the Working Group on Racism.

Rides to FGC Gathering: The BYM General Secretary is exploring the possibility of chartering a bus to provide shared transportation to The Gathering for BYM Friends. Are you considering attending The Gathering? Would you be interested in riding a BYM charter bus? If so, please take our survey! The survey is NOT a commitment or a registration – just a survey to gauge interest and needs among BYM Friends. The 2024 Gathering will take place at Haverford College.

Photo from FGC.

Friends Committee on National Legislation

The deadline to register for in-person lobbying is March 1, 2024.  At Spring Lobby Weekend, our young adult advocacy conference, hundreds of Friends from around the country will gather to learn advocacy skills and lobby Congress for important policy change. Together we will take action in support to pass the Truth & Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools bill.

Friends World Committee for Consultation

The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Section Meeting will be online on March 16. The theme is: “Living the Spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with hope to God’s call to cherish creation and one another.” Registration is open.

Illinois Yearly Meeting

Annual Sessions will be held Wednesday, June 19 to Sunday, June 23 on the ILYM Campus outside McNabb, IL. Program information will be available and registration will open in late April. Site Preparation for sessions will be Saturday, June 15 to Wednesday June 19. The deadline to submit a workshop proposal is March 3.

There is a yearly-meeting-wide virtual meeting for worship every month on the 10th of the month at 7:00 p.m. (Central), hosted by the ILYM Ministry and Advancement Committee. All are welcomed to attend.

Photo from FGC.

Lake Erie Yearly Meeting

Save the Date: LEYM’s Annual Meeting will be June 13-16, 2024.

New England Yearly Meeting

Annual Sessions for NEYM will be August 2-7 at Castleton VT. The yearly meeting is seeking volunteers to help with several roles.

New York Yearly Meeting

Spring Sessions: You are invited to NYYM Spring Sessions, April 5-7, 2024. This is one of three times a year that members of the NYYM community gather to worship, conduct business, and have fellowship together. Sessions will be at Oakwood Friends School and Online. Registration is now OPEN. Register early if you intend to stay on campus.

Photo by Yoksel Zok on Unsplash

Northern Yearly Meeting

Online Worship Opportunities: Northern Yearly Meeting continues to update its list of Virtual Worship options. This list includes information for all meetings within NYM that have a Zoom component.

Nimble Responders: Northern Yearly Meeting has come up with a mechanism for handling time-sensitive requests. According to Kat Griffith’s article in Friends Journal: “We don’t need to get prior approval from the body to take actions that are consistent with our broad principles.”

North Pacific Yearly Meeting

Save the Date: North Pacific Yearly Meeting’s annual gathering will be July 10 – 14, 2024. It will be held at the University of Montana.

Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting

Spring Retreat: Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting’s spring overnight retreat is March 15-16 at Quaker Hill Conference Center. The deadline to register is March 1st.  Looking further ahead, OVYM Annual Sessions will be June 12-16.

Photo from Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill

The Quaker Institute: Living Our Testimonies in “The Fierce Urgency of Now” – This annual Friends Conference will be held on Pendle Hill’s campus in Wallingford, PA, from May 2- 5. Friends are facing the escalation of longstanding structures of violence, both in the U.S. and globally. As we prepare for the 2024 US elections, Pendle Hill invites Friends to learn, envision, worship, and break bread together. We will explore the role of our communities in the context of our current political moment. This conference includes plenary sessions, affinity spaces, and a choice of workshops each day. Financial assistance is available.

Continuing Revolution: Restorative Justice as Spiritual Practice – This annual hybrid conference is for young adults (ages 18-35) will be hosted by Pendle Hill, Beacon Hill Friends House, and Friends Place on Capitol Hill from June 7 – 10. Hybrid workshops broadcast out from each location, with site-specific exercises for all participants. No matter how you choose to attend, virtually or in-person, participants will gain foundational knowledge about historical and contemporary restorative justice practices. Financial assistance is available.

Photo from Pendle Hill

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Continuing Sessions is March 8-10. The theme is “Called to Healing.” Sessions begins with Friday, which is all-online. Saturday is hybrid. Sunday is all-online.

Quaker Earthcare Witness

Book Group: You are invited to join QEW in a 5-part series of in-depth discussions on the book Nothing Lowly in the Universe. This book is by Jennie Ratcliffe. The group will meet every other week on Monday, with sessions going until April 15th.

Quaker Voluntary Service

Opportunity: Quaker Voluntary Service is now accepting applications for our 2024-25 cohort!  If you know any young adults aged 21-30 who are interested in living in intentional community, engaging in social justice work and exploring Quaker spirituality, please let them know about QVS.  There is a preferred application due date of 2/29, but QVS will accept apps on a rolling basis after that date.

Photo from QVS

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