An Invitation from the Presiding Clerk and Clerk of Sessions Committee
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Friends around New England and beyond—you are invited to the 363rd Annual Sessions of New England Yearly Meeting, August 4–9, 2023!
Last year we pioneered hybrid sessions, with some of you attending at Castleton University, and others participating by Zoom. Continuing that successful experiment, our focus this year is building connections, strengthening local meetings, and practicing our faith together. Our schedule has been built with attention to creating time for sitting with old F/friends and making new ones.
NEW this year, please note a change to the schedule. Due to Castleton University’s early start of the fall term, we are encouraging people to arrive anytime Friday evening, August 4. There will be food and welcoming parties Friday night in all of the dormitories.
Our theme, “Be like a watered garden: open to grace, and loose the bonds of injustice,” describes the interconnectedness of grace and transforming justice. The theme urges us to have faith in the nurturing and activating power of God’s grace. Being open to that grace is a daily practice that roots us in Love as we listen to the Inward Teacher and to the Beloved Community; Grace moves us, beyond our flaws and hesitations, to break the cycles of injustice in our world. Transforming injustice in the world begins with this repair and revival of relationships, especially toward persons we have regarded as “Other.” Consider Nature, the Stranger, (so-called) Enemies, and anyone we treat as Them/Not-Us. We hope this theme serves as a path of spiritual renewal, a prayer of action, and a promise of continual revelation. Much of this theme comes from Isaiah 58, verses 6–12.
Coming together in August, may we fully live into and trust that divine grace as we devote ourselves to corporate worship and our work together to discern what Spirit is calling us to do. We have much to discern through faithful spiritual practice, Friends.
Saturday morning will have workshops, a time for sharing and learning, and we will kick off our Opening Celebration on Saturday afternoon, followed by our first Meeting for Business. A singing plenary will cap our first full day together on Saturday. Monday night will will see our first block party. Running through all of these is the awareness that when two or more are gathered, the Holy Spirit is present and at work. |
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| Anna Fritz will be presenting a musical plenary on Saturday evening. Anna is a classically trained cellist and folksinger based in Portland, Oregon, who writes and performs songs that are used as political anthems and intimate prayers, touching on themes of colonization, climate and racial justice, gender, and connection with the living world. With her audiences, Anna co-creates a deeply Spirit-led experience. Anna will be with us all week and is looking forward to connecting with Friends. Here is a small sample to whet your appetite. |
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| Joseph Bruchac (below, left), an enrolled citizen of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, is a storyteller, author, and poet. Much of his work draws on his homeland and his Abenaki Indian ancestry. Bruchac has performed widely throughout Europe and the U.S. and has written more than 130 books. He is known to many of us for his Keepers of the Earth series. Bruchac is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and the Greenfield Review Press. He will be our Sunday afternoon plenary speaker, presenting in word and song his own Spirit-led reflections. Joseph will be accompanied by his son Jesse Bruchac (below, right), who is a leading teacher of the Abenaki language and a musician and filmmaker. Joseph and Jesse will be spending the Monday of Sessions week with the young people in our Youth Programs. |
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Emma Condori Mamani, Friend from Santidad (Holiness) Friends Yearly Meeting in Bolivia, will present the Bible half hour, incorporating the languages of her faith: Spanish, Aymara, and English. Emma is a language teacher and Quaker author with a Master’s degree in Divinity from Earlham School of Religion. She has written  and edited several books, has served on various Quaker organizations, and has traveled widely among Friends in many countries leading workshops and teaching about Quakers. Emma is well-known to many Friends in NEYM and a frequent attender of our Sessions gathering. She too will be with us all week and will be spending time with the youth of the Yearly Meeting. Here is a link to an article by Emma in Friends Journal. |
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Business Sessions are an opportunity to hear some of what’s been going on with Friends around New England and to discern how God is leading us as a larger body of Friends. Among other things, we will consider the chapter on Ministry and Counsel and the introductory chapter from the Faith and Practice Revision Committee, discern two Minutes regarding “No Way to Treat a Child” calling Friends everywhere to endeavor to end violations to children’s human rights, hear from our Yearly Meeting committees and working groups on their activity over the past year, and discern how we make fiscally responsible choices about NEYM budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
We are grateful for all of this richness of Spirit that is coming together. We are grateful to all of you, Friends, for being part of this community. We look for forward to seeing you in August.
And we are especially grateful for the many Friends who do the work of planning for this several-day event, in person and on Zoom. Together we are moving forward thanks to the efforts of these many dedicated Friends.
Last year, Sessions was free for all those under 18. While we are not continuing that this year, we cannot emphasize too strongly that all are encouraged to use the Pay-as-Led option. If that works out to $0 for you or your children, that is a fine thing. This is only a living option if people use it!
So join us, whether for a day or five days, in Castleton or on Zoom. Come with the expectancy that we will be touched by the Divine, and that individually and collectively we will move a bit closer to the image God has for us. Each of us will come bringing our daily life—full of concerns, griefs, joys—and in our gathering, share these cares and return renewed.
Rebecca Leuchak, Presiding Clerk
Philip Veatch, Sessions Planning clerk |
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Photo: Whitney Mikkelsen
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We invite families with young children to request housing in the Family Neighborhood as you register. From an early bird coffee and tea station, to parent conversations, shared play spaces, and end-of-day story time, we stir up the spirit of community, drawing forth joy, warmth, mutuality, and care. Come out and play—your neighbors await! Questions? Contact Nia Thomas, 978-886-7179 • Nia [at] neym [dot] org
Yearly Meeting youth programs offer robust and grounded communities with whom youth can participate in Sessions, from infants in childcare to Young Friends. For many, the youth programs are among the most meaningful aspects of Yearly Meeting Sessions.
Participants must have health information and parental permission submitted as part of the registration process. Parents should not bring or send children unless they are prepared to participate in a youth program. Parents are responsible for their children during unscheduled periods. Orientation times and locations for the youth programs will be in their particular schedules, as well as the Yearly Meeting News.
CHILD CARE (ages 4 and under) is a loving, nurturing circle of gentle, joyful care. Coordinator: Rainer Humphries • childcare [at] neym [dot] org
JUNIOR YEARLY MEETING (entering grades K–6) is a program of fun, creativity, and Spirit where many life-long friendships start. Coordinator: Kenzie Burpee, 774-217-0623 • kenzie [at] neym [dot] org
JUNIOR HIGH (entering grades 7–9) is a welcoming, joy-filled community where music, games, discussions, worship, and creativity help us connect to each other and Spirit. Coordinator: Lilly Campbell, 603-732-7286 • gretchen [at] neym [dot] org (l)lilly [at] neym [dot] org
YOUNG FRIENDS (entering grade 10 through 2023 high school grads) is a warm and welcoming place for high schoolers to build community, explore Quakerism, and foster joy and belonging together. The YF Sessions Coordinator will be announced shortly. Contact youngfriends [at] neym [dot] org" href="mailto:youngfriends [at] neym [dot] org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">youngfriends [at] neym [dot] org if you have questions and comments about the Young Friends program at Sessions. |
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| Young Adult Friends (ages 18 to 35) will have young-adult-specific opportunities for connection as well as participating in general Sessions activities. Share your ideas or questions by emailing yaf [at] neym [dot] org. |
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Reflection Group Facilitators Sought
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Photo: Gretchen Baker-Smith
Join the team! Help us create welcoming, dynamic, and grounded spaces for Friends to connect and share during Sessions this summer.
Throughout Sessions, Reflection Groups offer Friends a space to practice the core of our faith: worshiping, discerning, and witnessing in community, together. Reflection Groups are opportunities for up to 12 people to gather on a drop-in basis for worship sharing and connection. Reflection Groups support Friends sharing and processing of their experiences of Sessions and what is moving in their own spiritual lives.
This year we will offer online Reflection Groups via Zoom as well as in-person Reflection Groups at Castleton and are seeking facilitators for both formats. Because these groups are offered on a drop-in basis this year, you do not need to be available every day of Sessions to serve as a facilitator!
We will provide online training, support, and resources for all facilitators on how to safely hold inclusive space for groups and individuals. We will provide all facilitators with a detailed but flexible structure for the Reflection Group, knowing each facilitator will bring their own gifts and respond to their group’s specific dynamics.
We seek Friends who are open, compassionate, grounded, attentive to group dynamics, and skilled at drawing individuals into a group. We are seeking experienced facilitators open to mentoring newer facilitators as well as Friends seeking to grow their facilitation skills.
If you are interested in being considered as a Reflection Group facilitator or co-facilitator, please fill out this form to express interest and someone will follow up with you to explore further about how your gifts and availability might match with our needs this year.
Thank you for helping us make Reflection Groups an enriching part of Sessions.
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Back by popular demand, workshops will be part of Sessions this August. Our 90-minute workshops provide an opportunity for teen and adult Friends to explore their Quaker faith and make meaningful connections by focusing on a topic or activity of interest.
Workshops will be offered in three formats: online via Zoom, on-site at Castleton, or hybrid. Workshop proposals are being accepted until June 15th. To read the criteria or submit a proposal on behalf of yourself or a committee or group you are a part of, go here.
We look forward to sharing the exciting selection of workshop opportunities with you this July!
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Photos Sought for Opening Slide Show!
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As part of our opening celebration, we will be sharing a short slideshow of images of Friends from across our Yearly Meeting so that we will be able to "see" each other more clearly as we gather, including the faces of New England Friends who may not be able to participate in Sessions this summer. We invite you to contribute a recent image of yourself, your family, or your Meeting that brings you joy. Email photos to slideshow [at] neym [dot] org by August 1. If the photo includes other people, please make sure you have their permission to share.
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For Readers ...
Again this year, we will have bookstores at Sessions. All proceeds benefit independent publishers, bookstores, artists, nonprofits, and NEYM!
The general bookstore will be open Saturday to Wednesday. We stock lots of books by Quakers and other interesting people. You’ll also find buttons, bookmarks, t-shirts, espresso drinks—and plenty of hanging out. Have a free hour or two? Volunteer to work at checkout, tidy up, or recommend your favorite books to curious shoppers. No experience is necessary. Just check the box on the registration form and we’ll contact you. And in the meantime, find us on Facebook at “Quak-E-Mart”!
This year we will be joined in the Jeffords building by the Child and Family Bookstore where you can find books and more for children, parents, grandparents and families.
For Authors:
If you have a new book out, we would love to set up a reading or signing! Email bookstore [at] neym [dot] org.
For Consignment Sellers …
Contact consignments [at] neym [dot] org (consignments [at] neym [dot] org). The consignment coordinator will be sending out the forms and guidelines to everyone who has consigned in past years.
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Pay as Led: A Spiritual Approach to Fees
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Our “Pay-As-Led” approach to Sessions fees has been a great success—but your faithful participation is essential. Friends have found it to be a much simpler way to determine how much to pay, and collected fees and donations have covered all the costs of the gathering.
At the time of registration, Friends are shown three suggested amounts: an “average limited income” fee, a “traditional” fee and a “complete cost” fee. Some Friends may decide that they are unable to pay anything this year, but nobody will be required to ask for funds. Pay-As-Led relies on your integrity, trusting that each of us will contribute what we are led and able to support our faith community.
Under this system, contributions from individuals and meetings have proven to be essential in covering our costs. Any amount which a Friend pays in excess of the “traditional” fee will be counted as a tax-deductible donation to support others’ participation. Monthly meetings are also encouraged to contribute to support Sessions. All of these contributions (previously identified as the “Equalization Fund”) are now pooled and support the attendance of all Friends—including members of your meeting—who are unable to cover the actual costs of their participation.
We invite meetings and individuals to send checks, payable to NEYM, to 901 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602; or, give online at neym.org/donate. |
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Friends preparing for Sessions are hard at work daily preparing for our time together. We'll share more information on the Sessions web pages on neym.org, and through email updates, as soon as we have it.
Watch for an email announcement that registration is open!
We'll be back in touch soon. Looking forward to gathering and being gathered together!
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