New York Yearly Meeting—An Introduction

Founded in 1694, New York Yearly Meeting is the gathering of Quaker meetings (congregations) in New York State, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut.

NYYM is at the same time:

  • a community—an extended fellowship of Friends and their local meetings;
  • an organization—composed of the committees, staff, and institutions of the Yearly Meeting; and
  • sessions—gatherings of Yearly Meeting members to conduct its business in worship.

We invite you to join us by visitng one of our local meetings or one of our sessions, and to contact our office to learn more.

The community

New York Yearly Meeting comprises:

  • roughly 3,200 members,
  • in 64 local meetings,
  • 9 worship groups, and
  • 8 prison worship groups and meetings,
  • organized in 9 regions.

We have meetings that have no pastors and worship in expectant, waiting silence, and we have meetings that do have pastors and have worship services with hymns, prayers, Bible readings, and sermons. Some meetings combine elements of both.

The organization

Visit our NYYM Organization page.

The Yearly Meeting organization includes

  • a large number of committees organized into four sections: General Services, Ministry, Nurture, and Witness;
  • a number of staff;
  • a conference center, Powell House, located in Old Chatham, New York; and
  • a school, Oakwood Friends School, located in Poughkeepsie, New York. Some local meetings also have schools under their care.

The sessions

Visit our Sessions portal.

  • Summer Sessions. New York Yearly Meeting meets for a week in late July at Silver Bay YMCA resort camp on Lake George for its annual Summer Sessions to conduct the business of the Yearly Meeting.
  • Spring and Fall Sessions. The body also gathers for a weekend twice a year in its Spring and Fall Sessions in regions throughout the geographical area of the Yearly Meeting on a rotating basis.

The business meetings are held as meetings for worship with a concern for the life of the meeting. The sessions also include programs for the youth, open meetings for worship, sometimes programmed meetings for worship, prepared messages to the gathered body, committee meetings, and in the Summer Sessions, worship sharing groups and interest groups. In all sessions, we enjoy fellowship—and fun.