Quakers share a common faith, based on experience, that every human being can commune with God directly, without the need for any mediating persons or rituals, and that the worshiping community can commune directly with God, as well.

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Friends Respond to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Friends in New York Yearly Meeting and around the world condemn the violence in Ukraine. Today, NYYM Clerk Elaine Learnard and General Secretary Steve Mohlke emailed letters of love and solidarity to Friends in Ukraine and in Russia on behalf of NYYM Friends. The letters can be found in the Weekly Update from February 28, 2022. 

If you'd like to send a personal message to the Quakers of Kyiv, Ukraine, or read updates from them, you can visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/QuakersKyivUkraine. 

Statements made by NYYM-affiliated groups 
 

AFSC: The invasion of Ukraine must be stopped — but U.S. military aid is not the answer
Take Action with FCNL: Condemn the Russian Invasion and Press for Diplomacy
FCNL’s Statement on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
World Council of Churches Appeals for Peace for the People of Ukraine

Becoming an Anti-Racist Faith Community

One of the actions faith communities can take in becoming actively anti-racist is to make a public statement of intention. For those connected to NYYM, the impact of such a statement would go beyond the words themselves, inviting each of us to consider deeply what this might mean for ourselves, our meetings, our communities, and our yearly meeting. In hopes that NYYM will be open to making such a statement of intention, a Draft NYYM Statement on Becoming an Anti-Racist Faith Community came to Summer Sessions 2021 for reflection and the initiation of an extended period of discernment. Please visit https://nyym.org/anti-racism-statement for the full text and further resources.

Reports from NYYM Summer Sessions 2021

• The NYYM 2021 Epistle Please read and share New York Yearly Meeting's Epistle, approved at Summer Sessions 2021.

• Videos of the Plenary and the General Secretary's Report

  • Emily Provance's plenary talk, on the Sessions theme Becoming a Sanctuary Where Spirit Dwells, can now be seen on video. The report from the General Secretary, Steve Mohlke, can be also be watched online. Please share these links with your meeting.

• The Minutes and Reports from Summer Sessions

  • You can now read the minutes and reports from the business meetings at Summer Sessions. The reports are linked to within the minutes. Discover the good work done by the gathered body of Friends! Of particular interest may be a message brought by young adult Friends in response to the ministry following the Young Adult Field Secretary's report.

Statement on Anti-Asian Violence 

Excerpt:
This is work for all of us, no matter our skin color, gender, or cultural orientation. Spirit tells us we are one, we all have the Light within us, we are all connected. As we deepen our listening, let us ask ourselves:  how can I become more aware, how can I prepare myself to act, what actions are mine to do?

Please visit nyym.org/AAPI-statement to read the full statement.

Press Release: NY, NJ, and CT Quakers Condemn Anti-Asian Violence

Anti-Asian violence is anathema to Quaker beliefs of equality, justice, and peace

[April 2, 2021; New York, NY] New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) strongly condemns recent anti-AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) violence. The recent shooting of eight people – six of them women of Asian descent – in Atlanta has made this urgent declaration necessary. The racial and misogynist aspects of this crime cannot be ignored. Quakers cannot be silent in the face of anti-AAPI violence or allow anti-Asian bias to permeate our society.

Click here to read the full text