A Note of Appreciation for NYYM and Thoughts on Moving Forward

by Greg Koziol
Young Adult NYYM Friend

My past year with NYYM has deepened my understanding of the possibilities of Quaker community. Upon moving back to the East Coast and connecting with Quakers here, I was so impressed by the programming offered for Young Adult Friends and the rich, meaningful relationships that Friends of all ages cultivated across hundreds or thousands of miles. Though I have heard the sentiment expressed implicitly or explicitly that NYYM’s “heyday” is behind us, I see NYYM as a vital community of beautiful souls, and I believe Spirit is calling us toward a very bright future.

Witnessing NYYM navigate conflict in the business meetings of Spring, Summer, and Fall Sessions has fostered in me a conviction in the value of the Quaker process. Even when a particular discussion has not ended in a satisfying way, I left those meetings believing in the importance of the work we do to find unity among the many messages of our hearts. I am still discerning what membership means to me, but watching NYYM undertake this work has clarified for me that I am a Quaker, and proud to say so.

There is much I appreciate about the structure of Quakerism—namely, the personal commitment and vulnerability required to participate in our processes. Rather than receiving theological truths from a faraway body we have no say in, we as Quakers are required to pay close attention to the way Spirit moves in our lives and take responsibility for sharing messages with the wider community. However, one challenge I see with this decentralized structure is the difficulty in ensuring aligned understandings of Quaker vocabulary and process. Over the past year, I have seen such misalignments distract from meaningful discussions and interfere with our capacity to engage with the spiritual heart of issues. 

To address this challenge, I wonder if we might consider developing a formal path for “onboarding” new attenders of NYYM into a shared Quaker understanding, something akin to confirmation classes common in other denominations. I imagine such a path not as a barrier of any kind, but rather an invitation to learn about the roles, terms, and guiding principles of Quaker process. Creating this path could support our efforts to find unity on matters of business and give new attendees the confidence to participate more fully. Of course, there is no single way to be Quaker, and the variety of perspectives we can hold is part of what makes our community so rich. Taking steps toward clarifying the frameworks we do have in common could go a long way in creating space for the future that Spirit is inviting us toward.