NYC Quakers Hold Historic First Retreat
by Ted Bongiovanni
Brooklyn Meeting & NYQM Executive Director
Old Chatham, NY — 51 Quakers, representing every meeting in New York City, gathered at Powell House on November 15-17, 2024, for the first ever New York Quarterly Meeting Retreat. “Joy leaps into the future, and triumphantly creates a new present of it,” proclaimed Pidgey, the unofficial New York Quarter mascot, inviting friends from Manhattan, Morningside, 15th Street, Brooklyn, Flushing, and Staten Island to join in the fun.
The New York Quarterly Meeting, founded in 1974, turned 50 this year. A warm fire greeted travelers from the boroughs as they wandered in and considered a curated collection of historical artifacts, from copies of the original deeds for the Quaker cemetery in Prospect Park and photos of past Brooklyn members gathered at Silver Bay to a newspaper clipping from the New York Times in April, 1986, which reflected on “What The Friends Have Taught.” The article concludes, “What is extraordinary about the Quakers is how often they have risked their good names and personal fortunes to help people who were not Quakers.”
After supper, participants gathered, settled into silence, and checked in with this deeply spiritual community. nova sturrup, New York Quarterly Meeting’s Community Organizer, centered pastoral care. 15th Street’s Luisa Giugliano and Morningside’s Scott Blumenthal guided us as we connected to our feelings around the recent election.
Weekend activities included games like “The Bible is Funny,” and early morning hikes to savor the sunrise from Dorson’s rock. Friends shared stories about their journey to Quakerism. We also had structured conversations, such as a space jam where we considered the query, “How might we use our spaces to grow into our future?” This generated inspiring ideas around outreach, sanctuary, activism, spiritual nurture, and creative collaboration.
When looking back on the weekend, one friend commented that we need more opportunities like this to eat and play together. In an evaluation, another said, “we should do this retreat once a quarter!” What is clear is that this spiritual community felt deep, connected, and filled with possibility. Though this was the first gathering of its kind it will not be the last for this group of joyful, enthusiastic and spirited Friends.