Summer Sessions 2026
Led by Spirit
The Theme for NYYM Sessions in 2026
“Led by Spirit” is the theme that New York Yearly Meeting Friends will explore in the coming year at Spring (April 10-12), Summer (July 12-18), and Fall (December 4-6) Sessions 2026. Living our lives knowing that we can be “Led by Spirit” is a joy and a challenge. Questions and thoughts that arise for me are: “When do I stop and listen to Spirit? How do I stop and listen? What witness might I be led to? What joys might I discover? What comfort might I find, being led by Spirit? What is my best self that I’m being led to be?” I wonder what questions and thoughts arise for you. Come join with fellow NYYM Friends at our 2026 Sessions and discover ways that you can be and are Led by Spirit.
What is “Summer Sessions”?
Friends from the New York Yearly Meeting area (NY state, northern NJ, western CT) gather each summer for a week-long gathering of Friends where we worship, play, discern, learn, and simply BE with each other. This annual gathering, or yearly meeting, is part of how this association of monthly meetings got its name. It is an enriching week for our spirits, our faith, our bodies and hearts, and our NYYM community. Once the schedule for the week is approved, we will share those details on the NYYM website (nyym.org) and through online messages and updates.
Our in-person host will be Silver Bay YMCA conference center on Lake George in the Adirondacks. Silver Bay is where New York Yearly Meeting had held its Summer Sessions for decades, before the COVID pandemic, and is beloved by many Friends. Check it out if it’s new to you! https://silverbay.org/ Silver Bay has a campus of buildings with different levels of accommodations at a range of prices. Overnight guests receive a full meal plan at the cafeteria and access to Silver Bay amenities including swimming areas, boat house, craft shop, gymnasium, archery, etc. Please note that Summer Sessions is PAY AS LED.
What is Pay as Led?
After registering you will receive a follow-up email or letter with your suggested Pay as Led rate options. The three options are: the standard rate, which covers the cost of room and board; the full rate, which helps others attend; and the minimum rate, which is the lowest suggested amount. The Pay as Led plan relies on generosity from those who can afford to pay more. See below for more information.
Can I attend Summer Sessions online?
Yes! Attending online is a way you can be present with NYYM wherever you may be. As is our practice, participants online will be able to join meetings for worship and for business, the plenary presentation, Bible Study, and Cafe Night. Meetings for Discernment and for Remembrance will also be hybrid. In addition, there will be online-only worship-sharing groups and a 12-Step group. The new Online Care Committee helps facilitate online participants connect with each other in the Online Meetinghouse after worship and business sessions and the plenary. The Online Meetinghouse will be open for social times at other times of the day, too. If you would like to help make these online sessions happen, you may volunteer to be a member of the Online Care Committee and/or volunteer to be a tech host for online social and programming events. Write to [email protected] to learn more and to volunteer.
Where will we gather in person this summer?
NYYM Friends and visitors will gather this year from Sunday afternoon, July 12, to Saturday morning, July 18, at Silver Bay YMCA, a conference and family retreat center on the shores of Lake George. NYYM Friends held their Summer Sessions at Silver Bay each year for decades until COVID hit, and there are multiple generations of families who have grown up attending Sessions there. The NYYM community last gathered there in 2022.
The Silver Bay YMCA (silverbay.org/) has a campus of buildings including an inn, dining hall, auditorium, and gym. There are several buildings — some cottage-style, some hotel-style — with accommodations at a range of prices. All overnight guests purchase a full meal plan and get access to Silver Bay amenities including swimming areas, a boat house, craft shop, archery, tennis, etc. Day passes and individual meals can be purchased separately if you choose to stay off-campus or visit just for the day. Please note that Summer Sessions is PAY AS LED.
What Happens at Summer Sessions?
At Summer Sessions we can experience the joy and connection of service and fellowship with NYYM Friends. Here are some of the activities:
Hybrid Activities
Meeting for Worship — We gather in expectant waiting and with pastoral ministry to be Led by Spirit. We prepare ourselves for considering the work of the yearly meeting in our business sessions. We gather to experience the Spirit amongst us. We gather to be renewed.
Meeting for Worship with Attention to the Business — Friends gather worshipfully to consider the business of NYYM. The business of NYYM includes ministry, witness, and pastoral care to each other, both within and outside our yearly meeting. Reports are presented on work happening within our yearly meeting and with other Quaker organizations. Some of the reports bring questions that the yearly meeting must decide upon. The work of those present is to be part of the Quaker process of listening, discerning, and being led to a decision together.
Worship Sharing Groups — Participants explore a query in a sacred, worshipful space with a small group of Friends. Friends attend the same worship sharing group all week.
Meeting for Discernment includes two periods of extended, waiting worship and deep listening to discern leadings and to strengthen connections in our yearly meeting. The third session of the day is a time for reflection on the experience of the two previous sessions.
Meeting for Remembrance is a time when we gather in worship to honor and remember NYYM Friends who have been part of the yearly meeting community and who passed away in the previous year.
Plenary Program is a presentation on a topic important to Friends, intended for all participants high school and older.
Bible Study is held each night after dinner.Participants explore the Bible through different lenses, led by a skilled leader
In Person-Only Activities
Children and Youth Programming Children and youth have Junior Yearly Meeting, where they gather in age-related groups, led by experienced Quaker leaders. Quaker kids get to connect, build community, learn and play with other Quaker children. A more detailed description is below.
Tagless Tag Sale is a sale of donated items, brought to Summer Sessions by participants, that are sold for “pay what you wish.” The proceeds benefit the Sharing Fund, which gives money to many of NYYM’s Witness activities, and the Powell House retreat center.
Fun(d) Fair, a collection of fun activities and treats, created by the children and youth of JYM, is a fundraiser to benefit the Sharing Fund and Powell House.
Cafe Night is an all-ages talent show that anyone, in person or online, can perform in. Sing a song, perform a skit, tell a story, do a dance! Cafe Night is also a fundraiser run by the high school group. It’s an opportunity for adults to shower the children and youth collection team with cash, checks, or online pledges to benefit the Sharing Fund and Powell House.
Singing for all ages, with live Friendly accompaniment, happens on the Inn porch after dinner.
NEW: Community Play Time will be after lunch each day for a couple of hours. Enjoy organized activities on Silver Bay’s lakeside campus with family and new and old friends. Swim, take out some kayaks, try out archery, do a craft project, or play a game.
What’s Junior Yearly Meeting Like?
Children and youth at Summer Sessions attend a fun, Spirit-led program called Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM). Children and youth are grouped by age and led by Quaker volunteers. JYM gives children and youth the opportunity to experience being in a community with other Quakers, living in Quaker values and making lasting friendships. Their program meets each morning from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and — new for NYYM Summer Sessions at Silver Bay! — meets again from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., after the daily Community Play Time.
This year, our youngest Friends, birth through 4 or 5 years old, will be in a group led by NYYM adults. We expect that there will also be a group for younger and older elementary students; one for middle school students; and one for high school students, depending on the ages of the children and youth who register.
Young Adult Friends
Young adult Friends (YAFs) form a community together at Summer Sessions. YAFs will gather at the beginning of Sessions to get to know each other and make plans for the rest of our time together. There will again be a nightly social time and epistle writing, and probably at least one workshop about how the yearly meeting functions and how young adults can participate. YAFs can also connect before, during, and after Sessions through a WhatsApp group.
Where Can I Stay?
On Campus: Silver Bay offers guest rooms in buildings with different types of amenities across its hillside campus. While the cost for meals and the program stay the same no matter where you stay, the cost for housing varies between locations. Rates are higher for rooms with private bathrooms and for air conditioning. Rates are lower for rooms with shared baths and no air conditioning. Children ages 0-5 are free and there are reduced rates for older children.
Visit nyym.org/lodging2026 to read about the different Silver Bay housing options and their room rates for Summer Sessions 2026, and visit silverbay.org/lodging for photos.
If you will be staying with a roommate(s) or in a family group, please make sure you name each other on your registration forms. If you need a roommate, you can request one during registration and the registrars will try to connect you with someone else who needs one. Sharing a room is a good way to lower costs.
Off Campus: Camping options include Rogers Rock State Park, near Ticonderoga; find it on www.reserveamerica.com or call 800-456-2267. The nearby Brookwood RV Resort has tent platforms: www.brookwoodrvresort.com. Friends staying off campus must still register with NYYM and pay the Silver Bay daily use fee for days you are on campus.
In-Person Support
12-Step Meetings. 12-Step Meetings will be held every day in person during Summer Sessions.
Closed Captioning. Live closed captioning will be available during Zoom meetings. Those attending Sessions in person may find closed captioning to be helpful when sound is quiet or garbled. Closed captions will be visible on the screen displaying the Zoom participants.
The Healing Center. As in years past, the Healing Center will be a sacred, restorative space for Friends during Summer Sessions. Seekers enter a healing space where everyone present contributes prayerfully to the spiritual energy. Seekers can hold space, receive work, or join a meeting for healing—whatever is being offered.
Accessibility Concerns. Friends who indicate special needs on their registration form will be contacted by the NYYM office to gather further information. You will be able to request an accessible room and other accommodations on the registration form. Golf carts will be available to assist movement around campus. One way to help our community is to offer assistance to Friends who may need help getting around or carrying trays in the dining hall.
Whisper Buddies. Through this program, Friends who are new to Quaker business meetings (or new to how New York Yearly Meeting holds them) can pair up with Friends who are more experienced and are willing to answer questions as they arise — by whispering, passing notes, or talking informally together after a committee meeting or business meeting.
How Can I Help?
The success of Summer Sessions depends on participants volunteering as able. How are you led to help?
Junior Yearly Meeting: if you care about kids and would like to lead or assist a JYM group please contact Polly and Lauren at [email protected]
If you’d like to help in one of these ways, you can indicate that on your registration form:
Drive a golf cart around campus. If you are at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license this is easy and fun, a great way to serve the community, and a wonderful way to get to know Friends of all ages you might not otherwise meet.
Staff the Healing Center. Modalities may include energy work, massage, craniosacral therapy, and spiritual counseling.
Carry a microphone. Help Friends hear each other during meetings.
Provide technical help. Friends experienced with Zoom meetings are needed to assist Friends at home and on site at Silver Bay.
Facilitate a worship sharing group. Share insights, experiences, and prayer together. Facilitators present a query and open and close the worship sharing session.
For a more complete and detailed list of volunteer opportunities, see Role Descriptions for Sessions.
Registration and Costs
How can I figure out what my housing, meals and program fee will cost?
We’re glad you asked! It is complicated, with different rooms accommodating different numbers of people and costing different prices depending on the building amenities. Plus the meal plan varies in price depending on the person’s age. The suggested Pay As Led rates vary depending on the choices you make. Fortunately, we now have a Cost Calculator with dropdown menu items you select to match your precise situation. To use the Cost Calculator, visit nyym.org/PAL-calculator. (You’ll be asked to make a copy of the calculator for your use.) Use the cost calculator to try out different options for a variety of people, rooms, days, and rates. If you need technical help using the calculator, you can contact [email protected] or call the NYYM office at 212-673-5750. You can use the cost calculator now to find out what your costs will be and to plan accordingly.
What is Pay as Led?
Since 2019, NYYM has embraced a spiritually guided approach to funding the costs for housing, meals and program costs charged by our host facilities. This process is known as Pay as Led. Pay as Led fosters inclusivity by recognizing that financial resources vary among Friends. It allows those with greater financial ability to contribute more, enabling those with limited means to participate fully. The decision about how much to pay is left to each individual, as led.
The standard rate for housing, meals, and program is the amount NYYM is obligated under contract to pay Silver Bay YMCA for the housing, meals, and program fees of each attendee. Paying the standard rate is just one option.
Supported rates are a choice of discounts to the standard rate. An attendee sharing a room with another person in one of the lowest price options can choose 25%, 50%, or 75% discount off the standard rate. In one of the rooms with a private bath (Bayview, Inn, Trinity, Boyd), the maximum discount is 25%.
If you would like to be supported in attending Summer Sessions, please check with your monthly and regional/quarterly meetings, as they often have funds set aside to support Sessions attendance. If additional support is needed, choose one of the supported rates with discounted prices. If the supported rates are still too high, please, contact the yearly meeting office ([email protected]) for more information.
The sharing rate is an additional 30% above the standard rate. Those who can afford to pay more to support others with more limited financial means may choose the sharing rate. Based on past experience, the additional contributions made by Friends choosing the sharing rate have tended to cover those needing to use the supported rate.
What is the Registration Contribution?
NYYM incurs a lot of shared costs to create each of our three sessions each year. The housing, meals and program fee are the costs charged to us by our host site. The rest of the costs are not paid directly by participants but are still needed to make the event happen. Costs are charged by our host site for the use of rooms and equipment like chairs and tables that we use for smaller meetings, worship sharing groups, JYM groups, etc. The Registration Contribution helps cover these costs.
In addition to those shared costs, NYYM pays for the stays of volunteers who work long hours, such as JYM coordinators and leaders, sessions clerks, plenary speakers and others. NYYM also pays for supplies needed for JYM, tech equipment for in-house and online programming, registration, and supplies needed for NYYM clerks. NYYM Staff attend all our sessions to work and be a part of our yearly meeting community. Providing for their housing is another shared cost that NYYM must pay, as well paying for the hours staff spend preparing for our sessions, accepting our registrations, billing us and sending us receipts, etc.
Our current requested Registration Contribution of $250/per adult covers only some of those shared costs. The percent of staff time preparing for sessions has increased in recent years and our goal is for registration to cover a greater percentage of staff preparation time.
All who register for Summer Sessions, both online and in-person, are asked to help defray these shared costs with a voluntary registration contribution. In order to cover more of the shared costs without adding excessive barriers to attendance, Friends will be offered a range of suggested contribution options to choose from:
Zero: registration is suggested, not required
$100 per adult: any amount helps with costs
Standard: $250 per adult— helps cover basic shared costs
$500 per adult: helps cover additional shared costs such as staff stays
$1,000 per adult: helps cover additional shared costs such as staff time at sessions
$5,000 per adult: helps cover additional shared costs such as staff time preparing for sessions
Other (choose any amount)
When can I register for Summer Sessions 2026?
Registration will open in early January and will be announced on nyym.org and via email. Registration for Summer Sessions will be online only. If you are unable to register online, please ask someone you know to assist you, or call the NYYM office at 212-673-5750 and provide your name, phone number, and a good time to contact you. We will have volunteers ready, willing, and able to provide online registration assistance.
New York Yearly Meeting needs to know it will be able to meet its financial obligation to Silver Bay by the end of January 2026. Therefore, payment in full in January, if you are able, is best. Alternatively, a down payment with a payment plan that completes payments by the end of May 2026 would also be acceptable. The pledge payment section of the registration form will ask for a commitment on how much and by when the remainder of the cost will be paid.