Events & Registration
New Year’s Eve Celebration 2024 - 2025
New Year’s Eve Celebration
In-Person at Powell House
December 30, 2024 - January 1, 2025
At this annual event, we have activities for all ages – but what we plan is up to you. There are workshop slots for YOU to offer an activity, so give it some thought before you arrive. Previous years have included cookie making, energy work, enneagrams, musical collaborations, tai chi, Pilates, a clay workshop, and a walk to Dorson’s Rock, among others. Right after our evening meal on the 31st, it’s Cabaret! Bring your instruments, a song, story, poem and/or skit to share with everyone on New Year’s Eve. Our cooks will have a "Quaker midnight" feast ready for us. We’ll conclude the celebration with a brunch on January 1st.
If there is an activity or workshop you would like to lead, please let us know in the Additional Comments.
Registration will close on December 27th
Dwelling Deep: A Contemplative Retreat 2025
Dwelling Deep:
A Contemplative Retreat
In-Person at Powell House
January 17-20, 2025
CO-SPONSORED BY THE SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT MINISTRY
During this extended weekend, Friends are invited to enter more fully into the silence and to experience the deeper rhythms in which we might live. This retreat will include the opportunity for solitude, individual and corporate worship, silent meals, and “active” silence. There will also be opportunities for individual and group spiritual reflection. Come and simply BE with God; listen and attend to the Divine stirrings of the soul.
Jim Herr has been a Quaker in Lancaster, PA, since 1987. He was part of the School of the Spirit’s ninth class of “On Being A Spiritual Nurturer” in 2012-14. Since then, Jim has participated in eight contemplative retreats, including Dwelling Deep in 2018, 2019, 2020, and earlier this year, 2023. During three of those eight retreats, Jim was mentored to be a retreat leader.
In 2017, he retired after spending 25 years selling advertising space for a farming trade paper. And immediately, he took the part-time job of administrator of the School of the Spirit, a position he held until January 29, 2021. Now he is fully retired—and loving it. He and his wife, Cindy, have joined a hiking group in the Lancaster, PA, area and spend several days a month walking in the woods. Jim has discovered he finds Spirit in the great outdoors as much as anywhere.
Jim has been a recording clerk for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting since about 2008. He’s clerk of Caln Quarter of PhYM, assistant clerk of Lancaster Meeting, convener of the Worship & Ministry Committee, and, since 1992, writes the monthly newsletter. Cindy Herr is a Quaker and has attended the Lancaster Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends since 1987.
Cindy Herr is a Quaker and has attended the Lancaster Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends since 1987. Cindy completed the School of the Spirit’s ninth class of “On Being a Spiritual Nurturer.” She was mentored to be a retreat leader of Dwelling Deep at Powell House.
Cindy retired from teaching elementary school and began to participate in trainings in spirituality, mindfulness, yoga and qigong. She is certified to teach Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, yoga and teaching yoga to people with chronic illness. She finds spiritual depth in these practices. Cindy has attended numerous Quaker silent retreats and Buddhist silent retreats.
Cindy enjoys hiking, kayaking and bicycling in the Lancaster area. The Susquehanna River provides endless pleasure, beauty and spirit in nature.
Beyond Pink and Blue: 11th-12th Grade and Young Adults
Beyond Pink and Blue
11th-12th Grade and Young Adults, January 24-26We live in a world that tries to divide people and identities and put them in narrow boxes, when in truth we form a wide spectrum of possibilities of every kind. We are a rainbow. We are many rainbows! Come explore your colors together, the nuances and unique aspects of yourself that make you you! Let’s dance along these rainbows until we find the pot of gold where they all come together and we can truly welcome and cherish each other for who we truly are.
Powell House Committee, Winter 2025
Powell House Committee
ONLINE & IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
January 31 - February 2, 2025
Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.
Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.
Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds.
Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.
Winter Wonderland 2025
Winter Wonderland
A Family Retreat
In-Person at Powell House
February 7 - 9, 2025
A conference for Families and those who like to be with Families. Come join us in the heart of winter for your favorite winter activities. We hope for snow and cold for sledding and ice skating. Regardless there will be hiking, a bonfire, star gazing, sipping warm drinks, stories by the fireplace, crafts and games galore. Good food, Good company, Good fun.
Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Special family room rate $600.
Transforming Quaker Culture: Building Authentic Spiritual Community
Transforming Quaker Culture:
Building Authentic Spiritual Community
In-Person at Powell House
February 14-16, 2025
Time after time, early Friends returned to meeting for worship because of their direct experiences of transformation and the loving support of their community. Their spiritual transformation led them to order their lives, listening to Spirit’s direction.
As we listen together for Spirit’s guidance, we will practice building authentic community. We will build on our skills of supporting one another, addressing harm, and spiritually navigating conflict to hear our collective truth and leadings.
A living Quakerism includes the spirituality of our interdependence upon one another and upon the Earth. Through exploring care of community, we will weave how right relationship with all of Creation is a part of how we tend ourselves and our faithfulness.
Anne Pomeroy, member of New Paltz Monthly Meeting, is a seasoned retreat facilitator and elder. Anne is a spiritual director and mentor for many people. Anne supports individuals and communities in deep listening to Spirit to facilitate their faithfulness. Anne is deeply committed to continuing revelation as a key aspect of our faith. Anne travels widely among Friends, ministering to people in monthly meetings, yearly meetings and beyond. Anne helped establish the NYYM mentorship program, serving as a mentor and as part of the Mentorship Advisory Committee since the program’s inception. Additionally Anne serves FGC as clerk of the Development Committee, and as a NYYM representative to the FGC Central Committee. Anne’s ministry focuses around living into a broadly welcoming and inclusive faith community which can be called ‘care of community’. Anne brings their passion and joy to this ministry.
Lu Harper (Rochester) has served NYYM as a recording clerk for Ministry and Witness Coordinating Committees, as well as the yearly meeting body in sessions. She is called to spiritual accompaniment of individuals and groups, and has served as elder/co-facilitator of retreats within and outside of NYYM. She is currently drafting a book, Opening Eyes and Ears, Journeying out of Ancestral American Colonialism and Privilege, reflecting on the ways her ancestors contributed to colonial genocide, enslavement, and displacement of indigenous peoples as settlers moved westward, and how she is called to help repair the harm for generations to come.
From Sorrow to Celebration
From Sorrow to Celebration
Cultivating Lament and Joy in our Journey
IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
March 21-23, 2025
Join us as we embark on a journey of self-expression and a deeper exploration of how we understand both lament and joy in our lives.
Over the weekend, we will delve into the transformative power of expressive writing and the arts for creating openings for healing and spiritual depth. Together, we will navigate emotional highs and lows, discovering the “joy unspeakable joy” that can be found in even the most challenging moments.
We’ll engage in a communal lament practice as a vehicle for authenticity and vulnerability, allowing us to deepen our connection with ourselves, the Divine, and one another, leading to a newfound appreciation for the interplay of both in our faith walk.
Lynette Davis, SFCC, is an author, spiritual companion, and mental health advocate who believes stories can change the world and create meaning in life. She has been a convinced Friend since 2016 and is a member of Ujima Friends Meeting and an ecumenical Sister with The Sisters for Christian Community.
Stepping Forward Faithfully: Answering the Call and Becoming the Solution
Stepping Forward Faithfully:
Answering the Call and Becoming the Solution
In-Person at Powell House
April 25-27, 2025
In this retreat we will explore our call today to live in ways that demonstrate justice, integrity, inclusion, equality and wholeness. We will deepen our understanding of individual and systemic barriers to faithfulness.
Prophetic messages call us individually and collectively to turn back to the Truth and move into new patterns of being. The prophetic experience of early Friends led to and committed them to building a new social order based in truth, equality, and justice. We will explore ways in which our faithfulness can be supported by our communities today.
Anne Pomeroy, member of New Paltz Monthly Meeting, is a seasoned retreat facilitator and elder. Anne is a spiritual director and mentor for many people. Anne supports individuals and communities in deep listening to Spirit to facilitate their faithfulness. Anne is deeply committed to continuing revelation as a key aspect of our faith. Anne travels widely among Friends, ministering to people in monthly meetings, yearly meetings and beyond. Anne helped establish the NYYM mentorship program, serving as a mentor and as part of the Mentorship Advisory Committee since the program’s inception. Additionally Anne serves FGC as clerk of the Development Committee, and as a NYYM representative to the FGC Central Committee. Anne’s ministry focuses around living into a broadly welcoming and inclusive faith community which can be called ‘care of community’. Anne brings their passion and joy to this ministry.
Lu Harper (Rochester) has served NYYM as a recording clerk for Ministry and Witness Coordinating Committees, as well as the yearly meeting body in sessions. She is called to spiritual accompaniment of individuals and groups, and has served as elder/co-facilitator of retreats within and outside of NYYM. She is currently drafting a book, Opening Eyes and Ears, Journeying out of Ancestral American Colonialism and Privilege, reflecting on the ways her ancestors contributed to colonial genocide, enslavement, and displacement of indigenous peoples as settlers moved westward, and how she is called to help repair the harm for generations to come.
Scarsdale Meeting Retreat 2025
Scarsdale Meeting Retreat 2025
In-Person at Powell House
September 26 - 28, 2025
WinterSong 2024: 7th-12th Grade
WinterSong 2024
7th-12th Grade, December 13-15WinterSong is a celebration of care and community during the darkest days of the year. As we approach the winter solstice, we will share in fulfilling activities and discussion, and burst with fun and creativity. We love to have a big group for our song conferences, so please consider registering early for this special weekend!
Registration is now closed for this conference.
If you would like to register please send an email to sarahandmartin@powellhouse.org and we will let you know if we have space.
Continuing Revelation: Moving Beyond Form into a Living Quakerism
Continuing Revelation:
Moving Beyond Form into a Living Quakerism
In-Person at Powell House
November 22 - 24, 2024
Continuing Revelation is a key aspect of our faith. It depends on our being attuned to how Spirit is speaking and moving in us individually and collectively.
In this retreat we will make space to hear what we are experiencing as Quakers and what we sense is needed. We will look at Quaker forms that have life and evolutionary potential. What must we carry forward? What supports a sustainable faith? What should we leave behind?
We will listen to how Spirit is calling us to reinvent and reinvigorate our faith.
Anne Pomeroy, member of New Paltz Monthly Meeting, is a seasoned retreat facilitator and elder. Anne is a spiritual director and mentor for many people. Anne supports individuals and communities in deep listening to Spirit to facilitate their faithfulness. Anne is deeply committed to continuing revelation as a key aspect of our faith. Anne travels widely among Friends, ministering to people in monthly meetings, yearly meetings and beyond. Anne helped establish the NYYM mentorship program, serving as a mentor and as part of the Mentorship Advisory Committee since the program’s inception. Additionally Anne serves FGC as clerk of the Development Committee, and as a NYYM representative to the FGC Central Committee. Anne’s ministry focuses around living into a broadly welcoming and inclusive faith community which can be called ‘care of community’. Anne brings their passion and joy to this ministry.
Lu Harper (Rochester) has served NYYM as a recording clerk for Ministry and Witness Coordinating Committees, as well as the yearly meeting body in sessions. She is called to spiritual accompaniment of individuals and groups, and has served as elder/co-facilitator of retreats within and outside of NYYM. She is currently drafting a book, Opening Eyes and Ears, Journeying out of Ancestral American Colonialism and Privilege, reflecting on the ways her ancestors contributed to colonial genocide, enslavement, and displacement of indigenous peoples as settlers moved westward, and how she is called to help repair the harm for generations to come.
Worlds Like Our Own: 6th-8th Grade
Worlds Like Our Own
6th-8th Grade, November 22-24Who would you be in a world of fantasy and adventure? Role-playing games can allow us to reflect on ourselves and our world in fun and exciting ways. At this conference we will play games like Dungeons and Dragons, talk about our favorite imaginary worlds, and maybe even design a role-playing game set at Powell House.
Eldering a Public Minister
Eldering a Public Minister:
A Skills Workshop with Quaker Leadership Center
ONLINE AT POWELL HOUSE
October 17, 2024
7:00PM - 9:00PM EASTERN
Join Powell House in the first of three skills workshops co-sponsored by Quaker Leadership Center. This workshop explores how a local worshipping community and an individual Friend might respond together to a call to public ministry. What is a call and what is necessary to be accountable and supported in it?
Co-facilitated by Andy Stanton-Henry and Windy Cooler on Thursday, September 19th at 7pm to 9pm Eastern
Andy Stanton-Henry is a writer and Quaker minister living in East Tennessee with his spouse Ashlyn, ten laying hens, and three dogs. Andy serves as Associate Director of the Quaker Leadership Center and co-pastors Lost Creek Friends Church with Ashlyn. He is a graduate of Barclay College and Earlham School of Religion. Andy carries a concern for rural ministry, leading him to publish his book Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders.
Windy Cooler is a member of Sandy Spring Meeting in Baltimore Yearly Meeting. She describes herself as a practical theologian, public minister, good Quaker pirate, and cultural worker. Windy has been an embraced public minister since 2018, traveling widely among Friends with a concern for communities in crisis and Quaker family life. She was co-editor of Friends Journal’s News section (2018-23); the Pendle Hill 2020 Cadbury Scholar, a 2022-23 fellow of the interfaith NGO Odyssey Impact, and a current doctoral candidate at Lancaster Theological Seminary.
She has served as the convener of Ben Lomond Quaker Center and Powell House's Testimonies to Mercy, a seven-part traveling retreat series on the future of Quakerism featuring nine public ministers; and Life and Power, an international discernment project on abuse. She holds a master of divinity from Earlham School of Religion. You can read her series on public ministry, written for FGC, here: https://www.fgcquaker.org/category/news/public-ministry/
New York Quarterly Meeting Retreat 2024
New York Quarterly Meeting Retreat
In-Person at Powell House
November 15 - 17, 2024
The Monthly Meetings of New York City are coming together! All NYC F/friends are invited to a Quarter-wide retreat at Powell House, the Quaker retreat center in Old Chatham, NY. This weekend retreat from November 15-17 is the first of its kind and aims to gather Friends in worship, witness, and wonder.
The New York Quarter — so named because we meet together for business once a quarter — is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. We’re going to get to know each other, have fun, reflect on our past and imagine our future.
Please fill out this interest form by October 20th so we can gather information on who may be attending, plan logistics, and finalize our schedule of events.
Junior Counselor Training: 9th-12th Grade
Junior Counselor Training
9th-12th Grade, November 8-10Calling all current and future junior counselors (JCs)! Here’s your chance to carry the torch and see Powell House through new eyes. This conference serves as a training for new JCs as well as an opportunity to bolster your skills for current JCs. In addition to gaining skills as a JC, you can expect to have a fun and fulfilling weekend with plenty of games and connecting activities.
Nine Partners Quarterly Meeting Retreat 2024
Nine Partners Quarterly Meeting Retreat 2024
In-Person at Powell House
November 8-10, 2024
Gathering our Quarter in Community
During this retreat we will have time to get to know each other in the Nine Partners Quarter through AVP activities, discussion, play, and singing. All ages are welcome! There can be childcare and a children's program available.
Fall Retreat for Friends of Color 2024
Fall Retreat for Friends of Color
Hybrid at Powell House
November 1 - 3, 2024
The 2024 Fall Retreat will be a hybrid event with options to participate in person and online. The in-person portion of the retreat will be held at Powell House (524 Pitt Hall Rd, Old Chatham, NY 12136).
Check the FGC website for to register for the upcoming 2024 Hybrid Fall Retreat for Friends of Color!
Registration Fees:
Single room – $360
Double room – $270
Youth (13-22) – $170
Children 0-12 – $110
Commuter – $100
Virtual – $60
Registration Deadlines:
In-person – October 4
Virtual – October 18
Financial aid – October 4
Financial aid is available through the Mahala Ashley Dickerson and Bayard Rustin Funds.
Fall Work-Weekend 2024
Fall Work-Weekend
In-Person at Powell House
October 25-27, 2024
Enjoy learning new skills? Like to work among 57 acres of God’s creation in Columbia County, NY? Bring your favorite tools, old clothes and hearty appetites. Our cooks will have lots of good, nutritious & yummy food for us. We have plenty of work projects, both inside and outside our buildings. Join us for a weekend of working, dancing, and storytelling together as a community. The Powell House directors and maintenance person will coordinate our work projects.
Stewing, Bubbling, Brewing: Young Adults (18+)
Stewing, Bubbling, Brewing
Young Adults (18+), October 18-20Good things take time. What’s cooking in your cauldron? This conference is all about the patience and slow work of creating something beautiful and nourishing. We will center a lot of the theme around cooking with lots of food projects throughout the weekend. Additionally, we will have discussions that will broaden our scope to anything from social justice to creative projects.
Accountability for Public Ministry
Accountability for Public Ministry
A Skills Workshop with Quaker Leadership Center
ONLINE AT POWELL HOUSE
October 17, 2024
7:00PM - 9:00PM EASTERN
Join Powell House in the first of three skills workshops co-sponsored by Quaker Leadership Center. This workshop explores how a local worshipping community and an individual Friend might respond together to a call to public ministry. What is a call and what is necessary to be accountable and supported in it?
Co-facilitated by Andy Stanton-Henry and Windy Cooler on Thursday, September 19th at 7pm to 9pm Eastern
Andy Stanton-Henry is a writer and Quaker minister living in East Tennessee with his spouse Ashlyn, ten laying hens, and three dogs. Andy serves as Associate Director of the Quaker Leadership Center and co-pastors Lost Creek Friends Church with Ashlyn. He is a graduate of Barclay College and Earlham School of Religion. Andy carries a concern for rural ministry, leading him to publish his book Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders.
Windy Cooler is a member of Sandy Spring Meeting in Baltimore Yearly Meeting. She describes herself as a practical theologian, public minister, good Quaker pirate, and cultural worker. Windy has been an embraced public minister since 2018, traveling widely among Friends with a concern for communities in crisis and Quaker family life. She was co-editor of Friends Journal’s News section (2018-23); the Pendle Hill 2020 Cadbury Scholar, a 2022-23 fellow of the interfaith NGO Odyssey Impact, and a current doctoral candidate at Lancaster Theological Seminary.
She has served as the convener of Ben Lomond Quaker Center and Powell House's Testimonies to Mercy, a seven-part traveling retreat series on the future of Quakerism featuring nine public ministers; and Life and Power, an international discernment project on abuse. She holds a master of divinity from Earlham School of Religion. You can read her series on public ministry, written for FGC, here: https://www.fgcquaker.org/category/news/public-ministry/
Grounding, Loving, Creating: 7th-12th Grade
Grounding, Loving, Creating
7th-12th Grade, October 4-6Working for something you believe in is a beautiful and often tiring process. At this conference we will explore the ways love can inspire us to face difficult challenges in creative ways. We will give gentle care to each other and the physical space at Powell House. The weekend will be full of interesting work projects, lively discussions, and fun games and activities.
Scarsdale Meeting Retreat 2024
Scarsdale Meeting Retreat 2024
In-Person at Powell House
September 27 - 29, 2024
Opening to the Wisdom of Our Elders 2024
Opening to the Wisdom of Our Elders
In-Person at Powell House
September 20 - 22, 2024
Who has been a spiritual mentor to you in your Quaker journey of faith? Who has nurtured, instructed, encouraged you along the Way? Some of these mentors you may know only through their writings; others may be, or may once have been, dear friends.
We are heirs and heiresses to a rich tradition, grounded in the Living Presence, passed down through our historic testimonies, stories, journals, and lived examples.
The support and guidance of our spiritual ancestors is of critical importance during times of uncertainty and unknowing. We inhabit such times. What are the questions and concerns we wish to bring to the elders today? As we listen, what is the guidance they have to offer us as we gather in the sanctuary of Powell House?
During the retreat, we will gather in worship; take time alone, in solitude, to imagine intimate conversations with our ancestors; and spend time in
nature. There will be opportunities to share, as led, what we have heard as we open ourselves to the wisdom, guidance and words of hope that we trust will be given.
Linda Chidsey is a recorded minister in NYYM and has led retreats at Powell House and elsewhere for many years. She has served NYYM as clerk and has been active with the School of the Spirit Ministry in a variety of roles over the years. She carries a concern for the contemplative life lived out in the world.
Michael Wajda has traveled widely among Friends, leading retreats, speaking and helping strengthen the spiritual life of meetings. He, and another Friend, currently convene days of extended worship around NEYM. Nurtured by many Quaker elders in his lifetime, Michael is called to live into his own life of faithfulness and to support others on the spiritual journey along the way.
Discerning a Public Ministry
Discerning a Public Ministry
A Skills Workshop with Quaker Leadership Center
ONLINE AT POWELL HOUSE
SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2024
7:00PM - 9:00PM EASTERN
Join Powell House in the first of three skills workshops co-sponsored by Quaker Leadership Center. This workshop explores how a local worshipping community and an individual Friend might respond together to a call to public ministry. What is a call and what is necessary to be accountable and supported in it?
Co-facilitated by Andy Stanton-Henry and Windy Cooler on Thursday, September 19th at 7pm to 9pm Eastern
Andy Stanton-Henry is a writer and Quaker minister living in East Tennessee with his spouse Ashlyn, ten laying hens, and three dogs. Andy serves as Associate Director of the Quaker Leadership Center and co-pastors Lost Creek Friends Church with Ashlyn. He is a graduate of Barclay College and Earlham School of Religion. Andy carries a concern for rural ministry, leading him to publish his book Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders.
Windy Cooler is a member of Sandy Spring Meeting in Baltimore Yearly Meeting. She describes herself as a practical theologian, public minister, good Quaker pirate, and cultural worker. Windy has been an embraced public minister since 2018, traveling widely among Friends with a concern for communities in crisis and Quaker family life. She was co-editor of Friends Journal’s News section (2018-23); the Pendle Hill 2020 Cadbury Scholar, a 2022-23 fellow of the interfaith NGO Odyssey Impact, and a current doctoral candidate at Lancaster Theological Seminary.
She has served as the convener of Ben Lomond Quaker Center and Powell House's Testimonies to Mercy, a seven-part traveling retreat series on the future of Quakerism featuring nine public ministers; and Life and Power, an international discernment project on abuse. She holds a master of divinity from Earlham School of Religion. You can read her series on public ministry, written for FGC, here: https://www.fgcquaker.org/category/news/public-ministry/
Powell House Committee, Fall 2024
Powell House Committee, Fall 2024
ONLINE & IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2024
Members of the committee attend Powell House Committee meetings and serve on subcommittees such as Fiscal Management, Personnel, Program, Property, and Fundraising. They serve as channels of communication between Powell House and the Yearly Meeting and their own local and regional meetings.
Powell House supports a staff that includes the directors, office staff, facilities support (grounds and housekeeping), and cooks. Staff offices are presently in Pitt Hall.
Powell House was established by New York Yearly Meeting in 1960 as the result of a gift of residential property from Elsie K. Powell Sr. This property, with subsequent additions and improvements, now consists of Pitt Hall, the Anna Curtis Center, a director’s residence, a youth directors’ residence, and fifty-seven acres of land with a campground and two wildlife ponds.
Powell House is used primarily for religious conferences and similar gatherings of members and attenders of meetings belonging to New York Yearly Meeting. It is also used for meetings of Yearly Meeting committees or conferences sponsored by them. The programs include a wide variety of educational, inspirational, and organizational activities for youth and adults related to the religious, benevolent, and social concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. The facilities are available for use by affiliated Friends’ organizations and other religious or educational groups having interests compatible with those of Friends. Short-term sojourners may sometimes be accommodated.
The Life Cycle of Meetings
The Life Cycle of Meetings
IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
AUGUST 23 - 25, 2024
Friends’ meetings in the United States are changing. Most (though not all) are much smaller than they used to be, with many aging Friends. This does not necessarily mean we’ve done anything wrong, as it’s a trend that we have in common with many other 21st century faith groups, but it does mean we need to adjust our structures so that we can thrive as the people we are today.
This weekend will definitely include an introduction to the life cycles of meetings, worship, free time and some reflection time. Saturday will be a choose-your-own adventure experience. We’ll have sessions on about half of the following topics, which will be chosen according to the interests of the group:
Accompanying a meeting through life cycle work
Forming a discernment process for life cycle work
Grief as part of change
Implications of being a hybrid meeting
Initiating a conversation about life cycles of meetings
Laying down meetings
Merging two or more meetings
Outreach and welcoming
Resistance, uncertainty, and how to work with these dynamics in a group
Restructuring meetings
Sharing, renting, or selling buildings
Simplifying committee structures
Spiritual reflections on Biblical texts
Spiritual reflections on early Friends’ writings
Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.
Welcome to Powell House! 3rd-6th Grade and Parents
Welcome to Powell House!
3rd-6th Grade and Parents, August 23-253rd Graders MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents and guardians of 4th-6th graders are welcome as well.
Powell House is a place for deep connection and loads of fun! We teach Quaker testimonies in a caring, experiential way that gives kids freedom of choice in how they grow spiritually. Come enjoy a weekend and learn for yourself what makes the PoHo Youth Program so special. We will spend lots of time outside, with swimming in the afternoon, a bonfire at night, and a refreshing morning hike to Dorson’s Rock.
The Gospel of John Readers’ Theatre
The Gospel of John Readers’ Theatre
IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
AUGUST 21, 2024
6:00pm - 9:00pm
In readers’ theatre, participants read the various roles of a script while sitting and standing, without physical gestures or props or sets. It takes a minimum of eleven readers to do this with the Gospel of John. The experience can offer a whole new perspective on the stories, as we find ourselves taking on various roles and speaking and listening differently than ever before.
The reading takes three hours and includes two ten-minute intermissions. Those who join will be able to choose whether they read a larger part or smaller part or (if we have enough people present) simply be part of the audience. It is not hard to know what to read and when, as you’ll receive a script version of the story with your parts pre-highlighted.
Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.
Election Violence Prevention
Election Violence Prevention
IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
AUGUST 16 - 18, 2024
Election violence is not a theoretical possibility in the 2024 election cycle. It is here, and the question is how we respond. How do we prevent election violence from growing in magnitude?
An overwhelming majority of people in our country do not want violence, regardless of their political positions. And we can take actions that will prevent it. The research of international experts—ordinary people who have been on the ground preventing election violence in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America—can help us know how.
This weekend will start with a basic introduction to election violence prevention as a peacebuilding discipline. Saturday morning, we’ll study the Braver Angels Trustworthy Elections report, which is a tool for changing election procedures in a way that makes elections feel fair to both left-leaning and right-leaning Americans. Saturday afternoon, we’ll talk about building resilient communities that can withstand difficult times nonviolently, and we’ll explore several additional best practice strategies, then work on specific and practical theories of change. The weekend will end Sunday morning with a gathering to talk about specific next steps.
Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.
Old Chatham Monthly Meeting: Summertime Picnic
Old Chatham Monthly Meeting:
Summertime Picnic
12:30pm at the Powell House Pond
Following meeting for worship, Friends are encouraged to gather at the Powell House Pond for a meal (bring your own; this is not a potluck), conversation, and swimming. Bring chairs or blankets, hats, water, and bug repellent.
You may drive over and park in the PoHo parking lot if you wish -- perhaps carpool if possible.
Friend in Residence
Friend in Residence
IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
August 8 - 27, 2024
Time with a Friend in Residence
August 13, 14, 15, 20, & 22
Go for a walk or sit and talk. Emily Provance is open to conversations with individuals or small groups, adult-only or intergenerational. Come and talk with a traveling minister about the experience of traveling, about Friends in other places, or about discerning next steps for you or your meeting. Call 802-33-7688 or email eprovance@hotmail.com to set up a time.
Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.
NYQM Trustees Retreat 2024
NYQM Trustees Retreat 2024
In-Person at Powell House
August 2-4, 2024
NYYM Summer Sessions 2024
NYYM Summer Sessions 2024
JULY 26-31, 2024
AT OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL AND ONLINE
