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New England Yearly Meeting
A brief description
THE NAME "Yearly Meeting" refers both to the annual Sessions and the year-round organization. It's the oldest yearly meeting in the world, dating from when Friends gathered in 1661 in Newport, RI, and continued to meet annually. Friends first came to America in 1656, in New England, four years after George Fox began his ministry in England.
The Sessions
New England Yearly Meeting's annual Sessions for business, usually held-in early August on a college campus, have the features of a conference and a family camp, with workshops, interest groups, talks, worship-sharing, and recreation. A large number of children and young people attend. The Sessions Committee works all year making arrangements for the six-day annual Sessions attended by over 700 persons. Not only meeting members attend, but it is also open to those not in formal membership.
Continuing body
When Yearly Meeting is not in session, its decision-making is handled as need arises by the Permanent Board, an appointed body consisting of Friends from all over New England. The Board meets several times a year.
Who belongs
The Yearly Meeting has over 4,000 members on record, plus many meeting attenders who have not yet joined, in 98 meetings–of which 68 are monthly meetings and about 30 are preparative (subsidiary) meetings or worship groups. All monthly meeting members in New England are automatically members of the Yearly Meeting, as well as of their respective quarterly meetings. (There are three meetings in New England that belong to the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region and ther are several meetings in lower Connecticut that are members of New York Yearly Meeting). Each meeting is asked to contribute to the budget for the year-round work approved at the annual Sessions.
Background
In the 19th century, American Quakers split into groups over matters of faith. The "Gurneyite" meetings, with programmed worship and pastors, in the "Yearly Meeting of Friends for New England," and the "Wilburite" meetings with unprogrammed worship and no pastors, in "New England Yearly Meeting," came together in 1945 along with the Connecticut Valley Association of Friends, and the independent Cambridge, Mass., and Providence, R.I., meetings, to become New England Yearly Meeting. Today the Yearly Meeting belongs to two national Quaker groupings: Friends United Meeting, one of two organizations of meetings with pastors and programmed worship; and also Friends General Conference, the organization of meetings without pastors, worshipping on the basis of silent waiting.
Yearly Meeting authority
Monthly meetings are independent congregations which run their own business and own their own property; preparative meetings or worship groups are in the care of some monthly meeting. Individuals' membership is in the monthly meeting and is reported to the Yearly Meeting. By having approved and adopted Faith and Practice, each monthly meeting is expected to follow certain common practices and procedures—including support of the Yearly Meeting. Matters of faith are broadly described in the book to recognize the diversity among Friends in New England; matters of common belief are identified.
Staff
The Yearly Meeting currently employs the following staff:
- The Administrative Secretary (full-time) is the office manager who serves the entire membership and committee structure from a central office located in Worcester, MA, with lists, mailings, "Committee Day" arrangements, and at the annual Sessions.
- The Director of the Friends Camp (full-time) on China Lake, ME is a year-round position.
- The Field Secretary (full-time) visits and offers information, encouragement, and support to all meetings and puts them in touch with sources of help as needed in all areas, from finances to pastoral care. He has overall responsibility for the arrangements for the annual Sessions.
- The Young Friends-Young Adult Friends Coordinator (full time) serves high school aged youth and the young adult Friends community (ages 18-35ish), not only during the Sessions but on weekend retreats throughout the year. A number of volunteers manage events for younger children at the Sessions and during the year.
- The Administrative Assistant (4/5 time) assists the Administrative Secretary.
- The Christian Education Coordinator (2/5 time) has responsibility for assisting local meetings with First Day school education.
- The NEYM Archivist (6.5 hours/week) is the administrator of the NEYM Archives located at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library in Providence, RI.
Supervision
The Administrative Secretary, Director of Friends Camp, and the Field Secretary have the guidance of an appointed advisor and work under the general supervision of the Personnel Committee, which is accountable to the Permanent Board. The Camp Director is responsible to the Friends Camp Committee. The Young Friends-Young Adult Friends Coordinator, the Christian Education Coordinator, and the NEYM Archivist report to the Field Secretary. The Administrative Assistant reports to the Administrative Secretary.
Institutions and property
The Yearly Meeting owns and operates Friends Camp, a summer camp for youth in China, Maine, and New England Friends Home-Thayer House, an assisted-living facility for the elderly in Hingham, MA, through committees. It also owns, but recognizes great autonomy for, Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. There are also Friends-related institutions in New England not under the care of the Yearly Meeting.