Weekly Announcements for July 31, 2026

Baltimore Yearly Meeting's 354th Annual Session continues. Business, workshops, interest groups, and committee meetings are well underway - with plenty of ice cream to keep Friends cool. This morning's Meeting for Business included our annual Roll Call of local meetings, including 4 new meetings and worship groups BYM has welcomed in recent years! Workshops continue today and tomorrow at 2:00pm and interest groups at 4:15pm, with virtual options available. Tomorrow we'll continue our business and then hear from our 2026 Carey Lecturer, Valerie Brown, before gathering for the conclusion of Annual Sessions with All Together Worship on Sunday at 11:00am. 

All Together Meeting for Worship will take place on the last day of Annual Session, Sunday, August 2nd from 11:00am - 12:00pm. "All Together Meeting for Worship" is a new-to-BYM tradition of inviting all Friends and Meetings to worship together - from Annual Session, from home, or from your Meeting House! The Zoom Link to join can be found in our Zooms Links for Annual Session document. 

Valerie Brown is an author, Buddhist-Quaker Dharma teacher, facilitator, and executive coach, specializing in leadership development and mindfulness practices. A former lawyer and lobbyist, Valerie transformed her high-pressure, twenty-year career into serving leaders and nonprofits to create trustworthy, authentic, and compassionate workspaces. 

The "Seeds for Peace" working group from Adelphi Friends invites BYM Friends to a special Second Hour on Sun, Aug 2 at 12:15pm. During the Apartheid Free Communities discernment process, Friends have expressed some tensions and questions in these areas, meaning that we have some exploration to do together. Dov Baum, Ph.D, director of Corporate Accountability for the American Friends Service Committee and a lifelong Israeli activist for Palestinian rights, will join us for this conversation. Please join the conversation in person at the Friends Community School or online, using this zoom link.

The Friends Incubator for Public Ministry is holding a conversation with ross brubeck, public minister and pilgrim who has been traveling by foot to visit Quaker meetings throughout the country. ross’ journey began this past May after organizing with New York Quakers in order to continue the project of intervisitation which began with last year’s Walk to Washington. The conversation will touch on the challenge of sustaining a vocation of peacework during a time of societal change and distraction, and how faith is applied when walking in solitude and isolation between meetings of Friends.

Registration for the Fall Spiritual Formation Retreat is now open! The retreat, Sept 11-13 at the Claggett Center in Adamstown, MD, 

will gather under the theme Faithfulness: Nurturing our connection to Spirit and with each other in challenging times. As we gather in trusted community, we will explore the power of our spiritual lives to create the ballast we need to "steady the ship” as we navigate through rough waters. By listening for the whispers of the Inward Teacher and by learning from each other, we can find the strength and the wisdom to keep our feet firmly planted, our eyes clear, and our hearts open.

Join Friends on Zoom for a comprehensive, interactive workshop for all teens and young adults, of any gender, as well as all interested adults or mentors, of any age. Hosted by the Quaker Religious Education Collaborative Quaker House, and Durham Friends Meeting (NC), the workshop takes place in three sessions, August 10, 13, and 17 from 7-8pm. The workshop covers Selective Service legislation, definitions of conscientious objection, activities to discern one’s beliefs and articulate them, and finally some strategies to defend them.  Learn more and register using the link above. 

The summer edition of the Indigenous Affairs Quarterly. The newsletter of the BYM Indigenous Affairs Committee is now available. The summer issue includes news clips, reading and resources, and upcoming events. 

The annual BYM Women's Retreat will take place March 5-7, 2027 at the Pearlstone Retreat Center. Women+ will gather under the theme Community, Courage, and Creativity: Unlocking the Precious Power of Our Differences. Stay tuned for registration, opening this fall! 

All BYM staff are fully engaged in either Annual Session or the final session of BYM Camps (or both!) Staff are only able to respond to requests that require immediate attention for the good order of Annual Session or camp. All other requests will be answered starting Wednesday, August 5th. Throughout Annual Session, admin@bym-rsf.org and program@bym-rsf.org will be monitored - please do reach out with your Annual Session questions! 

To submit your items for the BYM Weekly Announcements,
please email Admin@bym-rsf.org. 

Baltimore Yearly Meeting
17100 Quaker Lane | Sandy Spring, MD | 20860 USA
www.bym-rsf.org

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17100 Quaker Lane | Sandy Spring, MD 20860 US