2023 Annual Sessions – Ashland, Ohio – Lake Erie Yearly Meeting

LEYM 2024 will Return to Ashland

Our next Annual Meeting is scheduled for June 13-16, 2024 at Ashland University. Watch the Bulletin for details.

LEYM 2023: Navigating Anew Quakers affiliated with Lake Erie Yearly Meeting gather annually for fellowship, worship, business and to see how the spirit moves among us. From June 15-18, 2023 LEYM Friends will be meeting at Ashland University. See the most recent issue of the LEYM Bulletin for event details, workshop descriptions and registration information and forms. Check this one-page schedule (now includes locations) to see what we have in store for attendees.

All Are Welcome

Quakers believe that there is that of God in every person. In this spirit, we welcome all people regardless of age, race, differing abilities, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

30+ Sessions

There's something for everyone at this year's annual sessions, including worship opportunities, workshops, bible study, the keynote plenary, or the Saturday evening social fun time.

Timely Workshops

Join experienced presenters for explorations of topics highly relevant to our current condition. See schedule below.

Friday Plenary with Emily Provance

Join us for a plenary by traveling Friend Emily Provance on the theme "Navigating Anew."

Annual Session Offerings June 15-18 (see tabs below)

Powerful Workshops
Plenaries & Social Time
Worship & Bible Study
Business Sessions

We are hosting multiple workshops this year, including one by our keynote speaker Emily Provance. You can review the full workshop descriptions here.
Workshops on Offer
- Workshop Session 1 (Friday, 3:30-5:00pm)
  - Navigating Nonviolence: Faith and Practice (Trustee Room)
  - ReGrounding Spiritual Community: Becoming a More Deeply "Faithful Meeting" (Heritage Room)
  - The Poetry of Helen Morgan Brooks through the Eyes of Silent Worship (President's Dining Room)
- Workshop Session 2 (Saturday, 10:30-12:00)
  - Finding Ways to Support Peace in the Middle East (Trustee Room)
  - The Power of Enough (Heritage Room)
  - The Arts and Spirituality: Spiritual Journey Visualized Through Collage (President's Dining Room)
  - The Four Stages of Community; before, during and "after" COVID (Faculty Room)
- Workshop Session 3 (Saturday, 3:30-5:00pm)
  - Building a Culture of Multi-Age Inclusion (Trustee Room)
  - Keeping Quakerism Alive: Distilling the Essence of Quakerism to Share with Newcomers (Heritage Room)
  - Lending and Borrowing: Personal Ethics and Social Policy (Faculty Room)
  - Ready to Think Anew About the Death Penalty – and Act to Abolish It? (President's Dining Room)
We'll gather for our shared opening session Thursday night. On Friday evening, Emily Provance will provide our plenary keynote on the theme "Navigating Anew" The Saturday evening social fun time is also a fan favorite.
Large Group Gatherings
- Opening Welcome - Thursday Evening
- Ashland Center for Nonviolence Open House - Friday Morning
- Plenary with Emily Provance - Friday Evening
- Saturday Evening Intergenerational Fun Time
- Night Owl Movie Watching Friday and Saturday Evening
We’ll have morning and evening silent worship opportunities, Bible study sessions, and worship-sharing small group sessions on the theme. Our Sunday Meeting for Worship will provide a spirit-filled closing for the gathering.
Worship and Bible Study Opportunities
- FRIDAY JUNE 16
  1. Early Worship - 6:45am
  2. Worship Sharing - 8:30am
  3. Bible Study - 9:30am
  4. Evening Collection - 9:00pm
- SATURDAY JUNE 17
  1. Early Worship - 6:45am
  2. Worship Sharing - 8:30am
  3. Bible Study - 9:30am
  4. Evening Collection - 9:00pm
- SUNDAY JUNE 18
  1. Early Worship - 6:45am
  2. Meeting for Worship (everyone) - 10:30am
Friends will gather to conduct the business of the Yearly Meeting across multiple sessions. We plan to provide Zoom access to Friends who want to attend from a distance.
Business Session Schedule
- Executive Committee - Thursday 1:30 pm
- Business Session 1 - Friday 10:30 am
- Business Session 2 - Friday 1:15 pm
- Business Session 3 - Saturday 1:15 pm
- Executive Committee - Sunday 1:30 pm

Friends Gathering Together

Helping with a Tender Hand

"Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand." -- Issac Penington (1616-1679)

11 Great Workshops to Choose From Engaging workshops, with something for everyone. See full descriptions here.

Join us on the Ashland University Campus

2023 Annual Sessions – Ashland, Ohio

Navigating Anew is our 2023 Theme. We’re all excited to finally be gathering together again in person. We find ourselves in changing times in the world and in our Quaker meetings. With all this change, navigation isn’t on autopilot but becomes a conscious task, whether it is finding the way from dorm to dining hall or finding our way toward being an inclusive body of Friends. Navigation also involves a careful discernment of how we are led and how we can keep true to a spirit-led path as new ways open. Workshops, bible study and shared worship can help. Please plan to join us on June 15-18 2023 for LEYM’s Annual Meeting. Discovery awaits!

Annual Sessions Calendar of Events

A PDF providing a one-page view of the schedule is available to print or save.

ONLINE SCHEDULE TIPS: Use the controls along the right top to select different days and to change views. Scroll up and down through the day's time slots by dragging or using the scrollbar on the right side. Click on the title of an individual session to see additional details. Use the "view larger version" link along the bottom right to go to an expanded calendar view.

LEYM 2023 Schedule

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

What is LEYM? +

Lake Erie Yearly Meeting (LEYM) began in 1939 as an association of Friends (aka Quaker) meetings in Ohio, Michigan, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It is currently made up of 20 local congregations, called monthly meetings. There are also a number of informal worship groups within LEYM. It is affiliated with Friends General Conference (FGC), a Quaker service organization for unprogrammed Friends in the U.S. LEYM publishes a regular newsletter known as the LEYM Bulletin.

Who put together this program? +

This year's annual sessions were planned by the Adult & Family Program Committee comprised of Clemence Mershon (clerk), Barbara LeSage, Greg Mott, Bill Warters, Ellerie Brownfain, Susan Hartman and Sally Weaver Sommer. Technical and website design support was provided by Bill Warters, LEYM's Digital Communications Facilitator.

Who's managing local site arrangements? +

LEYM's Arrangements and Site Committee (Sally Weaver Sommer, Clerk; Jon Sommer, Mike Hinshaw, Mary Igoe Meyers, and Bill Warters) is coordinating with Ashland University's Director of Catering and Conferences Erika Chuburko.

What are the Forms of Payment I can use? +

Traditionally, LEYM has relied on checks being mailed to the registrar alongside a completed registration form, as well as checks written at the time of arrival and onsite check-in. This year, we've added the ability for Friends to pay online using our new LEYM payment portal provided by Friends Fiduciary. The portal is also accessible via the "Give to LEYM" buttons located on the sidebar of most LEYM website pages. Using this tool, by clicking on the "Give Now" button you can pay via Credit Card or ACH (using your bank account, like auto-bill pay services). Because Credit Card systems charge a service fee (ours takes 3%), LEYM gets a bit less money unless you top-up your donation amount or use the less costly ACH method. To pay for Annual Sessions registration via our portal, be sure to select "Event Registration - Annual Meeting" as your Fund Choice to properly indicate where you money is to be allocated.

What kind of online opportunities are there for Friends at a distance? +

We'll be meeting in-person at Ashland University in Ashland, OH. We will be offering limited online opportunities to join in specific events (Plenary, Business Sessions) via Zoom. Details to follow.

What are the Guidelines regarding COVID safety? +

Participants are reminded that attendees have different levels of vulnerability and the well-being of all members is paramount. Therefore, all participants at Annual Meeting are asked to follow these guidelines:

Attenders are encouraged to take a home test within five days prior to arrival at Ashland. Regardless of the results, if members feel ill during the week leading up to the Annual Meeting, please stay home.
Masks are welcomed and encouraged, but not required, when in close proximity where social distancing is not an option.
Please carry a mask with you at all times in the event it will be necessary.
Be mindful of physical distancing and personal space. Room seating arrangements may be adjusted to accommodate each others’ safety.
Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for adults and children.
COVID safety measures may be modified, pending pandemic trends in the City of Ashland and/or via Ashland University policies for visitors.

Where can I get more info on the Business Sessions? +

The agenda (when finalized) and various documents that will be discussed during the annual meeting Business Sessions can be found at the 2023 Annual Business Sessions page. We anticipate being able to offer Zoom access for remote participants. Check the Business Sessions page for access information when it comes available.

Where can I get more information? +

You can reach out to the Lake Erie Yearly Meeting worker at leymworker@gmail.com. Information for contacting LEYM Committee clerks is available on the LEYM website here: https://leym.org/contact-information/

What should I do if I'm feeling uncomfortable about someone's behavior? +

Harassment Discernment Committee - If a Friend feels she or he has been poorly or unfairly treated during our YM sessions because of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, or any other factor, he or she can reach out to this committee. Friends who witness harassment are also encouraged to reach out. Of course, if it is safe to do so, Friends are encouraged to seek direct, positive solutions first. The complete LEYM harassment discernment policy with contact information is available at leym.org.

What is Worship-sharing? +

Worship sharing sessions focus on a particular question and help us to explore our own experience and share with each other more deeply than we would in normal conversation. A topic or query is raised and then Friends "speak out of the silence" as moved. In most cases, a person won't speak twice until everyone has had a chance to speak once. Typically, a brief period of silence is held between individual sharings. A designated facilitator will introduce the topic and coordinate the sharing process.

LEYM 2023