Details
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Discernment Discovery Day is a day-long gathering of Friends from throughout New England. The event is a chance for Friends of all ages to explore what is at the heart of the Quaker practice of discernment through dialogue, workshops, worship sharing, and connection-making.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends exists to support and nurture New England Quakers, and we hope we hope our gatherings will equip individual Friends and local meetings with resources, tools, and connections to more fully live our faith.
Our schedule generally follows this flow:
- 9:00 a.m Arrival with snacks, coffee, and tea.
- 10:00 a.m. Morning program
- 12:00 p.m. Lunch and free time
- 1:15 p.m. Workshops
- 3:15 p.m. Closing program and worship
- 4:00 p.m. Saying our good-byes
Through worship reflecting the diversity of Quaker practice in New England, inspiring speakers and experiential workshops, our gatherings nourish our spirits and strengthen our ability to live our faith. A concurrent youth program explores these same themes in ways accessible to children. The day opens and closes with programming for all generations, allowing us to be together as a multigenerational community.
There will also a weekend retreat for teens (ages 13–18) in tandem with Discernment Discovery Day. The Teen Retreat will go from March 14th to 16th, 2025, and we will be participating in Discernment Discovery Day on the 15th. You can learn more about the Teen Retreat and register here.
Ready to register for Discernment Discovery Day? Registration is open here.
The workshops this year are:
Introduction to Faithfulness Groups
A faithfulness group is a small group focused on helping one another discern and respond to how the Spirit is leading/calling each of us in our lives. Building on the work of Quaker author and teacher Marcelle Martin, participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to practice skills such as deep listening and asking evoking questions which can be used in faithfulness groups, clearness committees, and spiritual friendships. This is an opportunity to celebrate the activity of the Spirit in one another's lives.
This workshop is facilitated by Tammy Forner, who worships with Friends in Middletown, CT, and has been active in faithfulness groups for six years.
Elder Elise Boulding's Imaging as Discernment
Discernment requires an emotionally safe environment to build trust, informed by deep listening. Once safe, we can take on the important discernment questions by using Virginia Swain’s mentor, Friend/elder Elise Boulding‘s imaging process, a way to use our imagination for discerning the answers to our life’s questions.
Imaging plays a key role in our lives because we cannot reconcile a challenge at the level it was created. Participants are asked to bring a discernment question with them, and, if they’d like their favorite art supplies to supplement those provided.
Facilitated by Virginia Swain (Friends Meeting at Cambridge)
Playful Noticing
In this workshop, as we practice noticing, we seek to engage, surprise, and share vulnerabilities with one another, while being playful. We are inviting mistakes and being gentle with ourselves and each other as we explore how unexamined assumptions impact our discernments. In order to grow in our flexibility and resilience for noticing patterns, we want to support Friends’ efforts to release the need to be right or wrong, to open up to one another, and to live into beloved community. Come join us.
Facilitated by Pamela Terrien (Westport, MA), Becky Jones (Northampton, MA).
Vocational Discernment
Across life stages, many of us are yearning for work and service more fulfilling and meaningful than just a career. We’re asking deep questions about who we are; about what our values are, and how we might live in alignment with them; about where our gifts and skills meet real needs in the world. Quaker faith and practice offer tools to not only discern our call now, but to continue that discernment journey throughout our life, work, and ministry. Come “try on” these practices and reflect on your own journey.
Facilitated by Jen Newman (Beacon Hill, MA).
Challenging Scenarios: How do we respond when corporate discernment feels stuck?
What do we do when what we know about “Quaker process” doesn’t seem to respond to the challenges before our Friends communities? This workshop is an opportunity for anyone called to active participation in their Friend’s community’s discernment (including those serving as clerks, recording clerks, or committee clerks) to discuss challenging scenarios and explore possible faithful ways forward. Facilitated by Jackie Stillwell (Monadnock, NH).
Corporate eldership in today’s times of chaos and transformation
Prophetic eldership is creating the space for allowing that which is new to arise. One variant today is the need for us to have new images to guide our shift in consciousness. During our time together, we will practice deep listening as we will reflect on our experience together in the morning worship sharing. What might bands of mystics and elders bring to our corporate discernment within NEYM and beyond?
Facilitated by Janet Hough (Cobscook, ME).
Sessions Visioning Listening Opportunity
In recent years, internal and external changes have affected the context of New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) Annual Sessions—rising costs, changes in attendance patterns, reduced volunteer availability, and growing demands on our limited resources. These shifts have prompted us to rethink how we plan, fund, and offer Annual Sessions. This winter, many meetings and quarters have offered facilitated conversations to gather insights as part of our discernment process. If you were not able to participate in a Sessions Visioning listening opportunity but would like to, join us.
This will be offered only if there is sufficient interest.
