OVYM Annual Sessions
Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH
June 17-21, 2026
Below you will find information about costs, registration, zoom, what to bring, and some campus information.
All Costs Are Up, Financial Help Is Available
Friends,
Costs continue to increase for events on college campuses. To cover the fees that OVYM is charged, we have had to increase the registration fee and the prices for rooms and meals. In addition, the registration fee is required; it is no longer “pay as led."
If the total for your attendance exceeds your budget, please see information about financial support. We do not want cost to be a barrier. Follow this link to learn about ways to receive some financial assistance to attend.
On the other hand, if you are able to make an additional contribution, you can help reduce the cost of annual sessions to OVYM. Gathering annually is essential to our yearly meeting; the budget we approve during our business sessions aims to cover these costs, but your contribution helps us sustain our current level of support. The regular amount you pay covers the cost for you to attend in person and a tiny fraction of the expenses for plenary speakers, children’s and youth programs, and other expenses. The registration fee for Zoom attendance covers only some of our tech expenses.
A gift of any amount helps; contributions of $100 or more help a lot.
Fees
Registration
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Each adult, age 36 and up, and all Zoom attenders $60
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First Time Attenders $30
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Young Adult Friends—YAFs (age 18-35) $30
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18 year olds in the Youth program and all other youth, children $0
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Staff and Plenary Guests $0
YAFs & First Time Attenders receive a 50% discount.
Children, youth, staff and plenary guests are free.
You will put the appropriate amount in the box on the registration form for each person. It is currently set at the default rate of $60.
Meals
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All meals (Wednesday dinner through Sunday lunch) $145
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Breakfast $9
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Lunch $13
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Dinner $17
YAFs & First Time Attenders receive a 50% discount.
Children, youth, staff and plenary guests are free.
Rooms
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Double occupancy $40 per person per night
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Single occupancy $55 per night
YAFs & First Time Attenders receive a 50% discount.
Children & youth are free.
Maximum People per Room: 3 (exceptions only for children under two).
Bring a portable crib or mattress for a child sleeping on the floor.
Parent rooming with a child may pay the double occupancy rate.
Families with more than 4 children should contact the registrar.
After you choose meals and rooms, you will check a box to apply your discount on the registration form for each person.
Paying by Check
If you plan to pay by check, make it out to OVYM. You may turn it in at the Registration Desk at annual sessions, or you can mail it to the OVYM Treasurer:
Wilson Palmer, OVYM Treasurer
821 Dunore Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Registration Deadlines
Contact Eric Wolff at 513-378-8730
Zooming in to Yearly Meeting
Register to receive the Zoom link to join the business sessions and other events. Deadline to register for Zoom is June 10. See below for late zoom registration.
We aim to provide Zoom capabilities for:
Worship (Wed: Welcome Worship, Fri: Memorial Meeting, Sunday Worship)
Business Sessions
Living Witness (Thurs.) and Plenary Presentations (Thurs. and Fri)
One workshop on Friday, one on Saturday
In addition, expect there will be a Zoom only worship sharing group
ZOOM ONLY Registration Deadline: June 10
After June 10, please text or email Martha Viehmann, who may be able to get you the Zoom link. Note that once Annual Sessions begin, Martha may turn off notifications, so reach out as early as possible to receive the Zoom link before the event you would like to attend.
Contact Martha at 513-324-8953 or martha.Viehmann@gmail.com
What to Bring to Yearly Meeting
When you come to Wittenberg University, whether you stay in the dorm or stay at a home, you can bring several things for your comfort and to reduce waste.
Recommended for Everyone
- Layers—be prepared for summer temps, chilly AC, and weather.
- Water bottle—Water fountains are plentiful; some have water bottle filling stations.
- Paper fan
- Cloth napkin; Reusable coffee/tea cup—for meals
- Props, instruments, etc.—for the variety show.
Dorm Essentials
Dorm rooms are supplied only with beds (single, extra long, with a bare, plastic-coated mattress), dressers, desks, desk chairs, and a ceiling light. The dorm lounges have a microwave but no refrigerator. Please bring:
- Extra long twin sized sheets
- Light-weight blanket or two or a sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Towels and face cloth
- Soap and all other toiletries
- Chargers for your devices
Optional Items for Dorm and Campus Life
- Mattress pad (reduces noise from plastic coated mattress)
- Bag for collecting trash or recyclables (trash can are in halls and bathrooms only)
- Electric fan
- Desk or bedside lamp
- Laundry detergent
- Bath mat
- Lawn chair if you plan to attend outdoor worship sharing
- Volleyball or frisbee for the sand volleyball court or disc golf course
IF YOUR MEDICATION REQUIRES REFRIGERATION
Please bring a cooler or dorm-sized refrigerator. There is no refrigerator in the dorm.
Wittenberg does not allow the following in dorms
- Vaping or smoking
- Alcohol
- Coffee makers or any portable cooking devices
- Pets
Campus Information—Wittenberg University
Registration Desk Location: Atrium, Shouvelin
(#45 on map)
The Atrium is on the ground floor of Shouvelin (pronounced “shovelin”). It is outside of Shov. 105, the location for our business sessions and several other events.
Park in the Benham-Pence Student Center (BPSC) parking lot off Ward Street (on the map, the building is #43; for the lot, see #7 on the Parking list). The Joseph C. Shouvelin Center is located to the right of the Student Center. Walk through the student center or look for the sign that points to Shouvelin.
Note, you will be visiting the Student Center throughout your stay— the dining hall is on the second floor; Afterthoughts Cafe will be held on the basement level.
Look for signs, sidewalk-chalked guidance, and, especially on Wednesday afternoon, look for Friend-ly folks providing guidance.
Dorm Access and Location
Your dorm room key also opens the locked entrances to your dormitory.
Key distribution is handled by Wittenberg University in the Benham-Pence Student Center, #43 on the map. Park in lot #7, accessed from Ward Rd. They will have your key in an envelope with your name on it.
Dorm Rooms: New Residence Hall (#47 on the map) is our assigned dorm, and it is usually just called New Hall. To unpack, you may move your car to the New Hall lot, #8 on the Parking list, accessed from West Cassily Street. There are limited parking spaces there, so please move your car back to the Student Center lot after unloading, unless you will need easy access to your car in the evenings.
The Children’s, Youth, and YAF programs all have spaces reserved in New Hall. Anyone attending OVYM but not staying in the dorm must be included on our list of people present at Annual Sessions, which we will update daily. So even if you are only dropping in for the day, you need to register.
Key distribution and return
Beginning Wednesday at 1pm, Wittenberg Staff will be in the Student Center to hand out keys. Events staff will be available only until 5:45 pm on Wednesday and at limited times on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We will provide information at the Registration Desk once the times are set.
On Sunday for key return, the Events Staff will move to the Shov. Atrium, near the registration area, to accept your keys (from 8:30am to 2:00 pm only). Please plan ahead so that you can move out on time.
If you are arriving any time after 5:45 p.m. on Wed please be sure the Registrar is aware of your arrival time. Wittenberg cannot operate like a hotel; we are working with them to assist as many people as possible, but if you do not live near Springfield and cannot leave home until after work, please consider waiting to leave until the next morning or making alternate arrangements for a place to stay near campus.
If you are leaving Annual Sessions prior to 8:30 am on Sunday, please be sure the Registrar is aware of your departure time. We will be working with Wittenberg staff to determine specific times to turn in keys and procedures that allow for planned early departures. Please look for information at the Registration Desk. Note, if you give your key to someone else for them to return for you, and they lose it, you will owe the lost key charge to OVYM.
Things to Do
On campus,
stop in the Chapel, take a walk on the grounds, or play disc golf.
In Springfield,
pay a visit to the local underground railroad stop and museum, the Gammon House, which is also the site of the city’s Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, 6/20. More details here: https://gammonhouse.org/
Why Can’t We Return to Earlham in 2026?
Earlham rescinded their proposed contract in the fall because they are unable to host summer conferences. The college is facing financial challenges, which they are addressing by laying off most of their staff over the summer. They simply cannot provide meals, housing, AV support, or security without more staff. Our communications ended on a friendly note with their expressing hope they could host us in 2027. However, this remains a difficult environment for small liberal arts colleges without large endowments.
We hope Wittenberg proves to be satisfactory, and we hope that everyone in attendance treats the people and the facilities with respect. Changing locations is time-consuming for your Planning Committee. We’d like to be able to stay in one place for a few years!
