Who are we?
OVYM is a spiritual community of 17 Monthly Meetings in Indiana, Kentucky, and Southwestern Ohio—organized under two Quarterly Meetings: Miami and Whitewater. Monthly Meetings meet weekly for worship and conduct their business once a month; Quarterly Meetings meet for worship and conduct business quarterly; Yearly Meetings meet annually, and have an appointed Executive Committee to conduct business between annual sessions.
OVYM gathers each summer for our Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions: five days of worship, spiritual renewal, and fellowship. We also conduct the business of the Yearly Meeting: lay ministry, religious education, finance, and Faith and Practice. All members of the Yearly Meeting and their guests are welcome to attend.
What is a Yearly Meeting?
A Yearly Meeting is the central organizing unit of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), with no larger body exercising authority over it. As such, Yearly Meetings develop their own concepts of beliefs and operations, which they publish in a Faith and Practice document.
The Yearly Meeting ties the Monthly Meetings together and exists as a support organization to those Monthly Meetings. Like a Monthly Meeting, the Yearly Meeting exists to build community, support the life of the spirit, and discern appropriate action as an active witness to the world.
What is Quakerism?
Quakerism is both a shared faith and a way of life, based on shared experience and practice, rather than liturgy or forms of worship. We experience divine presence, power, and guidance in our worship and our daily lives. This, in turn, motivates and empowers our efforts to promote peace, justice, and equality.
