Attending Yearly Meeting 2024
Yearly Meeting is the annual gathering of all Australian Quakers.
This was my first time at an in-person Yearly Meeting, having only started to attend Quaker meetings in late 2019. And I was so glad that I decided to come!
I deeply appreciated experiencing the formal sessions and seeing how the Society conducts its business. This, on paper, was something that had attracted me to Quakerism as I was just learning about it. But being in a large room full of Friends patiently expressing themselves and building up in the spirit of unity really helped me understand it deeply.
Even though I was only able to attend the final Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I was overwhelmed in the best possible way. The chance to meet Friends from other cities and states was a blessing. Our community may be small, but its vitality and vivaciousness were evident! I got the sense that many others were relieved to be meeting in person again after years of online Meetings.
I am very much looking forward to the next time we can do so.