2025 Spring Gathering
Friday, June 6th - Sunday June 8th
Y at Watson Woods, Painted Post, NY
Quaker Community and Conscientious Objection
All are Welcome!
Who’s Coming?
Two Conscientious Objector Counselors will join us to talk about their work:
Bill Galvin is recently retired from his work as Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War.
Mikheil Elizbarashvili (Misha) counsels conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia and Ukraine through The Peace and Service Network of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Misha also counsels objectors, who are mostly in Armenia, through the Caucasus office of ACT 4 Transformation in Tbilisi, Georgia. See https://act4transformation.net/en/global-peace/
Nadine Hoover will bring a message about Paying for War and Lyle Jenks and Tom Joyce will speak about FSRM's Peace Tax Escrow Account.
One-hour interest groups will be held Saturday afternoon.
FSRM is inviting Young Adult Friends from across our Yearly Meeting to join us for the weekend along with Beth Kelly. Beth is the Children, Youth, and Young Adult Community Director for New York Yearly Meeting (NYYM).
Kevin Lovelady, Aging Resources, Consultation and Help (ARCH) Director for NYYM will be with us to offer an interest group on death discussions.
Suzanne and Keith Blackburn will offer an interest group on their visit to Japan for the World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.
We hope to see Friends from across the Region and across the Yearly Meeting.
Arrivals: Friday, June 6, 5pm, dinner: 6pm, program: 7:30pm
Departures: Sunday, June 8, after Meeting for Business, ca. 2 pm (clear out rooms before 9:30 am brunch).
If you are showing symptoms of illness, please stay home!
After lunch on Saturday we will plan our open space time slots for the afternoon. Please bring your ideas and any materials for an hour-long interest group.
Pay as Led Registration:
All adults and children must register as individuals--one registration per person. Thanks! It makes it easier to track who's coming.
Please bring your musical instruments, snacks to share, and craft supplies.
We look forward to being with you!
As in years past, Spring Gathering registration fees and weekend costs will be pay-as-led.
We recognize that families, young Friends and Friends who may be experiencing financial challenges may feel the burden of registration costs. We long to have all who are called to be part of Spring Gathering be able to participate. No one will be turned away for financial reasons.
We are offering guidelines so that Friends have a sense of the approximate cost, but you should also know that the Region has money and a commitment for anyone to be there who would like to attend.
Using these guidelines and your own knowledge of your situation, please choose to pay what works the best for you. If you are not able to pay at all this year, you do not need to pay anything. If you would like to donate more, that will help cover costs for others.
This is a range of costs per person (including meals and the Y at Watson Woods program fee), depending on what kind of room and whether there is only one person in the room, or two. If you have questions about this (or if you would like to know costs for more than two people in a room) you are welcome to contact our registrars, Sally Zelasko and Bronwyn Mohlke, atFSRMregistrar@gmail.com
Hotel style room
2 nights (5 meals) / $220 per person double occupancy / $330 for 1 person in a single
1 night (3 meals) / $140 per person, double occupancy / $195 for 1 person in a single
Dorm style room, with a bathroom (very few of these)
2 nights (5 meals) / $195 per person double occupancy / $280 for 1 person in a single
1 night (3 meals) / $127 per person double occupancy / $170 for 1 person in a single
Dorm style room, bathroom down the hall
2 nights (5 meals) / $185 per person double occupancy / $260 for 1 person in a single
1 night (3 meals) / $125 per person double occupancy / $160 for 1 person in a single
Hillside (building next to the main building)
2 nights (5 meals) / $160 per person double occupancy / $210 for 1 person in a single
1 night (3 meals) / $110 per person double occupancy / $135 for 1 person in a single
No charge for accommodations for Young Adult Friends
Five meals $65 per person
Three meals $40 per person
Y at Watson Woods program fee $45
Saturday only (program fee + lunch & dinner) $72 per person
Children ages 6-12 have a $55 discount from the numbers listed above for both nights & all meals
Watson Homestead does not charge anything for children 5 years old and younger
If you are mailing a check in advance, please make it out to Farmington Scipio Regional Meeting and mail it to:
Pat Sewell, FSRM Treasurer, 166 Crescent Place, Ithaca, NY 14850
We will soon have a method to pay online in advance, and will send details on how to do that.
Our preference is to receive payment before the Spring Gathering weekend, but it will be possible to pay by cash, check, or credit card at Spring Gathering.