Annual Session Discussion Group
Signing the marriage certificate at a traditional Quaker Wedding at one of our Meetings.
Personal reflection during annual sessions
About Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting
Connect with Us
We welcome you to connect with us and our member congregations. Whether you're just curious about Quakers or you're looking for a spiritual home, Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting (OVYM) has congregations (Monthly Meetings) throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and southwestern Ohio that welcome you to connect with them in worship, religious education, and fellowship.
Feel free to explore the complete list of our Monthly Meetings on our Community Pages to find a congregation near you. You also can find a Monthly Meeting in your area by visiting the Meeting Map Page, which has an interactive map of Monthly Meetings in OVYM, as well as a link to the Quaker Finder Meeting Locator website to assist you in finding a Meeting anywhere in the United States by City, State, or Zip Code.
About Us
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 at the end of July 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.
A Yearly Meeting is the central organizing unit of the Religious Society of Friends 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.
There is a lot of information about OVYM available to you from this Overview Page, as you can see from the topic navigation menu on the left side of the page. Feel free to explore our History, Activities, Annual Sessions, Latest News, and the other available pages.
You can find all the information about past and upcoming Annual Sessions on the Annual Sessions Page, including epistles and minutes of the sessions. You may also want to read the most recent Minutes of the Executive Committee.