The Central European Gathering forms a new Yearly Meeting
At its meeting on the 25th – 28th May 2023 in Gdansk, Poland the Central European Gathering made the historic decision to become a Yearly Meeting.
Part of their minute CEG 2023/07 reads:
On this 26th day of May 2023 in Gdansk, Poland, Central Europe, on the edge of the Baltic Sea, in the presence of 39 Friends in person and online, the CEG became the Central European Yearly Meeting. We are looking forward to formalising this via EMES.
Over the coming weeks and months the EMES Executive Committee in consultation with the FWCC International Membership Applications Committee will be working with Friends in Central Europe to implement their decision to become a YM.
EMES Executive Secretary Michael Eccles, who was at the meeting in Gdansk, said:
‘I was thrilled to be at this special occasion and am glad to see the confidence of Central European Quakers grow and to see their structures develop to support their new yearly meeting. I welcome this development and will continue to work with Friends in Central Europe to support them in this next stage of their lives as a Quaker community. It is exciting for all Friends to see a new yearly meeting in our Section and should give us all hope for the future of Quakerism.’
CEG Friends Cathy Butler and Arne Springorom, present in Gdansk told us:
‘Arne and I were full of joy at the CEG decision, finally, to become CEYM – we were at the table years ago when the first (verbal) seed was sown by a long-time Central European Friend when they said: “This Gathering, this real Quaker community, feels like it is becoming a Yearly Meeting for me.”’
Read the epistle from the meeting here.
(Photo credit Eva Toth-Buberak)
