Poughkeepsie Friends Quaker Meeting

10/22/2026

**Upcoming Event - Free - Open to The Public** Movie screening and panel! 🎬

What does it mean to be a boy growing up today? How do we help boys develop meaningful friendships, express their emotions, and feel comfortable being themselves in a world that often expects them to be tough and independent?

These are questions worth exploring, not just for parents, but for anyone who cares about the well-being of young people.

Oakwood Friends School and Farm & Wilderness Camps invite the community to a free screening of Boys of Summer, an NPR Studios short documentary that follows a group of teenage boys at a summer camp in Vermont. Away from screens and everyday pressures, the boys discover the importance of friendship, vulnerability, and supporting one another.

Following the film, a panel of professionals and community members will lead a discussion about the challenges boys face today, the importance of emotional connection, and the ways we can help young people build confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, educator, counselor, coach, or simply someone interested in the lives of young people, we hope you'll join us. You don't need to have answers or even questions. Just come ready to watch, listen, and be part of a conversation that matters.

Thursday, October 29 | 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Spencer FamilyTheater, Oakwood Friends School
22 Spackenkill Road, Poughkeepsie, NY

Free and open to the public. All are welcome.

10/20/2026

There’s friendly. And then there’s Friendly. 😆
have been known as for centuries.
And that word tells you quite a bit about us.
There isn’t one person with all the answers.
We gather as equals.
We listen together.
We seek together.
We make decisions together.
Being a Friend doesn’t mean we always agree.
(Trust us, it would be much easier if it did. 😄)
But it means we keep coming back to the table anyway.
And we leave room for the possibility that someone else might see something we don't. There is that of God/Spirit in EVERYone, something sacred, something worth cherishing just as you would cherish your dearest .... f/Friend.

❤ Maybe the world could use a few more Friends. If you agree, join us, any Sunday, at Quaker Meeting for Worship in Poughkeepsie, NY. 22 Spackenkill Road at Oakwood Friends School (or on Zoom).

10/15/2026

Traditional & modern are:
🔸abolitionists
🔸suffragists
🔸conscientious objectors
🔸community organizers
🔸reformers
🔸activists
🔸Just every day people who SHOW UP ...
But the work didn’t begin in the streets.
It began here.
In worship.
In silence.
In spirit.
Join us, at Quaker Meeting for Worship, any and every Sunday at 10am. 22 Spackenkill Road at Oakwood Friends School or on Zoom.

10/04/2026

Friends in Illinois received some local publicity for the World Quaker Day on October 4. Check it out!

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260929/submitted-content/let-peace-be-among-us-friends-worldwide-gather-for-world-quaker-day/

World Quaker Day is coordinated by the Friends World Committee on Consultation, and the theme for this year is "Let Peace Be Among Us." Visit FWCC's website to learn more about extended worship opportunities coming up this Sunday!

09/10/2026

Looking for something a little different to do this weekend?

Head to the the historic Crumb Elbow Rural Cemetery & 1797 Quaker Meeting House in East Park, NY for a fun and fascinating tour featuring costumed actors portraying real people from local history.

📚 Meet a patriot farmer, abolitionists, a traveling Quaker preacher, a women's rights supporter, a seed seller, and more

🌳 Easy walking tour through the cemetery and meeting house
🎭 Short educational skits
☀️ Beautiful weather is expected!

Saturday & Sunday
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Come anytime during the tour window and join a group for a 30 minute tour.

💵 $10 suggested donation (cash or check at the door)
👧 Children free

The walk is short, easy, and suitable even for folks who don't usually spend much time outdoors.

📍 Crumb Elbow Rural Cemetery & Meeting House
490 N. Quaker Lane, Hyde Park, NY

Hope to see you there!

08/17/2026

🍃 Earthcare in Action 🍃

One of the ways put our testimonies into practice is through care for the Earth.

Poughkeepsie Friends Meeting was pleased to partner with Oakwood Friends School in securing an Earthcare Grant from New York Yearly Meeting - NYYM. That grant allowed for the creation of new educational signage for the Henry Brecher Sustainability Trail on campus.

The trail showcases several important features including the greenhouse, apiary, wetlands, and solar array. These spaces provide hands-on learning opportunities while demonstrating sustainable practices that support both the campus and the wider ecosystem.

The new signs help students, families, and visitors better understand the environmental impact of these projects and the interconnectedness of all living things.

🌻☀ We are grateful to New York Yearly Meeting, Oakwood Friends School, and the individual donors whose support made this project possible.

07/23/2026

What a great way to enjoy our local history!

9 Partners Meeting House, Millbrook - This is one of the stops on the 2026 Dutchess County Quaker Meeting House Tour: visit on July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11. Visit Quaker Meeting House Tour website for the full list of dates for ALL sites on the tour!
The hamlet of Mechanic was founded by Quakers around 1740 on the south side of present-day Millbrook near Route 343. In 1745, they constructed a brick meeting house, which still stands today. They added a boarding school in 1796, the Nine Partners Boarding School, which once educated students from all over the Northeast. The meeting house reportedly served as a station on the Underground Railroad, and it has been said that teachers at the Nine Partners Boarding School offered up their homes as sanctuary for those escaping slavery. Among the students who attended the school were abolitionist and suffragist Lucretia Mott, along with Daniel Anthony, the father of suffragist Susan B. Anthony. The Nine Partners Boarding School moved from its Millbrook location in 1863; it's now in Poughkeepsie and is still operating as the Oakwood Friends School.

We are counting down 25 ways to celebrate Rev250 with our Story Finder mobile passport. Check in at these attractions and events for your chance to an immersive Revolutionary-history experience in Dutchess County. Get yours here: https://destinationdutchess.com/story-finder-rev250

9 Partners Meeting House, Millbrook - This is one of the stops on the 2026 Dutchess County Quaker Meeting House Tour: visit on July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11. Visit Quaker Meeting House Tour website for the full list of dates for ALL sites on the tour!

The hamlet of Mechanic was founded by Quakers around 1740 on the south side of present-day Millbrook near Route 343. In 1745, they constructed a brick meeting house, which still stands today. They added a boarding school in 1796, the Nine Partners Boarding School, which once educated students from all over the Northeast. The meeting house reportedly served as a station on the Underground Railroad, and it has been said that teachers at the Nine Partners Boarding School offered up their homes as sanctuary for those escaping slavery. Among the students who attended the school were abolitionist and suffragist Lucretia Mott, along with Daniel Anthony, the father of suffragist Susan B. Anthony. The Nine Partners Boarding School moved from its Millbrook location in 1863; it's now in Poughkeepsie and is still operating as the Oakwood Friends School.

07/22/2026

Join us! ☮🗣😍 This Saturday, July 25th at 10:30 AM, we'll gather beside Sojourner Truth, at the west/Highland entrance to the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park and will make our way across. We'll walk together, talk together, spend some time in silence together, and maybe even sing a song or two. Feel free to bring a bag lunch, water to stay hydrated, a sun hat and a friend - all are welcome.

07/04/2026

The American Revolution was a dangerous time to be a Quaker. Because of their commitment to pacifism, most Quakers refused to support either side in the war. They would not serve in the military, donate war supplies, swear loyalty oaths, or use Continental currency, believing it had been issued to finance the war. Although Quakers opposed both the British and Patriot war efforts, many Americans viewed their pacifism as evidence of Loyalist sympathies.

In September 1777, as British troops approached Philadelphia, Congress ordered the arrest of a group of prominent Philadelphia Quakers, describing them as among "the most dangerous enemies America knows."

Twenty men were taken from their homes and sent into exile on the Virginia frontier. They were never formally charged with a crime, never convicted, and never granted a hearing to defend themselves. They were told they would be released if they pledged an oath to the American government, but they refused. Held far from home for more than seven months, they petitioned, wrote letters, and published pamphlets arguing for their release.

Back in Philadelphia, their wives and families endured the hardships of British occupation without the support and income of husbands, fathers, and sons. The Quaker women who were left behind organized for the prisoners’ release with the first political petition in American history written by women. Four of the Quaker women made the dangerous journey from British-controlled Philadelphia to Valley Forge to petition George Washington for the men's freedom.

The exiles were finally released in April 1778 after gaining public sympathy, though two had died during their confinement and two were publicly hanged for treason. The rest returned to Philadelphia where crowds of Friends and well-wishers gathered to welcome them.

This episode forced the new United States government to remember and reaffirm its commitment to the Revolutionary ideal of liberty.

07/03/2026

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the true architects of its rebellious spirit might not be the founding fathers you expect. This week, on the podcast, Quaker historian Max Carter joins us to unpack the radical, plain-speaking movement that quietly hardwired the nation's legal system, culture, and architecture. Discover how a "holy experiment" accidentally fueled a revolution and shaped the foundational values that Americans still live by today.

https://quakerpodcast.com/how-quakers-invented-america/