Welcome to Baltimore Yearly Meeting!
Baltimore Yearly Meeting nurtures a vibrant Quaker community across the Mid-Atlantic. BYM unites Friends from 50 Quaker meetings and worship groups throughout Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Together at BYM Friends we
Strengthen Local Meetings
The monthly meeting is the beating heart of everything we do. At its core, the yearly meeting is an association of Quaker monthly meetings and other local worshipping communities coming together to support one another. We share a common Faith & Practice - and we share our skills, gifts, spiritual leadings, and resources across local worshipping communities.
Grow in Spirit & Community
Quakers believe that there is “that of God” in every person—an Inner Light that is loving and honest and can lead us to truth and justice. As BYM Friends we gather for Meetings for Worship four times each year to discern the Leadings of the Spirit and to conduct our community business and three more times throughout the year for spiritual formation retreats.
Nurture Youth
BYM has a special commitment to the spiritual, social, and emotional thriving of all young people. Our camps and youth retreats are vibrant, diverse, youth-centered communities. BYM scholarships and grants provide material support to children, families, and child-serving organizations, and the Religious Education Committee connects meetings to resources for nurturing youth.
Connect & Serve as Friends
Working together is an extension of our worship into the practical life of Quakerism. Working together benefits both the wider community and those Friends who participate. We serve together on Committtes, gather for service projects and social witness, and are part of the worldwide body of Quakers - connected to 14 organizations and hundreds of thousands of Friends around the world.
Shenandoah Salamander Shuffle
Join this in-person, family friendly hike, shuffling through Shenandoah salamander territory. We will discuss the species found in the area, explore ideal habitats, talk about global & local threats, & explain how to ethically search for salamanders, & avoid disturbing or harming them when you enjoy nature. We will also retrieve traps that have been deployed in salamander habitat & hopefully have some local specimens to examine & identify.
The Appalachian Region & Blue Ridge Mountains are the global hotspot for salamanders, home to more species than anywhere else in the world. The cool, moist conditions found on the forest floor & rocky streams of this ancient mountain range provide ideal habitat for salamanders, with some species found nowhere else on Earth. Some species are found on only a few mountain peaks in the region. Check out this short movie from the Smithsonian.
