28 – 30 May 2026 | Online
From across Europe and the Middle East, about 80 Friends gathered for worship, fellowship and consideration of business matters at our Annual Meeting. Throughout the gathering, our hearts and minds were especially occupied with the Friends affected by the wars in our section, in Ukraine and across the Middle East. For an epilogue on the first evening, an Estonian Friend read a poem by Merle Veesalu Rand that begins, Nobody knows how many prayers have been said for them. These words speak to the fragile moment we are in and remind us of the spiritual bonds between us, even when we are far apart.
This year we took time at the Annual Meeting to hear about the experiences of Friends across the section. A Friend from Lebanon spoke of the desperate situation in his country and for the Brummana Friends School. In his words, we heard deep sadness but also resilience. Friends in Lebanon have done what they can to assist refugees, even as Friends themselves are suffering from the devastation to their country. Support from international Quakers is invaluable. Middle East Yearly Meeting was scheduled for this spring but had to be cancelled. Friends hope for “better times”.

W ubiegły piątek w Sopocie Polscy Kwakrzy pożegnali jednego ze swoich długoletnich przyjaciół, Krzysztofa Galińskiego. Nie jest łatwo znaleźć wyraźne zdjęcie Krzysia – na grupowych fotografiach stoi zawsze z tyłu. Owszem, był wysoki, ale to miejsce mówiło
​ o czymś jeszcze. Nie był nieśmiały – zosta-wiał przestrzeń dla innych. Krzysztof był pedagogiem specjalnym i nauczycielem hipoterapii. Swoje umiejętności wykorzysty-wał w pracy, ale też w gospodarstwie na Kaszubach, otwartym dla osób z niepełno-sprawnościami. Kilkukrotnie w ramach Quaker Voluntary Action zapraszał kwakrów​i przyjaciół na letnie pobyty w Trzebiatkowej. 

​W swojej mowie pożyciowej, którą przygotował z charakterystycznym ironicznym humorem, wspomniał o wielu środowiskach, które były mu bliskie. O kwakrach napisał tak: ​

Wielu ludzi stało w milczeniu pół godziny. 
​Swoją mowę pożyciową nasz Przyjaciel zakończył słowami: 
​
​BĄDŹCIE DLA SIEBIE DOBRZY
BĄDŹCIE DLA SIEBIE DOBRZY NAWZAJEM

Tomorrow morning (7. March 2026) we are going to meet online. 'We' means quakers from Central-European countries plus Ukraine. Just a few, who are in their roles and are involved in organizing a main CEYM meeting. But of course, the meeting is not close for the fFriends and seekers, who are interested in that work.
We intend to ensure that we are up to date with the organisational aspects of the CEYM annual meeting, which will take place in June in Gniezno, Poland. We also intend to prepare the most important issues that we, as a whole gathering, will consider at the annual meeting. 
More about the event soon.

Epistle from the All Poland Gathering ​7–9 Eleventh Month 2025, Warsaw
​On the second weekend of November, Polish members and supporters of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) came to Warsaw.
Friends came together, joined by Friends from Gdańsk, Poznań, Toruń and Warsaw, as well as by our visitors: Julia Walloch and Michael Eccles of EMES, and Pavel Marusiniec from České Budějovice.
The meeting took place at Cafe Kryzys, located in the Syrena Squat (Syrena mean mermaid, she’s a symbol and coat of arms of the Polish capital). The squatters community—comprising not only the residents but also activists working for tenant’s and worker’s rights—resembles the community of Friends in many ways. People arrive there from different places: for some it is a conscious choice, for others a necessity, and for some merely a temporary stop. Likewise in our communities, people stay for a short time, a long time, or forever; they come from various religious traditions and seek spiritual refuge. Just as among us the responsibility and engagement of individual Friends are essential for the functioning and maintenance of our small communities, so there everyone is responsible for the physical condition of the space and—perhaps more importantly—for the relationships and functioning of the squatters’ community.