An Epistle articulates a collective sense of experience and how God has moved among Friends during a gathering, be it a yearly meeting session or an FWCC Section meeting, or a Young Friends gathering. It is approved by that group during a meeting for business. It is typically shared with yearly meetings so that they might read some of them out in meeting or publish some for people to read. It was historically, and continues to be, an important way for Friends and others to learn about each other in that which is eternal. They help us appreciate that we are part of a world family of Friends.
Epistles have potential to facilitate understanding among Friends, and in this light, we ask that you read Epistles with an open mind and heart.
Please note that each meeting writes its own Epistle, and we do not alter or edit them; Friends with concerns are encouraged to address those directly to the sending meeting.
If you have an epistle you would like to share with the world family of Friends that is not on this page or in the archive, please email it to Tas Cooper.
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From August 5th to August 12th 2024, around 500 Quakers from 53 countries gathered in business, worship and fellowship at the World Plenary Meeting in Johannesburg and online. Read the World Plenary Meeting 2024 epistle here.
Participants were able to follow three thematic streams — ubuntu, care for creation, and healing and repairing relationships in light of historic and continuing injustice. At the end of the World Plenary Meeting, these streams were carefully woven together to create the tapestry document you can find here. The epistle and tapestry documents are both in English, Spanish and Kiswahili.
Here are Swedish translations of the epistle and the tapestry document.
Epistle of the World Gathering of Young Friends before and during the World Plenary Meeting 2024, in English, Spanish and Kiswahili (1-12 August 2024)
World Plenary Meeting Epistle 2016 English (19-27 January 2016)
Epístola de la Reunión Plenaria Mundial 2016 Español (19-27 de enero de 2016)
Most Recent Epistles Received (for previous epistles, please check the archive)
2024
Aotearoa-New Zealand YM (24-27 April) (.pdf, 138kb)
Australia YM (6-13 July) (.pdf, 157kb)
Britain YM (26-30 July) (.pdf, 142kb)
Central European YM (16-19 May) (.pdf, 69kb)
Cuba YM (22-25 February) (.pdf, 222kb)
Epistle from New York YM Young Adult Friends and the Quaker United Nations Office: Learning from Each Other (10 February) (bilingual/bilingüe English/español) (.pdf, 88kb)
France YM (1-4 November) en français (.pdf, 57kb) in English (.pdf, 76kb)
Friends Church of North Carolina (USA) (9-10 August) (.pdf, 116kb)
FWCC Europe & Middle East Section Annual Meeting (26-28 April) (.pdf, 88kb)
General Meeting of Friends in Mexico (3-5 May) (bilingual/bilingüe English/español) (.pdf, 110kb)
Great Plains YM (USA) (30 May – 1 June) (.pdf, 41kb)
Intermountain YM (USA) (12-16 June) (.pdf, 73kb)
Ireland YM (17-21 July) (.pdf, 63kb)
Japan YM (16-17 November) (.pdf, 65kb)
Lake Erie YM (USA) (13-16 June) (.pdf, 96kb)
Monteverde MM (Costa Rica) (9 June) (.pdf, 274kb)
Netherlands YM (24-26 May) (.pdf, 81kb)
New England YM (USA) (2-7 August) (.pdf, 589kb)
New York YM (USA) (26-31 July) (.pdf, 298kb)
North Carolina YM (Conservative) (USA) (10-14 July) (.pdf, 1MB)
Norway YM (28-30 June) (.pdf, 114kb)
Ohio YM (Conservative) (USA) (5-11 August) (.pdf, 40kb)
Pacific YM/JA del Pacífico (USA) (19-24 July) English (.pdf, 71kb) español (.pdf, 14kb)
- Young Adult Friends (.pdf, 63kb)
- Junior Yearly Meeting (.pdf, 91kb)
- Children’s Program (.pdf, 57kb)
Piedmont Friends YM & Fellowship (USA) (31 May – 2 June) (.pdf, 73kb)
Quaker Council for European Affairs (15-16 November) (.pdf, 22kb)
South Central YM (USA) (24-31 March) (.pdf, 116kb)
Sweden YM (9-12 May) (.pdf, 99kb)
Switzerland YM (17-20 May) (.pdf, 77kb)
Tanzania YM (23-27 October) (.pdf, 2MB)
Western YM (USA) (11-14 July) (.pdf, 66kb)
Epistle from an international Young Adult Friends’ Gathering in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England (21-25 August) (.pdf, 4MB)
2023
Alaska Friends Conference (USA) (3-6 August) (.pdf, 56kb)
All-Africa Leaders’ Retreat, Rwanda (17-20 December) (.pdf, 769kb)
Baltimore YM (USA) (7-11 July) (.pdf, 183kb)
Belgium & Luxembourg YM (9-11 June) (.pdf, 459kb)
Bohol Worship Group (Philippines) (1 October, World Quaker Day report) (.pdf, 885kb)
Canadian YM (8-13 July) (.pdf, 140kb)
Chebuyusi YM (Kenya) (23-27 August) (.pdf, 933kb)
Friends United Meeting / United Society of Friends Women International / Quaker Men International Joint Triennial Meeting (2-8 July) (.pdf, 1MB)
FWCC Asia-West Pacific Section Meeting (19-23 October) (.pdf, 1MB)
FWCC Europe & Middle East Section Annual Meeting (4-7 May) (.pdf, 176kb)
Illinois YM (USA) (21-25 June) (.pdf, 296kb)
Italian Friends’ Gathering (3-5 November) English (.pdf, 60kb) / italiano (.pdf, 32kb)
Lake Erie YM (USA) (15-18 June) (.pdf, 34kb)
Netherlands YM (12-14 May) (.pdf, 81kb)
Northern YM (USA) (26-29 May) (.pdf, 76kb)
North Pacific YM (USA) (8-11 July) (.pdf, 68kb)
Ohio Valley YM (USA) (14-18 June) (.pdf, 212kb)
- Children’s Program (.pdf, 233kb)
- Youth Program (.pdf, 275kb)
Pendle Hill Study Center Spring Term Cohort (USA) (1 March – 10 May) (.pdf, 299kb)
Philadelphia YM (26-30 July) (.pdf, 114kb)
- Children and Youth Epistle (.pdf, 73kb)
- Young Adult Friends’ Epistle (.pdf, 97kb)
Southeastern YM (USA) (5-9 April) (.pdf, 61kb)
USFW Northeast Region (USA) (6-7 May) (.pdf, 359kb)
2022
German YM (13-16 October) Deutsch (.pdf, 73kb) / English (.pdf, 60kb)
Intermountain YM (USA) (13-19 June) (.pdf, 70kb)
Lugari YM (Kenya) (17-21 August) (.pdf, 161kb)
Nordic Gathering (30 June – 3 July ) (.pdf, 87kb)
Poland – All-Poland Gathering (15-16 October) (.pdf, 89kb)
Sierra-Cascades YM (USA) (17-19 June) (.pdf, 40kb)
2021
Europe and Middle East Young Friends’ Summer Gathering (.pdf, 1119 kb)
Hong Kong MM – State of the Meeting Report (3 April) (.pdf, 121kb)
Iowa YM (Conservative) (USA) (22-25 July) (.pdf, 81kb)
Ireland YM (8-11 April) (.pdf, 90kb)
- Junior Yearly Meeting (1-3 January, postponed from April 2020) (.pdf, 94kb)
Northwest YM (USA) (.pdf, 68kb)
Southern Africa YM (24-25 July, 31 July – 1 August) (.pdf, 80kb)
Switzerland YM (21-24 May) (.pdf, 140kb)
Uganda USFW (1-5 December) (.pdf, 1,007kb)
Wilmington YM (USA) (29 July – 1 August) (.pdf, 91kb)
Epistle from the Heads of Quaker Agencies (8 December) (.pdf, 19kb)
2020
Belgium & Luxembourg YM (10-11 October) (.pdf, 89kb)
FWCC Central Executive Committee (11-15 June) (.pdf, 93kb)
Indiana YM (USA) (23-25 July) (.pdf, 124kb)
2019
Evangelical Friends of Kitale, Kenya (12-16 December) (.pdf, 23kb)
Jamaica YM (9-11 August) (.pdf, 276kb)
New Association of Friends (USA) (27 October) (.pdf, 85kb)
North Carolina Fellowship of Friends (USA) (10 August) (.pdf, 143kb)
Quaker Religious Education Collaborative, East Africa (16-19 January) (.pdf, 188kb)
Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) (international) (28-31 March) (.pdf, 99kb)
Southern Appalachian YM and Association (USA) (13-16 June) (.pdf, 122kb)
2018
FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns) (summer) (.pdf, 4MB)
Friends Association for Higher Education (14-17 June) (.pdf, 208kb)
Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference (USA) (6-10 June) (.pdf, 258kb)
Soy YM (Kenya) (22-26 August) (.pdf, 190kb)
2017
Chavakali YM (Kenya) (16-20 August) (.pdf, 102kb)
Nairobi YM (Kenya) (30 August-3 September) (.pdf, 558kb)
North Carolina YM (FUM) (USA) (4-6 August) (.pdf, 404kb)
Ramallah MM (Palestine) (February) (.pdf, 493kb)
Sierra-Cascades YM (USA) (.pdf, 129kb)
Epistle of the “What Canst Thou Say?” Ministers & Elders Colloquium (6-9 October) (.pdf, 184kb)
2016
Denmark YM (2-3 April) (.pdf, 102kb)
Europe & Middle East Young Friends All-Age Gathering (30 July-6 August) (.pdf, 275kb)
Fellowship of Friends of African Descent Annual Gathering (12-14 August) (.pdf, 137kb)
2015
Tanzania USFW (December) (.pdf, 64kb)
2014
Bhopal YM (India) (9 February) (.pdf, 53kb)
Quaker Youth Pilgrimage (22 July – 21 August) (.pdf, 255kb)
2013
Alaska YM (.pdf, 77kb)
2012
East Africa YM (4 September) (.png, 494kb)