2026 EMEYF-EMES All Age Gathering: A Celebration of Quaker community

One hundred and eighty Quakers gathered in Haus Altenberg in Germany on the 8th-15th August 2026 to explore the theme of the river of life. Each day was focused on one stage of life: childhood, youth, early adulthood, adulthood, later years, and finally, preparing for death and loss. Friends had the chance each day to visit future ages or re-live past stages of their lives.

Each of these stages of life was well represented, as the youngest participant was a few months old and the oldest was 87. Most Friends were in the middle part, with considerably less white hair than many Quaker gatherings I have attended. While most Friends were from Europe (including Britain), all four FWCC sections were represented.

It was like a family reunion: there were close family who you see every day, there were cousins that you see often, there were the rarely met uncles and aunts and the new family members who recently joined or were only just born into the family. There were noisy meals and overexcited children. Friends you see every day, those you see less often, and Friends you haven’t met yet. There was enough time to really catch up with old Friends and get to know new ones.

We were all assigned to home groups. They were well chosen, balanced by age, home countries, life experiences. There were interesting and challenging questions to address (or not) every day. It was easy to choose how deeply to share.

The days had a loose structure: each day began with early morning activities for those who were so inclined, closely followed by breakfast. A hybrid meeting for worship allowed us to connect to Friends who were not able to come.

Daily speakers addressed the joys and challenges of each stage of life, followed by activities related to the theme of the day. Next came home groups, followed by lunch. After lunch were optional activities which had been posted by Friends on a large wall, and needed to be consulted often as new activities appeared with some frequency.

Each day had activities offered in several time slots. These were offered on site by anyone who had an idea of something interesting to do or discuss. There were parachute games, there was a death café, there was an opportunity to reflect on your life experiences or discuss Friendly economics. We were invited to explore Quakerism in New Zealand, to sing sea chanties, to assemble jigsaw puzzles, play board games, do yoga, play children’s games, and contribute to a quaker patchwork, to name only a few. The image of a certain weighty Friend being a chicken is forever engraved in my memory.

All sessions were translated into German, and some were simultaneously translated into other languages as needed. There were Friends we are used to seeing involved in leadership who had no roles, and it was lovely to have time to chat with them.

The facility was a reconstructed abbey connected to an ancient gothic church. It was large and welcoming and accommodating. There were many meeting rooms as well as nooks for private conversations or contemplation. There were window seats and comfortable chairs. There were poofs and benches and a lovely modern chapel. Despite the fact that the temperatures were in the low-mid 30s, it was cool and pleasant in the old building with its thick walls. There was always a place for a chat with a new or old Friend. On the grounds was a 12th century chapel and a pond with an albino beast whose exact species was the subject of much speculation. The days were accompanied by the sounds of organ music from the church as well as church bells.

After a well-chosen activity (or nap) there was a break for coffee and cake, then more activities until dinner. Sandwiched between dinner and epilogue were special activities, including a celebration, hybrid worship and a trip to the top of the valley to see the eclipse.

The days had a rhythm that was as intense as we wanted it to be. The schedule was spacious and it offered as much or as little activity as we wanted each day. Every day was punctuated by the sound of children’s laughter and running feet, chats with Friends and really nice vegetarian/vegan meals. And it was a little strange to have so many Quakers in one place with no Meeting for Business.

There was no children’s program – children were integrated into all the activities, from mealtimes, to optional activities, to meeting for worship. It was delightful to have an infant crawling into the middle of the circle in Meeting for Worship and then turning to look at all of us, laughing that lovely liquid laugh that babies have.

In my long life I have been to many conferences and gatherings. This was the best one by far. There was space to do as much or as little as we wanted/needed to do, Friends to chat with, walk with, sing with, play with, and just sit with.

As I said above, it felt like a family reunion. It also felt in some ways like passing of the mantle to the next generation as weighty Friends were able to just be there without the expectation that they would run it.

Young Friends had active leadership roles. Friends from Europe and Middle East Young Friends (18 to 35-ish) as well as the Youth Group (up to 18) took the lead in many sessions. It was impressive to see the poise that some of these very young Friends showed. At 17 I would not have been able to stand in front of 180 people with the grace of those who were there and speak openly and candidly about my life. I felt that it was clear that there is an impressive new generation coming along and the future is in good hands.

It is hard to return to the outside world, with forest fires, meetings, everyday duties. The EMES WhatsApp group is full of messages from Friends missing the profound connections that were made. Our challenge is how to bring the community and spiritual wholeness we found there back in to the everyday world.

As one Friend wrote: “I have a few days off so I can allow myself to arrive gently in the everyday world. To combine the everyday with the eternal – that’s my challenge for the coming weeks.“

Kate McNally, August 2026

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