The Quaker Center Year End Retreat
with Emily Provance

an in-person event
December 28th, 2026 to January 1, 2027
(early arrivals possible from December 27th)

“Stand still in that which shows and discovers; and there doth strength immediately come.”
-from the Tenth Epistle of George Fox

The idea of spiritual transformation was of central importance to early Friends. How are we transformed by a long practice of deep listening to the divine? How does being changed by the divine tend to affect our day-to-day interactions with other people? What is the role of community in this spiritual transformation? In this retreat, expect to explore these ideas both with words and without, with discussion, worship, outdoor exploration, art, and play.

Click here to register!

About the program leader. Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.

Among Quakers, Emily initiates and coordinates projects that vary greatly in topic but are unified by approach. She helps people who are very different work together on things they all care about. She has a deep faith in the power of relationships as the most reliable pathway to peace and to change.

Find Emily’s website at quakeremily.wordpress.com. Her first published book is Before the Resurrection: Transitions and Endings for Quaker Meetings and Churches.

About the year end retreat. For almost 50 years, Quaker Center has held an extended retreat over the turning of the year. Friends and newcomers gather together in an environment of quiet celebration and reflective contemplation. A program leader helps to guide those present through the retreat, as they explore a theme together while enjoying time at Quaker Center, in the redwoods and with one another. We will enjoy delicious meals together, and participants will stay in shared rooms in the Orchard and Redwood lodges (camping is also a possibility). Many attenders also welcome in the coming year with a sunrise Meeting for Worship in the Casa de Luz on New Year’s morning.

Those who wish to arrive a day early on Saturday, December 27th, will be welcome. We will not have meals or activities planned until the retreat begins with registration on December 28th, Sunday afternoon, and dinner at 6:00 p.m. that evening.

Childcare will be provided for children 4 and up during the program sessions, and children and teens are welcome to attend for free.

Program cost. Like all Quaker Center programs, this program is priced along a sliding scale – we encourage you to contribute an amount that you are comfortable with and that enables you to attend. We hope the suggested cost ranges below will help you to do this.
Standard rate: $200-400.
Welcome rate: $100-200.
You can learn more about Quaker Center’s program costs here.

Click here to register!

Any questions about coming to Quaker Center, and the Year End Retreat? Send an email to mail@quakercenter.org or give us a call at (831) 212-2631.