In August, I spent a week in Cologne, Germany, at the All Age Gathering, organised by Europe and Middle East Young Friends (EMEYF) and FWCC’s Europe and Middle East Section (EMES). Built around the theme of the river of life, the gathering brought together every stage of that river. The youngest participant was only a few months old; the oldest, eighty-seven. 

Each day had its own theme, moving through the stages of life: childhood, then youth, early adulthood, adulthood, later years, and finally, preparing for death and loss. Mornings offered prepared activities around that day’s theme. For the afternoons, the community itself offered sessions to one another. I offered one of my own, walking a small group through how our programmed meetings run back home in Rwanda, and shared about the work we do through Friends Career Center. 

One of my favourite moments of the week was when we hiked up a mountain to watch the eclipse together, then walked back down on foot. In the evenings, a group of us fell into the habit of lying on the grass near a beautiful gothic church around 10pm, watching for shooting stars. On the evening of the eclipse, I saw more shooting stars than I had ever seen in my life.

I am still on my own journey to understand my spirituality and how to live it out day to day, so being surrounded by people willing to be open about their own path was a gift. My time at the gathering reminded me of something Quakers often return to: that of God in everyone, and what becomes possible when a community chooses to build itself around that belief.

What stayed with me most was how honest the conversations were. This was a generous community, genuinely open to listening to anyone regardless of their beliefs. It felt like a safe space to get to know people slowly and to hear about each person’s spiritual journey: what they believe, what guides them, what they struggle with. We shared stories, shared testimonies, and shared meals, and it felt like building lifetime friendships.