Friends gathered in the morning once again for worship sharing, this time amidst warm sunshine and effusive vocal ministry from the songbirds flitting through the cottonwoods. Many groups were inspired by Thursday’s plenary, and either shared reflections inspired by the stories of IMYM Friends, or stories of their own spiritual journeys.

At the morning plenary session, Friends heard more memorial minutes and a host of reports. Representatives to Friends Peace Teams, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Friends World Committee on Consultation all reported on the good works of those organizations over the past year. Western Friend also delivered a brief report on the magazine. IMYM Clerk Penny Thron-Weber reported that the ah-hoc committee formed last year to revise IMYM’s description of the standing Committee for Sufferings had met and made those revisions (available online at imym.org.)

Friends also heard reports from two Friends sent as IMYM observers to Friends General Conference’s Central Committee this past year. These observers were sent as part of IMYM’s ongoing consideration of affiliation with FGC. These Friends shared brief glimpses of how their participation in Central Committee had enriched their spiritual lives, and encouraged IMYM Friends to move forward with affiliation. Several Friends raised some concern over the financial implication of affiliation, and the cost of sending three representatives to Central Committee three times a year. One Friend suggested IMYM may need to consider an increase in its assessments (currently at $45 per member.) Another Friends shared her sense that IMYM has received so much from FGC over the years, yet has not given back very much.

Friends then approved IMYM’s affiliation with FGC. (In case you were wondering, this whole process took about twenty minutes.)

The clerk then read a traveling minute supporting Friend William Alsup (Mountain View) in his leading to travel and listen to Friends . She also read a traveling minute for Derek Lamson, traveling with a ministry to support the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

In the afternoon, Friends again joined in intergenerational worship sharing, went for a hike in the sunshine, or attended a host of interest groups on topics ranging from “What Would John Woolman Do?” to how to preserve and share the letters, journals and other records of Friends from the 20th Century.

The afternoon plenary focused on IMYM’s Joint Service Project, recently renamed Western Quaker Workcamps. American Friends Service Committee has decided to discontinue its support for the program as of September 2009, as was anticipated last year. The JSP Oversight Committee of IMYM spent the past year discerning how the JSP might continue, and has prepared both a one-year transitional plan and a five-year plan (available at imym.org in documents in advance.) In essence, the Committee recommends continuing the JSP under its new name, and is exploring the possibility of collaborating with William Penn House in Washington DC. William Penn House would provide administrative support for the program, and already has expertise in workcamps through its offerings in the DC area. During the transition year, IMYM would continue its financial support for Western Quaker Workcamps, and William Penn House would serve as the official employer for the WQW coordinator. WQW would also shift its focus to include a greater number of projects where the group is determined by the participants. This setup is more financially viable than camps where individuals choose to participate.

Friends then engaged in a difficult discussion of the future of the program, in which personal hurts were revealed, and concerns about the appropriateness of the current WQW coordinator continuing to serve in that capacity. Though the meeting went long with Friends’ comments, dinner required Friends to adjourn before achieving clarity.

In the evening, the music of the Red Hot Sandias encouraged Friends of all ages to set the contra dance floor on fire. A cool evening breeze took the fire out of faces in between sets, and children laughed and romped around on the lawn till it was too dark to see.