Monday and Tuesday
On Tuesday, Friends trickled into Walker Creek Ranch’s campus on bicycles and in cars, arriving throughout the day and well into the night. Few Friends missed the terrific heat of the inland valleys, though many were chilled by as much as a fifty-degree drop in temperature. After dinner, clerk Joe Franko welcomed Friends with the roll call plenary session. Singing and socializing commenced thereafter.
Friends awoke in a heavy blanket of cool fog, which rolled in and out over the course of the day, never lifting completely. Breakfast was followed by an hour and a half of open children created a merry clamor of departure fifteen minutes in. Friends also met for the first time in their worship sharing groups, and were invited to consider queries relating to community.
Friends gathered in the afternoon for a series of plenaries, beginning with the reading of epistles from other yearly meetings. Nominating Committee presented their draft slate; the clerk reminded Friends to express their appreciation for all those who serve the life of the Yearly Meeting, particularly those who take on more challenging jobs. Arrangements and Registrar positions remain unfilled at this time.
Site Committee reported that PYM’s Annual Gathering in 2010 will be at Claremont-McKenna College in Claremont, California, July 26-31. The site was chosen due to relatively reasonable cost, accessibility, ease of transportation, and a host of other considerations. The date of the gathering had to be shifted forward a week from what had initially been proposed due to a complete lack of available sites in August.
Friends were then invited to consider PYM’s Youth Coordinator proposal. Developed and seasoned over the course of the past year, this proposal is available in full on PYM’s website. In short, it recommends PYM hire a full-time staff person to provide support for youth programming for Friends ages 13-35. (A synopsis of the proposal is also available in the June issue of WF.) Friends were invited to bring forward questions for the subcommittee regarding the process, or to clarify details of the proposal. The subsequent meeting for worship on the occasion of business ranged widely, with many Friends expressing strong support for the proposal; others suggested alternate means for improving and supporting youth in PYM, while still others expressed concerns about the safety of youth, the cost (the proposal requires nearly doubling the per-member assessment to $76), and overall design of the proposal.
Friends were then asked to season until Friday a minute that would approve a three-year trial of having a full-time youth coordinator, with a lowering of the age range to include those ten years of age and above, and an emphasis on addressing the safety concerns raised by parents and other community members. Friends were also reminded to join the interest group on Wednesday for further discussion.
Dinner was followed by a heart and thought-filled presentation by Rolene Walker about her Peace for Earth Walk. She shared slides of her journey, most of it on foot, through eleven countries in Latin and South America. Despite a root canal without anesthesia, blood blisters on her feet, and the depressing vistas of roadside trash, she elicited laughter from the gathered Friends, and focused on a message of hope for the future of the planet and the environment. “This will take the same amount of effort as World War Two—only with all of us on the same side.” Several Friends who walked part of the way with Rolene also shared stories of their journeys.
Singing, conversation, and evening strolls continued well into the wee hours!