Is there something you’d like to know about the three Yearly Meetings in this year’s chart? Send in a comment form!

Following worship, Friends dove into a busy plenary agenda, beginning with reports from Friends House, a Quaker retirement community in Petaluma, CA, and the PYM Holding Corporation, which provided funds to two Meetings this year (Chico and Inland Valley) for meetinghouse or land purchases. Friends also heard the first reading of the epistle.

After a bit of discussion, Friends approved the budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. They also approved several relatively minor augmentation requests for the budget of the current fiscal year.

PYM’s Peace and Social Order Committee then brought a report, leading with the exciting news that they have been holding fruitful monthly conference calls to discuss the peace and social order-related activities of Friends around PYM. These calls are open to everyone; the next will be held at 7:30pm on the last Thursday of August. Clerk Anthony Manousos reported briefly on his interfaith work of the past year, a leading recognized by both PYM and his monthly meeting. A Friend from Sacramento also spoke briefly of their work to support undocumented students and the DREAM Act, and another Friend spoke of her leading to work to end homelessness.

The committee then presented a minute in opposition to torture (you can download the text here; scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for “PSO 2011 proposed minute against torture”). The minute prompted a substantial conversation about minutes, with Friends expressing concern that the minute was ‘out of order’ in that it originated with a committee of the Yearly Meeting, as opposed to coming from monthly meetings. Others worried that approving a minute on the matter of torture would provide an unwarranted sense that Friends had “done something” about a very important issue, when in fact nothing had been done. Still others affirmed that approving the minute ought to indicate Friends would take personal responsibility for speaking out in opposition to torture, and enumerated the many ways in which the minute could be used as fuel for letters to local newspapers, to begin conversations in monthly meetings about visible protest through banners, and other measures. Some small changes to the language of the minute were also brought forth. Friends eventually determined that there was unity with Friends’ opposition to torture and approved the minute (with minor amendments), though there were some present who were not in unity with the decision due to the aforementioned concerns.

The Unity With Nature Committee shared that they have been offering mini-grants to meetings to support efforts to “green” meeting practices and buildings. These grants have been funded by individual donations. They then presented a minute calling for a Friends’ dialogue on nuclear power (published here). This minute prompted a similar controversy among Friends, who felt the minute was more appropriately understood as a report and an invitation to Friends to season a series of queries related to nuclear power within their monthly meetings. Some Friends expressed deep frustration with this response, and concern that the process could hinder Friends’ engagement with a very serious set of questions. The minute was not approved as a minute of action, and was instead accepted as part of the Unity With Nature report.

Following lunch and worship sharing, Friends of all ages gathered in the plenary hall for the Meeting for Memorials. With the smaller children gathered on brightly-colored blankets on the floor front and center, Friends listened as the names of those passed in the last year were read, and fond remembrances were shared. Even the children joined in sharing memories of those they loved.

Free time after the Meeting for Memorials gave Friends time to laze on the grass and talk, or to visit the bookstore to take advantage of the screaming deals on fine Quaker texts. After many years, AFSC-LA is closing its volunteer-run bookstore, and they are liquidating their stock at PYM.

In the evening, JYM put on a show crossing campus to the dance in their brightly-colored celebration of neon and silver and gold lame`. Limbo was popular as always, and the little ones had a great time dancing and playing with strands of Christmas lights decorating the floor. Other Friends walked across campus to enjoy James Turrell’s (a Quaker) beautiful light installation, which changes color as the sun sets or rises, and still others joined in affinity groups or singing.

Tuesday morning began with opportunities for outdoor worship, as well as the ever-popular Bible study group and the “Transformative Quakers” series, which examines the lives of prominent Friends. This year features the lives of Ham Sok Hon, Elizabeth Fry, Bayard Rustin, Henry Joel Cadbury, and includes a Friday discussion of the history of the testimonies.

PYM’s schedule this year is a little different, with the usual post-breakfast Meeting for Worship followed by a plenary session, instead being followed by worship sharing groups. Friends took to this change well, with Tuesday’s plenary devoted to the work of PYM’s Ministry & Oversight Committee. They led Friends in stretching exercises, as a way of physically engaging with this year’s theme, “Where Are We Stretched Anew?” They also shared excerpts from State of the Meeting reports highlighting where different meetings in PYM are being stretched or have stretched over the past year. Friends also laid down the work of the Futures Sub-Committee of PYM, which had been charged with exploring ways to improve and invigorate the life of the yearly meeting. Two new committees were charged with continuing that work- one with encouraging the development of stronger relationships between meetings and the Representatives Committee (RepCom; it functions similarly to IMYM and NPYM’s Continuing/Coordinating Committees), and the other with ongoing work to reinvigorate the Annual Sessions and life of the Yearly Meeting.

After lunch and a bit of free time, Friends convened for worship sharing groups. Each of the four sessions this year seeks to examine “the multidirectional relationships between ourselves, our Meetings and the world.” Tuesday’s queries focused on individual stretching within Meetings, and on what we do as individuals to overcome prejudice and racism. Wednesday’s queries address the Meeting in the world, including the query, “Do you feel yourself or your Meeting to be stretched too thin to address the violence and injustice of the world? If so, what are you doing about it?”

After worship sharing Tuesday, the Junior Yearly Meeting led Friend of all ages in lively games of elbow tag, screaming toes, and many other interactive games, while others decorated the surrounding sidewalks with brightly-colored chalk illustrations. Following dinner, there were opportunities to join in interest groups centered on a wide array of weighty topics. An interest group on aging was particularly well-attended, as was a “Power Walk”- an interactive exercise exploring the oft-hidden forms of privilege and discrimination found among us all (led by the Junior Yearly Meeting.)

Long conversations in affinity groups and outside on benches stretched well into the night, as did singing.

Wednesday morning’s plenary session began with the reading of New Zealand Yearly Meeting’s epistle. Naming Committee then presented several names for the Nominating Committee; if approved, the Nominating Committee will be full. Nominating Committee then presented the first reading of its slate, which was largely complete; a single slot on Ministry & Oversight remains, as do a few representative positions.

Both the Treasurer and Finance Committee gave brief reports. Finance Committee recommended a budget that is very similar to last year’s, with one notable change- a reduction in the assessment/contribution to PYM from individual Meetings in California & Nevada, from $90 to $87, and increases in the assessment for Hawai’i and Mexico City ($41 and $15, respectively.) PYM adopted a tiered system when it established the Youth Program Coordinator position, in recognition that Friends in certain areas would benefit more directly from the YPC’s work than others. The reduction in this amount is enabled by drawing down some of PYM’s ample reserves.

The treasurer noted that there has been a significant increase in the amount of PYM committee work done by conference call, with over 26,000 minutes of calls logged in the past nine months- or, enough minutes for two Quakers to talk nonstop for nine days straight! He also noted the yo-yo nature of the Annual Session budget, which some years is in the black, and in others is dramatically in the red. Finance Committee has been exploring ways to help flatten out these swings.

Friends then heard a hope-filled report from Tricia Sellick, AFSC’s Middle East Program Director. Tricia is based in Jerusalem, and talked about the youth work AFSC is leading in Isreal/Palestine. She noted that 60% of the local population is under 25 years old, which gives a decidedly different flavor to personal and family life, and that the optimism and openness of youth is one of the greatest strengths of AFSC’s peace-building work in this fractured region. (Friends in NPYM also has the chance to hear Tricia speak; this was the last leg of her West Coast tour.)

After lunch and worship sharing groups, Friends were invited to join in one of the many open committee meetings of the various PYM committees, from Finance to Children’s Religious Education. Evening brings another opportunity for interest groups, with an ongoing focus on racial justice issues, as well as groups discussing electronic communication among Friends and the work of FCNL, AFSC, and Quaker groups in Latin America and Hawai’i.

-a desire to acknowledge the already strong relationship between NPYM and FGC
-NPYM already uses many of their resources, and many Friends attend the Gathering
-a need for greater opportunities for spiritual growth, particularly for younger Friends

Comments of concern about affiliation included:

-appreciation for NPYM’s identity as an independent, unaffiliated yearly meeting, both for historicity and as a possible bridge-builder between Friends
-a desire to put resources of money and time into “home”- NPYM
-concern over the need to increase NPYMs annual assessment

Friends were not in unity with affiliating with FGC at this time, but they did approve seasoning the recommendation for a year.

Friends also heard a recommendation to affiliate with Quaker Earthcare Witness. This recommendation was approved, with limited funding for travel to the annual meeting.

The Population Stabilization minute returned to Friends with a number of revisions. However, Friends continued to raise concerns about the minute’s wording and emphasis on population growth (versus overconsumption.) Thought it was clear Friends wished to express concern over the state of the environment, there was no unity with the minute, and the issue was referred back to Peace & Social Concerns.

Worship groups on Saturday and Sunday continued exploring the theme of being practically spiritual, with queries such as, “What am I doing to build the beloved community?” and “What does dwelling in the Spirit look like in my daily life?”

Saturday afternoon gave Friends time for meetings, interest groups, a couple of service projects, or naps. Some attended the Meeting for Memorials. But many Friends were hastily preparing skits for Community Night!

After dinner, Friends young and old kept each other rolling the aisles with skits galore. A sign of the times- at least one of the skits from Community Night is up on YouTube!  Watch Bridge City Friends Meeting’s very funny “Bridge City in Exile“, especially if your meeting has moved or will be moving sometime soon.

Junior Friends held their traditional dance (joined by Young Adult Friends and a few hearty Older Adult Friends) after Community Night, followed by the joint JF-YAF Feast of Love, where participants feed one another (yes, there are drop cloths covering the floor!)

During Sunday morning’s closing plenary, Friends heard from the registrar. 283 Friends attended this year’s Annual Session. 32 of those were first-time attenders, 203 were adults, with 28 Junior Friends, 14 Central Friends, and 15 children elementary aged or younger. 135 hailed from Pacific Northwest Quarter, 124 from Willamette Quarter, and 16 from Montana Gathering of Friends (also a quarter).

Following the reading of epistles from children’s program groups, Junior Friends, and NPYM as a whole, there was a shifting about of chairs into a circle, and NPYM’s Annual Session closed with an hour of Meeting for Worship.

The Site Committee reported that NPYM’s Annual Session will meet again at PLU in 2012, Juy 18-22nd. Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, will be the site for Annual Session in 2013 and 2014.

In plenary 6, Friends heard from Junior Friends who traveled to Jamaica last summer on a service trip. Junior Friends worked with an international organization to plan the trip themselves, and spent over a week doing homestays and teaching American games and sports to children 6-16. They reported the immersive cultural experience was eye-opening and life-changing.

Friends also approved the Nominating slate and the budget, which included a $4 increase in the assessment. This increase was necessary to support an increase in the travel budgets for representatives to other Quaker organizations. There had been no increase since 1998. Friends expressed some concerns about the financial burden this would place on meetings; it was suggested that NPYM could send a fundraising letter to Friends, and that those who were able could increase their contributions to their monthly meetings in order to support the increased assessment.

The Youth Committee also shared a written report, and spoke about their excitement regarding plans for the coming year. Their most ambitious project is the conduct an accurate census of the children and youth in NPYM, and to obtain reliable contact information for them and their families. This will further the Youth Committee’s work to make NPYM’s youth programs better-known and more accessible to families. The committee also noted that for the first time ever, they have a fundraising goal for the Youth Opportunity Fund, an endowed pool of money that provides small grants to support the spiritual lives of youth in NPYM.

Ministry & Oversight also offered a brief but energetic report, listing the slew of activities they have encouraged, sponsored and supported over the past year. Most innovative of these was conference call-ins to bring together Friends around a specific topics. They anticipate offering more of these in the coming year.

At the rise of plenary, Friends moved to the hallway, where dozens of Friendly organizations had staffed displays available to inform everyone of their missions and programs. The hallway buzzed with conversation for nearly two hours. Others took naps, went for walks, or in the case of Children’s Program, played Capture the Flag.

Evening interest groups, committee meetings, an open mic night, contra dance, and “Lavender and Grey” gathering of queer/allies all kept everyone engaged, entertained, and hopping from party to party. Ever the weighty ones, Junior Friends held a business meeting that lasted longer than any of these other activities.

After dinner, a brief introductory plenary session brought Friends together for a few housekeeping details and to join in some games designed to get everyone better acquainted. Friends were asked to arrange themselves in order month and day of birth- without speaking. This turned out to just be a warmup for everyone ordering themselves by year of birth without speaking. The sizable group of Friends born in the 1920′s won admiration and applause. Games were followed by an ice cream social, and all were invited to join in a round of Capture the Flag organized by the Junior Friends, though the total downpour and darkness considerably dampened enthusiasm for the game.

Thursday, 7/14/11

Friends with a stomach for daybreak gathered for early worship sharing, followed by breakfast and lively singing before the second plenary. Friends then heard a report on the activities of Coordinating Committee from the clerk, Elee Hadley. She spoke about the ways in which the restructuring of NPYM, initiated three years ago, played out with regard to decision-making, committee structure, and other aspects, and encouraged Friends to study the extensive self-evaluation conducted this spring by Coordinating Committee, posted on big boards in the hall outside. (The editor hopes that both the survey responses and Elee’s written report will be made available to Friends online at some future date.)
Friends also heard the Youth Committee’s first reading of a draft Youth Safety Policy. Developed by an ad-hoc committee over the past year, the policy is meant to address both legal liability and personal safety concerns regarding younger Friends. Eight pages in length, the document was emailed to Friends in advance; the committee invited Friends to meet with them to share suggestions and concerns before Saturday, when it will again be addressed in plenary.
As Clerk Janet Jump warned us at the beginning of the plenary, this Annual Session is weighted with many hefty topics! And so next on the agenda was a first reading of a minute on Population Stabilization, which Peace and Social Concerns has been seasoning throughout the yearly meeting during the past year. The draft minute reads:

WORLD population has been growing over 75 million persons per year, over 200,000 persons
per day, over 8,500 per hour. Previously, world food production managed to keep up with increases in human population. Now we are reaching or have exceeded the limits of arable land, ocean fish
populations, fresh underground water, fossil fuels, and other resources, and are crowding out the spaces and resources essential to other species. To accommodate the pressure of growing human population and consumption, forests are being cut down at the rate of 5,000 acres per hour, water tables are being drawn down at alarming rates, and wastes and poisons are polluting the air, water, and land at an increasing pace. Population growth is also a factor in persistent public health problems, poverty, crime, and wars.
In order to realize our Quaker vision of an Earth restored and a peaceful, just society, we must
seek ways to stabilize human population and consumption at levels that are sustainable for humans as well as other species.
To do this, we encourage efforts to end the structural inequalities that perpetuate poverty and
contribute to high birth rates, as well as voluntary measures to promote smaller family size and reduced consumption, including (1) adequate funding for family planning services worldwide, (2) raising the status of women, and better education for women and men, both of which are key to smaller families, (3)  support for those who choose adoption, shared childrearing, or celibacy, while honoring biological parenthood for those who choose that, (4) simpler lifestyles in high-consuming nations such as the United States, including fewer possessions, greater sharing, and more responsible choices in what we eat such as reduced consumption of meat, and (5) increased research on sustainable methods of food production, energy production, and other ways to meet human needs throughout the world without sacrificing the health of natural systems or the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
We believe that these and other voluntary approaches should be vigorously pursued now to avoid
the necessity of more coercive measures in the future to maintain a needed balance of resources between present and future generations of humans, and other species.
We urge Friends and others everywhere to join us in pursuing these and other population stabilization measures in our personal lives and in our local communities, states, and nations.

Some Friends expressed concern about some wording in the minute, raising the possibility that the minute might seem judgmental of those in developing countries, who are typically not Caucasian. The time for comments was brief, and Friends were asked to share their suggestions and concerns with the committee before it was brought forward on Saturday for possible approval.

The plenary closed with a brief introduction from the Epistle Committee.

Worship groups then met until lunchtime, considering queries relating to the organizing theme of the day, “Being practically spiritual in relation to myself.” One query was, “Which practices help me become- and which hinder me from becoming- more mindful of, more attuned to the workings of the Spirit in my daily life?”

In the afternoon, Friends chose from a half-dozen interest groups, ranging from a deeper discussion of the pros and cons of Friends General Conference affiliation to the concept of restorative justice. Plenary Three opened with singing, after which the ad-hoc committee charged with making a recommendation on FGC affiliation gave its presentation. Over the course of the past year, they learned more about FGC, and circulated this information among the monthly meetings and worship groups along with queries regarding affiliation. Ten meetings and worship groups replied, as well as a number of individuals. Responses in favor of affiliation expressed a sense that FGC reflects NPYM’s current identity, as well as a recognition that many in NPYM already benefit from FGC’s programs. Those with reservations raised concerns about resources of people and money (the committee estimates that a $4 increase in the NPYM assessment will be necessary to cover travel costs and the annual contribution to FGC), along with a valuing of NPYM’s history as an independent yearly meeting. Weighing the feedback they received, the committee recommended that NPYM affiliate with FGC- and also recommended that NPYM season the recommendation for another year. This issue will also return for further discussion during Saturday’s plenaries.

Friends also heard a report from the ad-hoc committee charged with considering affiliation with Quaker Earthcare Witness. The committee followed a process similar to that of the FGC committee (the procedure for affiliation with other organizations is detailed here) and received clear support for affiliation with QEW. This affiliation would likely require a $1 increase in the annual assessment.

The Nominating Committee then offered the first reading of the nominations slate. Though they have been hard at work, many vacancies remain on NPYM committees, including Epistle, Ministry & Oversight, Outreach & Visitation, and several others.

The Epistle Committee closed the plenary with readings from a half-dozen epistles. Each excerpt related to the question, “Who are you separated from? With whom do you long for reconciliation and connection?”

For the rest of the afternoon, Friends were free to walk or chat, or attend the meeting for representatives to other Quaker organizations, or stand in the very long line into the dining hall for dinner. Dinner was followed by an evening plenary, where the clerk introduced NPYM’s three representatives to the Friends World Committee for Consultation’s (FWCC) world gathering in April 2012 (Elinor Jordan, Joe Snyder, and Kate Jaramillo.)

Friends in Residence Micahel Birkel then spoke to the the Annual Session theme, “Being Practically Spiritual: The Integration of Inward Life and Outward Action”. A professor of religion at Earlham College, Michael has studied the writings of John Woolman and other notable early Friends forever three decades.  Originally invited to serve as NPYM’s Friend in Residence seventeen years ago, Michael was unable to attend then due to the birth of his son. Friends roared with laughter when the Friend introducing him said we were glad he could finally leave his son to join us. The laughter continued as Michel cracked several genuinely funny Quaker jokes.

He eventually turned Friends’ attention to practical spirituality- two words that can seem like a conundrum to many Friends, as there often seems to be a split in meetings between the mystics and the activists. Michael asked, “How can we integrate the inward life of prayer with an outward life of service?” Characterizing himself as a “guide to the attic” of Quaker history, he then shared examples from Margaret Fells letters and John Woolman’s journal, illustrating how each of them exemplified the integration of a deep spiritual life with the outward expression of their personal relationship with the Divine. His close readings of these texts drew out the richness of the language used by early Friends, and he asked those present to reach for the seeds of inspiration they offer even today by both example and word.

After Michael’s talk, campus fell quiet, with small groups scattered here and there in discussion, others in song. Almost the entire Junior Friends group- and a few very eager adult drivers/Friendly Adult Presences (FAPs)- went to a nearby theatre for an hours-long wait in line for the midnight premiere of the final Harry Potter movie.

First up was the Structure Task Group report. Tasked in 2009 with considering ways to better coordinate and distribute the various responsibilities and tasks within the yearly meeting, the committee returned this year with a proposal. The committee looked to the structures of Pacific, North Pacific, and Iowa Yearly Meetings for inspiration. Both a full and summarized version of the proposal are available online. Monthly Meetings will now have time to season the proposal before the 2012 Gathering.

The Stewardship Task Group was asked to consider the use of IMYM’s financial and volunteer resources (e.g., financing the annual gathering and yearly meeting contributions to other organizations), and returned with a number of recommendations. Several items were referred to monthly meetings for further consideration. Of the proposals, one to have contributions to other organizations from IMYM considered and approved anew each year drew the most discussion and concern from Friends.

After a brief report from the Service Task Group, Friends heard from the Finance Committee, including a first look at the 2012 budget.

The afternoon brought a threshing session on immigration. IMYM has a history of individual and corporate engagement with immigration issues. The threshing session was “a chance to create a space where we can discover and explore our values as well as share our experiences as they relate to this issue.”

Friends were asked to consider many queries, such as:

As Quakers who seek to see that of God in everyone, we are called to find humane solutions to all the worlds problems. How, in your view, does this apply to the issue of immigration in the US?

Are we all called to be prophets seeking radical and complete justice for those caught in the immigration web? Are some of us called to be prophets, some called to seek the best possible compromise, and some called to support this work while doing something else to further the Kingdom of God? If we are not all called to the same role, how do we learn to lovingly live with each other, respecting our different roles, accepting that the roles may cause us to be on opposite sides at times?

A full list of the queries is available here.

What followed was a moving two hours of personal testimony on immigration issues. Many people shared their direct experiences with the brutality of the effects of U.S. immigration policy. Others spoke to the economic conditions which force people to leave their homelands and seek work in the U.S. Still others asked what we are charged to do, and where in our communities we might carry out that work. One Friend took issue with the term “illegal” immigrant, pointing out that when he takes the humble action of giving a thirsty person in the desert water to drink, he is breaking the law. “It is we who are illegal, if we are standing by our words.” The prayerful spirit of the threshing session continued into conversations over dinner.

After dinner, children played soccer and tag in the alfalfa field as Friends drifted toward the plenary hall to contra dance the night away. Many first stopped by the bookstore, where Friendly organizations were staffing tables of information and answering questions at IMYM’s first-ever poster fair. The $1.50 sundaes at the cantina proved a popular respite for sweaty dancers and table staffers alike, and many cups of ice cream traversed the long path through Ghost Ranch as the sun cast its warm glow upon Kitchen Mesa.

As the stars came out, Young Adult Friends gathered outside for worship sharing (with blankets!), and the Junior Yearly Meeting whooped and hollered their way down to the Short House for their annual campout. Their voices could still be heard on the upper mesa as a half-moon rose, lighting the cliffs the sun had so recently warmed.

This morning Friends were greeted by cloudless blue skies and sweeping views of the surrounding mesas, nary a trace of smoke in the air. Early-rising Friends took part in early worship; first-timers to Ghost Ranch took a tour of the campus with the clerk.

After breakfast and worship sharing groups that met outside in the breezy shade of cottonwood trees, Friends gathered to hear keynote speaker Niyonu Spann give her address, titled, “Discernment: A Practice of Rigorous Truthfulness.” Drawing us into her childhood through rich descriptions of the house and neighborhood she grew up in, Niyonu laid the foundation for sharing deeply from an experience of perpetrating racism that nearly derailed her college education. It was only when she later returned to the campus that she was able to “lance the boil” and begin to truly process her own feelings of pain and shame around the experience. “Unless we go into the shadows that hide huge truths, we cannot be whole.”

Niyonu also pointed out that the rigorous truthfulness required to truly address and heal from racism does not originate in intellect. “Primarily this is heart work. It calls for a wider order of logic than that can come from the mind.” She noted that, “you have to do the internal work, and do it daily.” Relying on Spirit for guidance and support in going through the pain of our experiences is also essential.

Friends were deeply moved by Niyonu’s story, and a rich discussion followed. One Friend stood to ask, “What do I do about hating the part of me that is white?” Others shared stories of times they have been complicit in racism; still others expressed a desire for a strategy to move from address racism on an internal and personal level to our communities, our country, the Religious Society of Friends.

After lunch, Friends joined in Intergenerational Worship Sharing, or took time to hike, browse the bookstore, chat or nap in one of the numerous Adirondack chairs beckoning from beneath the cottonwoods. Interest Groups attracted Friends to topics ranging from immigration issues to “Contentious Quakers.”

An afternoon plenary using a consent agenda model began with the reading of a memorial minute, as is often done at IMYM. The Watching Committee shared the minute from New England Yearly Meeting’s 2010 sessions. Friends then received reports from Continuing Committee, a host of Friends’ organizations, the first reading of the Nominating Committee slate, and the Treasurer’s Report. All of this was completed within 45 minutes, leaving ample time for worship before dinner.

After dinner, Friends sang in the gracious adobe courtyard outside the chapel until sunset and the accompanying cool breeze chased everyone away to bed, the campground, or the cantina for ice cream.