Summer Rep Meetings will substitute for Business normally conducted at Yearly Meeting in Session

Since Yearly Meeting in Session has been cancelled, the Committee of Clerks has made plans for several summer sessions of on-line Representative Meeting to conduct the business that normally would have been addressed at Yearly Meeting in Session this August.

The first one will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 1:30 Eastern time, 2:30 Atlantic time, 12:30 Central time, 11:30 Mountain time, and 10:30 Pacific time.

All the Documents in Advance that are ordinarily sent to the CYM office prior to Yearly Meeting should still be sent, though with a later deadline of the end of May. As usual, these reports will be posted to the Documents section of the Business webpage for Friends to read so that there can be well-discerned Monthly Meeting input to the Representative Meeting. There will be announcements here and to Monthly Meetings when they are ready.

In the meantime, an ad hoc group of Friends are working to make some of the programming and connection from Yearly Meeting in Session available to Friends in the coming months. They already have a noble acronym and name – IPASC, the Interim Program and Support Committee – and will soon be making announcements about this.

There are more details about the reasoning for this arrangement, the agenda for the first Representative Meeting, and IPASC in two letters from the Presiding Clerk:

April 22 Letter to Meetings & Clerks – Online Rep Meeting (PDF)
April 14 Letter to Meetings & Clerks – Docs for Business & IPASC (PDF)

Nominations Package

Dear Friends,

It is that time of year again when we look at the needs of our Yearly Meeting and consider how we and those known to us may be of service.

Each year Canadian Yearly Meeting names people from all over the country to serve on standing committees and in individual positions in the Yearly Meeting. We ask these people to carry out, on our behalf, the work of the Society, and to provide support to those Friends working in social justice, ecumenism, and wider Quaker and world affairs.

With this package, we ask that Monthly Meetings and Standing Committees discern and forward names to CYM Nominating Committee as we discern a slate of names to bring to CYM in session in August for approval.

Included in this package is a List of Vacancies to be filled (with terms to begin at the rise of CYM in session August 2020), a list of Friends Currently Serving CYM Who Are Eligible for Renomination to a second three-year term, and a Nomination Form for nominees not currently serving on a committee to fill out

Nominations Package (PDF) – click to view, right-click or control-click and ‘save as’ to download.
Nominations Package (DOC) – click to download editable file

Please feel free to contact me or the other members of Nominating Committee, Charlotte Burch (Winnipeg MM), Sara avMaat (Halifax MM), Pauline McKenzie (Wooler MM) and Lilia Fick (Ottawa MM) if you have questions.

In Friendship,
Heidi Dick
Clerk, Canadian Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee 403-284-0818 or 587-888-6704
heididick@shaw.ca
nominations@quaker.ca

Consultation on the Financial Sustainability of CYM

October 27, 2019

The Ad Hoc Committee on Financial Sustainability (AHCFS), formed at Representative Meeting November 2018, asks Canadian Friends to discern a financially sustainable and healthy system to be in place through 2020 and 2021.

This process was started at Yearly Meeting in Session 2019 at Winnipeg and continues with national consultation with the majority of Friends who do not attend the Yearly Meeting in Session. It is important that all voices are heard, including those of dissent. We are open to hearing Friends’ experiences in other not-for profit organizations.

There have been other consultations throughout the years and we recognize that we will be hearing many solutions that have been put forward in the past. AHCFS will direct your ideas to the appropriate committees to be brought forward for discernment to begin aligning our work and expenses with our evolving purpose.

Friends are asked to:

• Consider the entry describing the work of the Yearly Meeting in Organization & Procedure 6.1 and then consider the following queries.
• Choose any or all of the queries below and work through them in the fashion that works best for your Meeting or Worship Group; additional information can be requested at any time from the AHCFS at financial-sustainability@quaker.ca
• Clerk your sessions carefully. Provide space for Spirit, as well as careful, informed discernment. A Claremont Dialogue format is strongly suggested.
• Please keep notes, not minutes, and send them to financial-sustainability@quaker.ca
• You may also respond as an individual in confidence to the above email.

Queries for Discernment

• What is essential work and purpose of Canadian Yearly Meeting?
• If CYM was just beginning and being developed in 2020, what would it look like?
• Where do you think we should put our financial resources and focus our human energy?

Our deadline for receiving your notes is January 15, 2020. We encourage you to send them early. Please send all notes and any questions and comments to financial-sustainability @quaker.ca at any time prior to that date.

In the Light,

The Ad hoc Committee on Financial Sustainability: Anne Marie Zilliacus, Kris Wilson-Yang, Wesley Weima, Rachel Yordy, Maggie Knight, and CYM Secretary (Cam Fraser) ex officio.

Breakout Sessions on Financial Sustainability at CYM

Something Special This Year at CYM!

Dear Friends,

This year, those who attend Canadian Yearly Meeting in session will have the opportunity to participate in a Quaker process of discernment about matters pertinent to our very existence. I’m hoping that many of you will be at Yearly Meeting to bring your wisdom and ideas to this important work.

As you know, CYM is both the face of Quakers in Canada and the body that connects Meetings and Worship Groups, offers opportunities such as online courses and scholarships for Quaker study, publishes The Canadian Friend, supports representatives to wider Quaker bodies and other organizations, and in general does so much to ground Canadian Friends in our faith and make our viewpoints known to the wider world.

But we’re in trouble. For some years now, our expenses have exceeded the amount of contributions from Meetings and individual Friends. One doesn’t have to be a financial wizard (as I certainly am not!) to know that this situation is unsustainable. If it continues as it is now, in a few years we will have to lay CYM down. I don’t know about you, but I find this idea unacceptable! Here’s where the discernment process mentioned in the first paragraph comes in.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Financial Sustainability (AHCFS), formed at Representative Meeting last November, has been working hard to get a clear and detailed picture of CYM’s financial situation and to think of ways to change it. That group proposes a creative way to allow all Friends at Yearly Meeting to be part of the solution. Three of the morning business sessions at Yearly Meeting will include an hour and a quarter for special breakout sessions. Three topics will be covered in three separate sessions each of the days, so that all Friends can attend all three.

These are the topics to be considered:

• Session 1: Internal Organization Operations – who we are and who we want to be.
• Session 2: Relationships with Outside Bodies – costs and benefits of Quaker spiritual engagement
• Session 3: Guided by Spirit and Sustainability – what can we lose to save what we have.

The Committee of Clerks of CYM has approved this plan. These sessions will make the course of our business through the week a little different from the usual, but it’s not just important to include them – it’s necessary. Friends at CYM in Winnipeg will help to shape the future of Canadian Yearly Meeting. I hope you’ll be there – please register before July 15.

In the Light,
Beverly Shepard
Presiding Clerk, Canadian Yearly Meeting

Spring Western Half-Yearly Meeting 2019

The 2019 Spring gathering of Western Half-Yearly Meeting will take place on the May long weekend (May 17-20) at the Sorrento Centre east of Kamloops. We invite all Friends and friends of Friends to join us in this vibrant gathering of Western Friends.

Registration is at whym-registration.ca, along with more information available there about costs, accommodation, etc.

Please note that the deadline to register is May 1.

Welcoming Letter & Weekend Overview From the Clerk

Dear Friends,

The 2019 Spring gathering of Western Half-Yearly Meeting will take place on the May long weekend (May 17-20) at the Sorrento Centre east of Kamloops. We invite all Friends and friends of Friends to join us in this vibrant gathering of Western Friends. Please note the registration deadline of May 1. The registrar needs to provide final numbers to the Sorrento Centre at that point.

The usual items will all be included in the Half-Yearly Meeting schedule (worship-sharing groups, special interest groups, Meetings for Worship including business Meetings, and the phenomenal Family Night sharing of talents and fun).

Friends are reminded to bring any books they may wish to pass along to other Friends; in light of the winding down of the Quaker Book Service, a book exchange table or tables will be set up.

This year’s gathering will have a theme of rising up in difficult times and will include an interactive workshop, led by Meredith Egan on Saturday evening, on “Taking Care of Creation: Self-Care in these Savage Times.” Meredith asks how we, as Friends, rise up and face this difficult world? How do we continue to make a difference, be shining examples when the need always exceeds our human capacity? What does ‘faithfully answering the call” look like when we don’t want to get out of bed (or read the news) in the morning? How do we re-ignite the joy, awe, and magic in our creation?

Meredith will speak a little about her journey to narrowing her activism and finding the Divine (again) in the arts. Parts of this evening will be dreaming about (and sharing) profound care for ourselves and supporting one another…beyond this evening.

We encourage Friends to consider leading Special Interest Groups that relate to this theme.

It is our tradition to hold a “retreat day” on the Friday of the long weekend, to give those who are able to arrive on Thursday or very early on Friday some extra time to enjoy the beautiful site at Sorrento, and to settle into the weekend. We will be maintaining that tradition this year.

A full day of balancing is one option for those who are able to be in Sorrento on Friday. Anyone unable to attend the full day on Friday is still welcome to join balancing during free times on Saturday and Sunday, and for Family Night.

Friends who are able to arrive at Sorrento on Thursday evening or early Friday are also welcome to use the site informally for music, quiet contemplation, communing with nature, or other activities, singly or in small groups – but nothing is officially planned until the Friday evening intergenerational welcome activity.

There will not be an organised trip to the Tk’emlups Museum & Heritage Park this year as there was last year, but Friends are invited and encouraged to make their own arrangements if they wish to visit that site in conjunction with their travels to Salmon Arm. More information on this is appended.

Friends usually try to arrive by Friday evening. There are activities all day Saturday and Sunday, and Friends depart after a short closing Meeting for Worship on the Monday. The Sorrento Centre has a dining room available for those who wish to purchase meals, and some facilities for self-catering. Detailed costs of meals and accommodation are included in the registration form. Please feel free to contact registrar Rachel Yordy (whymregistrar@gmail.com) with any questions.

We hope that you will join us in Sorrento for our 2018 Spring gathering!

In Friendship,
Joy Morris (Clerk).

WHYM Registration link: whym-registration.ca

Further info on Tk’emlups Museum & Heritage Park

WHYM Retreat Day Field Trip to

Further information on Tk’emlups Museum & Heritage Park

A field trip to the Tk’emlups Museum & Heritage Park in Kamloops BC took place last year on the Friday prior to spring WHYM. The 20 Friends who participated found it to be an impactful and worthwhile experience. While we have decided to not organize another one this year, we invite Friends to visit on their own and/or to contact Ruth Walmsley ruth@cranberrycommons.ca if you would be interested in participating in a group field trip another year in conjunction with spring WHYM.

The Secwepemc Museum highlights the oral history and legends of the Secwepemc people. Cultural displays extend into a 5-hectare Heritage Park located on the banks of the South Thompson River. More than a kilometre of trails lead visitors through the archaeological remains of a 2,000 year old Secwepemc winter village site. The Kamloops Indian Residential School building was where the Secwepemc Museum first opened its doors in1982.

The Museum is a cultural treasure, representing the collective efforts of the Secwepemc Nation to preserve their history, language, and culture, as well as featuring temporary and travelling exhibits on Aboriginal themes and traditional games, song, dance, oral histories, and legends. More info is available here: tkemlups.ca/museum-heritage-park.

Schedule

WHYM Schedule Spring 2019 (PDF)

DRAFT Schedule for Western Half-Yearly Meeting May 2019

Friday May 17th (Retreat and arrival)
9:00-4:00 Balancing retreat at Sorrento. (Meet in Caritas Meeting Room)
9:00-5:30 Other informal retreat day activities. May include quiet contemplation, etc.
3:00-7:30 Arrivals and Registration (for those who do not attend the retreat day) (Spes Bona)
5:30-7:00 Supper (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
6:30-7:30 Teen gathering with teen adult resource person (Upper Lounge Richardson Lodge)
7:30-8:30 Intergenerational Gathering for all (Caritas Meeting Room)
8:30- 9:00 Meeting for Worship (Caritas Meeting Room)
9:00-10:30 Refreshments, Singing, Fellowship (Dining Room/Spes Bona)

Saturday May 18th
8:00-9:00 Breakfast (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
9:00-10:00 Worship Fellowship Groups (lists in Caritas) As posted
*Children’s Program: 8:55-10:05 (Richardson Lodge, lower level)
10:00-10:25 Tea, coffee, juice break (Dining Room)
10:30-10:50 Welcoming Meeting with children present (Caritas Meeting Room)
10:50-12:15 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business (Caritas Meeting Room)
*Children’s Program: 11:00-12:20 (Richardson Lodge, lower level, after intro of Children’s Program)
12:30-2:00 Lunch & Free time (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
1:10-1:50 Memorial Meeting (location to be announced)
2:00-3:30 Special Interest Groups As posted
*Children’s Program: 1:55-3:35 (Richardson Lodge, lower level)
3:30-4:00 Tea, coffee, juice break (Dining Room)
4:00-5:00 Meeting of Ministry & Counsel (including MM M&C members) (location TBA)
4:00-5:30 Balancing / free time (lawn outside Dining Room)
5:30-7:30 Supper (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, Potluck in picnic shelter, or Self-Cater)
7:30-9:00 Gathering: Taking care of Creation: Self-Care in these Savage times (Meredith Egan)
(Caritas)
9:00-11:00 Refreshments, Singing, Fellowship (Dining Room/Spes Bona)

Sunday May 19th
8:00-9:00 Breakfast (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
9:00-10:00 Worship Fellowship Groups As posted
*Children’s Program: 8:55-10:05 (Richardson Lodge, lower level)
10:00-10:20 Tea, coffee, juice break (Dining Room)
10:00-10:30 Quiet Worship (Child care available through M&C) (Caritas Meeting Room)
10:30-11:30 Meeting for Worship (with children present) (Caritas Meeting Room)
11:30-12:30 Balancing / free time (lawn outside Dining Room)
12:30-1:45 Lunch & Free time (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
1:45-3:15 Special Interest Groups As posted
*Children’s Program: 1:40-3:20 (Richardson Lodge, lower level)
3:15-3:40 Tea, coffee, juice break (Dining Room)
3:45-5:15 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business (Caritas Meeting Room)
*Children’s Program: 3:40-5:20 (Richardson Lodge, lower level)
5:30-7:00 Supper (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, Potluck in picnic shelter, or Self-Cater)
7:00-9:30 Family Night (begins with Balancing Presentation on lawn outside Dining Room)
9:30-11:00 Refreshments, Singing, Fellowship (Dining Room/Spes Bona)
Monday May 20th
8:00-9:00 Breakfast (Dining Room in Richardson Lodge, or Self-Cater)
9:00-9:15 Farewell Meeting for Worship (Caritas Meeting Room)

Business Agenda

Agenda WHYM Spring 2019 (PDF)

Agenda: Meeting for Worship for Business – WHYM Spring 2018

Saturday, May 17, 2019

10:30
1. Worship
2. Agenda and Schedule Review
3. Introductions
o Meetings: Argenta, Calgary, Cowichan Valley, Edmonton, Interior BC, Prairie, Saanich
Peninsula, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Winnipeg
o First-timers:
o Visitors:
o Representatives:
o Regrets:
4. Children’s Program (children leave after this)
5. Committees & Volunteers for the weekend:
o Kitchen Liaison
o Snack set-up / clean-up
o First aid
o Epistle
o Gleanings
o Reporter for Canadian Friend
o Music Coordinators
o Family Night
o SIG Coordinator
o Clean-up
o Cards to Absent Friends
o Registration helpers
6. Births, Deaths, New Members, Marriages

11:00
7. Welcome from Sorrento Centre Director
8. Announcements:
o Book exchange
o Ride sharing: use the notice board under the bell tower for requests and offers
o Registrar
9. Teen program locations and plans
10. Care of children and vulnerable persons at WHYM
11. Brief reports:
o WHYM Continuing Meeting of Ministry & Counsel
o WHYM Rep to Representative Meeting (Celia Cheatley)
o Nominating Committee
12. Brief introductions to Special Interest Groups:
13. Closing Worship
12:15

Sunday, May 18, 2019

3:45
14. Worship
15. Acceptance of Minutes from Spring WHYM 2018
16. Report from Young Friends
o Name of teen resource person for Spring 2020
17. Report from Ministry & Counsel
18. Reports
o Registrar’s Report (Rachel Yordy)
o Treasurer’s Report (Graham Entwhistle)
o Finance Report
o Nominating Committee Report
o No-Interest Loans Ad Hoc Discernment Committee
o Other reports
19. Matters arising from Special Interest Groups
20. New business / Business arising from CYM committees
21. Future Gatherings
o Fall WHYM Thanksgiving Weekend Oct 4-7, 2019, Shekinah, SK, Registrar: Beth Curry
o Pre-CYM gathering for Young Friends and Young Adult Friends Aug 1-4, Winnipeg, MB
o CYM August 3-10, 2019, Winnipeg, MB
o Spring WHYM May 16-19, 2020, Sorrento, BC, Registrar: Nat Knight
22. Special thanks
23. Epistle (Gleanings to be read at Family Night)
24. Young Friends’ Epistle
25. Closing Worship

Clerk
Joy Morris (2017-2020)

Recording Clerk
Maggie Knight (2018-2021)

Recording Clerk
back-up for Fall gatherings Celia Cheatley (2018-2021)

Clerk’s Assistants
Heidi Dick (2016-2019)
Shaun Bartoo (2017-2020)
____________ (2019-2022)

Children’s Coordinator (Spring 2019)
Naomi North

Assistant Children’s Coordinator (Spring 2019)
Jackie Bonner (Coordinator in 2020)

Assistant Children’s Coordinator (Spring 2020)
____________ (Coordinator in 2021)

Registrar (Spring 2019)
Rachel Yordy

Assistant Registrar (Spring 2019)
Nat Knight (Registrar in 2020)

Assistant Registrar (Spring 2020)
____________ (Registrar in 2021)

Registrar (Fall 2019)
Beth Curry (Shekinah)

Assistant Registrar (Fall 2019)
JoLee Sasakamoose

Treasurer
Graham Entwhistle (2017-2021)

Assistant Treasurer
Nathan Dick (2017-2021; Treasurer 2021-2025)

Finance Committee
Tim Bartoo (2016-2019)
Ion Delsol Mora (2017-2020)
Paul Hopkins (2018-2021)
_____________ (2019-2022)

Continuing Meeting of Ministry and Counsel
Wesley Glebe (2016-2019)
Lesley Robertson (2017-2020)
Alina Freedman (2018-2021)
Elizabeth Azmier-Stewart (2018-2021)
____________ (2019-2022)
____________(2019-2022)

No-Interest Loans Discernment Committee (Ad Hoc)
Maggie Knight
Catherine Alpha
James Turner
Beth Curry
Trevor Chandler
David Stevenson

Representative to Representative Meeting
Celia Cheatley (2018-2021)

Alternate Rep to Representative Meeting
Maxine Kaufmann-Lacusta (2018-2021)

Nominating Committee
Graeme Hope (2016-2019)
Beth Curry (2016-2019)
Ruth Walmsley (2018-2021)
____________ (2019-2022)
____________(2019-2022)

Teen Resource (Spring 2019)
Daniel von Schulmann

Teen Resource Alternate (Spring 2019)
Ben von Schulmann

Teen Resource (Spring 2020)
____________

Teen Resource Alternate (Spring 2020)
_____________