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Registration for the Annual Gathering opens today, May 1st!

Friends, we’re over the moon excited to announce that registration for our first blended annual gathering – our first in-person gathering in three years – is open. This year, the gathering will include Quaker study sessions, worship, the Sunderland P. Gardner keynote lecture, programming for children and youth, and special interest group workshops.

Find information and links to the online and in-person registration on two different platforms, so please double check you are applying for the right one: forms here.

We invite you to register as soon as possible, particularly if you are planning to attend in person. The more quickly we have a sense of how many are coming, the better we can prepare.

Speaking of which: we could use some help!

Please look over the volunteer opportunities at the gathering this year and consider which one or two suits you most. We need you whether you’re a people-person, technology-person, or a picking-up-SPG-Lecture-cake person. We need you whether you plan to come in person or online.

An FAQ page is available to answer your questions! 

Key Dates for the Annual Gathering

• May 1: Online and in-person registration opens
• May 25:  Closing date to apply to the Education and Outreach Committee for a grant to assist with the costs of attending the gathering
• May 31: Closing date to register young ones for a guaranteed spot in the Children and Youth Program
• June 26: Closing date for In-person registration; we need this time if we are to ensure your meal and lodging choices

We are offering an online Quaker 101 course “Introduction to Quakers and Friends’ Ways” in 6 sessions starting April 1. This is a Friendly (pun intended) course for people interested in learning about Quakers and the ways of Canadian Friends. The course is meant to be an experience, more so than an academic course. There is no testing or examination!

The facilitator Jackie Bonner will meet with participants once a week, for six weeks, for approximately an hour and a half to worship, discuss, and reflect on various topics.

The cost of the course is $100. If cost is a barrier to entry, participants are encouraged to contact their local meeting for financial assistance.

Topics include but are not limited to: 

• Introductions and the Basics of Quakers
• Experiencing Spirit
• Early Friends
• Testimonies
• Meetings
• Business Meetings, and
• Living the Spiritual Community

Students will receive an email from the facilitator with a small reading along with thoughts, tasks, and questions to reflect on throughout the week.

Oh, and don’t worry… the silence is included.

Registration & Details

To register (and pay!), go to Canada Helps.

Registration closes March 28. A minimum of 12 members is needed for this workshop, so please register early if you plan to attend.

Dates: April 1, 15, 22 & 29 and May 6 & 13, 2023
Time: Saturdays 1:00-2:30 pm (Atlantic)

Facilitator Bio

Jackie Bonner has been part of the Quaker Community since 2017. She simply started going to Quaker Meetings and never stopped. She has taught in the public school system for over ten years and has recently completed her Masters in Counseling Psychology. She has a deep love for nature, the mountains, and reading.

Jackie is excited to have the opportunity to spend time with people and explore Quakerism, maybe even throw in a Quaker joke or two. Jackie resides in Sydney, Nova Scotia the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. She lives with her daughter, partner, and plants.