Quaker Blog

Call for Submissions – The Canadian Friend – Repair

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The Canadian Friend Summer 2025 Issue is currently in production and should be on its way to your mailboxes by the beginning of August! Included in that issue is a call for submissions for the following issue. 

The next issue of The Canadian Friend will focus on the theme of repair. Reviews of related books are also welcome.

Send pitches, submissions, and questions to . The deadline for pitches is August 15, and for finished articles is September 30. You can find full submission guidelines at quaker.ca/cympublications/tcf.

If you would like to write book reviews but don’t have a specific book in mind, please write to me and I will add you to my reviewer list. If you would like to suggest a book for review but don’t want to review it yourself, send it in and if I think it’s appropriate, I will try to match it to a reviewer.

While I was working on this issue, it became clear that a few people are confused about what I mean by a “pitch.” A pitch is your idea: Tell me in a couple of sentences what you want to write (or make art) about, and ideally how long you think your essay will be. I can tell you if I think the idea will work, offer alternatives if it doesn’t, and possibly give you ideas for direction so it aligns with an upcoming theme. You do not need to pitch first in order to submit something! And if you miss the pitch deadline, you can definitely still submit a completed piece by the article deadline. A pitch just saves you (and me!) time, so you don’t invest in writing something that isn’t likely to be a fit.

A couple of other questions have come up concerning the editorial process. First: I do not accept all submissions. Broadly, submissions must be of interest to Canadian Friends, in alignment with Quaker values, relevant to a theme of an upcoming issue, and well-written enough that I can work with you to get it into shape for publication. You can find the full guidelines at the link above.

Also, you should expect your piece to be edited—sometimes heavily. I frequently restructure submissions; cut them for length, repetition, and focus; and revise wording for clarity and flow. Wherever possible, I try to keep your own voice, and if something needs a complete rewrite, I will send it back to you to do it. After I edit the pieces, everything is seen by a copy editor, who makes final, mostly small changes for style, grammar, and mechanics.

Pieces that may have been accepted before for the Friend may not be accepted now. This includes reports of events or meetings, some autobiographical or biographical pieces, or generally anything that would primarily of be of interest to “insiders.” Basically, anything we publish should have some nugget of a greater meaning—a reflection, spiritual message or lesson, and so on. Imagine a non-Quaker seeker, with perhaps only passing familiarity with Friends, picking up an issue at their local public library: Would they find something of interest in the piece? This is the kind of work we are looking for.

My thanks for your understanding and collaboration as we work through this transition!

Eve Rickert – Editor of The Canadian Friend

Loving our Neighbour – a reflection from Annual Gathering

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“Thinking of my Canadian Friends and the good work we’ll be doing together!” – Chuck Schobert of Madison Monthly Meeting in Wisconsin (pictured above)

The blog was written by Glenn Morrison, who hosted a ‘Loving our Neighbour’ session at the Annual Gathering in June 2025

For the past two years, my wife and I have spent a month in San Francisco during the winter. We have enjoyed being part of the local worship community, and I even conducted 12 oral history interviews with members, which made me feel very connected to the meeting. During our visit this year, I expected to offer words of support to Friends dealing with government policies they oppose. Surprisingly, I received much support and concern from San Francisco Monthly Meeting members due to the political rhetoric affecting both our countries.

After San Francisco, I attended the Friends World Committee for Consultation (Section of the Americas) meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Inspired by the love I felt in San Francisco, I shared my feelings about the changing dynamics in the USA. Many people expressed their appreciation and care, and an executive committee member suggested that FWCC create a delegation to attend the Canadian Yearly Meeting. Although we were initially disappointed by the online format this year, we soon realized how feasible it would be for a delegation to participate virtually. This excitement led to the idea of a physical delegation attending next year.

Later, a FWCC staff member proposed holding a program group meeting in Winnipeg, where I live. It was clear that my words had a significant impact. I contacted the program committee for Canadian Yearly Meeting, and they were enthusiastic about hosting a Special Interest Group to discuss what it means to love one another, the theme for this year’s World Quaker Day.

Evan Welkin, FWCC (Americas) executive secretary, spoke about the theme of loving our neighbor. I shared my experiences of being a neighbour of the USA and then Chuck Schobert from Madison, Wisconsin, expressed his sadness about current events and his response as a Quaker. Our group, evenly split between Canadian and US participants, engaged in small group discussions based on a set of queries. The feedback and subsequent emails indicated that it was an enlightening and liberating experience, affirming my decision to follow my leading.

Queries

  • What is your name, where do you live and what is your special interest in being here?
  • Given the reality that Canada – USA relations are the worst they have been since the Pig War of 1859, what is on your heart? What are your fears and hopes? How does this impact you at your deepest levels?
  • On both sides of the border there have been people who have reported that the current climate has impacted the usual relations between Friends who tend towards a quietest approach and those who lean towards a more activist expression in their life and meeting. Is your meeting impacted by the current political climate? If so, in which ways? And how can we uphold one another is such a situation? 
  • Considering the strained relations between Canada and the USA, what are your thoughts, fears, and hopes? Kazu Haga, a practitioner of Kingian Nonviolence and restorative justice, reminds us that “human beings are not the problem. It is the actions we take, shaped by our life experiences, which are influenced by our culture and larger systems beyond our control. We need to fight the structures and mechanisms that perpetuate harm. To change them, we must understand individual stories and the systems influencing them.” How can we listen to our neighbours’ stories and understand the systems that affect them?
  • bell hooks, a feminist teacher and theorist, states, “beloved community is formed not by eradicating differences, but by affirming them, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” How can we work towards creating a beloved community in our daily lives? 

Two reflections on CYM Gathering 2025

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Here are two reflections from Friends Adrian Dolling & Sarah Chandler (pictured above in Lillooet, BC), who both attended the CYM Annual Gathering online in June 2025
 
This year I was not helping with the technology at all – a welcome break – and was very pleasantly surprised by how cohesive a gathered body of Friends we were. An in-person meeting offers many opportunities to reconnect with old friends; online the opportunity for self-directed friend-making is almost non-existent – we are put into small or large groups (thank you to the Continuing Meeting of Ministry and Counsel team). I do miss arranging to have lunch, or an evening chat, with a newfound friend. Perhaps some permanently assigned free spaces… I have been reminded how relatively easy it is to organize a gathering when everyone is connected the same way (in-person or online). A blended (hybrid) gathering takes very much more effort by everyone to bridge the two distinct groups together. This year’s bridge building theme is relevant!
 
Smooth agenda creation and effective clerking are both critical for successful business meetings – we were very well served during this gathering, by all the clerking team. There were no urgent business items. Our new practice of about six business meetings each year is beginning to yield results.
 
As usual, I tried to attend everything – except the one session which I knew would be recorded, during which I made the four hour journey to Vancouver for the start of a road trip. Sadly, there were more Special Interest Groups – and I try to find topics that are mostly new. I attended a session on chaplaincy – I did not previously know that chaplaincy is considered a profession, often underpinned by a graduate degree in psychology as well as theology. The other was on the history of Quakers in Canada, which provided a wonderful portrayal of the Quaker doctrinal splits over the past three hundred years, and how Canadian Yearly Meeting was formed (very gradually) from three distinct branches back in 1955.
 
Thank you to all who had a hand in organizing this weekend of connection.
 
Where did all the gleanings go?
 
Adrian Dolling
 
 
Like Scrabble tiles on the table top of Zoom, Friends came together virtually for Canadian Yearly Meeting 2025. Like Scrabble tiles, we were arranged and re-arranged by Program Committee, Continuing Meeting of Ministry and Counsel, and our own leadings, into groupings for worship, sharing, learning and discerning matters of business. 
 
Meeting online gave everyone except duty bearers the opportunity to switch back and forth between life at home and life online, as led during the gathering. As was mentioned during the gathering, duty bearers had all the serenity of swans, while madly paddling away in the background to keep everything and everyone afloat.
 
Balancing Meeting duties, as alternate representative for Interior British Columbia Monthly Meeting and as newly named member of Continuing Meeting of Ministry and Counsel, with attending things I felt called to, including a local funeral in Lillooet on the Saturday, was challenging for me.
 
I managed to attend the Special Interest Group on Reparations and Reconciliation, noting that it is suggested that Monthly Meetings consider donating a minimum of 1% of their annual budgets to a reparations fund, either in their own region or the one held by Canadian Friends Service Committee.
 
I also attended the Special Interest Group on Canadian Quaker history, as described by Adrian above, and Canadian Friends Service Committee’s session on Guaranteed Basic Liveable Income, which made a strong argument for the implementation of such for the eradication of the poverty which complicates the lives of so many Canadians, preventing them from many aspects of life that we take for granted. Everyone is encouraged to engage government representatives on this issue.
 
Ascher Kirchner’s challenge to us all to engage with historical Biblical writings, rather than taking them literally, was thought provoking. His Jewish background in both the written and oral Torahs and the ways their meaning continues to be actively grappled with, paired with his experiences of accompaniment in Palestine in 2022, lent weight to his recommendation that Friends actively advocate for a 2 way arms embargo of Israel by Canada and other countries, in order to help stop the ongoing atrocities being committed against Palestinians.
 
I was moved by a Friend who said in closing that the freedom to come and go during the gathering had helped them to realize that “I am a Quaker in all of my life, in everything I do. Being a Quaker helps me to live my life.”
 
With gratitude for all.
 
Sarah Chandler

Around the Family: Peace Actions at Winnipeg Monthly Meeting

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Article originally published in Winnipeg Monthly Meeting’s Summer 2025 newsletter.

As atrocities continue against the people of Gaza, some Winnipeg Quakers do what they can to show solidarity. Their willingness to bear witness to, and speak about, the terrible effects of bombs and blockades on the lives of Palestinian families has led others to take action as well. On Friday, March 28, some folks met on Zoom and worked on posters to bring to the regular Saturday protest organized by Winnipeg Palestinians. On March 29, a few Quakers stood with other war protesters to show their concern. There are many ways to help: Palestinians ask us to raise awareness and share their stories; to avoid supporting companies that are complicit in or benefitting from their genocide; and to contact government representatives to try to convince them to intervene, or at least not support the genocide.

On Thursday, May 8, Quakers were invited to join Winnipeg Mennonite Action in protesting at the site of Magellan Aerospace at 660 Berry Street. Magellan Aerospace manufactures components of the F-35 Fighter Jet, contributing to death and destruction in Palestine. Prayers were offered for a ceasefire, for relief aid, and for peace. Participants called for the manufacturer to have the moral courage to say no to armaments.

Canadian Yearly Meeting is looking to hire a Camp Administrator

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Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends is looking to hire a Camp Administrator

This new part-time position (one-year contract with possible renewal, 0.57 FTE) provides administrative support to Camp NeeKauNis throughout the year. The Camp Administrator is accountable to CYM’s General Secretary-Treasurer and a designated person from the Camp NeeKauNis Committee.

Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM) of the Religious Society of Friends is the formal name of the main organization of Quakers in Canada. Quakers are a faith group. CYM is made up of different meetings, groups, and committees. Quakers within the worship community do most of our work with CYM’s paid staff support. Camp NeeKauNis is a Quaker-run, intergenerational summer camp under the care of CYM and operates with the support of a dedicated, volunteer-run steering committee and subcommittees. More information about Camp NeeKauNis can be found here: https://www.neekaunis.org/

The work includes:

  • Playing an integral role in the administration of the camp
  • Collaborating with a broad array of volunteers, vendors, and staff, including recruiting, training and supporting volunteers and staff (lifeguards and cooks).
  • Ensuring that site maintenance, facilities and programs align with legal requirements, along with camp needs, budget and values.
  • Supporting communications and fundraising efforts to grow camp and volunteer engagement.

The ideal candidate will have:

  • Passion for ensuring that each camper has the most fulfilling experience possible.
  • 3-5 years of experience in camp coordination, non-profit administration, and/or volunteer management.
  • Well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities
  • Familiarity with health and safety standards for residential camps and other legal requirements, such as privacy (or willingness to learn).
  • Excellent written and verbal communications.
  • Proven skills in working both independently and as part of a team.
  • Ability to work within a faith context based on Quaker values, practices and testimonies (or openness to learning about them).
  • 1-2 years of experience with financial record-keeping, grant writing, and/or fundraising is an asset.
  • CPR & First Aid Certification (or willingness to obtain them).
  • Hiring is conditional upon the provision of a vulnerable sector police check.
  • Having access to a personal vehicle is an asset due to the camp’s rural location.

To view the detailed job description and required skills/qualifications, click on this link.

Location: Requires flexibility to work remotely and on-site at Camp NeeKauNis (Waubaushene, Ontario):

  • Flexible remote work in the off-season.
  • On-site presence required at particular times during the warmer seasons.
  • Occasional weekend work for work bees, site maintenance, and Steering Committee meetings.

Hours: 20 hours per week. While some availability during regular work hours will be necessary to collaborate with colleagues, some weekend and/or evening work may be required to collaborate with volunteers.

Compensation: $46,292-$47,937 annually, pro-rated to 0.57 FTE or 20 hours per week ($ $26,386-$27,392 annually). CYM offers RRSP contributions.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to before 4 p.m. on 31st July 2025. While we thank those who apply for their interest, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.