Home Mission and Advancement Committee (HMAC) + Publications and Communications Meeting November 4 – 6 2011

HMAC and the Publications and Communications Committee (P & C) met on the same days and in the same location – Friends House, Toronto Monthly Meeting – the first weekend in November.  I was grateful to be able to attend and work with the dedicated Friends who were there. It was great to welcome Marilyn Manzer as clerk of HMAC.  I have been grateful, too, for Ellen Helmuth’s significant, caring and careful work as interim clerk (though there was some discussion as to whether the best term was ‘acting’ or ‘interim’).  It was also good to welcome new members, Marc Forget, Jeannette Amdur and Wendy Macpherson.

Anne-Marie Zilliacus attended for a couple of hours and provided valuable support for our budgeting process – Thanks, Anne-Marie.

Friday evening, HMAC, P&C Committee, Anne-Marie and Bruce Dienes spent some time exploring together thoughts about Canadian Yearly Meeting’s web presence and possibilities for using the internet as a means for developing and sustaining our small, wide-spread community.

One of my favourite activities at Friends House is visiting the library.  There were a few familiar folk hanging out there after Meeting for Worship on Sunday

Dorothy Janes (Toronto MM) and Ellen Helmuth (New Brunswick MM)

Mark Stanley (Saskatchewan MM) and Chris (Toronto's ministry of hospitality presence)

 For any interested in CYM history in Canada, there are bound issues of the Canadian Friend (almost to the beginning, I think)  in one of the glass cases in the library.  I find it fascinating to read about happenings from the 1960s and 1970s as they were being reported then, and to see some of the photographs from that time period too.

If you prefer action, or learning sessions, Toronto Friends can usually let you know what’s current in Toronto, and as always the resident Friends, Judy and Ben, are helpful and cheerful.