Wednesday, September 30, 2009

News from Western Quaker Newsletters
September-October 2009


Dear Friends,

I have three items I’d like to bring to your attention today.
I do realize that John Calvi has been traveling among Friends in California and I did not highlight those events. However, in the realm of “better late than never,” here’s what I know of his time in Oregon:

1. (From the Multnomah Meeting Bulletin, September 27)
John Calvi, released Friend from Putney VT. with a ministry in trauma healing, was our Friend in Residence at NPYM this year and will be Multnomah's and Bridge City’s Friend in Residence.
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7:00-9:00 pm at Multnomah Meeting John will be speaking about choosing our work, caring for ourselves, and each other.
Thursday, Oct. 1, 10am - 2pm John will return to Multnomah Meeting and we'll practice gentle hands on techniques and energy work; bring brown bag lunch.
Thursday evening at West Hills Friends Church, 7pm – 9pm, John will speak on the Quaker Initiative to End Torture, and being a Welcoming Congregation.
WILLAMETTE QUARTERLY MEETING: OCTOBER 2-4
At Multnomah Meeting & Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp
WQM will begin at the Multnomah Meetinghouse on Friday evening, October 2, then continues at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp on Saturday & Sunday. John Calvi will be with us on Friday evening, and he will be featured in the program on Saturday.

2. Did you know that the Quaker Youth Pilgrimage, a program of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) will be in the Pacific Northwest next summer? Young friends, ages 16-18, will arrive in Seattle on July 16 and travel together for a month. Who in your church or meeting would be right for this life-changing experience? Contact me-nancym@fwccamericas.org, Bill Schoder-Ehri bschodereheri@gmail.com,
or the FWCC website, fwccamericas.org, for more information.

3. John Irving Ocol, a member of the Philippines Friends Church, has alerted us to the scale of the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana. At the height of the flash floods, he wrote: "All Friends Churches in Pasig and nearby town are under flood. All members of the Friends church are affected. We are in great need. We need food, medicine, water, blanket, etc. We do not have any resources to buy all the things we need. All our properties and appliances are totally destroyed by the water. On behalf of my yearly meeting, I am asking a help from your good heart. Members of the church are praying for the help especially to us living in Pasig because we are the most affected."
The FWCC Asia West Pacific Section is accepting donations to relieve immediate need. Those wishing to contribute can do so via the Section of the Americas. Please reference "Philippines."
(This is from the FWCC, Section of the Americas, eNewsletter. If you’d like to receive it, write to Americas@fwccamericas.org.)
Friends may also donate through Evangelical Friends Mission: EFM, PO Box 525, Arvada CO, 80001. Note your contribution to "Emergency Fund."

In Friendship,
Nancy

News of Friends Meetings and Churches

John Calvi will speak at West Hills Friends Church (Portland, OR) on the Quaker Initiative To End Torture on Thursday, October 1st. He will also discuss issues related to being a Welcoming Congregation.
Visalia Meeting (CA) is affiliating with Friends General Conference. Davis and Sacramento Meetings are also affiliated with FGC. (Pacific Yearly Meeting)
Ukiah Worship Group (CA) will host a public meeting featuring Ukiah poet and peace activist David Smith-Ferri the first week of November.
Tempe Meeting (AZ) Adult Religious Education Committee is sponsoring a five-session course, “Quakerism: The Stable Core: The Light Within.” Friends will meet on Sunday afternoons from October to April.
South Seattle Preparative Meeting (WA) will hold a “called meeting” for thoughtful consideration of monthly meeting status. A part of that meeting will be worship sharing on what it means to Friends individually to move forward to monthly meeting;
Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) held a threshing session. Friends began with the following queries: (1) In our work together as a Meeting, are we holding true to our testimonies of Simplicity & Integrity? (2) Do we, as a Meeting, keep our collective life uncluttered with things and activities, avoiding commitments beyond our collective light and strength? (3) Is the life of our Meeting so ordered that it helps us work from our spiritual center, within our light and strength?
On Sunday, September 27, Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) unveiled this year's Christmas musical. Friends interested in singing in the choir, playing in the orchestra, auditioning for a drama role, participating in the liturgical dance, helping with sound or lights, or constructing sets were to attend an organizing meeting.
Members and attenders of Redwood Forest Meeting (Santa Rosa, CA) are invited to an evening of Worship Sharing regarding the Peace Testimony of Friends, on September 29, at the Meetinghouse. Queries, drawn from Living in Virtue by Steve Smith, will be offered. A simple soup supper will be available preceding the gathering.
The Future of Meeting Committee of Redwood Forest Meeting (Santa Rosa, CA) will hold up a mirror to the meeting so Friends can have a shared and detailed understanding of who they are and what their values are, and to help Meeting discern its future. The process is expected to take approximately 18 months, after which the committee will be laid down.
Newberg Friends Church (OR) is planning monthly Adoptive Families Gathering. Friends will have a potluck with families and, following dinner, children will be excused to play, with supervised care, while parents talk together about their ideas for how best they might provide adoption support and discussion, and about how they might celebrate their children, and their children’s cultures together.
John Calvi, released Friend from Putney VT with a ministry in trauma healing, will be Friend in Residence for Multnomah and Bridge City Meetings (Portland, OR) on Wednesday, Sept. 30th. On Thursday, Oct. 1, John will return to Multnomah Meeting and Friends will practice gentle hands-on techniques and “energy work.”
Lopez Island Worship Group (WA) has asked to become a preparative meeting under the care of Bellingham Meeting. The request has been approved.
At Eastside Meeting (Bellevue, WA) concern has been raised that committees try to meet on first Sundays, but many individuals have multiple committee assignments. The clerk suggested that a person on multiple committees should contact the committee clerks and ask them to contact each other and try to find ways around the impasse of simultaneous meetings.

The Reading Group of Delta Meeting (Stockton, CA) is reading Rufus Jones’ The Luminous Trail.
Davis Meeting (CA) held a special Threshing Session about the process and plans for replacing the doors to the meeting house.
Friends at Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) learned they can be a part of helping people in need right in their own community. Box of Love (Canning Hunger) is a great way to share God’s love by feeding those in need physically and spiritually.
Ministry and Oversight Committee of Boise Valley Meeting (ID) discussed ways of engaging young people in the life of the Meeting and also discussed the difficulties for parents attending Meeting when we have no ongoing First Day program
Bridge City Meeting (Portland, OR) will continue with intergenerational worship one Sunday per month on an every other month basis beginning in October. Children’s Program Committee will plan the theme for these Meetings for Worship with accompanying crafts or activities, and a representative from Ministry and Oversight will assist with promoting and shepherding the events.
Bellingham Meeting (WA) has approved giving financial support for a Palestinian refugee family who will be arriving in Vancouver, BC. This family of three, with a child in great need of healthcare, is solely dependent upon the private sponsorship of the Unitarians and Quakers of Vancouver for an entire year.

Beyond the Monthly Meeting/Churches

The Fall gathering of College Park Quarterly Meeting will be October 16-18 at Sierra Friends Center, Nevada City, CA with the theme "Recognizing and deepening our Quaker Faith."
Colorado Regional Meeting will be held November 6th - 8th at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center in Estes Park bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. This year’s theme is “Deepening Our Spiritual Life in Community” and will be led by Nancy Bieber, a member of Lancaster (PA) Monthly Meeting and a psychotherapist, spiritual director and retreat leader.
to be a time for sharing, games, considering ideas, and food (pizza and ice cream).
George Fox University and Northwest Yearly Meeting are jointly sponsoring a day-long conference to work toward abolishing sex trafficking and forced prostitution in Portland. "The New Abolitionists" conference will occur October 24, 9 a.m to 4 p.m. at George Fox University. http://www.georgefox.edu/newabolitionists/index.html
Several short-term missionaries are going to Rwanda as Rwanda has decreed that all school teachers be able to teach in English. EFM has begun to address the situation in Friends Schools. The five teachers who are going to Rwanda are from Northwest Yearly Meeting.
The Northwest Yearly Meeting Youthworkers Training Conference will be November 6-8 at the Hood River Inn, Hood River OR. Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee of Tigard Friends Church will speak to the theme, “Plugged In: Engaging the Media Culture Surrounding Youth.”

Retha McCutcheon of Northwest Yearly Meeting will lead a trip to Israel/Palestine in January 2010. Along with visits to historical sites, the group will also connect with ministries related to NWYM--including the work the Neiferts are doing in Haifa. Retha's email: retha@marafiki.us
Pacific Yearly Meeting united in moving forward with hiring a Youth Program Coordinator. As part of this significant development, PYM Nominating Committee is in the process of identifying individuals to serve on a Supervisory Committee, which would implement and oversee the hiring and supervision of this employee.
Quaker Earthcare Witness will hold its Annual Meeting and Gathering in Bellingham, WA, October 8-12 with the theme, “Wisdom Stories for a Resilient Future: Bible Stories, Native Stories, Quaker Stories.” Kathy Hyzy of Multnomah Meeting and editor of Western Friend will present the keynote address. www.quakerearthcare.org
Southern California Quarterly Meeting will be November 7-8 at Temescal Canyon. Steve Smith, Claremont Meeting will speak to the theme: "Finding Joy In Committee Work: Knitting The Meeting Together In Community" Time has been dedicated to meeting together in groups according to the committee in which Friends are called to serve, or would like to serve, in their Monthly Meetings.
Western Friend celebrated the publication of the book, Enlivened by the Spirit, at University Meeting in Seattle. The book is a compilation of nearly fifty Friends’ responses to the query, “How have you experienced God or the Divine?” with art, song, poetry, fiction, and essays.

Friday, September 18, 2009

News from Western Quaker Newsletters
September 2009


News of Friends Meetings and Churches

Agate Passage Meeting (Poulsbo, WA) is planning a new first hour program: “Quaker Sojourns”, an opportunity to learn more about one another and to encourage conversation about how travel can nourish values and beliefs. Each second Sunday Friends will hear a different travel story and discuss the ideas that spin off from it.
Albuquerque Meeting (NM) will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Saturday, October 17 with an afternoon of worship-sharing, reminiscences, creativity, a photo display, stories, fun and music, followed by a light supper and evening of Friendship.
The Community Group Hosts of Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) think it so important that Friends join a community group this fall that they decided to call everyone in the church and give them a personal invitation to be part of a group. The entire church through the weekend messages and the Community Groups will be studying an exciting new series called "One Month to Live", Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life.
The theme for the Women’s Conference, October 9-10 at Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) will be "Who's that Woman in the Mirror? - Finding a Healthy Self-Image." Women are told: “What you think about yourself makes a difference in how you live your life. Learn the way to experience all God intended you to be and to accept and love the truth that's there when you look in the mirror. Explore your self-image and enjoy a fun and life-changing time.”
Chico Meeting (CA) will hold an open house on October 4th. CFM is celebrating the second year in their meetinghouse, now one hundred years old!
The Quaker Studies session for Lower Columbia Worship Group (Seaview, WA) will focus on Sandra Cronk’s description of spiritual nurture in the Society of Friends.
Adult Religious Education Committee of Corvallis Meeting (OR) has considered the possibility of a meeting-wide retreat and decided that there is not enough clarity on a need for it or what it should focus on, so will not undertake to plan one for this fall.
Fresno Meeting (CA) supports the concept of universal healthcare for all to end the disgrace of having almost 50 million uninsured in this country.
The Library Committee of Grass Valley Meeting (Nevada City, CA) has a plan to inventory what materials are in the GVFM Library and to organize materials in a manner of both Mr. Dewey’s decimal classifications and Friends.
Midtown Friends (Sacramento, CA) held a peace fair at a midtown park in July. Their hope was to raise awareness and have good conversations about peace – not necessarily national peace but on the deeper nature of peace.
The Community and Fellowship Committee of Mountain View Meeting (Denver, CO) was newly established this year to help the meeting become a more welcoming and inclusive meeting and to provide opportunities for people to get together, forming community. The Committee is making plans for greeters and hopes no one again goes away without making contact with at least one person in the meeting;
Friends at Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) are making plans to train interested Friends in methods of Helping Others in Times of Economic Stress. Topics to be covered include housing, mental health, referrals to agencies, and helping the helpers.
The mission trip to Mexico of Netarts Friends Church (OR) is an intergenerational highlight every year. It started as a trip primarily for the youth of the church, but over the years it has become a “come one, come all” event. In 2009 a record number of 29 people went on the trip, and many had only attended NFC a few times before going. Now most are regular attenders!
Unprogrammed worship is starting at Newberg Friends Church (OR). Friends are excited that God is birthing something new in their midst. Each Sunday morning a group will meet for a time of waiting and listening to Christ together as a chance to see what God has in store as they worship with silence and no program or plan. Friends will simply start with a scripture and then wait expectantly for the Spirit to move among them.
Newberg Friends Church (OR) is having a Josh Reid Appreciation Gathering to celebrate Josh Reid’s seven years of service as youth pastor.
North Seattle Friends Church (WA) went kayaking. Those interested met at a rowing club for a guided tour around Lake Union. Experience was not required.
Patty Federighi, North Seattle Friends Church (WA) went to Burundi and the Congo to work with Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services of Burundi (www.THARS.org) on a project that teaches quilt making as a tool of trauma healing.
Delonna Halliday, Olympic View Friends Church (Tacoma, WA) is a Love and Logic Facilitator who facilitates parenting training at Friends Churches. Love and Logic provides simple and practical techniques to help teachers and parent experience less stress and more fun while raising responsible children.
Orange County Friends Meeting (Santa Ana, CA) has decided to give up its conventional phone line, which is expensive and used very little, and replace it with a Skype phone account. This number can be reached from any phone; Friends do not need to use Skype or a computer.
Rose Drive Friends (Yorba Linda, CA) scheduled a baptism class in the Fireside Room. The class is a prerequisite to water baptism at the church.
Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) noted that with a church its size it is important to be intentional about getting to know people and Small Groups are the main way they connect people. These groups are normally 8-14 people who meet once a week for about 90 minutes. At a Small Group Friends can meet new people in a relaxed atmosphere, ask questions about the Bible, and share concerns they would like people to pray about.
Worship and Ministry (W&M) Committee of Sacramento Meeting (CA) wants Friends to know W&M is constantly trying to improve the quality of worship and ministry. When issues or concerns arise, W&M tries to resolve them as quickly as possible. W&M reminds Friends that if they have any concerns or possible ways to make the quality of worship and ministry better to please let someone on the committee know.
Salt Lake Meeting (UT) is hosting “Faith and the Land: a Call for Wilderness Stewardship,” on Sunday, September 27th.
San Jose Meeting (CA) considered whether Friends would ask the city for a refund for Open Preserve taxes paid. The Meeting is in unity to not ask for a refund from the Santa Clara County Open Preserve as the Meeting supports the preservation of open spaces.
Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) endorsed a traveling minute for Friend Diego Navarro who has a deeply-held concern for young adults in poverty, a concern that led him to create the Digital Bridge Academy.
Santa Cruz Meeting (CA), noting that the Quaker decision-making process has sometimes stopped the Meeting from taking a formal part in certain community activities, asks how to allow for Meeting approval in less than the usual time frame? Friends will hold a Threshing Session.
Santa Fe Friends (NM) have formed a local group called Friends in the Arts which meets monthly and is affiliated with the Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts, an international group.
South Seattle Preparative Meeting (WA) held an orientation for potential First Day School teachers noting that “Everyone is encouraged to teach, even if you are only available twice in the next few months. The job's a breeze: curriculum is provided, and teachers always work in pairs. The job's rewarding: the kids are a lot of fun, they're thrilled to see new faces, and conversations during class are always interesting and often charming.”
South Seattle Preparative Meeting (WA) is co-sponsoring a Peace Walk on September 20th. "Peace in the Neighborhood, Peace in the World." to celebrate the U.N. International Day of Peace, to join in community with other neighborhood groups to make a statement for peace, and to help their fellow Seattle residents by bringing food for the St. Mary's food bank.
Strawberry Creek Meeting (Berkeley, CA) is experiencing a baby boom; four babies are/were due in a two-month period.
Stephen Matchett will visit Strawberry Creek Meeting (Berkeley, CA) to speak on "Going to the Well". He will share some of his favorite passages from William Penn's Primitive Christianity Revived. The thrust of the message will be personal and experiential, not scholarly, and he will offer his own life story as a way of communicating why these writings are meaningful to him.
Tacoma Meeting (WA) is hosting a Quaker Quest workshop on Saturday, September 19th.
Outreach Committee of Tempe Meeting (AZ) suggests that its official purpose would be:
“It is the purpose of the Outreach Committee to make the larger community aware of the existence of our Quaker Meeting and for our Meeting community to know of our activities.”
Tempe Meeting (AZ) is considering the possibility of hosting a homeless program in the Meeting House twice a month. Tempe Meeting has been reluctant to house homeless guests because of disapproval by neighbors in 2005 and because of earlier assurances of limitations of use of the Meeting House at the time it was built.
Vancouver Monthly Meeting (BC) is looking forward to Fun’ Raising. The Fun nights: Games Night, Movie Night, and Quaker Sing A Long – Hootenany will be brought to Friends by the Ad Hoc Refugee Committee who will ask Friends for donations to contribute to the sponsorship of a young refugee family, now caught in the no-man’s land between Iraq and Syria.
The Pastoral Search Committee of First Friends, Whittier (CA) has announced that a pastoral candidate will visit the church in September.

Beyond the Monthly Meeting/Churches

Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting will take place from Friday, September 25, to Sunday, September 27 at Emmanuel Pines Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Prescott, AZ with the theme, Strengthening Our Ties in Nature. Suggested readings include Earthcare for Friends by Louis Cox and Be Ye Perfect: The Quaker Call to Wholeness by Lisa Lofland-Gould.
Ben Lomond Quaker Center in California is considering offering a program for smaller meetings and worship groups in Pacific Yearly Meeting. Smaller meetings and worship groups are being asked whether Ben Lomond should offer the program and how it might be planned to meet their needs.

The quarterly meeting of the Christian Friends Conference will take place on Saturday, September 19th at Berkeley with brown bag lunch and beverages and bagels provided in the morning.
The Fall gathering of College Park Quarterly Meeting will be October 16-18 at Sierra Friends Center, Nevada City, CA.
Colorado Regional Meeting will be held November 6th - 8th at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center in Estes Park bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. This year’s theme is “Deepening Our Spiritual Life in Community” and will be led by Nancy Bieber, a member of Lancaster (PA) Monthly Meeting and a psychotherapist, spiritual director and retreat leader.
The Steering Committee of the Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy (FCWPP) will meet during Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting in the Dining Hall at Lazy F Camp & Retreat Center near Ellensburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25th.
Northern California Teens (8th-12th grades) in and near the Silicon Valley were invite to gather at the Palo Alto Meetinghouse for an exploratory meeting to consider who the group is and what it might do in the coming year. There was to be a time for sharing, games, considering ideas, and food (pizza and ice cream).
Several short-term missionaries are going to Rwanda as Rwanda has decreed that all school teachers be able to teach in English. EFM has begun to address the situation in Friends Schools. The five teachers who are going to Rwanda are from Northwest Yearly Meeting.
The Peace Education Sub-committee (a sub-committee of the NWYM Christian Education and Discipleship Committee of Northwest Yearly Meeting is focusing on two items for the immediate future - needs assessment and a NWYM Peace Month. This year the Peace Month will be January with the theme "What is Peace?" The sub-committee hopes to facilitate a discussion in the local meetings and provide teaching tools on Quaker history and why Friends have a peace testimony.
Northwest Yearly Meeting has ministry openings among its churches. Sherwood Friends is looking for a half-time youth pastor; Newberg Friends is looking for a full-time youth pastor; 2nd Street Community Church, a ministry of Friends in Newberg, is looking for a Middle School Intern and Director of Equipping and Serving; Olympic View Friends are looking for a pastor; Twin Rocks Friends Camp needs an Assistant Food Director; and Barclay Press has a 30-hour office position.
The Friends Women Retreat, a combined retreat of Friends both east and west of the Cascades, of Northwest Yearly Meeting, will be held at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, October 1-4.
Retha McCutcheon of Northwest Yearly Meeting will lead a trip to Israel/Palestine in January 2010. Along with visits to historical sites, the group will also connect with ministries related to NWYM--including the work the Neiferts are doing in Haifa. Retha's email: retha@marafiki.us
Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting will meet September 25-27, 2009, at Lazy F Ranch near Ellensburg. Port Townsend Monthly Meeting will lead the program with the theme, “Wild Earth, Wild Mind, Wild Heart.” Friends are invited to “Engage their minds and creativity; express their grief over our planet in peril; find hope for our future as an interdependent earth community; and gain courage to live out the Quaker testimony of care for the natural world.
The Continuing Committee of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting has begun a discussion of financial options that may be needed in order for PNQM to continue its current policy of "pay what you can" for those who attend QM sessions. There was a very substantial deficit from our Spring 2009 in spite of a large attendance. Even with financial reserves, such deficits are not sustainable and must be prevented or greatly reduced beginning not later than spring 2010.
The Religious Education Committee of Pacific Yearly Meeting circulates an e-Newsletter. The latest issue focuses on outreach to families with the concern that most smaller meetings feel a need for more families and children.
Pacific Yearly Meeting united in moving forward with hiring a Youth Program Coordinator. As part of this significant development, PYM Nominating Committee is in the process of identifying individuals to serve on a Supervisory Committee, which would implement and oversee the hiring and supervision of this employee.
Quaker Earthcare Witness will hold its Annual Meeting and Gathering in Bellingham, WA, October 8-12 with the theme, “Wisdom Stories for a Resilient Future: Bible Stories, Native Stories, Quaker Stories.” Kathy Hyzy of Multnomah Meeting and editor of Western Friend will present the keynote address. www.quakerearthcare.org
Southern California Quarterly Meeting will be November 7-8 at Temescal Canyon.
Western Friend celebrated the publication of the book, Enlivened by the Spirit, at University Meeting in Seattle. The book is a compilation of nearly fifty Friends’ responses to the query, “How have you experienced God or the Divine?” with art, song, poetry, fiction, and essays.
Willamette Quarterly Meeting will gather October 3-4, 2009 at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp near Rhododendron, OR.



Friday, September 4, 2009

News from Western Quaker Newsletters

Mid-August 2009

News of Friends Meetings and Churches

Agate Passage Meeting (Poulsbo, WA) is considering Peace and Social Concerns options for the coming year. Friends might work with immigrants detained at the Tacoma Detention Center. Friends are considering more direct and personal contacts with detainees by working with an interfaith effort based in Tacoma. Peace and Social Concerns Committee is also considering sponsoring an Alternatives to Violence workshop.
Appleseed Meeting (Sebastopol, CA) is considering a proposed minute on Meeting attendance which suggests that Friends arriving on time sit along the side (away from the doors), leaving seating available for latecomers at the back of the room. Friends were encouraged to come to Meeting for Worship prepared and on time.
The treasurer of Berkeley Meeting (CA) noted that while the Peace and Social Order Committee has the authority to host events without seeking approval from the Meeting, if an event requires insurance, such as the recent Helen Caldicott event, then it should be sponsored by the Meeting and not just by the Committee.
Bridge City Meeting (Portland, OR) is considering whether or not to continue its experiment with Intergenerational Worship. The Meeting held Intergenerational Worship once a month for three months. Friends were given a query for responses. The children gathered in the center of the circle of adults and did art projects.
Opportunities to get together with Friends at Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) include: Women's Tuesday Morning Bible Study on chapter 11 of Hebrews "Hall of Faith;" "Women's Serve Day where women will assemble "no sew" blankets for abused and abandoned children; and KidQuest Wednesday Night Bible Study -- Crocodile Dock.
Citrus Heights Friends Church (CA) is beginning a new Sunday night worship service called "Ignite," with the hope that Ignite will become the happening gathering place for people of all ages in their area.
Claremont Friends (CA) are invited by Discussion Committee to a fun and thought-provoking video regarding gay, lesbian, and queer issues. The Committee predicts a lively discussion will follow.
Friends from Davis Meeting (CA) are participating in a Prayer Meeting for World Peace. Queries used will include: What am I doing to contribute to world peace? What am I doing to be at peace within myself?
Children's Meeting of Eastside Meeting (Bellevue, WA) discussed the suggestion that children need to know it is OK for them to stay in Meeting for Worship -- and that it is OK for them to leave when they need to do so. This is especially important for older children and teens who may want to try being in Meeting for a while longer than the first 15 minutes that younger children attend.
Eugene Friends (OR) have the opportunity to participate in a Labor Day Apple Squeeze. Friends are to bring clean jars and boxes of apples or pears.
Honolulu Friends Meeting (HI) is hosting its annual streetwide gathering, "For the Love of Gardens," September 11-13 on the Meeting House grounds. Members and attenders from Honolulu and neighbor islands will be there.
Midtown Friends (Sacramento, CA) held a peace fair at a midtown park in July. Their hope was to raise awareness and have good conversations about peace -- not necessarily national peace but on the deeper nature of peace.
Friends of Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) are making plans to train interested Friends in methods of Helping Others in Times of Economic Stress. Topics to be covered include housing, mental health, referrals to agencies, and helping the helpers.
Newberg Friends Women (OR) are invited to the Margaret Fell Friends Women's Fall Kick-off Potluck Picnic at Jaquith Park. Ron and Carolyn Stansell will share on "Where in the World is God Working?"
A six-week Vecina, Vecino small group is being offered in the Fall at Newberg Friends Church (OR) to those interested in reaching out to the immigrant community.
North Seattle Friends Church (WA) went kayaking. Those interested met at a rowing club for a guided tour around Lake Union. Experience was not required.
Orange Grove Meeting (Pasadena, CA) is committed to cooking a dinner meal for the homeless every fifth Sunday of the month. In August they cooked at the Union Station homeless shelter. Friends have a good time cooking and chatting.
At Palo Alto Meeting (CA) every Wednesday following Meeting for Worship, worship sharing or worship discussion is held on topics announced each month in the Newsletter. This is an open opportunity for individuals to discuss or explore spiritual matters, theological ideas, social witness related to Quaker Meeting, and other Quaker and Meeting-related topics. Anyone in the Meeting may propose a topic and lead the session.
Redwood Forest Meeting (Santa Rosa, CA) plans a Fun Night to welcome home the Meeting Resident with a potluck and a movie. Friends will watch Monty Python & the Holy Grail, a silly romp through the legend of King Arthur. Friends are to come as their favorite moose.
The Fall sessions of the Center for Christian Studies, Reedwood Friends Church (Portland, OR) will be led by four historians who will teach on different topics on the history of Christianity. Each lesson will provide insight and application for the church today.
The 7 and Up First Day School of Reno Meeting (NV) invites adults in the Meeting to share with them their experiences and knowledge of other religions besides Quakerism. Friends are invited to get to know younger Quakers and to delve into their own and others understanding of many religions from all over the globe.
Rose Drive Friends (Yorba Linda, CA) took part in a summer funn food event the weekend of August 15-16. They ate pancakes (buttermilk, blueberry, and chocolate chip) and connected with old and new friends for dinner on Saturday or brunch on Sunday.
Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) scheduled a baptism class in the Fireside Room. The class is a prerequisite to water baptism at the church.
Salt Lake Meeting (UT) adopted the following minute: The recording clerk is charged to inform Friends in their service capacity with SLMM of any action or decision of the Business Meeting that affects the Friend's activities or assignments if that Friend is not in attendance at thre Meeting in which the action or decision was adopted.
San Francisco Friends (CA) are invited to participate in a new approach to Quakerism - Quaker Jeopardy. They are invited to bring friends, family, and thinking caps to a new way to learn about Quaker faith and practice. Round one is on Quakerism: Beginnings to 1800. Are Friends ready with their "final answer?"
Santa Fe Friends (NM) formed a local group called Friends in the Arts which meets monthly and is affiliated with the Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts, an international group.
The members of the Board of Directors of the Western Friend joined South Seattle Preparative Meeting (WA) for worship and a potluck lunch.
Sky Valley Worship Group (Sultan, WA) hosted Eastside Meeting (Bellevue, WA) on August 30th.
University Meeting (Seattle, WA) sent a letter to the president of the University of Washington regretting the University's decision to not host Tent City (housing for homeless people).
In September, Adult Religious Education sessions of University Meeting (Seattle, WA) will focus on the role of women in the Religious Society of Friends, beginning an occasional series of investigations into how we live the Testimony of Equality. Topics will include Women in the Society of Friends Today, women's meetings, mothers of Quakerism, and Quaker Women and Social Change 1800-1950.

Beyond the Monthly Meetings/Churches
Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting will take place September 25-27 at Emmanuel Pines Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Prescott, AZ with the theme, "Strengthening Our Ties in Nature." Suggested readings include Earthcare for Friends by Louis Cox and Be Ye Perfect: The Quaker Call to Wholeness by Lisa Lofland-Gould.
Ben Lomond Quaker Center in California is considering offering a program for smaller meetings and worship groups in Pacific Yearly Meeting. Smaller meetings and worship groups are being asked whether Ben Lomand should offer the program and how it might be planned to meet their needs.
The Quarterly Meeting of the Christian Friends Conference will take place on Saturday, September 19th at Berkeley Friends Church with brown bag lunch and beverages and bagels provided in the morning.
Colorado Regional Meeting will be held November 6th-8th at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center in Estes Park bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. This year's theme is "Deepening Our Spiritual Life in Community" and will be led by Nancy Bieber, a member of Lancaster (PA) Monthly Meeting and a psychotherapist, spiritual director and retreat leader.
Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is forming a Medical Short Term missions trip to Cambodia in January.
Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is reducing its staff, thus Larry Kinser's position as Director of Church Growth and Health has been cut.
Northern California Teens (Pacific Yearly Meeting) -- 8th-12th grades -- in and near the Silicon Valley were invited to gather at the Palo Alto Meetinghouse for an exploratory meeting to consider who the group is and what it might do in the coming year. There was to be a time for sharing, games, considering ideas, and food (pizza and ice cream).
Colin Saxton's keynote address to Northwest Yearly Meeting, delivered on July 27th, is now available at the NWYM website. http://www.newfriends.org/ His challenge, as superintendent of NWYM, was for Friends to go "deeper" as a people of God, corporately and individually.
The Peace Education Subcommittee of Northwest Yearly Meeting is focusing on two items for the immediate future - needs assessment and a NWYM Peace Month. This year the Peace Month will be January with the theme "What is Peace?" The subcommittee hopes to facilitate a discussion in the local meetings and provide teaching tools on Quaker history and why Friends have a peace testimony.
Northwest Yearly Meeting has ministry openings among its churches. Sherwood Friends is looking for a half-time youth pastor; Newberg Friends is looking for a full-time youth pastor; 2nd Street Community Church, a ministry of Friends in Newberg, is looking for a Middle School Intern and Director of Equipping and Serving; Olympic View Friends are looking for a pastor; Twin Rocks Friends Camp needs an Assistant Food Director; and Barclay Press has a 30-hour office position open.
The Friends Women Retreat, a combined retreat of Friends both east and west of the Cascades, of Northwest Yearly Meeting, will be held at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, October 1-4.
The Religious Education Committee of Pacific Yearly Meeting circulates an e-Newsletter. The latest issue focuses on outreach to families with the concern that most smaller meetings feel a need for more families and children.
Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting will meet September 25-27 at Lazy F Ranch near Ellensburg, WA. Port Townsend Meeting will lead the program with the theme, "Wild Earth, Wild Mind, Wild Heart." Friends are invited to "Engage minds and creativity; express grief over our planet in peril; find hope for our future as an interdependent earth community; and gain courage to live out the Quaker testimony of care for the natural world.