To those who follow this blog:

As FWCC (Friends World Committee for Consultation) staff, I originally set up this blog to publish information about Western Quaker Churches and Meetings, publishing short summaries of information I found in Newsletters, on the internet, and from other sources. As I am no longer doing this work, I will now use the blog for my own musings, both Quaker and otherwise.

For example, I have been pondering my own history. How did I get from a young girl, running free on Fox Island in the middle of South Puget Sound, Washington, to this older (hopefully wiser) 60 ++ Quaker woman sitting in her bedroom with her computer in Portland, Oregon?

An overview of my Quaker history:

It started on an Air Force base near Fairbanks, Alaska. I met a civilian who happened to be a Quaker, married him, and little-by-little became a Quaker myself.

August 1968 I moved from Alaska to State College, Pennsylvania. I attended State College Meeting just a few times, but as it was my first Quaker Meeting, it remains in my heart.

January 1969 we moved to suburban Virginia. I tried a couple of Meetings, then settled on Goose Creek Meeting in Lincoln, VA where I first became a member.

In 1972 we moved to the town of Harvard in Massachusetts and we attended Acton Meeting.

1973 we moved to Tucson, AZ where we attended Pima Meeting. ( I was very confused when I visited the Friends Church in Tucson. Not what I expected. I’ve learned so much since then. And prayers please for Northwest Friends Church, Tucson, AZ whose church recently burned due to arson.)

1974 we moved to Bellevue, WA (Later Redmond, WA), attended and joined Eastside Meeting.

Things settled down for awhile and it wasn’t until 1987 when we moved to Corvallis, OR and joined Corvallis Meeting.

I now live in Portland, OR and am a member of Bridge City Meeting.

News from Friends World Committee for Consultation

The World Conference of Friends will happen April 17-25, 2010 at Kabarak University near Nakuru, Kenya with the theme Being salt and Light: Friends living the Kingdom of God in a broken world.

It has come to my attention that there is some confusion as to who goes to this conference. I found the following on the FWCC World website. http://www.fwccworld.org/

There are two ways you can apply to attend the World Conference:

1. As a delegate selected by your yearly meeting. A mailing has gone out to each yearly meeting (whether or not affiliated with FWCC) advising them of the number of delegates they are entitled to send. They have been asked to let the World Office know if they will use all these delegate spaces by the end of September 2010 and to provide the names of the delegates by December 2010. The World Office will send those delegates registration forms. Each yearly meeting determines how it will name its delegates.
2. Via an Open Place. There will be 300 spaces reserved for Open Place applicants plus any spaces not used by yearly meetings. Applications are available from the World Office or you may fill in the online form.

News of Friends Meetings and Churches

Wyoming Friends Meeting gathered in Sheridan, Wyoming, Nov. 5-7.

First Friends, Whittier (CA) will host the Whittier Community Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 21. Friends will participate as hosts during this traditional event.

Rehearsals start soon at West Hills Friends Church (Portland, OR) for the church’s informal "Christmas Choir." The group will help lead music throughout December, with some simple but beautiful choral arrangements of seasonal carols -- some familiar, some unusual.

For the message one Sunday at West Hills Friends Church (Portland, OR) Mike Huber read Matthew 5:14-16, carved a pumpkin, and told a story about inward Light. The Light inside a jack-o-lantern can only keep burning if it has a way to “come out.”

The Victoria Society of Friends Meeting House on Fern Street, where not only does the Victoria Friends Meeting (BC) regularly meet for worship, business, and celebration, but where many Friends have been and will be married, supported, enlightened, celebrated, and mourned, will be one hundred years old in May, 2013.

Vancouver Meeting (BC) has had an on-going series of discussions in its Newsletter, Between Friends, about Christianity and Universalism.

Every few years University Friends (Seattle, WA) have gathered for a workshop on concerns about Death & Dying. Friends gathered this November, to worship and share as well as to look at topics that arise when a family member or loved one ages or has a life-threatening disease.

University Friends (Seattle, WA) Crafts Fair will be November 28^th. This simple yet fun and well loved annual event is a service to the Meeting and fee free for vendors.

Strawberry Creek Meeting (Berkeley, CA) will hold an After Thanksgiving Potluck on Sunday, November 28^th. Friends are invited to bring their Thanksgiving leftovers, or anything else they wish to share.

Friends at Spring Valley Friends Community Church (CA) are urged to bring family and friends to church and a Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner. Friends are reminded that the holidays are a time when non-church-goers are more likely to attend church.

South Seattle Friends (WA) plan to hold a celebration to thank University Friends Meeting for its support of South Seattle becoming a monthly meeting.

Good Works of Santa Fe Meeting (NM) constitutes the monetary support (separate from individual and Meeting person power support) of organizations that provide services that are aligned with Quaker concerns. These organizations are local as well as regional, national and international. They are Quaker and non-Quaker.

Because October 31^st was a fifth Sunday, there was sacred dancing before meeting for worship at Santa Cruz Meeting (CA). As it was The Day of the Dead in many cultures, the dances honored ancestors and others who no longer walk this earth whom Friends wanted to remember.

Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) held a “Peace & Social Order” Exploratory Gathering A Friend shared, telling the group about some of the history of Peace and Social Order (P&SO) Committee work within the Santa Cruz Meeting, over a period of many years. The Peace and Social Order Liaison position was formed in January, 2007 and later shared by two Co-Liaisons. This is the Meeting’s present structure for P&SO work. Friends reflected their experiences, thoughts, and expectations in a deep, spirit-led way.

Santa Cruz Friends (CA) noted the need to be sure of the date, time, and purpose of

announcements after Meeting. It can be confusing to newcomers if those giving announcements are confused.

Sandpoint Meeting (ID) is considering becoming a Committee of the Whole which would take the place of Education Committee, Buildings & Grounds and Ministry. The Committee would consider emerging, half-formed ideas and would be open to everyone to discuss topics, visions and different ways of solving problems. Committee of the Whole would make decisions and take Minutes on those decisions.

San Jose Friends (CA) are invited to enjoy an afternoon of worship-sharing and Quaker-style discussion on November 21st. The theme will be 125 Years And Beyond – What is your vision for San Jose Friends Meeting? This year the Meeting House is 125 years old. How has San Jose Friends Meeting been led by Spirit and where is it going? A vegetarian lunch will be provided immediately following Meeting for Worship.

San Francisco Meeting (CA) approves sponsoring a cluster meeting of Friends in the Bay

Area, to be hosted by Peace and Social Concerns, to address environmental queries from Friends World Committee for Consultation.

Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) will have a Thanksgiving Eve Service on Wednesday, November 24, at 7:00 p.m. This is a unique service that many people look forward to as their favorite church family gathering of the year. There will be times of thanksgiving, praise and worship through music, and shared testimonies. This year, Rose Drive will also be joined by our two daughter churches: Puente de Gracia (Spanish speaking) and Jesus' Friends Community Church (Korean speaking). The elements of communion will be made available for all to partake.

Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) is offering a seven-week series on Sunday mornings called Christian Caring as a Way of Life. This class will help Friends if they have ever wanted to be used by God to touch others' lives, but didn't know what to do or say.

At Friend Weekend at Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) Friends will experience great music and a message called "Real Friends." In addition to regular refreshments, the church will offer free soft serve ice cream after each service! Friends are invited to take the step to pray and invite someone who doesn't know Christ yet or who doesn't have a home church, as it can have a huge impact.

Reedwood Friends Church (Portland, OR) held a Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, November 13^th.

Musical opportunities at Reedwood Friends Church (Portland, OR) include:

· The 8th annual sing along of Handel’s “Messiah” at 6:30 pm on December 5th. The Sing Along is open to anyone who would like to sing or just listen. The singing will be followed with fellowship and refreshments.

· On December 12, beginning at 6:30pm, Friends are invited to attend a Christmas play and concert presented by Reedwood children and adults including brass, bells, cello and choirs. Afterward all will move to the Friendship Center for holiday desserts. Bring neighbors, family, friends and a favorite dessert to share!

Redwood Forest Friends (Santa Rosa, CA) discuss the needs of all whose diminished hearing impedes full participation in worship.

Friends at Redwood Forest Friends (Santa Rosa, CA) have the opportunity for solo vocal roles in a Sing-Along Messiah event. The Sing-Along will occur on Sunday, December 5^th.

Pima Friends (Tucson, AZ) are being asked to season the meeting’s budget. That is, they are asked to hold the budget in the Light, to pray for guidance and to listen to how Friends are being led by the Spirit. This decision is not just about each line item or a surplus or deficit; it is about what God is calling the Meeting to do. Friends are not voting with their checkbooks, they are asked to come to unity on how they are led as a meeting, as a community.

Ministry and Oversight of Orange County Meeting (Irvine, CA) is hosting informal 'Teas” on the first Wednesday of the month. The purpose is entirely social, and hopefully will provide members and attenders in the area an opportunity for conversation, fellowship and relaxation on a regular basis.

Roughly once a month, about a dozen young people from Newberg Friends Church (OR) drive in to downtown Portland. They crowd into a church and join nearly 200 others in singing simple choruses before heading to a spot under a nearby bridge, where they serve food, wash feet, hand out sleeping bags and clean socks, and listen to people’s stories.

On Sunday, November 14, Friends from Newberg Friends Church (OR) held one combined service for worship at Bauman Auditorium on the George Fox campus. They do this each year to have the whole church together and enjoy each other!

On Sunday, November 7^th, Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) honored its Covenant of Caring with the Amigas del Señor Monastery for Women in Honduras and held them in the Light. Amigas del Señor Monastery for Women is a monastery practicing in the forms of Methodists and Quakers, located in the foothills near the Caribbean Sea in Limón, Colón, Honduras. Sister Alegría, formerly known as Beth Blodgett, is a pediatrician who founded the monastery in 2006. She has been connected with Multnomah Monthly Meeting for twelve years. Their letters home can be read online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amigasdelsenor/.

A midweek meeting for worship at Mountain View Meeting (Denver, CO) is expected to start in November, to be held the first three Wednesdays of each month from 7PM to 8PM.

Friends in Unity with Nature of Missoula Meeting (MT) talked about how to combine inner and outer worlds when they talk about unity with nature. How does a person stay peaceful within--or less despairing-- no matter what is happening around that person?

Missoula Friends (MT) approved supporting the Franklin School Fund this year and encouraged the school’s principal to bring special requests to the Meeting at any time of the year if specific students have particular, urgent needs.

The “library geeks” of La Jolla Meeting (CA) spent one afternoon cleaning and sorting in the Meeting’s library. Friends are asked to admire their handiwork and check out a book.

Humboldt Meeting (Arcata, CA) discussed the proposed Naval testing of weapons off the west coast and their concerns. A Friend wrote a first draft of a minute to present to Meeting for Business.

Martha Dugan of Guatemala Monthly Meeting spoke at Friends House in Santa Rosa, CA. She gave an update of the program including the new community service and ESL projects as well as an overview of economic/political times in Guatemala.

Eugene Meeting (OR) held its 10^th Annual Quaker Holiday Gift Sale on Saturday Nov 13^th. Friends had the opportunity to enjoy, be amazed and purchase the wonderful arts and crafts of their own Quaker Creatives. They found ceramics, woodwork, needlework, paintings, jewelry, toys, clothes and much more, reasonably priced and served with smiles and hugs!

Davis Meeting (CA) will hold an Anti-Semitism Program on Sunday, November 21^st. The announcement said “Since most Quakers are relatively free of anti-Semitic feelings, we may be especially well suited to engage in productive conversations with Jews and Zionists, even about the hard issues in Israel-Palestine. But we need to be aware of any guilts and fears we still carry.”

A successful fall cleanup of the grounds at Corvallis Meeting (OR) has resulted in a spacious and well organized shed, new mulch on all the beds and 3 new blueberry plants.

On December 5 at Corvallis Meeting (OR) Esther Schiedel will lead a discussion during the A.R.E. (Adult Religious Education) program exploring Quaker testimonies and practices and how these relate to—and may help guide—Friends as parents or as adults interacting with children. The discussion will be based on the book Paths to Quaker Parenting.

Friends at Agate Passage Meeting (Poulsbo, WA) were given queries to think about before the Meeting’s threshing session: “(1) What do I like and dislike about Meeting and in what ways would I like to see Meeting grow and change? Why do I feel this way? (2) How can we organize ourselves more simply?”

December 4^th Albuquerque Meeting (NM) will hold a meeting, dedicated to right sharing of meeting funds. Friends are welcome to attend to make decisions about giving out funds for this year. If new organizations are being suggested, Friends are to bring background information, name and address of contact people.

2nd Street Community Church (Newberg, OR) is searching for a new, ¾ time Worship Arts Director, with a beginning date of January 1, 2011. 2nd Street Community Church is a casual church with a serious Mission … Becoming More Like Jesus Christ By Loving God, Loving People, And Serving Our World. 2^nd Street’s worship style is a mixture of contemporary and classic, mixing ancient and modern songs and styles.

Beyond the Monthly Meeting/Churches

The American Friends Service Committee, Los Angeles, invited local Friends for a Friends Peace Dialogue on urban gardens and the opening of AFSC’s "Cultivating Spirited Lands" Art Exhibit.

The next meeting of the Christian Friends Conference will be December 11, 2010 at Palo Alto Friends Meeting.

College Park Quarterly Meeting will gather January 15, 2011 at San Francisco Meeting.

Friends joined the Religious Studies Department at George Fox University for Quaker Focus Week, November 8-10. Speakers included Howard Macy and Jamie Johnson; several students shared about their recent trip to Haverford College; and Colin Saxton spoke about diversity within the Quaker movement.

Montana Gathering of Friends is in the process of transitioning from solely a Quarterly Meeting to serve as both the Quarterly Meeting for all Montana Friends and the Monthly Meeting for all the Worship Groups formerly under the care of the Heartland Monthly Meeting. This transition is intended to simplify procedures and conserve the energies of Montana’s dispersed Worship Groups, particularly since MGOF has served as the central organizing forum for the Heartland Worship Groups for many years. Once the transition is complete there will be three Monthly Meetings in Montana: Missoula, Billings, and MGOF.

The Portland Area Gathering of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church was Saturday, November 13^th. Friends worshipped with music; Nate Macy spoke on “Group Spiritual Discernment; there was a Discernment Exercise; and a Business Meeting.

Each year, the people of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church partner together in ministry through the generous support of the Thanksgiving Offering. This year, the Thanksgiving Offering is staying close to home as Friends assist in the training and support of pastors serving local congregations. Training for future and current pastors will be enhanced as half of this year’s offering will go toward completing a Friends Center scholarship for graduate students at George Fox Evangelical Seminary. The other half of the Thanksgiving Offering will be dedicated to the Pastoral Assistance Fund under the care of the NWYM Board of Elders.

The next Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference plans to meet in June 2012. The location is yet to be determined. For information and/or to be involved in planning contact Becky Ankeny rjt.ankeny@gmail.com and Nancy McLauchlan nancymaemc@gmail.com.

There is a proposal to change the name of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting to Cascade Regional Meeting.

Pacific Yearly Meeting Representative Committee will meet at the San Francisco Meeting on the weekend of March 4-6, 2011.

Twin Rocks Friends Conference Center has responded to coastal tsunami concerns by detailing camp tsunami emergency procedures and shoring up supplies.

Berkeley Friends Church will host the annual meeting of the Western Association of the Religious Society of Friends (WARSF) on February 11-12, 2011. The Board of Oversight will meet on Friday evening, and then the general meeting of members the following afternoon.

Willamette Quarterly Meeting will meet for its annual business meeting on Saturday, February 5^th at Corvallis Friends Meeting.

News of Friends Meetings and Churches

Agate Passage Meeting (Poulsbo, WA) held a Threshing Session on “What do we want our meeting to be?”

Beginning in January, 2011, a book study will be scheduled at Albuquerque Meeting (NM) for interested adults. The book is To Be Broken and Tender: A Quaker Theology for Today by Margery Post Abbott.

Ministry and Counsel of Bellingham Meeting (WA) proposed an emergency plan for closing down Meeting: Key people will make the decision on whether or not to have Meeting due to weather. A Key person will call Friends on Ministry and Counsel and an e-mail message would be sent out. Friends would check their email first, if questions, call Ministry and Counsel.

For the Children’s Program at Bellingham Meeting (WA), a bound composition book will be used for sign-in and kept as a record. A Child Registry form will be created for the purpose of identifying 1) allergies and 2) permission to pick up. Children's allergy information from Child Registry will be posted in kitchen near the food and snacks.

Kathy Bergen, Program Coordinator for Friends International Center in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine, will be at the Berkeley Friends Church (CA) on Wednesday November 10^th. She will share her experiences as the Center works to support the Ramallah Friends Meeting and how the current political context affects their work. Of special concern are access and movement, together with land confiscation and house demolition.

Friends have a long history of disdaining holidays as mere frivolities. Yet the Thanksgiving Day potluck dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Berkeley Friends Meeting (CA) is the best-attended event on the Meeting calendar.

Boise Valley Meeting (ID) will hold a Workshop on Quaker Process and Conflict Resolution on October 30^th, led by Ann Stever and Dorsey Greene.

Canyon Hills Friends (Yorba Linda, CA) were invited to a presentation of the 2011 budget and leadership at the church’s Annual Congregational Meeting. Dessert was served at the beginning of the meeting.

Chena Ridge Meeting (Fairbanks, AK) is offering a Couple Enrichment Workshop in Fairbanks the weekend of November 5-7.

Thursday November 11th at 7 PM, Kathy Bergen, Ramallah Center Program Coordinator, will speak at Chico Meeting (CA) on supporting peace-building efforts between Israelis and

Palestinians. Everyone is welcome beforehand to join in a vegetarian potluck supper at 5:30 PM. Current conditions for Palestinians will emerge in Bergen’s talk, including restrictions on access and movement, and the continuing process of land confiscation and house demolitions. Quakers have been active in Ramallah since starting a school there in 1869; the Ramallah Friends Meetinghouse was established in 1910.

Chico Meeting (CA) will hold a Winnowing Session on time and money and how they represent our faith both as individuals and as members of a corporate body.

Starting November 10 and every 2nd Wednesday for the months following, after the 6-6:30 pm worship, there will be a worship sharing session at Davis Meeting (CA) about the Advices and Queries for that month. Every 4th Wednesday, at 6:30 pm after worship, and each 3rd Sunday at 8:30 am, Friends are gathering for "grab bag queries" focused on sharing of faith and practice.

Davis Meeting (CA) contacted the manager of the next door apartment building about using their van-accessible parking space. The manager is willing to allow use of their disabled parking space on Sunday mornings.

Eastside Meeting (Bellevue, WA) will celebrate Mildred Joyce’s 100^th birthday on Sunday, November 21^st. Happy Birthday, Mildred!

The International Day of Peace Celebration at Eastside Meeting (Bellevue, WA) brought together about sixty people – ages from 9 months to 99 years. The theme of the evening was “Let Peace Begin with Me”. After dessert, the Raging Grannies sang and children from the Meeting brought everyone into the Meeting room singing “All God’s Children Got a Place in the Choir”.

A touching moment was when Jawad Khaki, of the IMAN Center in Kirkland remembered how after September 2001, Eastside Muslims were looking for a place to worship. They approached several congregations – “Eastside Friends Meeting” he said, “was the first group to say Yes! You can worship here.” Even though they found another space for worship, he has not forgotten Eastside’s kindness and welcoming hospitality.

Doug Larzelier has accepted the call from Homedale Friends Community Church (ID) to serve as interim pastor. Doug has been a longtime member and elder in the church. He recently returned from Albania, where he oversaw a building program for a mission agency.

The Worship and Ministry Committee of Honolulu Meeting (HI) sponsors Third Sunday discussions of Quaker Testimonies. The schedule includes Simplicity, October; Equality, November; Peace, December; and Community, January.

Honolulu Meeting (HI) agreed to hold a discussion meeting on the Meeting’s peace and social justice witness and on the Meeting’s possible relationship to the future entity that will follow on from American Friends Service Committee whose office is leaving Honolulu.

Klamath Falls Friends Church (OR) has at times partnered with the local elementary school to provide lunches for poor children during vacations when school is not in session.

A “Garden Camp,” sponsored by the extension office of OSU with its eight two-hour-long sessions, had used the garden which replaced part of the lawn at Klamath Falls Friends Church (OR) to help teach 30 children from the area about the essentials of growing vegetables.

Mountain View Meeting (Denver, CO), through the Quaker Quest Program, will examine as a Meeting what the Meeting believes and practices. They anticipate the program will take more than a year, possibly two or three. Friends will gather and explore the spiritual hunger many feel, the questions they don’t now know how to answer, the concerns where they lack agreement, the issues that cause tension, and – most importantly – what brings them together.

Kathy Bergen, program coordinator at the Friends International Center in Ramallah, will visit Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) on Saturday, November 6^th, at 7PM. She will provide a slide show and lead discussion about peace work of Friends in the conflicted land of Israel-Palestine.

Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) will hold an all-day Quaker Quest workshop on 29 January 2011, to help Friends learn more about Quaker Quest. This would be the beginning of a six-month “in-reach” process of discerning whether Friends want to undertake the full Quaker Quest program including outreach to the wider community.

For several years, Newberg Friends Church (OR) has participated in Operation Christmas Child (OCC). Packing a shoe box full of gifts for a child in need around the world has been a fun way to make a difference in one child’s life. The goal at Newberg Friends Church, between the boxes packed and the cash or supply donations, is for 300 boxes.

North Valley Friends Church (Newberg, OR) is looking for someone to serve as a half-time Administrative Assistant. The person will coordinate and carry out the office and administrative needs of the church. Information: (office@northvalleyfriends.org)

Brandon Baker is the new Interim Youth Pastor at Reedwood Friends Church (Portland, OR). He is originally from Arizona and a student at George Fox Evangelical Seminary studying spiritual direction.

If Friends at Reedwood Friends Church (Portland, OR) are interested in playing Handbells they should give Marilyn Pruitt a call.

At Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA), the Friends Serving Friends Men's Ministry is a ministry that embraces the widowed, the single parents, and others in the church and community with long-term needs. This ministry is not project oriented but relationship focused, allowing Friends to make a practical and long lasting difference in the lives of those in need. Men of all ages who can commit to one Saturday a month for three hours of doing odd jobs and small projects are encouraged to participate.

Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) held a Called Congregational Meeting on October 17th in the Sanctuary. Childcare was available.

The Finance Committee of Sacramento Meeting (CA) conducted a survey to gather Friends’ insights about managing the Meeting’s budget for donations, projects, and financial assistance. By far the clearest message conveyed by survey responses is that Friends’ awareness of, commitment to, and involvement with activities is the most important guideline in managing Meeting contributions.

The new restrooms at the meetinghouse of Salt Lake Meeting (UT) are almost complete, and will certainly be by October 30. Buildings & Grounds asks Friends to gather at the Meeting House on that day to spiff the place up after the construction, which has dusted most surfaces upstairs and down, and to give the inside of the building a general thorough cleaning that it hasn't had for a while.

San Diego Meeting (CA) has a new Meeting House with an organic garden with over 100 trees growing fruit for the homeless in the city.

Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) has approved co-sponsoring with the Resource Center for NonViolence an afternoon presentation by "La Vida Nueva"/ Zapotec Women's Weaving Collective (Oaxaca, Mexico) at the Meeting House, November 14. Local Oaxacan students will be performing their native dances in addition to there being many rugs for sale and on display. It
should be an afternoon filled with colorful weavings and costumes!

South Seattle Meeting (WA) is in the process of hiring a teacher for the older children. The Education Committee made an offer to a Friend. If that Friend does not accept the position, the committee will consider her reservations as they shape the job description and the continuing search. When a teacher is hired, there will be one volunteer each meeting instead of two.

South Seattle Meeting (WA) will hold its third annual Meeting for Remembering on Saturday, November 6^th (Saturday). At this Meeting Friends honor those dear to them who died recently or long ago and remain in their hearts.

Spring Valley Friends Church (CA) gathered for its 18^th annual Love Fest. Twenty-three people joined in a time of worship, communion, singing and praise. During Raise His Praise some shared what God had impressed on them while others sat in thoughtful silence.

Tigard Community Friends Church (OR) strives to make an impact on its community. Most adults who live in this area go to work during the week. Though Friends share the same neighborhood, they did not know most of the neighbors. First they invited the neighbors to a barbeque and to participate in a community garden. Friends are also hosting a financial management class and have invited the neighborhood to join in this class.

Kathy Bergen, program coordinator at the Friends International Center in Ramallah, will visit West Hills Friends (Portland, OR) on Sunday, November 7th at 11AM. She will provide a slide show and lead discussion about peace work of Friends in the conflicted land of Israel-Palestine.

West Hills Friends (Portland, OR) participated in a labyrinth made from the food YOU have donated!

Mark Pratt-Russum is now youth pastor at West Hills Friends (Portland, OR). Both Mark and his wife Beth are graduates of Eastern University in Pennsylvania. They lived in Denver prior to accepting this call.

Quaker Quest will be presented by members of First Friends, Whittier (CA) on the subjects of Quakers and the Religious Experience, Quakers and Equality, and Quakers and Social Action. There will be six sessions in March and April, 2011.

Beyond the Monthly Meeting/Churches

The Alternatives to Violence Project will present a Basic Community Workshop on November 5-7 at Salem Meeting.

The Ben Lomond Quaker Center announces an internship opportunity beginning in early 2011 for an individual who is led to service with the Religious Society of Friends and who hopes to

learn about nonprofit management and social justice work.

The next meeting of the Christian Friends Conference will be December 11, 2010 at Palo Alto Friends Meeting.

The Friends Committee on Legislation Annual Bay Area Dinner will be at the Hillside

Club in, Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 6.

The Intermountain Yearly Meeting Clerk is forming a task group to advise the Yearly Meeting about the direction it should take in assisting meetings with Quaker service. Each monthly meeting is asked to appoint a representative to the task group.

This is a year of evaluation of the new North Pacific Yearly Meeting structure, replacing the old Steering Committee with a Coordinating Committee. The major effect of the change is that more business is now handled at Annual Session.

North Pacific Yearly Meeting Coordinating Committee will meet on October 30^th at the Multnomah Meetinghouse.

Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church will observe Peace Month in January 2011! Friends are asked you to participate by sending in submissions for the Daily Reader, a booklet with an entry for each day of the month of January. Information: peaceeducation@nwfriends.org

There are two openings for pastoral positions in Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. Crossroads Community Church in Astoria, Oregon, is looking for a bi-vocational lead pastor. Information:csaxton@nwfriends.org

Each year, the people of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church partner together in ministry through the generous support of the Thanksgiving Offering. This year, the Thanksgiving Offering is staying close to home as Friends assist in the training and support of pastors serving local congregations. Training for future and current pastors will be enhanced as half of this year’s offering will go toward completing a Friends Center scholarship for graduate students at George Fox Evangelical Seminary. The other half of the Thanksgiving Offering will be dedicated to the Pastoral Assistance Fund under the care of the NWYM Board of Elders.

Friends in the Portland-area of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church are invited to gather at Lynwood Friends on November 13. There will be a potluck at 5:00pm, followed by an opportunity to hear Nate Macy speak on discernment.

There is a proposal to change the name of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting to Cascade Regional Meeting.

Pacific Yearly Meeting Representative Committee will meet at the San Francisco Meeting on the weekend of March 4-6, 2011.

The Fall gathering of Southern California Quarterly Meeting will be at Temescal Canyon Conference Grounds, Pacific Palisades, CA. Nov 6-7. The theme for this Fall Gathering, “Speaking Truth with Love: Transforming Conflict in Our Quaker Communities,” has two points of origin. One is the prevalence of unresolved conflicts of various sorts within the monthly meetings as reflected in the 2010 State of the Meeting reports. In some cases, these conflicts have resulted in lingering resentments and polarization within Meetings. The other point of origin for this theme is the idea, explored by George Lakey at Pacific Yearly Meeting, that Friends suffer from a pervading disposition toward conflict avoidance.

Berkeley Friends Church will host the annual meeting of the Western Association of the Religious Society of Friends (WARSF) on February 11-12, 2011. The Board of Oversight will meet on Friday evening, and then the general meeting of members the following afternoon.