NPYM CURRENTS
NORTH PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
May 2024
ADVICE AND QUERIES (NZ Quakers)
You can gain inspiration from people of all ages whom you meet throughout your life and also from the example of people throughout history, including the present day. You can find inspiration all around, in the natural world, in the arts and sciences, in your work and friendships, in your sorrows as well as in your joys.
Are you open to new light from whatever source it may come?
Do you approach new ideas with discernment?
CONTENTS
ANNUAL SESSION
- Call to NPYM Annual Session – Clerk Paul Christiansen
- Annual Session Details: Dates, Travel Assistance, Lodging, Meals, Covid Policy
- Interest Groups: Sign up to lead Interest Groups at Annual Session by June 15
- Go to Montana for Annual Session – Transportation options.
Other upcoming Gatherings
Peace and Social Concerns “Seeking Right Relationships: Indigenous Alaskans and Quakers”
Opportunities from the Quaker Institute for the Future
Spotlight on Coordinating Committee Meeting and Summary of March 2024 Meeting
Bob Marvos Photography
News from Friends and Meetings
- Lopez island
- University Friends
Quaker Earth Witness
Suggested Resources and Links
Call to Annual Session of North Pacific Yearly Meeting
Missoula, MT, 7/10 to 7/14, 2024
Cross the Divide
NPYM Clerk Paul Christiansen
Friends, this summer we gather in Missoula after a long absence to cross the divide of distance. But though there are many miles and mountains between the far-flung Friends of our yearly meeting, there are more divides between us than are measured in hours traveled or altitude gained: divides of age, experience, and attitude—divides of intention and expectation, of patience and of practice.
There are divides between us and the world around us, as well. We are divided from our neighbors by politics and poverty, race and resources, history and hostility. We are divided from the earth itself. These divides are dark enough, but as we hear of wars and rumors of war in other lands, we look down at our own feet and see, not the seeds, but the sprouts of war, putting out their spines and thorns.
And the root of all these horrors—arrogance and enmity and suspicion and rage—is fear.
Mountains and rivers may stand between Missoula and the sea, but when I think of that fear, I instead imagine canyons in the desert. We stand on one rim and wonder how to reach the other. If we try to cross over, both our aim and our origin get harder to see, and these valleys of shadows threaten to swallow us. So we stand on the edge and hesitate, or we plunge in and lose our way, while the weeds of war are growing up around our feet. Then I think of the words of the writer J. Michael Straczynski: “The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between.”
There, alone in the depths, we realize that there is one more divide: between us and the Spirit. Then we remember that we are not alone at all. Cross that divide, face that fear, and all other divides become tiny. For as Straczynski continued, “There is still a chance to seize that last, fragile moment. To choose something better—to make a difference... And I intend to do just that.” Let us intend to do just that, Friends. Let us meet in the stillness of the Spirit and choose our better ways.
To help this, everything in the planners’ power is aimed at making room for spirit, love, courage, and community, among ourselves and among all nations. We will have more time for worship as a full, gathered yearly meeting (children included). We will hope to be surprised by the Spirit, and we will set time aside for answering those surprises. We will have more time for connection with Friends, and with friends, and with the earth around us. Let us make the canyons of division into valleys of delight, and take home pocketfuls of all the seeds of peace.
Let us come together, Friends—to Cross the Divide.
Registration for Annual Session will open in early May- watch for an announcement in your email inbox, or check at npym.org.
Missoula, Here We Come (Whether In-Person or Online)!
Like last year’s gathering at Western Oregon University, this year’s Annual Session at the University of Montana will include options for both in-person and online participation. All plenary sessions will be hybrid (combined in-person and Zoom); we expect several interest groups will be hybrid; and two traditional events, the Meeting for Worship for Memorials on Saturday afternoon and our fun-filled Community Night Saturday evening, will be hybrid as well. Worship groups will be either in-person for Friends meeting on site or Zoom only for Friends joining from a distance.
Travel Assistance
Group travel options, whether by carpool, bus or van, are encouraged; more information will be solicited, and provided, as part of the registration process. To help defray costs of travel, this year’s Annual Session budget includes funding for up to $100 per individual in travel assistance, which will be provided upon request (checks will go out after registration closes in mid-June).
Cultural and Historical Attractions
The journey to western Montana goes through and over beautiful mountains, forests and streams. Once in Missoula, there are many nearby sites, museums and attractions to visit, including the site of a Japanese Internment Camp at Fort Missoula, the Montana Museum of Art and Culture (on the UM campus), and a Butterfly Museum. These and other attractions are described at this website: Missoula, Montana Official Travel & Tourism Information | Destination Missoula. The Annual Session schedule builds in opportunities to take “field trips” on Friday and Saturday; sack lunches can be arranged.
Housing & Meals
Our on-campus housing will be at Jesse Hall, an 11-story residence hall on the western edge of campus, about a two block walk from the dining hall. Single- and double-occupancy rooms are available; due to fire marshall regulations, no more than two people of any age can sleep in a room. Like most university dorms, rooms are not air conditioned, so BYOF (bringing your own fan) is recommended. No camping or RVs are allowed on-site. Meals will be provided by the university’s food service, and vegan and vegetarian options will always be available.
Covid/Health Policy
For this year’s in-person gathering, the Annual Session Planning Committee came to unity around moving to a set of recommendations, rather than requirements, around preventing and responding to Covid infections. They include considering (especially for high risk individuals), rather than requiring, masking indoors. Rapid Covid tests and high-quality masks will again be available for use as needed and desired. The full Covid/Health policy will be available on the Annual Session website when registration opens.
Questions? Please contact Lyn Gordon, Co-Clerk of Annual Session Planning Committee and NPYM Event Planner, at as_event_planner@PROTECTED.
Registration is Now Open to Lead an Interest Group at Annual Session 2024
Interest groups provide opportunities to share, learn, and go deeper with a smaller group than plenaries allow, to meet with those who share a special concern, and to explore alternatives to the general program. We encourage Friends to propose and attend interest groups, as a chance for spiritual growth and building friendships.
To propose an interest group, please use the Interest Group registration form here:https://npym.org/registration/interest_group_form.php
If you have questions, please contact the Interest Group coordinator at <as_interest_group_coord@PROTECTED>
Interest group submissions must be received by June15th to be included in Annual Session.
Join up to Go to Montana for Annual Session
With the NPYM Annual Session in Missoula this year, we have many opportunities to join in traveling with Friends. As the Western Transportation Coordinator for Annual Session I hope to help simplify your decisions about how to get there as easily and comfortably as possible OR - if you prefer adventure to convenience and comfort - how to make the slow and inconvenient train ride possible. To help you with any of that, you can review the information I have compiled inthis Transportation Options Summary. If you don't want the details, but just want the best ways to get there, here are two of the most recommended transportation modes. They both require some advance planning, so start soon!
1) Use the new online RideShare tool atnpym.org/rideshareto offer a ride - or to find a ride with other Friends.
2) Schedule a flight withHorizon/Alaska Airlines, then enter your planned arrival time usingthis Google Form.
We hope to be able to have a shuttle van and drivers to pick up Friends at the airport or at the bus station. To help make that possible, you can volunteer as a shuttle driver by sending an email toas_transportation_coordinator@PROTECTEDwith the subject line "Shuttle Driver". If you want to help dispatch drivers, use the subject line "Driver Dispatcher".
Other Upcoming Gatherings
- Willamette Quarterly 2024: May 17- 19
- Intermountain Yearly Meeting 2024: Jun 12 - Jun 16
Peace and Social Concerns
Save the Date: “Seeking Right Relationships: Indigenous Alaskans and Quakers”
Thursday, June 5, 5:30 pm Alaska/ 6:30 pm Pacific/ 7:30 pm Mountain on Zoom. Registration is required at thislink.
Panel contributors: Maia Genaux (Pullman-Moscow and Chena Ridge Meetings, NPYM and AFC), Cathy Walling (Alaska Friends Conference), Juulie Downs (Camas Friends Church, Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting), Andrew Franklin (Camas Friends Church, Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting)
Over recent years, Alaska and Sierra Cascades Friends have worked to recognize the harm Quakers have done historically to Alaska indigenous people. This panel will speak from that work, including truth tribunals, resurrecting a historical book, facing family histories, and contributing to a cultural center in an indigenous community. Following the panel, small breakout groups will provide an opportunity for Friends to share their own concerns and actions to address harm with care, and the group will gather for closing observations.
The session is hosted by the North Pacific Yearly Meeting Anti-Racism Working Group and the NPYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee. All are welcome.
Susan Cozzens, NPYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee
“Supporting the concerns of individuals, meetings and worship groups in NPYM”
psc_clerk@PROTECTED
Opportunities from the Quaker Institute for the Future
QIFcreates spaces for scholars, artists, and activists to investigate their areas of interest and commitment within the Spirit-led context of Quaker testimonies, other traditions, truth seeking and public service. Several opportunities are open now. Seequakerinstitute.orgfor more information.
- The QIF Summer Research Seminarwill take place online August 12-16. The seminar is organized as Meeting for Worship with Attention to Research. Some of those who attend will share their work, and all will listen deeply and have a chance to offer guidance from the Spirit on the work presented. There is no registration fee, and all are welcome. Timing of sessions is West-friendly.
- QIF Youth Grantsprovide money and other kinds of project support to help young people (18-35) to explore and discern moral and/or spiritual leadings. Projects may involve activist organizing and/or research on social, political, environmental and other issues of common concern.
- Book Club.The upcoming session exploresartificial intelligence through the bookSmarter Planet or Wiser Earth?in conversation with author Gray Cox, May 12th 4:00 PM EST/ 1:00 PM PST.
NPYM contact for QIF is Susan Cozzens,scozzens@PROTECTED
Spotlight on the NPYM Coordinating Committee – Celia Castle CC Clerk
Description from NPYM website: The Coordinating Committee (CC) supports and enriches the life of NPYM. It is the venue where NPYM standing committees and Monthly Meetings share about their work and inspiration. The committee identifies and links converging and emerging issues, and offers support to groups within NPYM. In addition, the committee provides support and oversight to NPYM Standing Committees.
The Coordinating Committee handles decisions that do not involve changes to policy, that are necessary to carry out the work of the Yearly Meeting, and that do not require full NPYM attention at Annual Session. The first step is to determine if the decision should be referred elsewhere. Discernment is necessary to identify which decisions can be handled at Coordinating Committee and which decisions rightly belong at Annual Session or in an NPYM standing committee, Monthly Meeting, or Quarterly Meeting.
At the Coordinating Committee on March 18, 2024 twenty-six Meeting and Worship Group representatives met virtually for three hours. Friends introduced themselves and their Quaker activities, as well as sharing a personal check in. Many friends have multiple responsibilities within their meeting and NPYM as well as outside Quaker Organizations.
Corin Whittemore, our Treasurer, who presented the current Profit and Loss statement.
Susan Cozzens reported for NPYM Peace and Social Concerns.
We hosted a presentation from Olympia Meeting on its work protecting LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, including a presentation on the Bulungi Tree Shade Meeting from Helen Tanyinga.
We are currently planning a sharing session on Israel/Palestine for late April or early May.
We are also working on a session on the work Alaska Friends have done to face their involvement in Quaker boarding schools and missions, which did great harm to indigenous people.
We are seeking a way to provide transgender sensitivity training before Annual Session, at the request of the Care Committee.
We welcome suggestions for other activities that fall within our mission: to support the concerns of individuals, meetings, and worship groups in NPYM.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee sent a written report expressing deep concerns regarding the difficulty in finding prospective candidates for the positions that are most needed to be filled. Friends are fully occupied with jobs, ministries in their local meeting, care for their families or illness.
A wide-ranging discussion, followed this report recognizing the challenges the Nominating Committee faces, with a willingness to help.
The Nominating Committee also presented the following Friends to the Coordinating Committee for approval. All were approved with thanks to the Nominating Committee.
- Diane Hollister (Multnomah)Epistle Committee, for 2-year position
- Gabriel Ertsgaard (Salem) Western Friend Director serving since 7/23-9/25
- Aryn Bautista (YAF)Youth Committee for a 2 year term
Annual Session Planning Committee
Lyn Gordon Event Planner and Clerk and Paul Christiansen
Lyn provided an overview of work in progress for planning Annual Session 2024.
Youth Committee - Deborah Townsend and Mim Coleman
Youth Opportunity Fund Grants for Spring 2024: Editor note: FYI as application process is closed.
NPYM's Youth Committee encourages any young person in NPYM, from middle-school age to 35, to apply for a Youth Opportunity Fund grant. YOF grants support young people in activities that nurture their spiritual lives and encourage spirit-led action. Grants are available for individuals (up to $750) or for groups (up to $1500). Information and application form arehere.Applications for spring 2024 grants were due on 4/15/2024.Questions? Need help with the form? Contact the Youth Committee viayouth_committee_clerk@PROTECTED.
Mim Coleman, Youth Coordinator: We have junior friends camp again this summer again after annual session for the third year in a row. And we've got teenagers that are very excited about that.
We also now have a NPYM junior friends Dungeons and Dragons Club. This was very much led by the youth. A lot of them are really into D and D right now. Andrew Warden from Multnomah monthly meeting is facilitating with other adults in attendance. The idea is finding ways to live our values in a fantasy world.
Personnel Committee:Proposal that the Annual Session Event Planner position which is currently an eight-month position become a twelve-month position as the work to be actually occurs all year round. This proposal was approved!
Outreach and Visitation Report- Margaret Coahran
NPYM’s Knitting Us Together (KUT) program completed two cycles in the summer of 2023, so we evaluated it in the fall. We believe two changes will make the KUT program stronger.
The first is to field two Visitors to two different sections each year. That way everyone (MM, WG, and isolated Friends) will be visited every other year, keeping the program fresher in their thoughts and memories. The original developers of the KUT program also suggested that two visitors be sent, provided the budget could stand it, which it turns out that it can.
The other change we plan is to Call for Visitors a year in advance. That will give us more time, once the Visitors are chosen, to recruit Elders for them, and to do the rest of the necessary planning. Until now the planning time has been awfully rushed.
We have also changed the look of our O&V web page and updated the files that are linked to it. Please look at it. It can be found at npym.org under the Activities Tab and also among the Quick Links.
And we are looking into ways to encourage individuals who are traveling for purposes unrelated to npym to include making visits to npym Friends as they travel.
We have been so focused on the KUT program and our web page that we have neglected some of the other tasks in our committee job description. We plan to catch up with these as soon as we can.
The Coordinating Committee was asked to and approved – The Outreach and Visitation Call for Visitors and Elders be sent to everyone in the directory.
Webmaster highlights- John Gotts
Webkeeper Report to CC - Activities carried out from 2023-10 through 2024-03
Moved the npym.org/docs document archive from a file-based system on our IONOS server to a normal folder/file system in the NPYM Google shared drives. Access to the archive remains a simple link on the main Community Access page.
Uploaded remaining scanned archive documents received more than a year ago from Oregon Historical Society into the new Drive-based folder/file system.
Prepared a 2024 Census data collection form.
Assisted several Meetings and Worship Groups to synchronize the NPYM directory with their current attender/member lists. [Missoula, Eugene, Tacoma, Florence WG, Umpqua Valley WG, Orcas Island, Vashon WG, Sandpoint, South Seattle, Eastside, Salem, Port Townsend, Olympia]
Updated bad addresses in NPYM directory, based on feedback from Quaker Voice.
Updated the NPYM committee database, workspace committee membership, and shared drive access membership to match the latest nominations grid.
Maintained the NPYM website, adding and removing information as requested, plus a full check of all pages for outdated information (annual cleaning).
Convinced IONOS support to whitelist any emails sent from our server with sender addresses@PROTECTED after they turned off the ability of their web sites to send email using PHP’s mail function. This affected all of our emailing capabilities, including sending the newsletter.
Initialized the backend registration system for 2024 Annual Session, and added a new volunteer job code for “tray runner”.
Started a new folder for 2023-2024 memorial minutes and added initial submissions.
Added more filters to a file in our newsletter mailing system to ignore bots attempting to cause unsolicited requests to our newsletter archive.
Made some changes to the npym.org site and community portal to make directory access more obvious.
Ran a tool called Google Lighthouse web page analyzer against about 120 pages in our npym.org Google site to detect and address accessibility issues identified by Lighthouse. Found many fixable accessibility issues that have an impact on the success of screen readers and of sight impaired access.
Made adjustments to email forwarders/responders, and our Contact Us submission mechanism, so people contacting the Discipline Committee would be informed that the committee is currently inactive and submissions for changes to F&P will be logged and made known to the CC Clerk. (There was an underlying general issue impeding our system’s ability to reply directly to the submitter using the Google Group auto-reply mechanism, which required a work-around in our contact submission.)
Miscellaneous request handling.
Continuing NPYM Coordination Committee meeting remotely?This proposal was approved as it makes the Coordinating Committee more accessible and saves money
Bob Marvos, Central Oregon Worship group
In nature, the emphasis is in what is
rather than what ought to be.
Huston Cummings Smith – American scholar of religious studies1919 – 2016
NEWS FROM FRIENDS AND MEETINGS
State of the Meeting Reports 2023-24
Link to State of the Meeting Reports https://sites.google.com/npym.org/home/friends-experiences/state-of-meeting-reports
University Friends
University Friends Meeting in Seattle is looking for a new tenant for the large room in the northeast corner of the lower level of our meetinghouse. Facing Homelessness, our tenant in that space for the last few years, has ceased operations and is leaving immediately. The room is approximately 1,360 square feet. It has good natural light, a semi-private entrance, a fenced outside patio, and access to newly renovated restrooms just across the hall.
We are most interested in renting to a non-profit organization, but would also be open to renting to a small for-profit company working in an area consistent with our values.
Please pass the word through your network of contacts. Interested parties should emailfinance@PROTECTED.
Thanks, Nora Percival, UFM Finance Committee Clerk
Quaker Earthcare Witness upcoming events.
May Worship Sharing with Quaker Earthcare Witness
Quaker Earthcare Witness hosts monthly online worship-sharing groups.This month, we will be meeting from 7-8 pm Eastern time/4-5 pm Pacific time on Tuesday, May 28th.
In worship sharing, we gather in small groups to focus on a particular query to explore our own experience and share with each other more deeply than we would in normal conversation. It seeks to draw us into sacred space, where we can take down our usual defenses and encounter each other in “that which is eternal.”
Together we are creating more opportunities for Friends who care deeply about the Earth and each other to be in spiritual community with one another. We hope you can join us.
Eco-Justice Webinar: Climate and Money
In this program hosted by theEco-Justice Collaborativeof Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, we’ll hear from a panel and together explore the role of finance in the climate crisis: how our money currently flows to support fossil fuel projects, and a variety of campaigns that Friends across the country are engaged in to change that “plumbing” system, stop that flow, and redirect those resources toward supporting the future of life on earth.
This event is on Thursday, June 6th, at 7 pm Eastern/4 pm Pacific.
Navigating the Storms – Prophetic Witness for an Earth Restored
June 24 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
We live in a time of great change. Since 1945, the fate of Life on our tender planet has hung in the balance of human choice. If humanity does not soon develop wisdom and global solidarity, we will, through technological hubris, vain ambition, and age-old rivalries, unravel the thread of Life. In these trying times, how might we find solace and wisdom in the Mountains, Winds, and Seas of the Earth? How might we become students of the Living World? As Quakers, will we“garden as the world burns,”or will we rise to the heights of our tradition, take bold and unprecedented action, and rediscover our“Prophetic Voice?”
Registration will be available soon on the FWCC website. Check back here soon
NPYM WebsiteSuggested Resources
Guidelines for Addressing Racial Wounding
FCNL Worship Sharing Guidelines & Queries
Federal Boarding School Initiative Report
Resources for Minute of Support for Indigenous People
FCNL Executive Committee Safety Agreement
Learn about Friends World Committee for Consultation
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Uprooting Systemic Racism Minute
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