2021 Annual Session Information

This is the information page for Pacific Yearly Meeting’s upcoming 2021 Annual Session, which took place online July 23 – 28, 2021. The theme this year is “Love and Justice:  Heeding the Spirit’s Power Within and Among Us.” See the Clerk’s Call for more about the theme.

See also AS LIVE 2021 (information for registered attenders only) and the PYM Minutes page for the minutes from Annual Session.

Before You Leave

  • Show your appreciation and help make Annual Sessions even better by sharing your feedback while the experience is still fresh in your mind.  You’ll find the Annual Session Evaluation Form on AS LIVE 2021 to fill out before you leave.

Get Involved

  • The year-around work of Pacific Yearly Meeting is conducted almost entirely by volunteers. Without the many, many volunteers none of it would happen. Working on committees is also a great way to deepen your spiritual life and to enlarge your circle of F/friends beyond your local community. The Service Survey form (available on our Get Involved page) is where you can communicate your gifts and interests to the Nominating Committee, whose job it is to match people with the best place to put their talents to use.

Epistle

  • Pacific-YM-2021-Epistle
  • Note: As the 2021 Annual Session was conducted online via Zoom, there were no epistles from the younger Friends this year.

Minutes

Advance Information

Advance Packet

  • PacYM-2021-07-AS.Advance-Packet
  • The Packet of Advance Materials is an all-in-one PDF containing the Clerk’s call, the schedule, interest group descriptions, and (nearly all of the) committee reports.  If you just want an individual report, you will find it below under Reports
  • Additions and Corrections:  Also check under Reports below for items marked in red “not in Advance Packet.”  These have been added or revised since the Advance Packet was put together.

Registration

Clerk’s Call

Sacred Space Witnessing

Sacred Space Witnessing during PacYM Plenaries (from the Racial Justice Subcommittee)

Friends of Color Retreat July 17

Information for Specific Age Groups

During the Session

AS LIVE 2021

The AS LIVE 2021 page contains links to the Zoom meeting rooms and other information for registered attenders only. The password for AS LIVE was included in an email sent to registered attenders by the Registrar on July 17.  If you’ve lost the password, contact Registrar@pacificyearlymeeting.org.  Please do not share the password with anyone who is not registered.

Schedules and Agendas

See also  AS LIVE 2021 for Zoom links and additional information for registered attenders only.

Keynote Speakers

Gabriela Portillo Alvarado, a Friend raised in Pacific Yearly Meeting, Sacramento Friends Meeting, is now a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying political science, Latinx studies, and Spanish. Avotcja (Avacha) Jiltonilro, a Friend in Strawberry Creek Friends Meeting, is a poet, musician, and playwright. They will share their reflections on the theme of Annual Session.

  • Gabriela Portillo Alvarado
  • Avotcja Jiltonilro

Bible Study

Led by Regina Renee Ward. Regina Renee is a member of Ujima Friends Peace Center in Philadelphia. She is a public librarian and former public school teacher. She is passionate about social justice, intellectual freedom, reading, and building community. Her work with Friends and racial healing was born out of necessity as she navigates life both as a woman of African descent and a Christian Friend. Regina Renee serves Friends General Conference as the clerk of Nurturing Ministries Committee and as co-clerk of the Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee. Her favorite Book in the Bible is James. Her life verse is Micah 6:8.

  • Regina Renee Ward

Early Quaker Writings

 Adventures from the Journals of Early Friends

Bob and Kathy Runyan are convinced Friends who served as Ben Lomond Quaker Center directors from 2011 to 2019. They have lead and facilitated numerous Quaker workshops particularly focused on early Quaker writings. Bob is a piano technician and currently the clerk of Chico Friends Meeting. Kathy is the lead teacher in a preschool at Chico State University and serves on the Ministry and Oversight Committee for both College Park Quarterly Meeting and Chico Friends Meeting.

 

  • Kathy Runyan
  • Bob Runyan

Reports

The individual reports are also included in the all-in-one Advance Packet that is linked above, except for those marked not in Advance Packet.

Updates

  • Look for the following items below, that are not in Advance Packet
    • Western Friend Annual Report (as distinct from Rep to WF Report)
    • Unity with Nature Committee corrected a name misspelling
    • Racial Justice Subcommittee report, posted 7/24, updated again 7/24
    • Nominating Committee Updates, posted 7/24, replaced by another posted 7/26 (add’l nominations and revised proposals)
    • Epistle Excerpts from other yearly meetings selected by the Reading Clerk, posted 7/25
    • Communications Committee revised database policy proposal, posted 7/27.
    • Registrar‘s Report, posted 7/27
    • Statistical Report, revised, posted 7/28
    • Treasurer‘s Report, revised, posted 7/28

Committee/Officer Reports

Reports from Representatives to Outside Organizations

Deadlines that Have Passed

  • INTEREST GROUP Proposals:  Sunday, March 7 (the end of RepCom weekend) was the deadline for committees to submit seasoned proposals for Interest Groups at Annual Session 2021.  See  How to Schedule an Interest Group at Annual Session for details so you’ll be ready next year.
  • Reports: Officer, Committee and Representative reports were due Monday, July 5. See the Corrected Guidelines for content and formatting, as well as information for submitting reports. Those who wish may also use the reports template. (Note: The previous guidelines had a typo in the email address for submission.)
  • Registration: Friday, July 16. See below.
  • Payment for registration: see above under Registration

Late Registration

  • The deadline for registration was Friday, July 16.   Contact the Registrar directly (Registrar@pacificyearlymeeting.org) to find out what your options are now.
  • Payment (if you registered but didn’t use PayPal to pay): send a check made out to “Pacific Yearly Meeting” to:
    Pacific Yearly Meeting Registrar
    c/o Lawrence Alderson
    10 Leeds Lane
    Aliso Viejo, CA, 92656

Contacts