Table of Contents
Schedule
Sunday’s Schedule
6:00–7:00 Outdoor Worship
7:00–8:00 Breakfast
8:00–9:00 Worship (hosted by YAF)
9:15–10:45 Bible Study (Fireside) or Worship Sharing
11:00–12:30 Listening Session in preparation for Meeting for Business
12:45–1:30 Lunch
1:30–3:00 Early Quaker Writings (Fireside) or Worship Sharing
3:15–5:30 Meeting for Memorials
5:30–6:30 Dinner
6:45–8:15 Interest Groups II
8:30–10:00 Listening Session + Affinity Groups
Child Refugee and Migration
…will be meeting at breakfast today, Sunday, in the Southwest corner of the cafeteria. All are welcome to attend. – Donna Smith, Co-Clerk Latin American Concerns Committee
Interest Groups 6:45–8:15
Lifting the Veil. Carl Magruder and Darcy Stanley – Plenary Tent
What distinguishes Quakerism as a faith tradition is that it is a mystical religion. That is, the center of the practice is to experience the Light directly, without intermediary. This interest group will be a follow up on the plenary address by Darcy Stanley and Carl Magruder. Friends will be invited to share how they have experienced Spirit moving in their individual experience, and in their family, meeting or other community. – Ministry & Oversight
Betwixt and Between: Transitions for Children (and their Adults!) in our Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meetings. Alyssa Nelson (YPC), Delcy Steffy (RECC), and younger Friends – Fireside
How can Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly meetings help children/young people with transitions between different programs or stages of involvement in Meeting life? What works well to steward and support so that these times become ones of growth in community, rather than loss of community as sometimes happens? How can we be responsive to what’s spiritually alive in our communities of Friends and promote developmentally and experientially appropriate activities that engage youth and their adults through such times of change? – Youth Programs Coor. Committee & Religious Education
Open your Eyes to the Wider World of Quakers. Anthony Manousos, Hulda Muaka, Jan Turner + Friends who attended the FWCC conference in Peru
Are you curious about Quakers from all over the world? What’s it like to worship with over 325 Quakers from 37 countries? We are the children of God. We are who creation has been waiting for. We are called to reveal ourselves in our lives and in the work we do with our hearts and our hands. Although God can fill our hearts, God has no hands but ours to heal this broken world. We can be salt and light shining to the world and declaring the love of God – Peace & Social Order
The power of the Spirit: the distinguishing feature of Quaker political action. Janet Gastil – Middle Sequoia
FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation) and FCL-CA (Friends Committee on Legislation—California) lobby to influence elected officials at the federal and state levels and often make ballot recommendations for us. This interest group will focus on and train us to influence our local governments, especially our school boards. Friends will also get information on campaigning for like-minded candidates and/or running for office. – Peace and Social Order
Affinity Groups 8:30–10:00
12-step – Garden
Allies of Friends of Color – Life Lab – Sandy Kewman
Friends of Color – Maple – Alvaro Alvarado
Electronic Communications Sub Committee – Condor (Sun)
Singing – Boogie Barn – Jan Turner
Quaker Futurists – Fireside – Roscoe Mathieu
The future of Friends and Friends for the future. What will Friends be doing in 2050? 2525? 10192? We’ll meet tonight to discuss possibilities and visions of a friendlier future.
Gathering of Elders – Plenary Tent
If you have eldered or will be eldering for a session or for a minister during Yearly Meeting, come to an Elders session at 8:15 tonight (Sunday) in the Plenary Tent, immediately after interest groups.
MONDAY Interest Groups 6:45–8:15
Inviting the Presence in Meeting for Worship for Business. Traci Hjelt Sullivan – Fireside
Many Friends use the term “Meeting for Worship with an Attention to Business.” How can we cultivate Love and connection to Spirit in business meeting? This will be a combination of sharing within the group, brainstorming, and some ideas that Traci is bringing. – Ministry & Oversight
39 Questions for White People. Alvaro Alvarado, Patricia Portillo, Laura Magnani, Sandy Kewman, Deborah Marks, MaryAnn Michaels, Diego Navarro, Steve Smith, Janet Gastil – Maple
This simple text asks complex questions about race and accountability. This work started as an experiment based in the artist’s curiosity about how whiteness is framed and understood by white people. The artist says,“The work of creating the book became an exercise in turning the emotional labor of racism into tangible physical labor. I was able to turn all that pain into an object, which is incredibly strange, but also incredibly freeing.” – Ministry & Oversight, Racial Justice
Native Americans + Quakers + Land = Spring Youth Service-Learning Camp and …? Alyssa Nelson (YPC), Jim Summers (YPCC Clerk), and Campers & Staff
This interest group will explore the multiple ways available to support the New Sanctuary Movement with our new Central American refugees. We will also address “advocacy”; and Interfaith collaboration, among other things. Rev. Deborah Lee, leader of the interfaith group in the Bay Area working with immigrants, will present and facilitate the discussion. – Youth Programs Coordinating Comm.
67 Suenos. Maria Cruz, Ericson Amaya, and Jackie Garcia-Martinez – Middle Sequoia
The Oakland-based “67 Sueños Collective” (“67 Dreams,” after the 67 percent of young people who would not be affected by the DREAM Act) holds monthly encounters or “Encuentros” with undocumented youth from across the Bay Area. The focus is to build solidarity, and to record their testimonies/stories in hopes to build awareness about the issues they face and to bear witness to their American experience. – Peace and Social Order
Announcements
Assistance – Needed & Available
Headsets
Headsets are available in the tent if you would like to try them for improved audio. – Gary Wolff
Golf Cart
If you need assistance in getting from one location to another on the site, you may sign up in advance for a ride in the golf cart. Please sign up at the Information Tent and give us an hour or so advance notice to arrange your ride.
The tent will close nightly around 7:00 p.m., so please plan your requests ahead of time.
You can also sign up at the tent if you would like to be trained to drive the golf cart for others.
Ride needed & Ride board
David Standish is leaving today and needs to coordinate a ride to Castro Valley for his son Callum Standish on Wednesday. Please see him today.
Can you offer a ride? Do you need a ride? Ride coordination sign-up sheets are posted on the west exterior wall of the dining hall.
Room needed
YAF Kiernan Colby is looking for a place to stay in Oakland tonight (Sunday). He can cook, clean, and play music, and is happy to offer a ride to the east bay for up to 4 others. Email him at kiernan.colby@gmail.com
Message Board
Messages for Friends can be left (and found) on the south exterior wall of the dining hall. Please check!
Notes from M&O
Annual Session Surveys
The Evaluation Survey is available online for those leaving today at https://pacificyearlymeeting.org.
Paper copies are available for those unable to fill out the survey online.
Worship Sharing
Drop-in Worship Sharing groups are available. Sign up at the Info Desk on the Patio.
Worship sharing group PM-6 is meeting near Maple. Please join us!
Please ask your facilitator for an evaluation form on your last day. Place in the box at the back of the Plenary Tent or turn in at the Info Desk.
Quiet Room
Quill is the Quiet Room. It is only for silent reading, meditation, or contemplation. Do not use it for other activities even if you find it empty.
Other Announcements
Daily Miracle Submissions
Submit Daily Miracle items on paper in the Plenary tent or at the Information Booth throughout the day, or after 8:00p.m. directly to the Secretariat committee in Jackrabbit. Submit items electronically by emailing pymsecretariat@gmail.com.
Family Night Sign-up
The sign-up sheet for Family Night is available at the Information Booth today and tomorrow. Please be sure to sign up before the end of dinner tomorrow (Monday).
39 Questions for White People
There is an exhibit on loan from AFSC called “39 Questions for White People” on the west exterior window of the dining hall. White people and people of color will find them insightful. This exhibit will be the focus of the Racial Justice Subcommittee Interest Group on Monday. Please have a look. – Alvaro Alvarado
Art by Trudy Myrrh Reagan
Trudy Myrrh Reagan, of Palo Alto Meeting, invites you to see her poster based on two paintings about social inequality. At this moment, they are posted on the second window to the right of the dining room. This location may change. trudy@myrrh-art.com and www.myrrh-art.com
On-line Meeting for Worship
Join Quaker Center’s on-line meeting for worship every day from 7:30-8:00 a.m. at www.quakercenter.org – or, join in person at the big tent.
CPQM Directory
CPQM Directory, 2016 edition, hot off the press and available for purchase at the book store! $5 each.
Guatemala Friends Scholarship Program
We are selling handicrafts to support our 75 rural, Mayan university students. Come see the large selection of beautiful handicrafts, men’s shirts, women’s blouses, purses, scarves, shawls, tablecloths, cutting boards, paintings by on of our students, and much more. We are located in the Bath House. – Donna Smith, Guatemala Friends Scholarship Program
Additional Items
Harvest Festival
September 24, 2016 marks the 50th annual Harvest Festival in support of Friends Committee on Legislation of California. While not long in terms of of Quaker history, 50 years is a significant interval among Western Friends.
Originally, the Harvest Festival was held at Hidden Villa, the home of Frank and Josephine Duveneck. (Is there anyone here who went to Harvest Festival there?) Palo Alto Meeting was the sponsor, with participation by several other Meetings around the Bay Area.
Now, Harvest Festival is held at Palo Alto Meetinghouse, and San Jose Meeting continues to do used book sales. We would like to invite other Meetings to contribute their efforts to make this anniversary memorable.
Regardless of your Meeting’s involvement, please take flyers from the box at the back of the plenary tent and post them widely.
Look for a lunch table Tuesday on the topic of the future of the Harvest Festival and other forms of support for FCL-CA. – Eric Sableman, Palo Alto Meeting
Living Sustainability
How can Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends respond to the “Living Sustainably” minute approved by the FWCC World Plenary in Peru, calling for each Yearly Meeting to undertake two concrete actions on sustainability in the next year? During an interest group sponsored by Peace and Social Order, Friends in Unity with Nature, and FWCC, we came to unity on the following recommendations to our Yearly Meeting session:
1) Ask each Monthly Meeting to read the FWCC minute and take two concrete actions to be more sustainable in the upcoming year. As the FWCC minute notes, “these may build on existing projects of individuals or monthly meetings or they may be new initiatives. We ask that they encourage Young Friends to play key roles,” if possible. Report back to FUN what Meetings are currently doing and what two new actions they are undertaking.
2) Take steps to lower the carbon footprint of coming to PYM by encouraging more carpooling, van rental, shuttling Friends to and from train stations, airports, etc. Report back to PYM next year on the progress made in this area.
3) Support a Friend to travel in the ministry to talk about sustainability, solar panels, gray water, etc.
We also discussed the carbon fee and dividend policy proposed by the League of Conservation Voters and found it worth further consideration. Shelley Tannenbaum of Quaker Earthcare Witness and Catya de Neergard of FUN said their groups will study this policy and report back to PYM next year. – Anthony Manousos
What is a plenary session?
It is a full session. From the Latin, plenus/plena, as seen in other Romance languages too. The full moon (coming up Monday night) is in French la pleine lune, in Romanian luna plină, in Italian la luna piena, and, through the miracle of sound change, in Spanish la luna llena. All related. It’s a session for a plenitude, or, as we say in Hawaii, plenty people.
And the Number Is…
Your statistical co-clerks have graciously offered to forgo their raucous plenary report in the interest of more time for spiritual focus on lifting the veil.
However, we have been asked to “tell the jokes.” So here is our presentation, sans what is already posted on the PYM web site, and taped outside the cafeteria.
Here are the clues for the number of members as of May 31, 2016:
The first digit is the basis of all positive integers, and also “The multiplicative identity” (You can probably guess this without knowing any of the big words).
The second digit is the only even prime number of the gazillions of prime numbers.
The third digit is the square of an odd number.
The fourth digit is the first prime number.
While you’re working on that, I’ve got some information that might be especially interesting…even exciting… for people over 55…and you know who you are.
This is from a PBS program called “The Joy of Chance.”
The older you get, the higher your chance you have of dying.
But the longer you live, the longer you can expect to live!
So here’s the fun part:
The chances of dying for various reasons are compared via a unit of measure called the Micromort.
1 micromort equals 1 in 1 million chance of dying.
Putting it in perspective, your chance of dying at 18 years old = 500 micromorts.
Dying at 58 = 7000 micromorts.
The risk of dying while skydiving is only 7 micrormorts. So at age 58, you will only increase your risk of dying while skydiving to 7007 micromorts, while the 18 year-old’s risk will be 507 micromorts.
So statistically speaking, If you sky dive when you are 18, you have added 1.4% to your risk of dying. However, if you skydive when you are 58, you have added only .01%. to your risk of dying!
So go for it.
And one more thing: If you are worried about the health of loved ones who smoke, they might…or might not…like to know that for every 2 cigarettes they smoke, their life is shortened by ½ hour. So every year, a 2 cigs a day smoker loses 7.5 days from their life span. A pack a day for a year? 75 days.
And the number of members in PYM is…?