This page of resources offers information and links to support Pacific Yearly Meeting Officers, Committee Clerks, and anyone in service to the Yearly Meeting.
If you have any questions about anything on this page, or you have a suggestion for resources to add, please write to <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Table of Contents
Using a PacYM Zoom Account
You are welcome to use a PacYM Zoom account for events, meetings and conversations related to the business of the Yearly Meeting.
To reserve a time, first check the Calendar at the bottom of this page. If a PacYM Zoom account is available for the day and time you would like to use it:
1. Click here and a new window will open showing the PacYM calendar.
2. Click the desired date (the number in the top right of the corresponding box), then scroll to find the desired time. Click the blank space next to it. A dialog box will open on your screen.
3. Follow the onscreen prompts to enter a title for the meeting and confirm the date, start time and end time.
4. If the meeting is going to repeat (for example, once a month), click “Repeats” and follow the onscreen instructions.
5. Click the box that says “Calendar” and then select “PacYM Zoom 2” (preferred) or “PacYM Zoom 1” (if PacYM Zoom 2 is not available).
6. Note your name where it says “Who”.
7. Click “Save”.
A confirmation email will be sent to the email address we have on file for the name entered in the “Who” box. That confirmation email will have the Zoom information for the meeting. Please note that the confirmation is a manual process, so it may take up to a day to process your request.
Note: The more comfortable you get using this tool, the more you will want to click the different buttons and explore the various options. You are welcome to make your reservation as simple or as complex as you like. The steps outlined above are all you need to do to reserve a time to use a PacYM Zoom account.
Questions? <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Email Accounts
Officers, Committee Clerks and Friends in other PacYM roles are strongly encouraged to use their @pacificyearlymeeting.org email address for all communications related to Yearly Meeting business.
By using these addresses (also known as ‘identities’), when you leave your current service to the Yearly Meeting, it will make the transition to the next Friend in the role much smoother. It also assists the recipient of your emails in identifying the role of the sender.
If you don’t have an @pacificyearlymeeting.org email address or identity for your PacYM role (or if you don’t know whether you have one already), contact <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Email Groups
An email group (also known as a listserv) can be set up for any PacYM committee, subcommittee, team or other group within the Yearly Meeting organization.
An email group can be useful for committees to communicate within themselves (e.g. clerk to committee members) and you don’t need to look up email addresses or worry about forgetting to include someone.
This system also keeps an archive of all emails sent within the group (private to the group), so if an email accidentally gets deleted, you can find it in the archive.
If you have any questions or to request an email group, contact <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Communicating with the Yearly Meeting community
The Yearly Meeting shares PacYM and related announcements with Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups by email a few days prior to the second Sunday of each month.
This is a great way to communicate announcements to the wider Yearly Meeting community.
Send announcements to <assistanttotheclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org> by the Tuesday before the second Sunday of the month. (Hint: This date is marked on the Calendar at the bottom of this page.)
Website
Most PacYM committees have a page on this website. Scroll to the menu bar at top of this page, under the Committee Work menu, you’ll find “Some Specific Committee Pages”.
These pages provide a space for sharing information specific to that committee. To post content or discuss your committee’s page on the Pacific Yearly Meeting website, write to <websiteeditor@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Discussion Lists
Discussion lists invite Friends to exchange emails with other who share their ministry. A discussion list is a way to ‘continue the conversation’ around topics of interest.
Discussion lists are initiated at the request of PacYM officers or committee clerks. Please review the Email Distribution List Policy and see if your need matches what is being offered. Then, send your request to <CommunicationsClerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org> including the purpose of the list for consideration. When approved, you will be given a form to fill out to build your discussion / announcement list. Please fill that out and wait for a response.
A more comprehensive explanation of discussion lists is on the Communications Committee page HERE.
Documents & Files
In your role, you will probably create documents and want to find documents others have created.
Each @pacificyearlymeeting.org identity has a google workspace. When you create a document, file or folder from your @pacificyearlymeeting.org account, it is automatically owned by the Yearly Meeting.
Why does it matter who owns a document or file?
We remember with tenderness the days of looking after and adding to a box of paper to then pass that box on to the next Friend coming into our role. We felt a responsibility to the Yearly Meeting to be good stewards of that organizational memory.
Today, in the digital age, the ‘box of paper’ has been replaced with electronic documents and files, and more often than not, we are no longer keeping them in the same place, in one ‘box’.
When a Friend creates a document from their personal account or identity, that document is owned by them and may be lost in the future, regardless who it is shared with or if it is stored on a regular google drive.
Shared Drives
Any @pacificyearlymeeting.org account or identity can create a Shared Drive and all documents, files and folders stored there are automatically owned by Pacific Yearly Meeting. The Shared Drive feature offers different levels of permission, which can help to avoid accidentally deleting something. The permissions set on the Shared Drive are automatically assigned to any document, file or folder in that drive. This means you don’t need to share each file separately. Also, individual files and folders can be shared with people outside the Shared Drive without affecting other permissions and without opening access to all the content of the Shared Drive.
For assistance in setting up a Shared Drive for your PacYM role or committee, or if you have any questions about Shared Drives, contact <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
What’s the difference between a Google Drive and a Shared Drive?
The simple answer is file ownership. Depending of the permissions assigned, anyone can create or upload a document or file to either a Google Drive or a Shared Drive. In a Google Drive, the creator retains the ownership, while in a Shared Drive, the Yearly Meeting is the owner (regardless of who created or uploaded the document or file).
First things first. Are you comfortable using Google Drives and identities? Andrea Harman (Zoom host at many Yearly Meeting online events) led a basic training session on these topics. The recording for that session can be viewed HERE.
Roster (a.k.a. the “Slate”)
The Roster is a complete listing of all the roles and positions in the Pacific Yearly Meeting organization. It is routinely updated following Annual Session and RepCom.
If your committee has subcommittees, teams or appointed positions, please send this information to <nominatingclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org> and also to <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org> (sending one email to these two addresses is just fine)
Subcommittees and teams are often determined in the Fall.
Service Descriptions
Officers, Committees, Representatives to Outside Organizations, and Friends in other PacYM roles write their own service descriptions (typically a revision of a previous service or job description) and submit these to Nominating Committee.
Please direct any questions about service descriptions to <nominatingclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
The most current service descriptions are HERE. Note that many have not been revised since 2005.
Financial Items
PacYM officers, committees, representatives to outside organizations, and other roles are allocated budgets to support their work. For these amounts, consult the annual budget.
The General Budget is approved at Annual Session and any changes to the budget are brought to the meeting of Representative Committee.
For the 2022-2023 service year, we have two Co-Treasurers (Genie and Sarah). To contact them, write to <treasurer@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Sarah is looking after:
– banking matters (including deposits and reconciliations)
– committee expense reimbursements (except for Youth Program and Children’s Program)
– fiscal accounting and insurance matters, plus W-2 and 1099 reporting
– trustee of the 401k plan
Sarah is also serving as a member of the PacYM Holding Corporation.
Genie is looking after:
– payroll and employee benefits
– vendor payments
– preparing the Treasurer’s Reports and other accounting (QuickBooks) reports
– assisting the Finance Committee with developing budgets
– Youth Program and Children’s Program reimbursements
– presenting reports and answering questions at RepCom and Annual Session
See the Finance Committee & Treasurer page for:
– Guidelines for Officer and Committee Expenditures
– Reimbursement Request Forms
– Travel Expense Reimbursement Policies
– Travel Reimbursement Mileage Rates Table
If you have any questions about reimbursements or to discuss the budget or any finance-related concerns related to your committee or role, contact <financeclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Items of Business for the Yearly Meeting
Items for the consideration of the PacYM body need to be raised first at RepCom and should be included in your report. Contact Presiding Clerk Laura <clerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org> about bringing items of business and to request plenary time.
Reports to RepCom & Annual Session
PacYM Committees, Officers and Representatives to outside organizations are asked to prepare written reports in advance of both RepCom and Annual Session. (Hint: The dates these reports are due are marked on the Calendar at the bottom of this page.)
Please be mindful that Friends attending RepCom or Annual Session are being asked to read many reports. Keep your report as concise as possible, under two pages (or 800 words) unless more is absolutely necessary. The Assistant to the Clerk may edit longer reports.
Reports should include:
– the name of the committee, officer role or organization
– the name of the person submitting the report and the names of committee members (as applicable).
– overview of the activities and ministry of the committee, officer role or organization
– details of items being brought to the Yearly Meeting body for discernment or decision
Submit reports in Word, or similar, editable format to Heather <assistanttotheclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org>.
Interest Groups
Interest groups are sessions that focus on a particular topic and are sponsored by a PacYM committee or Friends’ organization. Typically, there are three or four 90-minute time slots during Annual Session that are allocated for interest groups. For details, see How to Propose an Interest Group for Annual Session
Proposals for interest groups at Annual Session need to be submitted before the end of the second day of RepCom. (Hint: This date is marked on the Calendar at the bottom of this page.)
Interest Groups during the year
PacYM committees and Friends’ organizations are welcome to hold an interest group-type session at any time during the year. A formal proposal is not required for interest group sessions held outside of Annual Session.
In support of these sessions, the Yearly Meeting can provide:
– a Zoom account for the planning and holding of the session
– an announcement on the home or front page of the Pacific Yearly Meeting website
– distribution of an announcement to Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups via the monthly communication
If your committee would like to offer an interest group-type session outside of Annual Session, contact <assistanttotheclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
Calendar
This calendar shows Yearly Meeting events like Annual Session, RepCom and youth events, as well as significant dates for Officers and Committees.
It also shows the meetings and events that are scheduled to be held on a PacYM Zoom account.
To reserve a time to use a PacYM Zoom account, click HERE
If you would like to post on this calendar a Yearly Meeting or Committee event that will be held in a different space (e.g. in person or on your own Zoom account), write to <administrativeassistant@pacificyearlymeeting.org>
A few notes about the calendar:
– The times shown are those for where you are. Look in the bottom right corner of the calendar itself to see what time zone it is showing.
– You can change the view and preferences by clicking the buttons at the top right of the calendar. Note: Any changes you make will not affect what other people see and the next time you visit this page, you will see the default settings (meaning, any changes you make in the view or preferences will be for this visit only).
…and one last thing, THANK YOU for your service to Pacific Yearly Meeting!