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The Canadian FriendVolume 104, Number 4 October 2008Reflections on CYMJohn WoolmanReports

The Canadian Friend October 2008 Volume 104, Number 4The Canadian Friend (ISSN 0382-7658) is themagazine of Canadian Yearly Meeting, and ispublished five times a year on its behalf by theHome Mission and Advancement Committee. TheCanadian Friend is sent to all members of CanadianYearly Meeting and to regular attenders. It is fundedthrough quotas and free-will donations of themembership to further the work and witness of theReligious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Canada.* Articles, Poetry, Photos and DrawingsSubmissions are always welcome, and need notshare the theme of the issue. Send to:Sherryll HarrisE-mail: cf-editor@quaker.ca1829 Fern St.Victoria, B.C. Canada, V8R-4K4Telephone: 250-370-0190* AdvertisingSend camera-ready or clear, readable copy to theeditor, preferably by e-mail. Advertising rates anddetails are available on request.* Subscriptions and DonationsSubscription rates for one year are: $28.00 forCanada, $39.00 CD for the U.S., $49.00 CD forother countries. Single copies are $5.60; with insert,$7.60. We welcome donations to help cover the costsof publication and distribution. Please contact:Seán Hennessey, Business ManagerE-mail: cf-businessmanager@quaker.caTelephone: (250) 366-4372Argenta, BC V0G 1B0(Cheques are payable to The Canadian Friend.)* ReproductionCopyright © 2008 is held by Canadian YearlyMeeting. Please request permission before reprintingexcerpts longer than 200 words.* Publications Mail Registration No. 09887PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERThe cover is printed on 60%, and the pageson 30%, post-consumer recycled paper.NEW ADDRESS? PLEASE ADVISE US.Please send updated address information to:Canadian Yearly Meeting91A Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 2L1E-mail: cym-office@quaker.caTel: (888) 296-3222 and (613) 235-8553Editorial:Dear Friends,Canadian Yearly Meeting proved full of riches. Even getting there wasspecial. I did not relish ten hours riding bus, as my cousin sped me to theSaskatoon depot at 3:30 a.m. She had tried to find a friend or family withwhom I could travel. Always Lutherans were back and forth to those BibleSchool towns. “No matter”, I reassured her. “I must be meant to ride thebus”. I slept till the sun rose near Battleford and my seat mate began to tellme of returning to Winnipeg to care for her mother, of her twin sister andher wonderful boys, both home schooled. “My nephews are so interesting.One is in Ghana with Engineers Without Borders, and one is a Quaker.”(Silently I gasped.). “I really should find out more about Quakers” she said.Wow! All this on the heels of my one question: “Could you tell me the timeplease?”!“What’s his name?” I asked casually while feeling inwardly excited andaware that this seat had clearly been reserved for me “Kelly Ackerman”was her reply! I made acquaintance with his aunt on that bus, and in theevening sat with Kelly in the Co-op sharing food. Although his aunt hadtold me Kelly was working somewhere in Ontario at a Quaker camp, (thathad to be NeeKauNis) I rather suspected I’d find him in Camrose!Now, I would tell her how I marvel at Quaker commitment to patientlistening and the kindness and care that lies at the root of all they facedtogether during CYM: concerns with fairness and justice, caring for thisplanet, and John Woolman’s challenge. His life alone would say enough.Thanks to all for gifts of welcome, encouragement, and support. You mademy week at CYM special too.I look forward to receiving your submissions for December. Share theExperience of Spirit in your lives. How has way opened? Or, what have youunderstood to be Ministry, what has been given you to share, or given you tohear as a leading? (Deadline is October 17 th ) Both this issue and December’spromise thoughtful insights into our Quaker faith and practice.I trust all of you who were not with us at CYM will feel as thoughyou had been , and those who were together in Camrose but could not beeverywhere at once, will experience the fullness of the week as you read thisjournal.Blessings, Sherryll-Jeanne HarrisP.S. Thank you to the Friend who called in August with kind wordswhile I was on holiday. My family mislaid the note and I never learnedyour name. Appreciate that you called. Sjh

In This IssueEditorial 2Canadian Yearly Meeting Epistle 2008 4UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People 5First Time at CYMRosemary Meier 6Life of the Programme CommitteeMargaret Overington 6Thoughts From the ClerkDale Dewar 8First Time at the Other Side of the TableAnne Mitchell 9A Vignette of Meetings with the MicrophoneBill Curry 9Reflections on my First CYMRobert Kirchner 10Key LessonsBert Horwood 11The Australia Project: Implications for CYMSusan and David Stevenson 12Ecology at CYMArnold Ranneris 13WhaleWatchingJay Cowsill 14Vignette on the WayBill Curry 14Only the Earth and the Sky - A SongDavid Greenfield 15John Woolman and the ScripturesJane Zavitz-Bond 16Bible / Quaker StudyArnold Ranneris 17The Quaker Spirit, FUM and UsDavid Greenfield 18Does CYM Belong in Friends United Meeting?Gale Wills 19Reflections on FUMThomas Mathieson 20Reflections on CYM GatheringSabre Peil 21CYM Ecumenical Interfiath ReportBill Curry & Keith Maddock 22Conflict in MeetingsMerdith Egan and Jon Karsemeyer 23Vignette - AwayBill Curry 24Youth Program Epistle 25Letter from the General Secretary FGFBruce Brichard 26Epistle from Young Friends 27Reflection on CYMPeter Stevenson 27Footnotes from the Canadian Quaker ArchivesJane Zazitz-Bond 29Around the Family 30Last WordLesley Robertson 31Quaker Book Service 31Cover: Photos of the Food Co-op trailer painted by the Young Friends during week of CYM.Take a good look as sadly you won’t be seeing it next summer. We are grateful to all whomade the Co-op such a success this year. I was fortunate to be Dale’s “sister” from time totime getting the chance to dine in Co-op while Evelyn used my pass to eat in the Dining Hallwith her real sister Dale. Editor and cover photographer, Sjh.Volume 104, Number 4 3

Canadian Yearly Meeting Epistle 2008Greetings to Friends everywhere from the 175 th Canadian Yearly Meetingof the Religious Society of Friends“To turn all the treasures we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our lives.”(John Woolman, Plea for the Poor, Chapter 3)0Led by the theme, “Feeding the Body, Nurturing the Soul”, 148 Friends of all ages gathered in Camrose atthe Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta for the 53 rd unified Canadian Yearly Meeting.Friends nurtured their connections with each other, both in the cafeteria and in the food co-op, which has aconcern to use locally grown, organic food. The distance between these two “Meetings for Eating” sometimesfeels (sic) very great.Throughout the week, we wrestled with the many challenges facing us as Friends: our vast geography makesit more difficult to remain connected, and this difficulty is deepened by our unease with the environmentalimpact of our use of fossil fuels. Canadian Yearly Meeting includes Friends with a diversity of beliefs. Weseek always for all our members to feel at home within our Society, to treat each person with dignity andrespect, and to help heal those wounded by prejudice. These efforts affect our relationships with other Quakerbodies, especially Friends United Meeting. The implementation of the recommendations of the Consultationand Renewal Working Group addresses some of these issues. Other recommendations, when implemented,will change many areas of our structure, functioning (sic), and relationships. We yearn for a clear identity asCanadian Friends, knowing that to do so we must speak in words and listen in tongues.“John Woolman’s Bible Study”, led by Rachel Findley (Strawberry Creek MM, Pacific Yearly Meeting),brought the prophetic voice and Biblical centredness of Woolman to our hearts and minds. We were led toask ourselves how our practices contribute to the privations and troubles of others, and to the devastation ofthe earth. In order to live with radical faith, we were encouraged to find the prophetic voice for our time, andin patience seek to find “the stones … safe to step on”, and take the time “necessary to see where to step next”.(John Woolman, “On Ministry”, 1772).In response to the needs of our diverse membership, different opportunities for worship were available. Weoffered a silent retreat led by Elaine Emily (Strawberry Creek MM, Pacific Yearly Meeting) and a pre-CYMworkshop on “Conflict in Meetings” led by Rob Hughes (Vancouver MM) and Meredith Egan (VancouverMM). A memorial meeting celebrated the grace of God in the lives of Friends who had died since our last YearlyMeeting. Knowing that it is our spiritual life in which we live, and through which we and our world can betransformed, we strove in all our worship to attend to the inward Light.Young Friends and Young Adult Friends face the same challenges as adult Friends to maintain relationshipsand build community. Both groups worked together to complete a job description for the new position of YouthSecretary as a step on the way to increasing connections.In the Children’s Program, younger Friends played together, and worked together. They explored identitythrough making plaster casts of their faces.Following our annual picnic, the Sunderland P. Gardner lecture, “Know His Voice That Feeds and Leads You”was presented electronically by Ellen Pye who though not physically present, was with us in spirit. Ellen spoke ofher spiritual journey and how her identity as a Friend was forged. She reminded us to query ourselves as to howthe truth has prospered among us. After the lecture we celebrated the adoption by the United Nations GeneralAssembly of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (There was cake!)Because the campus was undergoing construction, our silent worship and other sessions were held amidstmechanical noise and falling trees. In the presentation, “How are we called, How shall we act?”, we were remindedof the addictions and inconsistencies of our modern world, and Friends shared deeply both their concerns andthe ways they are led to care for the earth. Our fears for the future of our world, because of the devastation4October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

of the earth and the many conflicts among people,were lightened by the understanding that even inthis great darkness love is at work, and that God’svision of the harmony of humanity and nature willhelp us find the way compatible with true wisdom.“Teach me Thy way, oh God, and lead me in a plainpath.” Psalm 27, Verse 11“In the name of the oneness; in thename of the divine breath;peace be unto all.”Quote from Ellen Pye’s SPG lecture (photo right)“A prerequisite for prophetic communication is to be quiet before God in order that we may hearthe voice of God and act accordingly. And we need to be aware that anyone may prophesy andtransmit the Divine message, through word and action. At times we may not be aware of ourown prophetic communication. The prophetic impulse brings positive energy, but may also leadto a struggle against our own wishes and desires.”Excerpt: Epistle from Norway Yearly Meeting 2007read by Clerk Dale DewarThe ‘DRIP hat’ trio, L-R: Jane Orion Smith, General Secretary of Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC);Jennifer Preston, CFSC staff person for the Quaker Aboriginal Affairs Committee (QAAC); and Lynne Phillips, co-Clerk of QAAC. CFSC hosted a cake celebration on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 to commemorate the passage of theUnited Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP). A number of Canadian Quakers played asmall but vital role over decades of work in assisting in the creation of the Declaration and its passage in the GeneralAssembly in April 2008. Photo by Michael Phillips.Volume 104, Number 4 5

6First time at CYM:Thoughts during Meeting for Worshipfor Businessby Rosemary MeierAttenders and f/Friendsshare means and ends.The Word and the Light,when shared are right.We with yellow labelshad heard some CYM fables.Yet we arrived in Camrosewith Quakerly purpose.As light needs a night,Silence needs rightwords and right ways –though the process may faze –to guide how to striveto bring Friendship alive.Expectations stay high,sleep is laid by.We think and we talk.we eat and we walk.Night is short and day is long,dawn start, to last note of song.Agendas are broad,meeting time we afford:in the Quaker fraternitytime frame is eternity.Ideals we do hold,adventurous and bold,to stretch and elevate.We pray. And we wait.Where is the way?Our feet may be clay –we are of the earth,but in a Quaker universe.Rosemary Meier, Toronto Monthly MeetingLife of the ProgrammeCommitteeby Margot OveringtonOnce in a while someone asks, “How does theSutherland P. Gardner Lecturer get chosen?, or “Whodecides where we are going to meet?” These aretwo of the long-term responsibilities of ProgrammeCommittee, which is a collection of Friends fromacross Canada. If you want to know the mandateof our little group, the information is available inOrganization and Procedure. But that’s the dry part.The ‘alive’ part involves two get-togethers. The fallof the year preceding CYM, we usually gather at thesite of the upcoming Yearly Meeting. We walk aroundand decide what will happen in the various spacesavailable. Believe it or not, we do a “hearing test” inthe room chosen for business meetings. Althoughhearing is not always the best, we try to supplement thenatural sound with hearing systems and microphones.I hear you, sometimes it’s terrible!It is in the October meeting that we struggle toresolve the competing needs of Food Co-op, tenting,dorms, personal spaces, accessibility, food needs andrestrictions, cleanliness, environmental responsibility,Friends’ needs for quiet times and spaces, excitingprogrammes for children, safe areas for playing, accessto public transportation, and of course, costs. In casethat’s not enough of an agenda, we also consider theSutherland P. Gardner (SPG) Lecturer and Bible (orQuaker) Study Leader for the next 2 - 3 years. (Ifthere is a special Friend that you would like to see aseither the SPG Lecturer or a Bible (Quaker) StudyLeader, drop me a line, and I’ll bring your suggestionto our fall meeting.)Leading up to Yearly Meeting, local membersof our Committee work with Local ArrangementsCommittee (volunteers from the closest Meetings tothe CYM site) on issues of transportation, children’sprogramme, and childcare needs.In August, it hits like a tornado. Our goal is toarrive on site before anyone else, a feat that is becomingmore difficult in recent years as Friends eagerlyanticipate a variety of “Pre-CYM” options. However,we still manage to make it in enough time to haveevery appearance of knowing what we’re doing! Mostof the time.October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

The Committee arrived around noon Thursday,and I followed the pack, dragging my suitcase intothe dorm around 5 p.m. I could see that the FoodCo-op was well underway, with tents in place, stoves,refrigerators, tables and benches organized by thededicated Friends who take on this project with zeal.Once all was said and done for arrival day, I fell intobed at 9 p.m., which was midnight by my internalclock. It was a long day.The next morning, we set up computers, registration,children’s areas, and started the process of greeting earlyarrivals. It’s always such a joy to see Friends arrive atCYM. It’s one of my favourite times on ProgrammeCommittee. Some wonderful people I haven’t seen forseveral years, and some I see almost every year, but it’ssuch a pleasure to connect again, even if it’s only witha shared smile and a wave as backpacks and suitcasesare carried to the dorm.This year the workshop dealt with conflictresolution in Meetings, and there was a silent retreat asanother option. So lots of Friends came early for oneor the other. It was wonderful catching up with peopleover shared meals, that is, when we weren’t sharing ourmeal as a committee in the office. We did a lot ofwork at mealtimes. Given that we’re not a group tomiss meals, it pretty well guaranteed attendance at PCmeetings.After the first few days when the job of registrationwas complete, we helped organize audio visualequipment for Special Interest Groups, responded tothe needs of the Clerks or various Friends trying tomake some part of CYM work smoothly. It seemed thatwhen registration ended, the task of transportation forthe end of our week together loomed larger and larger.But thanks to the dedicated efforts of EdmontonMonthly Meeting Members, it was a smooth transitionfor everyone.And now that the rooms have been closed, andthe last Friend has left the site, we look forward toour Fall meeting in Kemptville, Ontario, as we startpreparations for next Yearly Meeting, August 14 - 22,2009. See you there!Margot Overington, Halifax Monthly MeetingLooks like the Abbot family were pleased with the arrangements!Vivian and Ed Abbot of Oro Ontario, with grand children Cory, and Christopher, son Steve,grandson Kevin and daughter-in-law Andrea of Saltspring Island.Volume 104, Number 4 7

8ThoughtsFrom the Clerkby Dale Dewar“How was Yearly Meeting for you?” Some Quakersasked me. “Fearless clerking?” As the centring processprogresses, the clerk leaves behind self-awareness andbecomes one with the meeting. How then can onehave fear?On a personal level, failure is my greatest fear. Ican handle “good enough” and love the sweet smellof success, but the spectre of failure pushes my panicbuttons. In clerking, failure is not really an optionbecause - if it occurs - the entire meeting has failed.This hardly makes it a personal thing. Furthermore,there is a certain faith in the character of the membersthat makes the “shared failure” more of a gift andchallenge. Since the function of the clerk is merely tobe open to the sense of the meeting - to be afraid is notreally an option.Each morning before Meeting for Worshipfor Business, the Agenda Committee meets. Thiscommittee is composed of the clerks, recording clerksand representatives of the meeting. The responsibilityfor the CYM Meeting in Session is shared. In essence,this meeting is also the Clerks’ worshipping “supportgroup”. It can also function in debriefing a previoussession.Biggest beef: People who stand to speak withouthaving listened - with their hearts open - to those whohave spoken before them.Biggest reward: Sensing that the will of the meetinghas coalesced.New Challenge: Looking for a name.Behind the closed doors of Agenda Committee, theClerks pondered the Report of the Discipline ReviewCommittee (in Documents in Advance):We note the recent introduction of the term “PresidingClerk” in Canadian Yearly Meeting and ask Friends tocarefully consider its use. Early Friends, in naming therole of clerk, deliberately chose a name that denotes a lowlyposition in the secular world. They consciously avoidedthe use of a term denoting leadership as they recognizedthat a Meeting for Worship is under divine cover. In theirterms Christ Jesus presides over a Meeting for Business.The Agenda Committee did as Discipline ReviewCommittee asked. It pondered the dilemma: Wasthe Committee correct in the historical derivation ofthe term, “clerk”? Did “presiding” arise from the term“present” or “president”? What could the clerks useto distinguish the three positions: “Presiding Clerk”,“Incoming Clerk” and “Mentoring Clerk”? Would“Sitting Clerk” satisfy Discipline Review Committee’sconcerns? Someone pointed out that historically, the“Clerk” was a “recording clerk”, and in a time whenmany did not write, was a more educated and powerfulperson in the Meeting.In “Klein’s Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary ofthe English Language, 1971, the root of “preside” means“to sit in front of, to guard, to watch, to protect”. Thisis everything that a clerk is meant to be! Unfortunately,the same root word gave rise to “present”, “president”and “sit”. The Oxford English Dictionary 1996, statesthe current usage of preside to mean “be in a positionof authority, exercise control or authority”.On the other hand, the root of “clerk” is “belongingto the clergy, clerical”! Early Quakers would certainlyhave been aware of this connection. The OxfordEnglish Dictionary 1996, lists many meanings forclerk, one of which is “clergyman”; it also includes “asenior official in Parliament” and “a person employedin an office, bank…etc., to keep records, accounts,etc”. Should we also be giving consideration to theusage of “clerk”?When Yearly Meeting is in session, the clerk’sfunction is most aptly described by the root meaningof “preside” but the exact appellation of the Clerk isup to Canadian Friends. As Clerk of Canadian YearlyMeeting, there is no doubt about the function. It ismy privilege to serve.Dale Dewar, Prairie Monthly Meeting(Balancing below with daughter Shauna)October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

First Timeat the Other Side ofthe Tableby Anne MitchellThis was not my first YM but it was my first at theother side of the table as incoming clerk. And whata strange experience it was. Although I only clerkeda couple of the business sessions I was emotionallydrained. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was trying to bealert at all times and get a sense of what was happeningas we conducted our business? I have clerked manyof the Meetings for Worship for Business at TorontoMeeting during my six years as co-clerk, so I do havesome experience. But something unexpected nearlyalways happens.At YM some of the ‘unexpecteds’ for me were:how to make sure that all the births, marriages anddeaths have been correctly recorded; how to managemicrophones; how to indicate that the clerk wants tospeak; how to recognize or not recognize those whowish to speak; how to not offend those who are notrecognized to speak. On reflection, it would probablyhelp our business meetings if we were to resort to someold Quaker ways: have space between speaking forreflection on what has been said; stand if you wish tospeak and remain standing until you are recognized, orwhat you wanted to say has been said. Remember toothat it is in right order for the clerk not to recognizeyou. Sit if the clerk stands. And some of the new ways?If we are going to continue using a microphone thereneed to be two of them. The clerk should always havea mike.Different points of view were heard. Businesswas conducted. Friends worshiped together. Friendshad fellowship together. And we did get through ouragenda.Anne Mitchell, Toronto Monthly MeetingA Vignette ofMeetings with the‘Microphone’by Bill CurryThis year we had to use microphones. For aroom meant to have good acoustics the Chapel has atroublesome echo. The Clerks were asked if a soundsystem could be found. A mike was provided, so wehad to learn a new mode of meeting - with microphonewalkers, and care not to hold it too close.At the final Meeting for Worship for Business, withclosing expressions of gratitude, our worship becamean enthusiastic ‘popcorn meeting’ - we were thankfulfor so much and so many. Though I don’t speak muchin Meeting, this time holding my seat was no option. Ifelt such strength in our week together as I stood toexpress assurance of communicating through the year,with appreciation for the new Publications Committeeand welcoming the new editor of Canadian Friend.But I had not waited for the mike. I’d noticedanother Friend holding it but thought she was the new‘runner’, not the next speaker. When she finally spoke,with gratitude for Friends not at the Yearly Meetingyet present with us, I realized I’d spoken out of turn,just before being eldered by the Clerk about groundrules for passing the microphone. I was surprised,and humbled to realize I had not understood, norrespected the message of a Friend holding the mikestill, in worship.The next voice spoke of the microphone as ourTalking Stick, with a Quaker manner of passing it to,and respecting, each speaker.Many Friends expressed gratitude for being able tohear everything so well. Of necessity, we have learnedsome good ways to use this tool. Likely, we will wantto have a good sound system again. If so, we’ll needearly briefing on the benefits and limits of ‘Quakermicrophones’.Bill Curry, Prairie Monthly MeetingVolume 104, Number 4 9

persuade (if not coerce) others into acknowledgingthe ‘Correct Position’. Quakers know very well thatwe dare not approach our own Business Meetings inthis “creaturely” spirit. We must speak our own truth,but also listen to the truths of others, always remainingopen to the discernment of a larger truth that unitesus. Do we approach all our social activism with this samesense of Spirit-led discernment? Do we listen?Returning home after CYM, I am full ofenthusiasm around making changes, large and small,in my life, in the direction of simplicity, and bringingideas from CYM back to my Monthly Meeting. I wasimmediately reminded that I can’t make these changeswithout practising what I preached in the previousparagraph. Exercising though it may be, I must listento my family, and to my Friends, as well as speak myown truth.Robert Kirchner,Edmonton – Prairie Monthly Meeting(Photo of Robert below)Monday Morning August 11, 2008Worship began with Dale reading Psalms 24:“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullnessthereof; the world, and they that dwelltherein.” Psalm.24Ministry:“We do not own the world, and its richesare not ours to dispose of at will. Showa loving consideration for all creatures,and seek to maintain the beauty andvariety of the world. Work to ensurethat our increasing power over natureis used responsibly, with reverence forlife. Rejoice in the splendor of God’scontinuing creation.”(Advices and Queries #42)Key Lessonsby Bert HorwoodRachel Findley’s Bible Study was remarkablypowerful. She led us into various Biblical imagesthrough the gates of John Woolman’s life and writing. Iwas deeply moved as these lessons showed me waysof persuasion and example I had not properly learnedbefore. The key lessons for me were “attending tothe guide” and “paying the price”. “Attending tothe guide” means spiritually testing each action beforetaking it, and not rushing off along what seems to bethe right path without mature discernment. “Payingthe price” means that in my witness I must first fullypractise those things I enjoin others to do. It alsomeans that I must be willing to accept the sacrificeswhich accompany an action.Bert Horwood, Thousand Islands Monthly MeetingVolume 104, Number 4 11

The Australia Project:Implications for CYMand our Ecological Footprint12by Susan and David StevensonFor several years we have been traveling to andfrom New Zealand to study the ecology of lichens inthe temperate rainforests of the South Island. In 2007when we were planning our final trip, we decidedto spend an additional month traveling in Australia.Then when we read the final report of the Consultationand Renewal Working Group, Recommendation B-1leaped out at us: that CYM examine how AustraliaYearly Meeting (AYM) is organized, how well it works,and whether any well-functioning aspects of their structurecould be models for CYM to deal with cost, distance, andassociated vitality issues.It seemed like a way was opening for us to dothis work. It would mean a different kind of holidayfrom the one we had planned, but we had alreadytalked about traveling by train, and trying to get tothe interior of the vast continent. What if we visitedwith Friends along the way? We let the idea grow. Itbegan to seem like an opportunity both for service andour own spiritual growth. We promised ourselves wewould include personal time for the things we love todo: hiking, photography, and nature study.As we started to do our homework we realized that wewould need help, both from Canadian and AustralianFriends. In September 2007, Vernon Monthly Meetingresponded to our request for a traveling minute, andalso decided to take on the study of AYM as a Meetingproject (see C’nR Recommendation B-2). The timingworked perfectly. Our traveling minute was endorsedby Western Half-Yearly Meeting in October andRepresentative Meeting in November.Jude Pembleton, AYM Secretary helped us arrangeour itinerary, and contacted the Meetings and WorshipGroups along the way on our behalf. We purchasedrail passes that allowed us up to 15 days of train travelfor a fixed rate.Meanwhile, with the help of our Monthly Meetingand a few other Friends we planned our discussionquestions. AYM, like CYM, covers a large countrywith a small population of Quakers. However, it has amore regionalized structure than we have. We wantedto know how this regionalized structure meets Friends’needs for spiritual nurture, fellowship, and doingbusiness; what lessons we might bring home to Canada.How are isolated Friends and remote worship groupssupported? How are children and young adult Friendsinvolved in the life of the meeting? As well, we hopedto learn how Australian Friends address environmentalconcerns, use electronic communication, and fund thework of their Yearly Meeting.We were in Australia from mid-March to mid-April 2008. We spent a day with Jude Pembleton inBrisbane, where we had our first group session. Thenwe flew northwest to tropical Darwyn (temperature34C, humidity 100%) to visit with members of theirsmall Meeting. We had almost a week of personaltime in the wetlands of Kakadu National Park, andthe dry country west of Katherine. After a 2-1/2 daytrain ride from Darwyn to Adelaide, we resumed ourvisits with Quakers. Our final two weeks were anintense series of meetings with Friends in Adelaide,Melbourne and the surrounding area, Canberra, andthe Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Throughout ourtravels Australian Friends welcomed us, hosted us,and organized meetings on our behalf. We are mostgrateful.Back at home we took our photos and draftrecommendations to Western Half-Yearly Meetingand received valuable feedback from a Special InterestGroup. Next we sent a complete draft of the reportto our Monthly Meeting and received another set ofhelpful comments. In August we reported to CYMwith recommendations for Friends to season.The report is now posted on the CYM website(www.quaker.ca). We hope that Friends will readthe report and discuss the recommendations in theirMonthly Meetings, so that they will be prepared forfurther discussion and possible decisions on theserecommendations at CYM 2009.We are excited aboutthe possibility of changes within CYM that couldreduce our ecological footprint, and make the Meetingfunction better. We are grateful to our AustralianFriends for sharing and worshiping with us. This hasindeed been an opportunity both for service and forspiritual growth.Susan and David Stevenson, Vernon MMOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

ECOLOGY AT CYMby Arnold RannerisAre we open to radical simplicity inorder to respect and nurture everythingthat lives? Can we question the doctrineof unlimited growth in order to reducepollution and consumption. Can we speaktruth to all people, as well as to those inpower, getting to ordinary people withthings they can do in their lives? What isthe economy for? What is fair? How bigis too big? How can we get there (i.e. tothe Moral Economy)?(Minute Presented to YM from Special Interest Group onEcology”)Awareness of environmental concerns was verymuch in evidence during CYM Week. FollowingBeverly Shepard’s article (for CYM clerks) “GreeningCYM: Does It Matter?” published in the summer issueof The Canadian Friend, Programme Committee andthe Food Co-op were mindful of being as green aspossible at the site in Camrose.The Tuesday evening plenary session was givenover to a sharing time: “Ecological Issues: MovingForward”. Friends representing several groupsmade presentations: Quaker Ecology Action Group(QEAN), Canadian Friends Service Committee(CFSC), Quaker Ecology Witness (QEW), KAIROS,Quaker International Affairs Program (QIAP), QuakerInstitute for the Future (QIF), and the Moral EconomyProject. After these the Meeting moved into centredsharing on how our entire Yearly Meeting could andshould move forward to address the threats that relateto so many of our Quaker values and testimonies. The“Sustainability Minute” of CYM (2001) was read. Anexcerpt follows:Friends believe we are all manifestations of theCreator, the Divine Spirit of God. We have cometo realize that indeed all life forms are exquisitelyinterrelated and interdependent, thus all life is sacred.We envision and call for, therefore, a clear responsibilityto live in harmony with all life on Earth. As we seeknon-violent ways of meeting the needs of our speciesand the other species with whom we share this Earth,we are inspired to do this with a renewed respect forCreation which goes beyond self-interest.During worship-sharing, the image of the Titanicwas offered, noting that there are many places,people, and created beings which are on the “lowerdecks”, dealing now with the results of environmentaldegradation. At the same time, we were reminded ofour own Quaker Testimonies, the power of love andhope and the Spirit. Resources abound in the formof technology, web sites, people of all ages, and theperiodical “Faith and the Common Good”. AlsoQuaker Ecology Witness (QEW) which celebrates its20th anniversary this year, is a wonderful resource andaction network for Friends.Rachel Findley’s Bible/Quaker study on “JohnWoolman and the Spirit of Prophecy” gave clearpointers to alternative Spirit-led ways of living, rootedin simplicity, equality and community. [See article onp. 17]Special Interest Groups provided focus on specificconcerns: Alberta Tar Sands Developments, theNuclear Chain, the Deadly Aftermath of DepletedUranium, and a QEAN-sponsored special interestgroup (SIG) on “What Are We Led to Do with ourEcology Concern?” One concrete decision made wasto support the KAIROS delegation to the Tar Sands.Another was to have a representative from QEAN onthe KAIROS working group on Ecological Justice.A Summary Report with Advices and Queries/Questions was given at the Closing Session, which willbe printed in the 2008 CYM Minutes and Reports.For now let us ponder “Can we speak truth to allpeople, as well as to those in power…What is theeconomy for? What is fair? How big is too big? Andhow can we reach a Moral Economy?” (Excerpt fromMinute presented to Yearly Meeting from the EcologySpecial Interest Group).Members of the Religious Society of Friendsin Canada are very much focused on keeping theseconcerns on the Agenda and action list of the entireYearly Meeting.Arnold Ranneris,Victoria Friends Meeting, and Clerk of QEANVolume 104, Number 4 13

14Whale Watchingby Jay CowsillAn oral form of this reflection was offered recentlyduring worship sharing at Canadian Yearly Meeting. Itcame to me in terms of the way I distinguish comedyfrom tragedy for beginning university students.Comedy, I suggest to them, proceeds from a lowesteem for humankind. Its characters are typicallyportrayed as muddleheads who get themselves into allsorts of difficulties due to mistakes of all kinds: wrongassumptions, errors in judgment, and so forth. Butsome benevolent principle in the universe, interestedin us and our welfare, inevitably operates in mysteriousways to put things right once more before the curtaincomes down.The comic view reflects the long-held assumptionthat the universe in fact was made for us, and that weare the principal interest within it. Tragedy on theother hand, assumes that humans are noble but that westruggle against overwhelming odds, for the principlein the universe, if there is one, is ill-disposed towardsus or, worse yet, not interested in us at all. Tragedyfocuses on fate, but tragic as opposed to comic fate isthe thing against which we so nobly but so hopelesslystruggle. When the curtain comes down on tragedy,we have come to realize that we are flawed in a way forwhich there is no solution: the very thing that makesus noble in the end destroys us.Analyzing the large contours of the Christian Bible,Northrop Frye demonstrates that it was compiled overthe centuries by a bunch of comedians. It beginswith the loss of paradise and ends with its restorationin the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. Inbetween, humans make all sorts of choices that merittheir destruction, but a benevolent principle in theuniverse - call it what you will - continually intervenesto restore us. The frustrating delays we now experiencein the necessary movement to green the earth areattributable, in part, to the perseverance among usof the comic view, that regardless of the mistakes wemake, things will come right in the end. The morepessimistic among us have already adopted the tragicview. Struggle as we must, they tell us, our fate issealed. It is already too late for us.Contemporary thinkers on environmental issueshave challenged the age-old assumption that theuniverse was made for us. But there have alwaysbeen those who have suspected that it wasn’t. I amreminded of a midrash a professor of mine onceincluded in a lecture on the Book of Job, one thatstrikes an interesting balance between the comic andthe tragic views. It has to do with the proper time forprayer. When you go to pray, an old rabbi insisted,you must bear in mind that there is a proper time forit as there is for all things. Don’t go to pray at 3:30AM: that’s the wrong time. Don’t try 8:45 AM or2:30 PM either. For prayer to be effective, it must beoffered between 6:00 and 6:02 PM. God is interestedin you—but not exclusively. God has a busy schedulethat includes other interests. God doesn’t sit aroundall day long waiting for humans to pray. At 2:30 PM,God goes whale watching. If you need to pray, youmust pray not on your schedule but on God’s, from6:00 to 6:02 PM. After all, the universe was not madefor you.Jay Cowsill, Saskatoon Allowed MeetingVignette on the Wayby Bill CurryThe amazing shifting labyrinth wetraversed between sleeping and eating andmeeting - ground disappearing around theyoung Martin Luther statue, overnight fenceswhere none had been - brought me alongthe morning path with Kathleen Hertzberg,agreeing we’d awakened to an experience of“way closing”.Though tested by massive machines, fallingtrees and some muddy crossings, in fact duringCYM we experienced Way Opening in manyways; certainly some moving of the Spiritfilled our hearts.We met Kathleen another time when herbrightly coloured umbrella would not openproperly. One Friend, then another, gave it atry. When it failed to work as a full umbrella,Kathleen put it over her head and carried onwith her usual enthusiasm, outclassing all theoutrageous ladies’ hats of the Queen’s AscotDerby! Though the way of the umbrellawould not open fully, sufficient shelter fromthe rain was achieved.Bill Curry, Prairie Monthly MeetingOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Only the Earth and the SkyA song for Tom Findley by Dave GreenfieldFrom somewhereHe made his way,Out of the mists of timeInto the twentieth century.And maybeHis destiny was shapedOne morningWhen his daughter came homeFrom Sunday school,‘Cause they wouldn’t let her wearHer running shoes.She said “I’m neverGoing back there again.I wanna becomeA Quaker instead.”From somewhereHe made his wayTo Friends World College, 1968.With a million young rebelsDreaming of a new dawn,And a thousand revolutionsGoing on, going on, going on.From somewhere,There came a dream.He told it to his studentsOne soft winter eve.He said, I wannaGet into a canoeAnd canoe across the continentWith only the earth and the skyThe trees and the moon.Only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.From somewhereHe made his way.He paddled his canoeFrom somewhere near the Great LakesTo the northern-most tip of Alaska,To meet the Alaskan EskimosWho had become Quakers,A long long time ago.And then the time cameFor him to turn around,And somewhere in western OntarioHe settled down.Weaving a dream,Living in tune,With only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.Only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.And it seems like it must beA thousand timesHe has got on the busIn the middle of the nightTo come to Prairie Monthly Meeting,And Western half Yearly Meeting,And Canadian Yearly Meeting.From somewhereHe made his wayOut of the mists of timeInto our sacred space.With only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.Only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.Only the earth and the sky,The trees and the moon.Dave Greenfield, Prairie Monthly Meeting.Tom Findley has been a member of CYM andPrairie Monthly Meeting, since he paddled his canoeaway from the industrial centres of American societyand settled in western Ontario. Both Tom, and hisdaughter Rachel were present this year at CYM, so Idecided to perform this song at family night.Volume 104, Number 4 15

16John Woolman andthe ScripturesRachel Findley’s Sharingby Jane Zavitz-BondRachel Findley’s sharing of John Woolman andthe Scriptures was the mortaring bond for CYM thisyear. The attendance was high and continued so eachday, evidence it drew and held us. The hour gave asupportive base to each day’s events. John Woolmanis common ground for Friends! At the very least weknow he was key to Friends giving up slavery, butthere’s so much more to Woolman.Rachel’s full and wide knowledge of Woolman andrelated study gave her quiet responses to questions andcomments added understanding, as she reflected notas an academic which she certainly is, but in the spiritof Woolman. She had her clear outline, but it wasallowed to expand as we proceeded. Her discernmentand comfortable assurance permitted openings for newawareness: the gift of a teacher prepared for a ‘Meetingfor Learning’. This was a joy and a blessing for us all.She taught us to keep open to new thoughts not blindrecanting. The Truth continues; our understandingsof it grow. The Book of John is called ‘The QuakerGospel’.The Bible references made Woolman a connectinglink some had not found opened in that way before.David Hackett Fischer, in Albion’s Seed, states thatFriends used the New Testament oftener, and certainverses more often in their sermons and writings.Woolman heard and knew these so well that theyare interwoven in his writing. To have these versesbrought to life is what Bible Study is about. JohnWoolman approached life permeated with his faith.Rooted in his Quaker home and heritage he was thenat home in the world. The common ventures of life,meeting humans in society anywhere remain muchthe same! May we seek to apply his approaches today,and find the next step when the next stone in the rivercrossing has yet to be revealed, or is sunk below thesurface in the muck and we must grope for it andgo on. We go in faith and love, speaking to thatof God in everyone and walking cheerfully over theearth. And, yes, we found our ecological concernsalso belong in Woolman’s approaches for us today.An orchardist within an agricultural community, hepractised sustainability. Sensing the interrelatednessof all nature, Woolman knew that “...the earth is theLord’s and the fullness thereof...”.Speaking out of the opening worship, perhapsRachel’s quiet presentation permeated the thoughtsof those present like the gentle rain and wateredthe day’s responses without being recognized as‘impacting’. Woolman’s life was like that. He was, asJesus was: clear, direct, and honest, but not adversarialin manner. Others could hear and consider ratherthan rebut, for his responses went to the heart of amatter, rather than were critical of others for theiractions. May we follow such paths, growing as wego. ”Love one another as I have loved you… Thyneighbour as thyself…”, tap God within, and speak tothat same Presence in others. John Woolman did thisin his life and way opened.For me John Woolman’s Journal is Quakerism’scommon ground. Our rural meeting communitieshave felt at home in his Journal over these manyyears. His upbringing and life at Mount Holly, inNew Jersey (then a Quaker Province) allowed himto follow leadings that permitted him to grow innew understandings for living and seeking. Therewas an 1803 edition of Woolman’s Journal in JamesHaight’s bookcase at Locust Grove when I arrivedin 1950. His words were important to Friends fromits first publication in 1773. Various editions werereferenced, but Amelia Mott Gummere’s 1922 volumeis a rich resource. Regardless of the edition, JohnWoolman’s life experience helps us today: his relevancyis testimony to his faithfulness to truth. The sharedhuman experiences are clear and useful. The Archives’Dorland Collection holds various editions, severalwritten by Friends I have known. A shared literatureis less common in society today. For those presentthe foundation base was deeper and wider, and thecrossings now in turbulent times have more steppingstonesto share.We are grateful to Rachel Findley for sharing withus, and allowing us to be part of that growing timeeach morning.Jane Zavitz-Bond, Yarmouth Monthly MeetingOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Bible/Quaker Studyby Arnold RannerisI began to read the Bible in what I sometimes callthe Quaker way - that is, reading with both theanalytical mind and the intuitive mind, leavingplenty of space for the Holy Spirit. On the one handBiblical scholarship and all the light science canprovide; on the other hand, savoring and resting inthe meaning, pausing from time to time to stare offinto space...(William Taber, former teacher at PendleHill.)Reading the Bible and reflecting on the life andwords of John Woolman was the theme of RachelFindley’s daily study series at our Yearly Meeting thisyear. She gave it the title John Woolman and the Spiritof Prophecy. (Rachel is from Strawberry Creek Meetingin the Berkeley area of California. She is the daughterof Tom Findley, no stranger to our Yearly Meeting.)She presented the Biblical writings and excerpts fromJohn Woolman’s writings in a symbiotic context. Thewritings of J.W. included those from his Journal, A Pleafor the Poor, and Considerations on the True Harmony ofMankind.John Woolman’s life (l720-1772) encompassedmany stresses in Colonial America: the “IndianWars”; the slavery debate; controversy between thecolonists and England; and vast economic disparities.In listening to the Divine Teacher (one of his manysynonyms for the Spirit of God), and his own InnerVoice while pondering the Bible’s teachings, he madeobservations of lasting wisdom. “May we look uponour treasures ...and try whether the seeds of war havenourishment in these our possessions, or not... My mindwas deeply engaged in this visit (to Long Island) both inpublic and private; and at several places where I was,on observing that they had slaves, I found myself undera necessity in a friendly way to labor with them on thatsubject, expressing as way opened the inconsistence of thatpractice with the purity of the Christian religion and theill effects it manifested amongst us...”.(Taber).Rachel said, “The Bible, read in the way WilliamTaber writes above, was and continues to be a LivingWord for our generation.” . She noted that prophecyprovides energy for hope and transformation. “Newmelodies come to those centred in God.” Throughcareful study we can recover a system of covenant andtrust in God providing for what we really need. Shestressed that Woolman was a “systems thinker”, and theroots of many of our current concerns around ecology,equality, and economics find resonance in his writings.He lived a life of radical simplicity, with a vision of thePeaceable Kingdom as envisioned in Isaiah 11: 6-9.He had a close affinity with the prophet Jeremiah anda deep understanding of the teachings of Jesus. Heoften spoke of “a life hid with Christ in God”, andthe parables of Jesus such as the rich young man, thecamel and the eye of the needle.Woolman had compassion for those locked intosystems of oppression: slaves, the poor, the Indianpeople of the colonies, and the sailors aboard theship on his voyage to England. He felt compassionfor the Creation itself, for animals and the earth. Heoften made reference to our need for transformation,as Rachel did when she challenged us to live moresimply. “Our hearts being thus opened and enlarged,we feel content to a use of things as foreign to luxuryand grandeur as that which our Redeemer laid downas a pattern.”One could go on citing Bible text and Woolman’swritings, but Rachel continually gave the challengeback to us: “Who or what do you trust? What lightsyour path? Do you see yourself as ‘walking in the Light?How could / do you listen with an open heart to aprophetic message? Are there shadow selves hidden in yourpublic demeanor? With whom do you identify in Jesus’parables?”She recommended Michael Birkel’s recent book,A Near Sympathy, for further reflection on JohnWoolman. There are other pamphlets, both in thePendle Hill and Canadian Quaker Pamphlet series,which can be used for study. The pamphlet preparedby Ruah Swennerfelt/Louis Cox, Walking in the Light(Quaker Earthcare Witness) has further reflectionsand queries. Also a book by Michael Birkel, EngagingScripture; Reading the Bible with Early Friends, isavailable from our Quaker Book Service.Arnold Ranneris, Vancouver Island Monthly MeetingVolume 104, Number 4 17

Dancing with Linkages:The Quaker Spirit,FUM and Us18by Dave GreenfieldOne of the topics that emerged at CYM 2008 wasthe question of our relationship with Friends UnitedMeeting (FUM). When Canadian Yearly Meeting wasformed out of three pre-existing yearly meetings inCanada in 1955, it inherited a membership in bothFriends General Conference (FGC) and (FUM). FGCis the largest body of liberal unprogrammed Friends,while FUM is a more programmed Christo-centricFriends’ body historically ranging from moderatelyliberal to moderately evangelical. It is fair to say thatover the past fifty years Canadian Friends have cometo relate more strongly to the unprogrammed worshipand diverse spirituality of FGC. CYM has remaineda member of FUM largely out of deference to thehistorical involvement of some Canadian Friends.Both FGC and FUM have been impacted bythe progressive currents of the past forty years orso, including the anti-war movement, the women’smovement, the gay and lesbian movement, and theemergence of an interest in other world religions. InFGC the space has tended to exist to accommodatethese various progressive currents. In FUM however,there seems to have been a strong reaction againstsuch currents, particularly against a more universalistspirituality and same-sex unions. As well, my senseis that over the past several decades, the addition ofa number of evangelical Yearly Meetings from EastAfrica has tilted the balance in FUM away fromwhatever moderate liberalism there was, toward astronger reactionary evangelical position.These issues have come to a head within FUM overthe hiring policies of the FUM organization which doesnot allow either gay or lesbian employees, or employeesin non-traditional opposite-sex relationships. Inaddition, some very homophobic comments weremade in a sermon during an FUM board meeting inAfrica, and in February 2007 the FUM leadershipre-affirmed the Richmond Declaration, a hard coreredemptionist and Biblical literalist document datingfrom 1887.The Richmond Declaration emphasizes the “fallen”nature of humanity, our need for “redemption” throughJesus, and the need to subordinate human reason to afairly literal interpretation of the Bible. It also seemsto deny the existence of the Inner Light.The full text of the Richmond Declaration can befound online by way of a word search for “RichmondDeclaration of Faith”. As well, a good article on theRichmond Declaration by the contemporary AmericanQuaker, Chuck Fager, can be found at www.quaker.org-against-richmond.html.In addition to the content of the RichmondDeclaration, concern has been expressed about thespiritual soundness of the process through which theRichmond Declaration was re-affirmed.All of this led to a certain amount of spiriteddiscussion on the floor of CYM 2008, with severalindividuals calling upon CYM to withdraw from FUM.For my part, up until my attendance at CYM 2008, Ihad largely favoured remaining in FUM because I feltthat FUM could somehow help to nurture a liberalChristian presence in CYM. After hearing someof the people speak in favour of a withdrawal fromFUM I realized that the kind of universalist Christianspirituality that I value could best be nurtured gentlyfrom within CYM. After reading the RichmondDeclaration I also realized that my kind of universalistChristian spirituality is light-years away from the fallredemptiontheology of the Richmond Declaration.Withdrawal from FUM may even help us to nurturea more liberated, mystical universalist Christianityamong those in CYM who feel drawn to such a path.CYM is one of five yearly meetings which have ajoint membership in FGC and FUM. The other four areNew York, New England, Baltimore and South Easternyearly meetings. All four of these have posted epistleson their web sites over the past year or so conveyingsimilar concerns regarding FUM and calls have beenheard within these Yearly Meetings to withdraw fromFUM, while others have called for a “one step at atime” approach. One Monthly Meeting in BaltimoreYearly Meeting has recommended a mediation processinvolving various sections of FUM.My general sense is that CYM cannot remain anominal, inactive member of FUM, allowing practicesthat we, in the context of our own Meeting wouldconsider to be unjust and manipulative. Either wemust care enough about FUM to join with otherOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Quakers working for justice and spiritual soundnessin FUM, or we should withdraw from FUM andacknowledge that CYM and FUM have moved insignificantly differing directions.An argument can be made for remaining in FUM,not only on the basis of our historical relationship withFUM, but also from the perspective that we are calledto be present to those who are experiencing the painof injustice and process manipulation. Some havespeculated that affirming the Richmond Declarationmay have been intended to send a signal to moreliberal-minded members of FUM that they are notparticularly welcome, in the hope that liberals withinFUM would walk away. It could very well be that weare called to do the unexpected, to remain in FUMand resist these evangelical and reactive tendencies.Alternatively, an argument can be made for leavingFUM. One may argue that our home today is withFGC and other liberal unprogrammed meetings, andthat our time and energy are best spent helping tobuild the presence of liberal, love-centred universalistQuaker Faith and Practice around the planet. Thesplits that occurred in Quakerism over a hundred yearsago are best left alone. We can continue to interactwith other strands of Quakers, (including FUM), in anatmosphere of mutual respect, through Friends WorldCommittee for Consultation, working together whenwe choose, while respecting each other’s differences.A third option would have CYM withdrawingfrom FUM, while those Monthly Meetings whosemembers tend to identify with FUM could join FUMas individual Monthly Meetings.I mention the different options and arguments inthe hope of encouraging healthy, respectful discussionamong Canadian Friends. Above all in these matterslet us be guided by love, and by a careful listening tothe Spirit within us all.Dave GreenfieldPrairie Monthly MeetingDoes CYM Belongin Friends UnitedMeeting?by Gale WillsWrestling with how Canadian Friends will respondto the current policies of Friends United Meeting(FUM) took up much of our time at Yearly Meetingthis August. David Greenfield in another article inthis journal has written a very useful description of theissues and the context in which they have arisen. Whilemany present were familiar with the background to ourdiscussions, some were not. In part this may be becausemany of us have a sense that FUM is simply one of the“alphabet soups” that Yearly Meeting is connected to,mysterious and often regarded as irrelevant to our ownfaith and the work of our Monthly Meetings.I am writing this to ask you all to please sit upand take notice. The alphabet soup is in the end, veryimportant. Organizations with which we are affiliatedprovide very useful resources to us and help us keepour channels open to Quakers worldwide. In doing so,I also need to state my own bias. Personally I think it istime that we lay down our membership in FUM. Myreasons primarily rest on what I see as an irreconcilabletheological difference between FUM’s insistence onthe authority of the Hebrew and Christian biblesinterpreted in a traditional way and the theologiesof Canadian Friends. But there is much history andbackground to be learned, and I do think that thewhole question requires us to give it full and thoroughconsideration.Friends United Meeting (formerly known as FiveYears Meeting) was originally established with thehope that a form of ecclesiastical discipline could beexercised over Yearly Meetings and their “subordinate”Monthly Meetings. While the authority of FUM wasnever realized, there have been sporadic attempts toexercise such authority on the part of some elementswithin FUM. An early attempt was the adoption of theRichmond Declaration of Faith, developed by NorthAmerican Orthodox Yearly Meetings and approved attheir gathering in Richmond, Indiana in 1877. FUMnow insists that this Declaration is not intended to bebinding on member Yearly Meetings, but at the sametime the minutes of the Board meeting held in Kenya inFebruary 2007 where the Declaration was re-affirmedincludes the following: “we are not plowing new ground,Volume 104, Number 4 19

ut rather declaring the basis that has always gatheredus together as FUM. Many Friends urged that Friendsnot allow any deviation from our biblical foundation,lest we be led astray.” When FUM attempted to reaffirmthis Declaration in the early eighties, the fivedually affiliated Yearly Meetings, including CYM,protested on the grounds of its apparent credal natureand the matter was dropped. When it was reaffirmedat FUM’s General Board Meeting in Kenya last year,representatives of three of the dually affiliated YearlyMeetings in attendance, similarly protested and stoodaside. Thus some Canadian Friends’ reaction has notonly been that this reaffirmation of the Declaration ofFaith constitutes a creed in our eyes, but also that theprocess whereby “unity” was reached was flawed.Most of the arguments that I have heard as to whywe should remain in membership with FUM rest onthe assumption that it is important for us to dialogueand to continue to wrestle with our differences.But I cannot fathom how we can “wrestle” with theentrenched beliefs in something like the RichmondDeclaration of Faith. We would not assume that ourbeliefs would prevail in matters of faith with any otherreligious community. Why this one? Is it simply becausewe have a common root and are all called Quakers?Maybe there is a compelling rationale and if there is, Iwill certainly listen. Honest, informed wrestling withthese concerns is our collective responsibility.This matter will return to Yearly Meeting next year.I trust that we will benefit from careful considerationof the issues between now and then.Here are some references for further study thatshould be helpful to our continuing dialogue.- the letter sent by CYM to the General Board ofFUM last summer. It is published in the October ‘07issue of the Canadian Friend. (There has not been adirect response to this letter, so far).- the Richmond Declaration of Faith – web page:www.fum.org/about/declarationfaith.htm- Elizabeth Cazden’s insightful and revealingpamphlet circulated to all Meetings and WorshipGroups by C’nR. Preferably read the whole thing, butespecially pp. 6 & 7. Don’t let the title throw you off- “Fellowships, Conferences, and Associations: TheLimits of the Liberal Quaker Reinvention of MeetingPolity.” It is worth the read!- CYM’s Organization & Procedure, pp. 9 - 11,13 - 16, 28 - 29.20- Google Quaker History. Look for referencesto FUM, the Richmond Declaration and to theManchester Conference. In particular, go to ChuckFager’s website and read David Murray-Rust’s booklet,Chapter 5.Gale Wills, Vancouver Island Monthly MeetingReflections on theProposal to LeaveFUMby Thomas MathiesonOne of the liveliest discussions at this year’s session ofCYM was the question of whether we should continueour membership in FUM. I came into the discussionas a relative newcomer to the issue, knowing that Ididn’t have very much of the necessary information,and quite solidly in the “undecided” camp. I came outof the discussions starting to lean more toward the“Let’s get out” camp, not because of any argumentswhich I heard in favor of leaving FUM, but because ofan argument which I didn’t hear in favor of staying in.Let me illustrate by drawing a parallel to the experienceof a worship group which I attend.We have a very warm and friendly worship groupwith a very open atmosphere in which we feel free toexpress our own experiences, perceptions, and beliefs.The members of the group tend towards the liberal ifnot radical end of the spectrum of Christian theology.We would not be recognized as Christian from theperspective of a Fundamentalist.There is one exception, however, in that oneattender who comes on a sporadic basis is a memberof a fundamentalist evangelical church. She willsometimes break into long sermons in the middle ofmeeting for worship. These sermons only cease whensomeone elders to her. She also passes out tracts asgifts at Christmas, hoping that she might lead someof us to repent and become good Christians and besaved. Some of us have entertained the question fromtime to time as to why this woman keeps coming tomeeting, as she obviously doesn’t feel in accord withany of us. We generally arrive at the conclusion thatshe is there to convert us. The question arises as toOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

the compromise of integrity, which takes place whenshe comes ostensibly on the basis of fellowship, but inactual fact she is setting herself up above us, wantingto impart the truth to us, which dispels the possibilityof true sharing.It’s easy to see the compromise of integrity in thisexample, but do we see it in the case of the analogousrelationship between Yearly Meeting and FUM I heardlots of arguments to the effect that we should stay inFUM so that we might be able to influence them intochanging their hiring policies, and into rescinding theRichmond Declaration. I did not hear one personstand up at yearly meeting and say, “I attend FUMgatherings, and I have friends there, and I look forwardto being with them, and sharing with them.”I can’t help but feel that there is a compromise ofintegrity if we maintain membership as a token offellowship, when there are no personal expressionsof an experience of fellowship within the auspices ofFUM It has often been said that the divisions withinthe church are not between the denominations butacross them. Most of the Friends that I know tendto have a liberal outlook, and feel closer in spirit toliberals of other denominations (and other religions)than to Christian Fundamentalists.If there is a genuine sharing and fellowship thathappens between members of Canadian YearlyMeeting and other people in FUM then we shouldcontinue to enable it. Perhaps there are lots of peoplewho look forward to fellowship at FUM gatherings,but for some reason, just didn’t think of mentioningthis as an argument for maintaining membership. Ifthere are such people in our meeting, I for one, wouldappreciate hearing such expressions from you. It wouldhelp to ease my feeling that we are compromising ourintegrity by staying in FUMThomas Mathieson, Vancouver Monthly MeetingReflections on CYMGatheringby Sabra PeilWhen I attend the August gatherings of CYM, Ialways wish at some point that the rest of the worldcould see how we do things.Items of business come from the bottom up...not the top down. This is most obvious when onelooks carefully at the C’nR Report which came out ofconsultations with every local group and interviews ofFriends experienced with local and Yearly Meetings.Discussion may be passionate, but respectful andnon-confrontational when we are at our best, whichwe usually are. In a group I heard an ill-consideredremark flung out at which a Friend could have takenoffense. But the response was tempered with respect,and we all learned from it.- Greed, ambition, profit are out. What God wouldhave us do is in.- Someone who irritates me no longer does becauseI have finally had a chance to listen.- So we’re perfect, right? Well, not really. But weseem to be working on it.We do laugh often. In Business Meeting, whenconcern was raised about a committee memberhaving to travel and burn carbon, the clerk suggested‘transubstantiation’ as a remedy.CYM is two gatherings, it seems to me: thoseFriends I see every day and those I never saw all week..The divides are around where we eat, how old youare, and whether one attends Meetings for Business.There’s lots going on, and we can’t all be in the sameplace at the same time. But it will be interesting nextyear when there is no food co-op and we all breakbread together in one dining hall.Sabra Peil, Vancouver Island Monthly MeetingRemember the tents? Well one day a young fellow was looking Augustana campus overtrying to decide if it were the place for him. I came upon him gazing at the tents inwonder. He turned to me and said: “ I’ve heard they are short on housing here buttents? That’s worse than I imagined!!” (Ed.)Volume 104, Number 4 21

22CYM EcumenicalInterfaith ReportThe Ecumenical Committee was formed as aStanding Committee of Canadian Yearly Meetingthrough the leadings of Ed Bell and other Friends. TheCanadian Council of Churches defines Ecumenical as“the commitment to search for the fullness and unityGod intended for Creation”. In due time CanadianFriends included Interfaith in this Committee’sscope.The Consultation and Renewal (C’nR)recommendation to lay down the EcumenicalCommittee stimulated vital examination of thepurposes and potential of Friends’ ecumenicalparticipation. Acting on Keith Maddock’s suggestionto initiate an e-mail list, members of EcumenicalInterfaith Committee (EIC) explored ways Friendsare (or may become more) engaged locally, regionally,nationally, internationally.Canadian Friends are drawn from many religiousbackgrounds. Some Friends attend local serviceswith other churches and religious bodies whenopportunities arise. We affirm the value of ecumenicalexperience at every level, and wish to increase Friends’opportunities for ecumenical relations and interfaithunderstanding.Friends are active with the Canadian Council ofChurches (CCC). Rosemary Meier represents us onthe Governing Council, and several other Friendsparticipate in specific CCC committees, includingKAIROS. Canadian Friends likewise maintain linkswith the World Council of Churches.On our behalf, Peter Harkness contributed to theCCC study of interfaith perspectives. He referred toour limited resources, shaping program priorities,which include “peace work, environmental awareness,and the initiative to end torture”. CYM 2008 hasappointed Peter to the new CCC Interfaith ReferenceGroup.Intended consideration of the C’nRrecommendation to lay down EIC did not arise, dueto CYM agenda constraints. It is laid over to CYM2009. We recommend continuation of the EcumenicalInterfaith Committee.We recommend a year-long process to reviewand clarify the Terms of Reference for EcumenicalInterfaith Committee. We recommend, and wish tocontribute to, ecumenical education as a vital part ofthe Education process proposed by Consultation andRenewal Adopted by CYM 2007.Submitted by Bill Curry Prairie Monthly Meeting& Keith Maddock, Toronto MMBiotechnology atCYMby Anne MitchellAt CYM I was able to show the film The WorldAccording to Monsanto one evening. This is a powerfulfilm of the control of Genetically Engineered cropproduction. It is available from the National FilmBoard. As well, I distributed fact sheets: one by KeithHelmuth on Quaker Testimonies and Biotechnology,and one by Susan Holtz on a Quaker perspectiveon Biotechnology. These fact sheets are availablefor Quakers to consider and discuss in terms of wayforward.What will be the impact in the long term on foodsecurity, biodiversity and the livelihood of communities,of this rush to develop and commercialize technologiessuch as foodcrops, fish, trees, and biofuels? Thiscommercialization is being done in the absence ofpolicy framework, transparency, public engagement,or even a nod to the precautionary principle.As many of you know, with the support of theQuaker community in Canada, I was privileged toparticipate in the World Council of Churches GlobalConsultation on Genetics and New Biotechnologies,as part of the delegation from the Canadian Councilof Churches. This consultation in December 2007in South Africa, was hosted by the South AfricanCouncil of Churches (SACC) acknowledging SouthAfrica’s role as a science and technology centre on theAfrican continent. The initiative for the consultationgrew simultaneously from the Canadian Council ofChurches and the National Council of the Churchesof Christ USA, together with the World Councilof Churches and the SACC. Envisioned as anopportunity for networking among concerned people,members of advocacy groups, theologians, scientists,October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

and representatives of churches and ecumenicalpartners, the consultation boldly faced the complexityof the issues born of scientific advance and commercialinterests. The outcome of the consultation was diversityexpressed as solidarity.Some 45 participants from all regions of the worldsang and danced to a Kenyan song whose refrainrepeated: “Let us sing to the Lord.” They wantedto remind themselves of the beauty and wonder ofcreation, even while confronting the stark challengesof new technologies. Only a few kilometers fromSoweto and the Apartheid museum, in the openingsession we heard the stark rejoinder: “Biotechnologyin many of its current applications, like the apartheidsystem before it, thrives on and leads to the indignityof persons and communities.”Delegates expressed the desire to foster science toserve the common humanity. Delegates who are closerto peasant communities and other marginalized groupsspoke from their experience that communities can bedevastated by the intrusion of genetically modifiedseeds and bio-piracy. Some concluded: “Biotechnologynow serves primarily to enhance corporate profit andthereby reduces human beings to mere consumers.”Quakers who are concerned could: find outmore about these technologies; organize publicevents to discuss the issues; raise questions aboutthese technologies at all-candidates meetings duringthe election period; make a public commitment topurchase only, or mainly, organically produced foodfor a specified period while publicizing and explainingthat action.Information and background materials from thisconsultation are on the World Council of Churcheswebsite.Sources for further information include: CanadianInstitute for Environmental Law and Policy at www.cielap.org; Canadian Biotechnology Action Networkat www.cban.org; Canadian Council of Churches atwww.ccc.ca; Quaker Institute for the Future at www.quakerinstitute.org; World Council of Churches atwww.oikoumene.org.Anne Mitchell, Toronto Monthly MeetingReport on the 2008Pre-CYM Workshop:Conflict In Meetings(or... solving all our problems in one day)by Meredith Egan & Jon KarsemeyerMost of us are members of the Religious Society ofFriends in part because we want to belong. We wantto be a part of a religious community that respondsto our needs: for community; for fellowship; worship;and for seeking Truth. And for most of us at sometime we experience conflict in our Meetings.Conflict is part of life. While conflict and errorare natural and human, the way we respond andconsciously choose to be with conflict can determinethe quality and texture of our spiritual life andexperience of being. It is a part of every relationship:our relationship to God, our partners, our family,our friends, our enemies, the environment, theworld, ourselves. And the cracks in our relationshipsbrought about by conflict can be places where Lightcan emerge, and make itself known.About eighteen Friends and attenders gatheredin Camrose, Alberta, before Yearly Meeting this pastAugust, to spend a short time exploring what we knowabout conflict in Meetings. Friends Rob Hughes andMeredith Egan co-facilitated various exercises anddiscussions. It was a fruitful and engaging time, andmuch wisdom was shared.Caution was expressed about “professionalizing”conflict resolution and handing our responsibilitiesover to “experts” rather than faithfully attending tothese situations ourselves. We were gently remindedthat faithfulness is about how we live with and inconflict, not merely about how we resolve, or failto resolve it. In our general discussions conflict wasrepeatedly acknowledged to be a normal, natural partof life, and how we live in the midst of conflict candetermine the quality of our life and relationshipsin the Spirit, as much as how we deal with, deny, orresolve it.Ruth Morris’ work in Restorative Justice;Sentencing and Healing Circles; Alternatives toViolence Project; and Transforming Power, wereremembered and referred to. People had a chance toVolume 104, Number 4 23

share their stories, their frustrations and awe whentransformation happens. Some shared differentmethods they had tried with success. There was ageneral consensus that we are served in our pursuit ofharmony when we are open to learning and changingourselves, rather than others.There was acknowledgment that our Quakerprocesses can serve us in times of conflict and weneed to be familiar with them. We spoke of the valueof Threshing Sessions, Committees of Care and ofClearness, as well as the need to sometimes agree to layissues down until Spirit provides further leading. Sometime was spent sharing various resources Meetings havedeveloped worldwide, to refer to in times of conflict.There was encouragement to do this in Meetingsbefore conflict emerges. There was an acknowledgedneed for access to resources and support for Meetingsand Worship Groups in the midst of conflict, especiallythose without the stewardship of experienced Friends.Some Friends who experience long-standing conflictsin their Meetings continue to struggle, and we holdthem in the LightMeredith mentioned there are Friends who areexperienced in mediation and conflict-resolution,and that CFSC through Quakers Fostering Justicehas some resources available to Monthly Meetings,including grants to fund workshops.The day-long workshop was held gently in anatmosphere of worship and compassion. There wasgratitude expressed to CMMC and ProgrammeCommittee for coordinating the workshop, to oneanother for the wisdom so graciously shared, and tothe service of our facilitators.quick Friday supper, we were en route to thehospital in Edmonton. In an instant, we wereheaded into the unknown. On the way, wereflected on Rachel Findley’s Bible Study, JohnWoolman’s example, discussions of propheticpresence, and way opening.After the hospital maze with its endlesswaits, the Ophthalmologist diagnosed adetaching retina and arranged eye surgeryfirst thing in the morning. Leaving Margareton her own at a hotel after midnight, I headedback to Camrose. She said she felt calmovernight though she’d been more afraid thanshe could sayIn worship Satuday morning we held FriendMargaret in the Light during her operation.And Friends contributed to fully cover herunanticipated hotel and taxi expenses.Although we missed Family Night weexperienced the relationship of spirit andmedicine, and were grateful to learn of thecare given her in the hospital and during hergrueling bus trip home. We continue to prayfor Margaret’s full recovery.Bill Curry, Prairie Montly Meeting(photo below)Meredith Egan is a member of Vancouver MonthlyMeeting and the CFSC Programme Coordinator ofQuakers Fostering Justice. Jon Karsemeyer is a memberof Toronto Monthly Meeting and attended the workshop.24VIGNETTE - AWAYby Bill CurryIt seemed strange to go on the road afterbeing gathered in good spirit with Friends. Thetrail away from Camrose came sooner thanexpected. Stepping-stone parables becameimmediate. Margaret Slavin was losing sight inone eye and after gathering her bags and aPhoto by Ted GARverOctober 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Youth ProgramEpistleThe Children’s Program began each day with aperiod of silent worship, with each group membertaking a turn breaking the silence.Though the group was small, we had fun withcommunal art projects: painting the new Food Cooptrailer, and making plaster casts of each other’sfaces and arms. We enjoyed field trips to the walkingtrails, the Camrose Railway Museum, and the AquaticCentre. Friends felt disappointed that the water slidewas broken, but the climbing rope and the floatingboats helped to compensate.A lot of program time was shared with the teens.This time included a workshop on speaking in Meeting,an afternoon of tie dying, and a Quaker treasure hunt.Some Friends felt that the children’s program was toomuch time each day. However, this feeling was notshared by all.Younger Friends also enjoyed evening games ofContact Wink with the older Young FriendsWe would like to thank the adult Friends whohelped with the program. Thus ends our epistle.(Jessie Thompson read the epistle from the Young Friendsaged 5-12. We thank Jesse Thompson and are grateful tohave young Friends among us.)Children and young people need love and stability.Are we doing all we can to uphold and sustainparents and others who carry the responsibility forproviding this care? A&Q #24The Spaces Between Us, by Ebony Campbell and Ruth Urban-Shipley. In worshipful silence, pairs of YoungFriends explored art together using acrylic, crayon, glitter and other media on two white intersecting circles.Later they talked about the courage it takes to enter into one another’s space, and how to create a shared visionin the silence. The courage and silence seemed to help Spirit emerge. Young Friends agreed that this art could beused to encourage fund-raising for the Youth Secretary Position noted in the C’nR report.Meredith Egan, CYM Youth Programme Leader, Vancouver Monthly MeetingVolume 104, Number 4 25

Letter From the General Secretary,Friends General ConferenceDear Friends,I very much enjoyed my second visit to the annualsessions of Canadian Yearly Meeting. I was impressedwith the good and centred way in which Friendsconducted their business and listened to one another,and the Spirit, on controversial matters. There areclearly many very seasoned Friends in CYM. AtFriends General Conference, we value our connectionwith Canadian Friends very deeply.I was pleased to learn more about the work of theConsultation and Renewal Working Group and themanner in which Canadian Friends are consideringthe conclusions and recommendations in C’nR’s FinalReport. Other Yearly Meetings could learn from yourexperience.Speaking of which, I want to tell you about how,at the request of CYM Friends, I became involved inthe response to Recommendation G-1, “that CYMemploy a Youth Secretary on a part -timebasis”. At the request of Kelly Ackerman andMeredith Egan I met with the group of young andyoung adult Friends early in the week as they conducteda brainstorming session on the kinds of things theywould like to see a Youth Secretary do. I listened as thisgroup came up with an excellent list of ideas based onsolid thinking and an openness to the Spirit.Later in the week, a small group of young Friendsasked me to look over a draft of a job description theywere preparing for the proposed new position. It lookedvery good, and I made one or two suggestions. The youngand young adult Friends at your annual sessions werereally getting under the weight of this concern. Many ofthese younger Friends want to engage more deeply withQuaker Faith and Practice, with each other, and witholder Friends. (Many expressed interest in the FGCYouth Ministries Program, and several had attendedthe Gathering.)When the job description was brought to the fullMeeting for Worship for Business, Friends seemed tosupport it enthusiastically. I believe that creating such aposition, and then hiring an able and committed youngadult Friend to fill it, could do much to invigorate notonly the young Friends, but some of your older Friendsand Meetings as well.I have heard older Friends speak of the importanceof working with younger Friends “because they are ourfuture”. But I now understand that younger Friendsneed to be part of our “present”. Many bring anopenness, new leadings, and new energy to our meetingsand events. There are a number of young ministers inour midst, and too often, we older Friends do not knowor appreciate them.So I am very thankful for my opportunity to attendCanadian Yearly Meeting , and I am excited about thisopportunity you appear to have. By moving forwardwith this plan to hire a Youth Secretary, you can workto strengthen a truly inter-generational and dynamicReligious Society of Friends across the 3,000 plusmiles of your Yearly Meeting , and probably connectmore strongly with younger (and older) Friends in theU.S.A. as well. I expect that you will need to raise somespecial funds for this purpose, and I have faith that youwill find the funds if you go directly to Friends and ask.Don’t forget to involve younger Friends in this part ofthe project! I’ve seen it happen in FGC, and I’ve seenthe love and energy that have been generated by thecoming together of the generations.Thank you for your loving faithfulness, dear Friends.Bruce Birchard, General Secretary,Friends General Conference26October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Epistle from YoungFriends atCYMAfter settling into the swing of CYM at AugustanaCampus, the teen young Friends began their adventureswith Meredith Egan’s guidance. A plethora of activitiesfilled the days, while masses of games and chatteroccupied all the remaining unprogrammed hours.The teen theme for the week was the five testimonies.Monday covered Community, which includedactivities on relationship building, listening, andstepping outside your comfort zone. Tuesdaysurrounded Integrity; Vince Zalezny spoke of his lifejourney and his experience with the Jamaica projectand CFSC. Wednesday was Peace, and Young Friends(YFs) talked about peace and war and what causes both.In the afternoon the YFs went early to the picnic siteand spent the time playing games and discussing theirlives. Thursday’s testimony was Equality and they didan inter-generational population/resource exercise withShreddies. The wee Friends also participated in thisactivity and later joined the teens for tie dying. Friday’stestimony was Simplicity, and involved cucumberexercises. Many activities created amazing and openenvironments including the worship sharing sessionsthat allowed YFs to grow as a group. Games playedwere theatrical and amusing, including ExhalationPing Pong, a variety of card games and the infamousContact Wink.The topic of the development of a Youth Secretaryposition brought great excitement to all levels of theyoung Friends groups. When the proposal for YoungFriends to draft a job description for this position wasbrought forward, the list of names of those wantingto contribute was almost as long as the total YFattendance. The level of inspiration was so high thata draft job description was completed by Thursdayafternoon and presented to the Canadian YoungFriends Yearly Meeting Business meeting for approvaland recommendation to the greater body.Some Young Friends experienced CYM Businessmeeting sessions through the eyes of a clerk; learningnot only how different it is from the current CanadianYoung Friends Yearly Meeting Business meetingpractices, but also that clerking a meeting may preventyou from readily speaking your mind. Others had theopportunity to dance randomly with local teens whileadventuring through the parks of Camrose.The overall experience was educational, enjoyable,emotional and exhilarating. Many Teen Friends havebeen enticed to come to next year’s CYM to furtherdevelop their friendships and maintain their earnestand electrifying bonds. They all look forward toanother excellent year.(Jonathon Trofymow and Rachel Urban Shipley readthis epistle. Friends found it an exhilarating experienceto learn of the Young Friends’ work and energy. Wethank them and Meredith Egan who guided theprogramme.)Reflections on CYMby Peter StevensonAt Canadian Yearly Meeting this year I noticedthat the pace of my life went up several notches. Iwas helping out with the children’s programme andhad all kinds of business meetings, CYM committeemeetings, Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meetingmeetings, and Clearness Committee meetings. I wasalso helping out with the food co-op. There were oldfriends I wanted to connect with. I was to rehearsea song for family night. And on top of it all, I wasgetting only two-thirds of the amount of sleep that Iusually get at home. I was busy.I would expect that after a week of busyness andbusiness I would come home exhausted, and theslower pace of being at home in the summer wouldrefresh me. However, my experience was exactly theopposite. I found my week at Yearly Meeting to beremarkably calm and centred. Although there wasalways somewhere to be, I didn’t feel stress or guiltfor not doing a good enough job. I came home fromYearly Meeting feeling refreshed and full of life. Butwhen I arrived, the neglected garden and e-mails wereintimidating. My long list of things I wanted to dothis summer but haven’t done yet began to rear its uglyhead. Although I actually had less to do in any givenday, I was feeling more stress and less peace than I hadat Yearly Meeting.Volume 104, Number 4 27

How could this happen? What was I getting atYearly Meeting that I do not get at home? First, I hadlots of time for worship. There were short periodsof silent worship during the children’s program andin all of my meetings. Sessions like Bible study andthe Sunderland P. Gardner Lecture provided longerperiods of worship and grounding points for my day.Although I have a nightly silent worship practice athome and a weekly Meeting, I have not created spaceduring my days for centring down. Even though Ispend time at home by myself, I have spent many daysrushing around without any time for reflection untilevening.Another aspect of Yearly Meeting that helps me tostay centred is the open communication. Many peoplethere make an effort to share their lives and their joysand difficulties with each other. When I have done thisI have often felt lighter, sometimes like a burden hasbeen lifted off me. Also, at Yearly Meeting, I make aneffort to share with people when I feel uncomfortablewith, or grateful for things that they might be doing. Ireally care about the people there, and I want to makesure I am in good relationship with them. When athome, I can go for weeks or months without reallysharing myself outside of my immediate family, and itcan feel isolating. It is also easier to think, “I don’t feelcomfortable with what that person is doing, but sinceI don’t know him that well, I guess it doesn’t reallymatter”. However, when this happens a lot it beginsto matter.A third difference between my time at Yearly Meetingand at home is the amount of time spent in front ofa computer. I didn’t use a computer at all during theweek of Canadian Yearly Meeting. However at home,I find that I can spend hours in front of the computer,writing, checking e-mails, and searching the Internet.This might not seem like it would necessarily affect mystress level, but I have found that after spending a lotof time in front of a computer, regardless of what I wasdoing on it, I have felt pretty consistently un-centred.The last difference with Yearly Meeting is that it isstructured. Because I have a schedule in my hands, Iknow that the week is planned already, and all I haveto do is focus on what I am doing at the moment.Stress often creeps into my life when I am thinking(or worrying) about things to come. I didn’t have toworry about what would happen later in the weekbecause it was already planned. The difference betweenthis and my time at home is not merely one of timemanagement. Canadian Yearly Meeting is not onlymanaged, it is also prayed for. If I take the time topray for and organize my days at home, perhaps theywill not seem so stressful.Yearly Meeting can be an example for me of howI can maintain a sense of peace even if my scheduleis full. I hope that I can move beyond waiting for thenext Quaker gathering to re-centre myself. Perhapsif I remember to find times during the day for quietreflection, to care enough about the people aroundme to want to keep in good relationship with them,to limit my time in front of a computer and to findtime afterwards to re-centre, and to pray for my daysat home, perhaps if I ask for God’s help to do thesethings, then I can better maintain that sense of peacethat I get from Quaker gatherings and that I value somuch.Peter Stevenson, Vernon Monthly Meetingphoto by Ted Garver28October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Footnotes from theCanadian QuakerArchives to CYMAugustana University - August 8-16, 08by Jane Zavitz-BondThe business session of CYM included a numberof items the Archives supported. When the reprintingof Deborah Haight’s, Sunderland P. Gardiner addressof “The Meeting” was arranged, Daphne Daviesasked for a photograph. I received a lovely late-in-lifeportrait from Deborah’s nephew, Donald MacPherson,with his written permission for rights to republish thepamphlet.When Margaret Fraser, the Friends WorldCommittee visitor to CYM, told of the 70thanniversary of the Swarthmore World Conference,I remembered the original report of the first FiveYears Meeting in 1902 is in the Archives. Among theCanadian delegates were Burton Hill, a Young Friendthen, and Arthur Dorland, Fred Haslam, ArthurClayton, Alex Hay, Phyllis Awmack, Raymond Booth,Dorothy Cutler, Frank Dorey, Dorothy Cutler, Louiseand Jessie Rorke, W. Lloyd G. Williams, and CharlesA. Zavitz. There were 18 in all. We have good reportsof the sessions in the Archives!During Friday’s Family Night fun, Steve Ficksang and played “They Called the Wind Maria”. It isinteresting to note that this famous song was written bya former student at George School, a Quaker boardingSchool in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where severalColdstream and Yarmouth Young Friends went after1910 (most recently Amber Clark - 1994-98).Another young performer was wearing an EarlhamT-shirt, which brought to mind the Quaker schoolsfounded as a result of John Joseph Gurney’s travels toNorth America, upon his encouragement to establishschools for the youth. Earlham was named for theGurney family home. Pickering, Olney Friends School,and Guildford, also were results of his concernedefforts, and gifts of ‘nest egg’ funding.This June after the FUM Triennial at High Point,NC I went to a meeting where my Harvey progenitorshad lived prior to coming to Ohio in 1806, only todiscover the pastor there had been to Pickering toresearch J. J. Gurney. It is a small world! Rememberinghis time in Canada he was generous in hospitality.The items of business are similar and the deepconcerns the same. In the beginning of our weekat Camrose the Russian and Georgian conflict wasreported. Just before leaving for CYM I found a letterin the vault from Charles Zavitz, who was writing toAlbert Rogers on Friends’ business, and added a noteabout the donation of funds to support the famine inRussia in 1921-22. He was a field husbandry specialist,and suggested a certain wheat that would do well inthe soil of the Russian region. I hope it was sent. Atthat time Mary Haines had sent word that elderly inthe area were starving by choice so that the childrencould eat and live, and there would be some wheat leftfor seed in the Spring. This was before the CFSC wasfounded in 1931, when Charles was the first Chairman,and Canadians felt led to make an official organizationto work for Peace, and to relieve the suffering in theworld. We continue that concern.I end these footnotes with last lines of Rufus Jones’closing Minute for the Swarthmore World Gatheringof Friends in 1937. “Eternal Lover of Thy children,bring us to Thy life, make us sharers in thy love andtransmitters of it. Help us to become serene andpatient in the midst of our frustrations, but at thesame time make us heroic adventurers, brave, gentle,tender, but without fear and with radiant faces.”Jane Zavitz-Bond, Yarmouth Monthly MeetingThe Clerk read the closingMinute:“Friends, we are privileged to have spenta week together restoring and buildinglinks in the Quaker community. We arereminded that we are very much in theworld by the construction occurringaround us, and by the deer that appearoutside our windows. May we return tomeet again in 12 months’ time (inshallah)and be reminded to live one moment ata time. As we rise from worship lookforward to seeing many again next year.We meet next August 8 to 15 in Kemptville,Ontario. May we travel safely and well.Shalom.”Volume 104, Number 4 29

Around the Family:Pelham Executive MeetingThe Art of Peace Festival, put on annuallyby the Arts Council of St. Catharines inpartnership with Project Ploughshares, washeld on June 7, 2008 in Montebello Park, St.Catharines. Don Alexander, Barbara Bucknall,Rob Nunn, and Barb Smith of Pelham ExecutiveMeeting staffed a booth, which featured aCFSC display and an opportunity to make ‘JustPoetry’ with magnetic word kits. Rose MarieCipryk facilitated a storytelling segment called“Witness to Conflict” in which individualstold personal tales of conflict that alteredand shaped their lives. Two of the speakerswere former sex trade workers protestingthe murder of one of their number whosemurderer had received a prison sentence ofone day. A second speaker, Rose Kasamba, isa refugee who has found a peaceful life in St.Catharines after enduring brutal persecutionin the Congo. Other Friends participating inthe Festival were Fiona McMurran at theCouncil of Canadians table and Trevor Cobainrepresenting Ten Thousand Villages.Rose Marie Cipryk,,Vancouver Island Monthly MeetingWe welcome into membership: CatherineHarding and Marge Reitsma-StreetWe note the deaths of Jean Carr , on June 26and Chrystal (Betty) Kleiman, in JulyAn “Island Friends Gathering” was held inNanaimo on July l9th, with attendees fromour Worship Groups. The event was held in apark, with activities emphasizing the wonder ofour out-of-door opportunities for re-creation.Lynne Phillips has become an active member ofAboriginal Neighbours, an ecumenical networkon Vancouver Island which is working with FirstNations in many ways. Work to upgrade and repaintour l9l3 Meetinghouse has commenced.We acknowledge support from CYM, VictoriaCity Heritage, and individual donors.Rachel Singleton-Polster will begin a twoyearterm at Pearson College of the Pacific inSeptember.Vancouver Monthly MeetingThe Harry Appleyard Memorial StrawberryTea took place at Marine Park in Burnaby, withabout 20 Friends attending. Thomas Mathiesonsuggested we consider holding the Tea inconjunction with a July 1 st Canada Day eventhosted by the Lao Buddhist Association in Langley.Many diverse religious groups participate.Catherine Smith reports that Glen Wilson wasvery happy to host Rachael Maxey, BarbaraBazett and herself for a worship meeting onhis beautiful Mayne Island farm, Sat. July 12.They had Meeting for Worship under sometrees, overlooking a valley and hills, with amuch deeper quiet than we can hope for atthe Meetinghouse. The farm is also quite closeto the beach at Bennett Bay. It was agreedthe Meeting should try to go again next year,with a bit better organization and with apicnic on the beach after Meeting for Worship.30October 2008 - The Canadian Friend

Last Wordsby Lesley RobertsonAt Vernon Monthly Meeting’s Retreat, at Sarahand Trevor Chandler’s home the first weekend inSeptember, someone asked, “What stood out for you atCYM this summer?” I immediately knew the answer- the Bible Study. Through the years I have very muchappreciated the Bible Study and the Quaker Study thathappens every morning at CYM. This year I enjoyedthe Bible Study and the Quaker Study in one packageas Rachel Findley skillfully combined the Biblicalbasis for the motivating energy behind the life of JohnWoolman. For me, she made the Old Testament comealive, and made me want to re-read the Journal of JohnWoolman with new appreciation.Just as John Woolman asked himself practicalquestions about how to use his anger in a positiveway; how to decide to give up a successful businesswhich was taking up too much of his time, and live asimpler life so he had more time for spiritual growth,so did Rachel ask us to look at our lives and ask suchquestions as “Do we know what is enough? In whatdo we find our security? Who or what do we trust?” Ifound her gentle confrontation with these and otherquestions gave me food for thought and meditationfor some time to come.Tom Findley has been part of CYM for as long as Ihave been attending, but this was the first time I hadmet any of his family. The father-daughter relationshipwas a delight to behold.Lesley Robertson, Vernon Monthly MeetingFor orders from North AmericaPlease add the following mailing costs:Value of an orderPostageUp to $9.95 $2.50$10 - $19.95 $5.00$20 - $34.95 $7.50$35.00 - $59.95 $9.00Over $60 $10.50For orders outside North America:We require an extra 20% to be added to the total cost ofthe order to cover the extra mailing chargesMail orders, enclosing payment by cheque or moneyorder, should be sent to Quaker Book Service,Box 4652 Station E, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5H8.Phone orders cannot be accepted.The following titles have been added to ourstock. For a complete listing of QBS books, seeour 2008-2009 Quaker Book Service Catalogue,which was included in the July 2007 editionof The Canadian Friend and is also availableon the CYM website, www.quaker.ca/qbs.The Quakers: A Very Short Introductionby Pink Dandelion, Oxford University Press,NY, 2008. A handy, compact booklet of Quakerhistory, traditions of worship and practices. (142pp; $11.95)Sing and Rejoice by Christine A.M. Davis. TheSunderland P. Gardner Lecture, 2007. CanadianQuaker Pamphlet No 66, (Argenta Press, 2008).Christine Davis speaks of good personal relations withindividuals and communities as Quaker outreach inour daily lives. The booklet contains four illustrationsfrom the Quaker Tapestry. (30 pp; $7.00)Quakerism: A Theology for Our Time by Patricia A.Williams, (Sessions of York, 2007). A philosopherof science, the author explains for general readers theInward Light as found in Barclay and George Foxand how it is uniquely suited for our time. (198 pp;$26.00)Volume 104, Number 4 31

The Canadian Friend October 2008 Volume 104, Number 4Editor:Editorial Support:Sherryll-Jeanne HarrisGerald Harris, Diana Mitchell, Judith Monroe, Michael PhillipsPlease Note: You the reader create this journal. Your submissionsand suggestions for themes that resonate with you are necessary forThe Canadian Friend to thrive. Do not delay! Send articles, poems,and thoughts today. cf-editor@quaker.caThemes & deadlines for upcoming issuesDue date:Theme:17 October 2008 for December IssueExperience of Spirit in My Life / Experience of MinistryFuture Theme:Due date:Varied Quaker Thoughts On Community16 January 2009 for March issueThe Canadian Friend can be viewed in full colour online at:http://www.quaker.ca/cfriend/cfriend.htmlPUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40012338REGISTRATION NO. 09887RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:THE CANADIAN FRIENDARGENTA, B.C. VOG 1B0The Canadian Friend acknowledges the financial support of the Government ofCanada through the Publications Assistance Program towards our mailing costs.