Page 9 – Lake Erie Yearly Meeting

Representative Meeting: All are Invited March 11th

7 February 2023

Categories: Events and Opportunities, Monthly Mtgs, News

Representative Meeting is about Representation! Join us virtually OR in person in Toledo for a hybrid meeting on Saturday, March 11. In the morning, there will be opportunities for Friends from all LEYM Monthly Meetings to have conversations in groups and as a whole about what is rising in their Meetings – challenges, gifts, leadings that might resonate with others. There might be space to talk with other people wrestling with new forms of First Day School or innovating hybrid approaches to programming. Bring what’s on your mind! Whether or not you’re “officially” a representative for your Meeting, you are welcome.

During the afternoon, we will have meeting for worship with attention to business – always rich and good to see how Spirit is moving us collectively. We hope to see you there.

The In-Person Meeting will be at The Victory Center, 3166 Republic Blvd. N., Toledo, OH 43615, hosted by Broadmead Meeting. A light breakfast and lunch will be offered for those who register in advance. A donation of $10 for meals will be appreciated. Friends attending in person and wanting lunch and/or overnight hospitality should register by February 25 using this form. For later registrants, there are restaurants ten minutes away.

Online Meeting will also be happening via Zoom. See the Representative Meeting page for details about online registration, links, etc.

Schedule for Saturday, March 11:

Registration & simple breakfast …..9:00 AM
Meeting for worship …………………….9:30 AM (Hybrid/blended meeting begins)
Greeting & Announcements ……….10:00 AM
Morning program……………………….10:15 AM
Lunch ………………………………………12:15 PM
Meeting for business ……………………1:15 PM
Adjournment by ………………………….4:30 PM

Winter Bulletin Now Available

27 January 2023

Categories: Bulletin, News

The Winter LEYM Bulletin is now available in PDF with paper copies soon arriving at addresses for monthly meetings and worship groups. You can see all the recent issues here: leym.org/leym-bulletins
This issue includes a clerk’s message about activism through Spirit; information about both Representative Meeting (coming up on March 11) and Annual Meeting (June 15–18); a description of group sessions on “Digital Issues Awareness”; reports from FCNL, Olney Friends School, and the Fall Youth Retreat; and more.

Please note that the deadline for submissions for the Spring 2023 issue is March 15. That issue will include registration materials (due May 10) and much information about Annual Sessions, June 15-18 at Ashland University.

Jeff Cooper & Peggy Daub, co-editors
BulletinLEYM@gmail.com

Call for Workshop Proposals for Annual Meeting

10 January 2023

Categories: Annual Sessions, Events and Opportunities, News

Enthusiasm is running high among LEYM Friends for meeting in person once again for our Annual Meeting. We’ll be gathering at Ashland University in Ohio, June 15-18, 2023, an earlier date than we have become used to. Our theme this year is “Navigating Anew.” The Program Committee is hard at work preparing our schedule of activities, and we could use your help. Please consider offering that workshop you have been saving for the right opportunity, and share the attached call for workshop proposals with other Friends who might have gifts to share with the larger body. Workshop proposals are due by February 22nd.

Here’s the full call for proposals.

LEYM 2023 Annual Meeting is promoted with a visual of a winding road shown behind the annual meeting theme Navigating Anew.

New Series: Digital Issues Awareness for Friends

10 December 2022

Categories: Events and Opportunities, Interest Groups, News, Peace and Justice

As part of our ongoing Interest Group Series, LEYM is offering a new series of workshops focusing on digital and online practices of possible concern for Friends.

The three Saturday afternoon (2:00-3:30pm) workshops will be held January 14, February 11, and March 4th. See descriptions below. Presented by LEYM’s Digital Communications Facilitator, the sessions will draw heavily on the work of some smart and engaged online groups keeping their fingers on the pulse of our modern web.

NEW SATURDAY WORKSHOP SERIES: DIGITAL ISSUES AWARENESS FOR FRIENDS

Mis/Disinformation Awareness for Friends of the Truth

What happens when we increasingly rely on social media and the web for nearly all our information? What information do we see, and what do we miss? How do we know if a picture or a tweet is genuine or truthful? This session explores what misinformation and disinformation is, why it’s shared and how it spreads. Find out how we Friends take part through our many clicks, likes and shares.

Presenter: LEYM Digital Communications Facilitator Bill Warters
Saturday January 14, 2023 2:00-3:30 pm
Check out the slides and recording from this session on the Interest Group page.

UnFriendly Persuasion: Digital Dark Patterns Awareness

At their essence Dark Patterns are features of interface design crafted to trick users into doing things they didn’t mean to, ultimately benefiting the business or website owner in question by pushing their priorities over the users’ intent. This workshop seeks to raise awareness of some common design tricks and help Friends stay on course as they navigate the modern web.

Presenter: LEYM Digital Communications Facilitator Bill Warters
Saturday February 11, 2023 2:00-3:30 pm
Zoom Access Link Meeting ID: 826 7274 6215 Passcode: leympje

Data Brokers and Modern Surveillance: Dangers for Marginalized People

Our online practices leave trails of data that companies rely on to make a profit. After reviewing some of the many kinds of data being collected, we’ll turn to an exploration of some of the ways data is being used to the detriment of marginalized groups. For instance, mass incarceration and criminalization have gone high-tech with facial recognition, license plate readers, and electronic monitoring systems all becoming more common. Local and federal police as well as immigration control increasingly have access to vast commercial databases to track and trace people, often while circumventing individual civil rights. Based on these concerns, citizen groups in many cities are now pushing for laws governing the surveillance technology used by their local police departments. Join Friends at this workshop to learn more.

Presenter: LEYM Digital Communications Facilitator Bill Warters
Saturday March 4, 2023 2:00-3:30 pm
Zoom Access Link Meeting ID: 826 7274 6215 Passcode: leympje

Spiritual Companioning

10 December 2022

Categories: Interest Groups

LEYM Spiritual Companioning Interest Group

NEW: Got a Concern? Bi-monthly sessions have been scheduled to support LEYM Friends exploring a wide variety of concerns in their lives. Details in this new brochure. Sessions held on the third Sunday of odd-numbered months from 3-4:30pm EST. All sessions will be using the Zoom link found at https://tinyurl.com/leymconcern

2023-24 Schedule of Zoom Sessions

November 19, 2023 – 3-4:30pm
January 21, 2024 – 3-4:30pm
March 17, 2024 – 3-4:30pm

LEYM Friends engaged or interested in the practice of Spiritual Companioning gather online periodically for informal exchange of experiences, questions, and opportunities to practice with others. See the LEYM Calendar to confirm specific dates and times.

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL COMPANIONING?

Spiritual Companion groups are self selected groups of typically 2-4 people. We meet regularly, (every 1-3 weeks), for enough time to give each person about 20 minutes of time to share and receive reflection. Companions set out to discover experimentally what happens when they ask for and follow guidance from their Inner Teachers. Their companions serve as witnesses while each person does their own work. We summarize the practice like this:

Experiment with Spirit in Your Life

Experiment with being inwardly guided by Spirit to shape and guide your life.
Keep a log of tests of discernment, feedback, insights and directions.

Meet with Companions

Meet regularly, every 1-3 weeks for 1-2 hours with 2-4 people.
Divide the time equally giving each person full attention in turn.
Stay in Spirit in yourself, relaxed and non-anxious.
Focus on Spirit in the others; they are good and capable.

Share Your Experiment During Your Turn

Receive the attention of others.
Listen inwardly, discharge emotion, and/or speak to your spiritual experience and experiment.
Ask for and receive reflection and/or feedback.

Support Your Companions to Test Discernment

Reflect back the words you heard without changing them.
Offer feedback on if you feel the life and power of Spirit, if it rings true. Not if you liked, agreed with, or understood it. As information, not judgment.
Document what’s affirmed for one, then for others or for all.

Since the practice of Spiritual Companioning was introduced in Fall, 2020 during LEYM’s Spiritual Formation retreat, four Friends have volunteered to organize and publicize events like this one, at which the three dozen or so practicing companions and those interested in companioning can self-organize and mutually encourage others in growing our experience and skill. We are learners just like you, and would welcome others to join us in this organizing work. If that interests you, please contact one of us.

Barbara LeSage (North Columbus, barbaralesage@hotmail.com), Cassie Cammann (Ann Arbor, cassie.cammann@gmail.com), Mark Hoover (Ann Arbor, mhoover@umich.edu), Joann Neuroth (Red Cedar, jneuroth@gmail.com)

LEYM Annual Records Now Available

20 November 2022

Categories: Annual Sessions, News

The volume of LEYM Annual Records 2022 is now available, containing minutes of Representative Meeting and Annual Meeting, summaries of the plenary address and workshops at the annual sessions, State of the Meeting reports from monthly meetings and worship groups, memorial minutes, and lots of contact information for meetings and those active in Yearly Meeting.

If you wish to have a PDF version sent to you, please contact Peggy Daub at peggydaub@hotmail.com. Paper copies have been mailed to monthly meetings and worship groups and should arrive soon. If your meeting needs to change the number of paper copies received, please let Peggy know.

The detailed and helpful content of the Annual Records would not be possible without the help of many hands. Thank you to all who contributed to this volume!

Peggy Daub, Clerk, LEYM Publications & Archives Committee

Fall Bulletin Now Available

26 September 2022

Categories: Bulletin, News

FALL LEYM BULLETINS ARE AVAILABLE

The Fall LEYM Bulletin is now available in PDF with paper copies soon arriving at addresses for monthly meetings and worship groups. You can see all the recent issues here: leym.org/leym-bulletins

The current issue recaps what happened at our Annual Sessions at the end of July, including the Epistle and summary of actions taken. Big news is that next year we plan to meet in person at Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio) in mid-June. Hurrah for seeing one another in person again! We also have a clerk’s message on the “Nones” and several items from monthly meetings, including a minute regarding the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and a poem from a Toledo Friend.

Jeff Cooper & Peggy Daub, co-editors

GPQM offers Weathering the Storm one-day retreat on Oct. 29, 2022

7 September 2022

Categories: Events and Opportunities, Friends Center, GPQM, News

Join us on Saturday, October 29, 2022, at the Michigan Friends Center near Chelsea for Weathering the Storm, a one-day, in-person retreat offered by Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting for Friends from throughout Michigan.

For more than two years we have had very few opportunities to worship, learn, and connect in-person with Friends beyond our local meetings and worship groups. Weathering the Storm celebrates GPQM’s return to the Friends Center and provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon this storm that we have weathered together. Who have we become? What has been lost? Gained? In what ways have we been faithful in the storm?

Maryann Concannon and April Allison will serve as retreat leaders. Maryann will offer a reflection on Jonah as he faced into the storm. In addition to worship in the manner of Friends, there will be an opportunity for solitude—walking meditation, journaling, and artwork—followed by a time of sharing.
The retreat will last from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Michigan Friends Center, 7748 Clark Lake Rd, Chelsea. Friends will bring their own lunch; coffee and tea will be provided. Masks are strongly recommended indoors, and we will follow up-to-date CDC recommendations regarding whether they will be required. We will not be able to provide childcare during the retreat.

This retreat is free to participants, but registration with gpqmcommunications@gmail.com by October 25 is requested. Just drop us a note with participant names and email addresses.

Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting planned for Saturday, Sept 17, 2022

7 September 2022

Categories: GPQM, News

The Fall Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting will be held online beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday, September 17, 2022. For the Zoom link, contact gpqmcommunications@gmail.com. The meeting will feature a discussion on Quakers in business.

Agenda

Roll Call (Kevin Miller)
Approval of previous meeting’s Minutes (Maryann Concannon)
Treasurer’s report (Jeff Cooper)
Finance Committee will present a proposed budget (Bob Orr)
Nominating Committee (Peggy Daub)—Approval of the appointment of Ellerie Brownfain to Nominating Committee.
Michigan Friends Center (No report at this time)
Michigan Quakers For Environment Action update? (Peggy Daub, Phil Volk)
Consideration for in-person events (Kevin Miller) —Requesting volunteers for May Meeting to help with tech.
Mid-Winter Gathering 2023 (Kevin Miller)—Requesting volunteers for program planning.
Announcements (Maryann Concannon, April Allison)
Break
Presentation: Quakers were originally much more likely to be tradespeople than professionals, academics, teachers, etc. They developed honest practices such as charging everyone a publicly announced price that led them to be successful. We are asking some Friends who run businesses or have thoughts on Friends and the business world to lead a discussion of what all Quakers need to know about the world of commerce, and how our practices and values are relevant today. A few people in Ann Arbor who are involved in businesses have been asked (Paul and Claire Tinkerhess, Marilyn Churchill), and we would welcome thoughts by others who might have things to say.

Celebrate World Quaker Day Oct 2nd

15 August 2022

Categories: Events and Opportunities, News

World Quaker Day will take place on Sunday October 2, 2022 with the theme Becoming the Quakers the World Needs.

World Quaker Day is an annual event where we celebrate the diversity of Quakerism around the world and build connections to make our community stronger.

For World Quaker Day 2022 the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) is encouraging Friends around the world to visit a different Quaker Meeting or Church outside of our Yearly Meeting. You can sign up to be part of the exchange using this form.

FWCC has also produced posters in many languages promoting the event which can be downloaded from their World Quaker Day Resources Page: http://www.worldquakerday.org/resources/ One of these could look quite nice on the bulletin board at your Meeting House. Here’s a direct link to the English Language poster.

You can watch this video with Tim Gee, General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation inviting Friends to take part in World Quaker Day. Note the Trees and Roots metaphor he uses, which ties in nicely with our Annual Sessions theme for 2022.