Western Half Yearly Meeting
May 17-20, 2013,
Sorrento
Centre
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See the full schedule here (PDF).
Our upcoming spring gathering of Western Half Yearly Meeting (WHYM) on May 17th - 20th, will mark the 39th year in which Western Canadian Friends have gathered at the Sorrento Centre, located on Shuswap Lake near Salmon Arm. Friends from as far away as Ontario to Vancouver Island and everywhere in-between will make the annual trek to Sorrento to gather together for fellowship and worship.
While the main gathering begins in the late afternoon on Friday, for the past 9 years it has become a tradition for some Friends to arrive on Thursday evening to take advantage of the opportunity for some informal retreat time during the day on Friday. This might include some group “balancing”, music, visiting with friends, time to read a book or a walk down to the lake. If you would like to convene an activity during this time, this would be very welcome - please let me know!
Onsite accommodations vary from tent-sites to simple heated “cabanas”, to wheel-chair accessible,
comfortable rooms with private baths. Meals may be eaten in the Sorrento dining room if pre-ordered.
Many Friends share their home-cooked meals at informal potlucks. This year, my family intends to take advantage of both by taking lunch in the dining room and doing our own breakfasts in our cabana and potluck dinners with other Friends in the picnic area.
WHYM is an intergenerational community, with good representation from every age group, including young children, teens, elders and everything in-between. There are programs for all ages. Whether this is your first time, or you have been attending your whole life, there is something special in store for you at Spring WHYM. All the treasured WHYM traditions of balancing, singing, and campfires down by the lake, Worship-fellowship groups, Special Interest Groups and Meetings for Worship and Business, provide the context for us to learn, make new friends and renew our bonds with one another.
I hope you will join me there. See you at Sorrento!
Ruth Walmsley,
Vancouver MM,
WHYM Clerk (2011-2014)
Note: Some Friends may have attended or heard about the worshipful sharing session held at Fall 2012 WHYM concerning an attender at Fall 2011 WHYM who was later charged with murder. There are currently no plans for a similar session to be held at Spring 2013 WHYM, but Friends are invited to contact WHYM Ministry & Counsel prior to or at the gathering if you have any questions or concerns. Email: Graeme Hope or call him at (250) 573-5779. |
The full Half-Yearly Meeting begins with the evening meal on
Friday followed by a gathering and welcome for all. For the really early birds, Re-Treat yourself to a day of community building and intergenerational fun, with a few different options for connection and reflection and spiritually prepare for WHYM beginning at 9am on Friday. The gathering ends with a brief farewell
Meeting for Worship on Monday morning. In between, there are times for worship
fellowship, worship, business, special interest groups, singing and family night.
There will also be time for visiting and getting to know both new and old friends.
The children’s program functions all weekend and is often a starting point
for long and strong friendships. See the full schedule here. (PDF).
Children’s Program:Marika Haspeck whym-children@quaker.ca
The theme for this year is "Water World". Please bring buckets and bathing suits or clothes that can get wet as we will be doing water play.
Pet Policy: As of 2012, pets are now welcome at Sorrento Centre. Some costs and restrictions apply. Please see the Sorrento Centre website for details: http://www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca/admin-pets.html or click here.
Registration Information Click here for PDF Registration
form to print and mail in, or use one of the spreadsheets below.
To register please download, fill in, SAVE, and email one of the registration files to the registrar (whym-register@quaker.ca).
Everyone should download the General Information:
Spring WHYM_2013_Reg_pkg.pdf
If you have MS Excel or Open Office on your computer use the file called:
Spring_WHYM_2013_ registration_PC_and_Mac_WITH_Excel.xls
If you don’t have Excel or Open Office, Open Office is available FREE for PC and Mac at: http://www.openoffice.org/
If you have another spreadsheet program use the file called:
Spring_WHYM_2013_ registration_Mac_without_Excel.xls
These are spreadsheet files that calculate the costs for site fees, accommodation and meals for you.
Please pay the full cost of the weekend, including all accommodation and meal requests, by mailing a cheque or money order AFTER emailing the registration form. A post-dated cheque, for no later than May 15, will be accepted.
Note: Please EMAIL your completed registration form, and MAIL your payment, to the Registrar by Monday, April 30, 2012.
Mail registration forms and payment (cheque or money order) payable to Western Half Yearly Meeting to:
David Cheatley,
2749 MUSGRAVE St.,
Victoria, BC V8R 5Y7 250-884-8138
whym-register@quaker.ca
Registrations received after that date may not receive on-site accommodations or meals. If you miss the deadline, please email or phone David to make alternative arrangements. If you have any questions about registration or accommodation, call David 250-884-8138 or email:whym-register@quaker.ca
Registration at Sorrento will start at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday in the Spes Bona lounge.
There will be no refund for meals that are requested on the registration form. However, once on site you may be able to privately sell meals you cannot use to other Friends. Meals may be purchased on site at least three hours in advance directly from Sorrento Centre administration – note that the availability of meals on short notice may be limited.
The Treasurer will give any registration refund adjustments (by cheque) during the weekend. Payment for additional charges will be expected upon arrival. There is no charge for registration, accommodation, or meals for children 4 years old or younger but we do need their registration information on the form.
Pet Policy: As of 2012, pets are now welcome at Sorrento Centre. Some costs and restrictions apply. Please see the Sorrento Centre website for details: http://www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca/admin-pets.html or click here.
Costs:
For a breakdown of costs, see the registration
form. (PDF Document)
There is no charge for registration, accommodation, or meals for children
4 years old or younger but we do need their registration information
on the form.
Some financial assistance for travel is available. Friends should apply first to their Monthly Meeting. If assistance from the Monthly Meeting is not sufficient, apply to the Treasurer, Thomas Mathieson, at (H) 604-930-4766, (cell) (604) 700-
8947 or email whym-treasurer@quaker.ca before April 30, 2012. Assistance is discerned and paid during WHYM.
Retreat Day with Balancing:
Friday, MAY 17, 2013 at Sorrento Centre 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Re-Treat yourself to a day of community building and intergenerational fun, with a few different options for connection and reflection and spiritually prepare for WHYM.
Balancing. Feel your mind, body and spirit work together to find your centre. A WHYM treasured tradition of balancing will be self-led by experienced balancers. No experience is necessary. If you've never been exposed to balancing, imagine yoga with others, integrating the Quaker understanding of our connectedness.
Other opportunities for… Worship-sharing, art, writing, singing, a nature walk... Please let Ruth Walmsley know if you would like to organize a quiet activity to share with others.
• Arrival for Retreat: It is recommended that you arrive on Thursday night.
• Accommodation: All usual accommodations are available at Sorrento Centre on Thursday night. Note your needs on the registration form.
• Meals are available in the Sorrento dining room by signing up for them on the WHYM registration form, or you can supply your own food.
• Registration: If you plan to participate in Balancing, check the space “Balancing Retreat” on the WHYM registration form. There is no need to pre-register for other retreat activities; a schedule of times and locations will be available upon arrival at WHYM.
THE BALANCING RETREAT
• Please be signed in and ready to begin by 9:00 a.m. The day will progress from introductory poses to more advanced ones & it is important everyone is present at the start and throughout the morning. After lunch, we will continue with those still keen on working on more advanced balancing. Experienced balancers are encouraged to attend and help structure the day.
• Children are welcome. The first part of the day is especially designed to include younger children. Depending on age, ability and interest, children may participate for the entire day.
For more information about the WHYM Retreat day, or if you would like to lead an activity, please contact:
Ruth Walmsley, tel. 604-298-9220, email: whym-clerk@quaker.ca
“Balance is a state of
mind, a statement of the body and a state of being. By discovering the centre of balance, a person comes
to know attunement. Inner and outer balance, physical, mental
and spiritual all become one.” – Helen Stevenson, Balancing
Accommodation Information:
Accommodations are on a “first booked first served” basis.
Changes to sleeping arrangements may be made on site.
Sharing of Accommodations: Please note names of
the Friends registering separately, with whom you will be sharing accommodation.
If you would like to share accommodation, but have no arrangements, note
your preferences and the registrar will try to accommodate you. Young
Adult Friends should indicate if they would like to share a “Young
Adult Friends’ Cabana” and the registrar will attempt to
accommodate this. Depending on demand, almost all rooms are subject
to sharing with an appropriate roommate.
Teens Note: It has been customary (but optional) for
the teens to have their own accommodations, accompanied by a Friendly
Adult Presence. Two portable schoolrooms will be used, one for males
and one for females, which provide shelter and floor space. Teens
opting for this shared accommodation should bring sleeping bags and mattress
pads. There
are no plans for a teen food co-op this year. If meal requests
need to be changed as a result of a teen food co-op formation between
now and then, please contact the registrar no later than April 29.
Cabanas: 14 simple structures with heat, electricity and
cooking element, but no indoor plumbing. They sleep up to seven in one
double bed and four or five bunks. No bedding (aside from mattresses)
or utensils are provided in the cabanas. One person needs to be responsible for paying for each Cabana; partial payment from individuals sharing a cabana will not be accepted.
RV sites: Partial hook-up includes water and electricity,
full hook-up includes sewer.
Tenting: only in the reserved campsite area near
the Cabanas and washrooms, or in the orchard area.
Lodges: All rooms in both Nova Vita (now called Richardson Hall) and Caritas
have private baths. Nova Vita has various combinations of double beds
and single beds. Caritas rooms have one double and one single bed.
The Nova Vita suite has 1 queen sized bed and a sofa bed. Two Caritas
suites have 1 queen sized bed, a sofa bed, and a small kitchenette.
One Caritas suite has a queen sized bed and is wheelchair accessible.
Washrooms and other facilities: Two men’s
and two women’s washrooms are provided for cabanas, tenters and
trailers, with hot water and showers. At each washroom covered area,
one or more fridges is available for our use. There is a small laundromat
on site at the lower washroom. Please make brief use of the showers so
that all in need may benefit.
Meals:
Cafeteria Meal Information: The pre-paid voucher bought
with registration is required for all meals. Meal times are 8:00 am,
12:30 pm and 5:30 pm. Special dietary requirements may be accommodated,
if requested. These should be noted on your registration form and vegetarians
should specify needs, e.g., vegan, ovo-lacto, etc.
Directions to Sorrento Centre:
Sorrento
Centre is on the western side of the town of Sorrento, just off the Trans
Canada Highway. Sorrento is approx. 80 km east of Kamloops and 25 km
west of Salmon Arm. At Sorrento, turn north (towards the lake) off the
Trans Canada at the Shuswap Lake motel and look for the Sorrento sign
just past the motel on Passchendale Rd. The Greyhound bus stops within
a block of the Centre. Inform the registrar if you need transportation
from a nearby airport (Kamloops or Kelowna) or the train station in Kamloops.
Sexual Harassment Policy
Desiring that the Society of Friends be both a loving community and
an instrument of peace and healing in a violent and broken world, we
expect that Western Half Yearly Meeting will be a place where everyone
feels safe from sexual and gender harassment and abuse. Behaviour that
reduces safety includes not only criminal acts such as assault and rape,
but may also include jokes that are demeaning or sexually suggestive,
unwanted touches or hugs, and hugs in which one person feels inferior
or overpowered by another. Anyone who feels that he or she has been subjected
to sexual or gender harassment or abuse is urged to discuss the matter
with someone in the WHYM Continuing Meeting of Ministry and Counsel.
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