The E-Newsletter is usually 2 pages – one or twice a year it expands to 4.  Its a great way to stay current with news and action from CFSC.   Quaker Concern, which is published three-times a year, carries less time sensitive information but more in-depth articles on CFSC work and witness.

If you would like to subscribe to the CFSC E-Newsletter, or to receive Quaker Concern via email, email cfsc [at] quakerservice.ca with your request.

To read current and past issues of the E-Newsletter, visit: http://quakerservice.ca/news-and-resources/e-newsletter/ 

To read current and past issues of Quaker Concern, visit:  http://quakerservice.ca/news-and-resources/quaker-concern/ 

From:    Canadian Yearly Meeting Trustees

Date:     November 14, 2011

RE:          Joseph Ross Rogers Bequest:   Allocation Process

In August 2011, Canadian Yearly Meeting received a bequest of $335,000 from the estate of Joseph Ross Rogers, who lived in Vancouver.    J. Ross Rogers was the son of Samuel Rogers, after whom the Samuel Rogers Memorial Trust was established. 

The bequest is not designated or restricted in any manner.   In accordance with the CYM Bequest Policy, the first $5,000 has been transferred to the General Fund of CYM as income for 2011.  The CYM Bequest Policy further states:  “Amounts greater than $40,000 will be reviewed by the Trustees according to the policy on bequests and they will make a recommendation to Representative Meeting for its approval.”  In the meantime, the funds have been deposited in a money market fund.

CYM Trustees believe this bequest gives Canadian Yearly Meeting the opportunity to fund projects that will improve our experience as Friends.   We invite proposals in that light and we have set out some of the points that should be considered.   Proposals should have been well “seasoned” in “the manner of Friends,” to ensure they have a broad base of support.

 In order to make recommendations in time for the April 28 Representative Meeting, we have set a date for proposals to be received by the Trustees.  If you can’t make that deadline let us know, including an estimate of when your proposal is expected to be available, and we will consider an extension.

 Process:

Nov. 12:               Representative Meeting approved the allocation process for the JR Rogers

 Bequest

Nov. 14:               The JR Rogers Bequest Allocation Process is distributed to Yearly Meeting Committees and Monthly Meetings

March 10:            Deadline for proposals to be received by the Clerk of CYM Trustees

March 23:             CYM Trustees review proposals, select those for recommendation and notify applicants of the status of their proposals

April 28:               Representative Meeting reviews recommendations for approval

                                All applicants are notified of the decisions of Representative Meeting

Approved proposals can receive funds following approval.

Points to consider for proposed projects:

• Time-limited projects or initiatives that will contribute to the long-term sustainability of Canadian Yearly Meeting, its assets, committees or Meetings.
• Projects that have no access to an existing CYM Fund or other source of support.
• Projects or initiatives that have minuted support or endorsement  from CYM, a CYM Committee,  a Half-Yearly Meeting or Regional Gathering and/or a Monthly Meeting.
• Proposals can request one-time funding, or funding spread over more than one year. 
• Bequest funds can be used to support the growth or transition of a program, but should not be regarded as replacement for regular operating costs that are the responsibility of CYM.

Proposals must include:

• Statement of the purpose of the proposal:  what is the expected result of receiving funding?
• A minute of support or other evidence of Friends’ seasoning  of the proposal
• General information:
  • What committee or Meeting  is applying
  • Contact information (name, position with the committee/Meeting, telephone, email)
• How the project will be accomplished (simple outline of activities, who will be involved )
• Budget (list of projected expenditures)
• Timelines (when will the project begin and finish)
• Description of how the results of the proposal will be reported back to CYM or CYM Trustees at the project’ s mid-point, or conclusion (depending on the length of the project)

Proposals should be received by Trustees, by March 10, 2012.  Forward to:

                Barbara Horvath, Clerk, CYM Trustees (519-927-5588)

                By Email:  barbara.horvath@sympatico.ca

                By post: 18692 Kennedy Road, Caledon, ON  L7K 1X9

Yearly Meeting 2012 will be held at Augustana University in lovely Camrose, Alberta, from August 10-18.  More details will follow – but mark your calendars now!

Quaker Book Service now has an email address: quakerbookservice@gmail.com.

Note that book orders will still have to be processed via snail mail, but at least you can communicate with QBS more quickly. 

(Sorry… QBS still does not have a phone.)

Quaker Book Service
P.O. Box 4652, Station E
Ottawa, ON   K1R 5K2
Canada

quakerbookservice@gmail.com

Katrina is a member of Kitchener Area MM and grew up in the Lucknow Worship Group. She now lives in Guelph, ON where there is a lively Young Friend presence. She has had experience working with youth within Friends General Conference. She is a graduate of Earlham College where she interacted with Friends from the Friends United Meeting and Evangelical Friends International traditions. Katrina  served on the Editorial Board for the Quaker Youth publication Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices.

Katrina has been involved in organizing retreats for YF at Camp Neekaunis for many years and attended the World Gathering of YF as a CYM representative in 2005. She has attended CYM sessions and has served the YF community there as a recording clerk, program person, listener and representative to HMAC.

Katrina is also excited about social justice, community, and all aspects of food. She has worked in higher education, as an organic farmer, as a cook, and with social change organizations, governments and businesses. With a focused interest in sustainability and building stronger communities, she keeps herself busy by volunteering, traveling, running youth programs, cooking, baking, and helping on her family’s farm.

The position of Youth Secretary (YS) was first envisaged by the Consultation and Renewal working group (CnR).  A committee of adult Friends and Young Friends nominated by Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meeting ( CYFYM) worked on the vision and eventual job description for this position. They see the key responsibilities as being Spiritual Vitality, a Communication Resource and an Information Resource; all aspects, which Katrina is well able and qualified to fill.  The committee also sees the role of support from Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups as being vital to the success of this position.

Katrina is enthusiastic about connecting with YFs & YAFs across the country and having a strong relationship with CYFYM. She sees keeping YFs engaged and supported by their spiritual community as a way of nurturing their individual growth and development, and ensuring the future of the Religious Society of Friends in Canada. She invites Friends of all ages to get in touch with thoughts, ideas and hopes for ways in which she can best serve the community.

Friends can contact Katrina at katrina@quaker.ca, skype:mcquaka or by phone 519.831.0648 and visit http://young.Quaker.ca for more information.

In order to minimize long distance charges for Friends, you may contact Sue on her cell phone (number below) or send an email message. 

–
Sue Starr
Quaker Education Program Coordinator
32776 Hood Ave, Mission, BC V2V 7R9
E-mail – qepc@quaker.ca
Phone –  1-604-557-3611
Fax – Toll Free 1-888-843-8401

The AFG Planning Committee has responded to Friends’ requests for a more comfortable and warm meeting place, and we are very excited about this year’s location at Windhorse Farm Conference Centre. A lovely rural setting run by Buddhists with a particular concern for sustainablility and respect for the Earth. For even more details about AFG, see the complete information and registration form at http://atlantic.quaker.ca/afg

We have many interesting Special Interest Groups, led by both Quakers and Buddhists, and we have Sue Starr, our new CYM Quaker Education Programme Coordinator, who will be leading an interactive workshop on Saturday night. And a wonderful location in old growth forest, on a lake, and at a site that absorbs more carbon than it produces! http://atlantic.quaker.ca/afg/afg-2011-sigs Contact Vince if you would like to offer a SIG. vince.zelazny@gmail.com

We especially need Friends to REGISTER in advance this year, first because we are limited to 65 people at the site, and second because we need to know well in advance how many are coming so we can make appropriate plans. Please register soon, and at the latest by April 29th if at all possible! http://atlantic.quaker.ca/afg/afg-2011-register

Please spread the word far and wide about AFG. This would be a particuarly good year to invite enquirers or those new to Quakers to give them a good sense of who we are! Feel free to print out the attached one-pager poster and spread it around! AFG poster 2011

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Bruce

This opportunity is open to members of CYM and CYM Young Friends. On their return, delegates will be asked to share the experience with CYM in 2012.

Applicants must complete the application form (click on link below), affirmed by their Monthly Meeting Clerk, to be received no later than September 30, 2010.

In addition, a minute of support from the home Monthly Meeting must be received by November 8, 2010

Please note the 2010 due dates. Due to time constraints from FWCC late applications will not be accepted.

FWCC_World_Conference_Registration

Background: Scrupling is an old Quaker practice where we listen to each other, share our concerns and examine our consciences. It is not a debate, it is not a panel discussion, it is not an argument. John Woolman refers to scrupling in his Journals when discerning slaveholding.

We decided that scrupling would be an appropriate process to follow in addressing a concern that TMM has, namely the erosion of democracy. While it is the constitutional mandate of the Government of Canada to promote peace, order and good government in the country, it seems that actions of the present government do not represent or promote the interests of the people of Canada. Recent adverse actions include:

• Removing individuals and committees who are guardians of the public good: eg Science Advisor, Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee, Nuclear Safety Watchdog; Military Watchdog; Court Challenge Program; Status of Women Offices;

• Silencing Government bureaucrats from speaking out

• International role: Climate Change (Copenhagen); Human Rights (Kairos; Gaza); War (Afghanistan).

• Proroguing Parliament

Our current Federal Government is using public institutions, public money and political interference to pursue a partisan agenda. We felt that Canadians want what the people of Afghanistan want – a working Parliament where the Government in power is accountable to Parliament and where their views are articulated by and through their elected representatives.

Summary of scrupling session: The scrupling session was held at Friends’ House on February 7, 2010. Its purpose was to provide TMM Members and regular Attenders with an opportunity to meet with sitting Members of Parliament in order to have a serious but non-argumentative discussion of their concerns regarding the erosion of democracy in Canada.

Representatives of the three main political parties were invited and two local sitting members, Olivia Chow (NDP) and Carolyn Bennett (Lib) attended and took an active part in the deliberations. Although strenuous efforts were made to add an elected Conservative member to the session and 13 sitting MPs were contacted, none found it possible to come.

The co-clerk of Toronto Meeting welcomed the fifty people gathered and the session opened with silent worship; scrupling was defined and the‘ground rules’ were indicated. Two Friends, Anne Mitchell and Jeffrey Kraegel acted as co-clerks and ably facilitated the discourse.

The two questions around which we wished to scruple were presented:

1) Why do certain policy issues of concern to us and others not receive parliamentary attention/resolution?

2) What can we as a community do, after having tried the traditional means of communication so unsuccessfully?

The lively scrupling session lasted for more than an hour and closed with silent worship.

Based on the comments from those attending the scrupling session most people, including the MPs felt that this was a helpful and constructive event, and that the discussion had yielded many good insights. Many said this might be a useful format and approach for other communities to adopt as they attempt to stem the erosion of democracy in Canada and move discussions to a level of common and urgent concern.

Follow-up:

Feedback was received from members and attenders of TMM; there were also discussions with people in CFSC, the United Church and the Anglican Church. Ursula Franklin was invited to a follow up discussion at a community roundtable in St Paul’s hosted by Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MP.

There were no strong expressions of support for a scrupling approach. However, records of the session and other materials such as documents, e-mails received, follow-ups (such as the tape of Ursula’s talk at the St. Paul’s session) and comments will likely be collected and filed in the TMM library.

On May 6^th, Ursula was a guest on the CBC’s “The Current”, where she spoke about her concerns about democracy in Canada, and explained the concept of scrupling.

We would be interested in hearing whether other Meetings would be interested in pursuing a similar course of action, and welcome suggestions, inquiries and feedback.

In friendship,

Wanda Forsythe
Co-clerk, Toronto Monthly Meeting