Yearly Meeting 2009
Reflecting Light: Seeing Ourselves in the Other
JUNE 11-14, 2009
BLUFFTON UNIVERSITY, BLUFFTON, OHIO
Featured Speaker: Max Carter
North Carolina YM
The Registration Form and Spring 2009 Bulletin with program details are now available.
10 ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION
"WHY SHOULD I ATTEND LAKE ERIE YEARLY MEETING’S ANNUAL GATHERING THIS YEAR?"
1. You can meet interesting and diverse Friends from across the region, and have a chance for deep conversations with them.
2. You can learn about many different Quaker organizations from their information tables.
3. Your children can enjoy a fun and spirit-filled program.
4. You can join in the sense of the meeting as we conduct the business of our Yearly Meeting.
5. You can get up with the sun and attend early morning Bible study with Sue Axtell. You can stay up with the stars discussing deep matters with old and new friends.
6. You can soak up an informative and inspirational message from the Plenary speaker, Max Carter, of North Carolina Yearly Meeting.
7. You can join small intergenerational worship sharing groups on the theme of this year’s meeting, "Reflecting Light: Seeing Ourselves in the Other."
8. You can browse and purchase from a rich display of books of interest to Quakers.
9. You can spend unscheduled time in your own spiritual practice, walking in a nearby nature preserve, singing, or socializing.
10. You can enjoy the fellowship of a Saturday evening talent show and watermelon social.
In short, this is a rich opportunity for a few days of retreat away from your regular routine and enjoying Quaker fellowship and worship.
See the Spring Bulletin for detailed program information and registration materials.
MORE INFORMATION
This year’s theme is Reflecting Light: Seeing Ourselves in the Other. Our Plenary Speaker will be Max L. Carter, Director of the Friends Center and Campus Ministry Coordinator at Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina. He will address our theme by drawing on his experience living and teaching at the Ramallah Friends Schools, his leading of annual work/study trips in Israel and Palestine, and his academic work on the rela- tionship between Quakers and Native Americans in Ohio in the early 1800s.
Max Carter is a native Hoosier, raised in Western Yearly Meeting. He studied at Ball State University (B.A. in German), Earlham School of Religion (M.Min.), and Temple University (Ph.D. in American Religious History). He has taught at the Ramallah Friends Schools, Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion, Friends Select and Friends' Central Schools in Phila- delphia, and since 1990 at Guilford College; he also is an adjunct professor of Quaker studies at Wake Forest University Divinity School. A recorded Friends minister, he is currently a member of New Garden Friends Meeting (North Carolina Yearly Meeting – FUM). He serves on the Board of Advisers for ESR, the General Board of Pendle Hill, and the Board of AFSC.
Daily sessions will include:
- Early morning Bible study (led by Sue Axtell, a recorded Friends Minister in Indiana Yearly Meeting and a student at Earlham School of Religion)
- Worship sharing in small groups, and
- Meeting for worship with attention to business, with reports from LEYM committees on their ongoing work benefiting each monthly meeting, preparative meeting, and worship group; from national and international Quaker organizations; and from Friends School in Detroit and Olney Friends School.
Saturday afternoon Workshops will include:
- Further exploration of the theme with Max Carter,
- Discernment – part 3 with Jerry Knutson,
- Meeting for Healing with Richard Lee,
- A presentation by Cathy Deyo on her trips to Palestine for the Olive Harvest, and
- Earthcare witness.
Led by experienced and loving Friends, Children and Youth meet during adult sessions for their own planned activities.
Adult Young Friends connect throughout the weekend in worship, business, and play. The weekend also has time set aside for individual spiritual practices, browsing through the Quaker bookstore, singing, and learning about Quaker organizations at information tables.
Here is what last year’s participants said they enjoyed most:
Reconnecting with old Friends and meeting new ones *** Good family time*** Relaxation, peace, & fellowship *** Leadership is God-centered *** Spirit of grace & fun with childcare givers *** Business handled efficiently *** Singing, dancing, playing, and sharing *** Socializing *** Being with Quakers my own age *** Ice cream machine *** Bible study *** Bookstore *** Intergenerational activities. Watch for the registration forms in the spring LEYMBulletin and come join us!