YF Business Meeting

14 October 2007, via Skype

Present:

Ben Watts, Thomas Watts, Julian Carver, Jimmy Green, Thomas Owen, Hannah Newport

1. YF Bank Account:

We have consulted with Yearly Meeting Tresurer Elizabeth Duke about setting up a YF Bank Account. We have decided the account will be called Aotearoa New Zealand Young Friends Meeting. The account will be with Kiwibank. The account will initially have 2 signatories who will be Julian Carver and Jimmy Green. We will add further signatories as required. The account will only require one signature to pay bills.

2. YF Camp 2008:

We have been advised that Leith Pugmire and Avon Lookmire are no longer able to help organise YF Camp 2008. Ben Watts has agreed to co-ordinate the organisation of next years camp. The first priority is to secure a venue which we will need to achieve by the end of November.

3. Summer Gathering:

Sarah Tailby - who is organising the Summer Gathering programme - has approached Young Friends to ask if we could present a session at Summer Gathering. We feel that YFs will not be in a position to give a presentation as a group, but if individual YF's are keen to run a session we will encourage them to do so.

We wish to actively encourage YF's to attend this years Gathering. Sarah has indicated that there are many events and activites that will require supervision. We will put a proposal to the Summer Gathering Organising Committee to see if we can organise a 'work for assistance with fees' arrangement.

We ask that from the beginning, the proposal be clear as to the expectations on the Young Friends who wish to take up the offer.

4. Summer Gathering Fundraising:

Sarah Tailby has advised us that there will be room to run a YF coffee fundraising venture if we choose to. Julian Carver will co-ordinate with Joanne Hall as to whether hiring a coffee machine is a viable option.

We are keen to see this as an outreach activity which could involve displays of YF activities etc.

The meeting was held by Skype between Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland

Clerk: Thomas Watts
Co Clerk: Julian Carver

Participants: Ben Watts,  Bridie Zwanikken, Charlotte Gordon, Hannah Newport, Jim Green, Julian Carver, Thomas Watts

1. We put forward the name of Hannah Newport as the YF Representative to Australia YF camp and Yearly Meeting. We encourage Chris Hall to attend if he wishes to go independently, and will consider providing some financial assistance if he does choose to go. (Hannah absented herself from the meeting during the discussion of this minute)
2. We put forward the name of John Graham to be the YF rep to the Historic Peace Churches Conference subject to his consent.
3. We ask Jimmy Green and Julian Carver to liaise with the Yearly Meeting Treasurer to set up a bank account for Young Friends. We will have two signatories for the account. All expenditure and reimbursements will be agreed at a YF Business Meeting prior to payment.
4. We agree to move the YF Blog to the same server as the Quaker web site. We will retain the same conditions regarding not linking from the Quaker web site and not having the blog indexed by Google.
5. We will hold YF business meetings every two months. The next YF business meeting will be on 21^st October.

Living up to our Statement on Environmental Sustainability

Yearly Meeting issued a Statement on Environmental Sustainability in 2000. Since then much has changed in the world and the issue of climate change looms large over us all yet little action appears to be taking place.

Changing our habits to live up to the Sustainability Statement has been very much left to individuals rather than being embraced collectively by our worshipping communities. Despite having ownership and responsibility for a substantial number of buildings and annually holding events in many others we have no practical guidelines as to how we can best fulfil the expectations laid out in the statement.

At the Young Friends Camp Easter 2007 a group gathered to discuss climate change and environmental sustainability, within Quakers and our wider communities. Focusing on our Camp’s own ‘carbon footprint’ as an example of the negative environmental impact our activities have, we were moved to formulate action to help change our unsustainable practices. We produced guidelines on Sustainability for the organisation and planning of future Young Friends camps and events. This Camp has been ‘carbon neutralised’ as best we could both by offsetting our carbon footprint through financial donation (www.carbonzero.co.nz) and making a concerted effort to reduce our footprint initially, especially with regard to transport.

We are concerned about the lack of consistent corporate sustainable practice within the Quaker community. ‘Green housekeeping’ of our buildings is often left to individuals to take on board and no guidelines are in place for those unfamiliar with what might be possible. Events committees are left each time to consider (or not) the environmental impact surrounding the organisation, programme and transport and how that might be addressed.

We believe that Yearly Meeting should lead the way by asking all the MMs and gathering organising committees to fulfil certain obligations and give space for discussion of this at Yearly Meeting. This is not something that can be fixed overnight so we hope that it would be an ongoing concern and not something that comes up once and then forgotten about.

Many of our buildings are used by non-Quaker groups – our buildings can be seen as representative of our views and beliefs. By use of green housekeeping products etc we not only help the environment but outwardly show our commitment to others. We would like YM to either find a way forward to produce a YM policy on green housekeeping or ask MMs to establish their own. This would be an ongoing process to be developed over time rather than a static statement. Carbon neutral electricity is now available and we hope that all Meetings would be encouraged to use this and it become standard practice for all Quaker owned buildings.

In our exploration of our carbon footprint we discovered one of the major impacts on the world was the eating of mass produced meat. We ask that events organisors consider how a vegetarian menu would considerably reduce our communal ecological footprint, enabling us to ‘be patterns and examples’ of our statement towards sustainability. Not only would this addresses the ecological footprint but also supports our testimony to simplicity (and reduces the stress for the cooks!).

We have established a working group to investigate the possibility of combining Young Friends Outreach initiatives with the cause of sustainability, to produce practical aids for people to reduce their consumption while simultaneously raising consciousness on climate change and awareness of the values held by the Society of Friends. The convenors of this group are Thomas Owen and Thomas Watts.

We look forward to the opportunity to discussing these issues with those present at Yearly Meeting. If anyone has any particular questions or comments meanwhile they can be sent to the convenors via yf.clerk@quaker.org.nz

(revised version 3!)

To Friends Everywhere,

Tënä koutou, tënä koutou, tënä koutou katoa,

Fifty two Young Friends and three Very Young Friends gathered at the Quaker Settlement in Wanganui for six days over Easter. The theme for the camp (YF: The Future) encompassed both our focus on sustainability and discussions about our future within Aotearoa New Zealand Yearly Meeting. A workshop on the second day gave us an introduction to ideas around climate change and we found we had many ways of understanding our relationship with the Earth. Through a further session and time spent in silence, particularly during an epilogue on the last night, we were able to delve deeper into what these concerns mean to us as Quakers. Consideration of the Minute we brought to Yearly Meeting last year and reports from participants at a number of recent international Gatherings furthered our investigation of our place within the wider Quaker community.

Young Friends had further discussion around last year’s decision to become ‘Aotearoa New Zealand Young Friend’s Meeting’. A long and intense Meeting for Business allowed us to make some progress towards clarifying our thoughts and intentions in formalising our structure, but we are aware we have only just begun to explore this issue. We were grateful for the presence of two Australian YFs and several people with links to Britain Young Friends General Meeting who contributed valuable wisdom and information about YF structures in other parts of the world.

Our fantastic Bridget (McKendry) produced some of the most amazing food ever eaten at a YF camp, with particular assistance from Suzanna Remmerswaal, Alex Simpson and Richard Mottram. We enjoyed spending time with the settlers at a shared meal on the first night, and thank them for sharing this special place with us. The service component of this year’s camp was spent working around the Settlement. A great deal of effort went to digging out a giant Pampas as well as weeding, pruning, clearing and cleaning. The collective achievement was satisfying, and joined other traditional activities (such as large-scale sing-a-longs, games of soccer, and wrestling competitors in the kissing game) in helping us re-form our special relationships with people who are geographically spread. We are once again moved by the beauty of meeting together and sharing in so many ways.

Arohanui,

Sarah Tailby, Hannah Newport, Chris Hall, Leith Pugmire, Thomas Owen, Marion Leighton, Anna Dunford, Ria Pugmire and Thomas Watts (YF 2007 Epistle Committee).

Minutes from the Young Friends Meeting For Worship For Business, held at the Quaker Settlement in Wanganui, 9^th April 2007.

Present: Anna Dunford, Avon  Lookmire, Ben Watts, Charlotte Gordon, Chris Hall, Chris Jacques, Craig Scott, Daniel Morris, Dominic Remmerswaal, Grace, Hannah Chapman-Searle, Hannah Newport, James Bradley, Jeremy List, Jesse Watts, Jimmy Green, Joanne Hall, Joe Beautrais, John Graham, Julian Carver, Karl Snowden, Kate Harrison-Price, Leith Pugmire, Marion Leighton, Miriam Tailby, Rhea Lewthwaite, Ria Pugmire, Richard Evens, Richard Motram, Richard Wort, Ross Hebden, Ryan Scott, Sallie Culy, Sarah Tailby, Simon Lookmire, Suzanna Remmerswaal, Thomas Owen, Thomas Watts.

1.      Thomas started by welcoming everybody to the meeting including our international travelers Grace (the Australian YM representative), Hannah Chapman-Searle, also from Australia, and Richard Evens from the UK.

2.      The following people nominated themselves for writing the camp epistle:
They will attempt to capture the workings of the spirit at the camp: Hannah Newport, Sarah Tailby, Chris Hall, Leith Pugmire and Sallie Culy.

3.      We approve of the idea of having a gathering after Summer Gathering on Waiheke at the Friends House for 4 days. The camp will not be an official YF gathering, but will be aimed at Young Friends.    

4.      We discussed the location of the 2008 Young Friends camp. The camp will be organised by Avon Lookmire, Leith Pugmire, Charlotte Gordon, Ben Watts, Jeremy List, Chris Hall, Hannah Newport and Joanne Hall in the region around Palmerston North and Wellington. We ask that the organizers investigate the possible use of local marae and adhere to the proposed camp guidelines on sustainability and simplicity.

5.      We have discussed the possible structures of the Aotearoa Young Friends Meeting. We have agreed that we would envisage the following:

·        A Young Friends bank account and subsequent responsibility for the administration of Young Friends finances through our treasurer and Young Friends committee.  

·        Clear and established communications channels with YM.

·        Service by young Friends on Yearly Meeting committees and the ability to nominate YFs for these roles. We note that Australian Yearly Meeting makes spaces available for Young Friends on YM committees.    

·        Ability to comment as a group on Yearly Meeting documents.

·        For Aotearoa New Zealand Young Friends Meeting to have the same capacity as a monthly meeting to present to Yearly Meeting a list of Young Friend attenders wishing to participate at Yearly Meeting. 

While we are continuing to learn from the Australian and British structures, we are still committed to defining a structure that will work for us as the Aotearoa New Zealand Young Friends Meeting. 

6.      We nominate the following people as possible representatives to attend Australian Yearly Meeting and Young Friends camp in 2008: Hannah Newport, Chris Hall, Joanne Hall, Sallie Culy, Melody Ireland. We will continue to send one YF representative to these events, but encourage other New Zealand YFs to attend.

7.      We approve the nomination of Hannah Newport as YF representative to QPSANZ

8.      We were informed of the intention to organize a young friends gathering in association with the Asia West Pacific Section in Bhopal in 2008.

YF’s were invited to help with organizing of the event, in particular to help with fundraising. We feel that YF representatives nominated to attend this event should have been involved with the organization of the event.

The following people have indicated willingness to help organize the event: Ben Watts, Charlotte Gordon, Suzanna Remmerswaal, Kate Harrison Price, Chris Jacques, Chris Hall, Jeremy List, Jimmy Green, Ria Pugmire, Joanne Hall, Hannah Newport, Thomas Watts, Anna Fay, Thomas Owen

The following people have expressed interest in attending the event: Ben Watts, Charlotte Gordon, Suzanna Remmerswaal, Chris Jacques, Chris Hall, Jeremy List, Jimmy Green, Ria Pugmire, Joanne Hall, Thomas Watts, Anna Fay

We would also like to financially support young friends from other nations in our section to attend this event. More information will be circulated in the future about the event and opportunities for YFs to help.

9.      We discussed the term of office for the Young Friends committee. Positions on the YF committee will be held for two years. Two of the current office holders will stay on for an extra year to ensure continuity.

Julian Carver has indicated that he intends to step down from the committee and the communications role following YF camp 2008.

The current committee roles are:

Thomas Watts (YF clerk)

Ben Watts (Co-clerk)

Julian Carver (YF communications and outreach, YF camp coordinator)

Jimmy Green (Treasurer)

10.  To facilitate closer ties with the international quaker community, we establish the position of international liaison officer. This involves gathering communications from international young friends and sharing them with Young Friends in New Zealand . It also involves informing Young Friends from New Zealand traveling abroad.of opportunities to attend Quaker events on their travels. Thomas Owen has agreed to take on this role for two years.

11.  We considered the nominations process for YF roles including those on the YF committee, representatives to international events, and YF representatives on YM committees. We agree to retain the status quo where the YF committee facilitates the YF nominations process. In addition, where there are potential conflicts of interest in nominations, those people will be replaced in that nominations discussion by another YF.

We support Julian Carver in accepting his recent nomination to Yearly Meeting nominations committee.

12.  We had lengthy discussions on climate change and sustainability. We have established conveners to carry this issue forward. These are Thomas Owen and Thomas Watts. We have established sustainability guidelines for future YF camps.  We ask the clerk to send the following minute to the Yearly Meeting Clerk.

13.  To Yearly Meeting, we strongly advocate for, and offer our assistance to the formation of an Aoteoroa NZ Testimony to Sustainability and the Earth. We also call for the development of YM policies on sustainable codes and practices in Quaker building, gatherings and events.  We ask that time be allocated to these issues at Yearly Meeting 2007.  

14.  Simon and Avon Lookmire spoke of their experiences as the New Zealand Yearly Meeting representatives to Australian YM and YF. They were supported by Grace and Hannah from Australian YM.

15.  Jimmy Green gave us report from his time on the board of WEST and Thomas Owen spoke about his new position on STAC, the     for the money, and opportunities for YFs

16.  YFs were informed that Yearly Meeting dates are 6-8th of July in Whanganui and were encouraged to attend.

17.  YFs were informed that Junior Young Friends Camp dates are 24-30th September in Christchurch.and YFs were encouraged to attend as leaders. 

18.  YFs were informed that Summer Gathering dates are 29th December to 5th January at Chosen Valley in Auckland and were encouraged to attend.

Reports: (to be held Friday night 6^th) 

• Simon, Avon and Rowan Lookmire: Australian Young Friends Camp and Australian Yearly Meeting.
• Jimmy Green: WEST.
• Thomas Owen: STAC
• YF Committee: Report back on Yearly Meeting 2006.

 'The Minute': (to be held Saturday morning 7th) 

1. Reading of 'The Minute'.
2. Reading of the Yearly Meeting YF minute.
3. Structure of Aotearoa Young Friends Meeting (discussion).
4. Elders and/or Overseers within YFs (discussion).
5. Finance - fund raising, managing the money, spending the money (discussion)

NB. This session will involve discussions in small groups, and as a whole group rather than being done as a Meeting for Worship for Business. The object is to prepare us for the business meeting rather than to make any decisions on the above.  

Main business meeting: (to held Monday morning 9th) 

1. Housekeeping: 

• Inform YFs that Yearly Meeting dates are 6-8^th of July in Whanganui. Encourage attendance.
• Inform YFs that Junior Young Friends Camp dates are 24-30^th September in Christchurch. Encourage attendance of YFs as leaders. 
• Inform YFs that Summer Gathering dates are 29^th December to 5^th January at Chosen Valley in Auckland. Encourage attendance.
• Possibility of after gathering on Waiheke Island: needs to be discussed.
• YF Camp 2008: Where will it be?

2. Aotearoa Young Friends Meeting: 

1. Structure of Aotearoa Young Friends Meeting
2. Whether to have Elders and/or Overseers within YFs.
3. Finance:
   1. fund raising
   2. how to manage the money (i.e having our own bank account)
   3. what we should spend our money on
4. Nominations – how we do nominations, e.g. YF Committee acting as the YF nominations committee, or doing it separately
5. Reporting to Yearly Meeting on YF Structure

 3. Nominations for 2007/2008 : 

1. Invite nominations for YF representative to Australian Young Friends Camp and Yearly Meeting.
2. Approve nomination of Hannah Newport as YF representative to QPSANZ
3. YF Committee:
   1. Proposal that YF committee will remain the same. Positions will be reviewed next YF camp where we will encourage two people to step down and two new people to replace them. The remaining two members will have their positions reviewed again at YF 2009, thus retaining institutional knowledge.
   2. Nominations for any new roles (International Liaison, Overseers etc)

Wellington Young Friends (SOYFA). Sunday 11 March, at the Quaker Centre, Moncrieff Street, Mount Victoria.

6 pm for meeting for worship, followed by a shared supper and then a session led by Anna Dunford about being a resident friend. There are many opportunities around the world for being a resident friend and it is something often done by young people wishing to explore the world and their faith.

All welcome! See you 6pm and bring food to share!

Ok, given this has somewhat dominated grouphug for the last few days here is what has happened so far, feel free to continue the discussion using the comments!!!

Subject: Re: [group hug] YF Camp Sessions
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:02:03 +1300

I'd like to do a session on Quaker Spirituality.

Along with the focus on YF structure, climate change and the work we do out in the world, I think it's important to look at how we focus inwardly, how our spiritual journeys inform our outward actions.

Just off the top of my head this could include things like:

• how our approaches to goals, priorities and life direction are supported by our spiritual life
• how we reconcile science and spirituality for ourselves in this post-modern world
• what an appropriate spiritual practice might be for each of us individually in our busy lives and personal journeys

This would be a fairly introspective session rather than a lot of intellectual debate. It probably won't involve chanting, candles or kaftans, but would include some silence and self reflection.

Depending on time and enthusiasm this could be a main session or an interest group.

Anyone keen to help let me know by direct email, anyone who doesn't like the idea and thinks it's far too religious let me know directly, or via grouphug.

Julian

Ahh Julian,

I know you're just waiting for this so I'm gonna surprise you lol. By all means have your crazy religious session (even the post modernism isn't enough to win me over tho)!

At the World Gathering we did this kind of thing in a 'worship sharing' format, which is like a normal Meeting except that each person speaks (if they want to) just once at some point during the silence. This rules out the possibility of discussion fairly effectively and encourages

Is there any chance we could come up with a more inclusive title for the session tho? Something without any reference to religion or spirituality? Words like 'beliefs' or 'values' spring to mind. Perhaps something about living them

Arohanui,

Leith

Posted Justin Flitter Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:35:01 +1300 (NZDT)

Morning all

Perhaps its being born on the same day of the year or something but I totally agree with leith's concept. I dont feel im a very religious person yet (i hope) my faith guides my actions and beleifs. Sharing those and hearing about how others action their faith in a modern society is interesting and motivating. The meeting for worship setting with structured topic and formate is a great idea.

Marion here,

Of course Julian asked those who agreed to contact him directly, so it hasn't been out there on grouphug....

I also like the idea of some worship sharing, but I think it should be complimented by maybe an introduction about Quakers and spirituality and maybe some discussion also. Worship sharing works well in place of discussion or ministry, as it actively encourages people to speak but also allows them to speak into silence and not have their views challenged or rubbished.

Speaking 'our' truth rather than generalising is a difficult skill to  master. It comes not only from learning to speak from an 'I' position, but also from learning to put aside our ego and listening for 'the' truth. It's not just about opinion or even just about sharing our experience. It's about listening carefully to others, and to ourselves and trying to discern where the spirit moves in and amongst all of us. I don't think it's something that comes easily, or will be there all the time, and one of the good reasons for doing worship sharing is to keep practising and to be ready and open when the spirit does move.

It is also called 'worship' sharing - which suggests we are worshipping something..... whether that is god, light, spirit, that which is beyond us, that which is within us or whatever, it is not just us espousing our opinion or ego. One of the commonest hurdles in ministry in meeting for worship is getting beyond ego and reaching for something else. It is often not achieved and I think we have all sat through meetings like this. I don't think we're looking for this perfect ideal to be there all the time, but we are

I would be disappointed if we removed the word 'spirituality' from any title as we are after all Quakers, and not a bunch of people who get together just because we share common values. Having a faith (whether it is tied to religion or not) involves believing in something for which there is no proof... for me this is my spirituality. I have grown over the years from a fairly athiest stance to one which is a little more forgiving of the unknown, and I think one of the reasons it was able to grow was by being around people who used words which were uncomfortable for me but talked about them in a way that was comfortable - this allowed for me to discuss them with people and grow (slowly) myself.

Quakers are a religious body and most have a faith. I think it is special that we can talk about and work with lots of different views especially among young people as we start our own search, but to get rid of any reference to the spirit removes some of the core values that Quakers worldwide are bound together by. If the only thing that binds us is tolerance then I think we run the risk of watering down Quakerism and never striving for the high ideals which attracted me in the first place.

There is definately a place for atheism within Quakerism, but it is within, and for me I don't want to lose the other stuff as well.

However, I also think it's wonderful that these discussions are going on.... does that mean us YF's are leading the way in philosophic and ecclesiastic discussion among NZ Friends.....

Lots of love to you all

Marion

Posted 23 Feb 2007 21:42 by Chris Gourlie

To me, each person’s journey inward is unique. The path to truly knowing ourselves, to connecting with all that exists, is totally individual, and completely right. It is very difficult to convey in words, it can really only be experienced directly. But the path can be hard and confusing, so we share it with others in faith communities to learn from and support each other in those things that are eternal.

Thank you all for the feedback on the session on spirituality, both on grouphug, and directly (of which there has been waaayyy more than I expected). There seems to be a strong desire to have a session on spirituality, and if we're going to do so, to call a "spade a spade". I think it's really important that we can accept and include everybody's views and experiences. I also think that if we become so politically correct that we can't use the term 'spirituality' at a Quaker gathering, we risk losing that which really defines us as a community. There was a strong sense in your responses that YF camp should be a place where it's safe and comfortable to talk about what god/spirit/light means to us in a mystical sense rather than an intellectual one, and that this was quite different to exploring values and beliefs.

Marion has offered to help me plan the session, and I've asked Leith to review the plan to make sure we're being as inclusive of atheist/agnostic/non-theist views as possible, and that we're not risking the majority being too influential on those who are less confident about their faith/beliefs.

If anyone else would like to help plan the session please let me know directly. The suggestions so far on worship sharing, readings, and some discussion sound great, and any other ideas about format and methods are most welcome, so please do send them to Marion or I.

If there is anyone else who is challenged or really feels uncomfortable about us using the term 'spirtuality' in the title of the session, please do let me know.

I look forward to seeing you all at YF.

Totoranui, Golden Bay, South Island

Even with two JYF camps already under many of our belts most people who attended the camp could not deny that the weaving of activities and location with the theme was perhaps the tightest merging possible. In an isolated environment like Totoranui two hours away from any convenient store or cellular telephone reception, people were forced sometimes unwillfully to engage with their immediate surroundings and do as the theme suggested “more with less” . The outdoor activities were mostly generated by the imagination of Albie Burgers who pulled many people out of their immediate comfort zones. Be it kayaking in the open sea, planting 120 trees or doing a 15-minute ropewalk through the bush without the use of our eyes ignited the glorious spirit of adventure.

By providing the camp with a highly relevant theme and compiling people that usually would never have the chance to meet, people ended up relishing the differences from their usual company. With such an accepting environment many people were able to be themselves and express their own opinions to accepting and open minded listeners. This ranged from highly scripted and predictable to highly intellectual and politically aware discussion. When compared to other camps, Totoranui was far less structured which was a welcomed contrast to the previous year.

The lush native bush, great golden sands and beautiful blue sea surrounding our location was certainly inspiring to many environmental activists and was aided by the flamboyant guest speaker Green MP Mike Ward sharing his ideals. But perhaps more inspiring was Albie Burgers’ demonstrating simple yet effective and bizarrely cheap methods through his inventions to save electricity in the realm of solar heating.

Without any interruptions from combustion vehicles or other creators of unwanted distractions, Quaker silences were actually… silent. Many people took this opportunity to gather their thoughts and emotions, this process aided people by supplying them with the courage and determination to express themselves in whatever way they saw fit.

Overall most people would be hard pressed to argue that JYF didn’t make them a more complete, kinder and when all was said and done, a better person. Hopefully.

(posted by Anna, but written, as far as I know, by Jesse & Johnny! Sorry it's taken me so long to put up...)

www.peacewellington.tk

www.converge.org.nz/pma/nowarp.htm

www.indymedia.org.nz

To read an amazing letter which the Students for Justice in Palestine wrote to the Manager of Te Papa visit:http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/71640/index.php

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3789971a10,00.html

This is a little random . . . but hopefully interesting! I've been thinking lately about marriage/civil unions and how they fit with my beliefs. I just had a look at the Births, Deaths and Marriages website (Dept. of Internal Affairs) www.bdm.govt.nz and found the following information about organisations that are exempt from the standard requirements around marriage/civil unions. My understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that Quakers are one of these groups. I'm not entirely sure what form the Quaker exemption takes, so if anybody knows please could they post it here?! The basic tone of my wonderings is this:

1. Do I feel a standard marriage/civil union would fit comfortably with my beliefs?

2. If not, would a Quaker wedding/civil union?

3. If not, is anybody else in the same boat, and should we start up a new 'body' and apply for a new exemption so that we could have important and legally recognised ceremonies of this sort that are consistent with our beliefs/values?

My current feeling is that I don't quite like standard marriage/CU requirements because you have to say who you're being married "by". If I get married I intend to marry myself, lol, not be acted upon by some random third party. Even if that 3rd party was Quakers, I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with that. I've been reading again about medieval marriage and it appeals to me that, historically, any two people could marry each other by simply making a statement to that effect. I know this will seem really petty to some people, but it really grates on me that I can't just do that! When did the other rules sneak in?

Anyway, looking forward to hearing your wise words, and here's the bit about exempt bodies from the Civil Union Act 2004 (available on line from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/browse_vw.asp?content-set=pal_statutes&clientid=157055&viewtype=contents)

Civil Union Act 2004

Section 1.

EXEMPT BODIES

1.Application to become exempt body—

(1)A body that wishes to become an exempt body must apply to the Registrar-General for exemption in the prescribed form.

(2)The application must set out—

(a)the name and contact address of the body; and

(b)the objects and beliefs of the body; and

(c)the approximate number of its members who are of or over the age of 16; and

(d)an explanation of why the objects and beliefs of the body are inconsistent with the requirements of this Act for the solemnisation of a civil union; and

(e)the rules and procedures that the body proposes to apply when solemnising a civil union.

(3)The application must be signed by at least 10 members of the body who are of or over the age of 16, each of whom must give their age and address, and the signatures must be accompanied by a statutory declaration, signed by a person who is not a member, to the effect that the signatories are who they claim to be and are members of the body.

2.Registrar-General or Minister may grant exemption—

(1)The Registrar-General may agree to grant the exemption applied for if any prescribed application fee is paid and the Registrar-General is satisfied that—

(a)the objects and beliefs of the body are inconsistent with the requirements of this Act for the solemnisation of a civil union; and

(b)the rules and procedures that the body proposes to apply when solemnising a civil union are generally consistent with this Act and are otherwise satisfactory.

(2)If the Registrar-General fails or refuses to agree to exempt the body, he or she must refer the matter to the Minister.

(3)The Minister must agree to grant the exemption sought if he or she is satisfied as to the matters referred to in subclause (1), but, if the Minister is not so satisfied, he or she must refuse the application.

(4)The Registrar-General must advise the applicant of the result of the application.

(5)When the Registrar-General or the Minister agrees to exempt a body from the requirements of this Act for the solemnisation of a civil union, the Registrar-General must give notice in the Gazette of that fact, and the body is exempt from the date specified in the notice.

3.Exempt body to notify changes—

(1)An exempt body must notify the Registrar-General if—

(a)it changes its name; or

(b)it changes its objects and beliefs in a way that impacts on why it considers that the requirements of this Act for the solemnisation of a civil union are inconsistent with those objects and beliefs; or

(c)it changes its rules and procedures for solemnising civil unions.

(2)If the body notifies the Registrar-General that it has changed its name, the Registrar-General must give notice of that fact in the Gazette.

(3)The Registrar-General must ask the Minister to cancel the exemption of an exempt body if the Registrar-General is satisfied that,—

(a)as a result of changes referred to in subclause (1)(b) or (c), the body should no longer be an exempt body; or (b)the body has failed to conduct one or more civil unions in accordance with its rules and procedures as most recently notified to the Registrar-General.

(4)If the Minister decides that the body should no longer be an exempt body, the Registrar-General must give notice in the Gazette that the body is no longer an exempt body, and notify the body accordingly.

(5)A body ceases to be an exempt body on the date on which the notice referred to in subclause (4) is published in the Gazette.

16.Solemnisation by exempt body—

(1)A civil union may be solemnised by an exempt body if it is solemnised in accordance with the rules and procedures of the body as most recently notified to the Registrar-General in accordance with Schedule 1.

(2)When a civil union is solemnised by an exempt body, the obligations imposed on civil union celebrants by section 62B of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act 1995 must be performed by the person or office holder, or in the manner, as set out in the rules and procedures of the exempt body that have been most recently notified to the Registrar-General in accordance with Schedule 1.

How precious is an hour of Meeting for Worship (or what ever you care to call it) each week?

At the Young Friends group in Wellington yesterday we talked about the meeting and what we valued about it. We also talked about how our physical behaviour contributed to our experience. In small groups we talked a little about all sorts of things including those of us who fidgeted through the whole hour, those who struggled to be on time each week, and those who loved the few times they felt really still and centred.

We wondered about whether we have any 'rules' of behaviour for Meeting, and if these are necessary. Do we need complete silence to gather together; is it the silence that's important, or the being together?Does it matter if people are coming in late for up to half an hour? Does it matter if people make a lot of noise with their clothes, sweet wrappers or books during Meeting?

We also wondered about whether it is good to have some people in the meeting whose task it is to specifically uphold the 'worship' or 'gatheredness'. Traditionally people have been asked to do this and these people were called Elders. Now Elders have a lot more 'jobs' in the Meeting, and this isn't their only role. Other people say 'everyone's an elder' so you don't need people who are concentrating on it specifically, as everybody should be.......

If we are going to only meet together once a week for an hour (or less), is it worth taking collective responsibility to be on time and share that whole time together, or are we too busy these days to make that sort of commitment? Is everyone only responsible for and accountable to, themselves, or is there collective resopnsibility and accountability? Is Meeting for Worship a free for all, with everything said in ministry or done during the hour OK, or are there some boundaries? (mostly unwritten...this is Quakers after all....!!!) Of course if you bring up any scenario, there will always be an exception in which it was alright, but can there be some general guidelines, or do we not need them? Do we value or even need any structure?

If we don't need any guidelines to help further our spiritual journey together, then do we need people to be elders. Are they an outdated modality and we have now moved on. Is tolerance the only thing we can agree on, so we don't ask for any other commonality between us for fear of scaring people away? Is tolerance the only tenet of Quakerism or is the Spirit and our collective as well as individual understanding of it important?

These are some of the areas we are exploring in Wellington Meeting as we try to find the right way forward for our meeting for worship and our elders.

About 20 people were at the SOYFA group last night, and I'm sure some of them will have additions to this posting. There were lots of interesting stories and ideas. Many of you weren't there - is this something worth exploring, or is it not relevant to us as YF's?

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts......

Marion

(PS there's an article on the history of elders in Quakers, which I can post here if people want me to....)

In Wellington this Sunday (9 July) I will be leading a session with our YF group about 'Quakers on the internet', looking at the blogs and other resources available. As part of the session we will be doing a short 'Online Meeting for Worship', at some point between 8.30pm and 9pm. It would be lovely if you could join us - either in person: Wellington Quaker Centre, Moncrieff St, 6pm for 'normal' Meeting for Worship, 6.30pm for shared meal (bring food...) and 7.30pm for discussion, or in person online: http://worship.quaker.org , 8.30pm onwards. And if you can't make it at that time, have a look at the site anyway, as there is often a meeting going on at all sorts of times (and places - this is an international site, and bear in mind that the time zones don't seem to be quite right at the moment)

Hope to see you (somewhere) soon,

Hey People

The following posts are questions we would like you to post responses to.

They are all related to giving us a firmer idea and understanding of why we as a collective group want to become a formal structure in our own right.

The more feedback the better so the Young Friends Committee can take it to Yearly Meeting and answer with confidence the questions we invisage being asked!

Ultimately the information that we gather from this will also start to drive actual process of becoming "Aotearoa New Zealand Young Friends Meeting"

cheers! Ben (on behalf of the YF Committee)

Present at the meeting were: Thomas Watts, Ben Watts, Julian Carver, Sue Stover (as YF support person)

Apologies: Jim Green

The following is the basic outcomes of that meeting:

THE ROLES:

YF Clerk: Thomas Watts - Ongoing tasks include clerking meetings, liaising with YM clerk, keeping in touch with the other members of the YF committee, and staying on top of all YF business.

Assistant YF Clerk: Ben Watts - Ongoing tasks include taking and distributing minutes from YF meetings, creating agendas before those meetings, receiving and distributing information for YF's generally.

Communications: Julian Carver - Ongoing task include maintaining and expanding the existing communication networks. Julian is also going to act as YF Camp support person, and assist the treasurer.

Treasurer: Jim Green - Ongoing tasks will include keeping thumb on YF funds, keeping track of YF camp auditing, and liaising with YM treasurer.

Those who expressed interest in being involved with the committee but didn't want to take an explicit role on the committee have been noted and will be contacted to help out when the need arises. The YF Committee will actively seek assistance on jobs not directly related to their job descriptions.

TERMS:

We decided that appointments should be for 2 years and will run from YF Camp to YF Camp - so we will look for new people to take on the YF committee roles at YF Camp 2008. However this may need to be reviewed as a complete overhaul of the committee would remove all the institutional knowledge.. so maybe people should just have their positions reviewed or something..

YF SUPPORT PERSON:

Sue Stover has indicated that she is not comfortable remaining YF support person with two of her children also on the committee and has decided to step down from her position.

There are two options from here:

1. Appoint a new YF Support Person

2. We decide that we are a stable enough committee, confident to exist without a YF Support Person.

INTERACTION WITH THE YF GROUP

We intend to communicate with the whole YF group prior to and post committee meetings. This will be the main way decisions are made, with the committee generally just playing a coordination role.

All YF’s are welcome to attend YF committee meetings and are encouraged to do so. Some committee meetings will be held in person, and some by phone conference. The funding from Yearly Meeting to travel to these meeting will generally only be available to those on the committee however if there are people who really need to be there to speak to particular issues, financial assistance for travel may be able to be considered.

PRO-ACTIVENESS

The issue of "How pro-active do we want to be?" i.e. organizing events for YFs etc. was raised. However, with the move to becoming our own general meeting on the cards, it sounds like there is going to be plenty for us to be pro-active about, particularly in the lead up to Yearly Meeting where we foresee plenty of debate and discussion occurring. Hence we want to be in the best possible position of understanding about what it is we're trying to achieve when we get to Yearly Meeting.

YEARLY MEETING:

The YF Committee will meet again in full at Yearly Meeting along with the other YFs present. Thomas is going to talk with Lynn Richards about what our session needs to include, and if could be solely about "The Minute"? And also to find out whether Jimmy's report back about Aussie YM/YF is expected to in that presentation time slot.

We want to be well prepared for this presentation and the likely questioning that will arise. So we need to establish the Why? What? How? Who? aspects of our desire to become a general meeting in order to field these questions with understanding and confidence. In order to do this we will utilize the available internet communications networks, and talk to YF’s around NZ so that we will feel as though we are accurately representing YF’s at Yearly Meeting.

- more soon. a PDF of this will uploaded onto grouphug if you want to download that. Will keep everyone posted about YF issues and YM. cheerz ...ben!

Ooh - I just got mail!

From Penelope Dunkley who says that there is room for 6 YF's to sleep at the Nelson meeting house. She also says that the deadline for getting in registration is the 30th of June. I've got a blank registration form, which I can scan and send to anyone - or even better go have a look inside the NZ Friend's newsletter - there's one there on the middlest pages, so you can just rip it out.

Schweeet.

Thomas.  

To Friends everywhere,

New Zealand Young Friends gathered over Easter in 2006, nestled in the Kahuterawa valley outside of Palmerston North. There were 37 of us in total, but the people grew around us as Friends graced us with their presence, then returned to their lives.

We relied on the hospitality and goodwill of Friends to make our camp a success and to Alastair and Anne Hall, we thank you for letting us into your home and into your hearts. We were part of the environment, engaging in the regrowth of native plants and the regrowth of ourselves.  

For many, Young Friends camp is one of the few instances where time freezes, enabling us to interact without the pressure of the outside world.  

We felt that with the wind in the trees, and the songs in the air, we could change things. And we are changing. For half a day, we pursued an elusive minute which heralds a new dawning for Young Friends in New Zealand.

We hope this epistle finds you well.

We’re part of the Wellington-based- but-with-other-interested-people committee which is planning the next Summer Gathering, which will be in Silverstream (Hutt Valley) from 28 December to 5 January.

One of the things we would like to do this year is integrate the age groups more in each other’s activities and one of the ways we aim to do this is by giving the evening sessions/activities more of a YF focus. We envisage that this could mean that sessions might be run by YFs, but don’t panic if the idea of this would make you run away in terror… however we definitely want suggestions and feedback about the planning and structure so that everyone gets a chance to contribute. And if you would like to run session(s), or can suggest somebody else who might be good, let us know!

The theme is broadly ‘HISTORY’; with specific focus on the three areas of: international Quaker history; our own history of Quakers in New Zealand; plus, as it’s the 50th anniversary of Summer Gathering – celebrating the stories and memories of past Summer Gatherings.

We will be exploring these ideas at our next meeting, which will be in Wellington on Saturday 17 June, 10-4 at the Quaker Centre (bring lunch), and everyone is welcome to come, or let us know your thoughts beforehand if you can’t make it in person. There’s the blog (ie comment below), there’s the Grouphug email list, or our Committee email: summergathering@gmail.com or you could be old-fashioned and actually speak to us!

Looking forward to hearing from you, Frances (H), Marion, Anna, Quentin, Bridie

I've finally got round to uploading a few pictures from YF camp, and some more from general YF stuff in Wellington over the last few weeks. They are on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75455666@N00/ and tagged with either 'yfcamp2006' or 'yfs'.

Love, Frances

Australian Young Friends met both before and during Australian Yearly Meeting held in Brisbane in January this year. Australian YFs are involved in many of the activities of the YM, including issues around child protection, sexual abuse and misconduct and the fun and singing throughout the week. This year, many of us are particularly excited about International Quakerism. With six Australians at the WGYF in Lancaster, one at the WGYF in Kenya, and one YF at the (FWCC AWP) Section gathering in Korea, we are feeling excited about strengthening connections within the Region.

One of the ideas that came out of all this international Quakerism is to have an Asia West Pacific YF gathering. We hope this will happen at the same time as the next section gathering, in Bhopal 2008. At this stage, we are looking to make contact with each YM in the section, so would love to hear from at least one YF in each Yearly Meeting. We would like input from all YFs in the section and in the next few months will be making contact with YFs throughout the AWPS. If you are interested in being involved in organising, or willing to be an initial contact person for your YM, please contact:

Emily Chapman-Searle, em8smem@yahoo.com or Hannah Chapman-Searle, hanspan333@yahoo.com.au

love & light Anna

One-Year Internship Position at Friends General Conference (mid July 2006- mid July 2007)

Friends General Conference nourishes the spiritual lives of Friends and Friends meetings in the unprogrammed tradition throughout North America. The internship is offered by the Publications and Distribution Program with additional duties under the care of the Committee for Ministry on Racism.

Brief Description of the internship In 2007 Quaker Press of FGC launches a major new book— Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: The Relationship between African Americans and the Religious Society of Friends from the Colonial Period to the Present (working title). Quaker Press anticipates that this two volume set of books will be of interest both within and beyond the Religious Society of Friends. The intern will assist the publications manager with promoting the book, setting up book signings, author events and other events as appropriate. She/he will learn about book marketing: researching mailing lists, preparing marketing copy, doing follow-up calls to bookstores, meetings and reviewers, placing advertisements, etc. In addition, she/he will assist the staff coordinator for the Committee for Ministry on Racism to use the book and accompanying study guide with monthly, quarterly and yearly meeting to address issues of racism within the Religious Society of Friends.

Qualifications: A member of the Religious Society of Friends - with some experience of the wider Quaker world, - some experience working against racism, - share an understanding and concern for working against racism - have completed several complex projects involving research.

Skills: marketing work requires: - excellent research skills - excellent listening skills - writing clearly and to the point - experience working with computer programs in word processing, data base management and Excel - ability to multitask and network - excellence with details, flexible and able to deal with the unexpected - personable and confident on the phone - able to handle a lot of follow up and follow through while remaining organized

Timing: begin around July 17, 2006 for approximately one year, ending with the option of attending the FGC 2007 Gathering in River Falls, WI July 1-7, 2007. Hours: Full time: 35 hours/week, 5 days/week Compensation: Salary $1500/month with benefits including health insurance Application Deadline: 5 pm, May 30, 2006

Application process Send a letter stating your interest in this internship, experience with Quaker projects both in and beyond your monthly meeting, work you’ve participated in against racism and relevant marketing and research skills. Please include a resume of education, jobs and volunteer work and a list of 3-5 references with e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

Applications can be sent to: Barbara Hirshkowitz Friends General Conference 1216 Arch Street, 2B Philadelphia, PA 19107

Applications must be received by 5pm on May 30, 2006. Interviews will be schedule in early June with a decision anticipated by mid-June. Start date in mid July.

We all thought someone else was bringing them to Wellington.... sooooooooooo sorry

Fran G - I've got yours, Zanna left it with me! =)

Dear Thomas,

Most interesting!

You have not missed White Papers since I am working on them right now, collating into the text all the Monthly Meeting and Committee reports. I am very happy to incorporate your minute.
I do have some stuff from Marion so that needs to go in also.

When I was trying to work out how YM Nominations could be more systematic I wrote a paper and sent it out with the 2005 February YM Clerk's letter, but it was a lead balloon. However, you'll be interested to know that  it contained a suggestion that YFs be included in the process when we are trying to find a suitable "name" (Quaker talk for a person!) for some particular job. I thought that idea also had never got over the thought-horizon but suddenly it has been suggested that a YF (or perhaps just a "younger person") should be on YM Nominations Committee. An idea whose time has come?

I will be pleased to have you talk to the ideas in your minutes at Yearly Meeting.  I will not be able to tell you until Gold Papers come out in early July where exactly in the programme agenda YFs will fit, but probably on Saturday afternoon.

Good to hear from you

Walk cheerfully,

Llyn

(posted by Thomas)

I've uploaded (most of) my photo's to Flickr now (Ben you'll be glad to know I left the most unflattering ones off =) !) Julian has done the same and you can see both lots at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/yfcamp2006/

If anyone else uses Flickr and is uploading their pics add the tag yfcamp2006 and they'll show up here too =)

arohanui Anna D

I'll be honest. I couldn't find all the material. In fact, I couldn't find very much of it at all. So, if there are names I have left off the YM committee nominations please tell me (or you could even edit them yourselves!) - as a side note how exactly do we turn these into a committee and am I YF coordinator - it hasn't quite been discussed properly? 

Also, if there are any other minutes, that we made that you cannot see - apart from THE minute, then please tell me :D

Those gathered here feel led to express our belief that Young Friends are a distinct entity and would like to be recognised as a formal structure in our own right; a status Young Friends have within other Yearly Meetings.

We are considering calling ourselves Aotearoa/New Zealand Young Friend’s meeting.

We are guided by the definition of a General Meeting used in Britain, but do not feel we are limited by this.

We ask your loving support through this process.

Comments? Criticisms? Rubber Stamping? All welcome.

May God hold you all in the light.

(Thomas)