Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)

Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, George Fox University and Mennonite Central Committee present:

Christians and Immigration in a Land of Contradictions

A Call to Biblical Action

Join with other concerned Christians as we educate ourselves about immigration in the United States. Together we will examine details of immigration law and history, hear first-hand stories about the immigrant experience and be inspired by fellow Christians working to share the love of Christ with our immigrant brothers and sisters.

• View the discussion blog.
• Plan to attend the conference, October 1-2, 2010, George Fox University

Join us at Yearly Meeting sessions, July 25-29, at George Fox University. Activites for all ages includes:

• Childcare
• Camp Tilikum
• Youth Yearly Meeting (check out their invitation video!)
• worship and workshops.

Read all about it at our YM page, or register online. Printed schedules and other information are available in the just-arrived Yearly Meeting booklet at your church.

We hope to see you there!

BYOT (Bring your own tent)
by Emily Smith

What could a young adult from the Northwest love more than a camping trip? Maybe a camping trip with all the meals provided for, a sunny swimming hole, a variety of rafts and kayaks, and good friends. Oh, and the luxury of indoor bathrooms.

Once a year the young adults in the area enjoy a weekend camping trip on a private property bordered by the Molalla River. It has proven to be a great way for friends to reconnect, and to usher in the new group of young adults, the high school graduates. There is no schedule to hamper the fun, and plenty of food, games and rafting to enhance it.

Last year we spent many leisurely hours on the water, kayaking up and down the stream, lying on the huge donut raft, and reading. People came and went throughout the weekend as they were available. As the days drew to a close we enjoyed bon fires, roasting marshmallows, singing worship songs together and playing games.

The BYOT is a laid back weekend away from the ordinary with some pretty extraordinary people.

See pictures here.

Several of our churches are involved with community gardens this summer, providing opportunity to build relationships with their neighbors while meeting very real needs for nutritious food.









Please feel free to contact the people below, or leave comments and have a dialogue here on this page.

Those we are aware of include:

• Reedwood (view their garden page or contact Susan Hathaway )
• Klamath Falls – Jill Sebatian
• George Fox University (contact Corey Beals)
• Metolius (Deb Mulkey)
• Sherwood (view their garden page, or contact Tim and Christine Brandt).
• Sprague River- Tonya Henry
• Netarts Friends- Mike Kelly
• CrossRhythm Friends (Annapolis)- Senate Fouty

Harold and Marilyn Antrim, (Sherwood Friends) married for nearly 60 years, and Pat and Patti Paz, (Meridian Friends) married for 20, share some reflections on their relationships.


“I, Harold, take thee, Marilyn, to be my wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband as long as we both shall live.”
“I, Marilyn, take thee, Harold, to be my husband, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful wife as long as we both shall live.”
These wedding vows we made to each other nearly 60 years ago have been the basis for our marriage conduct through the times of dramatic vocational changes, unexpected moves, and serious illnesses, along with everyday normal and stressful living raising four wonderful children. Continue reading …

Karen McConaughey works for Newberg Friends Church as pastor to seniors. She also has a private counseling practice.

Divorce. It used to be a word that was whispered and clothed in shame and judgment. Now the word and event is more commonplace, and we probably don’t think about it very much. In my counseling practice working with children, teens, and adults, divorce is one of the most painful experiences for all ages. Spouses have told me that it would have been easier to deal with the death of a spouse than a divorce.

As Christians we often feel ambivalent about divorce. We believe that marriage is a covenant, a commitment for life. However, we do not always see what pornography or violence, abuse, or sexual relations outside of marriage do to the life, soul, and body of the spouse. Pornography is becoming more of a major issue in divorce. These actions break the bonds of oneness and protection. Continue reading …

Karen Oberst is a member of Klamath Falls Friends Meeting, and is an author of several books and poems. She writes frequently for the Connection.

Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician once said: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” How do you react to that statement? Your answer may depend on whether you are married or single.

There are many kinds of singleness. Some people are between marriages, some are widows or widowers, or some may simply never have found that special someone no matter how hard they tried.

But I want to talk about those of us who are single by choice. Continue reading …

The work we do together as Friends in NWYM is centered on a few important themes. When asked to summarize them I usually say this: We seek to know and obey Jesus, love and support each other, and carry out God’s mission in the world. These are, in large part, how God is at work in the world in and through us on both a local and on a yearly meeting level.

The actual mission statement of NWYM actually states it this way:
NWYM is a covenantal community of evangelical Friends churches that make Jesus Christ known by:

Figuring out what that looks like on a daily and annual basis, however, has more to do with our “vision statement.” Continue reading …

“They were scattered because there was no shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:5). As I read those words several years age, my heart was stirred to reach out to the scattered ones. Following God’s heart, my husband and I started praying for the people we knew who were once part of a faith community, but had walked away. We were led to create an opportunity for sharing a weekly meal and honest communication with people who don’t feel comfortable in a traditional church service.

Hosting a gathering has been a learning experience. Continue reading …

by Judy M

“How did you know?” she asked me. How did I know to marry J.M.? This student, a young Russian woman in an advanced English conversation class, seemed to be trying to figure it all out on a very personal level.

I was at a loss to explain. I had promised the teacher who invited me that I would speak to her students slowly and distinctly, not in my usual “Amuric’n” accent. But how could I explain that in any language? Finally I said, “He was the best of my father.”

But did I know this thirty years ago? Did I know it on that August afternoon when I said “before God and these friends, I, Judith, take thee, J.M., to be my husband?” Continue reading …