News and Announcements

June 5, 2010

The annual youth volleyball tournament brought 12 teams from around Northwest Yearly Meeting to Hayden Lake, Idaho, for fellowship and tough competition. The competitive “Quaker Division” was won by Newberg Friends in their ninja t-shirts. Rose Valley Friends (Kelso, WA) was a close second place. Meridian Friends took home the sportsmanship award. A combined Newberg area church team won the less-competitive “Friends Division,” with Caldwell/Star (another combined team) walking away with that division’s sportsmanship award. Each year the tournament will rotate to a different region of the yearly meeting, allowing different Areas to host the event. Thanks goes to Harry Selby (River of Life) and Buddy Holton (Hayden Lake) for their great leadership in putting this tournament together.

On April 24, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Angel Diaz (Latino Ministries Coordinator for NWYM) was named Executive Secretary of the Ministerial Alliance for Friends in North America (AMANA). Angel will fill this position for two years, with the option to be reelected. The next gathering of this alliance of more than 50 Spanish-speaking Friends churches will be in Bell, California, October 13-16, 2010. NWYM will host the gathering in 2012. Luis Gavin, who has worked with Angel in pastoring in Portland, has been selected to represent the Northwest. More than 1000 people are expected at the California conference, where both Angel and Luis will be featured speakers.

Three young adults are assisting with ministry at the yearly meeting office this summer. Emily Smith (left), will be providing administrative support for Rachelle Staley, associate superintendent of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. J Rourke (GFU senior) is the summer youth intern and will be attending youth camps and assisting at Youth Yearly Meeting. Sarah Klatt, (recent graduate of GFU), is our media specialist, conducting interviews and creating video and slide-show presentations of ministries around the yearly meeting.

Jon Maroni (Newberg Friends) and Colleen Young (Eugene Friends), leaders for Youth Challenged to Expand their Worldview (YCEW) will be taking nine students from around NWYM to Aguascallientes, Mexico, flying out on June 30. This team will be working alongside Evangelical Friends Mission missionaries learning about the culture and how the church in Mexico is currently being impacted. The team will be returning July 19, before attending Youth Yearly Meeting. Please keep them in your prayers as they raise both financial and prayer support.

Youth Challenged through Local Service (YCLS) is placing youth from around NWYM to work with those marginalized by poverty and homelessness in Portland, Oregon. Anna Knierim (Sherwood Friends) and Forrest Cammack (Tigard Friends) will be leading this team of high school students in partnership with BridgeTown ministries to learn about meeting needs and building relationships with people outside their comfort zones. The team will be active June 21-27.

On May 1, six NWYM Friends students graduated from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Brent Bly (pastor of Star Friends) received a Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership; Masters in Spiritual Formation went to Bruce and Cathy Crawford (Cherry Grove), Donann Warren (Reedwood), and Deborah Powell (Eugene). Amy Rasmussen (RiversWay) achieved a Master of Divinity degree.

After a series of successful interviews and a careful discernment process, Carole Spencer, director of the Friends Center at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, has accepted a faculty position at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana. Carole has been a member of the seminary teaching community for 14 years and director of the Friends Center for two. During that time, she has distinguished herself as an excellent professor and administrator, and she will be sorely missed. NWYM remains committed to the vital role that the Friends Center will play in overall leadership development and in the preparation of effective pastors for Friends churches. As the Friends Center moves into a new season, there is also an opportunity to reassess the scope of the ministry and consider ways the seminary and the Yearly Meeting may deepen their partnership in this work.In this interim period, the role of the Friends Center Director will be filled by Colin Saxton, the superintendent of NWYM. By shifting some responsibilities within the NWYM staff, he will be freed up to oversee the current work of the Friends Center and work alongside the advisory committee to discern future direction. Students interested in the Friends Center program can contact Colin Saxton.

The Board of Congregational Care plans to honor all marriages within NWYM that have reached the 50-year milestone! If you are aware of such celebrations in your church this year, please contact board clerk, Arden Kinser.

The Board of Leadership Development and Enrichment is expanding its mentoring program for leaders. If you have ministry experience in pastoring, youthwork, recording, eldering, or clerking, or if you would like a mentor, please contact Trey Doty, board clerk, tdoty@georgefox.edu.

Resources for developing parenting skills and strengthening marriages and engagements, are available via the NWYM Lending Library. Check out the “Congregational Care” resources. Parenting with Love and Logic is one resource available, along with personal training by Delonna Halliday (Olympic View Friends, Tacoma, WA). Delonna is a member of the Board of Congregational Care.

Chris Hinderliter (Melba Friends) is working on a yearly meeting-wide camp for 18-21 year-olds. The intention is to help YAFs fellowship and worship together while processing the transitional issues they face. College Camp 2010 will take place at Quaker Hill Camp in McCall, Idaho on July 9-11. The camp is open to non-students as well as to students and, due to facility limitations, theyare not able to accommodate married couples. The theme of the camp is “Being Good vs. Being Good” and will focus on the difference between acting good and having a heart that God is making good. Cost is $45. A simple registration process can be completed here.

Registration for Yearly Meeting sessions is now available online. The cut-off date for Tilikum is June 26, and spaces are filling up quickly.
• To register: nwfriends.org/registration
• For information on the sessions: www.nwfriends/ym-sessions