December 2012–January 2013 Connection by Blake Estep

On Becoming a Christian by Arthur Roberts, North Valley Friends

December 2012– January 2013

NW YM CONNECTION

Vol. 5, Issue 4

This is written for people who do not consider themselves Christian, but are open. You may be one of these persons. If so, thanks for taking time to read this. Thanks, also, for sidestepping hucksters, hypocrites, political opportunists, and others who give Christianity a bad name. Would it be accurate to say you admire Jesus and think the earth would be a better place if people took Him seriously? To admire Jesus does not make one a Christian, but it's a start. Jesus does have a lot of appeal. The calendar acknowledges His influence. Even profanity offers backhanded respect. As we do today, Jesus' first followers struggled to define this awesome divine-human Person. They called Him Messiah, Christ, Son of God, Savior, Lord. One of His closest companions, John, favored the term "Light.” I like that term, too, and will use it to describe five steps in becoming a Christian. But first consider the term. Light penetrates darkness, enabling us to see our way. Light brings warmth. In fact, it is basic to physical life. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” What did He mean? Well, this at least, that His ways of love and truth are as central to life as the sun, and that neither the coldness of hate nor the darkness of deceit can overcome them. Light overcomes darkness. Good overcomes evil. Jesus was put to death on a Roman cross. Such is darkness; evil seems to win. Sometimes darkness seems to triumph over the Light—but not for long. God raised Jesus from the dead; such is light. Christians celebrate this triumph of the good over evil every Easter. But Easter is more than ritual observance. Christians draw upon the power of the Resurrection daily. They also believe that Jesus Christ continues to be present with His followers as they worship and witness in His name.

The urgings toward Christ arise from within as well as from without. If the life of Jesus Christ mirrors your own deepest yearnings after truth and love, then you are being drawn to the Light.

Step One: Being Drawn to the Light People are drawn to the Light of Christ like storm-driven sailors to a beacon, like winter travelers to a warm fire. People are drawn to Jesus because love and truth appeal more than hatred and deceit. Skeptics and cynics may explain darkness, but they do not warm our hearts; they do not draw out the best in us. They do not lead us toward life Continued on page 2

On Becoming a Christian

Plain and Simple

(Continued from page 1)

by Eric Muhr, Newberg Friends

but toward death. And even when we justify hatred or deceit, for ourselves, or for others, a glance at Jesus makes us regret, or even question the necessity. The urgings toward Christ arise from within as well as from without. If the life of Jesus Christ mirrors your own deepest yearnings after truth and love, then you are being drawn to the Light. You have taken the first step toward becoming a Christian. Step Two: Being Judged by the Light

Step Three: Being Convinced by the Light Such penitence is prelude to the third step, being convinced by the Light. Without a satisfying intellectual convincement about Christ, guilt trips can lead simply to new captivities—drugs, debt, sexual misadventure, cult involvement, or over dependence on human counselors.... This is only part of the entire article. To read the rest, please go to nwfriends.org/connection and look for this article. Reprinted with the permission of Barclay Press.

PHOTO : JOEL BOCK

Light is not always welcomed. A police flashlight is bad news to a thief. Good lighting shows up flaws in shoddy painting. The glare of publicity can embarrass a careless administrator. Sometimes we feel more comfortable with Jesus at a distance than up close. Why? Because we are ashamed of what that Light reveals about our motives and our conduct. Jesus said people “love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” When you come to think about it Jesus does force us to face in ourselves what we do not like to acknowledge. Call it sin. We have to Arthur O. Roberts, admit evil is not just out there someplace, or among other people. a Friends ministerSome of it is within us. Although the Light judges, it does not conhistorian, taught for demn. It is more like an X ray detecting broken bones or laser beam many years at George Fox University, and penetrating the eye to provide corrective surgery. God uncovers our has written numerous sin in order that it might be forgiven. God exposes our brokenness articles and books, in order to restore to wholeness. False guilt brings only neurosis, but including Exploring Heaven and Through true guilt acknowledged before God brings freedom. Such penitence Flaming Sword: the life releases from moral bondage. Whether we invent our own moral law and legacy of George or affirm universal principles, our knowledge of the good exceeds our Fox. He and his wife, Fern, are residents of power to attain the good. Friendsview Retire“Gospel” literally means “good news.” It is good news to be freed ment Community. from the guilt and grip of sin. An old proverb reads: “Better the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy.” Christians find the wounds of Jesus to be the wounds of a friend. To borrow a phrase from computer talk, the Gospel is user-friendly. To accept judgment by the Light is to take the second step toward becoming a Christian.

In the early 19th century, Quakers opposed slavery. But active opposition created tension with traditional testimonies. Helping an escaped slave, for instance, sometimes created pressure to bear false witness. Or to bear arms. The ensuing disagreement between what historian Errol T. Elliott has called the activists and the gradualists led some Friends to give up their membership, while other Friends lost their membership. Meetings were split. American Friends at North Carolina’s Rich Square Monthly Meeting minuted in 1843 that they did not “allow their members to hold slaves,” but neither did they allow interference “with the system of slavery.” The larger yearly meeting minuted its condemnation in that same year of “those Friends who had given ‘shelter improperly’ to slaves.” That, too, was the year that Indiana Yearly Meeting would split over the issue of slavery. Hundreds of Indiana Quakers would leave their yearly meeting and start a new one, the Indiana Yearly Meeting of Anti-Slavery Friends. Of course, they would argue they’d been kicked out. Eric Muhr serves NewAt issue was the Underground Railroad. Support for the Unberg Friends as the pasderground Railroad was viewed by many as a form of religious tor of youth ministries. extremism. Initially, Friends worked together to fight the “Black Laws.” These laws, first enacted in Ohio, required that any free person of African descent obtain and carry certain court documents for employment and residency. These laws fined those who helped fugitive slaves. But Levi Coffin called Quakers to a greater cause. He had personally witnessed the separation of a slave woman from her child, resulting in his resolution “to labor in this cause until the end of my days.” For 30 years, he served as an unofficial president of the Underground Railroad. Many Friends joined him. Their activism resulted in an 1841 minute by Indiana Yearly Meeting: “As the subject of slavery is producing great excitement in our land, we again tenderly advise our dear friends not to join in associations.” The following year, an enforcing minute was approved, excluding from service on committees, any who identified themselves as abolitionists. Coffin and hundreds of others simply started a new yearly meeting. There was reconciliation, with the two yearly meetings effectively recombined by 1857. But old wounds heal slowly. There are still those who call us to orthodoxy. There are others who argue that faith without works is dead. Quakers today can look back on our history with pride. What we forget are the compromises that were made, the internal rancor that often boiled up into battles for control, battles that frequently led to schism. We forget that the tension between righteous faith and loving acts is yet to be resolved. There are still activists and gradualists among us. There are still battles. There are still wounds. There is still hope for reconciliation. Plain & Simple gives us a look at our history from the lesser-known corners of Quaker heritage.

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•December December 2010 2011 Connection ••July/August 2012–January 2013

Reworking Queries

Annual Involvement

by Anna Rediske, Silverton Friends

This summer, our Youth Yearly Meeting was charged with the task of revising one of the Yearly Meeting’s fundamental queries. The confidence the adults demonstrated toward us by trusting our wisdom on such an important issue served as a tremendous encouragement to the youth to really immerse themselves in the discernment process and search for the best language to represent our meeting. I was blessed to be able to watch from a leadership standpoint as God worked and spoke through my peers, sharing wisdom and insight beyond their years. The process of revising the query originated as the youth officers met to discern which query would be taken before the youth. This was a difficult choice. In fact, the query chosen originally stood out to the officers for negative reasons. But after more prayer and discernment, we realized that our aversion toward the query selected was exactly why we needed to bring it before the youth to revise. Returning to Yearly Meeting six months later we realized how relevant the chosen query was to the discussion around human sexuality and mutual respect. This was such an affirmation to the officers, as well as a testament to God’s ability to know the future and use us in ways we are not yet capable of understanding. The original query reads, “As followers of Christ do you love and respect each other? Do patience and consideration govern your interactions; and when differences arise, do you resolve them promptly in a spirit of forgiveness and understanding? Are you careful with the reputation of others?” After taking the suggestions of the youth and discerning over the language, the officers revised the query, brought it before the youth, and the following was approved: “Recognizing human imperfection, how do you strive to follow Christ’s example in the way you love and respect others? When confronted with a conflict, how do you actively show Christ with a compassionate and grace filled heart? Are you leaving space for change? How do you value the other person when charged with their reputation, remembering that they, too, are a child of God? Build up the individual in the light of God.” We strongly believe the revised query represents specific attitudes that we as Friends should look to demonstrate when interacting with others, showing love and acceptance to all we encounter.

www.nwfriends.org www.nwfriends.org • Northwest • Northwest Yearly YearlyMeeting MeetingofofFriends Friends

PHOTO: MIK E MIR Z A

Anna is a Friend from Silverton, Oregon, who served as Northwest Yearly Meeting’s Youth Representative to Eastern Region Yearly Meeting this past summer. Anna is a freshman at Seattle Pacific University this fall, and intends to stay connected through Friends churches in the Puget Sound area.

by Will Cammack, Tigard Friends I would like to speak to how the Holy Spirit continues to move in the youth of Northwest Yearly Meeting, specifically on the desire to be more involved with the adults at our annual gathering. This is no new sentiment. Throughout my seven years of Youth Yearly Meeting it has been a reoccurring theme that the youth want to be more involved with the adult business and the adults themselves. By the end of the week there seems to be something stirred up in the hearts and minds of the youth. The youth feel they should have a part in what goes on because it affects them, and they have a unique point of view that holds value. The youth are blessed by all the hard work that goes into planning their programs and it is always well done. Sometimes, however, scheduling limits us from going where we feel led to go, and being where we feel called to be. This year in our final meetings, we discussed the possibility of creating more opportunity for the youth to be involved. This does not mean we need to schedule mandatory joint events between different generations, but simply to create options that make space for those who the Spirit leads to move and work among the adults. In the inspired words of Henry Nouwen, "The mystery of community is precisely that it embraces all people, whatever their individual differences may be, and allows them to live together as brothers and sisters of Christ and sons and daughters of his heavenly Father."

Will Cammack is a young adult in the NWYM who just started school at George Fox University where he is studying to be an engineer. His favorite candy bar is Reeses peanut butter cups.

Treasure Valley Young Adults and those who want to connect with Young Adults: NWYM is sponsoring a YAF Gathering at Caldwell Friends on December 11. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. continued with a time of worship through song and teaching. Please come and connect with other young adults throughout the Treasure Valley area. Portland Area Young Adult Friends and beyond are invited to a Christmas celebration at Clackamas Park Friends Church on December 22, from 2-8 p.m.. Please make a batch of your favorite Christmas cookies to share and bring your favorite board games to play. Get more information and register for these FREE gatherings at: www.nwfriends.org/local-young-adult-gatherings/ Connection • December Connection December 2011 2012–January 2013

Peace with Justice The Peace with Justice subcommittee has begun a new work on the NWYM website. Beginning in August Friends from around our yearly meeting have been blogging almost daily on the subject of peace and justice in their personal lives. The following are a few examples of what our contributors are writing. To read more you can visit the Peace with Justice blog on the NWYM website: nwfriends.org/peace-with-justice.

11.7.2012

Yesterday I gave a guy 40 dollars. I was pretty sure he was a scam artist. He told a heartbreaking story with intense drama. Well groomed and acceptably dressed, he said he is, by trade, a used car salesman—laid off (same thing he said when he was here several years ago). He fit all the stereotypes associated with that calling. I didn’t believe his story, even as he told it. Later, re-playing it, I could spot even more holes in the tale. Fifteen minutes into our conversation he finally dropped the request. He needed 40 dollars to pay his phone bill. The evening before this man came to me, I’d hit a wrong button for cash back at the grocery store. In a hurry to be gone, I’d decided not to cancel the transaction so I had extra cash in my purse. Taking a bit of unholy pleasure in breaking up his well-scripted routine, I said, “I’m going to give you the money. Now you don’t have to worry about that. What else do you want to talk about?” He gave a shout of pleasure; my secretary considered coming to my rescue. We spoke for another forty-five minutes about God, sobriety, and whether he’d make a good pastor. “I can sell a car to anyone—why couldn’t I sell God?” There wasn’t time to answer that, and I didn’t want to attempt it anyway. His needs list came to include two blankets, sleeping bag, desktop computer, and a car. I said I’d pray about it. I will. This isn’t a happy-ever-after story. The man really is a scam-guy. Others have seen him panhandling. I’m guessing his life is far more tragic than the melodrama he enacts to get his needs met. His need to be heard was as pressing as his desire for some dollars....

Bernie Bosnjak, pastor, Hillsboro Friends

10.13.2012

(Read full story)

From my house church experience, I learned the pure delight of matching need in the world with the resources of God’s people. And while it was wonderful to listen to the folks around us in everyday life to take that back into the church for discernment, there were times you knew you would never see a person again. The moment for love was now! So I and others began to carry “God Money.” This was money that we set aside for God to spend any way God saw fit. It meant that we could spring into helpful action at the drop of a hat when www.nwfriends.org• Northwest • Northwest YearlyMeeting MeetingofofFriends Friends www.nwfriends.org Yearly

need presented itself. So whether it is paying for the person’s groceries in front of you in the checkout line, or handing a check to the receptionist who is barely holding back tears over the bills that are overwhelming her, or blessing someone with the desire of his heart—it is great joy to walk around life with this secret partnership with God’s spirit of generosity.

Jan Wood, North Seattle Friends A few weeks ago there was a devastating and mysterious toddler 9.7.2012 death in our town, and the mother is currently in custody because she admitted to harming her child. The other four children in the home went to stay with relatives, but because they have different fathers they were not able to stay together. Through an acquaintance at work that is related to the father of the two younger children, a member of our church was able to find out some of the children’s needs. As a church we are busy collecting clothing and supplies to give to them. We are finding the best way to help others and find out what their needs are is through established relationships. We are also reminded to prayerfully ask God what we might give when we feel compelled to help. In addition, several people expressed concern for the mother and wanted to know if there was something we might be able to do for her. One woman was compelled to drive to the county jail to simply pray on the site where she is being kept. Other ideas have circulated but none have come to fruition. The general consensus among many in our church is that regardless of what she did she is still a child of God, and we as people who follow Christ are called to love her and not judge her.

By Luke Ankeny, pastor, Homedale Friends

WRITING CONTEST Calling writers of all ages from NWYM of Friends Church to write stories, essays, or poems! The theme of the contest is "Being Called by God." Whether you want to write about God's call on your life, a friend's life, make it fictional, or take a completley different angle, we would love to have you submit your work! The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2013, and winners will be announced June 15, 2013. Honorable mentions will be complied into an anthology, which will be printed and available at our Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions in July 2013. More information and guildelines can be downloaded in a PDF through the NWYM website: nwfriends.org/2013-writing-contest/

•December December 2010 2011 Connection ••July/August 2012–January 2013

KEEPING CURRENT WITH LOCAL AND GLOBAL OUTRE ACH

O Little Town of Bethlehem by Elizabeth Todd, Newberg Friends

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PHOTOS: N W Y M DECEMBER 2010 TR IP TO THE W EST BA NK

Elizabeth Todd enjoys gardening, dark chocolate, boats and her recent remodel project. She has had the opportunity to live and work in four countries and to sing with other Christians in fifteen. She is thankful.

Bethlehem is a real place. There are stores, churches, mosques, busses, schools, bookshops, houses…and people. Many of the people carry foreign passports and arrive in tour busses to spend time in the Church of the Nativity and the shops selling nativity sets—and other beautifully crafted olive wood figures. Think about this when you sing about Bethlehem this Christmas season. Bethlehem holds an ancient Christian community. If you ask when these Palestinian families became Christians, some will say “at Pentecost.” If you spent longer than a half day in Bethlehem and went beyond the tourist yard, you could see kids going home from school, parents shopping for groceries…perhaps you would see some of the younger churches—the ones just 200 years old. From one of them you might hear prayers chanted in Aramaic. I did. As it was a very special day, I even saw a parade of Christians. The Orthodox Christians were there, led by a priest with a long beard and ornate vestments, others came waving incense, and carrying crosses and a large picture of Mary and Jesus. Then I was amazed to hear…could it be? Yes, it was the incomparable sound of a bagpipe marching band – and there came the Scottish Presbyterian Palestinian Christians! I hadn’t known they existed, but they looked nonchalant as they marched by in kilts. It pays to get off the tourist track and spend time in a community. Bethlehem is not far, by bus (not donkey), from Jerusalem, but it is across an Israeli military checkpoint staffed by 18-20 year olds doing mandatory military service. I’ve often noticed them looking like they’d so much rather be somewhere, anywhere, else, or at least checking out social media. They remind me of my nephew. On the other side of Jerusalem, and across another checkpoint, is Ramallah, the little Christian hill town where American Friends traveled in ministry in 1869. The Civil War had just ended and Ulysses S. Grant had been elected U.S. President. Eli and Sibyl Jones, recorded ministers, pitched a tent and stayed for a week, speaking each evening. One day a young woman asked for a school for girls, noting that many Christian groups had begun schools for boys. Friends responded. First individuals, then concerned groups, and then yearly meetings chipped in to support a Friends school. It took root. In the 150 years since, the Ramallah Friends School has grown to 1000 students and is K-12, co-educational, international

baccalaureate, and an annual recipient of U.S. AID funding. It remains a Friends school and invites Friends to volunteer there. This is one of the openings for service available for NW Friends. Ramallah, in the last 150 years, has also grown and changed. No longer a village, it has become a hub of activity—social, economic and political. Christians, as in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, are now in the minority, and struggle alongside their neighbors to overcome challenges of high unemployment, limited opportunities for youth, and tensions inherent in any unstable political system or military occupation. Recently, traveling for the Board of Global Outreach, I was in and around Jerusalem for three Young students wearing Ramallah Friends weeks. For eight days I lived with a Christian famSchool uniforms. ily in a village outside Ramallah hearing about life there. I was pleased to hear that Christians in Ramallah also have parades and special events to mark Easter and Christmas; I surely would like to celebrate with them sometime. Christmas. As we celebrate here, they celebrate there. In both places we pray for peace and seek serenity, courage, and wisdom in the challenges we face. We want to be faithful. In both places we are ordinary people blessed by the extraordinary love of God. So we all remember Jesus, the light of God, coming into the world, and are thankful. And, hopefully, we remember each other. Merry Christmas!

High school students standing in front of Ramallah Friends School.

2010 Connection ••July/August December 2012–January 2013

On Our Way Rejoicing by Becky Ankeny, NWYM superintendent

Today (Oct. 2) I am at a conference of Quaker superintendents and general/executive secretaries or other names for YM leaders. The topic under discussion is spiritual unity. For some reason, this put me in mind of Mark Twain’s short story “The Siamese Twins.” In this story, the brothers thought very differently from each other, fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War and taking each other prisoner, for example. Additionally, one was a teetotaler while the other liked strong drink. Unfortunately, when the second got drunk, so did the first, which interfered considerably with the first one’s work in the Temperance movement.

How can we affirm individual leadings arising out of a genuine presence of Christ and also exercise discernment to hold each other accountable without quenching the Spirit? What form of relationship do we choose to have with each other and how is it grounded in love and the presence of Christ? What value derives from struggling through our divisions? Is unity based on an inexpressible experience? How do we live out the truth that is deeper than language? Do we need to share vocabulary in order to recognize spiritual unity? What can we do together so that unity is the byproduct? What are we called to that is deeper than our differences? How do we live that out?

Becky Ankeny

At our conference, our small groups were asked to share thoughts addressing the idea of spiritual unity. This seemed appropriate to share with NWYM generally, so here are the thoughts of my small group, framed in the time-honored Quaker query form. Are we called into unity? If so, are we called to Faith and Practice unity or is our unity on some other level? What if we differentiate between Faith and Practice unity and spiritual unity?

PHOTO: JOEL BOCK

Twain’s story is bitingly funny (though I have taken that part out of it), and partly so because in his time Siamese twins were inseparable. So unity was a condition of life for these two.

Our understanding that Jesus is present today to teach us himself and that all believers share in the universal priesthood that reconciles the world to God is just what some of our neighbors in Washington, Idaho and Oregon need to hear. My prayer is that we in NWYM will find that we are called together to work that is bigger than our divisions, bigger than our individual churches, and that what we are to do for God’s kingdom is so important we don’t have time to argue.

Is there one truth for everyone? If so, is it possible for finite human beings to know that one truth with certainty? And then, does a belief that there is one truth actually lead us into divisions? Does it help to be more transparent within our more local communities so that we are aware of differences? How does being a denomination contribute to division or unity? Is there a difference between how we need to respond individually to other individuals and how our denomination needs to respond to an issue? Can we experience unity by focusing on how we experience the present Christ? Can we have unity when we do not all read the Bible the same way? How can we accept those who interpret spiritual experience or scripture differently from us? Is acceptance different from love? Can we be together in doing the work of God?

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2010 Connection ••July/August December 2012–January 2013

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Christian Education Corner

More Daily Gratitude: Samuel School A program of the Board of Youth and Young Adult Ministries

Sarah Katreen Hoggatt has authored several books including the recently released, In the Wild Places. A freelance writer, international speaker, editor, and spiritual director with a passion for ministering to fellow souls, she holds a Masters degree from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Sarah lives in Salem, Oregon and is a member of RiversWay Friends Church.

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A friend of mine recently posted on facebook a confession of sorts. For the last year, grief has washed into her life like a regularly scheduled ocean storm. Death and loss have surrounded her and her family and she has tried valiantly to be the shining light, the comforter, the wise one. And for so many of us, that is exactly what she is: a shining light radiating love into all our lives. But this light is dimming and she has tried to hide it from us, quite unsuccessfully as of late. Several of us who love her have started to poke around and make inquiries behind the veneer of joy. After several of her friends doing this one after another, she finally went onto Facebook and confessed her true condition. I am sure those were hard words to say just as they must have been a relief to speak out loud. Now we know how to help and truly be her friends. But is she alone in this silent condition? Not at all! How many of us come to church week after week never speaking of what is really swirling around inside? How many of us give the standard answers to the how-are-you questions of “I’m doing well” and “Fine. Thank you and how are you?” We’ll sit in Sunday school and go through the lesson but never learn the lesson of love. We want to be real with God but won’t be real with each other. If we are truly a body of Friends, how can we walk when the foot won’t tell us about the sprain? How can we write when the hand doesn’t show the cut fingers? When the throat is sore, how can we speak? And if we never share our needs, how can we fulfill Jesus’s dearest prayer that we would love one another? He didn’t say understand one another or even agree with one another but to love one another. Loving is gently laying our hands on our Friends, listening, helping where needed, and being a light in return. Let us be open with our condition and love one another as God loves us.

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We continue to be grateful for how our youth have been impacted and formed through Samuel School over the years. Here are some snapshots that speak to this gratitude.

•December July/August 2010 2010 Connection ••July/August 2012–January 2013

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DECEMBER

LOOKING BACK •• Youthworkers Conference was held November 2–4 in Hood River, OR. Steve Sherwood was the main speaker, encouraging our youthworkers through sharing about helpful tools to use in youth ministry. It was a fun time filled with learning, growing, playing, and enjoying the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge.

7-9 Bible Quizzing – Quaker Hill Camp 11 Young Adult Gathering – Caldwell Friends 22 Young Adult Gathering – Clackamas Park Friends

LOOKING AHEAD •• Attention Treasure Valley Young Adults and those who want to connect with Young Adults: NWYM is sponsoring a YAF Gathering at Caldwell Friends on December 11. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. continued with a time of worship through song and teaching. Please come and connect with other young adults throughout the Treasure Valley area. Register at: www. nwfriends.org so we know how much food to have. This is a free event, and childcare is provided! •• Portland Area Young Adult Friends and beyond are invited to a Christmas celebration at Clackamas Park Friends Church on December 22. Please make a batch of your favorite Christmas cookies to share and bring your favorite board games to play. The schedule for the day will be: •• 2 p.m. – Carols around the fireplace •• 3:30 p.m. – Guided reflection •• 5 p.m. – Spaghetti dinner followed by games and fellowship •• Bible Quizzing December 8, 2012 is our next meet at Quaker Hill Camp. Bible quizzing is a youth event, and a chance for laughter, worship, and competition. Young Friends around the Northwest prepare by studying the book of Mathew together with their team, and then compete four times throughout the year. More information and online registration can be found on the NWYM website: nwfriends.org/bible-quizzing. •• Midwinter January 18-21 at Boise Friends. This retreat is a great opportunity for high school youth to connect with one another and make new friends, worship, play games, serve others, and have fellowship. Information will be on the NWYM website soon, as well as online registration: nwfriends.org/midwinter. •• Midyear Boards January 25-26 at Newberg Friends. Please save the date if you are a representative or on a NWYM board. We will have our gathering in Newberg to listen and discern where God is leading our yearly meeting. 14

www.nwfriends.org • Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends

Calendar of Events

Updates, News & Announcements

JANUARY 2013 12 Bible Quizzing – Eugene Friends 18-21 Midwinter – Boise Friends 25-26 Midyear Boards – Newberg Friends

FEBRUARY 15-18 Junior High Jamboree – Twin Rocks Friends Camp 22-24 Friends Men Retreat – Twin Rocks Friends Camp

MARCH 15-18 Bible Quizzing – Silverton Friends

APRIL 12-13 Volleyball Tournament – George Fox University 15-18 Pastors Conference – Twin Rocks Friends Camp

July/August 2010 Connection • •December 2012–January 2013

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JOHN 15:14 NIV

“You are my friends if you do what I command.”

MEMBER OF E VANGELIC AL FRIENDS CHURCH NORTH AMERIC A

A publication of the NWYM Board of Communication. Joel Bock, editor.

tel 503.538.9419 www.nwfriends.org

Calendar of Events......................................15

Updates, News & Announcements.......... 14

Samuel School............................................13

Christian Education Corner....................... 12

On Our Way Rejoicing...........................10-11

O Little Town of Bethlehem.................... 8-9

Peace with Justice.....................................6-7

Annual Involvement.................................... 5

Reworking Queries......................................4

Plain and Simple.......................................... 3

On Becoming A Christian....................... 1–2

Inside this issue…

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