Western Half-Yearly Meeting (WHYM)
Western Half-Yearly Meeting is comprised of 10 Monthly Meetings (Vancouver Island, Cowichan, Saanich Peninsula, Vancouver, Interior BC, Argenta, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg) stretching from the B.C. coast to Northern Ontario, and into the Arctic. WHYM is one of the larger regional groupings (by population and certainly by geography) within Canadian Yearly Meeting. During the pandemic and perhaps beyond, WHYM may happen fully on Zoom or hybrid.
WHYM traditionally meets two weekends a year, at Sorrento, B.C. in the Spring (May long weekend), and alternating between Alberta and Saskatchewan sites in the fall (Thanksgiving weekend). These gatherings are very important opportunities to deepen our understanding of Friends’ ways, and are a special opportunity for young Friends to get together.
Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC)
CFSC is probably the best known Yearly Meeting committee. Founded in 1931, Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) acts on the peace, sustainability, and social justice concerns of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Canada. More information may be found at quakerservice.ca.
CANADIAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
60 Lowther Ave. Toronto, Ontario M5R 1C7
https://quakerservice.ca/about/contact-us
The Canadian Friend
The Canadian Friend is a national Quaker magazine published three times a year in print and on quaker.ca. Subscriptions are complimentary to all members and attenders in CYM, although donations are very welcome.
The Canadian Friend is mailed by request or is available online.
Friends General Conference
Friends (Quakers) affiliated with FGC tend to be theologically liberal and more socially progressive than Friends in other branches of Quakerism in North America, though FGC welcomes Friends with diverse experiences and points of view.
FGC’s programs include an annual week-long summer conference called “The Gathering,” online retreats and worship opportunities, resources for meetings in becoming anti-racist spiritual communities, spiritual mentorship for youth and young adults, book publishing and sales, religious education materials, interfaith relations, and websites for meetings.
Friends General Conference is an association of Quakers in the United States and Canada made up of 16 yearly meetings and 12 autonomous monthly meetings. “Monthly meetings” are what Quakers call congregations; “yearly meetings” are organizations of monthly meetings within a geographic region. FGC was founded in 1900.
It is also where FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans-gender, Queer Concerns) meets for its second yearly conference.
The main offices for FGC are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
FLGBTQC
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns is a North American Quaker faith community that affirms that of the Divine in all people. Gathering twice yearly for worship and play, we draw sustenance from each other and from the Spirit for our work and life in the world. We are learning that radical inclusion and radical love bring further light to Quaker testimony and life. We are currently offering monthly online worship. For more information, email the Clerks or check the website.
Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM)
Canadian Yearly Meeting is composed of 24 Monthly Meetings across Canada, organized in 5 regional groupings. There are about 1200 members in CYM. The annual sessions have been held one week in August every year, and rotated between Western, Central, and Atlantic Canada, or on Zoom during the pandemic. CAST is presently considering changes.
Between Yearly Meeting sessions, the work of the Yearly Meeting is carried out by Representative Meeting, various committees of CYM, and the CYM office (located in Ottawa).
Representative Meeting typically holds two meetings a year (fall and spring), and is made up of one representative from each Monthly Meeting and from each standing committee of CYM. Representative Meeting has full authority to act as the Yearly Meeting in between CYM sessions. This may change in the foreseeable future.
More information on CYM processes, committees, location of other meetings, and publications may be found at the website at quaker.ca.
CANADIAN YEARLY MEETING office
91A Fourth Ave. Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA K1S 2L1
Phone: 613-235-8553
In Canada & USA 1-888-296-3222 Fax: 613-235-1753
Email: cym-office@quaker.ca
The Discipline of Canadian Yearly Meeting
Faith & Practice, a collection of excerpted writings from Canadian and other Friends, published in 2011, including:
- Experiencing the Spirit: Our Faith
- Faithful Lives
- The Meeting Community
- Testimony: Faith in Action
- The Lifelong Journey
- Advices and Queries (red booklet), a small set of questions designed for individual or group reflection. Quakers have used questions as part of their practice since 1682 when London Yearly Meeting asked representatives to reply to three questions orally.
- (Note: Canadian Yearly Meeting uses the current Advices and Queries from Britain Yearly Meeting)
- Advices & Queries: https://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ or https://quaker.ca/cympublications/organization-and-procedure/#APPENDIX_A_Advices_and_Queries
Organization & Procedure (O&P), a book online describing the Canadian Yearly Meeting guidelines for the conduct of Meetings. Basic structures of the Yearly Meeting are laid out. There are procedures for those seeking membership or serving on committees, for the conduct of business meetings, as well as guidance for various life events (birth, marriage, care, death). Canadian Yearly Meeting, Organization and Procedure. https://quaker.ca/cympublications/organization-and-procedure/
Both members and attenders are strongly advised to have their own copy of Canadian Friends Discipline, which is comprised of these three sources.
Canadian Friends have these three standard texts used for inspiration and guidance. Collectively they are referred to as “the discipline”. Historically Canadian Friends have been close to Britain Yearly Meeting, and continue to share part of its discipline.
Each Meeting carefully develops its own practices based on the insights contained in the Discipline.
Friends World Committee for Consultation
The Friends World Committee for Consultation is a Quaker organization that works to communicate between all parts of Quakerism. FWCC’s world headquarters is in London. It has General Consultative NGO status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2002.
FWCC works across five offices — Africa, Asia West Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, and the Americas — one World Office and four Section offices. All four Sections have within them a diversity of cultures, languages, and theological orientations. Each Section operates independently in terms of strategic direction and finance/budgeting, while enjoying collaborative work across the 4 Sections and the World Office.
FWCC World Office, Friends House
173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AX, United Kingdom world@fwcc.world
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is a Quaker centre welcoming all for Spirit-led short and long-term learning, retreat, and community. Our Vision: To create peace with justice in the world by transforming lives.
Pendle Hill holds hybrid Meeting for Worship every day, both in person (for staff, sojourners, conference groups, and guests) and online via Zoom (for everyone else. For information, re to: https://pendlehill.org/explore/worship/
