Page updated on Saturday April 5, 2025.
Invitation from the Clerk of WHYM
Hello Friends,
It’s the time of year when the thoughts of Friends in Western Canada and beyond turn to that most magical of gatherings, Western Half Yearly Meeting. We are excited to be holding our Spring gathering at Sorrento, BC, on beautiful Shuswap Lake, and on-line, on the coming May Day long-weekend, Friday, May 16th to Monday, May 19th.
To Friends and attenders who have not been to our gathering, this is a unique opportunity to meet Friends from BC to Saskatchewan, and sometimes beyond, and to worship with, and learn from, one another. If you are able to make the trip, or to join us on-line, we’d love to show you why so many Friends come back year after year.
I’d like to invite Friends who have been before to take a moment to think about a Friend that you think would enjoy WHYM and talk to them about the gathering and why they should attend.
What you’ll find at WHYM
As usual, we’ll have time for worship, both in small and as a large group, intergenerational activities, and times to learn together. Singing and balancing (group gymnastics) and our childrens’ and teens’ programs provide fellowship for kids and youth, while freeing parents to participate in the broader gathering. Here’s the draft schedule. Please take a look, and feel free to email if you have questions.
In reading the Schedule, please keep in mind that all times are in Pacific Time, consistent with the time zone for Friends gathering in Sorrento.
If you’re joining us in person, the Sorrento Centre is a beautiful space, with a waterfront area on Shuswap Lake, accommodation ranging from private rooms to cabins to a bed in a shared cabana.
How to register
There are two registration forms – for Sorrento ( https://whym-registration.ca/ ) and for the on-line gathering. Please fill out the correct form. Payments are to go to: WHYMpayments@viquakers.ca
Friends who are attending on-line are asked to pay a suggested $15-20 per person attending, reflecting the costs to hold a hybrid event. Friends seeking to participate in on-line Worship Sharing will need to register by Tuesday, May 13th (see below if you are not familiar with this term). Otherwise registration for the on-line Gathering may occur until the start of Meeting.
The deadline for Friends attending in person is Friday, April 25th.
Friends are invited, in registering, to propose one or more Special Interest Groups (see below if you’re not familiar with this term). Special Interest Groups are an opportunity to share or invite discussion on topics of interest. No training is necessary – just an excitement to explore a topic. Those present at Sorrento should think about whether and how Friends joining on-line can be included.
We recognize that coming in person to Sorrento can be a major undertaking, both in terms of time and financially. If cost is a barrier to your participating, please note:
- Tenting, booking a single bed in a shared cabana or arranging to share a cabana with other Friends are all cost effective choices for accommodation. Carpooling with Friends coming from your Meeting or Worship group may also be helpful.
- There is financial support available to Friends who would otherwise have difficulty travelling or attending. If at all possible, please ask your Monthly Meeting for support (talk to your Clerk) and for a letter asking Western Half Yearly Meeting for support.
- If you are coming from Saskatchewan or further east, Friends often stay with Calgary Friends en route. If you don’t know anyone in Calgary to ask, feel free to email me, and I’ll put you in touch with Calgary Friends who may be willing to host.
As in recent years, we ask Friends attending in person to test for COVID before coming, and not to come if you test positive. Friends attending in person will be asked to mask during indoor portions of the Gathering.
If there is anything else we can do to help you feel welcome or to take the risk of making this trip, please feel free to email me.
A special welcome to new (or newish) WHYM attenders
Coming to a long-standing gathering can be intimidating, but we hope that you will give this gathering a try. There are few opportunities in Western Canada to meet Friends outside our own Meetings, and WHYM is a unique opportunity to worship, learn, play and share together. We aim to be a loving community to people of all ages, backgrounds, races and sexual identities. You are more than welcome to join us on-line to see what it’s about, and if you’re ready to come to Sorrento, we look forward to meeting you in person at our gorgeous location.
A note about a couple of terms used in the schedule, above:
- Worship Sharing or Fellowship – Worship sharing is a “contemplative spiritual practice” in which a small group of 4-8 people settle into a worshipful silence, and share together, “speak[ing] from their own experience with thoughtful pauses.”
- Special Interest Groups (SIG) – Any person attending WHYM may propose a Special Interest Groups as a space for Friends to explore an issue, activity or concern as a group. Sometimes the Friend hosting a SIG will offer instruction or initial thoughts, but often the Friend is merely identifying a topic for discussion or discernment. Friends self-select which SIG they will attend.
If you have any questions or concerns about the gathering, feel free to reach out to me at whym-clerk@quaker.ca.
A final request:
Please extend this invitation to any Friend(s) or attenders you think might be interested in attending Western Half Yearly Meeting, along with a few words about why you think that they should consider joining us.
Sincerely,
Rachel
Rachel Singleton-Polster (she/her)
Clerk
Western Half Yearly Meeting