Summer Sessions 2016 — Information

 

Summer Sessions 2014
Summer Sessions 2014

Quicklinks

Steps to Summer Sessions—Registration Instructions and Forms

If this is your first time to Summer Sessions, find a seasoned Summer Sessions attender as a mentor!

  1. Early registration deadline: July 15. Click the following for Registration Fees.
  2. Dates: Decide your arrival and departure dates.
  3. Housing: Choose your housing preferences—click the following for:
  4. Equalization Fund: We want everyone to be able to attend Summer Sessions. If you need financial assistance, follow the steps outlined here and/or call Helen Garay Toppins in the office at 212-673-5750.
  5. Register electronically or use the forms included in the May Spark.
    To register electronically: Click the links below to download the registration forms, (these are Word documents), fill them out using your Tab key to move from one table cell to the next, then email them to the office at [email protected]. Note: the forms below will not download until registration has opened.

  6. Registration fee: Send your registration fee to the NYYM office along with your registration form if registering by mail, or pay using a credit card.
  7. Room deposit: When Silver Bay YMCA sends you an acknowledgment of your registration, they will include a request for a 25% room deposit. Be sure to pay that by the date they request to ensure your room is reserved for you.
  8. JYM registration: All JYM registrations must include a completed medical form signed by a parent (and brought to JYM Registration on Sunday or upon arrival at Silver Bay).

 

Program Information

Heather Cook
Heather Cook

Bible Study: Heather Cook

Nurturing the Blessed Community at Every Age
. . . What does that mean?

What does nurturing look like and feel like? What do we mean by “the blessed community”? How do we seek to nurture others and be nurtured at different ages? Does everything come back to Love and Wisdom? In participatory and experiential ways, together we will explore if and how the Bible illuminates these and other questions.

As a self-identified non-theist with Bible issues, Heather is surprised to be leading Bible Study this year. If like her you struggle with the Bible, and Bible Study is something you can’t imagine doing, this might be a year to try it.

Heather M. Cook carries a travel minute from her home meeting (Central Finger Lakes) in support of her concern for preventing and healing from violence, particularly sexual violence, by helping individuals, relationships, and communities restore themselves to balance. She has served on the Committee on Conflict Transformation since 2012, and has co-facilitated workshops around the country for the Committee since 2013. A professional life coach, Heather is certified in the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience program at Eastern Mennonite University. She volunteers as an advocate for a local agency working with victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and interpersonal violence. For three years she served as clerk of New York Yearly Meeting.

Plenary Session:

How NYYM Staff Nurture the Blessed Community at Every Age

Now that New York Yearly Meeting has a Children and Youth Field Secretary, we have staff who directly serve Friends of all ages in our meetings—youth, young adults, adults, and older Friends. On Wednesday morning, we will focus on the theme of Spiritual Nurture for Friends of All Ages with multigenerational worship, and in the following plenary, the Children and Youth Field Secretary, Melinda Wenner Bradley; the Young Adult Field Secretary, Gabrielle Savory Bailey; the General Secretary, Christopher Sammond; and the ARCH Director, Callie Janoff, will discuss the programs and support they can bring to your meeting to help nurture the life of the Spirit in your members at all stages of life.

Helpful People at Summer Sessions

  • Conference Services Liaison: Martha Gurvich
  • Display Requests: Karen Snare
  • Financial Assistance: Helen Garay Toppins
  • Food-Service Coordinator: Martha Gurvich
  • General Scheduling: Melanie-Claire Mallison
  • Golf Cart Coordinator: Angel Ramos
  • Greetings to Absent Friends: TBD
  • Interest Group Coordinator: Helen Garay Toppins
  • JYM Program Coordinators: Ellie Rosenberg & Rebecca Wolf
  • Daily Minute Editor: Communications Director
  • Special Needs: Martha Gurvich
  • Whisper Buddies: Jillian Smith
  • Worship Sharing Groups: Melanie-Claire Mallison
  • All registration questions: Helen Garay Toppins, [email protected]; 212-673-5750; NYYM 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003.

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Participant Expectations & NYYM Agreements

We come to yearly meeting sessions to create a Blessed Community in which to discern and carry out the work to which the Divine leads us. In order to be fully and authentically present to each other as a faith community, we have agreements that guide our behavior toward each other and towards the whole body, ensuring safety and comfort for all of us, starting with living into our testimonies of integrity, simplicity, peace, and equality. We have long agreed that our time together will be free of alcohol regardless of the policy of our host facility, and the use of illegal drugs is unwelcome and illegal, no matter where we gather. Those among us who struggle with addictions should find a safe and supportive community among Friends.

By registering for Summer Sessions, Friends commit to honor these testimonies and agreements, and we are all, younger and older, expected to abide by them. Parents and guardians are asked to speak with their youngsters about their behavior, and everyone attending Summer Sessions is asked to take the agreements seriously. We’ll have a poster stating our agreements on the Inn porch, if you’d like to sign!

Given these agreements and the rules of staying on Silver Bay campus, Friends must restrict their tobacco smoking to those areas designated by Silver Bay (smoking is not allowed in guest rooms, for instance), and must refrain from the use of alcohol and illegal substances. If you engage in these activities, you (and possibly your family or guardian) may be asked to leave Summer Sessions.

All attenders are expected to:

  • If 18 years or older, register yourself and dependents with New York Yearly Meeting by the registration deadline to facilitate the YM’s logistical planning.
  • Attend the activities of New York Yearly Meeting, including but not limited to Opening Worship, Community Worship, Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, committee meetings, JYM events, and Closing Worship.
  • Observe safety precautions, such as swimming only when a life guard is on duty, never swimming or hiking alone.
  • Honor the NYYM agreements and expectations, and observe New York State laws regarding the use of illegal drugs and the legal age for drinking alcohol (see the first paragraph of our agreements).
  • Parent(s), guardians, or sponsors for children under 18 years old assume responsibility for their safety and well-being. Adults and youth should commit to a specific bedtime and to checking in with each other at least once a day.

Attenders under 18 years old are expected to:

  • Register with Junior Yearly Meeting in the company of their parent, legal guardian, or sponsor.
  • Cluster with (sleep in a room near to) their parent(s), guardian, or sponsor.
  • Have a valid medical consent form signed by a parent or guardian (medical forms are available on line or can be mailed to JYM registrants upon request to JYM).
  • Honor the NYYM agreements and expectations, keeping in mind NY State laws regarding the use of illegal drugs and the legal age of drinking alcohol (see the first paragraph of our agreements).

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Interest Group Proposals

Helen Garay Toppins, Coordinator

Deadline for submitting proposals: July 15.
Submit proposals online: https://goo.gl/KQk5lM.
    Note: This form does not have an obvious place to enter a short description of your interest group. You can enter that in the Questions or Comments field.

Interest group times: Tuesday, 1:45–3:15 pm and 7:45–9:15 pm; Thursday, 7:45–9:15 pm.

Interest Groups (IGs) will be held on Tuesday at 1:45-3:15 p.m. and 7:45-9:15 p.m., and on Thursday from 7:45-9:15 p.m. It is important for IGs to relate to our theme and/or the NYYM Leadings and Priorities in general. Complete the online form at https://goo.gl/KQk5lM and submit it no later than July 15, 2016, so that we have time to make arrangements for your group’s needs. If more requests are received than we have space for, those that best speak to our theme, leadings, and priorities will be given preference. If you have any questions, email Helen Garay Toppins, [email protected], or call 212-673-5750.

Meetings for Discernment

Tuesday, July 26, 10:45 am  •  1:45 pm  •  7:45 pm (Reflections)

Queries. Query for Monday: What can you say about the Truth you have found through your practice as a Friend?
    Wednesday afternoon's query will be available at lunchtime on Wednesday.

All are welcome to the Meetings for Discernment being held on Tuesday at Summer Sessions, with sessions in the morning and afternoon and an evening follow-up meeting. Meetings for Discernment are times of extended worship focused around queries. Please join us for what is likely to be an amazing worship-filled experience. Information online will include the queries to consider for this summer’s sessions.

Worship at Summer Sessions

NYYM Summer Sessions is an opportunity to worship and share with the Blessed Community. Everyone is invited to attend

  • Opening Worship on Sunday,
  • Community Worship each morning,
  • Meetings for Discernment on Tuesday, and
  • Closing Worship on Saturday.

Check the daily schedule in your Program for times and locations for these gatherings and Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business.

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Worship Sharing

Melanie-Claire Mallison, Coordinator

Worship Sharing provides an opportunity to worship together in small groups, setting the tone for other activities as the day unfolds. Sharing insights, experiences, and prayer together refreshes the spirit. Worship Sharing groups meet Monday through Friday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. There will also afternoon Worship Sharing every afternoon but Thursday, during rest-and-renewal time. Your participation and contribution—opening up to be a channel for the Holy Spirit—would be invaluable. General Worship Sharing will be offered along with a number of special groups. Please choose your preferred Worship Sharing group when you register for Summer Sessions. Groups will be asked to choose a group facilitator at their first meeting Monday morning. Be sure to check the Worship Sharing lists on the Inn Porch for your group assignment and location.

Financial Assistance Available

Deadline for application: June 24.

Friends requesting assistance should first ask your monthly meeting, quarterly or regional meetings for support. No request for funds will be processed and no funds will be disbursed without this communication from your meeting. Friends will be asked to send confirmation from their meeting about the amount that has been asked for and granted—even if it is zero. This process can be as simple as an email or note from your meeting’s clerk, or a more formal letter. Please see the NYYM website for additional information on financial assistance and our Equalization Fund.

Fill out the Financial Assistance section at the bottom of your registration form stating the amount you expect or hope to receive from your meeting. Then write in the amount you need from the Equalization Fund. Scholarships typically provide adults and children up to one-third the cost of lowest-priced housing, but may provide more, depending on the needs of the individual or family. If you have a physical condition that limits your mobility and your access to the lower-priced housing units, please give us that information on your form. If you have any questions about financial assistance, call Helen Garay Toppins at 212-673-5750.

The Equalization Fund uses contributions to help Friends with the cost of attending NYYM sessions. The registration form in Spark and on the NYYM website provides an opportunity for Friends to contribute to the fund.

Business Agenda Items

If you have items for the business agenda, please contact the appropriate coordinating committee clerk: John Cooley, General Services; Irma Guthrie, Ministry; Deborah Wood, Nurture; Mary Eagleson, Witness; or Lucinda Antrim, clerk of NYYM, [email protected]; or the NYYM office, [email protected]. Contact information for the coordinating committee clerks is in the Yearbook, which should be available at your meeting.

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