JanYM24 Programs
Programs for the Quakers Australia AGM and January mini-Yearly Meeting 2024
We have an innovative program for this special JanYM24.
Friday, 19 January, 2024
On the first night of the weekend, we will gather together in a Meeting for Worship preparing our hearts and minds for the evening and weekend ahead.
Next up is our first Friendly School with Jason MacLeod on “Compassionate Communication” exploring how we can build caring communities through respectful listening and compassionate communication.
We end our evening with an Epilogue, a short time for worship and reflection – a chance hold the blessings and insights of the day.
Saturday, 20 January, 2024
On Day 2, we have a full day of activities. We start with an all-ages Meeting for Worship that is a centered around a Faith & Play story offered by Jess Dundas and Robin McLean.
Next we have a Preparatory Session on Quakers Australia (QA) Finances which includes the QA Treasurer's report and other items for the AGM, with an opportunity for questions and sharing concerns. In a later Formal Session during this January Yearly Meeting the report will be put forward again for acceptance.
At 2:30PM AEDT / 11:30AM AWST we will have the first Formal Session, clerked by the QA Presiding Clerk, Bruce Henry. It begins with the Annual General Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Australia, known as Quakers Australia. This is followed by ‘Open Business’ (previously considered by Standing Committee) which everyone, not just named representatives, is welcome to attend.
We will gather together to discern the best way forward and seek to be moved by the Spirit in this Meeting for Worship for Business. If this is your first time at Yearly Meeting, this Formal Session is an opportunity to gain insight into Quaker processes and hear about the work of Friends.
In the afternoon we meet Cressida Hall, the new Executive Manager at Quaker Service Australia, and will also have an information session on the QA Travel Guidelines.
After some free time, join us for Quakers Got Talent 2024 with Clint de Young. We have a full program! See what creativity bursts forth on stage!
Last but not least, join Friends at the Saturday Soiree, a convivial time hosted by Anna Wilkinson and Aletia Dundas for those who want to gather and yarn for a while. Everyone is welcome!
Sunday, 21 January, 2024
After our morning Meeting for Worship, we will go into another Formal Session at 11:30AM AEDT / 8:30AM AWST. Everyone is welcome to this session, where we will hear reports from the staff of the QA Office (Holly Dhynes, QA Communications; David Tehr, QA Coordinator); the Transition Implementation Working Group (TIWG); and Regional Meetings.
We have another full afternoon. At the start of the next session we meet Esther Hill, the new Principal of The Friends’ Schools.
This session continues with Sheila Keane leading us in a Friendly School on the topic of “Nurturing the Life of Our Meetings.”
To end the day and the weekend, we will have an Information session to hear about arrangements being planned for the in-person (and hybrid) July Yearly Meeting 2024 in Adelaide.
Join us for our Closing Reflection to share your feedback on this innovative mini-YM weekend together.
That’s it! That’s the weekend in a big nutshell. Are you excited yet!
Meetings for Worship
Meetings for Worship
Friday, 19 January, 2024
On the first night of the weekend, we will gather together in worship preparing our hearts and minds for the evening and weekend ahead.
Saturday, 20 January, 2024
On Day 2, we have a full day of activities. We start with an all-ages Meeting for Worship that is a centered around a Faith & Play story offered by Jess Dundas and Robin McLean.
Sunday, 21 January, 2024
We have our morning Meeting for Worship before a Formal Session. Would your Meeting like to join our meeting for worship?
To see all Meeting for Worship times in your timezone, go to the Timetable.
Epilogue
Epilogue
Epilogue is a short time at the end of the day to gather in worship and gather the threads of the day before settling to rest. It is a chance to hold and reflect upon the blessings and insights of the day.
Friday, 19 January, 2024
At the end of our day Jason MacLeod and Felicity Rose will lead the epilogue to follow on from the Friendly School on 'Compassionate Communication'. Some inspirational material may be offered or there may be an invitation to share briefly out of the communal silence.
Friendly Schools
Friendly Schools at JanYM24
A Friendly School is when Friends from around Australia offer workshops on a theme. Themes explore a variety of topics such as spiritual writings or practices, creative writing, poetry, social justice issues, Earthcare, Indigenous concerns, and so on.
On Friday, join Jason MacLeod for Compassionate Communication
On Sunday, join Sheila Keane for Nurturing the Life of Our Meetings
Friday, 19 January 2024
Friendly School - “Compassionate Communication” with Jason MacLeod
On Friday, we will have the opportunity to hear from Jason MacLeod for our first Friendly School at 7pm AEDT. The session will be hosted on Zoom.
In this workshop, Jason MacLeod will lead us in exploring how we can build compassionate communities through respectful listening and compassionate communication.
Jason says, "Have you ever been caught in a difficult conversation? Perhaps with a person who ‘pushes your buttons’, or a conversation that stirs up potent feelings? This session will explore Marshall Rosenberg’s framework for compassionate and nonviolent communication. It’s an art and science of conversation that holds respectful listening, honouring feelings, and taking responsibility for our own needs, together in creative and loving tension."
Sunday, 21 January 2024
Friendly School - “Nurturing the Life of Our Meetings” with Sheila Keane
For the Friendly School session on Sunday, 21 January at 2:15 pm AEDT, Sheila Keane will introduce the idea of the “Life of the Meeting” and participants will share their experience and inspirations on the questions of:
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Where is the Spirit alive in your Quaker meeting(s) now?
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Where are there opportunities to further build the spiritual Life of your meeting(s)? How can we do things differently?
Some queries you might want to reflect on in preparation for the workshop:
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How are you participating in the Life of the Meeting? How does your participation enrich your own spiritual life, and how does your participation deepen the spiritual life of the Meeting?
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There are lots of ways to participate: Personal spiritual preparation for Meeting for Worship, attending regularly; study groups; shared meals; protest actions with other Friends; fundraising or service projects; half day mini-retreats; inter-visitation of Friends; service positions (clerk, treasurer, librarian, etc.); working bees; all ages worship, intergenerational workshops; zoom groups…etc. Is your participation right for you? Not too much, not too little?
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What is the quality of worship and of vocal ministry in your meeting? How does your Meeting deepen its worship, which is the bond that holds the community in unity?
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Where are there opportunities for the Meeting to:
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Encourage individual spiritual development
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Link ‘necessities’ with development: matching gifts to tasks, giving opportunities for people to exercise and grow their gifts.
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Mature our elders and overseers
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Encourage our current and future ministers
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Provide spiritual support for those in active witness
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Tap into the broader Quaker world
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Social Sessions
Social Sessions at JanYM24
Saturday, 21 January 2024
Join Friends from around Australia for Quakers Got Talent 2024 with Clint de Young. We have an exciting program full to the brim with creative offers!
Continue on to the Saturday Soiree, a convivial time hosted by Anna Wilkinson and Aletia Dundas for those who want to gather and yarn for a while. Everyone is welcome!
Quaker Talent Showcase
We have a full program!
Giggles, Melodies, Homegrown Heroes, and Bath-time Balladeers
Can you amuse an audience with your infectious laughter or transport them with the magic of your words? Does your musical prowess evoke emotions that know no borders? Or perhaps you can dazzle with your comedy sketches or touch hearts with your heartfelt verses? If the answer is yes, we extend a warm invitation for YOU to showcase your talent and illuminate the virtual stage!
Announcing Quakers Got Talent 2024, an electrifying online extravaganza set to captivate you on Saturday 20 January 2024, at 7:00 PM AEDT, 6:30 PM SA, and 4:00 PM WA. Embracing the marvels of technology and the connectivity of Zoom, we are uniting artists from every corner of the world, and we want YOU to be a part of this unforgettable experience.
Whether you are a wordsmith, a storyteller, or a maestro, a crooner, or a clarinetist, we seek passionate performers ready to inspire, entertain, and forge connections with a global audience. Let's prove that creativity flourishes regardless of distance. We cordially invite you, your talent, and even your houseplants (if they happen to be musical) to participate.
Prepare to dazzle with your passion in these categories: Spoken word, Poetry, Stories, Comedy sketches, Musical renditions, Instrumental performances, Jokes that would make your dad proud (because who can resist a good dad joke).
Irrespective of your talent, your mode of expression, we eagerly await to provide you with a platform to shine. Each one of us holds a unique story, a song, a verse within, and we are excited to witness yours.
Seize this opportunity, take the leap, and let's craft an enchanting night filled with artistic brilliance and human connections.
To register, reach out to: Clint at clinton.deyoung@hotmail.com.
We are brimming with anticipation to see your incredible talents! Let the enchantment of the arts unite us in these extraordinary times. Our online community, marked by its warmth and peculiarity, eagerly anticipates the enchantment you're about to conjure. It's time to swap those baking recipes for bass solos, and let your living room become a vibrant stage! So, dust off that accordion, unearth that limerick you wrote about your goldfish, and let the festivities begin!
Unveil your brilliance, oh virtuoso! The world is your canvas, and we eagerly await the masterpiece!
- Clint (JanYM24 Task Group, YMOC)
P.S. Remember, dear friends, spaces are limited, don’t tarry, or you might feel a bit jaded, the chance to shine, the chance to score, your audience eagerly awaits, it's time to explore!