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April 2006 Representative MeetingApril Representative Meeting will be held April 1 and 2, 2006, hosted by Shrewsbury & Plainfield Half-Yearly Meeting. Saturday's sessions will be on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, N.J. Sunday's session will be at the Rahway and Plainfield meetinghouse, 225 Watchung Ave., corner of Watchung Ave. & E. 3rd St., in Plainfield, N.J.Attention Newsletter Editors and ContributorsDid you know that we read every meeting newsletter that we receive? It's always a joy to share the blessings of meetings and worship groups, whatever form these blessings take. We also pass this information on to other meetings and the Yearly Meeting by way of Spark, InfoShare, and the Web site.Please be sure that we are on the list to receive your newsletter, either by mail or electronically. Also, we need the e-mail addresses of newsletter editors, so that we may inform you of important information. Send items to Paul Busby, c/o the NYYM office; e-mail paul@nyym.org. Spark: Not Just for MembersEvery member of NYYM receives Spark in the mail. Regular attenders may also receive Spark if they wish. If you attend a monthly meeting or worship group and would like to receive Spark by mail, please send your name and address to the NYYM office, 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003 or e-mail the information to office@nyym.org.NYYM E-Mail ListThe Yearly Meeting office maintains an e-mail list so that we can disseminate information throughout the meeting quickly. Among other things, the Worship and Action Updates, written by the Task Group on Worship and Action, go out on this list as often as they are published. (These updates and other information are also sent out by mail to anyone who requests that we send them in this way.)YSOP Service AdventuresIs your meeting looking for a service adventure for your young people?If you've thought about going to New York City or Washington, D.C., but have been afraid of all the details and ins and outs of such an adventure, Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP) has the perfect solution! YSOP is a Quaker organization that sponsors overnight, weeklong, and one-day service workcamps for young people to serve hungry and homeless people. Programs are based at the 15th Street Meetinghouse in New York City or at the Church of the Epiphany, near Metro Center and the White House, in Washington, D.C. Last year more than 3,300 youth and adults from across the USA participated as YSOP volunteers, serving more than 181,000 people. YSOP hosts high school and college students as well as intergenerational groups. Workcamps can be scheduled any time during the year. Group size can vary, and fees depend on program selection. YSOP Workcamps combine direct service with orientation and reflection. YSOP volunteers prepare and serve meals in soup kitchens, help at furniture and clothing banks and food pantries, conduct recreational activities for children in transitional housing, and provide companionship to homeless people from drop-in centers. Groups often combine these service experiences with sightseeing or cultural events. You can either join with other groups or have YSOP custom-make a Workcamp to fit your needs. Visit YSOP at www.ysop.org, or call Jean or Paul at 212-598-0973 to arrange for a trip or get more information. Ed Doty Start Now for Tagless Tag SaleStart now to prepare for next year's Tag-less Tag Sale at Silver Bay. Identify a bag or box and find an out-of-the-way place for it. Whenever you come across something that you no longer need but that might have value to someone else, put it in the box or bag. The sale has done well in bringing in funds for the Sharing Fund and Powell House. Let's use this vehicle to make another substantial contribution next year.Anne Wright and the TTS team Centennial Celebration of Shakers' Peace ConventionAugust 31, 2005On August 31, 1905, Shakers of Mount Lebanon, N.Y., hosted a Peace Convention "to bear upon the government to promote arbitration of international disputes" and to promote "the interests of humans to require the reduction of armaments of nations on land and sea." Historically, Shakers were founded as a faith-based community, devoted to pacifism and the equality of all people. Shakers continue these traditions today at Sabbathday Lake, Maine. To commemorate the centennial of this event, Darrow School and the Shaker Museum and Library are collaborating to present a day-long conference to educate, challenge, and empower teachers, students, and others interested in learning about the history of and current interest in universal peace.The broad range of presentations, workshops, and opportunities for open discussion reflect the historic importance and contemporary relevance of the Shakers' concepts of peace, social activism, and personal responsibility, and embrace current trends in sustainability, conflict resolution, issues of diversity, human rights, and inner personal peace. This event will be held on the campus of Darrow School at Mount Lebanon, N.Y., once the spiritual and temporal head of Shaker Society. For additional information: Sharon Koomler, Shaker Museum and Library, 518-794-9100 ext. 205; SKoomler@shakermuseumandlibrary.org. Transcend Peace University (TPU) onlineWith faculty and course directors drawn from among leading scholars and practitioners in their fields, TPU is the world's first truly global online peace university. In the October 2005 Semester TPU will offer 22 courses, including: Peaceful Conflict Transformation; Democratization and Development, Peace Futures; Peace Journalism; Nonviolence as Political Tool and Philosophy; Film and Peace; Transformación Pacifica de Conflictos; Gender and Militarism; Psychology and Peace; Art and Peace; and Peace, Gender, Violence.Starting Date: October 3, 2005 (or two weeks after the minimum number of students is met for that course); ending date: January 16, 2006; deadline for registration, September 15, 2005; cost per course, 350 euros. For more information or to register: www.transcend.org/tpu. Reception for Christopher and BarbaraBull's Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting, in cooperation with Nine Partners Quarter, with the generous assistance of Oakwood Friends School, invite you to a reception at Oakwood for Christopher Sammond and Barbara Rhudy, who plan to be married under the care of Twin Cities Friends Meeting on August 6.Our celebration will be on August 27, 2005. Worship in the Oakwood meeting room, at 1:00 p.m.; reception in the Oakwood Library, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. RSVP by email: juliagiordano@att.net, or by phone: 845-339-7255.
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