Friends from across Baltimore Yearly Meeting will gather again this summer from July 31­Aug. 6 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia for annual session. The theme this year is "Living in Harmony: Called to Live in Harmony With One Another and All Creation." We will explore through plenary presentations, workshops, worship sharing, and our business sessions how Friends of varying persuasions can come together in love to address the concerns of the wider world, in particular the need to gently use the resources of our Earth. Confirmed plenary speakers are Rachel Stacy and Marshall Massey. Rachel Stacy is from Gun Powder Monthly Meeting and was appointed last year to be one of BYM's representatives to the Friends United Meeting General Board, and planned and attended last summer's World Gathering of Young (Adult) Friends in England and in Kenya. Marshall Massey, of Omaha Monthly Meeting, is the co-founder of Friends in Unity with Nature, now called Quaker Earthcare Witness.

The weeklong session will open Monday, July 31 with a retreat sponsored by Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee. Registration for the formal BYM session will be on Tuesday, Aug. 1, beginning at 1 p.m. and the first business session will be from 3-5 p.m. that afternoon.

Again this year, BYM hopes to encourage Friends who have never come the session to attend by offering "two-free-days" coupons. Each monthly meeting will receive three such coupons and are asked to identify three Friends within their meeting who they feel would benefit from attending. The coupon covers the holders' registration and room and board costs for two days. Monthly meetings are encouraged to give additional financial support to the recipients of the coupons so that they might stay longer. Meetings should consider how they might in other ways encourage as many of their members and attenders to participate in the BYM annual meeting as possible.