Great Plains Yearly Meeting of Friends (GPYM) held their annual sessions at Hominy Friends Meeting, Hominy Oklahoma June 1-3, 2007.  The sessions coincided with and helped celebrate  the 100th anniversary of Hominy Friends Meeting.

Principle resource person for the meetings was Taoyate Obnajin (also called Richard Twiss), Wiconi International.  Taoyate helped Friends think about separating “essential Christianity” from cultural habits that are inevitably part of any religious expression.  He emphasized that many “European” expressions of Christianity – i.e. music, dress, language – as taught to Native Americans by missionaries were not “essential,” nor necessarily more appropriate than expressions of Christianity, or other spiritual experiences, in Native American dance or music or other cultural traditions.

GPYM pledged one dollar for each of its 606 members toward a special travel pool for developing country delegates to the August 2007 triennial meeting of Friends World Committee for Consultation in Ireland.  They challenged other yearly meetings to a similar response.  Four GPYM members expect to attend the FWCC gathering.

Carole Revard, of Hominy Friends Meeting, was named incoming Presiding Clerk.

Great Plains Yearly Meeting (formerly Nebraska Yearly Meeting) will meet for its centennial celebration in Central City, Nebraska June 5-8, 2008.  Paul Lacey, Quaker educator and historian, will be the principal resource person.  An historical account of each of the monthly meetings that have been part of Nebraska/ Great Plains Yearly Meeting is being developed by Ronald E. Mattson.