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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>As one of SAYMA's appointed
representatives to Friends General Conference I share the following with you. It
is one of those good news/bad news stories, but be sure you read ALL the way
through, for despite the subject line, registration is not totally
closed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Penelope Wright</FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial>Dear Friends,</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>By now you may have heard that online registration for the
2006 Gathering has been closed. To our great astonishment, we received
registrations for almost 800 Friends in the first six days. Since this
Gathering is capped at 1,200 registrants, and we need to save spaces for 160
program leaders (workshop leaders, Junior Gathering staff, High School
Counselors, etc) and their families, we have closed online registration as of
March 6, 2006. <STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>We will be accepting paper
registration forms from the Advance Program and Friends from the online waiting
list as long as spaces remain. <U> However, we expect to reach the maximum
capacity for this Gathering very soon</U></FONT></STRONG></FONT><STRONG><FONT
color=#ff0000><U><FONT face=Arial>. </FONT></U> </FONT></STRONG></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>While we are absolutely thrilled with this response to our
first ever West Coast Gathering, we are also sad to realize that many Friends
will not be able to attend. As a member of Central Committee may
I explain to Friends that the decision to plan a Gathering for 1,200 (as
compared to our typical 1,500-1,700) was based on considerable research and
painstaking discernment, with the best information that we could collect at the
time. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>In 2003 and 2004 the Long Range Conference Planning
Committee undertook two surveys, asking regular Gathering attenders and Friends
from the western yearly meetings about the likelihood of attendance at a western
Gathering. Professional analysis of the results told us we could expect
approximately 1,000 attenders. On top of this, in the past few years the
Gathering has been under enrolled. Therefore, we were not concerned when
the best site in the Pacific Northwest turned out to be Pacific Lutheran
University, even though it could only accommodate 1200 people.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>So, with all this info, LRCP chose PLU and directed the
Gathering Committee to plan a Gathering for 1,200 Friends. PLU will provide some
marvelous features for a Gathering, but it has only 1,100 beds and one dining
hall. Of course, we have looked for ways that we could include more people
(e.g. more Friends staying off campus but attending workshops and programs each
day), but the very tight limits on dining space, spaces for workshops and other
Gathering events, the size of the auditorium for plenary sessions, not to
mention the smaller number of workshop leaders, Junior Gathering volunteers, and
other key volunteers lined up to help with this Gathering, preclude the kind of
flexibility which we deeply wish we had at this point. In fact, we have
had to contract with an adjacent church to secure space for some of our
children's program.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>It is wonderful that interest in this Gathering is so
strong. It is an affirmation of the tremendous work that has been done by
volunteers, committees, and staff. We expect the 2006 Gathering to be a
wonderful week with Friends of all ages from coast to coast coming together and
getting to know one another. Based on the response we have received this
year, it is likely that LRCP will consider planning another West Coast Gathering
sometime in the not too distant future.</FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#ff0000>
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>Thank you for spreading this important message about the
2006 Gathering. Please hold us in the Light, as we prepare to go<I>
Swimming in Living Waters</I>. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>In the Spirit,</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=#000000>David Miller
Lynne Phillips & Margaret
Sorrell</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial color=#000000>LRCP
Clerk </FONT>
<FONT face=Arial>2006 Gathering
Co-Clerks</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=#000000>Bruce Birchard
Liz Perch</FONT> <BR><FONT
face=Arial>General Secretary
Conference Coordinator</FONT> </P>
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