t has been said that the Gathering of Friends is the most complex conference of its kind. This is a hard claim to dispute, as it isn't clear that there is another "conference of its kind." But it is clear that the wide diversity of needs and interests expressed by members of FGC affiliated meetings have made the task of coordinating the Gathering increasingly challenging.

More that 1500 Friends come to the Gathering each summer, each with his/her own goals and each with his/her own needs. For example, one Friend hopes for a week of quiet introspection while another expects to spend every waking moment in conversation with old and new friends. Sometimes, it seems that the needs or goals of one segment of attenders is in direct conflict with the needs and goals of another group. The Long Range Conference Planning Committee (LRCP) and the Gathering staff are always open to suggestions about the Gathering and their policies. Each year, Friends are asked to complete an evaluation, and committee members read all the evaluations and determine what changes can be made.

For the past quarter century, FGC has found that college campuses best meet the needs for affordability and convenience. A campus has housing, food service, meeting rooms, auditoriums, and recreation facilities all in a contained setting. Most college dorms, however, usually have two single beds in a small room with a community bath. In order to meet the needs of families with younger children, FGC will ask if children can bedroll on the floor of a parent's room. Sometimes, local ordinances, usually fire codes, mean that this request could not be granted and these locations are not chosen. Most colleges restrict the ages of children, and may limit the number to a room or dorm. Not all otherwise wonderful campuses have air conditioned dorms. Amenities, such as telephones or modem compatible phone lines, are unpredictable at best.

A campus large enough to have housing for 1500+ on-campus residents and simultaneous space for 80 workshops plus 15 groups of children and have pleasant grassy outdoor spaces for early morning worship (or lounging Friends on sunny afternoons) is probably not going to be small enough to walk between the most distant points in five minutes or less. For the past few years, the "golf cart ministry" has provided mobility to those who always or occasionally find those distances daunting. A growing team of work grant recipients and volunteers coordinates Access Resources that provides assistance to attenders with various disabilities.

A cafeteria style, "take what you care to eat" meal plan is easy for most people to manage. With a one price, pay in advance plan, there is no need to calculate food costs for the week or be concerned about children handling change. Members of the Gathering Planning Committee and LRCP work with college staff each year to clarify the needs of vegetarians and vegans, as well as attenders with allergies to wheat, nuts, corn products, soy, and a growing list of foods and additives. A two meal a day plan where attenders can choose which two meals is a popular option for many, but often the contract arrangements are such that the two meals are specified to be lunch and dinner.

Our Tuesday "simple meal" of beans and rice alerts Friends to the abundance at the rest of our meals, and some wonder if we couldn't have simpler fare all week. Just over ten percent of the Gathering attenders opt out of the simple lunch. Offering the option of a week of simple meals would mean that those who chose such a plan would, of necessity, eat separately from those who chose a traditional plan. Others have suggested ways that we might live our testimony of simplicity in the community of the Gathering, and the LRCP is looking at some of these ideas. It is very hard to reduce or eliminate programs once they have become a "tradition," something that happens in as few as two Gatherings.

Each spring, a planning committee is formed to create the program for the Gathering that will occur 16 months in the future. But before the committee is formed, the LRCP, a committee of FGC's Central Committee, has chosen a site and named clerks for the Planning Committee. In part through its Site Selection Subcommittee, LRCP makes broad decisions that may affect the nature of the Gathering, determining what facilities will be available for programs. Besides determining what sorts of spaces are priorities, LRCP is committed to moving the Gathering throughout FGC's geographic boundaries.

Many extras, from piano practice rooms to power point projectors, are available on college campuses today. But many of these extras are, in fact, "extra." That is, FGC would pay additional fees to be able to use them. These costs would be passed along to attenders. While LRCP offers direction about priorities, ultimately the conference coordinator has the final responsibility for overseeing the budget for the Gathering and makes decisions about what needs to be added for the benefit of the program. Since increasing costs keeps many people, especially families, from being able to attend a Gathering, serious consideration is given before another extra is added.

The conference coordinator, along with other staff and officers of FGC, must also make decisions about exceptions to policies, guidelines, or established practice. Unlike a small meeting, a Gathering of 1500+ people needs structure to allow it to function smoothly. Making a single exception to one policy, of course, should not cause difficulty. But such an exception may set a precedent that could lead to undesirable results. Adaptations are made when the exception outweighs the rule unless a campus or local ordinance is involved. Then FGC expects attenders to comply. Thus, shoes must be worn in food service buildings and working service animals are the only animals allowed in buildings. Skateboarding is always a matter of campus policy-some places allow it everywhere (outside!); at other colleges, it is restricted. Ultimately, the Gathering is a community of Friends seeking to live in the Spirit. This discipline can be challenging for individuals with conflicting needs, but enriching to the Gathering as a whole.