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Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (OYM) was established in 1891 at Newberg, Oregon. In 1974 the name was changed to Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (NWYM) to reflect the congregations of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington states. Friends (Quakers) first arrived in Oregon in the mid-1800s, but it was not until 1878 that application was made to officially recognize Chehalem Monthly Meeting. By 1891 several churches had been formed in Oregon and Washington, so application was again made and Oregon Yearly Meeting was formed. Idaho churches applied to OYM in 1906 for official recognition as a Quarterly Meeting located near Boise.

The first Yearly Meeting sessions provided for the organizational structure by establishing boards, committees, clerks, and delegates to oversee pastoral and church extension, foreign missions, education, publishing, peace and arbitration--all continuing Friends concerns. The Discipline of Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends Church was approved in 1895 and 600 copies were printed. Today the 2009 document, Faith and Practice: A Book of Christian Discipline, unites Friends across the NWYM.

The peace testimony of Quakers has been emphasized by committee and member practice through relief work, independent pursuits, and in conjunction with other yearly meetings and national organizations.

Education has a traditional emphasis within NWYM. At the first Yearly Meeting session reports were given about the progress of three institutions already established by Oregon Quakers: Friends Pacific Academy (1885) and Pacific College (1891), both located in Newberg, and Friends Polytechnic Institute (1892), located in Salem. Greenleaf Academy, near Caldwell, Idaho, was established in 1908. At present Greenleaf Friends Academy still continues and George Fox University in Newberg maintains strong connections with NWYM. Camping was another focus on wellbeing promoted by early Friends that continues to the present. Five camp and recreational sites located throughout Idaho, Oregon and Washington are affiliated with NWYM, providing programs and facilities for members and other participants of all ages.