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Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association (SAYMA) Long Range Planning for Annual Sessions Sites and Dates

Thank you for participating in this survey to help with SAYMA’s long range planning for our annual sessions sites and dates.

Questions 1 through 6 are intended to help us determine how well we have reached out with this survey to a diverse and representative group of SAYMA Friends.
1.Please select your monthly meeting, worship group, or Associate affiliation with SAYMA from this list
2.What is your age? (Because of legal restrictions on internet surveys directed at people under age 18, the questions on this survey have to be directed to adults. If you are under 18 years old, please get your parent or guardian to respond to this survey with you.)
3.Please put numbers in the age range boxes to indicate how many of your children might come with you to SAYMA annual sessions and/or might go to SAYMA annual sessions with someone else as their adult sponsor. If any of your children have traveled to SAYMA annual sessions (and if they are able to tell you about their answers to questions), please include them with you in answering later questions about participation, experiences, and preferences.
4.How do you describe your ancestry, color, ethnicity, and/or race?
5.How do you describe your gender?
6.How do you describe your sexual orientation?
Questions 7 through 12 are intended to gather information about your preferences for the DATES for annual sessions in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030.
7.Friends General Conference (FGC) is a wider Quaker organization of 16 yearly meetings, including SAYMA. In future years, FGC Gathering of Friends (with worship, workshops, speakers, and other programs for all ages) will be held on different dates during the first two weeks of July each year. How do you want SAYMA annual sessions to be scheduled relative to FGC Gathering of Friends?
8.Please indicate whether these possible dates for SAYMA annual sessions would make it MORE or LESS likely for you to participate. (All of the dates given below are for Thursday through Sunday.)
MORE Likely for me to participate
LESS Likely for me to participate
First Weekend in June (e.g., June 3rd-6th, 2027; June 1st-4th, 2028)
Second Weekend in June (e.g., June 10th-13th, 2027; June 8th-11th, 2028)
Third Weekend in June (e.g., June 17th-20th, 2027; June 15th-18th, 2028)
Fourth Weekend in June (e.g., June 24th-27th, 2027; June 22nd-25th, 2028)
First Weekend in July (e.g., July 1st-4th, 2027; June 29th - July 2nd, 2028)
Second Weekend in July (e.g., July 8th-11th, 2027; July 6th-9th, 2028)
Third Weekend in July (e.g., July 15th-18th, 2027; July 13th-16th, 2028)
Fourth Weekend in July (e.g., July 22nd-25th, 2027; July 20th-23rd, 2028)
Fifth Weekend in July (e.g., July 29th - August 1st, 2027; July 27th-30th, 2028)
9.Would your participation in SAYMA annual sessions be affected by whether the SAYMA dates coincided with JUNETEENTH weekend?
10.Would your participation in SAYMA annual sessions be affected by whether the SAYMA dates coincided with INDEPENDENCE DAY weekend?
11.Would your participation in SAYMA annual sessions be affected by whether the SAYMA dates fit with a SCHOOL schedule?
12.In addition to what was already mentioned in the previous questions, are there any other comments you want to make about scheduling the dates for SAYMA annual sessions?
Questions 13 through 24 are intended to gather information about your preferences, criteria, needs, and wants regarding potential SITES for SAYMA annual sessions
13.Please indicate your preferences for these types of areas as potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions
STRONGLY LIKE
SOMEWHAT LIKE
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT DISLIKE
STRONGLY DISLIKE
Urban / City
Suburban / Near City
Exurban / Outer Edge of Metro Area
Small Town / Rural
14.Please indicate your preferences for these metropolitan or micropolitan areas as potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions
STRONGLY LIKE
SOMEWHAT LIKE
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT DISLIKE
STRONGLY DISLIKE
Augusta metropolitan area around Aiken Worship Group in Georgia and South Carolina (including Richmond, Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, and McDuffie Counties in GA; and Aiken and Edgefield Counties in SC)
Asheville metropolitan area around Asheville and Celo Monthly Meetings in North Carolina (including Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, and Yancey Counties)
Athens metropolitan area around Athens Monthly Meeting in Georgia (including Clarke, Madison, Oconee, and Oglethorpe Counties)
Atlanta metropolitan area around Atlanta Monthly Meeting in Georgia (including Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Cherokee, Douglas, Fayette, Henry, Rockdale, and Forsyth Counties)
Berea and Richmond micropolitan area around Berea Monthly Meeting in Kentucky (including Madison and Rockcastle Counties)
Birmingham metropolitan area around Birmingham Monthly Meeting in Alabama (including Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker Counties)
Columbia metropolitan area around Columbia Monthly Meeting in South Carolina (including Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, and Saluda Counties)
Cookeville micropolitan area around Cookeville Monthly Meeting in Tennessee (including Jackson, Overton, Putnam, and White Counties)
Crossville micropolitan area around Crossville Monthly Meeting in Tennessee (including Cumberland County)
Huntsville metropolitan area around Huntsville Monthly Meeting in Alabama (including Limestone and Madison Counties)
Macon metropolitan area around Macon Worship Group in Georgia (including Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Monroe, and Twiggs Counties)
Memphis metropolitan area around Memphis Monthly Meeting in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas (including Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette Counties in TN; DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, Coahoma, Tunica, and Benton Counties in MS; and Crittenden and St. Francis Counties in AR)
Knoxville metropolitan area around West Knoxville Monthly Meeting in Tennessee (including Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Grainger, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, and Union Counties)
15.Please indicate your preferences for these regional areas as potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions
STRONGLY LIKE
SOMEWHAT LIKE
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT DISLIKE
STRONGLY DISLIKE
Middle Georgia (south of Atlanta, north of Macon, west and east to AL and SC)
Northeastern Georgia (north and east from Atlanta to NC and SC)
Northwestern Georgia (north and west from Atlanta to TN and AL)
Northwestern South Carolina (north and west from Columbia to NC and GA)
Western North Carolina (north, west, and south from Asheville and Celo to VA, TN, GA, and SC)
Eastern Tennessee (north, east, and south from Cookeville and Crossville to KY, VA, NC, and GA)
Central and Western Tennessee (north, west, and south from Crossville and Cookeville to KY, MO, AR, MS, AL, and GA)
Southeastern Kentucky (south from Berea to TN and VA)
Northwestern Mississippi (north and west from Oxford to TN and AR)
Northeastern Mississippi (north and east from Starkville to TN and AL)
Northwestern Alabama (north and west from Birmingham to TN and MS)
Northeastern Alabama (north and east from Birmingham to TN and GA)
Some of the potential sites have a variety of different types of beds, bedrooms, bathrooms, and campsites (which all share the same dining, meeting, and recreational facilities). We would have lower costs for the more rustic or communal options. Questions 16-23 are about which of these types of accommodations you would be willing to choose.
16.Which of these types of campsites would you be willing to choose for your sleeping accommodations during SAYMA annual sessions? (You can choose more than one answer to this question.)
17.Which of these types of bedrooms would you be willing to choose for your sleeping accommodations? (You can choose more than one answer to this question.)
18.Which of these types of beds would you be willing to choose for your sleeping accommodations? (You can choose more than one answer to this question.)
19.Which of these types of bathrooms would you be willing to choose to go with your sleeping accommodations? (You can choose more than one answer to this question.)
20.Do you need to have air-conditioning in your bedroom?
21.Do you need an ADA/wheelchair accessible bedroom?
22.Do you need an ADA/wheelchair accessible bathroom with grab bars and wheel-in or walk-in shower?
23.Do you have any other comments about the types of accommodations that you would you be willing to choose?
Questions 24-28 are about how far you would drive to SAYMA annual sessions and about whether you would prefer to travel by bus, plane, or train instead of driving
24.Please give your city/town and state and/or zip code (to be used for estimating your driving time from your home to potential future sites for SAYMA annual gatherings)
25.If you would drive (or get a ride in another Friend’s car) to travel to SAYMA annual sessions in 2027, 2028, 2029, and/or 2030, please indicate the maximum number of hours that you would be willing or able to travel one-way from your home
26.Would you prefer to travel to SAYMA annual sessions by bus? If yes or maybe, please give the name of the bus station you would be departing from (to be used to estimate ease or difficulty of getting buses to a station near potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions)
27.Would you prefer to travel to SAYMA annual sessions by plane? If yes or maybe, please give the name of the airport you would be departing from (to be used to estimate ease or difficulty of getting flights to an airport near potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions)
28.Would you prefer to travel to SAYMA annual sessions by train? If yes or maybe, please give the name of the train station you would be departing from (to be used to estimate ease or difficulty of getting trains to a station near potential sites for SAYMA annual sessions)
29.Do you have any suggestions for specific sites that you think might be good locations for future SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please give the name of the conference center, college, state park, etc. and any information you know about the place and/or any experiences you have had there
30.In addition to anything already mentioned in previous questions, is there anything specific that you would NEED a potential site to have?
31.In addition to anything already mentioned in previous questions, is there anything specific that you would WANT a potential site to have?
32.How might you want to be involved in long range planning for locations and dates of SAYMA annual sessions? (You can check more than one box. If you want to be involved, please give your name and contact information below.)
33.Did you participate ONLINE in any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you participated online from the list below.
34.If you ever participated ONLINE in SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about ONLINE as a site for SAYMA
35.Have you ever participated IN-PERSON (not online) in any SAYMA annual sessions?
36.If you answered NO to question 35, please give your reasons why have you chosen NOT to participate IN-PERSON in any SAYMA annual sessions
37.Did you travel in-person to Berea College for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Berea in-person from the list below. (Please don't select years you only attended online.)
38.If you have ever been to Berea for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
39.Did you travel in-person to Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Warren Wilson in-person from the list below. (Please don't select 2022 if you only attended online.)
40.If you have ever been to Warren Wilson for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
41.Did you travel in-person to Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Hiwassee in-person from the list below.
42.If you have ever been to Hiwassee for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
43.Did you travel in-person to Christmount Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Christmount in-person from the list below.
44.If you have ever been to Christmount for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
45.Did you travel in-person to Southern College in Collegedale, Tennessee for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Southern College in-person from the list below.
46.If you have ever been to Southern College for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
47.Did you travel in-person to Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville, Tennessee for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Cumberland Mountain in-person from the list below.
48.If you have ever been to Cumberland Mountain for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
49.Did you travel in-person to Lutheridge Conference Center in Arden, North Carolina for any SAYMA annual sessions? If yes, please select the years you went to Lutheridge in-person from the list below.
50.If you have ever been to Lutheridge for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
51.Did you travel in-person to Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, North Carolina for SAYMA annual sessions (which were there in 1977)?
52.If you have ever been to Bonclarken for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA
53.Did you travel in-person to Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee for SAYMA annual sessions (which were there in 1976) ?
54.If you have ever been to Maryville for SAYMA annual sessions, please comment on what you experienced as good or bad about that location as a site for SAYMA