The planning of Blue River Quarterly's semiannual gatherings rotates among four groups of meetings, according to the following schedule:

• Spring of odd-numbered years: Urbana-Champaign Meeting (including Springfield)
• Fall of odd-numbered years: St. Louis Meeting
• Spring of even-numbered years: "Small Northern Meetings" (Clear Creek, Spoon River, Bloomington-Normal, Decatur)
• Fall of even-numbered years: "Small Southern Meetings" (Columbia, Southern Illinois, Rolla)

In recent years, the location of gatherings has usually alternated between the following two locations:

• Spring Sessions: Menno Haven Camp and Retreat Center, near Tiskilwa, Illinois
• Fall Sessions: The Dubois Center, near Dubois, Illinois

These are both rustic, camp-style retreat centers, run by the Illinois Mennonite Conference and the United Church of Christ - Illinois South Conference, respectively.

BRQ has also sometimes been held at the home meetinghouse of the meeting responsible for planning, or at one of the following locations:

• Camp CILCA, near Cantrall, Illinois. This is a camp and retreat center run by the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.
• Camp Brim Shire, near St. James, Missouri. This is a camp run by the Association for Midwest Disadvantaged Youth.
• Riverview Retreat Center, near Mahomet, Illinois. This is a small, rustic retreat center run by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Note: No overnight facilities.

This timeline is meant as a rough guide to what needs to be done when, to assist BRQ planning committees.

• One year in advance: Reserve the location. Usually this is done while we are on-site for the previous year's session.
• Six months in advance: Meeting(s) responsible for planning should appoint a planning committee. If more than one meeting is involved, the meetings must inform one another about the membership of the committee. In each meeting, a Friend should be appointed to clerk or convene committee meetings; he or she should contact other members and arrange a time and location for a meeting. Committee members from the various meetings should contact each other and agree on a division of responsibilities among the meetings.
• Five months in advance: The planning committee should decide on themes for the adult and children's programs. If individuals from outside the committee are to be invited as speakers, or to conduct workshops or the children's program, the committee should decide on who to invite, and issue the invitations. If square dancing is planned, arrange for music and caller. Confirm facilities reservations. Arrange the details of menu, lodging, etc. with camp administrators.
• Four months in advance: Details of the program should be decided. See "Sample Program" below. Post the program to the BRQ and ILYM websites. Calculate expenses and determine registration fees, bearing in mind that BRQ does not charge any fees for Friends below the age of 18.
• Three months in advance: Volunteers should be identified to staff the registration desk and perform any other necessary tasks.
• Two months in advance: A reminder postcard should be designed and sent out, with information about the dates, location, and theme of the meeting. Email announcements should also be sent the the ILYM and BRQ mailing lists. (Contact Sharon Haworth for BRQ postal mail contact list; send messages to her to be forwarded to the BRQ and ILYM email lists.)
• One month in advance: Design and send out a brochure, including the program, registration form, child emergency form, driving directions, etc. See "Materials from Past Gatherings" below for models.

Friday Evening
	Friends arrive after dinner or bring food to share. Possibly a brief planned activity; or just informal conversation and getting acquainted.
Saturday
	8:00-9:00 am:	Breakfast (Note: Meal times may be set by the camp, not us! Check with camp contact person for correct meal times.)
	9:30-10:30 am:	Adult Program	Children's Program
	11:00 am - 12:00 noon:	ILYM Planning Meeting	Children's Program
	12:00 noon - 1:00 pm:	Lunch
	1:00-3:00 pm:	Recreation/Free Time
	3:00-5:00 pm:	Meeting for Business	Children's Program
	5:00-6:00 pm:	Supper
	6:00-7:00:	Free Time
	7:00-9:00:	Program/Recreation (At Menno Haven, this often is square dancing, with local Mennonites invited; at other locations, it often includes a bonfire)
Sunday
	8:00-9:00 am:	Breakfast
	9:00-10:00 am:	Carry over business from Saturday, if necessary	Children's Program
	10:00 am - 11:00 am:	Meeting for Worship	Children's Program (Children in Meeting for Worship for last 15 minutes)
	11:00 am - 12:00 noon:	Clean up
	12:00 noon - 1:00 pm:	Lunch
	1:00-2:00 pm:	Farewells

2010 Spring:	web page with links to brochure and registration materials
2009 Fall:	web page with links to brochure and registration materials
2009 Spring:	web page with links to brochure and registration materials
2008 Fall:	brochure
2008 Spring:	web page with links to brochure and registration materials
2007 Fall:	brochure
2007 Spring:	brochure, program and queries
2006 Spring:	brochure
2005 Fall:	brochure, queries and definitions
2003 Spring:	brochure
2002 Spring:	brochure
2000 Spring:	brochure
1998 Spring:	brochure
1979 Fall:	flyer
1968 Fall:	program
1967 Fall:	program

2010 Spring	"Peace: A Quaker Testimony," Paul Buckley, Chuck Hutchcraft, Dawn Ruppert, Garnet Fay
2009 Fall	"Telling Our Stories, Nurturing Our Community"
2009 Spring	"Quakers and Tough Economic Times," Steven Walsh
2008 Fall	"We are God's Hands: Creativity and the Peaceable Kingdom," James Taylor
2008 Spring	"Holding On & Letting Go"
2007 Fall	"Deepening Community, Enriching Relationships"
2007 Spring	"Simplicity is Complicated"
2006 Fall	"Developing Meeting Community," Tom Paxson
2006 Spring	"Service through Faith," David Finke, Maurine Pyle, Clyde Baker, Dawn Amos
2005 Fall	"Building Community among Friends: Historically, Recent Experiences, Dreams for the Future," David Finke, Nancy Duncan, Neil Mesner, Peter Lasersohn
2005 Spring	"Spirit-Led Decision-Making," Martha Turner
2004 Fall	"Spiritual Paths to Peacemaking," Malesi Kinaro
2004 Spring	"Being Faithful Witnesses: Serving God in a Changing World," Elizabeth Mertic
2003 Fall	"Affirming Diversity"
2003 Spring	"Taking Back our Quaker Time"
2002 Fall	"Gathering Together to Renew the Spirit in Our Lives"
2002 Spring	"Dreaming about the Future of IYM," Roxy Jacobs
2001 Fall	"Spiritual Experiences and the Outward Life"
2001 Spring	"Walking with God"
2000 Fall	"We are Teachers of Each Other," Jane Driber, David Wixom
2000 Spring	"Conscience in Action: Quaker Witness in Iraq," Mira Tana, Jeff Stack
1999 Fall	"Understanding and Finding Friends Responses to the Crisis in Kosovo," Kelly Maynard, Merlin Taber
1999 Spring	"Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Discernment," Deborah Fisch
1998 Fall
1998 Spring	"Peacemaking among Friends," Tom Paxson, Barry Zalph, Nancy Duncan
1997 Fall	"Living Simply — Treading Lightly: Our Relationship with the Earth"
1997 Spring	"Living the Peace Testimony," Patrick Nugent, S. Gross, R. Lipecal
1996 Fall	"Friends Traditions," Barry Zalph
1996 Spring	"Alternatives to Violence Project," Pat Wixom
1995 Fall	"Unfinished Friends History," Michelle Tarter
1995 Spring	"Spiritual Concerns on Quality of Life and Overpopulation," Bob Wixom
1994 Fall	"Outreach Then and Now"
1994 Spring	"Friends and Traveling," Lorena Jean Tinker
1993 Fall	"What Does It Mean to Be a Quaker," B.A. Davis-Howe
1993 Spring	"Finding That of God in Every Person"
1992 Fall	"Tending the Spiritual Life of Our Meetings — Sharing Our Experiences
1992 Spring	"AFSC — A Historical Perspective," Bill Ramsey
1991 Fall	"Holding One Another in the Light," Wayne Benensen
1991 Spring	"Inner Sources of Creativity," Bob Wixom
1990 Fall	"Making Meeting Matter to You and Others," Grayce Haworth
1990 Spring	"Whose Business is it When Friends do Business," Tom Paxson
1989 Fall	Virginia Gilmore
1989 Spring	"Should BRQM be Laid Down? Reflections on Quarterly Meeting," Peg Morton
1988 Fall	"FWCC Triennial Meeting," Carolyn Treadway
1988 Spring	"Childhood Heroes / Becoming Spirited Heroes"
1979 Fall	"Love Made Manifest: Religious Life and Social Action"