September 2010
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FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON
Annual Report – Personnel Committee FMW
Religious Education (RE) Committee Annual Report 2009-10
FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS
July 18, 2010
Minutes
07/10-1 Opening The Meeting opened at noon with a period of silent worship. David Etheridge served as Presiding Clerk, Susan Lepper, Alternate Clerk, and Merry Pearlstein, Recording Clerk. Mary Campbell and Sabrina McCarthy joined the clerks on the facing bench holding the Meeting in the Light. The clerks read Advices, Queries and Voices related to living our Quaker faith as proposed by the Faith and Practice Revision Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
Advices
What do we mean when we repeat Fox’s admonition to “Let your life speak”? This simple sentence reminds us that it is our lives, not our words, that speak most reliably about who we are and what we believe. Our lives are our ministry, not the specific acts we think of as “official” ministry, such as speaking in meeting, following leadings, or carrying out our roles on committees. Jesus teaches us not to hide our lights; but to let them shine – as the gospel song would have it, “every day, every way.” Outreach in this broad sense is not something we think about and plan; rather, it simply happens as we walk our paths in the world, lighted by “that of God” within us.
Outreach is not a monologue, but a dialogue - an adventure undertaken in the spirit of a musical improvisation with many instruments. Take time to learn about other people's experiences of the Light and, as you learn, give freely from your own. Respect the experiences and opinions of others, but do not be afraid to say what you value and to speak with conviction. Welcome the diversity of culture, language, and expressions of faith among Friends and members of other faiths.
Outreach also includes being open to others who may be tentatively “reaching in” to explore the Quaker faith. The sense of welcome is expressed in countless small details: the coffee is warm, the biscuits are good, the potluck is plentiful, and people say “hi.” Most importantly, when someone walks in and asks, “What do Quakers believe?” it is the Meeting’s task to be sure that they are likely to get a well-informed answer from anyone they might approach.
Queries
How does my life witness to my Quaker faith?
In what ways do I reach out to new attendees and encourage their exploration of Quakerism as a spiritual path?
How does our meeting convey Quaker faith and practice to the wider community?
Voices
Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them you may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you.
George Fox, 1656
This story is told of a German woman living in Cologne in 1946. Her husband had been killed during the war and she was left with two small children. …It is no wonder that she was a cynical and embittered woman when the Service Committee workers found her. They were of the same nationality that she had been taught to hate, the ones who had killed her husband. But these people brought clothing, medicine, and food and above all sympathy and understanding. “Why do you do it?” she asked, and they tried to tell her something of the spirit that had sent them forth. Finally with tears in her eyes she exclaimed: “This is too good to keep to yourselves — Oh, why don’t you preach what you practice!” John Hobart, 1954
Indeed if one has been visited by a direct sense of inward presence, he is driven to tell everyone who will listen to him. Strange and unendurable irony – that Friends who speak so much about the Inward Light should so timidly hide their own light under a bushel! The time has come to preach the faith we have resolved to practice. If we have good news for our brothers, and I believe we do, let us shout it from the housetops! Let us learn to be publishers of truth about our faith as well as our social concerns. John Yungblut, 1974
Outreach is the natural result of the second great commandment that we love our neighbors as ourselves. It grows out of the spiritual attitude of caring and can take many forms, limited only by our imagination. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Outreach Ideabook
My new acquaintance was told by my friend that I walked a Quaker path. The acquaintance’s face lit up. “What is that?” she asked. For the next hour she peppered me with questions about the Quaker path. I could not evade or sidetrack her. She was intense. At the end she exclaimed, “If I had known all of this twenty years ago, I would have lived a different life!” I sat stunned, moved, elated, and saddened all at the same time… She had heard of Quakers all her life, but she never met a Quaker that would explain what it meant. Barry Crossno, 2005
07/10-2 Attendance Approximately 33 Friends were present. Presiding Clerk David Etheridge welcomed visitors Michael Upright of Washington, DC and Victor Brunsden and Beth Seymour, both of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
07/10-3 Clerk’s Report Presiding Clerk David Etheridge announced four recent deaths within the Meeting community:
· Gouri Cousins, wife of Presiding co-Clerk Bill Cousins, died on June 28, 2010. Her ashes were scattered on the Ganges River on July 11.
· Member James Akins, husband of Marney Akins, died July 15, 2010. A memorial meeting will be held on Saturday, July 31, at 11:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room.
· W. Sheldon Horton, husband of member Helen Horton, died on July 9, 2010.
· A memorial meeting will be held on Saturday, July 24, at 4:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room for renowned Friend Elise Boulding, who died June 24, 2010.
David reminded Friends that they were participating in a meeting for worship, and that, to the extent possible, procedures would be like those of any other worship meeting with periods of silence being observed between messages.
07/10-4 Requests from the Planning Committee Susan Lepper, Clerk of the Planning Committee, reviewed recent activities of the committee and the current status of plans for the proposed renovation plans. She noted that the Planning Committee currently expects to make the first presentation of the architectural renovation concept, along with plans for financing, to the Meeting at its Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business on Sunday, September 12. She presented the Committee’s request for authorization to pay an additional $9,000 to the architectural firm of Quinn Evans for work they have already performed. This is in addition to the approximately $89,000 previously paid to Quinn Evans. Some of the additional work was necessary due to the death of principal architect Bill Drewer. Although Mr. Drewer had originally indicated some Quinn Evans work would be donated, that intention was never quantified, and the Planning Committee felt it appropriate to reimburse the firm for all the work it has performed under the existing contract and amendments. The Meeting APPROVED this request.
A request was also made for the authority to expend up to $9,000 for architectural work to explore the feasibility of adding a connector between the Meeting House and Quaker House and the Carriage House, including a review of building code requirements for new construction in those aging buildings. It is anticipated that this work will require approximately two weeks and will not delay the presentation of the renovation concept scheduled for September. A Friend who inquired whether this proposal meant that a decision had already been made to retain Quaker House and the Carriage House was told that a sale of one or both of those properties remained an option open for discussion. A Friend spoke to the urgency of making our campus universally accessible and addressing chronic environmental problems such as groundwater and expressed his desire that the Meeting view its property as one campus. Friends APPROVED the expenditure of up to $9,000 for this additional architectural work.
07/10-5 Deferred Maintenance and Upgrade Budget Martha Solt, co-Clerk of the Property Committee, reviewed recent activity of the Property Committee, noting the new tenant on the second floor of the newly refurbished Carriage House. The international human rights group Tostan is paying $2,500 per month for this space and may eventually be interested in additional space on our campus. Martha noted that the School for Friends would be vacating its space by Labor Day, and that the Peace Tax Fund, which is three months in arrears on its rent, has not responded to the committee’s several letters or telephone calls. In response to questions raised last month, the committee submitted photographs showing current condition of the Carriage House and Quaker House, as well as the location of a proposed gate in the wall separating the Carriage House and Quaker House gardens. Martha noted that there would be another workday next Saturday, July 24. She also indicated that the committee has begun a State of the Property report giving priority to the needs of First Day school, children and families. Susan Lepper asked that the Property Committee share its information regarding First Day School needs with the Planning Committee, and it was noted that there is now a person who has been designated as a liaison between the two committees.
Martha made the second presentation of the attached proposed Deferred Maintenance and Upgrade Budget and requested approval of the expenditure of $75,450 currently available from property reserves. The Meeting APPROVED this request. A Friend shared his observation that at least in part due to the activities of the Property Committee and the spirited discussions concerning renovation, the Meeting seems to be coming together as a community.
07/10-6 Request from the Marriage and Family Relations Committee Susan Griffin, Clerk of the Marriage and Family Relations Committee, made the second presentation of the request for the marriage of Basil Kiwan and Mike Weber under the care of the Meeting. Both Basil and Mike expressed their gratitude for the love and support they have felt from the Meeting. Friends APPROVED this request. Friends also APPROVED the oversight committee consisting of Martha Solt, Michael Upright and Stephen Coleman.
A Friend rose to clarify the role of an oversight committee and to stress that its responsibilities for ongoing involvement in the lives of the couple being wed is not one to be taken lightly.7/10-7 Report from the Membership Committee Harry Massey, Clerk of the Membership Committee, reported receipt of a request for the transfer of membership of Jessica Arends and Andrei Israel to State College, Pennsylvania Friends Meeting. Friends APPROVED this transfer. Harry also relayed the request for transfer of membership of Juliet H. Isele and her son, Robert C. Isele, to Langley Hill Friends Meeting. This request was also APPROVED.
07/10-8 Proposal for the Laying down of Friendship Preparative Meeting David Etheridge made the second presentation of the Ministry and Worship Committee’s proposal for the laying down of Friendship Preparative Meeting. The Meeting APPROVED this proposal.
07/10-9 Report from the Nominating Committee Marcia Reecer, Interim Clerk of the Nominating Committee, presented the nomination of Lauren McAlee to the Religious Education Committee for a term ending December 31, 2012. Tracy Hart, Clerk of the Religious Education Committee, noted that Lauren, who is new to the Meeting, is an elementary school teacher and is excited about her service on the committee. Another Friend noted that Lauren has worked with the childrens’ program of Friends General Conference. The Meeting APPROVED this nomination.
07/0-10 Annual Report of the Personnel Committee Bill Strein, Clerk of the Personnel Committee, presented the attached annual report and expressed special appreciation for all those who had assisted during the transition from Barbara Haught to Laura Yeomans as Assistant Administrative Secretary. He noted that the committee is currently updating procedures and developing job descriptions. Friends ACCEPTED this report.
07/10-11 Annual Report of the Religious Education Committee Tracy Hart, Clerk of the Religious Education Committee, presented the attached annual report of that committee. She noted several activities of the Committee, including Living our Queries, Friendly 8s, the Quaker Events series, and support of families, all of which are intended to facilitate members’ and attenders’ understanding of what it is to be a Quaker. She also noted that the committee is seeking a coordinator for First Day School. A member of the Planning Committee asked for coordination with the Religious Education Committee in planning for the proposed renovation and possible relocation of the children’s library. Friends ACCEPTED this report, with appreciation.
7/10-12 Reporters for Baltimore Yearly Meeting annual sessions David Etheridge reminded Friends of the Annual Sessions of Baltimore Yearly Meeting the first week in August and asked for volunteers among Friends planning to attend those sessions who would be willing to report on their experiences. Susan Griffin indicated her willingness to do this.
07/10-13 Minutes The minutes were read and APPROVED.
07/10-14 Adjournment With approximately 28 Friends present, the meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. to reconvene as way opens on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 11:45 a.m.
Attachments: Planning Committee Request
Deferred Maintenance & Upgrade Budget
(last pg. of printed NL or link on web page)
Annual Report of the Personnel Committee
Annual Report of the Religious Education Committee
Planning Committee Request
(FMW Meeting for Worship for Business, 7/18/2010)
After collecting dozens of comments, concerns and suggested changes to the proposed elevator/renovation plans, the Planning Committee has spent the last several weeks systematically working through all the collected comments. This has taken time – considerable discussion was required, and some additional information was needed from our architects on a number of questions. We are close to finishing that process, and we thank Friends for their patience as we do our best to thoughtfully consider the feedback we received and acquire the information we need to move forward.
We come to the Meeting today seeking approval for an additional increment of spending that we feel is necessary to move us forward. Specifically, we ask for approval for spending of up to an additional $18,000 for payment to our architects, Quinn Evans Architects (QEA). There are two main reasons for this additional spending.
1. Approximately $9,000 is to compensate Quinn Evans for work already performed. Initially, QEA had planned to donate some hours to get us to a decision, but as our deliberations have continued, QEA have indicated that they could not continue to do so and the Planning Committee agrees they should be fully compensated for hours worked in good faith. This amount is in excess of the $89,000 originally approved for architectural work on this project, a reflection of the somewhat longer deliberations on the project than originally anticipated.
2. The second $9,000 is requested because of a change that we sense among Friends and would like to test. Our original charge was restricted to the main Meeting House and the grounds, because of a lack of unity on future plans for Carriage House and Quaker House. In the intervening years, the decision of the School for Friends to move elsewhere and other changes have led, we think, to a new sense that the Meeting may now be closer to unity on the continued inclusion of those two buildings in our campus going forward. Our sense of that evolution leads us to request approval for an amendment to our agreement with Quinn Evans asking them to explore the feasibility and implications of adding a connector between the Meeting House and Carriage House/Quaker House to this project. QEA has estimated the cost of this additional exploration at $9,000, and expects the exploration to require about two weeks of additional work. We believe we can find ways to reduce that additional $9000 significantly -- and are exploring those with QEA – but we feel it will be most prudent and expedient to simply get approval for the full extra $9000 now, to be on the safe side.
We thank Friends for sticking with us as we continue moving forward through this arduous but we hope ultimately fruitful process, and we welcome Friends’ questions.
Susan Lepper, Co-Clerk
Ken Forsberg, Co-Clerk
Faith Williams
Loie Clark
Judy Hubbard
Annual Report – Personnel Committee FMW
July 16, 2010
The theme for the Personnel Committee since its last Annual Report (September, 2009) has been change – change on the committee itself, change in procedures, and changes in the FMW staff that the committee oversees. In October Denny Hartzell left his position as member and clerk of Personnel to do what?; to become a part-time FMW staff member! The Personnel Committee’s loss was the staff’s gain; Denny helped to fill in for the then-still-vacant position of Assistant Administrative Secretary. Bill Strein, already a committee member, became clerk. Hayden Wetzel left Personnel at the end of 2009, and new members Ed Hustead and Michael Cronin were added. With regrets, the committee accepted the resignation of long-standing member Clem Swisher later in 2010. So, currently, the Personnel Committee has four members: Michael Cronin, Ed Hustead, Byron Sandford, and Bill Strein (Clerk). David Etheridge, as an ex officio member, is actively involved in the committee. Much of the committee work is done via e-mail.
Procedural changes: Since our last Annual Report we completed our thorough, line-by-line review of FMW’s Statement of Employee Policies and Procedures, updating personnel policies and employee benefits. That work is on-going. We also substantially changed, and we believe improved, the procedures by which the Personnel Committee solicits information from other committee clerks about the office staff operations and performance, and the Personnel Committee’s annual evaluation of the Administrative Secretary. As the result of this process, we completed our evaluation of the Meeting’s Administrative Secretary, and presented this evaluation report to the Committee of Clerks in April 2010. We recommended the continuation of Tom Cooke’s contract for the next fiscal year, with a cost-of-living adjustment developed jointly with the Finance and Stewardship Committee.
Staff changes: The committee’s work in late 2009 was focused on the continued search for a new Assistant Administrative Secretary. As a part of the search, the committee reviewed and revised the job description for that position, as well as screening and interviewing applicants. We were delighted to be able to offer and have an acceptance from Laura Yeomans, our now not-so-new Assistant Administrative Secretary. During the gap between Barbara Haught’s departure and Laura Yeomans’ arrival, several FMW members served either as volunteers in the office or as ad hoc, part-time, paid staff. These arrangements were managed by Tom Cooke in consultation with the Personnel Committee.
Substantial improvements occurred this past year in office operations with the development of FMW’s new website and increased use of electronic communications. Additionally, staff responsibilities were restructured so that some of the accounting work now is being conducted by the Laura Yeomans, resulting in some decrease in the amount of time needed for FMW’s contracted bookkeeper. The committee’s agenda for the next 12 months will focus on continuing the work that we began in 2009 and 2010, namely reviewing carefully the job descriptions and duties of our two full-time staff members, so that there is greater clarity about how staff can best meet the needs of FMW committees and how the office can function most effectively and efficiently.
It would be impossible to thank everyone who pitched in to cover the office operations prior to Laura Yeomans’ arrival, or helped the committee in other ways. However, the Personnel Committee would like to thank a few individuals for their particular contributions: Clem Swisher, for his immense contributions over a long period of time, both to the Personnel Committee and directly to the staff itself; Denny Hartzell, both for his leadership while clerk and his work as an interim staff member; and Grant Thompson, both for his work as interim staff and for his (unpaid) consultation in support of improving office functioning.
Bill Strein
Clerk, Personnel Committee, FMW
Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW)
Religious Education (RE) Committee
Annual Report 2009-10
First Day July 18th 2010
RE Committee continues to support Quaker religious education from toddlers to adults. Child Care, First Day School (FDS), Adult Education, and special events all help to grow our Quaker faith and culture. This year we created space for
discussion of how we live our Quaker queries. We enjoy new partnerships with the Welcome and Fellowship Task Force and Property Committee. Our Committee is steady in our role within the Meeting as one of welcoming and cultivating Quaker hearts and minds of children, families, and learners of all ages.
Adult Education Offerings
First Day 9:15 a.m. Study Group
The adult study group meets twice a month, with attendance ranging from 6 to 12 participants. Members of the group prepare general readings from Pendle Hill or other sources, and share it with the group.
The group completed its multi-year focus this past year on the development of the Society of Friends in England and the United States and predecessor groups from their earliest years and into the early 20th Century. This included readings from “The Quakers” by Hugh Barbour. Winter 2010 brought considerations of the life and writings of philosopher/writer/theologian Rufus Jones. Spring brought a discussion of “Atonement in Early Quaker Experience” led by Patrick Lynam, with some comparisons between Ranters and Seekers. More recent readings have included Michael Marsh’s “Reaching Toward God”, and other readings on the life and works of Henry Joel Cadbury.
In Fall 2010 and 2011, the group will continue on its more outward focus: contributions of Influential Quakers and others influenced by Quakers in society-- their lives, and what they have contributed. This will include learning about civil rights leaders (e.g. Bayard Rustin), playwrights (e.g. Thornton Wilder), philanthropists (e.g. Johns Hopkins), leaders in peace movements etc. Contact: John Scales
Living Our Queries
This is a once-monthly worship sharing series meeting every fourth First Day at 9:15 a.m. which focuses on the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Proposed Advices and Queries of 2009. We consider how the query for the coming month can help us live our faith. There are sixteen queries, and we expect to offer each query twice. Therefore, the series is expected to run through February 2013. Because the queries, advices and testimonies are also in draft form, we will be gathering sharings on the wording of these to send to the BYM Faith and Practice RevisionClerk Sheila Bach.Contact: Justin Connor
Friendly Eights
Fall 2009, Anne Dudte Johnson launched two pilot Friendly Eights groups, a monthly gathering to allow Quakers to explore their community and/or to discuss spiritual issues. One group was matched as a “social/party” group and the other as a “spiritual” group. These groups met through the Winter and Spring. One helpful discovery is that www.doodle.com can provide good assistance in the organizing of event dates across many different people's various schedules. We are preparing to re-launch Friendly Eights in Fall 2010. Contact: Justin Connor
Launching a ‘Quaker Event Series’
We are discussing as a committee on how we as a Meeting might expand our offerings of Quaker ‘events’. The intention is to make better use of our Meeting Room and other spaces to bring a variety of spiritual offerings to our Community. We would like to be able to learn from Quakers who communicate through singing, writing, speaking, dancing, as well as friends who would like to communicate with Quaker audiences. We’d also like to use this opportunity to do some gentle outreach to friends from outside of FMW who share our interest and wish to hear these same communicators. We are looking at similar offerings from elsewhere, and probable first-time guest performers, in order to have some information gathered from outside sources. We will be soon contacting the Hospitality and Property Committees, and the FMW Office to review logistics. Contacts: Lauren McAlee and Jonathan Ottke
RE-Sponsored Events
Martin Luther King Junior Day
We had a wonderful celebration of Dr. King on Sunday, January 17th. We sang soulful freedom songs and read thoughtful quotes from Dr. King as we shared an excellent culinary experience. Fresh cornbread was prepared by our FDS school children. Special thanks went to organizer Martha Willcox, David James, Virginia Avanesyan, Jonathan Ottke, and others. The event raised $500, which was donated to the Mary Jane Simpson Educational Fund.
Tibetan Buddist Lama Visit:
On February 20th, 2010, we hosted a lecture by Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, a lama, and a Buddist studies professor, scholar, and author. Khenpo’s talk was very pragmatic. He described Buddhist spiritual psychology and the importance and power of disciplining the mind to positive thoughts that discern the interconnected of all beings. This helps to keep us happy. The 28 attendees were impressed with Khenpo’s presentation and personality, and many expressed the wish that he might visit us again. Host: Roger Burns
FirstDay SchoolOfferings and Preparations
Young Children:
We added a male child care taker, Ken Hockenberry, to our other regular staff of Sweta Daga, Makai Kellogg, Angel King, Anita Poku, and Katorra Wright, all of whom have professional qualifications, but, most importantly, are well-known and loved by our children. We have 12-15 children between 1&1/2 to 4 who are joyful in our care. We are blessed by having a warm and flexible community where we can offer drop-off child care as well as “Meeting for Parents and Babies” alongside that standard child care. This year we set a FMW child care “sick policy” and a “FMW childcare parental involvement policy”. We also moved all the child care workers onto our automatic payroll system. Contact: Chris Klemek
FDS - Quakes (Kindergarden and First Grade, Kathleen Finn and Meg Green, Lead Teachers):
The Quakes worked with the Faith and Play series described above. They celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King by reading stories about him. They explored themes of empathy by studying and understanding facial expressions. There was a two-week peace workshop, then an exploration of culture and how people can be different and yet have similarities. Through the Good Samaritan story, the children explored the theme of kindness towards others, especially those who are different from us. The Easter story was told alongside egg dying and a hunt outside. Steve Brooks shared his view on life in Zimbabwe.
FDS – Junior Friends (Second through Fourth Grade, Virginia Avanesyan and Giovanni Sella, Lead Teachers):
The Quakes worked with the Faith and Play series described above. They celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King by reading stories and making a banner. Eileen Hanlon worked with them on a monthly service of sandwich making at Church of the Pilgrims. They explored the notion of “active listening” through the study of the Japanese symbol “Kanji” – the five parts of this symbol represent using one’s eyes, ears, heart, mind, and giving undivided attention in order to engage in active listening. They participated in Tarek Maasarani’s three-week Peace Workshop. They baked a cake for fundraising for this same workshop. They learned about the “thousand paper cranes” story and learned how to make origami paper cranes. They designed this year’s FMW T-Shirt.
FDS – Junior Young Friends (Fifth through Eighth Grade, Debby Churchman, Lead Teacher):
Between two and four young friends attended regularly. They worked their way through the Alternatives to Violence curriculum for young people. They also worked through the first four chapters of Genesis -- the two creation stories, the story of Noah, and the Tower of Babel. In December, they focused on the story of Jesus' birth in detail. On another day, they took a tour of the FMW buildings and neighborhood. It ended on the third floor on the Meeting House, where Hayden Wetzel let the kids explore our attic -- surely the only First Day School class to have ever done so.
FDS – Young Friends (Ninth through Twelfth, J.E. McNeil, Lead Teacher):
This group met very sporadically on-site. There was some off-site activity in BYM Young Friends gatherings and work camps. For those high school seniors who graduated in May of 2009, traveling letters were prepared from FMW introducing them to the Quaker meetings in their new towns.
Faith and Play Curriculum as Quaker Role-Playing for Children:
Our FDS teaching was strengthened by adoption of the Friends General Conference-developed Faith and Play curriculum. Megan Healey created our first series of “Going to Meeting” and “Gifts”, to which we added “George Fox’s Big Day” and “the Mary Fisher Story”.
Children’s Library Cataloging and Culling:
Thurla McCash and Lucy Callard have made great inroads in sorting the Children’s Library offerings by subject matter. This is a work-in-progress. We appreciate any volunteers with a mind for detail, patience and an appreciation for much delayed gratification to assist in this task. Our rewards will be a usable library from which children can borrow and teachers are able to base Quaker lessons.
Formalization of First Day School Coordinator (FDS Coordinator) position:
Through most of calendar year 2009, the RE Committee labored to craft a FDS Coordinator Terms of Reference which separates the roles of the RE Clerk, the FDS Coordinator, the teachers, and the FMW Assistant Administrative Secretary. The FDS Coordinator position now has a formal email address which stays with the position: fdscoordinator@gmail.com. In October 2009, FMW approved a financial arrangement where this FDS Coordinator position can be filled by a volunteer on paid stipend through earmarked funds dedicated specifically for this purpose.
During the 2009-2010 school year, this paid stipend amount was $1000, funded by earmarked contributions to FMW. If and when the earmarked funds no longer are received, the position is no longer funded. Our 2009-2010 FDS Coordinator Kathleen Finn considerably improved some aspects of the role, including weekly communications and curriculum development. We now seek a FDS Coordinator for the 2010-2011 school year. We have verbal commitments of $1500 to fund this position.
Caring for FMW Children
Child Safety Committee:
Our FMW Handbook was updated to include our finalized FMW Policy to Reduce the Risk of Abuse. Our current focus is to review the Policy with a view that it might need updating vis-à-vis Guide One insurance guidelines. We are planning to update reference checks and to hold a Child Safety training in August 2010. We are also advising the Planning and the Property Committees on recommendations to increase child safety in our buildings and grounds long-term. Contact: Virginia Avanesyan
Summer Camp Scholarships:
We provided eight summer camps scholarships to active FMW teens attending Camps Catoctin, Opequon, Shiloh, and Chinese language session at Sidwell Travelers Summer Camp. We have two anonymous donors earmark funds generously, as well as earnings from the MLK luncheon, in order to supplement our camp scholarship budget. Rob Lipp-Farr as our BYM Camping Liaison organized two video showings of Quaker summer camp selections. Contact: Tracy Hart (scholarships), Rob Lipp-Farr (BYM summer camps)
Religious Education Collaboration within FMW and BYM
FMW-Families:
This listserv group was established in February 2010 for families within FMW, especially new families to the meeting and families with young children. This email group complements the FDS e-group, which pertains exclusively to First Day School announcements. Initial FMW-Families activities have been “Parents Lunch Out” after Meeting for Worship, with Child Care staying on so that Families with young children can go out and get to know each other. Discussions topics include instilling Quaker family values outside the boundaries of First Day School; building friendships across Quaker families; and discussing school choices and Quaker values. One intention is to study from and/or to host a member of the Quaker Parenting Initiative. Contacts: Tracy Hart and Chris Klemek
RE Liaison Work with Welcome and Fellowship Task Force Committee:
Two RE Committee members have been active liaisons to the RE Welcome and Fellowship Task Force. We added prominent signage to the front of the Meeting House side entry to the Child Care door in the Carriage House with the hours of FMW Child Care. Our children collaborated on a “FMW Neighborhood Map”, where we decorated large neighborhood sheets with houses, landmarks, trees, names of neighborhood, and a few points of Quaker significance, such as the Pierce cemetery, the Underground Railroad, Friends House, and the old Irving and Eye Street meeting sites. On July 11, 2010, Meeting friends ‘stood’ on their homes and met neighbors. Contact: Rob Lipp-Farr and Tracy Hart
FMW RE Linkages:
Marsha Holliday and Virginia Avanesyan continue to serve as FMW representatives to the Religious Education committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Marsha Holliday also serves on the BYM Child Safety Committee. Lib Segal serves as FMW Representative to the Board of Sandy Springs Friends School. Molly Tully continues to serve as an ex-officio member of the FMW RE Committee. Martha Willcox, former RE Committee member, is now our liaison with the FMW Ministry & Worship Committee.
Religious Education Committee Strengthening
FMW Website Curriculum Development:
Assistant Administrative Secretary Laura has worked diligently with us to post a wealth of RE materials on the FMW website. Our pages include: “Children”; “RE Committee”, “Quaker Parenting and Family Resources”; “Living our Queries”; “Living our Queries Reading Material”; “FDS Weekly Activities”; “BYM Junior YF and YF Links”; “Adult Education”; and “Child Safety”. Our next steps are to post teacher curriculum outlines and our most useful library resources catalogued on internal pages so that FDS teachers are better supported from year-to-year.
Religious Education Administrative Support:
Laura Yeomans has been pro-active in soliciting items from the RE Committee for the weekly announcements and the monthly newsletter. She has made linkages on specific topics with other RE Committees in BYM where appropriate. She has greatly supported the RE Committee and the FDS Coordinator’s roles.
RE Continuing Education: At Friends General Conference (FGC) 2009, RE Clerk Tracy Hart attended the week-long session “Grow Your First Day School, Grow Your Meeting”. This was led by Beth Collea of New England Yearly Meeting. The focus of the workshop was on retention of families through a step-wise approach through a combination of in-class curriculum as well as Meeting welcome activities as a means to literally ‘grow’ (often citing the example of smaller New England) meetings. Quite a bit of the workshop materials and teachings are equally applicable to adult outreach work. The RE Clerk also attended the yearly meeting of the FGC RE Committee for First Day School as well as for Adult Education.
SEPTEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER
FALL EVENTS
First Day Teachers Needed
Are anyFriends interestedteaching First Day School? Would you like more information? Are you planning to teach First Day School this fall? There is a Child Safety Training session scheduled for August 29 at 9 a.m. in the Decatur Place Room. Friends will have an opportunity to learn more about the First Day School at that time. All Friends are urged to consider serving as a First Day School teacher. The teachers work in teams of two adults in a classroom. The fall season is September 12 through the end of November. Children continue to be a great inspiration to those who teach and we are confident Friends will find the experience richly rewarding. There is a team of people who support teachers and there are many curriculum resources to assist with lesson planning. If you are interested in learning more about being a First day School teacher, or plan on attending the Child Safety Training session on August 29, please RSVP Laura Yeomans at the FMW Office (202-483-3310) or speak with Tracy Hart.
FMWSenior Center
Programs of slides or talks are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m. in the Decatur Place Room. The program for the month is:
September 8 Carol Coffee Turkey I
September 22 Clem Swisher Southeastern States
William Penn House
The William Penn House is a Quaker Center located on Capitol Hill and is an alcohol and tobacco-free facility at 515 East Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003. (202) 543-5560. All F/friends, family and neighbors are invited to the Sunday potluck dinners at William Penn House. The potluck diners begin at 6:30 p.m. with sharing a meal. A scheduled topic is then presented and discussed.
On Sunday, September 12, the topic is The Work to End Child Marriages and will be presented by Dr. Margaret (Meg) Greene. Child marriage is a global problem. Nearly ten million girls marry every year as children, many as young as 8 or 9 years old. Thirty-eight percent of girls marry before age 18 in the developing world (excluding China). In several countries in West Africa and Bangladesh, two-thirds of girls are married before age 18. Child marriage lies at the intersection of a broad set of problems facing girls. The practice violates girls’ human rights, curtails their schooling, harms their health, and simply constrains their futures. If we can significantly reduce child marriage, we can improve girls’ health and development and that of their families, communities, and nations. Dr. Greene will talk about an initiative being launched by a group of non-governmental organizations, with the help of The Elders. The Elders are an independent group of global leaders, brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. In their efforts to promote equality for women and girls, The Elders have identified child marriage as an important starting point.
Dr. Margaret Greene has worked for over 20 years on a broad range of topics relating to the social and cultural determinants of health, adolescent reproductive health, development policy and gender. She is widely known for her work in engaging men and boys for gender equality and on the conditions faced by girls in poor counties, and she has worked at a number of institutions including the Population Council, the Center for Health and Gender Equity and the International Center for Research on Women.
Inquirers Class
All F/friends are invited to participate in FMW’s Inquirers Class. This is a great way to learn more about Quakers, the Religious Society of Friends and FMW. It is open to newcomers and not-so-newcomers. This is an excellent way to meet F/friends, learn about our “peculiar ways” and study a small amount of history. The class will meet for five consecutive Monday evenings, starting on September 13. The class will meet in the Decatur Place Room from
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Attendance at every class is not required. For more information contact the FMW Office at (202)483-3310, or speak with Michael Cronin or Gerri Williams.
Adult Religious Education
The Adult Religious Education group will meet on several Sundays this fall for the beginning of a year long focus on our new series Leadership Series: Influential Quakers and other Quaker Influenced leaders in American Society –civil rights, womens suffrage and rights, playrights, poets, philanthropists, public servants and others. The first two sessions will focus on Bayard Rustin, The group will meet in the Decatur Place Room at 9:15 a.m. on:
September 19, October 3, October 17, October 31 and November 14. Everyone is invited to participate and attendance at every meeting is not required. For more information either call the FMW Office (202)483-3310 or speak with John Scales.
Living Our Queries
Discover how the monthly queries, advices and voices connect with our daily spiritual experiences. Every fourth Sunday at 9:15 a.m. Friends will gather in the Quaker House Living Room and will share how the query for the month can help us live our faith. The current calendar is:
September 26 Outreach
October 24 Equality
November 21 Social Concerns
For more information contact Justin Connor. To read our current queries, as well as to read the proposed new queries, visit the Baltimore Yearly Meeting website.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Message from Our Co-Clerk David Etheridge
In her 1962 Pendle Hill Pamphlet, Helen Hole wrote:
Neither the early Christian community nor the first Quaker fellowship was made up exclusively of super-men and women... The first church and the Quaker movement were made up of very human people, to whom the source of power was open. I believe with absolute certainty that this same source of power is open to us today.
My suggestion is that basic to the vitality of both these communities was prayer; in both cases I believe it was the cornerstone. The members of these two fellowships prayed as individuals, they prayed in their families. They prayed whenever they gathered as a group.
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Our Quaker fellowships, too, I am convinced, must be nourished with prayer if they are to endure as centers of life and power....
Underlying and under girding the unprogrammed worship of Friends is prayer: the prayerful corporate waiting which takes place in any meeting when it has centered down. As we go deeper and deeper, prayer is our task as individuals and as a group....
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If prayer has not been a reality throughout the week for at least a core of its members, participants in the Sunday meeting cannot reach high levels of worship. Vocal prayer flows when the cup is already full before we come to meeting. Activity which is meaningful results from insights gained in prayer....
Prayer, then, is a necessity in our lives. It must be at the center of them.
Helen G. Hole, Prayer: The Cornerstone, Pendle Hill Pamphlet 123, pages 9, 10, 16-17 (1962).
Friends are invited to consider worshipping together in preparation for the Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business on September 12, 2010, at 11:45 a.m., at which we will hear a report from the Planning Committee and continue our discernment process. Before that Meeting for Worship, Friends may wish to spend more time in worship together than is our usual practice: see our worship schedule on the website home page. –— David Etheridge
FMW Tots Need Toys
With the departure of the School for Friends, our childcare arrangement for our youngest attenders encounters one very immediate need: We've lost that wonderful trove of toys, which is critical to distracting the “little ones” from parents' absence. Toward this end, the childcare workers were polled for a wish list, based upon their experiences playing with our children. The compiled the list is below:
BASIC LIST:
Baby gate (particularly if room will be near steps)
Step stools for bathroom
Children's books
Crafts: Paper, safety scissors, crayons, markers, stamps & ink, glue
Dramatic play props (including small chairs): hats, empty cereal boxes, bowls, etc from home
Mini fridge
Radio/CD player
Water pitcher (w/filter)
Cups, plastic ware
Cars, trucks, trains (tracks)
blocks
Medium-sized Legos
Classroom plant
Puzzles Dinosaurs, farm animal or other figures
Storage baskets/bins
In addition to the above, the childcare workers have added the following for consideration:
1. One book shelf (We can put the rest in baskets)
2. Play dough
3. Board games
4. A "cozy area" for infants (An area with big soft pillows, a mobil, soft play materials, etc)
5. Cleaning supplies for spills and accidents
6. Children's music (parents could burn their children's favorite songs on a CD
7. A bulletin board (To hang photos of the children, their families, artwork, etc)
8. Multicultural dolls
9. A large soft carpet (For teachers and children to read books, do a puzzle, play, etc.)
10. Is there a couch or a comfortable chair available for mothers to nurse their babies?