April 2014 Newsletter
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Spiritual State of the Meeting draft
Healing & Reconciliation Report
Friends Meeting of Washington
Order of Worship
Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
9 March 2014
Are love and harmony within the Meeting community fostered by a spirit of open sharing? Do you endeavor to widen your circle of friendships within the Meeting, seeking to know persons of all ages and at all stages of the spiritual journey? Does the Meeting provide for the spiritual refreshment of all members and attenders? Do Friends provide spiritual and practical care for the elderly, the lonely, and others with special needs?
Advices
While Quakers believe that a seed of God is in every human being, it is sometimes easier to believe this of persons at a distance than it is of those near at hand. This is particularly true when the need arises to address contentious issues. A meeting community should always seek to consider openly matters at issue, seeking a loving resolution of conflict, rather than to preserve a semblance of community by ignoring issues. Even when resolution is not immediate, the Meeting should make room for different expressions of continuing revelation while persisting in earnest search for unity.
At the same time, it is well for Meetings consciously to cultivate fellowship and unity. The goal, in George Fox's words, is to "know one another in that which is eternal, which was before the world was." Religious education programs for Friends of all ages are a primary bond. In the common experience of worship we draw together in a most essential way. The discussion of matters of concern, as well as fellowship based on recreation, intellectual pursuits, music and other aesthetic interests, can help unify the Meeting community. Working together also builds bonds of trust, understanding, and communication. In all things the principle of simplicity suggests that leisure activities, working, and faith be compatible and complementary.
- The Meeting as Caring Community, Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Voices
The life of a religious society consists in something more than the body of principles it professes and the outer garments of organization which it wears. These things have their own importance: they embody the society to the world, and protect it from the chance and change of circumstances; but the springs of life lie deeper, and often escape recognition. They are to be found in the vital union of the members of the society with God and with one another, a union which allows the free flowing through the society of a spiritual life which is its strength.
William Charles Braithwaite, 1905
- FMW welcomed first time visitor Victor Freeman to Meeting for Worship with a concern for business (MfB).
2014/3-2 Clerk’s Report
- The meeting held Janet Dinsmore in the light as she struggles to support her parents through their illnesses.
- The meeting held Beth Cogswell in the light, her surgery was successful.
- Bridget Moix’s leading to study the Bouldings at their archives in Colorado will be supported by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and others as they are led.
- Ministry and Worship’s series on Friends’ spiritual journeys continues.
- Hunger and Homelessness is thinking of holding a salsa dance party to fundraise for the Shoebox Project, probably in May.
- Peace & Social Concerns is holding a “practicing peace” seminar where F/friends are describing their work for peace, as well as an upcoming Peace Fair, which is under development.
- Chloe Schwenke is coming back in April to talk with adults about her journey as a transgender Friend.
- Blair Forlaw is bringing people from the African Great Lakes Peace Initiative to talk about libraries in Rwanda.
- A small group has been meeting to discuss the Spirituality of Work, and plans bring a series on this topic to the Meeting in the coming months.
- Susan Griffin and Byron Sandford are considering starting a group for Friends facing retirement – please contact them if you are interested.
- The Clerk read the Moscow Monthly Meeting prayer request and we
- Liz Pomerleau is now officially a board certified chaplain.
Major items
2014/3-3 Spiritual State of the Meeting report– Blair Forlaw
Clerk of Ministry and Worship, Blair Forlaw presented the results of the Spiritual State of the Meeting report. 55 Friends completed the spiritual state of the meeting survey. The survey has a mixture of members, attenders, and visitors or sojourners and identified 5 general themes.
1. The spirit does prosper at FMW and in a variety of different ways.
2. There is the feeling that the Meeting has grown spiritually over the past year, though challenges still remain.
3. We all are ministers, though the Meeting struggles with the types of ministry.
4. We value our visitors and guests.
5. Friends were challenged to be more active on social issues.
There was some concern expressed about the use of percentages in the report and it was asked that the report be clearer in indicating individual views. The question was asked about, how we can deal with issues that arose in discussing the spiritual state of the Meeting report and the Ministry and Worship Committee welcomed suggestions over the next few weeks. The report will lie over for one month, as is our custom.
Milestones
2014/3-4aThe Memorial Minute for Elizabeth Brache was presented to MfB by Kevin Camp. Friends approved the minute as written.
2014/3-4b The Memorial Minute for Jacqueline Kearney was presented to MfB by Shannon Zimmerman. Friends expressed concern at the lack of information on Jacqueline Kearney. Friends approved the minute as written.
2014/3-4cThe Memorial Minute for Bill Cousins was presented to MfB. Friends approved the minute with minor editorial changes.
Friends discussed the notation of the names of authors of memorial minutes. The Friends’ names will be noted at the time they are appointed by the Monthly Meeting to write the minute, but their names will not be associated with the final minute, which is a product of the Monthly Meeting, as is our custom.
2014/3-5 Membership Committee– Joe Izzo
- First presentation of Membership for Michael Beer and associate membership for his two children, Kian Josh Thomas-Beer and Skye Kaele Thomas-Beer. This request for membership and associate membership will lie over for one month, as is our custom.
- Second presentation of Shannon Zimmerman for membership. Her membership was approved.
2014/3-6 Marriage and Family Relations Committee– Liz Pomerleau
- Second presentation of Jenny Moore and Scott Cunningham for marriage under the care of FMW. The oversight committee for the marriage is Jim Bell, Anne Hertzog, Gray Handley, and Mohamod Olabi. The marriage was approved.
2014/3-7 Nominating Committee– Merry Pearlstein
The resignation of Buck Marks from the Property Committee was accepted.
The nomination of Brian Lutenegger to the Property Committee was approved.
2014/3-8 Healing and Reconciliation Annual Report– Merry Pearlstein
Merry Pearlstein, Co-Clerk of the Healing and Reconciliation Committee presented the Committee’s annual report. A Friend showed appreciation for the work of this Committee and expressed a desire that the committee find a way of capturing their lessons learned.
Other business
2014/3-9 Update from Finance and Stewardship Committee – Byron Sandford. Committee Clerk Byron Sandford says that FMW is in good shape financially at this time.
2014/3-10 Minutes, Friends approved the minutes.
2014/3-11 The Meeting closed with approximately 33 members in attendance.
A statement by Friends in Moscow on the crisis in Ukraine
To all Friends:
Moscow Monthly Meeting of Friends asks you, dear Friends, to pray and work with us for peace in Ukraine. We propose the following principles to guide our prayers and our advocacy:
1. For government based on compassion instead of coercion, free from international interference.
2. For reconciliation among all the people of Ukraine regardless of ethnicity.
3. For all the different ethnic groups of Ukraine to be able to express their hopes and expectations freely.
4. For all controversies to be resolved without violence.
Moscow Friends will continue to follow the situation closely and prayerfully. Please join us.
- Johan Maurer and Mikhail Roshchin, Moscow Monthly Meeting of Friends
In response, FWCC General Secretary Gretchen Castle wrote to Friends in Moscow:
I am so grateful for your letter and your prayer suggestions, and most importantly, to hear your invitation for Friends around the world to put all prayerful attention to the people of Ukraine. We must believe in the power of prayer and engage as fully as we can with our hope for compassion, for reconciliation through nonviolent means, and open communication for all ethnic groups.
Even as the international stage brings pressure to comply with more reasonable standards of engagement, may we as Friends offer what we know to be powerful – appreciation of the human spirit, engagement in small circles, deep listening, and compassion in all things.
May God help us all move ever closer to what we ask of others. And as we ask for God’s help, may the human family continue to move toward a more compassionate response to human suffering.
The Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW)
2013 Spiritual State of the Meeting
“The Meeting is as active as I have seen it in the 40 years I have been a member. Wonderful to see it come alive as it has in the past few years.”
During the first months of 2014, 55 FMW Members (51%), Attenders and Sojourners shared their thoughts about the spiritual state of our Meeting. While a majority of these respondents worship at the 10:30 First Day gathering in the Meeting House,more than one-third meet for worship at 9:00 in the Parlor or at 10:30 in Quaker House. Our other worship groups also were represented. Of these Friends who shared their views, 56% find that the Spirit prospers “well for us collectively” and another 31% feel the Spirit prospers “well for them individually while less well collectively.”The majority feelsthat FMW wellsupports our spiritual growth particularly through: the time we spend with one another, Meetings for Worship, First Day School, memorial meetings, and the Young Adult Friends group. Many of us also find the Spirit manifested in: study groups, Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Business, committee work, and weddings.
"I was impressed with the great community connectedness of Washington meeting…and how well organized the meeting is in all that it does. I have been telling others… how impressed I was [with] the way the meeting is responding to community needs and is so welcoming and affirming."
Many feel a deep appreciation for the variety of worship, service and community engagement opportunities at FMW. There is a general feeling that FMW grew spiritually during 2013 through: a focus on the inclusion of children and young people, fellowship opportunities, invigoration of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, and by reaching unity on how we will make our buildings fully accessible. For some there is a sense of trust and caring that allows both “friendly and difficult conversations”, such that “honest speaking seems to be cultivated” at FMW. Many consider FMW their spiritual home, retreat, haven, refuge and beloved community. Still, there are lingering concerns about our ability to welcome all seekers, in particular individuals with difficult histories, while maintaining FMW as a safe, nurturing spiritual home for all.
“FMW – big, and sometimes jumbled and fractured, but with pockets of real beauty, joy and community.”“A bit crazy and annoying, like any good family.”“A quietly supportive community that requires significant patience and an investment of time to realize and feel the sense of community.”
Ours is a large and diverse community with many outspoken, assertive individuals, and some with physical and mental challenges.Most of us welcome this diversity but it also can challenge us to quiet our inner voices and listen deeply to one another with openness and generosity. Some feel that FMW is particularly burdened by an abundance of vocal messages that seem pre-planned or self-serving, and by electronic messages that come across as hurtful or self-righteous rather than Spirit-led. Some note that it is difficult to receive such messages with compassion. Others observe that “the Spirit is often visible in the patience, care and kindness Friends manifest towards some FMW community members who have special needs or difficult personalities.”
“We can bring the Spirit and peace into our conversations by being open, by actively listening, and by asking ourselves continually whether we are responding to others as though we truly believe there is divinity in each of us.”
Another continuing challenge and opportunity for FMW is the mobility of our community with its steady stream of seekers and sojourners. Many wish for a more organized welcome for newcomers and a few even worry that FMW has “grown too large to foster a sense of community and shared responsibility.” Others find we have made progress building community and they foresee this expanding as we continue joyful inter-generational events, spiritual journey sharing, active committee work, enhanced First Day School, and efforts to be more inclusive. An often expressed wish is that more FMW members and attenders “live” their Quaker beliefs through committee service and greater engagement with disenfranchised populations in the D.C. community. Some hope FMW also will rise to the challenge of spiritually supporting our eldest members and attenders.
“Our history seems more powerful than our present or our future. Our religious community was known for activism and commitment to social reform. How are we doing now?” “FMW is full of members and attenders who want us to do ‘more’ in terms of outreach, peace and social concerns…but many of those, even the most outspoken, are absent when it comes to committee work or financial support.”
Our Meeting, like many others, finds itself to be a community of individuals who are committed to “Quaker values” while having a wide variety of conceptions about “God”, “Christianity”, and other faith traditions. For many, a joy at FMW is that we are generally open and accepting of this sort of diversity, not only at Meetings for Worship but also in our committees and in social interactions.
“I wish that more members and attenders recognized the strengths of FMW. There sometimes is a yearning for a type of meeting that no longer exists in modern America. Instead, we need to embrace the way that FMW is establishing a new path, a way of showing what a meeting can be, a new pattern.”
As we move into 2014, our community seems gratified that we have been led by the Spirit to address major challenges: our young adult friends are vital and engaged, our children’s programming spiritually enriches us all, beloved departed Friends have been celebrated with profound sorrow and joy, new-married couples have been embraced under our care and couples not allowed to marry in their homes have found in us a safe haven, and, following years of painful effort and growing trust, we have reached unity on an elegant renovation plan for which a capital campaign has been launched to make it a reality. While we continue to struggle with important concerns, we are holding these concerns in the Light and trusting that both the Spirit and our Meeting’s resources will open the way as we care for one another, contribute to the greater community, and demonstrate our caring for the world.
August 12, 1922 – November 21, 2013
Elizabeth“Blitz” Bacon Lowry Brache was born in Moorestown, New Jersey, on August 2, 1922, to Grace Scattergood Bacon and Alfred Lowry.
Bliz, as she was affectionately known, attended Moorestown Friends School in Moorestown Township, New Jersey. Shebecame an avid reader, and began attending Quaker boarding schools, first at Barnesville in Ohio and then Westtown Friends in Pennsylvania. Both parents worked with the American Friends Service Committee, and their eldest daughter, at a very young age, spent eight years overseas in England and Europe.
After graduating from Westtown Friends in 1940, she headed west to attend Colorado College. While there, she met and married Robert Lennox. They moved to Oakland, California, where their children Stuart and Mary were born while Bob was serving in the Pacific as a navigator for the Army Air Corp.
Following the war they moved to New Haven, Connecticut where Bliz helped pioneer ‘natural childbirth’ with the birth of William in 1949. Following a divorce in 1951, she moved with the children to Washington, D.C. to live with her mother. In order to support her children as a single parent, she took a job at the Army Map Service. There she met Guillo Brache, a Dominican native, whom she married in 1953. The family moved to Caracas, Venezuela.
In 1960, having separated from Guillo Brache, she moved back to Washington, DC. Through the suggestion and support of neurologist Dr. Margaret Buchtal Lennox, Bliz attained certification as an electroencephalographic technologist in February 1968. She went on to work at the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University, from which she retired in 1984. During these busy years, in addition to raising her family, she was active in Friends Meeting of Washington, enjoyed galleries, museums, musical and cultural events, and found camaraderie in a women’s book club.
Following a debilitating stroke, she was moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to be near daughters Margie and Susie. Through their assiduously loving care, she made astounding progress and was able to enjoy several years in assisted living. In 2012, when the need for skilled nursing care became evident, she moved to Boulder Manor in Colorado, where daughter Mary and son Jamie were able to visit her almost daily. Here she was able to celebrate her 90th and 91st birthdays with a steady flow of visitors, kind staff and abundant laughter. Bliz died in Boulder, Colorado, on November 21, 2013.
Bliz is survived by her seven children: Stu Lennox, Mary Lennox, Bill Lennox, Lolita Brache, Margie Brache, Susie Brache and Jamie Brache; 14 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild (Emma), her sister Marge Cope of Moorestown, New Jersey, and many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
1921-2013
Jacqueline H. Kearney became a member of the Friends Meeting of Washington in 1954, having grown up a Quaker in Wilmington, Delaware and Baltimore, and attending the George School. Her husband, Robert F. Kearney, was an active Catholic but made no objection to her application to this Meeting when her children came of age to attend Sunday worship. All three children (Linda, Janice, Stephen) became associate members if the meeting before moving on in their spiritual journeys.
While Jacqueline was not able to not attend meetings for worship here even in the early years of her membership, from the late 1950s until last year she was regularly contacted regarding her continued membership and she steadfastly requested that her membership at this Meeting be continued. A rely to our letter of 2013, written by her daughter, informed us that Jacqueline Kearney had passed away.
January 25, 1924 – July 31, 2013
Bill Cousins was a Quaker even before he learned about the Religious Society of Friends. He was born with a superbly compassionate heart and an authentic curiosity about people. If Bill did not love you, he liked you, no matter the differences in opinion. To look at Bill was to gaze upon a man with a peaceful presence and a joyful smile.
Bill could talk to anybody – from every persuasion – and get her or him to smile, feel comfortable and enjoy a conversation with him. Bill had a gift for listening deeply and honestly to people. He possessed a talent for making you feel like you were the most important person in the world, especially when he engaged you with sincere eyes and compassion. Bill would often say “Love is the answer – plain and simple.” And he meant it.
Bill truly sought the Light in each person. As he spoke to you, you could feel him focusing on your inner Light and making a genuine connection. With Bill you felt seen, heard and known.
Bill had no wrinkles on his 89-year-old face because he didn’t hold anger or frown at people. In fact, his face often presented a beatific Buddha-like smile. Bill was a very special person. To be in his presence was to be uplifted by his good humor and peaceful demeanor.
Everyone loved Bill. His compass for love and understanding was so powerful that Friends and others always sought his counsel on very difficult and hard to solve problems. Bill had a talent for seeing things from a different perspective and phrasing a question so the answer could appear. His questions seemed to flow from the authentic core of an issue. Bill would often say, “But what if we look at it this way? Aren’t we all like that person we are trying to fix?”
Bill looked like a Buddha. He smiled and acted like a Buddha too, although he was a “true Black man - a race man like Paul Robeson,” as he would often say. Bill was born to Black parents in Ansonia, Connecticut and raised in a Black Baptist church there, where his father was a Reverend. He grew up surrounded by the culture and love of the Black community. But to look at the peaceful, handsome face of Bill was to see a person who could have been from India. His beautiful wife of 55 years, Gouri was from Kolkata, India. Together they were a stunning couple as they traveled around the world for Bill’s work with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Peace Corps.
Gouri and Bill produced two very smart, kind and handsome sons – Ananda and Christopher – who are filled with curiosity, intellect and agency like their father. His daughters-in-law, Francia - married to Ananda - and Joelle - married to Chris - were like true daughters to him, holding special places of love in his heart. He adored his granddaughters – Liliana, Krishna Raye and Tara – and they were a true joy in his life. Bill had cousins, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces who would travel from afar to be with him at his legendary birthday parties where you could meet all of Bill’s friends from various parts and times of his life. Young people adored Bill for he talked to them as he would an adult and he encouraged them to speak freely.
Bill had many stories – some that he told his close friends several times. But it was always good to listen when Bill spoke for he often had an extra insight.
Bill loved poetry – reading it, writing it and reciting it. He was a sensitive poet, and his poetry was preserved by Friends and family in a book.
Bill was one of a kind. He spanned continents in his travels and blended in with the local people in the villages while working for the Peace Corps in Iran and the United Nations in India. Bill had a big heart – figuratively and literally. Ironically, it was his physical heart that failed him from time to time but his emotional heart was huge and kept pumping love out to everyone.
However, like every human being, Bill did get upset from time to time. He was adamantly opposed to war and got angry when policies were put in place that hurt, disenfranchised or killed people. Even though Bill was an Obama supporter and was delighted that he was in office, Bill was disheartened by the war policies of the President’s office. When Bill heard bad news of injustice or war, he got a look of pain on his face, a look reflecting his disappointment with policy makers. “How can they do that?” he would ask. Bill often spoke of wanting to just talk to President Obama and tell him some things about ending the war and suffering of so many people in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bill earned a BA and PhD in Sociology from Yale University. He was a very smart and educated man, and his learning came not from books alone, but from all types of people. He was a true sociologist who was always fascinated by human behavior. He often asked, “Why do they do that?” or “How is that possible?” Bill was a professor at several colleges and had many adventures teaching in different states around the country. Bill taught at Knoxville College in Tennessee, Wellesley College in New England, Earlham College in Indiana and Federal City College in Washington D.C. Bill was the first Black professor at Wellesley in 1949 and Earlham in 1966.
Bill came to know the Quakers after he graduated from Yale and spent a summer in an American Friends Service Committee work camp in Nashville. Making history, Bill participated in the first inter-racial work camp in the South. After those initial experiences with the AFSC, Bill maintained an affinity for the organization and was a staunch supporter of their efforts. He worked with AFSC in Pakistan, India and the US.
Bill began attending Meeting at Friends Meeting of Washington in the 1980's and served faithfully on many committees. He was a member of the Board of Trustees, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and the Healing and Reconciliation Committee. He remained a committed member of that committee until his death. In fact, a meeting was held at his house just 5 days before he died. Bill was also Presiding Co-Clerk of FMW for two years.
Bill’s faith in Quakers and Quaker process was the subject of many conversations when he served on the ad hoc committee for the issues surrounding the Peace Center. He faithfully wrestled with all the concerns and reminded Friends of the Quaker Testimonies of Justice, Equality and Peace during the arduous meetings. Bill was very disappointed when FMW decided to remove the Peace Center from its property.
Bill was full of stories and never ceased to have one or two revealed during a conversation with friends – no matter what the original topic. Talking with Bill was similar to floating down a stream on an air-filled inner tube on a slow summer day. When talking with Bill ideas bubbled to the top, questions danced in the air and things just flowed easily. Before you knew it you felt better, uplifted and a bit more aware. You had more things to think about after a conversation with Bill.
Bill always sat on the benches near the swinging doors, close to the garden, for that was the only accessible pathway into the Meeting room. On many Sundays, after Meeting for Worship, Friends would gather around the bench where Bill or his wheelchair sat and just wait for a chance to chat or share a few thoughts. Some Friends lovingly said it was like he was holding court – but Bill, being a modest and humble man, didn’t like that term. Everyone who knew Bill wanted to talk to him and step into his loving, accepting presence while sharing his aura of Light and Peace.
Bill was a great man who was loved by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He is missed by many friends around the world and by many Friends at the Friends Meeting of Washington.
Healing and Reconciliation Committee
Annual Report – March 9, 2014
As described in the Friends Meeting of Washington Handbook,
The Healing and Reconciliation Committee consists of members of the FMW Community asked to respond immediately, or after an event or situation, to limit any hurtful behavior in Meeting-related settings and to initiate processes of healing and reconciliation. Through its interactions with individuals, the Committee complements efforts of the Ministry and Worship Committee, which gives special attention to the overall spiritual state of the Meeting and its Meetings for Worship. The Healing and Reconciliation Committee undertakes activities such as the interruption of hurtful exchanges, active listening to help find ways toward spirit-led harmony in situations of conflict, and taking actions to foster healing and reconciliation. In addition to addressing specific incidents and situations that arise, the Committee may work more generally to nurture the spiritual state of the Meeting as it relates to the way we address and resolve conflicts, and to help make our peace testimony a reality in the life of the Meeting community. The Committee may recommend long-term actions to the Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business and other Meeting Committees, but it does not itself undertake any actions other than those directed toward healing and reconciliation.
Because our work is confidential, it can be discussed only in general terms. We labor extensively with individuals involved in various incidents and misunderstandings which have caused hurt. Some in the Meeting have expressed impatience with the repetitive pattern of incidents and insensitive remarks and seek some final resolutions to end these. Such resolutions are very difficult to achieve within the context of our complex community. As far back as 2003, the Meeting minuted the declaration that “deliberately hurtful behavior toward any member, attender or guest during any Meeting activity is not acceptable.” As a practical matter, however, given the testimonies of the Society of Friends, our Meeting has tacitly concluded that declaring such behavior unacceptable does not require excluding from our community Friends who are likely to repeat it. The committee struggles to help Meeting members accept others for the gifts they can bring and to understand limitations and challenges. We seek to reduce hurt, increase understanding and foster reconciliation among our community with all its limitations and shortcomings.
The committee believes that its work has been helpful, but we need to focus especially on that part of our charge that calls for us to intervene to limit disruptions as they occur. Experience suggests that intervening to limit disruptive behavior is difficult when the person who intervenes is perceived as having no authority to make decisions on behalf of the community (for example, to request participants to leave an event or leave the Meeting property for a time). This is helping us to deepen our understanding of nonviolence and its practice.
In addition to our work with individuals, we have had extensive discussions and consulted with others about how Friends can and should appropriately manage and respond to conflict, hurt and reconciliation. Our work to protect the community while welcoming seekers with histories of sexual abuse continues, as do our efforts concerning community-building in general. This past year, we held a joint meeting with the Ministry & Worship Committee on the subject of eldering; we are considering expanding that discussion to include other members of the Meeting community.
- Gray Handley and Merry Pearlstein, co-Clerks, David Etheridge, Neil Froemming, Marsha Holliday, Diane McDougall, Ken Orvis, Marcia Reecer and Shannon Zimmerman
(this ends all documents from the Meeting for Business, March 2014)
The Grate Patrol will pack and deliver 120 bag lunches and soup to people living on the street on Wednesday, April 2. Soup or chili is made in the afternoon. At 5:30 PM we start making sandwiches and packing the lunch bags. At 7 PM, we load the van and one or two people go out on delivery for about an hour. You’re welcome to help out with any or all of these things. Call Steve Brooks 240-328-5439 or email sbrooks@uab.edufor more information.
Come to S.O.M.E. on Saturday, April 5 at 6:15 AM and be prepared to flip pancakes and help prepare breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. The kitchen is at 70 “0” St. NW, adjacent to a parking lot. For more information and to sign up, contact Betsy Bramon at betsy.bramon@gmail.com
April 4 – 6 – BYM – Young Friends Conference, State College Friends Meeting (State College, PA)
Young Friends should begin arriving at 7:00 pm on Friday. For information, check the Young Friends websiteor contact Alison Duncan. (301-774-7663) Please remember that the deadline to register and be guaranteed a slot is one week before the conference (March 28). Anyone registering after that date will be placed on a waiting list and may not be able to attend.
April 4 – 6 – Friends Committee on Scouting Annual Meeting, Sandy Spring Friends School (Sandy Spring, MD)
The Friends Committee on Scouting is the official liaison for the Religious Society of Friends to the various Scout organizations: Girl Scouts USA, Boy Scouts of America, Scouts Canada, and Campfire USA. We work with other Scout organizations and nations around the world, as an affiliated program of the FWCC. The Committee administers the awards that young Friends may work on and earn as an indication of belonging to their faith. The committee certifies Chaplains to represent the Quaker faith to various events. We welcome any Friend to contact us about the awards, or if there are any questions about our work. Go to quakerscouting.org/fcs-wp/. The committee will be celebrating our 25th anniversary of service to the Religious Society of Friends and Scouting during our stay at Sandy Spring Friends School. For more information, contact James Lehman (301-275-1708) or Tim Mullady (410-353-6594)
April 5 – BYM – BYM’s Witness in the Wider World, Alexandria Friends Meeting (Woodlawn, VA) The ad hoc Vision Implementation Committee invites all members of Peace and Social Concerns Committees, all those working on issues of social justice and faith, all those employed in Quaker service organizations, and everyone interested in the way BYM expresses our faith beyond BYM to attend of day of sharing, reflection, renewal, and rededication. Please join us! Mary Lord will be our keynote speaker. Everyone is invited to share about the work you are doing. How can Friends work together to bring more love and peace into the world? How can we speak our truth and build bonds between people? How can we discern what work is ours to do, and then how to do this work? How do we can follow the guidance of the Spirit and be nourished by the Spirit in everything we do? From BYM’s Vision Statement: We seek to serve others in love, to share our gifts and resources, to reach out to those in need, both friends and strangers, and to witness in the world to our shared experience of the infinite love of God. The day will begin with refreshments at 9:30 am and conclude at 4:00 pm. A shuttle will leave from Huntington Metro Station at 9:30. Email Alison Duncan to indicate interest. (youthprograms@bym-rsf.org)
April 5 – Saturday – BYM – Friendly Sing: A Musical and Quakerly Potpourri, Charlottesville Friends Meeting (Charlottesville, VA)
Come sing with Friends! Join Barbarie Hill, Frances Schutz and Hank Schutz as they lead a day of singing. Beginning at 10:00 am and ending at 4:00 pm, there will be a potluck lunch at 12:30. Overnight hospitality may be available for Friends travelling at a distance may be available if requested in advance. Contact Frances Schutz (schutz67 AT embarqmail.com or 434-979-5413) for more information.
April 6 – Sunday, 10:00 am– There will be a Meeting for Singing. All voices welcome; no paper training required.
April 6– Sunday, Noon – Presentation by Chloe Schwenke, Adelphi FM. While many Quakers have come to a place of being sensitive to and supportive of the lives and aspirations of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons within the Meeting and beyond, there is arguably much less understanding among Quakers of the realities faced by transgender and intersex persons. The lessons learned by those on a journey of claiming their authentic gender identity has much to teach those who are comfortably "embodied", and at the same time the support and understanding needed by transgender and intersex persons who are present in or approach Quaker communities is frequently not well understood. As an openly transgender Friend with a recognized ministry supported by Adelphi Meeting, I would welcome a chance to engage with FMW folk to bust a few pernicious stereotypes, provoke some thoughtful reflection, expand the space of affirmation and welcome, and learn from all of you how FMW has been addressing this concern. Sponsored by Religious Education.
April 6 – Sunday – Living on Marcellus Shale: A Quaker Perspective, Lancaster Friends Meeting (Lancaster, PA) The purpose of the forum is to reflect on struggle of individuals and faith communities to live with integrity in a “Boom Town” era while those who do not live on the gas lands enjoy cheap and clean energy with security. Sponsored by the Environmental Concerns Committee of Lancaster Friends Meeting (PYM), the forum will begin at 12:30 pm. The Friends Meeting House is located at 110 Tulane Terrace, Lancaster PA 17603. The public is invited free of charge. For those wishing to also attend Meeting for Worship, worship begins at 10:00 and will be followed by a light lunch prior to the forum. For more information, contact Ed Shane (ecshane at verizon.net) or Bob Lowing. (r.lowing2 at gmail.com)
April 6 – Sunday – Of Humans and Planets: Temporal, Spiritual, and Practical Dimensions of Global Change, William Penn House (Washington, DC) The global community has been singularly unsuccessful in grappling with what is, in scientific terms, a fairly straightforward problem: the buildup of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere as a byproduct of the industrial revolution. This talk will look beyond the surface issues of conflicting economic interests, and into deeper realms of the human outlook and experience and cultural inheritance. Ken Orvis will lead the talk. The monthly potluck begins at 6:30 pm. http://williampennhouse.org/
April 7 – Monday, 7:00 to 8:30, Meeting Room, GazaWrites Back. Peace & Social Concerns is sponsoring a meeting with young authors from Gaza, Their stories are acts of resistance and defiance, proclaiming the endurance of Palestinians and the continuing resilience and creativity of their culture in the face of ongoing obstacles and attempts to silence them. Whether tackling the tragedy that surrounds missile strikes and home raids, or the everyday indignities encountered by Palestinian refugees, through their writing these authors have brought to life the real issues that the people of Gaza face.
April 11 – 13 – Stony Run Meeting Men’s Retreat, Catoctin Quaker Camp (Thurmont, MD) Since 2002, men from Stony Run Meeting in Baltimore have gathered early in the spring to build connections among Friends at one of BYM’s magnificent camps. All men Friends in Baltimore Yearly Meeting are invited to register and gather at Catoctin for dinner sixth day through lunch first day - or any portion thereof. The retreat is very loosely programmed and includes time to relax, work cooperatively, hike (or nap), talk, tell stories, play, and have fun. Please register by April 1. Contact John Baer for a registration form. (jcbaer at comcast.netor 410-821-7085)
April 12, 4:00 pm, Meeting for Worship with a Concern for the Marriage of Jenny Moore and Scott Cunningham, Meeting Room, Friends Meeting of Washington
April 25-27 - Prayer: Renewal for our Journey, Warrington Quarter Retreat at Catoctin Quaker Camp (Thurmont, MD) How do we live a contemplative life? When and how do we take time in the busy-ness of the world to come back to center? What forms does our prayer take? How does prayer sustain us? Friends from Warrington Quarterly Meeting are invited to a weekend of renewal and retreat at Camp Catoctin in the Catoctin Mountains of north central Maryland. Join us for fellowship, the beauty of the natural world, as we share time and space, and stories of our journeys. Enjoy workshops, worship sharing, fellowship As we gather for joyful contemplation this weekend, we hope to find renewal for the faith work that we attend to in our daily lives. For more information contact Helen Tasker (hforsythetasker at gmail.com or 301-416-7592) or Karen Lockett. (karenlockett2002@yahoo.com or 301-845-2487)
April 26 – Saturday – BYM - Annual Apportionment Meeting, Adelphi Friends Meeting (Adelphi, MD) Find out more about the money your Meeting sends to Baltimore Yearly Meeting! Please come, listen, give feedback, and make sure your Meeting sends a representative. Hear about how other Meetings are handling their finances and about Yearly Meeting’s progress. The Stewardship and Finance Committee hosts this annual meeting to consider issues of apportionment – that is, financial support of the Yearly Meeting. It is a time for sharing and consideration of important issues. Special presentation this year: What is the Vision Implementation Committee finding out about BYM? You’ll learn something to share your Meeting! Refreshments at 9:30 AM, session starts at 10. Questions or for more information, contact Clerk Claudia Hernandez (claudia19682 at verizon.net) or the BYM office. (301-774-7663)
On April 27, the Child Safety Committee will offer Child Safety Training in a 45-minute session at noon. This will review the current Child Safety Policy which was updated in January of this year and discuss some of the changes. All are welcome, whether you are currently a parent of young children or not. First Day School teachers and child care workers are required to attend this annual training, parents of FDS children are strongly encouraged to attend. Childcare will be provided for all children 0-17 years of age! For more information, contact Giovanni Sella at sella9sella at gmail.com
May 1 – 4 – Publishing the Word in a Changing Landscape: Tools and Techniques, Woolman Hill (Deerfield, MA) Are you a "Publisher of Truth?" Are you a writer, a publisher, an editor, a translator or a bookseller? Or are you blogging, producing videos, writing songs or creating a web presence for Friends? We're all united in the work of sharing Quaker messages with the world. So let's get together and consider what that's like, now and in the next few years. The Quakers Uniting in Publications Annual conference registration is available at www.quakerquip.org.
May 3 – 4 – BYM – Friends Service Weekend, at Catoctin Quaker Camp (Thurmont, MD) Come help prepare our camps for the spring and summer! Work projects offer people with all kinds of skills and an opportunity to enjoy meaningful and satisfying work. For information, check the BYM Camp website, or contact David Hunter, Camp Property Manager. (301-774-7663 or davidhunter at bym-rsf.org)
Conscious and Unconscious Biases
Excerpted from The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, pp. 106, by Elizabeth DuVerlie
“A survey was conducted in 1995 asking the following question: ‘Would you close your eyes for a second, envision a drug user, and describe that person to me?’ The startling results were published in the Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education. Ninety-five percent of respondents pictured a black drug user, while only 5 percent imagined other racial groups. These results contrast sharply with the reality of drug crime in America. African Americans constituted only 15 percent of current drug users in 1995, and they constitute roughly the same percentage today. Whites constituted the vast majority of drug users then (and now), but almost no one pictured a white person when asked to imagine what a drug user looks like. The same group of respondents also perceived the typical drug trafficker as black.….
“Decades of cognitive bias research demonstrates that both unconscious and conscious biases lead to discriminatory actions, even when an individual does not want to discriminate.”
{Note: you can explore Implicit Bias tests at this website: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/]
The BYM Working Group on Racism meets most months on the third Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. If you would like to attend, on a regular or a drop-in basis, contact clerk David Etheridge, david.etheridge at verizon.net.
MARY JANE SIMPSON SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
The annual Barbara Nnoka luncheon was held to raise funds for the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund. This year friends generously contributed $3021 at the luncheon to help this work. When coupled with an anonymous gift from a meeting member for $1500, we are able to fund a $4000 scholarship. Friends Meeting of Washington has generously raised their annual contribution to $4000 to fund a second scholarship. Bethesda Friends is also committed to a full scholarship. This represents a strong commitment to help talented low income students from DC public schools.
DAN WIGGINS
Dear families, friends and relatives,
Please be warned before reading this that by its end you will want to call up your bosses, quit your job and get on a boat down south! With this fair warning in place I can tell you what we have been up to in the past week… Needless to say, it’s been epic!!
On Monday morning we woke to icebergs all around, bigger than buildings and sparkling blue and white with the sun and clear skies behind it. What a way to start a day. Next thing we knew there were a group of humpbacks playing right in front of the ice, we were able to put the boat into neutral and enjoy photographing and watching them for a while.
Early morning on Tuesday, we spotted a large mountain showing that we had indeed made it to the Antarctic continent. The landscape is breathtaking, with mountains as far as the eye can see, twinkling in the sun and glowing as the sun goes down for the few hours of darkness. We had arrived at Cape Adare, home of the oldest building in Antarctica and the largest Adelie penguin rookery in Antarctica; we were very excited to get to land!!
Before we could get to anchor we had a few more treats in store, as we were coming to Cape Adare the bow watch spotted some water spouts in the bow. Before we knew it we were surrounded by orcas who were intrigued by the boat. In total there must have been around 30+ of them jumping off the bow and jetting past the stern, what a sight… We spend a couple of hours enthralled by the orcas antics before making our way towards our anchorage.
The planned anchorage of ‘Protection Cove’ was blocked with ice that flows in and out with the tide. We stationed people on the crows nest and found a suitable path through the less icy areas to an anchorage just off Ridley Beach, the anchorage was great, just not as protected as the former option, however the wind on Tuesday was non-existent, seas were calm and our weather forecast showed no wind for a few days so we celebrated our arrival in Antarctica!
As if we hadn’t had enough excitement for one day we then launched the tender and went to shore. After 32 days at sea it felt good to have solid ground underfoot, all be it snow! Ridley beach did not disappoint, upon approach to the beach we were stopped by a very determined seal who decided we weren’t allowed to land at her spot, after she lay in the way for about 5 minutes she finally figured we were pretty determined to get to land and let us pass, on every subsequent tender ride she was there guarding the beach!! On land we walked to the old shack, over 100 years old, to find it in great condition, the hut was solidly built and although getting battered by wind and snow it was still standing firm. Inside were lots of supplies left from the expedition, including a variety of tempting canned foods… Outside the hut was the constant squawk from the thousands of penguins waddling around. All I can say is that they are cute, adorable and just too funny! Hours were spent watching the penguins and seals on the beach until it was getting dark and we had to get back to Infinity. …
Just around the Cape Adare, a vessel named the Steve Irwin was heading East. The Steve Irwin is the mother ship for the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling campaign down in the Southern Ocean, many of Infinity crewmembers from past expeditions have sailed with Sea Shepherd over the years and told us many stories, and you may have also seen them on the show Whale Wars produced by Animal Planet.
The Steve Irwin has been down in the Ross Sea for 3 months along another vessel, the Bob Barker, their aim is to find the Japanese whaling ships and stop them from killing whales. The Steve Irwin was being followed by one of the Japanese harpoon ships which was faster and thus the Irwin couldn’t get away from it, the harpoon ship would relay its position to the factory ship, the Nishin Maru, where whales are taken to be processed (hacked up to be sold back in Japan) letting them know where in the Ross Sea to avoid Sea Shepherd boats.
The plan! In order for the Steve Irwin to escape, we hatched a plan to do the old switch-a-roo. In the limited hours of darkness the Steve Irwin came around the cape and towards where we were anchored, we picked up the hook and steamed off into the night. Navigating at night through ice fields is no easy task and the crew did amazingly well to keep all on board safe by keeping a vigilant watch from the bow and giving the helmsman directions of how to steer clear of large growlers (mini icebergs floating around). Our plan was for the Japanese harpoon ship to follow us West whilst the Steve Irwin stayed tucked in the anchorage area with all its lights off, we would need to lure the harpoon vessel as far as possible from the Irwin to avoid them being spotted on radar as they tried to sneak off around the cape.
At around 4:30am on Wednesday the light came up and we could clearly see the Japanese ship, the ruse was up and the ship came flying towards us to see what had happened unknown to them in the middle of the night. They must have been furious and in a display of their power roared across our bow at 21 knots and then set off East again to try and catch the Irwin. Our part in the plot was over and we just hoped we had given them enough distance to get away…
We returned to our anchorage at Cape Adare and had one last shore trip to play with the penguins and seals. As we returned to the Infinity our hearts dropped as we saw the Steve Irwin come into view with the harpoon ship behind it; the plan had failed.
The captain and first mate went over to the Steve Irwin in the tender and were taken up to the bridge to meet the Sea Shepherd crew and to have a chat. We maintained radio silence as the Japanese were more than likely scanning the radios for chat. Our hearts ached as we learnt just how close they were to escaping, another half hour and the distance would have been great enough for the Irwin to sneak around the cape unnoticed.
Wednesday afternoon and yet another bit of news, although this one not so welcome. We were to be met by a big storm and we could not stay at our current anchorage as the wind was forecasted to pick up to 50 knots. Wednesday evening and Thursday morning entailed snow and increasing winds as we motored around the cape and south. The area were we were intending to run to is caked in ice so we have had to change plan, we are as I write this motoring into the wind, heading 130o and waiting for the wind to turn so we can raise some sails and run with the wind (take the wind from the stern) which will decrease the apparent wind speed and rolling motion, making life on board a bit more bearable! The deck is covered in slush and ice, the railing has icicles dangling from it and the bow watch comes back each hour looking quite literally like a snowman!
What an amazing past few days it’s been! Wish us luck in the coming storm, with winds forecasted up to 45 knots its going to get a bit rough but our spirits are too high to crush and Infinity is well prepared to ride it out.
So then, how much do you want to quit your jobs?
Much love,
The Infinity crew
My phone has been ringing off the hook lately from individuals and organizations looking to hold an event here at FMW. Most of these are small nonprofits wanting to hold office retreats, or small organizations wanting to give workshops—everything from a group of entrepreneurial Latina women to Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world. This is generally a win/win for the Meeting—the organizations get a peaceful place to hold their event, and FMW gets a bit of money and an opportunity to support those who are working to promote values with which most Friends would be comfortable. But sometimes, things don’t work out that way.
Last month, I was contacted by two different filmmakers. One was gathering a group of friends to enter a film-making contest, and needed a site at which she could shoot the film. It’s a demanding contest: On Friday night, they learn the genre of the film (e.g. comedy, drama, sci fi, etc.), the name of a character, and a line which must appear in the film. Then they have 48 hours to conceive, write, act, and shoot the film, as well as compose and record the music and sound effects. She assured us that she is familiar with the Friends’ peace testimony and that the film will include no weapons (or outward ones, anyway) or physical violence, and that she’ll provide us with a copy of the actual film and outtakes at the end. This should be a LOT of fun!
That same week, I was contacted by a nice young man who was doing a film for Smithsonian TV and needed a room in which he could record some interviews for his documentary. He really liked our Parlor, and was preparing to sign on the dotted line and get going quickly, when I asked him the topic of the documentary. It was, he said, Military Planes. He added rather quickly that they’d be fair and balanced, and cover “the ones that worked and the ones that didn’t.”
I felt a stoppage in my mind, thinking, when they work, they tend to kill people, and when they don’t work, it’s worse. I consulted with the Property Committee, and we all quickly came to the conclusion that we just couldn’t support this effort—to the deep disappointment of the filmmaker. Looks like our 15 minutes of fame will have to happen at another time…
Many thanks this month to Ken Orvis and the IT Committee as we moved from our pokey little internet connection to something speedy enough for event renters to use for streaming video—just in time for the Center for Constitutional Rights’ program on the lasting impact of the Iraq War. This will make us more marketable, and enable more such events in the future. Also, huge thanks to Adam Hixson for bringing a much-needed First Aid training, to Kristie Anderson, for teaching kids and adults about zines (self-published magazines), to David Etheridge for focusing our Meeting on the issue of racism and incarceration, to Malachy Kilbride for bringing first the Harvard Quaker Chaplain and then a group of young writers from Gaza to speak at our Meetinghouse, and to the Personal Aid committee for their quiet support of Friends facing challenges right now. We lurch forward.
- Debby
A First Aid class…or a Meeting for Business gone bad?