FMW Newsletter, Oct. 2014
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Friends Meeting of Washington
Order of Worship
Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
September 2014
Do you promote social justice and make your life a testimony to fair dealing? Do you seek to understand and appreciate differing cultures and social values? Do you support fair treatment of all regardless of race, gender, age and other differences? Are you concerned for those in our society who are disadvantaged? Do you take your full share of civic responsibility by voting and giving service? Do you oppose the use of land, labor, technology and capital for human exploitation or in ways destructive to other living things?
Advices
Friends believe that the aim of government is to preserve a community in which justice, peace, good order and individual development are possible. Members of our Society are also citizens of the community and the nation. Quakerism is not intended to be a refuge from the disturbing events of our times, but rather a source of strength and support in facing them. The free institutions under which we live give many of our members a direct share in the responsibilities of government and in forming a healthy public opinion.
Friends have supported the state as long as its requirements have not opposed the leadings of the Inner Light. They have generally believed that:
…if any be called to serve the commonwealth in any public service, with cheerfulness it be undertaken, and in faithfulness be discharged unto God.
- Meeting of Quaker Elders at Balby, 1656
Voices
A Quaker social concern seems characteristically to arise in a sensitive individual or very small group…. The concern arises as a revelation to an individual that there is a painful discrepancy between existing social conditions and what God wills for society and that this discrepancy is not being adequately dealt with. The next step is the determination of the individual to do something about it—not because he is particularly well fitted to tackle the problem, but simply because no one else seems to be doing it. - Dorothy H. Hutchinson, 1961
About 28 Friends were in attendance. Julia Elliott and Ralph Wilson were both welcomed.
2014/9-2 Clerk’s Report
We remind friends that in this Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, we work to maintain a courteous and loving tone with one another. This is not to say that we do not have our frustrations. Friends who speak disrespectfully to one another may be asked to leave the meeting.
A friend expressed a concern about this request as she felt that some friends may not be able to restrain their tones and voice when they speak and that tone and voice should not be a basis for acting to remove someone from the meeting.
The clerk clarified that the request speaks to the content, not the tone of any message. The way forward is that when someone speaks in a way that is seen as disrespectful, that at that moment, friends should elder the friend with the troubling message. Friends recognized that such eldering can be a kindness to all – including the person being eldered.
A friend suggested that care, judgment and sensitivity must be used when eldering. Friends agreed on the importance of being kind with one another, and with the importance of eldering, when needed.
Major items
2014/9-3 Minute regarding the criminalization of LGBT – Brian Lutenegger
A Friend presented a minute expressing concern about some nations’ legislation to criminalize LGBT status and behavior including but not limited to Russia, Uganda, Nigeria and other countries, and requested that the minute be sent to the embassies of relevant nations. A friend suggested that the minute be sent other Quaker organizations, rather than to nations’ embassies so as to not create resentment and contribute to a view of first world telling 3rd world nations how to conduct their internal business. Another friend said that perhaps some nations’ embassies might welcome this minute. Various edits were suggested. See attached minute, below
Friends APPROVED the minute. Friends also approved sending copies of this minute to the relevant embassies, as way opens and with sensitivity, and in conjunction with other activists who are citizens of those countries.
2014/9-4 Membership Committee – Hayden Wetzel
· First presentation for membership of Gillian Griffith
· First presentation for membership of Eugene Throwe
As is our custom, these requests for membership will lay over for a month.
2014/9-5 Property Committee – Jean Harman
The workday yesterday, Sept. 13, 2014 was very successful; approximately 20 people participated. These workdays support the Meeting in a direct and immediate ways. Two projects are coming to a close. In QH, the renovation is close to completion. The terrace area has been repaired and the leaks, extant since construction of the terrace, over 50 years ago, have been fixed
The committee requested approval for an additional $1,000 for the repair of the terrace and roof area above the Decatur Place Room to enhance the longevity of the repair, in addition to the $20,000 approved by MfB in July. As the work was undertaken, the costs were about $1,000 above the estimate. The funds will be charged to the committee’s Capital Improvement Fund.
Friends approved this request.
2014/9-6 Search Committee– Meg Greene
The presentation of Harry Massey as clerk of Nominating Committee.
Friends approved.
2014/9-7 Nominating Committee– Beth Cogswell
· Todd Harvey for membership on Capital Campaign Committee
Friends approved.
· Josh Wilson - liaison to AFSC
Friends approved
· Elaine Wilson - member of P&SC
Friends approved
· Victor Freeman - member of P&SC
Friends approved
· Julia Elliott - School for Friends board
Friends approved
· Anita Drever - School for Friends board
Friends approved
· Resignation of Giovanni Sella from Child Safety Committee
Friends accepted
2014/9-8 Finance and Stewardship Committee annual report – Ed Hustead
A copy of the annual report is attached. The committee hopes to produce and circulate a quarterly newsletter about Meeting activities and programs so as to show members and attenders the value of and need to support the Meeting.
As shown in the chart in the attached report, support for the Meeting by members and attenders has remained static of, on average, significantly less than $1,000 per year per family. Friends accepted the report.
2014/9-9 Concern from the National Coalition for the Homeless - Patty Murphy
The Coalition is seeking support to amend DC legislation to included homelessness as a protected class under the DC Human Rights Act and our endorsement of this legislation. A friend requested that Peace and Social Concerns Committee (P&SC) season this and report back to the MfB with a recommendation next month. Friends agreed to request that the P&SC committee review the issue and report to MfB next month about how and whether to support the effort.
Milestones
2014/9-10 First reading of Joan Oehser memorial minute (attached) – Hayden Wetzel
A draft of this report was read.
Friends requested that this minute be carried over until next month to correct the dates, to consider whether to use the quote about her crying, other minor edits, and change the word describing her death from “expired” to “died.”
Other Business
2014/9-11 Capital Campaign Committee update – David Etheridge
The bookkeeper for the Capital Campaign (CC), Mina Hua, was introduced to the Meeting. She has been engaged by the Committee to keep track on a day-to-day basis of donations to the Capital Campaign, of pledges to and of the progress on fulfilling those pledges.
Because of the nature of the Committee’s work, the Meeting had previously authorized disclosure to members of the Committee amounts individual Friends have given to the Meeting in the past. Since Mina Hua will be attending our meetings where past giving history is discussed from time to time, we would like the Meeting to approve her having access to that information also. Friendsapproved this request.
Capital Campaign records show as of August 26 the Meeting had received $284,729 in donations for the renovation from 36 people. As of last Friday the Meeting had received pledges from 16 people totaling $275,500. Nine of those who have pledged have already paid $69,475 on those pledges. Remaining to be paid on outstanding pledges is $206,025 so the total amount already paid or promised to be paid so far is $490,754.
The Committee believes the Meeting will meet fundraising goals of having raised a total of $800,000 by August 2015. The Committee also believes the goal of raising $2 million by the year 2023 is quite realistic.
The Committee’s optimism is based in large part on knowing how many of us have not yet given or even been individually asked to give. It also appears that the Meeting has its act together much more than it did a few years ago when Henry Freeman’s study said he thought we could raise $2 million. The Capital Campaign has started much more active fundraising over the past few weeks and many have responded to the Committee’s requests. Finally, some Friends have expressed a reluctance to give based on a low estimation of the generosity of others in the Meeting. They fear they will be what is sometimes called a “Lone Ranger” if they give generously. The Committee, with Mina Hua’s help will now be able to provide the Meeting will more information about the fundraising progress.
2014/9-12 Trustees’ Interim Report on Construction Financing– Dan Dozier
Trustees are confident that our meeting can afford to do a renovation of up to $2 million dollars and will come to Meeting for Business with a specific financing recommendation in October.Trustees have come to unity that the renovation project can go forward based on CCC fund raising and identified sources of loans (Friends Fiduciary, commercial banks, etc.) Our overview of the meeting’s finances has led us to this conclusion. Trustees welcome substantive concerns either in meeting for business or in person.
Dan also discussed the issues related to financing that Trustees are considering as set out below.
Some Notes on Construction Financing Issues
Assumptions
· The cost of the construction – not including financing costs – is assumed to be $2 million. Obviously receipt of the formal construction bids will refine this assumption
· Construction will begin in winter of 2015 (February) and be completed in late summer (August or Sept)
· The Capital Campaign committee (CC) will be able to raise a total of $800 thousand by next August or September (they have already raised or have pledges for over $500 thousand) and expect to be able to raise the entire $2,000,000 within about 8 years
· The Meeting has about $2.2 million in savings (broken down as $1.9 million invested at Friends Fiduciary (FF) and about $300k checking account)
· Of the $1.9 million in FF, $300k is endowment and cannot be spent. And the Meeting has set aside about $250 thousand for various purposes (such as the Property reserve and scholarship funds)
· All of the $1.9M produces revenue that FMW uses to support its building, staff and programs. In addition to the revenue that is provided, the fund continues to grow in value. The total return has been about 6.7% over the past 10 years and changes with the market; currently 4.5% is sent to FMW as revenue leaving 2.2% growth in the fund’s value each year. If/as we draw down on the invested funds to pay for the renovation, the revenue from Friends Fiduciary will be reduced since it is based on the number of shares invested. There are some variables that will determine what impact this would have on FMW’s annual budget and financial picture; they are listed below.
Variable issues to consider when making a decision
· Rate of Contributions (as contributions to the renovation increase, the need to borrow decreases)
· Cost of Money (how much it will cost to borrow money)
· Future Investment Rates of Return (market changes in the portfolio)
· Space use Income (additional revenue will decrease our reliance on investment income, decreased revenue increases our reliance on it.)
· Increases or Decreases in Annual Giving and Operating Expenses (as revenue goes up or expenses down, the reliance on investment income decreases; if revenue goes down or expenses rise, we become more reliant on this income.)
Borrowing
· The Meeting will have to borrow money to finance some of the construction costs. Until we receive the specific construction bids, we assume we will borrow $1 million and pay $1 million from funds already raised, pledged or soon-to-be raised by the Capital Campaign committee.
· Three sources of financing:
1. Borrow against our money in FF. We can borrow up to 60% of the account value against in the FF account. The terms and loan details are easy and flexible and the interest rate is set at the prime rate, currently 3.25%. Risk is that the loan is variable, interest rate is reset every six months based on prime.
2. Take a mortgage on FMW property. We believe, based on discussions with banks, that we can obtain a mortgage (not a construction loan, which has a higher interest rate) from a bank. Currently, for example, TD bank is offering 5 or 10 year fixed rate 20 year mortgages (adjustable at the end of the 5 or 10 years). The interest on the 5 year loan – fixed for that period – is 3.99%. For a 10 year fixed loan the rate is currently about 4.25%.
3. It may be possible to raise some or all of the funds from Meeting members rather than a bank by offering members loan terms similar to those offered by a bank. People might find loaning the Meeting money similar to bank terms - about 4% -- worthwhile both to the Meeting and to themselves since such an arrangement may provide them with better return on their funds than many CDs and money market accounts.
Next Steps
· The Trustees are endeavoring to find the correct mix between loan types, risks and the need for the money. Trustees will come to October Meeting for Business with a specific financing proposal.
· Merry Pearlstein and Ed Hustead have developed several scenarios, from conservative to optimistic, regarding the impact of financing, including interest costs, may have on Meeting finances including our cash reserves. These scenarios estimate what the mortgage and loan payments may be in the next 8 years. Depending on the assumptions made, the “debt service” payments range from $156K to $332K (more than double the lowest estimate.) The estimates show that we could be “in the red” by as much as $325K until the fund raising catches up to the construction spending and the loans are repaid
A Friend suggested that fundraising not be limited to members, but rather money be raised from all possible sources.
2014/9-13 Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund report – J.E. McNeil
The written report is attached. Points of note: we support all types of students, those who are doing well and those who are struggling. Many of our students are the first in their family to attend college. The Scholarship fund trustees recognize that the amount provided is a “pittance” compared to the need. To increase resources, the Fund has reached out to other area Quaker meetings for additional support. Bethesda Friends Meeting already partners with us, and now Langley Hill has agreed to join us. A major source of funds is raised by meals served here. Friends accepted this report.
2014/9-14 Report on Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) - Marsha Holliday and Meg Greene
Marsha Holiday reported about the children programs at BYM annual meeting. Meg Greene spoke of the value and benefit of the BYM annual session; she also appreciated the clerking of outgoing clerk Betsy Myer.
2014/9-15 Report on Friends General Conference - Debby Churchman
FGC is everything that Quakers love; uncomfortable accommodations, dreadful food, soul wrenching workshops, social action, singing and friendly connections established.
A request was made to the Finance and Stewardship Committee to consider whether the Meeting can budget enough to send the Administrative Secretary to both FGC and BYM next year.
2014/9-16 Minutes, Friends approved the minutes
2014/9-17The Meeting closed with approximately 17 members in attendance.
Minute regarding the criminalization of
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People
The Friends Meeting of Washington of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) notes with deep concern the increased criminalization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in Uganda, Nigeria, Russia and other countries.
Our country, the United States of America, has a long history of criminalizing homosexuality and persecuting non-conforming sexual orientation and gender expression. These actions have caused incalculable suffering. In recent years, many discriminatory laws have been eliminated. However, much healing and reconciliation still is needed.
As Quakers we affirm the love of God for all and respect the human rights of all people. Homosexuality is widespread throughout the natural world. In our view, the rejection of people on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity is a denial of God’s creation. Each of us is unique, a child of God. As Quakers we affirm the equality of all. Therefore, we understand that all kinds of love are of equal worth before God.
We acknowledge the special challenges faced by Transgender people as they search for dignity and acceptance. We are in awe of the courage of trans men and women who often face particularly virulent discrimination as they carry out their day to day lives.
As a religious community, our Meeting has experienced many blessings through welcoming people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We have been enlightened and nurtured by this experience, and can affirm that the beautiful diversity and complexity of God’s creation is a blessing and benefit to the whole community.
We call on the leaders and people of all countries to treat each of their residents with tolerance and respect, and to protect their God-given human rights, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Finance and Stewardship Annual Report
The Finance & Stewardship Committee supports the Meeting through fund raising, accounts management, budgeting, and longer-term planning. It attempts to translate into dollars and cents the spirit of the Meeting’s temporal activities and to mobilize the needed funding.
The Committee identifies the general operating costs, committee expenses, and support for organizations and projects beyond the Meeting that are in keeping with Meeting policies and leadings. Annually, the Committee recommends to Meeting for Business an operating budget to meet these needs. The Committee also develops, with the Property Committee and staff, a capital budget for expenditures, other than routine maintenance, to preserve Meeting property and provide longer-lived equipment; financing may come from a Capital Reserve Funds.
Through a quarterly newsletter, we hope to highlight the activities and programs of the meeting. We believe that due to a lack of knowledge of the many exciting opportunities is the reason that many fail to support the meeting. AS the chart illustrates, our budget is no more than your daily newspaper.
The work of the Property Committee and of Ken Orvis, Property Manager has been astonishing and has made the FMW campus both habitable and desirable. FMW continues to be blessed by staff and volunteers who enrich each of us through their service.
Our Administrative Secretary through her good office increased the income dramatically by sharing with our community the services we have to offer. Most churches are the most expensive property in a neighborhood and the least used. Thank you Debby for this change.
Every year, we each should evaluate our annual giving and ask ourselves: Has our giving to the Meeting kept pace with inflation? Has our giving increased as our personal income has increased? If we are not giving, have we considered giving this year?
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Budget |
$226,275 |
FY 2015 |
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Annual |
Monthly |
$ 70.00 |
NY times |
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members |
312 |
$ 725 |
$60 |
$ 50.00 |
internet |
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assoc mem |
67 |
$ 40.00 |
cable |
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res mem |
207 |
$ 50.00 |
cell dumb |
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non res |
105 |
$ 106.00 |
cell smart |
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total mem |
379 |
$597 |
$50 |
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Attenders are not included but are invited to financially support the meeting |
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With the upcoming construction project, there will be pressure on our budget, so we each need to be attentive and willing to dig a little deeper.
Joan Uppington Williams Oehser
6 August 1928-18 January 2008
Joan Oehser lived a life of continual commitment to Friends’ beliefs and principles, and of active efforts to further both. She was one of the stalwarts of this Meeting for forty years. As the Ministry and Worship Committee minuted on learning of her planned absence in 1985: “Joan Oehser’s rich spiritual presence and her work on causes that concern Friends . . . will be greatly missed.”
Born in Pennsylvania, Joan moved to Washington as a teenager and was an enthusiastic member of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation. During her first year at Swarthmore College, however, she experienced what she described as “the typical bewilderment, doubt, and rejection of religion.” Participation in the Friends worship group there and many discussions with Friends both within and without the school drew her into Quakerism, so that when she returned to Washington after graduation she began attending worship at this Meeting. She found true fellowship in the Young Friends group, which she clerked for a year before moving to Philadelphia to work with AFSC, prompted by her growing commitment to pacifism.
Joan applied for membership here while living in Philadelphia and was approved in the January 1952 Meeting for Business. At this time her mother was also a member of FMW. Joan began studies in applied social studies at Western Reserve University in 1952 and in 1956 married Gordon V. Oehser under the care of this Meeting. The couple’s only child, Thomas Arthur, was born in 1962, the same year that the Oehsers divorced.
Her life continued its pattern of change and commitment. Returning to Washington in 1958 she worked as Associate Secretary of the Meeting (“office manager, guide and counselor to the Meeting Secretary, friend to all the world,” to quote the July 1957 newsletter) until her resignation in 1957 for a job at an insurance company while her husband attended college. The couple moved to Berkeley, California, in 1958 and Joan transferred her membership to the Berkeley Society of Friends (although she also regularly attended the Friends Church there). With the break-up of her marriage, Joan returned to the city and meeting she always referred to in her many letters as “home” in 1964 and transferred her membership back to FMW.
Friend Joan’s life at this Meeting in the 1960s to ‘80s was an active one, serving on FMW committees (Ushers, Nominating, Social Order, Ministry and Worship, Personal Aid) and BYM committees (Aging, Program). She helped coordinate the many activities at Quaker House in 1971 and this Meeting’s 50th Anniversary commemoration. She was one of the organizers of our Mid-Week Worship meeting in 1981. She served as Assistant Clerk of Potomac Half-Yearly Meeting in 1985. Her letters to individuals and organs of the Meeting, contained in her personal file, show a deep and thoughtful concern for our community on a wide range of issues.
In 1986-88 she lived in Baltimore to nurse her aged mother.
The 1980s saw Joan begin a continuous effort to avoid paying federal taxes for fear that her money would be used for military purposes. As she wrote in 1983: “I have been a Christian all my life and a member of the Religious Society of Friends for about 30 years. I cannot conscientiously participate in military activities by payment of taxes used for that purpose. Such participation is inconsistent with my religious conviction.” Fully supported by this Meeting, Friend Joan left her work at AARP to become a domestic worker for our elderly member Oliver Stone. This allowed her to live below the level of taxable income and to have no federal income tax withheld for her salary.
When Oliver Stone died in 1992 she continued working intermittently, but faithfully refused to pay federal taxes. For this she was fined by the IRS, in spite of vigorous representation by Meeting member J. E. McNeil.
Joan’s health began to deteriorate about this time, a condition exacerbated by her low income. In the early 2000s she moved to Friends’ House in Sandy Spring, Maryland; she worshipped with the Friendship Preparative Meeting but continued a lively and probing relationship with FMW. She endured several emergency trips to the hospital in these last years but friendly visitors reported her in good spirits and interested in Meeting news. “I was surprised how sharp her mind was,” wrote one in 2005. “It was sad, as she wanted me to stay, and started crying when we were talking about ‘old times at FMW’ and people we knew in common. It was hard leaving her.”
Joan slowly faded in these last years, and expired in 2008. Her memorial meeting was held in this meetinghouse.
Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Report
July 12, 2014
The Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Committee enters our 34thyear. With the inclusion of this year’s scholarship recipients, we will have provided support for 106 students. This year with the partnership of Bethesda Friends and the expanded support of Friends Meeting of Washington, we were able to give 5 scholarships, $4000 each. This year our scholarships will provide $1000 for each of four years of college. Meet this year’s recipients:
A.G. is a highly motivated single mother. She started at Bell multicultural and ended up at Luck C Moore High School, a program for students who have children. Ana has struggled with health issues and raising her daughter who is now 21 months old. She has worked as a nanny over the last two years to support herself and her daughter. Her grades have been uneven, but she credits her daughter with giving her the motivation to stay in school. Ana plans to attend UDC. She has received a David M Rubenstein scholarship that will give her strong support for at least two years. She is living at Turning Point, a program developed by the Salvation Army to support young mothers and their children. This is a highly structured program where she can spend two years. Her plan is to major in biotechnology, but she recognizes that she is stronger in English than in math and her plans may change.
We recognize that Ana has a very steep path in front of her, but she has a good plan and we felt that she warranted our support.
D.L. attended School Without Walls. The school recognized her drive and ability and included her in a group of 10 students who took the majority of their high school courses at George Washington University. Not only did she complete her high school credits, but she also earned 21 college credits that she can use towards her college diploma. We were impressed by Diana’s maturity. Recently Diana did volunteer work at a job placement center at George Washington University. She worked with adults to identify their areas of strengths and weaknesses, write a resume and find work. She applied these skills to helping her mother find work. Diana’s mother found a job working as cleaning lady at NPR. Diana’s maturity and generosity of spirit developed early. When she was seven she met a neighborhood girl who was deaf. Diana learned to sign the alphabet and communicate with her. Later she and the girl’s mother took courses at Gallaudet in sign language. We were impressed that Diana had an operation on her knee on Thursday but made it to the interview at the Meeting House on Sunday. She has a lot of drive.
Diana will go to Emory University in Atlanta where she has gotten a solid scholarship. She intends to do work study to make up the remainder of the money that she needs. Our scholarship will be very helpful.
S.N. finished up the year first in her class at Cardoza and gave the valedictorian speech. She spoke about how nervous she and her classmates were about moving on to college, but she urged her friends to follow their hearts and intuition because they could do anything they wanted to do.
We were impressed by how grounded Samantha is. She focused in high school at getting her requirements out of the way and then being involved in activities for which she has a passion. She was the captain of her volleyball team and is proud of their winning season that ended with being in the city playoffs. Throughout high school she did a work-study program in dance. Samantha says that her mother has been the motivating force in her life. Her mother always stressed education and has kept her focused on her goals. Samantha will go to the University of Wisconsin as part of a Posse program which selects 12 students from inner cities and sends them together to a college campus where they will receive ongoing support. She has decided that her abilities are in the math and science area and she intends to major in engineering.
N.P. is a highly motivated student who is proud of working hard and maintaining a 3.5 GPA at Thurgood Marshall Academy. She has particularly good grades in demanding classes. She plans to attend Temple University in the fall and will get strong support from the Gates Foundation.
Nadiya’s inspiration is also her mother who is a writer and went to Temple herself. Nadiya’s mother has struggled with unemployment and Nadiya is motivated to do well and help her family. Nadiya has shown a high level of community involvement. She tutors at the Savoy Elementary School and had an internship at WE ACT Radio. She also has worked at the DC Department of Health. We were impressed by her focus and work ethic.
T.W. has attended Booker T Washington. She is a student who started off in high school by slacking off, having fun and getting Fs. In 10th grade she realized that she needed to change and her grades slowly began to rise. In 12th grade she got all As and Bs.
We were impressed by Teasha’s straightforward and realistic attitude and her commitment to working in her community. Teasha told us that throughout high school, she has been meeting with her brother and his friends at a playground in the neighborhood and mentoring them about how to get ahead. She notes that a lot of her friends have had trouble with the law and have probation officers who are not really helping them. Teasha wants to become a juvenile probation officer and perhaps will eventually get a law degree. She is motivated and has a plan that makes sense.Teasha plans to attend North Carolina Central. This university is close to her grandparents and is a comfortable destination. This summer Teasha is holding two jobs. She works at the Kennedy Center café and is also working at a day care center. She plans on doing work-study when she is at university. She knows that she has trouble with time management and wants to make an effort not to procrastinate when she is in college.
The committee would like to thank the Meeting for the expanded support that they have given the Mary Jane Simpson program. We would also like to thank Laurie Wilner for her patience and competence in distributing the money for this increasingly large and complex money. I also want a special shout out for Debbie Churchman who has been invaluable in circulating the mjs applications to the committee and making this happen.
Anne L. Kendall, Clerk of the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Committee
Report from FGC Gathering, July 2014
Thanks to FMW, I was able to go to the Friends General Conference Gathering this summer in beautiful downtown California, Pennsylvania—which sounds like a state of ambivalence but is actually a college town just south of Pittsburgh. This was my first time attending the Gathering despite many, many suggestions in the past from Friends that I do so, and my attendance was largely, if not exclusively, the result of being told that FMW would pay for it. So this report is a big and very heartfelt thank you.
The Gathering brings 1,200 Friends from many parts of the country (and the world) to one campus to enjoy the blessings of community and the opportunity to worship together, to experience an extremely wide range of activities, to address issues of mutual concern, and to eat a truly daunting amount of carbohydrates. The Gathering is extremely well organized by a sturdy staff and hundreds of volunteers; nearly everyone there does something to help, in the manner of Friends.
Each day includes dozens of activities for every age cohort. It became immediately apparent that one needs to be very strategic about choosing these or the time quickly clogs up. Everyone is invited to participate in a daily workshop; I took one on Spiritual Accountability, an activity I hope to bring to FMW in the near future. In addition to the workshops, there were daily offerings of movement classes (e.g. yoga, qi gong, swimming, etc.), singing (FIVE kinds!), lectures and discussion groups on everything from political topics to the Bible and Quakerism to history, and special gathering spots for healing and art. There was also one of the best book stores on the planet, which turned out to be a very expensive place to visit; I am now stocked up on spiritual books for the whole year. At night, we heard inspiring lectures from Friends working on everything from the prison system to a Quaker guide to sex (good luck with that one). And one day, about 200 of us traveled to Pittsburgh to protest the PNC Bank’s investment in mountain top removal. We entered six different branches and the headquarters and held meetings for worship. That oughta show them.
One of the best parts of the Gathering is rubbing elbows with Friends from all over. I caught up with many people I’d spent time with in my year at Pendle Hill, had a very long, in-depth conversation with the General Secretary of New York Yearly Meeting about our respective jobs, saw former FMW folks like Julia Isaacs and Mansir Petrie (who send their love), and met numerous fabulous Friends who are working on issues near and dear to my heart and who had good ideas about what was working and what wasn’t. In other words, this was a good place to cross-fertilize with the people known as Quakers.
Justin, Mohamad and Noura, Windy and her entourage, Michael Beer and family, Riley Robinson, Tracy Hart and I attended from our Meeting. It is my hope that others from FMW will consider coming next year, when the Gathering will be held near Asheville, NC in a beautiful part of the state.
One small consideration: In years past, the Administrative Secretary was sent by FMW to both the FGC Gathering and the BYM Annual Sessions. A decision was made a few years ago to cut back this support, asking the Secretary to choose only one. The cost of registration, housing and food, and leave are covered for that one (but not transportation). This year I picked the Gathering, had a fabulous time, and am eager to return. But the result is that I did not attend BYM Annual Sessions at all this year, which is kind of too bad. That may be where I would learn the most that would be useful to FMW. I don’t know if FMW would consider paying for a portion of my attendance there (say, Friday through Sunday)? Just a thought.
Again, my deepest thanks to the Meeting for funding my attendance at FGC, and to Patty Murphy for covering for me while I was away. I came back relaxed, inspired, and spiritually renewed. Grateful, grateful, grateful.
- Debby
(this ends the Minutes & Reports from MfB, 9/2014)
UPCOMING EVENTS – OCTOBER 2014
On Monday, Sept. 29 and for the next 3 Mondays, Michael Cronin will be leading an Inquirer’s Class about what it means to be a Quaker. This is a good place to bring your questions and curiosity. Meet in the Parlor at 7:00 pm. All are welcome, regardless of whether and how long you have been attending. For more info, contact Michael at mcronin943@gmail.com
The Grate Patrol will prepare sandwiches and soup to take out to the city’s vulnerable people on Wednesday, Oct.1 starting at 5:30. For more information, contact Steve Brooks at sbrooks@uab.edu
Starting on Oct. 1 at 7:00 pm, the Community on the Hill church will be conducting a class in Science & Spirituality in the Quaker House Living Room. They will be exploring the healing of the false separation between Science and Spirituality, and how we can, in our own practices of spiritual practice and technology ;bring them together. Explore how science has evolved to a closer view of faith and prayer, and how spirituality has changed from superstition to practical practice for positive life results. The class meets weekly for six weeks (until Nov. 5), and lasts two hours each evening. All are welcome.
Come to So Others Might Eat on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6:15 to 8:15 and help make breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. For more information, contact Betsy Bramon at betsy.bramon@gmail.com
Baltimore Yearly Meeting will host a workshop for Clerks of Committees, beginning at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean, Virginia. This will provide an opportunity to learn about the ways in which BYM office can help you, but also to talk together about the ways in which committee life can be spiritually nourishing – and get work done! Current, former, and maybe-in-the-future clerks are welcome. Tasha Walsh, Clerk of Interim Meeting, will facilitate the workshop. Please let Wayne Finegar at the office know if you plan to attend (admin@bym-rsf.org)
Friends World Committee for Consultation is pleased to announce the first ever World Quaker Day on October 5! As the sun rises around the world, we invite every Quaker meeting and church worldwide to consider themselves joined in worship, celebrating our deep connections across cultures and Quaker traditions. We are united in love and can accompany each other on this special day that draws us together. The theme is Let Your Life Speak; Living the Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice, connecting us to the work we did at the World Conference of Friends in 2012 in Kenya, taking the work forward in the context of our spiritual communities. For more information, see their website. (worldquakerday.org)
There will be singing in the Meeting House, starting at 10:00 am, on Sunday, Oct. 5. All ages and voices are welcome. This is a beautiful way to start your worship.
On Thursday, Oct. 9, the FMW group opposing the criminalization of LGBT in Uganda and elsewhere will be sponsoring a talk by The Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha of Uganda, an Anglican priest who in 1992 became the first religious leader in Africa to publicly announce that he was HIV positive. He will speak with us about the current situation in Uganda and about his work to train and empower orphaned and vulnerable youth, and how people of faith can help. Delightful refreshments will be served.
On Saturday, Oct. 11 at 11:00 am, there will be a memorial meeting for former FMW attender Johannes Williams. All are welcome.
Interim Meetingof Baltimore Yearly Meeting will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Richmond Friends Meeting from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Get to know Yearly Meeting Committees and Friends from other Meetings! Be a part of important decision making. Join Friends for morning committee meetings and the afternoon’s Interim Business Meeting. Richmond Friends Meeting is hosting the Tenth Month Interim Meeting. Friends will begin gathering at 10:00 am. Lunch will be provided, and the afternoon Business Meeting will be held with dinner following the rise of Meeting. Check the Yearly Meeting website for more information.
If you would like to give more, save more and take control of your finances, please join us for Financial Peace University starting October 12 at 5:00 pm in the Assembly Room. There’s no rocket science here. It’s a program designed for those who want to live intentionally. Sign up: http://bit.ly/FPUFMW2 Contact Angela with any questions: angelacerickson@gmail.com. Hosted by Finance and Stewardship.
The first JYF con (for 6th to 8th graders) of the year will be at Homewood Friends Meeting on Oct. 18 and 19. Please arrive at 10 am with sleeping bag, pad, pillow, change of clothes and toiletries. The theme for this and all weekends during the 2014-15 school year will be 'Sense of Self'. Register at https://bym-rsforg.presencehost.net/what_we_do/jyfs/jyfregister.html Email Alison (youthprograms@bym-rsf.org) for more information.
The Baltimore Yearly Meeting Religious Education Committee REtreat II, the second RE treat for Religious Educators, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 18-19 at Baltimore Monthly Meeting, Stony Run and be lead by Virginia Avanaseyan (FMW) and Stephanie Bean (Adelphi). Their topic is “Coordinating a Spirit-led First Day School: Tools and Inspiration.”
Hospitality will be provided by Baltimore Friends on a first come/first served basis. Requests for overnight hospitality must be received by October 5. We are providing child care and meals for children under the age of Middle School. The fees are $50 for each adult and $25 per family for children. To register, go to: https://bym-rsforg.presencehost.net/events/retreatforRE.html
The biannual Conference for Parents of Teenagers will happen at Baltimore Monthly Meeting, Stony Run on October 18 and 19, the same weekend as the Junior Young Friends conference. Parents should arrive at 11am (whether they drop a child off at Homewood or not) with sleeping bag, pad, pillow, change of clothes and toiletries. The theme for this weekend is 'How to Fight with your Teen.' The workshop is provided by Emory Luce Baldwin of the Parent Encouragement Program, and costs $50.00 per person. Register by emailing Alison (youthprograms@bym-rsf.org).
On Sunday, Oct. 19, there will be a potluck and lecture from our member Joanne Kumekawa, who is visiting from the West Coast. She will discuss what is the cause of suffering; what is the cause of happiness and how we can benefit all beings, based on her Buddhist teachings. It will take place in the Quaker House Living Room, starting at noon (for the potluck) and 1:00 (for the lecture). For more information, contact Kathy Lipp-Farr at lippfarr@verizon.net
Poems of Place: On Saturday, Oct. 25 at Friends Wilderness Center, join Board Member Hayden Mathews, for a program that examines our ties to special places and the many facets of places that make them special to us. Share Fall color on the Blue Ridge, good fellowship, marvelous poetry, and fine food in a program that will fill you with renewed appreciation for the special places in your life and for the splendors of Nature surrounding the Friends Center. You are requested to RSVP to Sheila (snbach@earthlink.net) for the program and your meal if you would like to sample her excellent cooking.
Volunteer for the Library: Library committee needs more people, always but especially now, to help us transition through the construction. Working on the library committee is like helping to facilitate a Quaker meeting full of wise people from several centuries. They not only say wonderful things but you can close the books any time and have all the silence you want.
Peace Studies:This downloaded very slowly but once I got it, it appeared to be an excellent resource for people who are interested in peace studies.
http://www.worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/WBWcalendar.pdf
- Alex Matthews
Earth Quaker Action Team
On Monday, September 8, Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT pronounced "equate") organized a nonviolent direct action at the PNC Bank at Dupont Circle. T
hirty-five people participated, including people from FMW, Friends House, Philadelphia Earth Quakers, Climate First, and the Alliance for Appalachia, who were in DC to bring attention to the poisoned water in their communities. Since 2010 EQAT has been asking PNC--a bank with Quaker roots which promotes a "green" image of itself--to stop its financing of mountaintop removal coal mining, a devastating practice that results in high rates of cancer and birth defects in Appalachia. This day's action began with a training at the Meetinghouse, followed by a walk to the bank, which was locked upon arrival, and remained so for at least a few hours. Participants used street theatre to illustrate the "bad math" behind PNC's investments. We will be organizing the next event in December 2014. Let the FMW office know if you are interested.
Spiritual Journeys: The Ministry and Worship Committee is grateful to all the speakers and participants in the 2014 series of Spiritual Journeys. There will be two more sessions in 2014 on October 12 and November 9 from 9:15-10:15 AM in Quaker House Living Room. Please join us.
The 2015 Spiritual Journeys sessions will be scheduled on the 4th Sunday of each month, except in July and December.
Two speakers are invited to share their personal journeys at each Spiritual Journeys session. The program begins in worshipful silence. After about 5 minutes, the clerk for the session invites all to introduce themselves, and welcomes the speakers. Each speaker is given 15-20 minutes to present his/her personal, spiritual journey, followed by 10-15 minutes for an interactive question and answer discussion with participants. The group settles into worshipful silence before the second speaker begins. Each Spiritual Journeys session concludes at 10:15 or 10:20, in time for all participants to attend either of the 10:30 Meetings for Worship.
Speakers may share childhood experiences with religion, their journey to/with the Religious Society of Friends, ways their spiritual journey intertwines with their secular journey, comments on their current spiritual practices, or any other reflections/revelations that they chose. Each speaker’s story is personal and unique.
If you are open to sharing your spiritual journey at one of the 2015 sessions, please kindly volunteer by emailing Anne Harper at anne.h.harper@gmail.com, or calling Anne’s mobile number 501-558-9070. Thank you.
Work Day, Sept. 13, 2014
Work Day went well! Let me know if I forget anyone or any tasks, but basically:
Martha Solt helped manage everyone, and with help from others set up lunch provided by Jean Harman and Martha.
Jon deWitt, Emilie Schmeidler, Abby, Bill Strein, and Ken Orvis prepped and painted [the larger plaster portions only of] the Kitchen.
Faith Williams, Michael North, and Gene Throwe sorted books in the Library.
Michael and Tom Libbert scrubbed the high Kitchen cupboards inside and out and tidied up the contents, including Tom running many loads through the dishwasher.
The Hearn Company replaced (not on a volunteer basis, alas) the last of the pavers on the Terrace Roof over the Decatur Place Room. The job is now finished, though some details remain.
Susan Griffin,with some help from Byron Sanford and Tom Libbert and input from Bill Strein, sorted through linens and other stuff in the Kitchen.
Ken Orvis, Emilie Schmeidler, and Ron Washington installed the fire glass in the Decatur Place Room door and cleaned up for the toddler set tomorrow.
Brian Luteneggerand Martha Solt and Steve Brooks replaced smoke detector and clock batteries throughout Meeting House, Quaker House, and Carriage House. (We received a bad batch of Duracell Pro batteries from Quill this spring, that started giving out in days to weeks to a couple of months instead of lasting well past our normal one-year switch-out date.)
Emilie Schmiedler-brushed the Meeting Room facing-bench steps with solvent to prepare them for finishing.
Byron Sanford helped even out the outside front steps by Decatur Place Room where they had been inadvertently sprayed during painting and then badly gouged in a cleaning attempt.
--Ken
For those who missed our annual committee fair (and for those who attended and loved the pithy way the committees presented themselves), we offer this refresher:
TEN (er ELEVEN) TOP REASONS TO JOIN THE
PERSONAL AID COMMITTEE
1. We offer coffee at our meetings, with a complimentary free cup.
2. When you need the Committee, you’ll have an “IN”.
3. Nine out of ten Committee members enthusiastically recommend it. The last one is a grump.
4. It looks great on your resume.
5. It has been proven in laboratory trials to actually provide assistance to people.
6. It is a clear improvement over the Meetings for Sufferings which prevailed in the l7th and l8th Centuries (you don’t have to visit Friends in rat-infested jails).
7. Contrary to popular belief it was not responsible for the Hicksite split.
8. Our lemon squares are always judged to be the sweetest at Quaker potlucks.
9. We even crush the Hospitality Committee in the cookie baking category.
10. Our confidentiality mandate has been cleared by BOTH the CIA and Wiki-leaks.
11. You get to receive encouraging emails from PAC Committee member Rachel Kildane (“Initially you are overwhelmed. But gradually you realize it’s like a wave. Resist and you’ll be knocked over. Dive into it and you’ll swim out the other side.” Dame Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)
(Parenthetically, although we do not expect British Friend Dame Judi to attend a Committee meeting soon, one can never tell given the known fact that BOTH British Friends and PAC members travel frequently engage in global travel)
To find out more about the Personal Aid Committee, contact:
Beth Cogswell, Clerk Nominating Committee @aol.com
PAC Committee -- Ylene Larsen (Ylenelarsen@aol.com(counsel); Patty Murphy pmurphy@sju.edu; Jim Steen jimsteen@starpower.net and Montague Kern mlkern@rci.rutgers.edu(co-clerks); Rachel Kildane (Rachie-rica@yahoo.com); Pamela Callard (202 829-9577) and Malachy Kilbride (malachykilbride@yahoo.com).
PEACE COMMITTEE
If you are annoyed by what you see in the newspapers, come to our meeting. It’s at 9:00 am on the third Sunday of every month, up in the 3rd floor. Contact Mike DuVall at moduvall@gmail.com
THE PROPERTY COMMITTEE 2014
What do we do?
We take care of the FMW property along with our property manager and guide the Meeting in making decisions regarding how we use and manage our property! Okay so now what does that REALLY mean?
We help decide who can rent our office space and at what cost.
We facilitate the janitorial services.
We work with the administrative secretary in the space rentals for events in the meeting.
We engage with the appropriate contractors and other trade folks as needed.
Along with the garden committee we maintain the yard and grounds around the buildings,
We facilitate and manage the workdays for the meeting three or four times a year,
We have subcommittees for finance, greening, construction, peeves and prettiness, and more!
We listen to and try to respond to needs, concerns, and suggestions from the members and attenders of the meeting!
And more . . . .
COME JOIN US! We would love to have you!
(More information? Call Jean Harman, clerk—at 202 543-0915 or ellenjeanharman@hotmail.com
MEMBERSHIP
Hey, think of becoming a member?
If September’s too soon, think November
Just apply
Don’t be shy
Question why you’ve delayed
Is it on your to-do list?
Don’t let that thought fade
Can we talk? Don’t desist.
How’s December?
For more information, contact Hayden Wetzel at haydenwetzel@hotmail.com
MINISTRY & WORSHIP
Nine o’clock, 10:30; 10:30 and six
Seven pm on Wednesdays -- whichever you pick.
Quiet or lively? A full room or small?
Friends Meeting of Washington has worship for all.
Whatever your choice, whatever feels right,
Ministry and Worship wishes you Light.
Is your silence deep? Is your listening clear?
When Spirit speaks, are you able to hear?
When Friends offer a message, does it speak to you?
When you sense a leading, does way open to go through?
Making sure is our mission; your good experience is our quest.
And we could really use your help if we are to do our best.
Stop by our table to find out what to do.
We have three opportunities, and there’s one just for you.
For more information, contact Blair Forlaw at bforlaw@aol.com
FMW’s Young Adult Friends Hit Bottom
