FMW Newsletter, August 2015

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Queries

Minutes

Minute, Climate Action

Memorial, Robert Gronewald

Right Sharing of World Resources

Finance & Stewardship

Upcoming Events

Random Happenings

Comics

 

 

Friends Meeting of Washington

Order of Worship

Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business

July 2015

 

Queries

Do you respect that of God in every person? Do you search yourself for and strive to eliminate prejudices such as those related to race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation and economic condition? In what ways do you accept and appreciate differences among your friends and associates? Do you avoid exploiting or manipulating others to accomplish ends, however worthy?

Advices

Our Religious Society endures as a community of friends who take thought for outward society by first taking care of one another. Friends are advised to maintain love and unity, to avoid tale-bearing and detraction, and to settle differences promptly and in a manner free from resentment and all forms of inward violence. Live affectionately as friends, entering with sympathy into the joys and sorrows of one another’s daily lives. Visit one another. Be alert to give help and ready to receive it. Bear the burdens of one another’s failings; share the buoyancy of one another’s strengths.

            - Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Faith and Practice

 

Voices

Friends do not take readily to being cared for. “Caring matters most” has been quoted to us when seeking direction during our active years. But many of us will find that we ourselves are in need of full care in our old age. This will not be easy. It calls for “a different kind of living”, as one Friend commented when answering questions about experience in a home for the elderly. Uprooted from familiar well-loved things, bereft of house and neighbours, released from stabilizing responsibilities (however small), there will be adjustments to be made.

 

But there are compensations and opportunities. Loss of physical well-being can bring a new experience of the strength of the Spirit which can overcome pain and suffering. A new and fuller understanding of prayer can come, given the time to study and practice how to pray. And in the experience of living in a Home with others, a deep sense of sharing the darkness and the light can lead to a sense of community not known before. Finally, living close to physical death (our own and that of others), we come to recognize death as a natural and often welcome event. Yet another movement of growth into the fullness of the knowledge of God.

- Margaret McNeill, 1990

 

2015/7-1 Welcome of Visitors

Meeting for Business opened at 12:15 pm with 27 persons present. Friends welcomed Ruby Steigerwald as a first time attender to Meeting for Business.

 

Major items

2015/7-2 Marriage and Family Relations Committee

Jim Bell, clerk of Marriage and Family Relations Committee made the second presentation of the request for marriage under the care of the Meeting of Lydia Pecker and Carl Johnson. They will be married on October 17, 2015 at the Meeting House. Lydia and Carl thanked the Meeting for its care.

 

The Marriage under the care of the Meeting of Lydia Pecker and Carl Johnson was APPROVED.

 

2015/7-3 Peace and Social Concerns

Brian Lutenegger, convener of the Sustainability and Climate Action Taskforce, brought a minute regarding Sustainability and Climate Action by Friends Meeting of Washington before the Meeting. Members of the taskforce included members of Peace and Social Concerns and Property Committee among others. The Property Committee approved the following minute:

 

The Property Committee fully supports the efforts of the Sustainability and Climate Action Task Force and confirms aspects of this minute that relate to FMW property.

 

The minute, which is attached, challenges Friends to work for both individual life style and external systematic change.

 

A Friend suggested that the minute does not include a sense of stewardship and a call for the financial stewardship for these improvements. Another Friend sees this as a call to action but to act we must fund it. A Friend thanked the working group and noted that the minute speaks to him personally as he is renovating. He asked the working group for simple guidelines or resources for specific steps to take and a list of what has been done already at the Meeting to help see concrete ways to go forward. Another Friend noted that DC Sun, a local advocacy group, provides bulk purchase of solar panels. A Friend called our attention to the phrase to “save our species.” She suggested that it be about systems changes not just concern with our species, which has created the problem. Another Friend noted that Peace and Social Concerns Committee met and raised the same concern. Another Friend noted that we should be concerned about bird friendly renovations as well. A Friend suggested that Friends need to go beyond energy savings in our homes to include a less consumer-oriented life style. Another Friend raised the issue of human population control and its effect on biodiversity. Another Friend talked about being a renter and how hard it was to control her environment and asked for help to find ways to make changes.

 

The Taskforce will take these items into consideration and bring the minute back in September.

 

2015/7-4 Trustees

Dan Dozier, Clerk of Trustees, reported that while no court filings have been made on behalf of a former member against the Meeting or its members of which we are aware, the Trustees continue to engage in discussions with him through our pro bono attorney, David Kendall, a member of the Meeting. The Trustees will keep everyone informed. Litigation, if it comes, is nothing to fear. It is the peaceful alternative for resolving disputes in society.

 

A Friend asked how the targeted members were holding up. Dan reported that everyone was bearing up. A Friend asked that we hold the former member and his friends and family, those who may have been threatened or harmed, and all of us in the Light.

 

2015/7-5 Nominating Committee

Merry Pearlstein, member of the Nominating Committee, presented the following nominations:

Judy Hubbard, Member, Membership Committee (through 2017)

Judy Hubbard, Member, Library Committee (through 2017)

Justin Kwong, Attender, Property Committee (through 2017)

Merry Pearlstein, Member, Property Committee (through 2017)

Martha Solt, Member, Clerk of Property Committee (through 2015)

The Meeting APPROVED the nominations.

 

2015/7-6 Milestones

Harry Massey read the proposed Memorial Minute for Robert Gronewald. Friends remembered Robert’s gentle humor and bright smile.

 

The Memorial Minute for Robert Gronewald was APPROVED.

 

Other business

 

2015/7-7 Right Sharing of World Resources

Karen Grisez, FMW’s Liaison to Right Sharing of World Resources, gave an update on their activities. A copy of her report is attached. She noted that the sustainability and climate changes issues are related to the work of RSWR. In addition to supporting local self-help projects in India, Kenya and Sierra Leone through grants, which are sustainable and have mutual support and accountability among their members, RSWR continues to bring thoughtful discussions to Friends and others about how we can more justly live on this planet. RSWR had a special project for funding for Ebola transmission prevention. RSWR is setting up a system for direct funding of specific projects. She noted that the Baltimore Yearly Meeting committee on Right Sharing needs new members especially young adult Friends.

 

Karen Grisez will lead an interest group on this topic at Baltimore Yearly Meeting at Annual Sessions in August.

 

2015/7-8 Records and Handbook update

Todd Harvey, Clerk of the Records and Handbook Committee, reported that the Committee shifted Ministry and Worship’s report time as requested by the Meeting for Business.

 

2015/7-9 Finance and Stewardship

Jim Bell, member of Finance and Stewardship, brought an explanation of how the Meeting deals with contributions to the Meeting in-kind, such as travel expenses and food. Basically, items should be reported with receipts as possible to the Meeting with a note stating that they are not for reimbursement, unless they are, and that a thank-you for tax purposes is needed, if it is. A detailed explanation is attached. A Friend noted it helps for Friends to know how much certain activities costs for planning purposes. The Hospitality Committee noted that gifts of food affect the budget of that Committee so they are putting out in-kind donation forms to make it easier for Friends. Another Friend noted, for example, that some Meeting projects are heavily subsidized by individual Friends and we feel that the books of the Meeting should reflect that.

 

The Committee thanks Friends for their contributions.

2015/7-10 Report on Friends General Conference’s Gathering

David Etheridge, Janet Dinsmore, and Debby Churchman reported on their experiences at the Gathering.

 

David Etheridge spent most of his time there on racism issues including 15 hours at a workshop. He was able to report the efforts of BYM at the Gathering. There was a Friends of Color group and for the first time one of European Americans dealing with racism issues. Whatever your issue you can “major in it” at Gathering. He and Sabrina spent time singing and in spiritual deepening.

 

Janet Dinsmore hadn’t attended the Gathering for more than 20 years so it was good to be back. She would encourage people to listen to the plenaries on the FGC website (http://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/recordings-2015-gathering). She remembered again how moving it was for so many Friends to enter worshipful silence. After Parker Palmers’ plenary session she wrote a poem about the theme of the Gathering: Seeking Wholeness. She noted that they all stood “a little straighter seeking wholeness as they leave.”

 

Debby Churchman spent the week at a workshop on forgiveness, which was intense but gratifying. She hopes to share more with us later with the lessons and handouts she obtained. Parker Palmer  gave a plenary talk about what Quakers can do about dwindling numbers—Quakers in North America have dropped in numbers approximately 50% in the last 20 years. We need to get back to our roots and our Quaker process.

 

A Friend noted that we need to find a way to get more Young Adult Friends to Gathering. Another Friend asked how could we go forward with that? Another Friend noted that there were funds allocated to Personal Aid to give to any member or attender to go to conferences to deepen their spirituality and can bring back something from their experience to the Meeting. A Friend suggested we create a taskforce to discuss the systemic problem of reaching Young Friends.

 

The minutes were approved.

 

The meeting at 2:00pm with 28 Friends present to reconvene on September 13, 2015 as way opens.

 

 

Minute regarding Sustainability and Climate Action by Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW)

 

The Friends Meeting of Washington of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) notes with deep concern the dramatic impacts of climate change around the world this summer including drought and wildfires on the U.S. West Coast, heat waves in Europe and India, and rainy weather in our own region.  The world's scientists have eliminated any doubt about the reality of climate change and the major contribution of human activity as its cause. The same scientists call for immediate and large-scale action on climate. We have only a few years to make this change in time to save our species. Lacking a peaceful analogy, in the U.S. we need a societal redirection as quick and as large as we did for World War II. 

A recent Worship Sharing at FMW took note of two types of actions concerned Friends might focus on: internally-focused, life-style or “sustainability” actions and externally, system-change, “climate actions.” It is clear that both are needed. If we only make personal changes, the larger social-political-economic system, driven by the fossil fuel industry and others profiting from the current system, will overwhelm our individual or FMW-focused efforts.

In the great Quaker tradition, which always incorporated both these emphases, FMW and its Members have undertaken both types of action.

On the internal side, recognizing the impact our own religious community has on the planet, FMW has implemented numerous efforts over the past few years to reduce the ecological footprint of our property both as part of our regular maintenance and independently:

• Installation of more efficient heating and cooling equipment in all three of our buildings to replace radiators as well as the installation of programmable thermostats in each room to ensure that energy is not wasted when rooms are unoccupied.
• Conducting an energy audit to identify potential areas of energy savings throughout our property (many of which have been implemented)
• Sealing of leaks
• Switching to energy efficient LED lighting wherever possible and installing the most efficient fluorescent lighting where these bulb types remain

 Further, FMW's upcoming renovation project may reduce the overall energy usage of our property.  It will also make better use of green space on our campus including the addition of a green roof for efficient storm water management.

We encourage individual Members and Attenders to undertake similar actions in their own households if feasible.

On the external side, Members and Attenders of FMW have supported a wide range of climate action:

• Working with Friends Committee on National Legislation to support a national tax on carbon as advocated by Citizens Climate Lobby.
• Organizing education and demonstrations as part of Earth Quaker Action Team to get PNC bank to stop funding “mountain-top removal” coal mining in Appalachia as one form of “extreme extraction” of fossil fuels.
• Working with Sierra Club, DC Environmental Network, the Institute for Local Self Reliance, the Energy Justice Network, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and many other local groups to develop and continually improve a Sustainability Plan for the District.
• Marching and sometimes getting arrested with 350.org locally and in NYC in a call to reduce carbon emissions.
• Working with Divest DC to end investment by the District in the stocks of fossil fuel companies.
• Working with the National Institute for Peer Support to give potential climate activists a place to reflect on their role in all these efforts, to support each other as they take action to eliminate racism in the climate movement and to support climate justice work by communities of color.

We list all these organizations to give our Meeting a better sense of the local opportunities for both internal sustainability and external climate action.

FMW is currently forming an ad-hoc Sustainability and Climate Action Task Force that will look into these issues in more depth and recommend additional opportunities to reduce our Meeting's impact on the environment and increase our Meeting's involvement in these external actions needed to change the current carbon-based society. 

In accordance with Quaker testimonies regarding care of the Earth, we encourage Friends to examine their personal ecological footprint and look for ways to incorporate similar energy efficiency practices into their own lives.  We also encourage Friends to undertake the personal work which is required to face the enormity of this crisis and to take the external actions necessary to change the system which drives it. Finally, we also call on other Meetings both within and outside Baltimore Yearly Meeting to examine their property's sustainability practices and their Meetings commitment to climate action.

 

Memorial Minute for William Robert Gronewald

W. Robert Gronewald was born February 21, 1939 and died December 29, 2014. He was the first born of Robert G. and Jane R. Gronewald, early members of the Friends Meeting of Washington. He joined the Meeting in 1939 as an associate member and a regular member in 1975. He is survived by his wife Deb; brothers, Martin, Albert and John Gronewald.

He grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. and was educated at Olney Friends School in Barnesville, OH and Earlham College in Richmond, IN. His medical training was at the University of Chicago; Ben Taub Hospital (Baylor University) in Houston, TX; and, at Henry Ford Hospital (University of Michigan) in Detroit, MI. He served as a physician in the USAF from 1965-68 with assignment to the Panama Canal Zone and was active in Medical Civic Action. He relocated to Morristown in 1971, practicing Internal Medicine with concentration in Diabetes and Geriatrics until his retirement in 2006.

Bob Gronewald served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Medical Staff of both Morristown Hospitals; Secretary and then President of the local Medical Society; and, as a Delegate to the Tennessee Medical Association.

He had a long-term interest in astronomy. He was a strong supporter of Friends Committee on National Legislation.

He enjoyed his computer, telling jokes, discussing politics and religion, water sports, visiting the mountains and listening to music. He enjoyed attending Mary’s Chapel Church.

LIASON REPORT FROM RIGHT SHARING OF WORLD RESOURCES

 TO FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON

July 19, 2015

Right Sharing of World Resources ("RSWR") originated as a project of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, and was known then as the 1% Fund.  Right Sharing eventually became an independent Quaker organization with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

I was first introduced to Right Sharing through a presentation at Baltimore Yearly Meeting (" BYM") Annual Sessions a little over ten years ago. That led me to join a trip to India in 2005, part of which involved accompanying Right Sharing's field representative in India to visit several of RSWR's projects in the Tamil Nadu region.   (I've attached an article that will appear in an upcoming RSWR newsletter that recounts my strongest memory from that trip.)

RSWR's Mission Statement tells its story very simply:   God calls us to the right sharing of world resources, from the burdens of materialism and poverty into the abundance of God’s love, to work for equity through partnership with our sisters and brothers throughout the world.

Right Sharing carries out this dual mission in two ways. First, it makes outright grants to women's self-help groups in India, Kenya and Sierra Leone. A typical grant does not exceed $5000. The women's groups, called sangams in India, then, in turn, make very small loans to individual women members to enable them to start small income-generating projects.  The projects proposed to RSWR are chosen by the women, the interest rates are decided by the self-help groups themselves, and the individual loans are repaid to the group and NOT to RSWR, so that the funds after repayment can recirculate in the community either for new projects or to add new women to the initial group.  RSWR chooses projects for grants based on three guiding principles: (1) local self-reliance, (2) sustainability, and (3) mutual support and accountability among group members.   There is a large emphasis on training the groups selected for grants in the financial and technical skills needed to support successful outcomes. The second part of Right Sharing's mission is to help those in the developed world to think about questions of abundance and lack, how to define the meaning of "enough" for an individual, a family, or a community, and how to best discern our responsibility to others.  Educational materials for personal or group study as well as ideas about ways to raise money for RSWR are available on the website.

As a special project during the past year, RSWR responded to requests from donors about how best to respond to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. Working with the YMCA, our local partner in Sierra Leone, we identified the most immediate needs as educational information about how to stop the spread of the disease and disinfectant supplies to implement the proper strategies.  RSWR raised funds to support those short term efforts, and later returned to the traditional grantmaking model when advised that supporting local income for the families affected by road closures and quarantines was the best thing to do.

RSWR operates largely through donations from individuals and monthly and yearly meetings, including BYM.  Its Board of Trustees, on which I now serve, meets twice each year to handle governance matters and to select grant proposals for funding. We recently welcomed a new General Secretary, Jacqueline Stillwell (outgoing clerk of New England Yearly Meeting), who plans to visit BYM Annual Session next year. In the short term, I will be presenting an interest group on either Friday or Saturday of Annual Session, and look forward to providing more information to anyone who is interested. I am eagerly seeking Friends to consider joining BYM's Working Group on Right Sharing of World Resources.

Friends are encouraged to give all they can. One recent innovation the RSWR Board adopted is the identification of a few viable projects during each funding cycle to be made available for Donor Designated Projects. These projects are chosen as strong, approvable projects that would be funded if more money was available. Individual Friends or meetings can select one of these projects to sponsor and will receive project reports and photographs after the project provides them.  More information about Right Sharing and information about supporting us can be found at www.rswr.org.

Finance and Stewardship Request

Dear Friends, 

Wonderful acts of generosity keep coming forward. We on Finance & Stewardship are immensely grateful that so many of you take the needs of our community, building, staff, and committees into your hands. The silence that many hold as they make purchases for committee or FMW wide work is to be commended, but often these purchases could be covered through committee budgets or be claimed as tax deductible contributions. Let me explain.

We ask everyone to try their best to turn in receipts for all Meeting related costs that are in the approved committee budgets.  You do not need to seek reimbursement for these costs; we can provide you with an acknowledgement for tax purposes or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can merely write what the purchase was for (e.g.: R/E Snacks) and “Not For Reimbursement” on the receipt and leave it for Laurie Wilner, our Bookkeeper.  If you want an acknowledgement letter or reimbursement, forms are kept on her desk or bulletin board. Simply complete one form and attach all your receipts; note “Do Not Reimburse” on the form if you want the acknowledgement letter. 

(This ends the Minutes and Reports from Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, 7.2015)

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Aug. 1: Come to SOME and help make breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. Starts at 6:15 a.m. For more info, contact Betsy at betsy.bramon@gmail.com

Aug. 2: At noon, you will have an opportunity to meet with the Advocacy Corps from the Friends Committee on National Legislation, who have come to lobby Congress re: climate change.

Aug. 3-9: BYM Annual Sessions – “Living Into Right Relationship”  Gather with hundreds of Quakers throughout the Baltimore Yearly Meeting region to meet, worship, study, sing, and be together. Come for part or all. For more information, go to http://www.bym-rsf.org/events/annualsession/ashome.html

Aug. 5: The Grate Patrol will prepare sandwiches and soup to take out to the city’s vulnerable people starting at 5:30. For more information, contact Steve Brooks at sbrooks@uab.edu     

Aug. 14-16: Quaker Religious Education Conference     RE Collaborative (QREC) invites you to join our growing community of practice at Pendle Hill this August as we think together beyond traditional forms and structures for religious education; share ways to welcome and enfold families in Meeting; preview RE resources; and explore new ways to be together throughout the year. The weekend will include worship, plenaries, workshops, interest groups, fellowship and a celebration. For more informaiton, contact the QREC steering group. (quakercollaborative4re@gmail.com)

Aug. 15: Meditation & Qi Gong, Friends Wilderness Center    Relax, renew, and recharge in this experiential workshop that will introduce you to several meditative practices including the ancient practice of Qi Gong. The FWC affords you an environment in which you can 'renew, relax and recharge,' and meditative practices such as the ones explored in this workshop can enhance your visits to FWC by helping you experience what Wendell Berry calls 'the peace of wild things.' Meditation also can give your precious quiet time at home a new dimension. Join Goose Creek Meeting members, Diane Younkins and Rich Weidner, for a day in which you can 'let it go, and let it flow' and feel a renewed sense of peace and well-being. If you have any questions concerning any of our programs, please email Sheila at snbach@earthlink.net or call 304.728.4820. We ask that you let us know if you are coming to any or all of our events and reservations for a meal are required.

Aug. 21-23:  Retreat for Friends of Color, Arch Street Meeting, Philadelphia     The Fellowship of Friends of African Descent and FGS’s Committee for Nurturing Ministries are sponsoring this conference for Friends of Color and their families. For full information, contact Deborah Saunders. Information should be available on the FGC website soon. (www.fgcquaker.org/FOCRetreat)  

 

 

RANDOM HAPPENINGS

Much to report this month. First, a number of Friends attended the FGC Gathering last month near beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. This is an especially fun event for families with children, as both Justin Connor and Tracy Hart can attest. There are literally dozens of offerings each day from workshops to presentations to singing/dancing/art making to field trips to chances to just hang out. The plenary speakers included Quaker folksinger Carrie Newcomer and Quaker author Parker Palmer. Janet Dinsmore, who hadn’t attended the Gathering for 20 years and was glad to be back again, was so moved, she wrote a poem. After lots of begging on my part, she agreed to share it with the newsletter. Here it is:

Wholeness does not mean perfection, our speaker says

looking out at 1400 rapt Quakers

wrapped also in intention to try harder given

copious applause, the leaning forward, nods, and laughs

to say nothing of the choppy sea of hand waves yes Oh yes

 

Yes he speaks for us, at least to our best us, and

some woman sings after we fall back into silence

breaks the blessed hush of this theater now sanctuary

and you can hear faint harmonies move from all directions

stir the air to thickness with the music, common testimony,

 

and the crewcut college kid who sits behind

sound system knobs, what does he think of

all of us, so many white heads, gays,

the teens, the skateboard kids, so many ordinary folk

who see ourselves anew maybe, take heart from

kind reminders of our flaws our imperfection

yet stand a little straighter, sensing wholeness as we leave.

 

   A number of Friends are getting ready to go to the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions in Frostburg, MD from August 3-9, where I’m sure they’ll have an equally amazing time. You can still sign up here: http://www.bym-rsf.org/events/annualsession/ashome.html

 

   Back at the ole Meetinghouse, kudos to the wonderful Friends who showed up for Work Day. Faith Williams organized the library crowd, including Gene Throwe, Patrick Lynam, and others. Kate Steger of Hospitality and friends reorganized the entire kitchen, at one point seemingly emptying every single cabinet. The Property Committee crowd and cleaners were not to be outdone.  Brian Lutenegger, Emilie Schmeidler, Ron Washington, and Bill Strein cleaned walls, floors, and bathrooms.  Besides cleaning, Merry Pearlstein provided food for all the workers. And of course, Ken Orvis supervised them all, as much as it’s possible to supervise Quakers.

 

   FYI, our fabulous space user in Quaker House, Tostan, has good news to share. Their director, Gannon Gillespie, writes: “In other exciting news, However Long the Night, the book written about Molly and Tostan, is officially a New York Times Bestseller. I have asked Catherine to bring over a couple of copies for your library and to help share one aspect of Tostan's long history with the Friends community.” Tostan’s mission is to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights. The Library Committee will make their book available to Friends soon.

 

   And a final bit of fun news. We were blessed by a visit from Michael Birkel, the Earlham professor who’s written so lucidly about scripture and Quaker history. Among other things, Michael keeps a running list of Quaker jokes. He told us this one—the Quaker version of Hanukah. You will recall that in the original Hanukah story, the Jews were being ruled by the Greeks, who had contaminated their oil. The Jews had only one jar of pure oil left—only enough for one night. They lit it anyway and, miracle of miracle, it lasted for 8 days.

 

   In the Quaker version, the Clerk looks at the agenda for Meeting for Business and says, Oh, look, this should only last about an hour….

 

• Debby

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