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2003 Epistle of Illinois Yearly Meeting

To Friends Everywhere:

Friends from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and elsewhere met for our 129th annual yearly meeting sessions, July 30 to August 3, 2003, on the Illinois prairie, surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans. As we gathered in our meetinghouse, built in 1875, we were mindful of both the heritage and the vulnerability to time, other natural forces, and changing expectations of our buildings. We chose not to use our 40-year-old dormitory for safety and health reasons. Friends discovered the joys and challenges of expanded tent-camping or nearby motels.

In our meetings, we addressed "Answering to that of God in Everyone: Quakers Responding to Conflict." The 2003 Iraq war, the "War on Terrorism," increasing threats to our civil liberties, and, in the United States and around the world, long existing social injustices all permeated our consciousness. We sought ways to respond. Several of our speakers pointed to the early Friends' vision of "The Lamb's War" to which they were called. Christ, as "The Lamb of God," was the one who conquered by self-sacrifice rather than through violence.

Chuck Fager urged us to take up a century-long, well-developed struggle for peace. Earlier Quakers, such as, George Fox, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, and others, spent their entire lives building Quakerism and struggling against slavery and for women's equality. We were challenged to build our base as Quakers in the long effort for making peace, that is, in the "Lamb's War."

Marshall Massey called on us to develop our skills in "witnessing" to pursue this "Lamb's War." A tradition, spanning many millennia, starting with the Hebrews and Jesus, and followed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., witnessing goes beyond protesting by appealing directly to those in power with truth and integrity. Witnessing is a way we can respond to conflict by answering to God in others, by becoming empowered.

Elizabeth Duke invited Friends to weave networks for Friends throughout the world. Through these networks, Friends can be strengthened in their calling to address conflict and violence for many years ahead.

In small ways we have taken up these challenges to address conflict by supporting our yearly meeting members working with the Lakota Native Americans, dealing with civil violence in Burundi, or assisting the efforts of many Quaker organizations. Youth, from vigorous high-schoolers to recently-born, enlivened our sessions, but more importantly made us aware of our need to envision a long-term future for Quakers, as part of the "Lamb's War."

Thus, we addressed the strengthening of our Quakerism. For many of us, our meetinghouse represents a spiritual center in addition to serving as a physical center. We pledged to renovate and restore our historic meetinghouse and move forward on planning for a new year-round, environmentally-friendly dormitory and eating facility.

As another aspect of our center, we addressed who we were as a yearly meeting as we continued slowly to write an Illinois Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, something we have not had for almost a half century. Symbolically, this represents the core of our being - our base. After considerable thought and prayer, we adopted the first two sections of this Faith and Practice: an introduction and a section on membership.

As we have looked back on our history, we stand ready to move forward to the next century. We invite Friends everywhere to join us in moving forward - focused, empowered, centered - for the next century.

In peace and with loving greetings to all.

- Illinois Yearly Meeting of Friends

Adult Young Friends' Epistle

After some years of nonexistence, the Adult Young Friends (AYF) program would like to announce its triumphant return. Many AYFers have conflicting schedules in the morning that prevent an organized program at the normal time. However, our goal is to create an AYF program to encourage the high school folk to come back after they finish high school. Even with the lack of numbers, we had a blast playing cards, taking pictures, throwing Frisbees, and socializing with Friends of all ages.

After dusk we fight crime, but don't tell anyone. We have secret identities to maintain.

High School Friends' Epistle

Dear Friends,

As always this year at IYM has been an enjoyable experience for new friends and old. High schoolers began trickling in on Wednesday and Thursday, convening in the shade to briefly enjoy Will's new chair and catch up on the past year. We continued many of the wonderful traditions of past years including walks to the railroad tracks, dinner at Edgewood, watching movies and playing tag in the graveyard. Some of us also enjoyed a day at the pool with some of the younger members of the community. We enjoyed a workshop led by J.E. McNeil on conscientious objection.

This year we've had the largest snack budget we can remember. It even bought enough junk food and drinks to curb our disappointment at being beaten by Will and Casey at spades each passing night. While that tradition may stand for years, there were several new surprises as well. This was the first year that the dorms were inaccessible due to fire hazard. Instead two tents were erected behind the dorms. However, in the middle of the week a particularly severe storm leveled the boy's tent and drenched everyone's belongings. Clear Creek Meeting was kind enough to provide us with blankets and pillows and sleeping accommodations were moved to the Junior Yearly Meetinghouse. Our out-trip didn't go as planned, but we worked out all the issues and spent the afternoon socializing.

This year was the first that several adult Young Friends have returned to IYM after leaving the high school group. While a program was not provided this year, we are working on organizing one for next year.

The trials and tribulations of this year have worked to bring us together, not just within the High School Program, but among the greater community. It is our hope that mistakes made this year will help things to go more smoothly in years to come.

Junior High Friends' Epistle

Dear Friends Everywhere,

When we first met on Thursday we found out that we where going to make a mural for the Jr. High meeting house. We first brainstormed on what we were going to put in the mural. We included the most important component which was the name among other thing, which was The Penn House (named after William Penn). The next thing that we did was we painted the mural which will stand outside the Penn house for many years. We feel that having a place where the Jr. High group meets is really nice especially since some of us helped build it. Now the mural will be another addition in our environment.

Friday we went on a field trip to a wildlife conservation area because we know that IYM is looking to restore our own prairie. We also did this because we wanted to know what our meeting grounds looked like a long time ago. We saw big bluestem grass, also known as turkey feet, and we saw yellow cone flower. We also visited wet lands where we saw that in just 3 years we could restore our own wet lands.

There was also an observation deck which had 49 steps. From the deck we could look out on all the wildlife and plants. We hope that when our meeting restores the land that there is that there is also an observation deck or porch that we can look out over the prairie. We also hope that the future Jr. High groups enjoy the new mural.

-- Ashlee, Meg, Trent, Emily, Brian, Rose, Caryn, Lucas, Christina, Maria, Steve, Martin

6-8 Year-old Friends' Epistle

Theme: "Who Are the Quakers?"

Peter Idwasi came to our group and talked about how Quakers was in Africa and about the United Nations. (We learned that a nation is the same as a country and that "united" comes from "unity").

Elizabeth Duke answered our questions. One was about if she knew any Jews and she did - in New Zealand. She talked about traveling and showed us cloth and a mitt you put money in.

We made leaf rubbings. Also, Alice Howenstine showed us how to make stationary out of envelopes and shared stories. David Wixom showed us things we could make with wood and talked with us.

-- Delia, Annie, Gabe, Laure, Claire, Lindsay, and Billy