Newsletter, April 2012

Please see the printed Newsletter for Directory Updates. Please let the Office know if you have moved, or have a new phone number or e-mail address. We can then update our database, and make the new directory as accurate as possible. If you’re not sure if your entry is correct, please call or email the Office and Mary will send your information back to you. Please email changes to [email protected]

Saturday, May 12, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse.

Again this year, Worship and Ministry Committee will host a forum, "Sharing of Arts & Spirituality." On April 1, from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm, members and attenders of Meeting are invited to show or perform a creative art they enjoy--whether it be a musical piece, art work, poem, sewing project, craft, or other avenue of expression-- and to say a few words about its spiritual basis for them. This is an opportunity to take those bushel baskets off of our Lights and let them shine. It's also a wonderful way to build connections within our Meeting community. Newcomers and old-timers alike are invited to offer something. A clipboard will be circulated at refreshment time for the next several weeks for people to sign up, so we know how many people want to participate. If you have questions, see Sue Edwards or another member of Worship & Ministry Committee. Submitted by Sue Edwards, Worship and Ministry Committee

During the past year, as your Library Committee has worked to clean and straighten our Library Room, we have several times asked this question: With the Pendle Hill library, the Yearly Meeting library, the College’s Quaker collection and two excellent public libraries available, do we need a Meeting Library? The Library Room is not in a high traffic area; we have low circulation, a number of dated books, plus a number of books not related to Quakerism, religion in general or social issues. The committee members have expressed different opinions as we tried to answer this question. We concluded that the whole Meeting should take part in this discussion. At the last Monthly Meeting for Business, held March 11, 2012, the Committee requested a date and time to hold such a discussion. The Meeting agreed and we will hold a Threshing Session on Sunday, April 29, 2012, at 11:45 a.m. in Whittier Room. We encourage all members and attenders to attend this Threshing Session. The Committee really needs your help. Submitted by Paul Joyce Collins Williams , Clerk of Library Committee

Walkers for Environmental Justice: Swarthmore Hosts Potluck, Monday April 30

For decades, coal companies have exploited the Appalachian region for its natural resources. In 2001, the Bush administration redefined regulatory definitions of "fill." This permitted an extreme form of strip mining in which coal companies explode mountains to get at thin layers of coal, and then dump the "waste" material into nearby valleys and streams. Thousands of miles of streams in Appalachia have been buried. In the last decade, there have been increased rates of cancer, respiratory disease, heart disease, and birth defects in communities located near mountaintop removal sites. Other consequences of "mountaintop removal" include irreversible destruction of the region's biodiversity, permanent loss of topsoil and contamination of headwaters that feed rivers in the southeastern

United States

. PNC bank is a major financier of coal companies that engage in this form of mining. (Details of their financial connections have been documented by Rainforest Action Network.) The "Green Walk for Jobs and Justice" will start in Philadelphia on April 30 and end on May 16, in Pittsburgh , at PNC Bank's headquarters. Along the way, the walkers will call attention to the plight of Appalachian communities and urge PNC to end its financial support for mountaintop removal. We ask PNC to create a "sector exclusion" by May 31, 2012, prohibiting loans to coal companies that engage in mountaintop removal coal mining. We will collect pledges from PNC account holders, to close their accounts if the bank does not comply. The Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) is dedicated to creating a "just and sustainable economy" through campaigns that draw on the Quaker legacy of nonviolent direct action. Join us on Monday, April 30th, to meet the walkers, after their first day on the road. Swarthmore Meeting will host a potluck and EQAT will provide a program with singing and videos. Learn about how the BLAM! (Banking Like Appalachia Matters) campaign is having an impact. Come away with a clearer vision and a greater sense of hope. Submitted by Bere Saxon and Carolyn McCoy

Following on the success of our first sponsorship of this workshop in the spring of 2011, we are delighted to announce that Home As a Sacred Space will take place again in Whittier House over four weekly sessions in May (exact dates TBA), hosted by Annette Reyman of All Right Organizing. See next month's newsletter or contact Jinny Schiffer or Shelley Costa for details.

After the rise of Meeting, visit the environmental working group's table in Rushmore Room and learn about ways to green your energy at home.

http://www.papowerswitch.com/, it is possible to shop for alternative suppliers for your home electricity. Your energy bill may even go down as you switch to 10%, 50%, or 100% wind or other sustainable energy sources. Learn more about how viable wind energy is and how you can support it every month. We will be tabling for wind and alternative energy on the First Days of 3/25, 4/1, and 4/8. Bring your electric bill to Meeting for a more complete conversation about what switching energy sources would mean for you. Submitted by Paul Greene, Peace & Social Concerns

The Swarthmore Meeting Environmental Group, Quaker Environment & Sustainability Task Force (QUEST), will screen two films and facilitate discussion on the topic of alternative energy and choices we can make to live more sustainably. On Saturday, April 21, we will show The Last Mountain, an inspiring film that documents residents of Coal River Valley in West Virginia standing up to the lawless tactics of Massey Energy, which through mountaintop removal mining has scarred the local landscape. The film ends with an inspirational documentation of the benefits of wind power to support the local economy and environment. On Sunday, the film Carbon Nation will be shown; more evidence of clean energy technology development across the

U.S.

will be presented. Please join us! Submitted by Ruth Cary of Quaker Environment & Sustainability Task Force (QUEST)

A Warm Welcome to Ruth Reynolds!

Ruth was born in Riverside , New Jersey , and for the first four years of her life she lived in her maternal grandparents home with her mother, sister, and brother. After the family moved from New Jersey , she lived many places in Pennsylvania : Harrisburg , Marysville, Enola, Carlisle, and Springfield with various family members. She now lives in Media. She has been active in Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Lutheran Church of the Deaf congregations before attending several local Quaker Meetings. Ruth felt most comfortable at Swarthmore Friends and joined in 2011. She has studied American Sign Language and is skilled in crocheting. You will often see her wearing colorful warm sweaters and scarves at Meeting made by either her or her mother. She is regular participant in the Whittier Knittiers and joins in the small, but enthusiastic, hymn singing group on Sunday mornings. At the Jumble Sale, she enjoys volunteering in the “Book Mark” rooms where she often buys many books. She likes reading, woodworking, listening to the Beatles and BonJovi, learning about other religions, and vacationing in Cape Cod National Seashore. Her dream is to spend the night in the Anne Frank house. Submitted by LaDorna Pfaff, Care and Counsel Committee

Memorial Minute for Robert Gough Hayden, Sr.

Robert Gough Hayden, Swarthmore Meeting member, died February 1, 2012, at the age of 88-years-old. Bob was born November 18, 1923, in Philadelphia , the only child of George Gough Hayden and Grace Hanna (Barnes) Hayden. He met Nancy Roberts Smith while they were both attending Swarthmore College . His daughter recounts, “He loved to say that he knew she was the one for him the first time he saw her walk across the campus.”

Robert and Nancy married under the care of the Meeting July 20, 1946, after he returned from serving as U.S. Naval Lieutenant Navy JG in China during World War II. They lived 58 years in Swarthmore before retiring to White Horse Village. In 1948 Bob earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania , Wharton School , and in 1951 a CPA from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . He worked in the financial industry and was a model for others in his ethical Quaker ways.

He served many, many years on Swarthmore Meeting’s Budget and Finance Committee, always with proper stewardship to Meeting’s budget. He was unassuming, seemingly staying in the background; but, he saw to the Meeting’s financial well-being with constancy, diligence, forbearance, and level-headedness. As Meeting Treasurer he was instrumental in the creation and presentation of the Meeting’s budget where he showed clarity in supporting the Meeting’s social action programs. He was also Treasurer of the Friends Fiduciary Corporation. After a long day at the Meeting’s annual rummage sales, he would stay even later counting the proceeds. We are blessed that we had Bob Hayden to support us for so many years. Family gatherings were paramount for him-- roasting the Christmas turkey, hiding the Easter jellybeans, and going family vacations to Buck Hill Falls , Jamaica , Ocean City , and Europe . He showed love for his family every single day….Even when he was sick, when a family member called and asked how he was, he would say, “I’m better now that I’m talking with you.” He had a life-long passion for golf. His family jokes that golf became “the family game” because Nancy was better at tennis than Bob. He was thrilled to watch his children and grandchildren develop a love for the game. Phrases that come up again and again in describing Bob are: his optimism; his accepting everyone; and his having a positive outlook. He respected women’s intelligence, both the female associates in the financial world, and women within the Meeting community. During the civil rights movement, he was distraught seeing the maltreatment of Black people. His children remember him teaching that all people should be respected equally.

He believed we all carry an Inner Light…and now that he is gone, we carry his Inner Light and his Spirit. One family member quoted William Penn, “Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still.”

In addition to Nancy, his wife of 65-years, he is survived by four daughters, Anne Peters (Frederick C.) of Rosemont; Joan Taylor (Michael) of Norristown; Patricia Lawrence (W. Patrick) of Newtown ; and Barbara Lewis (David W.) of Doylestown; a son, Robert Hayden Jr. (Carolyn Morgan) of Swarthmore; 14 grandchildren and five great-granddaughters. A standing-room-only Memorial Service was held on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at White Horse Village. In lieu of flowers, the family asked the donations be made to Swarthmore Friends Meeting.

Member Announcements:

Johanna Sibbett is seeking a housemate to live with her in her present residence in Swarthmore so that she can remain here. Her daughter Mari Clements is moving to Colorado and it is Johanna’s deepest wish to remain in Swarthmore. She needs a housemate by mid-May; a month later could also be arranged. This would be a minimum of a six month living arrangement. If this is a possibility for you as or you know someone who would be a good housemate for Johanna, please contact the Meeting Office. (Meeting telephone and voice mail: 610-328-8699. Meeting e-mail address: [email protected])

Spring at Swarthmore Friends Nursery School !

Spring is in the air, and we are very much appreciating it at SFNS! Our spring break follows that of the Wallingford- Swarthmore School District so we will not be in session from April 2-9. When we return on April 10, it will certainly feel as though the end of the year is coming quickly, but there remain many fun things to do before we close out the year. Our three-year- old-class will begin learning about ladybugs culminating in our ladybug release program. The fours will be learning about one of American’s favorite pastimes: baseball. Our families and friends may join us at a Blue Rocks early next month so watch for those details. The fives will begin work this month on a rich unit about art culminating with an art exhibit at the end of the year. All throughout these wonderful units, we will try to get outdoors as much as possible to enjoy the lovely spring weather. Our spring flower sale is coming up once again. We will sell flowers that will be delivered in time for Mother’s Day (pick-up is on Wednesday, May 2). Order forms will be going out to families on April 11 and will be due by the 27. Please look for the forms on the facing benches beginning on April 11. These are beautiful hanging baskets from a local nursery, and we’ve had very good luck with the quality of the plants every year. Enjoy the spring weather this month!

Eat Better, Live Healthier, Be Greener – Find Out How at DelCo Enviro Fair

When: Saturday, April 14, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Strath Haven High School

“Although some environmental issues may seem to be beyond our control, there are many choices each of us can make to live a healthier, greener and better life.” That’s the encouraging message inviting everyone to this year’s Delaware County Environmental Fair, scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford . From 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., dozens of workshops, interactive exhibits and demonstrations, educational and commercial displays will speak to veteran environmentalists and young sprouts alike. Swarthmore Friends Meeting will have a table at the event and will be participating jointly with the Presbyterians in an olive oil tasting. Come and be part of the fun! We are looking for volunteers to man the table. Please let me know if your schedules will allow you to participate for an hour or two on the April 14. Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact me. Submitted by Catherine King

Spiritual State of the Meeting, 2011 (edited for Web)

Part 1: Overview of 2011

2011 brought joys and concerns on many levels to our spiritual community, whose members and attenders are involved not only in the meeting, and other Quaker organizations, but also in the wider world. We value our relationship with the college. Plans have been made to alleviate the flooding and to repair the “dungeon”. The “Faith and Play” programs have increased to twice monthly. Also noted are the joys of having new members, and our deepening relationship with college students who worship with us. The Nursery School is doing well. The Working Group on Outreach Initiatives was created to look at ways to reach out to the community and make the meeting more visible and understandable. The much appreciated service of our Meeting Secretary is also a joy.

Among the concerns are financial ones as Meeting reserves may be depleted by upcoming repairs to the Meetinghouse. The library is in need of repairs, and there are concerns about its mission. And there is an overall decline in the numbers of members who are able to serve on Committees. A wider concern is the economic situation in our country and the impact of growing income inequality.

Part 2: Committee Reports

Budget & Finance

During 2011, the Meeting received contributions, which covered our expenses for 2011. Although contributions remain significantly below our goals and the support of 2009 and earlier, the response of the Meeting to our appeals was, once again, reassuring. Online contributions increased. The committee sponsored a forum on The Changing face of Our Meeting, and how it affects us financially. We initiated a change in the fiscal year, which will be from July to June, to be implemented in 2012. One of the reasons for the change was to have the largest contribution month (December) fall in the middle, rather than the end of the year. Our new fiscal year will also coincide with the fiscal year of Yearly Meeting. The committee reached out to the Meeting to explore new approaches to the challenge of fund-raising, which hopefully will bear fruit in 2012. We also continued to compose monthly “Meeting Portraits” for the newsletter of activities made possible by the contributions we receive, and to reach out to members who have not given to the Meeting financially for some time. Budget and Finance is working closely with House and Property and the College to prepare for significant expenditures for repairs to the roof and masonry, as well as for improving accessibility to the facilities. Overall, we remain confident that our financial reserves, in conjunction with our relationship with the college, should be adequate to cover our most pressing needs pertaining to maintenance and repairs. We are concerned, however, about the effect the upcoming expenditures might have on the availability of funds for future projects and the interest income that is a significant component of the annual operating budget.

Care & Counsel

The Care and Counsel Committee 1) manages membership – transfers, resignations, new members, marriages, Memorial Meetings; and 2) manages the general care of our Meeting. Our Meeting Secretary helps us enormously in keeping our membership database up to date.

We joyfully and prayerfully welcome new member applicants. Recently, with impetus from other working groups, committees, and a general Meeting forum, new ideas about the membership procedure are bubbling up.

Some of our service and social items include:
  Contacting shut-ins via our newly-enlarged Visiting Working Group
  Co-sponsoring the Christmas potluck; freshmen tea; and Easter welcoming for new members
  Organizing the Friendly Gatherings in midwinter
  Greeting newcomers after Meeting for Worship
  Sending birthday cards to members who are over 75-years-of-age
  Processing requests for grants to individuals

We are fortunate to have several new members with fresh ideas, and are grateful for the hard work and smiles of ALL those on the Committee. Each month we share news about ourselves; hold people in the Light; laugh a lot; get much accomplished from our long-listed agendas; and end the evening with a silent prayer circle.

First Day School

Spring of 2011 graduated three students from 12th grade, two from 8th, and one 4th grader. Each of these students received a special book or Bible.

Fall brought an increase of Faith and Play sessions to two times per month, with twelve elementary and childcare age children participating in Faith and Play. We now have three trained instructors to lead the Faith and Play, with a fourth instructor when needed. The years topics were Queries, Meeting for Business, Meeting for Worship, Quaker Testimonies, Finding God, and Gifts, followed by verbal and creative art responses to the stories.

The elementary class also does creative activities with bible discussions and serves the Meeting by making snack for fellowship on the fourth Sundays. Our Middle School group has a theme of “Service to Community” and learned how to silkscreen signs for the Jumble Sale, and T-shirts. They also wrote a Pageant involving four wise men and “Occupy Bethlehem,” inspired by discussions about the Occupy Movement.

We hired one person to do childcare every week, and other high school students alternate weeks to assist. All FDS teachers have made an effort to increase the amount of time all of our students get into Meeting for Worship.

Our First Day School committee has agreed to meet more frequently over the course of the year to improve communication and help keep track of FDS responsibilities. We will meet August, November, February, and May, on the second Thursday of the month. We have found it helpful to have the entire FDS calendar established before the first class in September.

House & Property

House and Property completed the restoration of wooden window frames in Whittier Room, the library and two other rooms, a major project. The cause for the flooding in the basement was identified and will be corrected. A possible broken storm water pipe is being investigated. Because the drywall of the partitions in the basement were damaged by the flooding, the college removed the walls and put in a new ceiling. This improvement will greatly enhance storage of Jumble Sale items.

Jumble

Jumble Sale Committee – As always Jumble produced a day of high energy, excellent bargains, great community and good revenue. The committee and team worked hard from August - October to culminate in a great October event. Several Jumble veterans made important reappearances―in the Country Store and Jewelry and in the Accessories Department (Accessories After the Fact…). Critically important this year for the Jumble committee is the work being done in the dungeon. With luck the efforts of the College and the Property Committee will pay off with less damage to Jumble goods, better storage and easier hauling.

Library

Library committee continued to meet with some regularity. Current projects include cataloging and culling the collection, and developing a system for checking out and returning books. The committee has made some purchases of books. Ongoing concerns include repair to the Library room; disposition of books deemed not appropriate or redundant in our collection; and the continued existence, function and location of the Library.

Nominating

All Committees are active and functioning. We continue to struggle with shrinking numbers of members and attenders from which to recruit. Many hard-working individuals have accepted multiple assignments. In 2011, the Nominating Committee organized a comprehensive list of Working Groups. Many members and attenders participate in these informal groups dedicated to a special purpose.

Nursery School

Enrollment has remained fairly steady over the past several years with this year’s census at 72 children being served in our four classrooms. Tuition was raised but the increase in requests for financial aid has stabilized this year. Staffing shifted again this fall as we rehired a former SFNS teacher. She comes to us from teaching kindergarten and is now the head teacher in our Pre-K 5 year old program. The former head of that classroom has moved into an administrative assistant role several mornings a week as well as teaching our creative movement program. The creative movement teacher is now offering classroom support two mornings each week. Everyone seems happy with their new roles, and the transitions were made very smoothly by all.

Staff development continues each year with varied opportunities for continuing education. 6 members of our staff attended the Delaware County Early Childhood Educators Association Conference this past winter. 2 members of our staff participated in an Educators New to Quakerism conference in the spring. 2 staff members visited the Westtown School during a regular school day this spring as well. Coming into the school year in August, all of our staff completed a CPR/First Aid training in order to renew everyone’s certification.

Our all school unit this past spring was Habitats for both humans and animals. We continued to collect coins for various charities throughout the year and held a food drive for City Team in Chester just before Thanksgiving. We’d like to thank all of the members of meeting who supported our Poinsettia sale this December. It was very successful and meeting members were an important part of that. Things are humming, and many happy childhood memories were made during 2011!

Peace and Social Concerns

In March, PSC sponsored a widely publicized showing of the film “Gasland”, and led a community discussion of the politics and environmental consequences of “fracking” for natural gas. In April, a number of committee members worked with other community church groups, in support of the Delco Environmental Fair. In the spring, by sponsoring the 2-for-1 campaign, the committee generated publicity for and donations to Rainforest Action Network, Campaign Against Mountaintop Removal, the Foundation for Social Innovation in Budapest , Right Sharing of World Resources, and Theatre for Transformation. In December, PSC held an open Meeting for Discernment, to better understand the culture of our economic climate and to share insights into how we should act in response. The working groups for Cooking for the Homeless and the new Environmental Working Group, Quaker Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (QUEST), are under our care.

Personnel

In May, 2011, the Personnel Committee hired a new Facilities Coordinator, to replace the long-serving previous coordinator who had resigned. The new coordinator has just completed his first six months on the job, and we are well-pleased with his performance. Our Meeting Secretary continues to serve the Meeting community with skill and devotion.

Worship & Ministry

Worship and Ministry Committee hosted monthly religious education sessions on a range of topics, including “The History of Swarthmore College as a Quaker Institution,” “How Does the Spirit Fare with Thee, Friend?” (at which our beloved elder members shared reflections on their lives as Quakers), and “Joining the Meeting Demystified ” (with Care and Counsel). We hosted an “Arts & Spirituality” session at which 16 people shared a creative art and talked about its meaning for themselves. Two members shared their spiritual paths, and we held a worship sharing time on our understandings of Christianity. We also held forums at which travelers from our Meeting spoke about journeys to Cuba and Tibet , as well as a talk by a young adult Friend and attender who was a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq .

We oversaw a series of workshops on “Home as a Sacred Space,” designed to assist attenders in simplifying their material lives. In the fall Seekers Sessions were restarted after a hiatus for discussion of questions on the minds of attenders and members.

We deepened our relationships with college students, enriched by a dialogue in the student newspaper about the role of Quakerism on campus as well as their participation in meeting for worship. This year, Quaker students held Meetings for Worship on campus on weekday evenings, and we offered our support to them. The Fellowship Working Group continued offering wonderful breakfasts to college students and delicious refreshments at the rise of meeting for worship each Sunday.

We rearranged the benches in the Meetinghouse to make Meeting for Worship more intimate. Based upon the recommendation of the Working Group on Outreach Initiatives, we helped acquire a welcoming table to move into the Whittier House foyer each First Day with name-tags and packets of information for newcomers. We also encouraged First Day School teachers to bring children into Meeting on a regular basis. We ended the year with a New Year's Eve gathering for quiet reflection.