Newsletter, December 2008

Navigation links within the November Newsletter:

Queries
Meeting for Business
General Swarthmore Meeting Announcements
Wider News from Across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Calendar

The Meeting for Business opened with a few moments of silent worship. Mike Malone, Clerk, presided. The Queries on Care for the Meeting Community were read, contemplated, and spoken to. Care and Counsel Committee is well aware of the Query and has given assistance to a number of individuals in the Meeting but can only act if it is aware of a problem. The Committee, along with Worship and Ministry Committee, will make an extended effort to personally invite more people to the Friendly Gatherings.

Minutes of the previous Meeting were approved with two corrections: Friends General Conference, not, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, is responsible for the story-telling program called "Godly Play." Also, Bob Turner in not resigning from the Personnel Committee, as reported two months ago.

Lisa Dainton and Joanne Swanson reported for the Nursery School: The School currently has 75 students and 8 teachers. Carol Williamson has retired but is still active in School activities. The present year is going well. Special Education services are provided to one student who started the year speaking no English, as well as several others with limited English. The School prides itself on helping those students with special needs, as well as a general cooperation with the public schools. Service projects are another important component. Last year the children helped raise enough funds to buy 15 bicycles to be used by healthcare and other social services in rural Africa. Collecting food for the City Team Ministries and helping the First Day School with its Heifer Project are other examples. Nursery School parents have helped with the Meeting's Jumble Sale, especially by providing baked goods. The School is aware of the dedication of its teachers and its financial restraints when it comes to maintaining decent salaries. When there is a surplus in the budget at the end of the year, teachers are given bonuses. Visitors are welcomed, even while the School is in session, and will be given personal attention. Sharon Gunther mentioned a program at Abington Friends in which parents, and others, can pay $75 to come on Saturday morning and go through with the teacher a typical school day. This not only gives the parents a good understanding, but raises funds for the School as well. This idea will be considered further.

The Meeting's relationship with the School: The School, in keeping with the arrangements established in other Friends schools, is creating its own Board of Managers and own by-laws and will no longer be under a Committee of the Meeting. The Meeting will propose persons to serve on the Board, which will have 50% Quaker representation and the School will be run in the manner of Friends. Barbara Blake was approved by the Meeting as a candidate. The School now has its own insurance in that this has proven to be a gray area when conjoined to the Meeting. Attorney Sue Garrison is still working on the School's tax controversy with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Other issues such as security of the building during School hours, maintenance, and responsibility for cleaning certain areas were noted and will be discussed further. The lack of cleanliness and neatness in the kitchen is of great concern.

Mary Titus distributed a detailed report on the state of the kitchen, which has deteriorated considerably in the last few weeks. Several groups use this facility and there needs to be a clear understanding regarding clean-up, trash removal and recycling, and the use of the refrigerator. Left over food is just placed there and goes unclaimed and eventually goes bad. As an emergency response, Sue and Don Larson worked several hours to clean up the mess. The Meeting expressed its appreciation to them. House and Property will take up the details in this matter and inform those groups using the kitchen, including rental groups, of their specific responsibilities.

Christine DeGrado briefly noted on-going concerns from Worship and Ministry Committee: outreach, late arrival for Meeting for Worship, etc.

Lois Sellers reported for Care and Counsel Committee: The Committee met with Alex Kendrick and heartily supports her membership. Approved. Sue Larson, David Grove, and Sharon Gunther will welcome her. Sharon Gunther's transfer of membership from Philadelphia Monthly Meeting is likewise heartily endorsed. Approved. Chris DeGrado, Johanna Sibbett, and Mary Lou Parker will welcome her. Gail Vogels of Atlanta responded to Budget and Finance's letter and said she moved there 15 years ago and no longer feels connected to the Meeting. Care and Counsel will contact her to determine if she, as well as her family, wish to be released from membership. A similar situation exists with Michelle Southworth. Lynne Piersol will contact here to determine if she wishes to be released. A response was received from Eileen Stief. She is planning to join the Presbyterians and apparently wishes to be released. Mary Lou Parker will contact her to confirm.

Frank Lindgren reported for House and Property Committee: Re-doing the floor in Rushmore Room appears to be the next priority item. The need for pointing around the Whittier Room chimney, as well as the stone work in general, is under consideration. The Committee, along with Maurice Eldridge (a Vice-President of the College), recently toured the Meetinghouse property and noted certain problem areas which the College may not have been aware of and which are in need of repair. The Committee wishes to preserve what has been in recent years a good working relationship with the College, while, at the same time, finding an efficient way to make them aware of the Meeting's concerns. They will also be in contact with Jan-Pro, and the College's own cleaning service to clarify areas of responsibility and the issue of cleaning while the College is on vacation. House and Property will be having a Work Day on November 22 which will focus on storage areas.

As we enter December, our Meeting still needs to raise thirty-three percent of its annual budget. We count on you to help us reach this goal. Your contributions fund the many Meeting activities that provide spiritual comfort and social support in these uncertain times.

The next meeting of Worship and Ministry Committee will be on Thursday, December 4, at 7:00 p.m., at Pat Thomas' home, rather than at the Meetinghouse.

The First Day School Committee would like to extend an enthusiastic welcome to Sarah Emlen Metz, a senior at Swarthmore College, who will be teaching weekly high school First Day School classes from January to May, 2009. A cornerstone of the new curriculum will be ethical and philosophical discussions tailored for teens. Originally from Berkeley, California, Emlen founded and leads a weekly philosophy discussion group for Swarthmore undergraduates called "Apple Pie." Next year Emlen plans to teach in southeast Asia. Meeting members can get to know Emlen on December 7 and 14, when she will be helping students prepare the Christmas pageant.

First Day School is very excited about this new opportunity for our high school students. Welcome, Emlen!!

The Chester Children's Chorus invites everyone to attend our annual Holiday Concert, Saturday, December 13, at 8:00 p.m., at First Pentecostal Holy Church, 324 Pusey Street in Chester. This is a wonderful way to start the Christmas season. The carols and other holiday music, the enthusiasm and musicality of the 100 young singers, and the shared community of the 1,000 people who come to hear them from throughout Delaware County, combine to create an atmosphere of joy and community that eloquently expresses the hopes of the Christmas season. Admission is free and children are welcome. There is limited parking in a guarded lot across the street, and extra police patrols in the neighborhood during the concert. For directions or other information, call the Meeting office (telephone: (610) 328-8699))to get the number of the chorus office.

Please make every effort to enter Meeting for Worship on time, but if you should have to enter after Meeting has begun, try to do so as unobtrusively as possible. Choose a seat close to the door through which you entered. If someone is speaking when you open the door to the Meetinghouse, please wait by the door until the speaker has finished. The deeper Friends have entered into their worship, the more important it is to enter as quietly as possible. Thank you for your kind consideration.

Care and Aging Coordinator, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting The Care and Aging Coordinator is a licensed Social Worker who supports the Yearly Meeting in caring for Friends who are aging or struggling with mental health issues. The coordinator's work centers around providing practical guidance and pastoral care for Friends with needs stemming from aging and/or from mental health issues. We seek an active Friend with a Masters degree in Social Work and at least five years of experience in social work. Must have superior organizational skills, including record keeping, as well as communication skills. Must be able to work independently, collaboratively, and be able to travel for visitations. A criminal background check will be performed. Experience working with an aging population is helpful. Please visit the PYM website www.pym.org to view the full job description and the application process, or contact Ginny Connolly, Human Resources Coordinator, [email protected]

Planning for "Heeding God's Call" -- the peace gathering in Philadelphia that has become a joint effort of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the Church of the Brethren, and the Mennonite Church USA -- has been proceeding in exciting directions.

On Saturday, January 17, 2009, the gathering will expand to include people of faith from around the Delaware Valley. Our expectation is that approximately 2,000 people will participate. Morning programs will take place at multiple faith communities. After a simple lunch, all will gather at the church called Holy Ghost Headquarters ("the Met") at 858 North Broad Street for a concluding plenary session, cumulating with a public witness.

In preparation for this program of shared worship and public witness, 30 faith communities in the Delaware Valley area are engaged in praying, learning, teaching, and planning together. Specifically, they will be working to educate and equip members of local faith communities to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia and surrounding areas through direct action to encourage responsible gun laws and sales.

The focus of the public witness will be the "call" of the local faith communities for gun shop owners to partner with the community to make illegal the bulk purchases of handguns far less likely. Gun shop owners will be called to agree to a 10-point "Code of Conduct" fashioned after the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership that was recently negotiated between the Coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and a major nationwide retailer of firearms (Wal-Mart).

Are you a Friend who works in a public school? You are hereby cordially invited to a PYM gathering called "Teaching Across Difference." This free seminar for Quaker public school educators will be Saturday, February 28, 2009, at Arch Street Meetinghouse, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PA Act 48 credits are available. Other seminars for Quaker public educators can be scheduled with your interests in mind. Please contact PYM's Education staff if you (or someone you know) should be on our invitation list. Our intention is to build community, support one another, and learn together. For more information visit www.pym.org

Key people in the Friends-School/Friends-Meeting relationship (Meeting Clerks, Heads of schools, Clerks of School Committees, etc.) are asked to save Saturday, March 7, 2009, for "One Spirit-Led Community," a seminar sponsored by the Committee on Friends Education of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. For more information, please visit www.pym.org

Friends with editorial skills, and those with a knowledge of Quaker history, are invited to join the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting publishing program.

Publications Service Group develops materials to meet Meetings' needs and keep various Quaker classics in print. At present, we oversee the final production and marketing of Faith and Practice, curricula and other works sponsored by PYM committees, pamphlets, and the Arch Street Lecture Series. We also contribute to the development of PYM's website. We work with other Quaker publishers to produce publications such as the Journal of George Fox, and Whispers of Faith. We are exploring new technologies like print-on-demand that allow reprinting short runs. We are working on general information for visitors at Arch Street Meetinghouse, Friends Center, and other Quaker sites. Interested Friends should email contact the Publications Service Groups, www.pym.org Publications Service Group meets once a month in the evening at a location best suited to the group.

Quaker Faith and Fellowship is a new website presence at http://www.quakerfaithandfellowship.org This Friendly cyberspace community offers online Meeting for Worship with a "Coffee and Tea Room" for after-Meeting discussions, and a Forum for informal discussions. Organizers are praying that others from around the world will come to their site and take on responsibilities for the scheduling of online Meeting for Worship in the hope that all those who are isolated for one reason or another will have the opportunity through the Internet to unite with others for spiritual nourishment.

Quaker Youth Book Project editorial board members have designed workshops on writing and art that encourage reflection, creative work, and written and visual ministry by Young Friends, ages 15-35. The workshops draw upon the writings of historic Friends, Bible verses, other writers, artists, and creative writing techniques. They will help Young Friends in your Meeting, church, youth group, or school, to reflect on their lives, faith, and witness to the world as Friends.

The submission of work developed in a workshop to the Quaker Youth Book Project is not requires--but is certainly encouraged!

Editorial board members and Friends from Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) may be available to lead these workshops in person. If no one is available, we will work with and support Young Friends, youth workers, and teachers so that they can facilitate the workshops themselves. More information is found at http://www.fgcquaker.org/qy/quipbook.

Pendle Hill's Winter Lecture Series: Practical Choices that Support Faithful Living

Friends are invited to attend Pendle Hill's winter Tuesday Evening Lecture Series, "Finding the Way: Practical Choices that Support Faithful Living." The free lectures are scheduled for January 13 through March 3, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., in the Barn at Pendle Hill, 338 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA. Presenters include Erin McDougall (January 13), Jorge Arauz (January 20), Elizabeth Gordon (January 27), Mary Wade (February 3), Jens Braun (February 10), Cathy Draine (February 17), Elaine Emily (February 24), and Barbarajene Williams (March 3). Their presentations concern fundamental issues many Friends face:

Hear about challenges the speakers have faced, choices they have made, and lessons they have learned, as they have sought to walk faithfully along the path of a living ministry.

Mike Malone, Clerk of the Meeting; Leslie Keighton, Recording Clerk; Stephen Weimar, Treasurer; Mary Titus, Meeting Secretary