Swarthmore Friends Meeting  of the Religious Society of Friends

Calendar Highlights:                                              

• Sunday, September 30, Forum: Strengthening Our (Nonviolent) Muscles, 11:45 a.m. 
• Sunday, October 7, Faith and Play begins!
• Sunday, October 21 , Drop off for Jumble Sale, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. If you have furniture items that need to be picked up, call the Office (610) 328-8699. 
• Saturday, October 27, Jumble Sale 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Queries on Meeting for Business  

Addressed to the Meeting: 

• Is our Meeting for Business held in the spirit of a Meeting for Worship in which we seek divine guidance?

• Are we careful to keep in the spirit of worship each of the concerns that emerge, whether of nurture, of Spirit, of social concerns, of property or of finance?

• Are Meeting decisions directed by prayerful consideration of all aspects of an issue and are difficult problems considered carefully with patient search for truth, unhurried by the pressures of time?

• How do we respond if we notice the meeting has lost an understanding of the presence of God?

• Do we recognize that we speak through our inaction as well as our action? 

Addressed to the individual:  

• Do I regularly attend Meeting for Business and in a spirit of love and unity? If unable to attend, how do I attend to my responsibility?

• Do I consider prayerfully the many concerns that are lifted up on any issue, acknowledging that the search for truth in unity involves what God requires, being open to personal transformation as the community arrives at the sense of the Meeting? 

From Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 2002, page 206 and 207

Draft Minutes of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting for Business  

held Sunday, September, 9, 2012, (edited for the Web)  

Please review before the October Meeting for Business.

The Meeting opened with a few moments of silent worship. Christine DeGrado, Clerk, presided. Several “moments of Light” were mentioned—the successful welcoming tea for incoming Swarthmore freshmen and the large number of students who come to Meeting for Worship; the wedding of the daughter of one of our members; the vocal ministry of a young high school Friend; the large attendance at summer Meetings for Worship and the success of newly-established multi-generational worship sessions. 

The Queries on Stewardship were read, reflected upon and discussed: While some Meetings have a general endowment, we, as well as PYM, have certain bequests targeted toward a specific purpose. Discussion followed about the difficulties which may arise—PYM has struggled with this—when the specific purpose becomes outdated or irrelevant. There was general agreement that future bequests be made more flexible so that when this situation arises, specific funds may be utilized generally without ignoring the wishes of the deceased. Several Friends expressed gratitude for the Friends Fiduciary Fund and its long-standing attention to ethical investment. Bequests received by our Meeting are deposited in our fund for long-term repairs of our property. 

Minutes of the previous (June) Meeting were perused and accepted. 

Steve Weimar reported for Budget and Finance Committee: The switch-over to the new fiscal year occurred July 1 and so far contributions have kept pace, or been slightly better, compared to past years at this time. Our contributions at this time still lag behind the expectations of our budget, however. 

Susan Edwards reported for Worship and Ministry Committee: There will be three religious education programs this fall dealing with conflict resolution. The Committee will also emphasize worship sharing and Friends’ spiritual journeys as a way to enrich the spiritual life of the Meeting. Our previous practice of noting in our minutes how many people attending each Meeting for Business was revisited. Friends were in agreement that the practice be revived by circulating a sign-on sheet. (See addendum for a list of those present at this Meeting for Business.) It was pointed out that our decisions reached in Meeting for Business speak for the Meeting as a whole and thus all members of our Meeting community are encouraged to attend. 

Virginia Schiffer reported for First-Day School Committee: The Committee met on August 30 and will meet again September 27. Although class structure has not been finalized, there will be a kindergarten-second grade group (prereaders with Johanna, an elementary group, and probably a high school group. There was discussion of certain major  First-Day School events involving the First Day School . The Meeting approved:

• Sunday, December 2 for an inter-generational Faith and Play and craft day for adults

• Sunday, December 23 for the FDS Christmas Pageant, and

• Sunday, May 5 The FDS Bird Walk 

• Sunday, May 19 Bibles will be presented

Barbara BurgerLentz reported for Jumble Sale Committee: The Dungeon seems to have held up well in the recent rains. October 21 will be a drop-off day and the sale will be the following Saturday, the 27th. That weekend is Garnet weekend at the College and it is hoped that some extra advertising will bring some of this group to the sale, especially for lunch. Barbara is in touch with people at the College about the sale and Mary Titus has gotten the sale listed on the calendar for Garnet Weekend. This is another example of strengthened ties between Meeting and the College. It was suggested, and general agreement reached, that the Meeting use the Sale to inform the public of some of its activities such as feeding the homeless. Pictures of these activities could be placed in Rushmore Room. 

Marylin Simmel reported for Library Committee: The Committee has had two work days over the summer. Every book now has three cards. The checkout system was mentioned and a sign will be placed showing the simple steps. This system will be explained in a future newsletter. Members and Attenders are encouraged to make use of this valuable collection of books and periodicals, and to consider writing a small review for the newsletter as a Friend did recently. 

Paul Joyce Collins Williams reported for Interim Meeting: He read the opening paragraph from the 2012 Epistle. This worthy document can be found on the PYM website, www.pym.org/ -- a website, he noted, which is very easy to use and has much important information. Paul said he continued to find Interim Meeting energizing and uplifting. He prefaced his remarks with a quote from Isaac Pennington. He recommended the Wednesday afternoon Meeting for Worship. The PYM Young Friends Program is another PYM outstanding feature. Paul suggested a line item amount in the Meeting's budget to help members attend Yearly Meeting sessions. This will be discussed further. PYM has faced severe financial strain over the past few years. Eighteen staff have had to be let go. The Financial Stewardship Committee has drawn up a budget based on this year's income. This should assure PYM of a balanced Budget for each of the next five years. Paul noted that Arthur Larabee's job description calls for him to bring forth his best ideas for contemplation and he has done so. Yearly Meeting oversees three properties: Arch Street Meetinghouse, Friends   Center , and Burlington Conference Center (its future now under discussion in a year-long study). It is hopeful that a trust (separate from PYM budget) can be established for Arch Street Meetinghouse. It is the face of Quaker belief to some 10,000 people who visit there each year. PYM's book recommendation for the year is Letters to a Fellow Speaker by Steve Chaffe. 

Susan Larson spoke again about the Pancoast painting. She had brought it back to Meeting for Business after keeping it on behalf of the Meeting over the summer. Several present expressed the view that they found the painting uplifting. Another Friend felt that, although a gift to the Meeting, the Meeting should not be a custodian of works of art. Insurance was one concern and it was determined that the seemingly modest value of the painting (a few hundred dollars, perhaps) would be covered by the Meeting's general insurance of the contents of Whittier House. Another effort will be made to determine its true monetary value. It was decided that the Meeting should keep the painting for now and possibly hang it in Whittier Room. 

Phyllis Raymond spoke on the effort to secure a bench for outside Whittier house main entrance. Getting a bench from the College (Scott Arboretum) could cost as much as $2,000. She suggested purchasing one from Tidewater Workshop at a cost of about one hundred dollars. She and her husband Richard bought one eighteen years ago and it has held up well. The benches are made from cedar and weather well. They do require assembly. Richard Schiffer offered to help in that area. Several present offered to contribute to a fund to pay for it. The Meeting decided to go ahead with the purchase. Richard Schiffer volunteered to serve on the Fund Raising Committee, prompted by the interest of his sons, Chuckie and Joey, in the endeavor. The constitution and goals of such a committee will be on our agenda next month. After closing worship, the Meeting adjourned. 

 Please see the printed copy of the newsletter for names of those attending Meeting for Business.

 Submitted by Leslie Keighton, Recorder

General Swarthmore Meeting Announcements

Meeting Calendar Events: 

1 Strengthening Our (Nonviolent) Muscles

When: Sunday, September 30, at 11:45 a.m. in Whittier Room. 

 Community is one of our cherished testimonies, yet our humanity, sooner or later, will surely draw us into conflict with one another. Join members of Worship and Ministry Committee in a three-part forum series this fall, in which we explore first steps in strengthening our capacity to deal with conflict in ways that promote spiritually-informed personal and community growth. The first forum, “Ten Reasons why we avoid conflict (and first steps in a new direction),” will explore why we often don’t address conflict, and how we can begin, as individuals, to raise our own Conflict Intelligence Quotient. Please join us after Fellowship, on Sunday, September 30, at 11:45 a.m. in Whittier Room. 

Submitted by Worship and Ministry Committee 

2. Jumble Sale is Coming!

• Public drop-off is Sunday, October 21, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  

• Jumble Sale, Saturday, October 27, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Now is the time to start getting ready for Jumble on the 27th....Here’s what you need to do: 

• Clear your calendar for Oct. 21 thru Oct. 27th (or whatever time in there you can spare.) 

• Start looking around your house (any your neighbor’s house) for great Jumble donations. Know someone who is downsizing? Jumble is a perfect way to get rid of the stuff you/they no longer need. If you have furniture items that need to be picked up, call the Office (610) 328-8699. 

• Start saving your plastic bags, newspapers, and quart/pint containers for soup. 

• Decide what you will be baking for the Country Store. 

• Tell your friends & family about Jumble and make sure you join us on Oct. 27th (don’t forget your appetite for the great mushroom soup other delectable Jumble lunch delights). 

 Submitted by Barbara BurgerLentz, Clerk of Jumble Sale Committee 

The Garden Spot Needs your Help 

The Garden Spot group welcomes donations to our part of the Jumble Sale. Bulbs, seeds, tools, garden books, decorations and, of course, plants, will all be for sale. We would be happy to include perennials and houseplants; we hope they will be labeled. Please deliver plants to the Meetinghouse a few days before the Jumble Sale. We’ll do our best to find new owners for all these donations at the Jumble Sale on Saturday, October 27th. 

Faith and Play Begins in October 

Faith and Play, inspired by Montessori’s Godly Play®, is a uniquely Quaker program created by Friends General Conference of the Religious Society of Friends. It is designed to nurture the lives of our youth to find words and images for expressing their experiences of mystery and wonder. Friends’ values and themes are the topics of the stories. Schedule for 2012-2013: Mostly the First and Third Sundays! 10:00 a.m. in the FDS room. Faith and Play is sponsored by First Day School . 

• October 7, 2012, Let Your Life Speak, Quaker Testimonies 

• October 21, 2012, Wonderings, Friends Queries 

• November 4, 2012, Let Your Life Speak, Quaker Testimonies 

• November 18, 2012, Wonderings, Friends Queries 

• December 2, 2012, Gifts 

• January 6, 2013, Telling Our Own 3 Minute Stories 

• January 20, 2013, Friends Meeting for Business 

• February 3, 2013, Friends Meeting for Worship and Prayer 

• February 17, 2013, Friends Meeting for Business 

• March 3, 2013, George Fox’s Big Discovery 

• March 17, 2013, The Mary Fisher Story 

• April 7, 2013, George Fox’s Big Discovery 

• April 14, 2013, The Mary Fisher Story 

News about Meeting Members   

A Warm Welcome to Baby Will. Congratulations to Meeting members David Henderson and Heather Hendry on the recent birth of their second son, Will. Little Will has already made his debut at our fellowship hour. Big brother Noah is thrilled with his brother. 

Thank You Corner

Thanks to:

• Our Committee members, who selflessly devote many hours “behind the scenes” of our Meeting 

• The newsletter folding party, (Phyllis Raymond, Barbara Grove, Sally Shane, Ray Ripper, Paul Joyce Collins Williams, Nancy Webster, Margery Lauber, Paul Indorf) who gather every month for a morning of fellowship/work/fun. Thanks to them our newsletter goes out on time

•  Flo Lewis, who calls members every month to remind them of the folding party and Cooking for the Homeless 

• And, to others who serve the Meeting in silent and unacknowledged ways

More Thanks

The Nursery School would like to extend a big thank you to all who came out to help on our workday in September. We accomplished many valuable tasks around the school and proved the adage that many hands make light work. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

Our Evening at Stephen’s on State

Last fall at Jumble Sale, we won a gift certificate for Stephen’s on State, a restaurant in Media, at the silent auction. Recently, the Meeting Secretary and the Mr. trekked to Media to redeem our gift certificate. The evening was beautiful – perfect late summer/early fall weather – and we got to sit in the window. The windows were open and we talked with people we knew, who were walking up State Street . The meal was outstanding, and the gift certificate covered almost all of it (if we hadn’t enjoyed some wine, it would have covered the entire meal). I will certainly take part in the silent auction again this year, hoping to score the Stephen’s on State gift certificate again. If that is taken, I’ll bid on another quality gift. Thanks to the Jumble Sale Committee for a memorable evening! 

Submitted by Mary Titus, Meeting Secretary

Mystery Solved - Almost 

Mary Mangelsdorf has shed light on the mystery man highlighted in last month’s newsletter. He graduated from Swarthmore College in the late 1940’s, joined the Meeting, got married in the Meetinghouse, and taught First Day School. While he was teaching FDS, he got involved in the Heifer Project, and with his help, the FDS children raised enough money to purchase a cow. She thinks that this scene might have been a field trip by the First Day School children to see cows. The man later moved to California, and has since died. Unfortunately, his name escapes Mary. Please see printed copy of Newsletter to view the postcard.  If anyone knows who this person is, please let the Meeting Office know. [email protected]  

Meeting Directory Updates

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] 

Wider News from Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting  (PYM) News

 To view PYM News in its entirety, go to www.pym.org. for a complete list of activities.

1. Interim Meeting has a new schedule for 2012-2013. Interim Meeting will convene in September, November, January, March, and May. Meetings will still be held on the second Saturday, gathering at 9:00 a.m., Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends approximately 1:30 p.m. Meetings will be held, as always, at the Arch Street Meeting House, 4th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Parking is available at the Meetinghouse. 

2. Gatherings for Discussion and Discernment: Growth Dilemma Project, October 2, 2012, at Friends Center ,  Philadelphia , PA. The Growth Dilemma Project aims to help Friends understand ecological and social dilemmas of our growth-based economy. Our monthly gatherings are opportunities to share views about reforming our economic system so it serves justice and the commonwealth of life. For more information consult the PYM webpage: http://www.pym.org/committee/growth-dilemma-project-gdp-pym 

3. John Woolman Lecture: “The Other Woolmans”, Saturday, October 6, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at Mount Holly Friends Meeting, 81 High Street , Mount Holly NJ. Historian Geoffrey Plank, author of John Woolman’s Path to the Peaceable Kingdom has a fresh understanding of Woolman’s conception of social harmony. His talk will draw on Woolman’s journal and other sources to concentrate on family relationships: his parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, wife, son and daughter in order to place Woolman in a more complex social context. What clues do his relationships provide about the origins of (and tensions within) his vision of harmony, and his attachment to  America ? Discussion and refreshments will follow. Sponsored by the John Woolman Memorial Association. For more information contact Jack and Carol Walz, JWMA Directors, website: http://woolmancentral.com/index.html

4. Hostile Terrain: Migrants’ Rights Forum, Saturday, October 6, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. at Friends Center , 1501 Cherry Street , Philadelphia , PA. The forum is free and open to the public. It is intended to foster a better public understanding of immigrants’ rights and the egregious abuses and treacherous conditions faced by migrants at the border and in the interior of the United States . The event will open at 12:30 p.m. with snacks, world music and a tabling session where local organizations will distribute information on migrants’ rights and offer guests the opportunity to connect with other activists. At 1:30 p.m. a panel will address various aspects of immigrants’ human rights. For more information contact Julie Southwell, Amnesty International, email [email protected] and the website: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/refugee-and-migrant-rights/immigrants-rights-are-human-rights

5. Young Adult Friends Fall Retreat – Arts and Spiritual Renewal, October 12-14 at Abington Friends Meeting. Join YAFs (age 18-35ish) from across the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting region and beyond for our annual fall retreat, organized by the PYM YAF Working Group, http://www.pym.org/event/yaf-fall-retreat-2012. Expect worship sharing, workshops, games, and fellowship as our time is centered around experiential art and finding renewal in this often-busy season. We'll take time to breathe, ground ourselves, move our bodies, and create a collaborative mural or two! YAFs are at different places on our journeys, and we come together for rejuvenation, relaxation, and to deepen our connection to one another and the Spirit. Good food and fun are also assured! We're currently looking for YAF workshop leaders for the retreat -here's our workshop proposal form if we've piqued your interest! http://www.pym.org/event/yaf-fall-retreat-2012  (Can you lead yoga? Soul collage? Body painting? Taize chant?) The cost of the weekend is $35, but financial aid and work grants are available. Registration and more information can be found online at www.pym.org/yaf. For more information, contact Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt, YAF Communications Coordinator at [email protected]  Please register by October 6! 

6. Young Friends Halloween Gathering, Friday-Sunday, October 26-28, 2012, at Woodstown Meeting, Woodstown ,  NJ . There will be a Meeting-wide Halloween party on Friday night. The Young Friends theme will be "Masks and Unmasking". There will be mask making, worship sharing and a costume Halloween dance. For young people in 9th grade through beginning college (or age 14 by September 1). For more information see the PYM website at http://www.pym.org/programs/young-friends-high-school  or contact Cookie Caldwell, Young Friends Program Coordinator [email protected]  

7. First Day School Thread Gathering, October 27, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at a Monthly Meeting, to be announced,  First Day School teachers, parents and Friends who have a concern for the spiritual lives of our children are invited and encouraged to attend this gathering of Friends. Thread Gatherings offer wisdom and experience sharing, workshops and community on topics of concern to individuals and Meetings. For details and registration, please see http://www.pym.org/threads/gatherings  or contact Christie Duncan-Tessmer at [email protected]  

Upcoming Programs at Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill, a Quaker study, retreat, and conference center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, offers programs throughout the year on Quaker faith and practice.  For more information visit www.pendlehill.org  or call ext. 3 at (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150.

Listed below are a few of Pendle Hill’s upcoming events. Please view the entire program at www.pendlehill.org

• October 5-7, Awakening Your Senses, Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God, a weekend with J. Brent Bill and Beth Booram

• October 11-14, Deep Transition, Catalyzing the Emergence of Community Resilience and Self-Reliance.  A three-day workshop with Lynette Marie Hanthorn and Michael Brownlee.

• Selected Upcoming events:

• November 1-4, Playing in the Light, Godly Play®/Faith and Play training for Quakers.  A three-day with Michael Gibson and Melinda Wenner Bradley.

• November 11-15, Holding in the Light, Framing the Sacred, a digital photography short course with Swarthmore Meeting’s member, Sharon Gunther

October, Calendar, 2012

Swarthmore Monthly Meeting

• Christine DeGrado, Clerk of the Meeting;

• Leslie Keighton, Recording Clerk;

• Stephen Weimar, Treasurer;

• Susan Edwards, Clerk of Worship & Ministry Committee;

• Mary Lou Parker, Clerk of Care and Counsel Committee;

• Mary Titus, Meeting Secretary 

• Meeting telephone and voice mail: 610-328-8699 

• Meeting e-mail address: [email protected] 

• Web: http://swarthmore.quaker.org 

• Office hours: Tuesday through Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.