Swarthmore Friends Meeting Swarthmore,
Pennsylvania
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Newsletter, Summer, 2009
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Partial Draft Minutes of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting for Business Sunday, June 14, 2009 After a few moments of silent worship, the Meeting opened with our new Clerk, Chris DeGrado, presiding. The queries on Meeting for Worship were read, considered and spoken to: the intimacy of our smaller summer Meetings in Whittier Room was mentioned as a positive factor. It was suggested that future worship sharing sessions would be beneficial. Minutes of the previous Meeting were perused and approved with slight clarification. Chris spoke of her appreciation for the well-wishes and support she's been given as she undertakes the Clerkship. It was proposed and agreed that the July 19 potluck be a barbecue. There was discussion regarding the Meeting's proposed letter welcoming the new College President. Several suggestions were made and will be forwarded to the group working on this: an emphasis on the Meeting's appreciation for the College's help in maintaining the property and an invitation to the new President to share with us her own thoughts on religion were noted. LaDorna Pfaff reported for Care and Counsel Committee: 1) The Committee expresses its sincere thanks to Steve Weimar and Scott Newman who are leaving Care and Counsel. 2) The new telephone directory will go to the printer this month. 3) Moira Donovan has applied for Meeting membership along with her sons, Sam and Alex Veith. Sally Shane, Steve Weimar, and LaDorna Pfaff met with her as a Clearness Committee. Care and Counsel strongly recommends their membership. As customary, this will be held over one month. 4) Sally Shane contacted Katie McKinstry, now living in Vermont, confirming her membership and our happiness in having her as part of the Meeting. 5) Our longtime member, Charles Cryer, died June 2, 2009, at White Horse Village. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, August 17, 3:00 p.m. at White Horse. The Committee would like to hear from anyone who wants to help in writing a Memorial Minute for him. Two Memorial Minutes were presented and read aloud to the Meeting: one for our member Richard Raymond, Jr., and the other for our member Holley Webster. Jennifer Cheung reported for Nominating Committee: Will Starr is leaving Jumble Sale Committee and Elizabeth McAndrew and Mac Hoffman are joining. Gary King is on Jumble Sale Committee for one more year. Pat Thomas is leaving Worship and Ministry Committee and joining Care and Counsel Committee. Lynne Piersol and Alexandra Kendrick are joining Worship and Ministry Committee and Margaret Fraser will be serving a one-year term there. Nancy Saunders and Steve Weimar will be on Personnel Committee. All assignments approved. Johanna Sibbett, Lynne Piersol and Jon Van Til will be the Naming Committee to find a new Assistant Clerk. Dawn Zimmerman is resigning her position as head of Jumble Sale house wares department. A new head needs to be found. It was noted that considerable work is involved. The Committee is contemplating laying down Library Committee since it is difficult to find people to serve on it. Mac Hoffman has been the sole person on the Committee these past few years. Discussion ensued: One worry expressed was that if the Committee were laid down, this could put an added burden on our Meeting Secretary. It was noted that in today's busy world people seem to have less time to use the library and some, because of its location, may not know it is there. It was suggested that a brief write-up of a book each month be placed in the Meeting Newsletter and that some of the books be displayed at Coffee Hour to help generate interest. Visitors and new Meeting members should be made aware of the library There was general agreement that the Committee should continue. Mary and Paul Mangelsdorf offered to serve on it. Approved.. Lisa Dainton reported for the Nursery School Board of Directors: The Board is in the process of selecting a new President. The School is currently operating with one Director in that Carol Williamson has retired. Joanne Swanson is the sole Director, though she does have an assistant. Over the summer the Board will decide on whether to find another Co-Director or keep things as they are now. With the help of Attorney Sue Garrison, it is hoped that the problems with the State will soon be completely resolved. Progress is being made and it appears now that the School will recover those payments in fines and taxes it has been required to make and win its claim as a non-profit entity. The Meeting minuted its appreciation to Lisa for her work both before and after the establishment of the School's Board.Concern was expressed regarding the Meeting's on-going participation in the affairs of the Nursery School, especially its spiritual growth, now that the School is more independent in nature. It was noted that at least one-half of the Board members will be Quakers. After further discussion, it was decided that Lisa should convey to the Board the Meeting's desire to establish a Quaker Life Committee in support of the Board. The importance of regular communication between the Board and the Meeting was stressed. Mary Titus reported that there are some problems with finishing the Directory but it should be out shortly. Lynne Piersol appealed for support for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Annual Fund Drive which is running behind its goal with only two weeks left. After a few moments of closing worship, the Meeting was adjourned. Submitted by Leslie Keighton, Recording Clerk
General Swarthmore Meeting Announcements Summer Camps at Whittier House Launfal Summer Camp and Swarthmore Recreation Association (SRA) will once again be using our facilities this summer. Launfal will be assembling their campers in Whittier Room in the morning, and then again in the afternoon, Monday through Friday, from June 22-August 14. SRA will be using the nursery school classrooms and Rushmore Room Monday through Friday mornings, June 29 through July 31. A new renter, "Path to Peace," will be using Rushmore Room on Tuesday and Friday mornings during August. These camps are an important source of rental income to the Meeting. Friends are reminded that traffic around the Meetinghouse will be congested at certain times of the day. The Meeting Directory is Ready The Meeting Directory is ready for you to pick up. You can stop by the Meetinghouse and pick up you copy on any Sunday or during the week when Mary is here. Volunteers Needed in Meeting Office We are looking for one or more people to work in the office for a few hours a day while Mary is away. The dates are July 7 - July 14. You would answer the phone, handle the email, and sort the mail. It's easy and fun. Mary will show you what to do. If you are interested, please call the Office at 610-328-8699. July Potluck is a Barbeque! On Sunday, July 19, the Meeting will have a barbeque instead of its traditional potluck brunch. We will need four portable grills, which we will set up outside. If you can bring your grill, please let Chris DeGrado know. More details on the barbeque later. Thank you, Friends "Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with one another, and forgiving one another; and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand." Isaac Penington, 1667 To all the friends who have extended condolences, sympathy and support following the death of our daughter, Lucia, we express our heartfelt appreciation. Your words and actions have provided help, comfort and Light at this difficult time in our life. Virginia and Paul Scholarship Funds Available Swarthmore Meeting has some funds in the Price /Moore fund that are available to members and attenders who would like to attend the summer residential sessions and who need financial assistance. If you wish to apply for scholarship aid, please send a pre-event written request to the Meeting Office, forwarded to the Care and Counsel Committee. The Price/Moore Fund is also available for tuition to Pendle Hill workshops and retreats. Friends General Conference - June 27 to July 4, at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA http://www.fgcquaker.org/gathering Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions - July 29 - August 2, at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA http://www.pym.org/pm/ann.php Submitted by LaDorna Pfaff, Care and Counsel Committee Chester Children's Chorus Choral Concerts, Dance Gala - July 24, 25, and 28 They're free, they're fun, and they're a way for all of us to help Chester children celebrate their accomplishments. The Chester Children's Chorus (CCC) summer choral concerts will be Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, at 8:00 p.m. in Lang Music Building. The Dance, Drum and Puppet Show Gala will be Tuesday, July 28, at 1:30 p.m., also in Lang Music Building. Please come to enjoy the shows -- and bring your friends, your children, and your children's friends. Submitted by Andrea Knox Welcoming Tea for College Students PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE: On Sunday, September 5, (not August 30 as previously posted) Swarthmore Meeting will host a welcoming tea in Whittier Room at the rise of Meeting. We are extending the invitation to new freshmen, as usual, and also to all retuning students and faculty. Come celebrate the new school year and meet Swarthmore College students and faculty. Submitted by LaDorna Pfaff, Care and Counsel Committee Jumble Sale is Coming! What is one of the biggest community-building events of the year for Swarthmore Meeting? Our Jumble Sale! Jumble not only raises an important chunk of our annual budget, but Jumble also builds relationships within the Meeting and with our greater community. Jumble serves the best lunch (ever!). The Mushroom soup is reason enough to spend the day. But more than lunch and a fundraiser, this year Jumble Sale can play an important role in helping families solve difficult problems. I know that this year I am looking to Jumble to provide some household items that I would not have thought twice about buying at a store in years past. This year, like many families, we just don't have the money to buy a lot. At Jumble families can find linens for their tables, saucers for their plants, bowls for their kitchens, alarm clocks for their middle-schoolers, tables for their dining rooms, and who knows what else. Folks can buy these things at a fraction of what new ones would cost and we keep a massive amount of stuff out of the waste streams. Jumble Sale needs three things from our Meeting Community:
Submitted by Barbara BurgerLentz, Jumble Sale Committee First Day School As the First Day School (FDS) takes its summer hiatus, I would like to reflect on the special moments of the last year and the kids I will miss as they move on to a new classroom. I started teaching the FDS 3rd-5th grades two years ago in partnership with Joanne Shallcross and Bill DeGrado. We began harnessing the creativity and energy of the kids with "existential arts and crafts." While the kids created glue and stick structures or hanging pipe cleaner signs, we talked about belief, religious holidays, and Mary Fisher. This year we had a great time at our 2nd annual graveyard trip and sleepover. This year we explored the Fair Hill Burial Ground in North Philly where Lucretia Mott is laid to rest. We enjoyed learning the history of the Burial Ground, some of us learned how to make stone rubbings, and we learned about the struggles of the surrounding community. Returning to the Meetinghouse, we shared pizza, communed in the Meeting Room, and watched a movie before settling in for another successful sleepover. Other highlights included making decorations during craft day. This year we toned-down the duct tape but found a new obsession with paperclip garland. Craft day was followed quickly by our holiday Pageant where "Barack Obama "helped the Grinch grow his (her) heart and find the gifts for the baby Jesus. In the spring we exercised our social conscience with a Hoop-A-Thon basketball event to raise money to support the healthcare and educational needs of children in a third world country. (It was also a good excuse to get outside, play some ball, and eat some pizza.) And, we finished up the year with a great family canoe outing (yea Lise!) Although many of our kids are moving on to the middle school class, I am looking forward to doing great things with Max, Lizzie, David, and anyone who can join us. (We still hope the middle school can join us for our 3rd annual All Hallows Graveyard Sleepover; thinking about Center city's historic cemeteries.) And, as ever, we will be making great snacks with Bill for fellowship and we will continue exploring our Quaker faith and the faiths of others. If you want to add to your kids to our fun, we welcome all. Please give a call to the Meeting Office for details or contact Barbara BurgerLentz Submitted by Barbara BurgerLentz
Memorial Minute for Holley Webster Longtime Swarthmore Meeting member, Holley Webster died May 22, 2007. She was born November 16, 1916, and proudly spoke of her New England roots going back to the Mayflower. She was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University, New York, with a double major – in History and Literature, and a double minor – in Philosophy and Political Science. In 1940 she married Morris Webster. They had three daughters: Caroline, Nancy, and Elizabeth. The family joined Swarthmore Friends Meeting in December, 1953. Holley’s Quaker Face At Meeting she was friendly and generous, always greeting newcomers, and sensitive to people who were experiencing hardship. She was deeply committed to Quaker values of equality, simplicity, and integrity. She was a gifted speaker, and often gave messages at Meeting, such as her summaries from reading Pendle Hill pamphlets, and messages about her inspirations from other Quakers, especially those in the Meeting. She was the guiding light for the Discretionary Fund, and a high-energy Clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. She worked for Pendle Hill as a proof-reader for their pamphlet series until shortly before her death. She and her daughter, Nancy, were powerful engines in our Meeting. Holley’s Civic Face She was a longtime member of the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom. She always spoke about the good side of today’s young people and was interested in cultivating them. She was a Girl Scout leader and the high school faculty sponsor of “Peace Groups against the Vietnam War.” She enabled high school students to mobilize against the war by organizing candlelight vigils and by training some as marshals for the November 15, 1969, massive Moratorium March in Washington D.C. Her life’s pleasure was to go to plays, write reviews, and chat with actors and directors. One of her first reviews was the 1950s in the Chester Times for a Black theatre company. She produced the Stage newsletter for over 30 years, organized 22 community workshops for theatre people, and joyfully volunteered at the Player’s Club for over 50 years. Both in people and in plays she valued character. She said people who have character have goals; she was interested in how they worked to achieve their goals, and how they dealt with their achievement or lack of achievement. We will remember Holley as a most-valued member of our Meeting community, who had, and achieved, many civic and Quaker goals.Presented at Meeting for Business, June 14, 2009. Prepared by LaDorna Pfaff with input from many other local Quakers.
Memorial Minute for Richard Lee Raymond, Sr. Richard Lee Raymond, Sr.,
a long time member of Swarthmore Friends Meeting, died the day before
Thanksgiving, November 26, 2008. He was born in Prospect Park in 1928 and his
family moved to Swarthmore when he was in elementary school. He became a
member of Swarthmore Meeting and graduated from Swarthmore College, where he met
the love of his life, Phyllis Ann Hall. They were married at the Swarthmore
Friends Meeting on August 16, 1952. Presented at Meeting for Business, June 14, 2009. Prepared by Mary Lou Parker and Phyllis Raymond.
Newsletter Calendar for Summer, 2009
SWARTHMORE MONTHLY MEETING Christine DeGrado, Clerk of Meeting; Leslie Keighton, Recording Clerk; Stephen Weimar, Treasurer; Mary Titus, Meeting Secretary Office hours: Tuesday though Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Telephone: (610) 328-8699; email: [email protected], website: http://swarthmore.quaker.org
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