Swarthmore Friends Meeting  of the Religious Society of Friends

Queries on Integrity and Simplicity 

Addressed to the Meeting:

• What does our Meeting understand to be the meaning and implication of our testimonies on simplicity and integrity?

• How do our Meeting’s actions demonstrate this understanding? 

• As a Meeting, what are we doing to encourage members to embody integrity and simplicity in their everyday lives? 

  Addressed to the Individual:

• How do I strive to maintain the integrity of my inner and outer lives - in my spiritual journey, my work, and my family responsibilities?

• How do I manage my commitments so that over commitment, worry, and stress do not diminish my integrity?

• Am I temperate in all things?

• Am I open to counsel and advice on overindulgence and addictive behavior, such as gambling?

• Do I take seriously the hazards associated with addictive and mind-altering substances?

• Am I careful to speak truth as I know it and am I open to truth spoken to me?

• Am I mindful that judicial oaths imply a double standard of truth?

• Do I refrain from membership in organizations whose purposes and methods compromise our testimonies? 

from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice, 2002, page 214

Partial Draft Minutes of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting for Business held Sunday, June 12, 2011 

The Meeting opened with a few moments of silent worship. Christine DeGrado, Clerk, presided. Twenty-six people were present. Moments of light were noted: The Meeting's special relationship with the College and the Nursery School should be greatly valued. Generosity in thought and in support should always be our goal, especially during those times when tension exists. Last Sunday's talk by Daniel Hoffman on his spiritual journey was highly praised. An e-mail from Sharon Gunther was read. She expressed her deep gratitude to a great many individuals in the Meeting for helping her in numerous ways while she undergoes a difficult time with chemotherapy. The Queries on Stewardship of Resources were read, contemplated and spoken to: Whittier House rentals at reasonable prices were mentioned as a way in which Meeting resources serve the community. The Discretionary Fund each year tries to include local charities among those for which it encourages financial support. 

Minutes of the previous Meeting were reviewed and approved with a two corrections as to spelling: “George Lakey” for “ George Lacey”; “Marilyn Simmel” for “ Marylin Simmel”. Library Committee workday will be June 13, not the 18th. 

LaDorna Pfaff reported for Care and Counsel Committee: The Committee proposes that the Meeting minute its appreciation to John McKinstry for preparing a Large Print version of Faith and Practice. Approved. Susan Larson and Mary Titus had put a short section of the Testimonies into large print but John printed the entire book. The Committee feels more should be done in this area in that there are those with poor eyesight who do not have ready access to a computer, where print size can be enlarged. The Committee says a sad farewell to Susan Larson, Lois Sellers and David Grove who are stepping down. It welcomes two new members: John McKinstry and Catherine King. 

Virginia Williams Joyce gave a Nominating Committee update: Barbara Grove is resigning from First Day School Committee and will be joining Care and Counsel Committee; David Grove will be joining Budget & Finance Committee. 

Sue Edwards reported for Worship and Ministry Committee, first with a clarification: Proposals for Forums can be submitted by anyone; suggestions for Religious Education programs should be directed to the Committee for discussion. Seekers Sessions will start again in the fall. Suggestions are welcomed for appropriate printed matter to be used in outreach. One Friend expressed concern that new members and attenders be better informed about child-care arrangements. 

Shelley Costa reported for Peace and Social Concerns Committee: 1) Bere Saxon will take over as the new Clerk in the fall. The Meeting minuted its appreciation to Shelley for a job well done and to Bere for taking on her new job 2) Church World Service has donated $1,075 from the CROP Walk to the Meeting's Cooking for the Homeless. A thank you note will be drafted 3) The Committee receives a number of requests from various charities for financial aid. The Committee proposes, beginning in the fall, a new practice called Leadings Brought to Light. Mail to P&SC will be opened in Rushmore Room during fellowship hour on the last Sunday of each month. During this time, members and attenders are invited to come forward with input in the work that P&SC undertakes. Approved. 4) Joan Broadfield will present a forum on Sunday, September 18 on FCNL and lobbying/organizing techniques. P&SC is aware that an on-going concern among members and attenders is the environmental destruction caused by mountain-top coal removal and Marcellus Shale drilling. Please communicate to P&SC other relevant concerns so that Joan can tailor the workshop to the Meeting’s leadings. 5) Also in September, the 10th anniversary of 9/11 will take place. P&SC has been communicating with a member of Doylestown Meeting on how local Friends Meetings might address nonviolent responses to terrorism. However, a multi-denominational commemoration is being planned by Joyce Tompkins of Swarthmore College ’s Partners in Ministry, to take place in the Meetinghouse. The Meeting agreed to unite with this effort. Shelley will meet with Joyce this week. The book, Nonviolent Responses to Terrorism, is recommended. 6) The Hillside Farm of Elwyn is seeking to expand its base of local customers interested in fresh produce. A new drop-off point is being sought and the suggestion is the big porch at the Meetinghouse. Discussion followed and it was pointed out that the College’s approval would be needed. More information would be needed before the Meeting could agree to this plan. 7) The Discretionary Fund is working to create an incentive to encourage Meeting members to sign up for regular on-line donations to the Meeting. 

Shelly Costa reported on the Swarthmore Friends Nursery School (SFNS) Committee: She has attended the last couple of Board meetings and has been impressed with the commitment of the Board. Barbara Blake has been very pro-active in seeking to strengthen SFNS’s Quaker values. Among Barbara’s suggestions was a handbook about guiding Quaker schools, which recommends that the Board members themselves visit the School at least twice each year. The Meeting, as well, needs to make a better effort to keep abreast of the Board’s concerns and actions. Other Meeting members are encouraged to visit the Board meetings and to visit the school, perhaps as a group. The Board seeks a new member to replace Bernadette Smith. Johanna Sibbett expressed strong interest in joining the Board. Johanna will need transport since the Board meets during the evening. The Board also needs someone to assume the role of Treasurer. Barb BurgerLentz expressed interest in meeting this need. The Board meets approximately once every two months.

Shelley Costa reported for the Working Group for Outreach Initiatives: 1) The group is requesting up to $200 from the Meeting to set up a moveable table or cart in the foyer to begin the welcoming experience for newcomers as soon as they walk in the door. After discussion the amount was approved and will be drawn from the Contingency Fund with stipulation that the Working Group also look into presently available furniture. 2) The College will be asked to provide a sign in the Hicks Hall Parking Lot saying that parking is available there for those attending Meeting for Worship on Sundays 3) The College will be asked if they are agreeable to erecting signs elsewhere on the Campus (at the Train Station, for example) directing visitors to the Meetinghouse 4) New signs at and near Whittier House and the Meeting are also suggested. PYM funds are available for this. All of these proposals were approved. 

Shelley Costa spoke briefly of her family's and the Schiffer family’s recent participation in a PYM's Family Overnight at Burlington , NJ Meeting. She recommended such workshops as an enriching experience and is looking into forming a parenting group at Swarthmore Monthly Meeting. 

So far there has not been a great deal of interest in commemorating the 100th anniversary of Whittier Room at next Sunday's Pot Luck. It was suggested that we put off the celebration until next fall, when it may even coincide with the celebration of a new roof for Whittier House. 

Sue Edwards spoke on the controversy in the Meeting and in the Swarthmore community years ago involving integration in Swarthmore. The Swarthmorean is interested in publishing an article about the topic, and Sue and Jan Alexander are working with the editor. Meeting members may be contacted to be interviewed for the article. 

Committee reports suggested for the September Monthly Meeting are: Interim, Nominating, Jumble Sale, First Day School , Finance and House and Property Committees 

  Submitted by Leslie Keighton, Recorder

General Swarthmore Meeting Announcements

Thank You Corner

Thanks to:

• Stacey Quail, who cleaned every chair in Whittier Room;

• John McKinstry, who copied Faith and Practice into large type for a Meeting Member; 

• Mimi Hall, who spearheaded the purchase of the new refrigerator in the kitchen; 

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

New Meeting Directory Updates

Please see the printed Summer Newsletter for Directory Updates. When Budget & Finance recently called Meeting members, they discovered that the current directory contained some incorrect phone numbers. As we are getting ready to issue a new edition of the Meeting Directory, 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] 

Help Me Help PYM!

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is a community which supports its 102 Meetings and members in many ways including religious education, gatherings for our children, teens and young adults, care and aging resources, social concerns and numerous grants and loans. The Annual Fund helps to pays for programs that do not have their own money from restricted use trusts and other similar funds. Examples of these programs are Middle School and Young (High School) Friends and the Adult Young Friends programs. Thanks to those 39 members from Swarthmore Meeting who have already donated this year. The goal is $600,000 this year, and there is still a need for over $250,000 to be raised. Checks dated June 30 and received by July 15th will be counted for this fiscal year. Checks may be made out to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and mailed to 1515 Cherry Street , Philadelphia , PA 19102 . You can also donate at the PYM website, http://www.pym.org/make-donation 

Submitted by Lynne Piersol, Annual Fund Representative for Swarthmore Meeting

A Request from House and Property Committee

Help, please! To the generous people who contribute to coffee hour and potlucks - please take home your leftover food. With all good intentions, food is left on the counter and in the refrigerator with the hope it will be used next time. But it is not used, and ends up getting thrown out. We do not have a way to let the next group who does coffee hour (or potluck) know what foods and drinks may be available. Please keep the refrigerator empty for use the day of events organized by the Meeting, renters, and Cooking for the Homeless. Thank you. 

Submitted by House and Property Committee 

Volunteers Needed in Meeting Office 

Mary Titus, Meeting Secretary, will be out of town from Wednesday, July 6 through Wednesday, July 13. Even though the Meeting Office will be officially closed during that week, Mary is seeking a volunteer or two to come in and return phone calls, sort the mail, and water the plants. If you have an hour or two to spare, please call the Office to volunteer. 

Thanks to Fellowship Working Group 

Please join me in acknowledging the ministry of the Fellowship Working Group this past school year in providing snacks and beverages for Fellowship Hour. Special thanks go to the Cheung and Costa Baker families for serving the college breakfast each First Day on an alternating basis. Thanks also to Christine DeGrado and her “Grateful Bread” members: LaDorna Pfaff, Nancy Saunders, Sharon Gunther, Pat Thomas, and Catherine King. In addition, second and fourth First Days were courtesy of Ruth Cary and Barbara BurgerLentz. 

With many thanks to all of you, Ray Ripper 

A Request from Cooking for the Homeless Delivery Team  

Friends, we need your help! We are losing a number of members over the summer, and it has been a great deal of work each month to get enough folks to deliver. We gather at the Meetinghouse at 5:45 p.m. on the evening of the third Saturday each month. We need two cars to drive down to the shelter in West Philadelphia and serve the food to whoever comes in that night, and then drive back. We usually arrive back around 8:30 p.m. The whole experience is truly eye opening and gives all of us a really warm feeling as we are able to directly help over 100 people in need. If you are able to help, please let Will Starr know through the Meeting Office [email protected]

Submitted by Will Starr

The Anne Bernstein Richan Peace Action Fund

Ten Years of Supporting Innovative Projects for Peace

In commemoration of ten years of its existence, the Anne Richan Peace Action Fund Working Group wishes to increase awareness of this fund, established in 2001 in memory of Anne Richan, an inspiring member of our Meeting community. Support from this fund is available year-round for peace-related projects. The priority is on new initiatives in peacemaking that have potential for long-term growth. (The Fund is not intended to provide continuing support for presently existing peace work activities, or for general peace education.) Most recently, the Fund has supported exciting initiatives by Swarthmore College students -- including 2009 election monitoring in El Salvador and intensive programs for youth in Colombia and Bosnia . The Fund has also recently supported Friends from our own Meeting and Chester Meeting to do peace work in Nicaragua and in Israel/Palestine. We are open to projects of any kind, but especially pleased to invite projects that will help the Chester community and/or projects against gun violence, a particular concern of Anne Richan. The fund is administered by a working group of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Swarthmore Friends Meeting. While local projects and/or international projects administered locally may be of particular interest, applications are welcomed from anyone, anywhere. To apply for the fund, please email: [email protected]. Please put "Richan Peace Action Fund" in the subject line or send a letter to: Anne Bernstein Richan Peace Action Fund, c/o Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, 12 Whittier Place , Swarthmore , PA 19081 . In the communication, be as specific as possible, including the amount requested. 

Submitted by Shelley Costa, Peace & Social Concerns Committee

Discretionary Fund Report

Notes of Interest on our 2011 Two-For-One Donation Campaign: A primary aim of this year’s campaign was to support leadings and callings within the Meeting in order to strengthen positive momentum and spirit-led energy. We sought a balance of local (Theatre for Transformation, TFT), national (Rainforest Action Network, RAN), and international organizations (Right Sharing of World Resources, RWWR, Foundation for Social Innovation, FSI). The 2011 campaign includes one Quaker organization (RSWR), two non-Quaker organizations that are directly inspired by Quaker leadership and values (TFT, FSI), and a non-Quaker organization that advances the leadings and activism of many in the Meeting (RAN's Campaign Against Mountaintop Removal). This year, the Discretionary Fund is also supporting a long-expressed concern on the part of Budget and Finance to encourage more evenly spread contributions throughout the calendar year. For the first twelve members or attenders who arrange for automated monthly donations to the Meeting between June 12th and July 31st, a supplementary donation of $25 will be made to the organization of the donor's choice from the Discretionary Fund, up to a total of $300. To automate donations to Meeting, click on the prominent link at the top of the Meeting homepage, http://swarthmore.quaker.org  On your Discretionary Fund donation form, please indicate that you have done this, and which organization you wish to receive the extra $25. 

 TWO-FOR-ONE DONATION CAMPAIGN OF 2011 

The Peace and Social Concerns Discretionary Fund Working Group invites you to participate in Swarthmore Friends Meeting’s Two-for-One donation campaign. Members and attenders in the Meeting who donate to any of the organizations below will have their donations matched by the Meeting’s Discretionary Fund, up to a maximum of $300 per organization. Watch for our table after the rise of Meeting in July. There are three ways to donate through this campaign (except for donations to the Foundation for Social Innovation, which can be made only through option #1): 

1. Write one check payable to “Swarthmore Friends Meeting,” and indicate below, on this form, how much you wish to donate to each organization. 

2. Write checks out to the organizations to which you wish to donate, and indicate the amounts on this form. Bring or mail the checks and this form to a working group member or the Meeting Office. 

3. Mail a donation directly to any of these organizations, and complete this form to let the working group know, so we can match your donation. Please be sure to submit to the working group or to the Meeting Office by July 31, 2011. For more information, contact Paul Greene.

 

Donation

Your name: __________________________________ Amount: ______

1. Theatre for Transformation. The Theatre for Transformation creates and produces plays about African American history that inspire diverse audiences to remember, forgive, and create new possibilities. The Theatre is directed and managed by Dr. Amanda Kemp and performs throughout Pennsylvania , including to many Quaker groups. http://theatrefortransformation.org 

2. Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR). RSWR is a program of the Religious Society of Friends that supports grassroots projects for economic development that foster equity. It also offers educational materials for the study of the lives of the poor, the lives of the rich, and the spiritual meaning of both. http://www.rswr.org

3. Foundation for Social Innovation ( Budapest , Hungary ). Hungary has been ravaged over the past century by a virulent set of racist and nationalist social and political forces. The Foundation seeks support for a conference of social scientists and peace activists to be held in September. A primary aim is to organize a  Peace Center in Hungary . Meeting member Jon van Til is a moving force behind this Foundation and its mission.

4. Rainforest Action Network Campaign Against Mountaintop Removal (RAN). The Rainforest Action Network uses hard-hitting market campaigns to align the policies of multinational corporations with the public's demand for environmental protection. The Network's campaign against mountaintop removal has been the driving force behind Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT)'s recent victory in which PNC Bank pledged to divest from mountaintop removal. http://www.ran.org/reportcard

A Quaker Chuckle:

A young Quaker couple moved from Philadelphia to Swarthmore to live. One of their nearby neighbors was a Presbyterian family with a six-year old son. When the boy learned Quakers had moved in, he said, “Are they Hicksites or Anthracites?” 

From "Quaker Chuckles," and Other True Stories about Friends, collected and edited by Helen White Charles, 1945. (Currently in Meeting Office) 

It's "Jumble Summer"

As we pass the Summer Solstice, my thoughts immediately go to Jumble. Jumble has 3 tasks this summer: 

• Gather furniture 

• Gather Silent Auction items 

• Have fun! 

Alex Kendrick has graciously offered her pickup truck and muscle for big pickups this summer. Please everyone keep your eyes out for curbside treasures and neighbors reducing clutter before move or renovation. I will be putting together a “strike force” to make sure we get what is left out there. Last year’s Silent Auction was very successful. The donations we received of theatre tickets, restaurant gift certificates, special events (wow that Moroccan dinner was fabulous) and beautiful handmade goods were very well received. Please if you have a service or specialty or relationship with a theatre or restaurant, let’s formulate a plan to include this in the silent auction. That leaves FUN: TWO FUN THINGS! 1) Kabob Fest – Coming July 14th. Come and enjoy savory and sweet kebobs in the Jumble Committee’s 3rd Annual Jumble kebob fest. All Jumblers welcome (my house, 7:00 p.m.). 2) Jumble Facebook page- Trying something new this year. Jumble has a Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, search for Swarthmore Friends Meeting Jumble Sale. Answer the question, what was the best thing you ever bought at Jumble? 

Submitted by Barbara BurgerLentz, Clerk of Jumble Sale

Chester Children's Chorus Concerts, July 29 and 30

Members of Swarthmore Meeting are warmly invited to attend one of the Chester Children’s Chorus summer concerts, Friday July 29 and Saturday July 30, at 8:00 p.m. in Lang Music Building on the College campus. The program will be the chorus’ signature mix of classical, pop, and John Alston original gospel. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and seats tend to fill up early. Admission is free. And thanks to Swarthmore Meeting for lending the chorus 10 tables to use over the summer for the children’s breakfasts and lunches. 

Submitted by Andrea Knox 

Member Announcements: 

• Wendy Piccard shares a haiku: "Time is essential: / this can be fun 

• Sharon Gunther will be leading a workshop “Holding in the Light: Photography in the Digital Age” at Pendle Hill on July 3-7, 2011. To register for this workshop, go to www.pendlehill.org   

 

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) Twilight Meeting for Worship (July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 25, Oct. 23). Join Newtown Square Friends for Twilight Meeting for Worship outside at various parks and preserves in Chester County . Meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Newtown Square Friends Meeting House, 120 North Newtown Street Road (Route 252), Newtown Square, PA. Meeting for Worship is between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. For more information, contact John Custer by leaving a message through Newtown Square Friends Meetinghouse, 215-968-1655.

2) PYM Annual Sessions – July 27-31, DeSales University , Center Valley , PA. Registration for PYM Annual Sessions is Open! “Powerful Beyond Measure: Trusting the Call to Leadership” (How may we more clearly understand the role of power, authority, and leadership in our dealings with one another, both within the Society of Friends and in the world at large?) Register online www.pym.org/annualsessions  Note: Lynne Piersol’s stepson, Takashi Inskeep, is offering a workshop there this year! And her daughter, Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt is the Children’s Sessions Coordinator. Folks can go for a day or two or the whole thing. Swarthmore Meeting has money from the Moore Price Fund to help cover the cost of your attendance.  Please contact the Meeting Office, [email protected] before the Sessions begin, per the Care and Counsel Committee, LaDorna Pfaff, Co-Clerk, to apply .

3) Chester Quarterly Meeting – Saturday, July 23, at Providence Meeting, Media PA. (Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.) There will be activities for all ages, including a tasty lunch. Queries should be addressed to Parker Snowe, Clerk, Program & Outreach Committee, Providence Meeting, phone: (610) 566-1308; the email address is [email protected]  The street address for the Meetinghouse is 105 N. Providence Rd. (PA 252), Media, PA 19063.

2011 FGC Gathering of Friends

Gathering of Friends, July 3-9, Grinnell College , Iowa . “Meeting at the Center”  For more information to to the website: www.fgcgathering.org   Swarthmore Meeting has money from the Moore Price Fund to help cover the cost of your attendance at the Friends General Conference Gathering of Friends.  Please contact the Meeting Office, [email protected] per the Care and Counsel Committee, LaDorna Pfaff, Co-Clerk, to apply before the Gathering begins.

    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. Matching scholarships and bring-a-friend discounts are available for most programs to help enable Friends to attend. For more information visit www.pendlehill.org  or call ext. 3 at (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150. 

July 1-3 – “Yoga: A Tool for Spiritual Deepening,” facilitated by Maria Rodriquez, who has been practicing yoga since 14-years-of-age. She is currently studying yoga with Joan White and Zen Master Tich Nhat Hanh.

July 3-7 – Swarthmore Meeting’s member and professional freelance photographer, Sharon Gunther, will be leading a workshop “Holding in the Light: Photography in the Digital Age.”  Prepare to behold the beauty of summer!

July 10-14 – “Creating from the Spirit” facilitated by Dan Wakefield, novelist, journalist, and screenwriter

July 15 -17 – “Inquirers’ Weekend with Barry Crossno and Deborah Saunders

July 15-17 – “Spiritual Awakening through Authentic Movement, with Sara Workeneh, a dance movement therapist and counselor.

July 24-28 – “Intensive Journal® Program for Personal/Spiritual Growth with Vic Kryston, certified leader in Intensive Journal® method and Adjunct Professor of English

July 29-31 – “Poetry is Healing” with Tonya McClary, artist, organizer, and lawyer, who has developed workshops using the arts (especially poetry) to encourage healing.

July 29-31 – “The Practice of Simplicity”, a weekend with Erin Rooney Doland, editor-in-chief of the home and office organizing website, Unclutter Your Life in One Week.

Please see Pendle Hill's website for August’s offerings.

Newsletter Calendar for Summer, 2011

SWARTHMORE MONTHLY MEETING

Christine DeGrado, Clerk of Meeting; Leslie Keighton, Recording Clerk;  Stephen Weimar, Treasurer; Susan Edwards, Clerk of Worship and Ministry Committee; 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