BALTIMORE YEARLY MEETING EPISTLE
August 2002
To Friends Everywhere
Sing and rejoice you Children of the Day and of the
Light.
For the Lor:d is at work in this thick
night of darkness that can be felt.
George Fox, 1663 (letter 227)
Friends gathered on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, July 29-August 4, 2002 for the 331st Annual Session of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. In our opening retreat, ably led by Claudia Waif, we considered what it means today to be Children of the Light and what Friends bring to the world. We found joy in blessed community, buoyed by the vibrant presence of younger Friends, including 12 children in the nursery program. The vitality and growth of our Yearly Meeting was reflected in an eclectic program of workshops, interest groups, and worship sharing. A campus accessible for all Friends aided participation in these activities.
Our joy in being together has been tempered by
confusion and anxiety as we question how we can respond as Friends in an
increasingly violent world. We are grateful to York Monthly Meeting, which last
year invited Monthly Meetings to re-examine the peace testimony. Meetings which
responded found this work meaningful, but difficult, especially in light of the
violent attacks directed against our country. Friends are in the process of
discerning how to respond to our nation's reliance on military action. Denis
Halliday, Irish Friend and former United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for
Iraq, and Peter Lems, Program Assistant for Iraq at the American Friends
Service Committee, urged that Friends act to forestall escalation of war in
that country, which has been subjected to comprehensive sanctions, bombing, and
the demonizing of Saddam Hussein. Friends brought forth a call to action
regarding Iraq, urging us as Monthly Meetings and as individual Friends to
inform ourselves on steps we might take. We continue prayerful consideration of
our Peace Testimony, which we need to apply to all parts of our lives.
In meeting for business, Friends approved minutes
opposing reinstatement of military conscription, supporting the Religious
Freedom Peace Tax Fund, supporting restorative justice as an alternative to
retributive justice, and expressing concern about the dilution of civil
liberties in the name of the war against terrorism.
In his opening address, Ron Kraybill (Associate
Professor in Eastern Mennonite University's Conflict Transformation Program),
speaking out of the silence, felt moved to bring words of hope. Hope is our
foundation in the midst of apparent despair and difficulty. Friends resonated
with his description of the trauma, spanning generations of modern warfare, in
which 90% of the casualties are now civilian. Traumatized societies and
individuals must have time and room to heal, in order to move forward with
peacemaking.
A major obstacle peace building organizations face can
be our inability to resolve conflicts among ourselves. We struggled with a
forthright response to a hurtful action which occurred during the preparations
for the Friends United Meeting Triennial. Longstanding differences regarding
sexual orientation and leadership roles precipitated this conflict. This
provides an opening for renewed communication. Despite these difficulties, our
representatives conveyed the rich, spirit-filled experience and warm
hospitality they found among Friends in Kenya.
Ours is a Yearly Meeting which often has been prodded
by younger Friends. Our camping programs are an upward spiral of energy and
creativity and are one of our most successful outreach programs. Campers taught
us that fun together is the first step, and joy together the second, and from this
joy can flow a depth in which conflicts may be lovingly embraced. In our Junior
Yearly Meeting, a dedicated band of volunteers facilitated programs for our
youth morning, afternoon, and evening. Our intergenerational program this year
found Friends working together to prepare hygiene and school packets for the
American Friends Service Committee to send to Friends in Ramallah. A variety of
imaginative activities brought Friends of all ages together with much laughter.
Friends devoured two large cakes commemorating the 350th anniversary of Fox's
vision of a great people to be gathered. Accompanied by drumming, Friends
constructed a huge, free-form sand painting.
Mary Snyder, Friend from South Dakota, attended as a
consultant to the Religious Education Committee. She pro- vided workshops and a
ministry of encouragement to our Religious Education Committee and our Yearly
Meeting. Patricia Kutzner's embraced ministry among the people of the
Torreon/Starlake Chapter of the Navajo Nation continues to move Friends as she
patiently works with the local community to empower initiatives in one of the
most economically disadvantaged parts of the country.
In the Carey Memorial Lecture, Ron Mattson shared his
faith journey and how an understanding of the liberating nature of God's love
frees us to live faithfully. "I realized without any hesitation that I was
loved by God. That I had experienced that love many times and in many ways.
That it continued with me in different seasons and in a myriad of geographic locations.
And with that knowledge it was possible to take risks that would have not
otherwise been possible." Friends joined Ron in singing the old Gospel
Hymn, "Safe am I, Safe am I, In the hollow of His Hand."
Lamar Matthew, Clerk of Yearly Meeting