NEW ENGLAND YEARLY
MEETING OF FRIENDS The Religious Society of Friends in New England
August 2002
To ALL FRIENDS
EVERYWHERE,
Friends of New
England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends send our loving
greetings from the campus of Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, where we
gathered August 3-8, 2002, for our 342nd annual Sessions. This was a hot,
messy, passionate yearly meeting, and we believe this may be God breaking us
open. Our theme. was the prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
In this year when
injury and Sorrow turned too often to hatred, distrust, and a rush to
militarization, this prayer carries new urgency. Thomas Hamm's keynote address,
The Messy History of the Peace Testimony, demonstrated that Friends do not
always agree on how to apply the peace testimony, but are clear that each
individual must be obedient to the light. Friends consistently speak truth to
power, but must strive to do so in a way that speaks to the light of God in
all.
The musical
ministry of Annie and Peter Blood-Patterson blessed our Meeting for Worship and
Bible Half-Hours. They explored the prophetic call through scripture, song, and
vision. Singing the song, Give Yourself to Love if Love is What You're After,
we realized we must make the commitment first, before we can live the message.
They reminded us that being called is uncomfortable, and the message of the
still small voice may be frightening.
We devoted our
opening business session to waiting worship, considering how each of us can
become an instrument of God's peace. We prayed for hearts and minds open to
heed the call of the Holy Spirit, which may lead us to take actions far beyond
our own feeble imaginings. Not every call is to immediate action. Sometimes,
the call is to wait, to root ourselves, to probe the depths of our faith, and
to strengthen bonds of community. After this phase of deepening, we may move
with power and clarity when the call to act comes.
Andrea Ayvazian
led an energizing evening session on racism in our culture and the Society of
Friends. She delineated a number of strengths, including some gifted leaders
among us, a firm commitment to this work, and a desire to hear and tell the
entire story of Friends and racism, even when painful and difficult. She
exhorted white Friends to examine white privilege. She encouraged us to move
from an emphasis on achieving diversity in our meetings to making them oases of
anti-racism and working to dismantle the institutional racism that creates
unearned advantages for whites in our society. Finally, she warned us that our
Quaker culture, with its emphasis on love, harmony, and unity, seems allergic
to conflict and anger. The hard work involved in combating racism raises strong
emotions: fear, anger, guilt, and shame. We must actively and openly engage in
dealing with pain and conflict.
These words spoke
to our condition. In efforts to protect community, we often neglect conflicts
and deep wounds among us. This became apparent in discussions regarding the
Earth Charter, and how we pro~4e for children with special needs. In discussing
a minute on the tragic situation in Israel and Palestine, we came face to face
with painful concerns about anti-Semitism among Friends. It is a struggle to
listen deeply and tenderly to each other. In order to truly become instruments
of peace, we must openly examine our conflicts, and root out the seeds of war,
of racism, and of all religious prejudice. In interest group meetings, we were
moved by stories from Friends who visited Kenya, Iraq, Jerusalem, and the
Friends Schools in Ramallah. We heard inspiring stories of Palestinians and
Israelis listening to each other, evidence of tiny tendrils of love that
survive at a time when greater peacemaking seems not yet possible.
By the close of
sessions when the weather had cooled, we passed a minute of concern on the
Israeli-Palestinian situation, and endorsed the Earth Charter. As we work to
"try what love can do," we must also try what struggle can do. How
can we, as individuals and as a corporate entity, constructively deal with
conflict in ways that encourage future growth? How can we bring the prayer of
Francis of Assisi alive in daily life?
In the Light,
Friends of New England Yearly Meeting
901 Pleasant
Street, Worcester, MA 01602-1908 phone: 508\754-6760 e-mail: neym@ultranet.com
fax: 508\754-9401