OHIO VALLEY YEARLY
MEETING 2002
This week we OVYM
teens met from July 3181 to August 4tb, 2002 for work and fellowship. We upheld
our annual tradition of a canoe trip on the Whitewater River. It was fun. We
attended a workshop on healing by the laying of hands with John Calvi and
invited the adults to join us in Simply Speaking discussions on teen sexuality.
We spent five grueling yet satisfying hours dragging branches, and leveling pea
gravel for the foundation of a Habitat for Humanity house. It was extremely
hot.
We participated in
a number of workshops with the adults. We collaborated to put on our most
satisfying variety show skit in years. Everyone loved it.
A group of teens
participated in worship and fellowship in the evenings at Ichthys House, a
gathering place near the Earlham campus. We thanked our host, Clyde Johnson,
with a batch of fresh-baked cookies.
This week we
generally had a good time together.
Yours in the
Light, OVYM Teens
******
Middle Youth
Epistle
Eight members of
the middle youth group of the Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting of the Religious
Society of Friends gathered at Earlham College for the 2002 Yearly Meeting.
Each ofus experienced challenges, changes, and trying things new.
Many of us enjoyed
making the large puzzle with all of OVYM.
In our group we
did a worship sharing session with the theme of Healing Our World, discussing
current world events and other countries.
A favorite of our
group was the rock climbing wall at the Earlham Wellness Center. Although not
all of us reached the top, we were pleased to see our progression. The Wellness
Center also provided a pool that we used almost every day! I
At the Lily Library,
Tom Hamm gave us an interesting lecture on Quakers living in the southern
states in 1903. Many of us were surprised at the rules against color, music,
and dancing.
We all greatly
enjoyed making postcards and decorating candles this year. We decided to sell
them at mealtimes in order to raise money to buy seeds for Zambia.
Our movie for
discussion this year was Pay It Forward, a story of a young boy who comes up
with an idea to change the world and puts it into action. This fit in well with
our Yearly Meeting theme, and the movie made us think about trying new ideas.
The Hueston Woods
trip proved to be great fun, with canoeing, swimming, and muchjoke-telling. For
lunch, we did a small simulation to experience what it would be like to eat
like those in third world countries. It made an impact on us all.
For this year's
variety show, we did a small skit about Quakers in 1803. The show was a great
success, and we had fun performing.
This year's
service project took place at Circle U. We stocked cans in the pantry, ate
lunch, and washed dishes. We realized that although we may not want to eat
canned food all the time, having something always tastes so much better than
nothing.
This year we all
have realized how very fortunate we are to have the things we do, and we've
become very grateful for all the good people in the world who are striving to
make a difference for those less lucky than us.
In the Light,
The Middle Youth
Group
Children's Epistle
Greetings to
Friends Everywhere,
Seventeen children
from ages 3-11 met at the 181st annual session of Ohio Valley Yearly
Meeting at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana from July 31st to
August 41h, 2002, to consider the theme of "Healing the World " The
open green campus of a Quaker college was the background for a time of playing,
singing, sharing, discussing and learning about ourselves and others.
We learned that
some people go to jail so that one day the School of the Americas will close.
We learned that the children in Ramallah were surprised that people in America
care about them.
We also learned
many things about ourselves. We didn't know that we could sit for a long
time and make a necklace with tiny beads. We didn't know it would feel good to
go seven feet deep in water and touch the bottom. And we didn't know that the
green stuff on the pond is called duck weed.
We have several
concerns for the future of the world. We are concerned that something bad will
happen so things are not the same. We are concerned the Bush is not negotiating
but just fighting.
We have many hopes
for the future of the world. We hope we
get a new president. We hope the School of the Americas closes. We hope Israel
and Pakistan work out their differences. We hope we plant more trees and
rebuild the rain forests.
Our time at Yearly
Meeting was an experience we will never forget. We will take many memories of
wonderful times together home with us. We will look forward to next year and
dream of the glorious times we can have together.