From Worship and Ministry

Members One of Another

Several representatives from Haddonfield Monthly Meeting attended the one-day conference on Oct. 6 sponsored by PYM’s Center for Deepening and Strengthening our Meetings. To find out more about the day and workshops, speak to Sarah Greenblatt, John Sheffield, Jim Garrett or Judy Owens.

The main speaker for the day was Tom Gates, author of the Pendle Hill pamphlet, “Members One of Another: Dynamics of Membership in a Quaker Meeting.”

Among his ideas is a thought-provoking notion that membership is a life-long process with discernable stages. At first Meeting is a place of belonging and acceptance. We need to think well about what new attenders need as we reach out to them, and watch out for the tendency to be too “cozy,” avoiding conflict at the cost of truth. In the second stage Meeting becomes a place of shared values. We are challenged here to be clearer about what we believe as Quakers, and what binds us together in a community. In the third stage Meeting can become a place of transformation. While this is an exciting place, we can be uncomfortable with change, and need the guidance of elders who understand how a period of darkness can be an opening. In the fourth stage, Meeting can be a place of obedience to the Inner Teacher. Listening for the voice of God, being attentive to small things, getting support for out leadings are among the challenges of this ultimate place.

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I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry. To fear and to hope. The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that is alive.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Upcoming Events

Fall Quakerism Workshops at Pendle Hill, a Quaker study and retreat center in Wallingford, Pa. will offer an Inquirers' Weekend on Basic Quakerism, designed for people interested in a solid introduction to Quakerism, on Nov. 2-4 by Jean-Marie Barch of Schuylkill Meeting and Michael Cronin of Friends Meeting of Washington, DC. The Clerking workshop Nov. 16-18 will once again be facilitated by PYM General Secretary Arthur Larrabee. For more information on these and other programs, contact Pendle Hill at (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150, ext. 3 or visit www.pendlehill.org.

Nov. 9 – Tribe 1 Concert Woodbury Meeting's Peace and Social Concerns Committee will host a concert by Tribe 1, which featuring songs of transformation, poetry and movement, music that rouses the heart and nurtures the soul. At 7 p.m. in the Meetinghouse at 124 N. Broad St., Woodbury. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. For more information
contact Ruth van Veenendaal at 856-589-6486 or peaceturtle1942@yahoo.com

Nov. 11 – Middle East Peace Program Wilmington Meeting (DE) will host a lecture and discussion by Ronald J. Young, co-coordinator of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East. The topic is "Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace: Is It Possible?  And... What American Jews, Christians and Muslims Can Do to Help." Ron Young served the American Friends Service Committee as National Peace Education Secretary and then Middle East Representative in the period 1972 to 1985. The National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East unites 33 prominent Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in an effort to mobilize public support for positive U.S. leadership in pursuit of peace among Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states. Event is at 7 p.m. at the meetinghouse at 401 North West Street, Wilmington. The program is free and open to the public. Questions: Call Ken Brick at Wilmington Meeting: 302-652-4491.

Alternatives to Violence Workshops Basic-Level workshops will be offered Nov. 9 - 11 at Casa Amistad/ Friendship House in North Philadelphia, and November 30 to December 2 at Haverford Meeting (PA). AVP workshops are opportunities for people to nurture the potential for peace that is present in our lives, fostering community, communication and conflict transformation. For information, contact Jorge Arauz at AmigoJorge@aol.com or Emily Higgs at ehiggs@haverford.edu

Nov. 17 -- The Way of Ministry Friends are invited to a day-long program to explore ways to support one another in carrying out a ministry or following a leading. From 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM at Gwynedd Meeting, 1101 DeKalb Pike (Rte. 202), Gwynedd, PA, www.gwyneddfriends.org
The retreat will be facilitated by the three core teachers of the new one-year School of the Spirit program "The Way of Ministry," co-sponsored by Pendle Hill: Marcelle Martin, Laura Melly, and Beckey Phipps. Registration is $15, payable at the door. Call (919) 929-2339 or email sosministry@mindspring.com. Lunch provided to those who register before Nov. 12. For more details visit www.quakerinfo.com/sos.shtml

Retreats for Friends, Winter 2008
Friends and attenders who are drawn to the mystery we call God may find a retreat helpful. Renee Crauder from State College Meeting (PA) is the spiritual director for two retreats offered this winter. Retreats are under the care of the Adult Religious Education Concerns Group of PYM.

Your choice is between an eight-day and a two-night midweek retreat at St. Raphaela Center in Haverford, PA. Participants have private rooms;
meals are taken in a common dining room.
Eight-day retreat, Thursday, Jan. 3, to Friday, Jan. 11. Cost is $420. Mid-week retreat, Tuesday, Feb. 12, to Thursday, Feb. 14. Cost is $160. The cost includes room, board, the facilities of the Retreat Center, and Renee's availability. A non-refundable deposit of $60 is due at the time of registration. To register, call St. Raphaela Center at 610-642-5715 or email acjhaverford1@aol.com. For more information, call Renee Crauder at 814-867-0644 or email rcrauder@comcast.net

Prayer Vigils for Peace at Independence Mall
The weekly Prayer Vigils for Peace at Independence Mall, which started in 1999, continue every Sunday from 4 to 5 pm. Participants gather on the north side of Market Street, between 5th and 6th Streets. Everybody
is welcome. For more information, please contact Jorge Arauz, 215 421-5811, AmigoJorge@aol.com
We feel called to affirm God's will for Peace in our lives now, holding the world (and its conflicts) in the Light and giving public testimony to the necessity of relying on God as the true source of peace and healing for all.
The form of our prayer may vary from individual to individual and from week to week. Still, we all seek to enter into God's presence, with our humanity, our concerns, our yearnings. There, we are inevitably searched by the Light, which answers to our condition. When the bells ring at 5pm, we are not the same as an hour earlier. We have been transformed, brought closer to the semblance of the Creator, strengthened to walk a little further in the path of peace in our lives.

Lecture and discussion series on Quaker Spirituality and Progressive Reform at Haverford Meeting. On Nov. 14,  Christine Greenland (Horsham Meeting), will discuss “Quakers and Care of Creation: A Spiritual Witness." On Dec 5, the series will continue with a lecture on the Peace Testimony, especially Quaker spirituality and the origins of the Peace Testimony. Both events run from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Meeting's Forum Room at 855 Buck Lane, Haverford.

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Haddonfield Monthly Meeting

Meeting for Worship for Business

Oct. 14

25 Friends were in attendance.

The meeting began with a period of worship. The clerk read an excerpt from “Spiritual Responsibility in the Meeting for Business” by Patricia Loring of Hartford Monthly Meeting, 2002.

The Clerk read requests for membership from Francie Pagell and Linda Lotz. The requests were forwarded to Care Committee with a request that they meet with Francie and Linda during the next month and report back to the Meeting in November.

Friends accepted, with thanks, a gift of two photographs to Haddonfield Monthly Meeting from Connie and Bob Brookes, Framed side-by-side, they depict, respectively, Haddonfield Friends School and the Meeting House. The images are believed to be from the 1950s and are of value as part of the historical record of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting. Connie purchased them at a flea market for $25. We greatly appreciate their return to the Meeting. Connie and Bob have volunteered to have the photographs re-mounted and re-framed in a manner that will conserve them. A label paraphrasing this minute will be affixed to the back. Friends accepted this offer with thanks. The photos will, then, be hung for display in a suitable place in the Meeting House – most likely, in the Library.

Anna Mae Sutterly presented the annual report for Friendship Committee. Friends accepted the report with gratitude for the work the committee has accomplished over the past year.

The end-of-year financial statement is still available from John Donch.

John Donch presented a report from Children’s Inclusion Committee. One of their proposals was that children 5 years of age and over will attend the first 15 minutes of Meeting for Worship. At the end of 15 minutes, a member of the committee will stand as a signal for any children who want to, to leave. The committee member will then accompany them to the child care room and stay to assist with their care.

In answer to a question regarding “Simple Gifts,” John replied that the Children’s Inclusion Committee is definitely making plans for the all-generational event to occur on the first Sunday in December. They are hoping for a lot of participation from a lot of Friends both before and during the event.

The Ad Hoc Committee formed to discuss property maintenance considerations between the School and the Meeting is in process. Results will be brought before the Meeting as appropriate.

Meeting for worship for business closed with a period of silent worship.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joanne R. Heizer, Recording Clerk

Friends and regular Attenders may request copies of the complete minutes from the Recording Clerk at Joanne@synchcorp.com or (856) 429-9186.

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Cultural Website

A website created by HMM member Leila Barclay offers a colorful window into the history, culture, literature and faiths of the Arab world. Visitors to the site can “meet” a poet from Lebanon, a track star from Morocco, a scholar from Egypt, a filmmaker from Algeria and many other contemporary and historic luminaries from the Middle East. The site features lovely watercolor paintings of scenes in Tunisia, a photograph of myrrh growing in Yemen and other images that bring the region to life for Western eyes. Folktales and other literature can be read in English or Arabic. The site was created in conjunction with the Arab Cultural Trust, a non-profit organization Leila founded to educate the English-speaking world about Arab and Islamic culture, literature, religion, science and history. The website, which is constantly updated with new content, serves as “a virtual library of Arab culture, to make learning and knowledge about the Arab world available to all, to promote Arab culture, and to promote understanding of Arab culture.” Curious? Visit http://www.al-hakawati.net/

Fund-raising appeal

Pendle Hill sojourner and Richmond (Va.) Monthly Meeting Attender Sharon Smith is led to write a socially conscious memoir called, “Mixed Blessing: Growing Up Black-Indian and Quaker.”  Sharon wrote that “the title came to me in a flash of insight during my stay at Pendle Hill.  I spent 7 months there to reflect on recent experience with racism among Friends and to discern my way forward in ministry.”

Sharon met with two formal clearness committees at Pendle Hill regarding the writing project and her ministry.   They have agreed to hold and support her writing process with their love, constructive criticism and regular communication.

The Gandhian Foundation has agreed to act as a fiscal sponsor, enabling Sharon to raise tax-
 
A Friend from New England Yearly Meeting has offered to match every dollar Sharon raises.  

If you would like to support the Sharon Smith Project, " please write checks out to:
The Gandhian Foundation
763 Buck Lane
Haverford, PA 19041 
Write the Sharon Smith Project on the subject line of your check.  Greg Barnes is the Secretary-Treasurer.  Please contact him with any questions you may have about The Gandhian Foundation.  He can be reached by E-mail at: greg.barnes01@comcast.net.  His telephone # is: (610) 642-7401.
 

Revival

Poet strides to pulpit,

Smoothes the verses,

Starts rousing us, cool,

Soft, and slow,

Then dials up the heat,

The volume, the beat,

‘Til we willingly open our veins,

Sharing blood from the wounds

Of our own secret stories.

Cecilia McFadden, October 2007

Religious Education

Nov. 4 – David Gallivan will speak about his experience as a Christian Peace Team volunteer during the summer.

Nov. 18 – Worship and Ministry and the Religious Education Committee will be sponsoring the kick off of a new Faith & Practice Group.  The kick off will take place as adult first day school at 11:15 as usual.  We hope to see both old and new members and attenders. 

Regular Faith and Practice Group sessions will begin the following week and take place at 9 AM just before Meeting.

Everyone who is interested is welcome to attend.  While the intention is to help new attenders and members have a small group opportunity to talk about the guiding principles of Quakerism, we hope that some experienced Quakers will also attend the small group sessions, as well as the Kick Off at Adult First Day School.

Nov. 25 – Judy Patterson, with assistance from husband, Bill Patterson, will be speaking about what she learned about social work in China when she and Bill visited there last year.

Among Friends

Ketura Tamu, who attended HFS, for many years lost her mother, Shirley Carroll, in a tragic accident in September. Shirley, with help from members of our Meeting and others, found
housing in Haddonfield so she and Ketura did not have the long bus ride they had been taking together for years to get Ketura to HFS.  Ketura now goes to Haddonfield Middle School and remains friends with some of the young Friends
in our meeting.
Two funds have been established to support Ketura’s education and her desire to stay in Haddonfield with her aunt. The Shirley Carroll Memorial Fund, which has been established at Commerce Bank on Haddon Avenue in

Haddonfield, is specifically designated to provide for Ketura's future education, and contributions can be made directly at the bank. The Presbyterian Church which Ketura attends is establishing a fund to defray living and rental costs in an effort to enable Ketura and her aunt to live here in town and remain part of this community. Contributions can be made directly to the First Presbyterian Church, with a notation that it is a gift for Ketura Tamu.

Any questions regarding these funds should be directed to Jeremy, First Presbyterian Church, Youth Director.  The church phone is 856-429-1960.

Condolences to Jack McGlaughlin and his family, on the recent death of his mother.

Lisa Boyell wishes to thank Friends for their comforting messages of support following the death of her father, Albert Schmitt, on July 24.

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