If I speak with the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give away all that I have, and I deliver my body
to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecy, it will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child,
I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child. But when I became an adult, I gave up my childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians, chapter 13.

The Handshake

When the presiding member closes the worship with a hand-clasp, and the rest of us follow suit, remember that we are not greeting each other just to say hello or to wish others well, but in a very special way. It is a recognition that we have been together in a sacred place and felt the Presence of God in very special ways. In that experience, we have been deeply united.

K. R. Larrabee

Facing Bench for February

February 3 & 10 Marietta Donovan &
Deedy Roberts
February 17 Deborah Podolin and Family
February 24 John Heizer &
Blake Angus-Anderson

Coffee and covered dish for February
Library Committee

Upcoming Events

February 2 ó Quaker Action Conference
Quaker Action, 02-02-02, will be held from 9 to 1:30,
at Arch Street Meetinghouse, Fourth and Arch Streets in Philadelphia, where parking is free. There will be no fees or pre-registration or even lunch, but there will be plenty of munchies and chances to meet other activist Friends.

The keynote address will be given by Joe Volk, Executive Director of the Friends Committee on National Legislation and a welcome speaker. The two workshop periods will offer a choice of specialists on how to influence legislation, do community organizing, help special groups such as prisoners or the homeless, or use law to advance social concerns. In addition, workshops will include the following:

ï How to organize in your community. Lucinda Hudson and Judy Van Hoy.
ï Using law for social change, (Morning session) Angus Love, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project.
ï Using law for social change, (Afternoon session) Martha Traylor, law practice in science-based environmental law.
ï Successful strategies to get results in legislation. (Morning session) Valerie Brown, attorney, professional lobbyist.
ï Effective lobbying for legislation: Finding entry points to affecting legislation. (Afternoon session) ó
a panel of Friends experienced with advancing
legislation.
ï How to be an effective advocate for special groups. Alice Hoffman with Joy Kauffman, PA. Council of Churches..
ï How can Yearly Meeting help Monthly Meetings increase understanding of the Peace Testimony among its youth and adult membership.

This event is arranged by the Peace and Concerns Standing Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Organizers would appreciate a message to say you
are coming. E-mail emarsh@voicenet.com.

February 9 ó Love Concert II
Bruce Adams returns with a pre-Valentineís Day celebration of love songs. 7:30 pm in the auditorium. Sponsored by the Friendship Committee.

February 10 ó Open House
Haddonfield Friends School will hold an Open House from 2:00 to 4:oo pm.

February 19 ó Zoning Board Hearing
The Haddonfield Borough Meeting will consider our request for a zoning variance for 65 Haddon Ave. Come and show your support!

February 22-24 ó Young Friends Peace Gathering
Defending ourselves, chilling out fights without getting in other peopleís business, and standing up for what
is right: some useful skills for Quakers (and everyone else!) An experiential workshop led by George Lakey
at Burlington Meeting House Conference Center;
For Young Friends 9th grade (or age 14 by September 1, 2001) through college age. A flyer and registration form are available online at www.pym.org/youngfriends or call Cookie Caldwell at (215) 241-7222, 1-800-220-0796 extension 7222 toll-free or by e-mail at
cookiec@pym.org. Pre-registration is required.

September 11 has raised additional hard questions about conflict: are there nonviolent ways of responding to terror attacks? Does the war and the emphasis on Americanism challenge me as a young Quaker? What are some ways of thinking about security that donít depend on big military retaliation?

Sometimes Quaker Meetings forget to teach younger members how to operate in real life conflict situations, which can lead to avoidance of conflict and a feeling of helplessness. This workshop is for getting practical handles for dealing with conflict. Come with the hardest questions you have, and donít be surprised if we have fun while weíre working.

Sunday morning, Jonathan Ogle will lead a program on the Selective Service System and what Young Friends can do to prepare for the possibility of the draft being reactivated.

February 24 ó Quarterly Meeting
Quarterly Meeting at Westfield Meetinghouse. 10 am.

Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill continues its Monday Night Lecture series ìDiscernment in the Aftermath of September 11.î
All lectures will be at Swarthmore Friends Meeting
and will be repeated Tuesday mornings at Medford Leas. For more information, contact Pendle Hill:
610-566-4507; 800-742-3150; or check out their
web site, www.pendlehill.org.

February 4 ó The Terrorist Mind
Clark McCauley, Professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College and Co-Director of the University of Pennsylvaniaís Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict.

February 11 ó Directions to the Heart of Islam
Michael Sells, Professor of Comparative Religion at Haverford College and a member of Lansdowne Monthly Meeting.

February 18 ó Conflict Resolution in the News: Where are the Stories of Peace?
Barbara Simmons, founder and producer of
ìPEACETALKS: Exploring the Alternatives to Violence,î a public radio program that explores stories of people struggling to find alternatives to violence.

February 25 ó Made in the USA: Seeds of War in Our Own Possessions
Eileen Flanagan, who teaches at Pendle Hill and at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

January 2002 Monthly Meeting
for Business

Monthly Meeting for Business began with a period of silent worship during which the Clerk read ìWorld Orderî from p. 78 of Faith & Practice (which follows).

World Order
Friends since William Penn have sought to promote institutions of peace. In this era we promote a vision of a new world order that recognizes the essential unity of a human family sharing a fragile planet.
We prefer governing institutions that work face-to-face, within small communities. But we acknowledge the need for governing institutions at all levels, both
as supportive, coordinating bodies, and as courts of appeal from the arbitrary actions of lesser jurisdictions.
We are deeply distressed by a world order dominated by heavily armed nation-states. We apply our gifts ó of spirit, of intellect, of time and energy ó to work for a new international order under God, within which our communities will be able to
redirect their resources from over-dependence on
the manufacture of arms to human needs and the preservation of the earth.

Annual reports were presented from Friendship Committee, Library Committee and Worship & Ministry. The Recorder, Johanna DeRose, reported a total of 240 members, including 171 adults and 69 children. This report, as well as Worship & Ministryís, will be forwarded to Yearly Meeting, and are reprinted in this newsletter.

From Overseers
Mary Nolandís (and her sons Michael and William Noland-Conlow) transfer from Greene Street Meeting was received and accepted. Flora and Howard McKinney will visit to welcome them.

Michael Adam Realeís transfer from Flushing, NY Meeting was received and accepted. Bill Patterson and Drew Biehl will visit to welcome him.

Deborah Podolin Whiting and her daughter Rebecca Rose were accepted into membership. Louise Heritage and Susan Tucker will visit to welcome them back.

Lucy Savarese requested to transfer her membership
to Newton Meeting. This request was passed on to Overseers. Also passed to overseers was a request from Blake Angus-Anderson to be released as clerk of Nominating Committee and to end his commitment to that committee.

Flora McKinney, on behalf of the Religious Education Committee, wrote to our young Friends who are in the 7th grade through high school encouraging them to prepare conscientious objection material in the event that a draft is enacted. Our Quaker beliefs dictate that we have a responsibility in that area. Some time was given to actions that the Meeting could take to assist young people. This subject will be visited again in future Business Meetings.

Worship and Ministry Annual Report for 2001

Gathering in silent, unprogrammed worship requires worshippers to enter with hearts prepared to receive the Light of Christ, the spirit of love, and the gift of spoken ministry.

The Committee on Worship and Ministry has spent many hours of this year discussing what we believe is the core of a Friends Meeting ó the quality of our worship together. What enhances the experience and what detracts from it? We have given emphasis ó through announcements and in the Newsletter ó to the importance of being on time and maintaining a prayerful quiet. We also explored the matter of members or attenders who are in painful life situations and need our support but may not be reaching out. As a first step we have included in our prayers those who are suffering loss, separation, despair or sadness. When we feel it is appropriate, we write or contact anyone in such a situation to offer our prayers and support.

All of our own meetings begin with worship and some form of study. This year we have often used questions from the Creative Listening program. The result has been a developing closeness and understanding among our group as we deal with the issues and duties of the committee.

Our responsibilities were met with regard to preparing a First Day School adult class in March and November and our assignment for hospitality duties in September. In April we held a joint meeting with Overseers. Throughout the year we provided short pieces for
publication in the Newsletter, often quotations from Faith and Practice. During the summer we experimented with our ìfacing benchî duties and allowed those responsible for closing Meeting to sit anywhere in the Meetinghouse. This, however, was less than successful and we have returned to the facing bench for this assignment.

Worship and Ministry is now responsible for maintaining a message board where announcements may be posted in an effort to limit the length and number of those read aloud at the rise of meeting.

As the year draws to a close, we find our country at war. This committee and the whole Monthly Meeting will be exploring how we may respond as a community of peace to the situation in Afghanistan.

Haddonfield Monthly Meeting
Recorderís Report ó 2001

Adults:
2000 178
Application +4
Transfer in +1
Reached 21 +2

Transfer out -8
Resignation -2
Deaths -4

Total Adults 171

Children:
2000 62
Associates 2
Application +3
Transfer in +2
Birth +4

Reached 21 -2
Transfer out -2

Total Children 69

Total Membership 240

FIRST DAY SCHOOL

ìIt Takes a Meeting to Raise a Friend.î
ìYe have no time but this present time.î G. Fox

Submitted by Flora McKinney and Jayne Stokes

Winter Term Theme
Equality and Racism

Hymns from Worship in Song:

Lucretia Mott Song (#281)

On the island of Nantucket she was born beside the sea:
All her long life she fought bravely to make slaves and women free,
And she told us that where God dwells,
There must be true liberty,
And her light still shines for me,
Thank thee kindly, friend Lucretia, (3xs)
For thy light still shines for me.

In Christ There Is No East or West (#305)

In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North,
But one great fellowship of love,
Through out the whole wide earth.

Testimony

I believe if John Woolman were alive today, he would see the global economy as a system driven by greed, and by ìwealth desired for its own sake,î which ìobstructs the increase of virtue.î He would observe how companies exploit the cheapest labor available, jumping from Thailand to Haiti to Sierra Leone at the drop of a hat, to whichever workforce is most helpless, and whatever government officials can be bought. Woolman would pay little credence to the argument that these people need jobs ó any jobs ó having heard essentially the same argument from Friends who defended slavery on the grounds that ìthe lives of the Negroes were so wretched in their own country that many of them lived better here than there.î

Confronted with the accelerating abuse of human rights and work safety, he would see it not as progress toward equity, but as what many labor contemporary labor leaders are calling a ìrace to the bottom.î Observing the degradation not only of workers,
but of consumers, he would see it as a systemic evil that degrades the human spirit.

This is John Woolmanís gift: the willingness to step outside the box, to see that slavery is not a necessary state: to see that it depends on our complicity, to see that we can live without it, we are not captive ó and then to take that first small step of refusal. There is no easy answer.

First it may help to identify the sense of helplessness, and to recognize that it does not overtake us by accident. We are invited into it by the commercial media and by opinion-makers and politicians who increasingly owe their allegiance to corporate influence and who are part of a system in which they too feel increasingly helpless. Our diet of information is reduced to celebrity-and-violence junk food by media moguls who define what qualifies and does not qualify as news. We are marginalized, driven out of the role of citizens and into the empty role of consumers. We are taught greed at the earliest age possible. Our spiritual existence is denied.

It may help to recognize that social controls are nothing new. Historically, our countryís newspapers and political establishments have joined to promote the
status quo, as in Woolmanís day. Slavery was part of the very air that people breathed ó an orthodoxy
justified by scripture and social patterns, defended
by public intellectuals, and driven by the inertia of commerce, and enforced by law.

What is new in our lifetime is the degree to which the media invade our every waking hour and the extent to which control over the media is concentrated in a few corporate hands. A study I undertook of the mediaís treatment of Seattle and subsequent demonstrations revealed a pattern of distortion that exaggerated whatever violence occurred within overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations. This distorted view was used to justify the militarized police response in subsequent demonstrations and to attack the legitimacy of nonviolent protest in the eyes of the public. We cannot look to the commercial media for intelligence, let alone wisdom.

This media bias shouldnít surprise us. In the mid-1800s, the Hartford Courant assumed the legitimacy
of Connecticutís racist ìBlack Lawsî and ignored the activities of the Abolitionists for as long as it could.

But it is not my point here to castigate Americans.
It is only to stress that we are all up against a powerful inertia, which is partially dollar-driven. This inertia is reinforced at a more individual level. We face it, you and I, every time we deliberate whether to buy the cheap shirt made in Pakistan or the grapes grown in Mexico. Often we donít know how workers are treated in a particular country, or at what environmental cost the goods were produced.

Todayís John Woolman would not be asked to draw up a bill of sale for another human being. Todayís oppression is more sophisticated, if no less brutal. But I think that Woolman would retain his nose for systematic injustice, that he would see through the prevailing
economic theory ó which legitimizes greed ó to
the observable injustices and concentration of wealth that the system produces.
(extracts from ìTestimony ó John Woolman on Todayís Global Economy.î)

There is much more. Borrow the pamphlet from the Meeting Library or buy one from Pendle Hill ó Pamphlet # 356 by Donald Morse.

Family participation
Can you add to the list of White Privileges?
What would help change our present economy?
How can we help?

Sing the songs.

Come to First Day School.

Adult FDS Schedule for February

February 3: We will discuss Query #11 ó Stewardship of Resources, found on page 213 of Faith and Practice.

February 10: There are two options for adults.
1. Join Friends in the meeting house to hear the Spiritual Journeys of fellow members and attenders.
2. Join a smaller group of Friends in the Sewing Room to discuss the Gospel of John. This group offers Friends an opportunity to explore diverse points of view on the interpretation of the Bible. Discussions thus far have ranged from the view that John should be looked upon as an historical document to reading this Gospel for its mystical revelations. If you are interested in clarifying your own ideas, or would like to listen to the diverse views of others, consider joining this group.

February 17: Peace and Social Concerns Committee will host ìPractical Options from the Field of Nonviolent Action.î A videotape of George Lakeyís Pendle Hill lecture on this subject will be shown,
followed by a discussion of nonviolence. George Lakey is the director of Training for Change.

February 24: There are two options for adults.
1. Childrenís Inclusion Committee will talk about their role in the life of the Meeting.
2. A discussion of the Gospel of John will take place in the Sewing Room.

Blankets for Afghanistan

Peace and Social Concernsí blanket collection for AFSC was a great success. We collected 63 blankets and $210 to cover shipping costs. The blankets were delivered to Philadelphia in late December. Altogether, AFSC collected more than 50,000 blankets for Afghan refugees. Thanks to all who donated blankets, money and their time.

China Workcamp

Westfield Friends is sponsoring the second China Summer Workcamp from July 29 to August 17.
Twelve American students will join with students from China, Japan and South Korea to help local residents refurbish a 100-year-old elementary school, undertake an environmental project and teach English to local children. The cost is $2,200. For more information, contact Adam Clark-Valle at Chinaworkcamp@pym.org.

Friendsí Committee on
National Legislation
Submitted by Marietta Donovan

If Not Military Force and War, Then What?

Instead of military force we recommend that the U.S. government take the following steps:

Resume and intensify U.S. efforts to secure a lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a major source of deep anti-U.S. sentiment throughout the Arab world.

Lead the international community in cooperative efforts to reduce stockpiles of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia. Support the Nunn-Lugar threat reduction initiative.

Support an international ban on the sale and transfer of weapons to zones of conflict.

Dramatically increase U.S. humanitarian aid to the millions of refugee in zones of conflict. War orphans, refugee children, and youth are especially vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations.

Assist individuals in the U.S. who have lost wages or jobs as a result of the attack and its economic aftermath.

Please come to First Day School on February 17th
for a discussion on the war in Afghanistan and how Quakers can respond.

PYM Interim Meeting Report
Flora McKinney, Alternate Rep.

November 29, 2001 Meeting

The Education Standing Committee brought a minute in opposition to the PA Legislature Bill, which would require all schools, public and private, to have the U.S. flag in all classrooms and have the students say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. Interim Committee accepted the Minute and forwarded it to the PA Legislature Education Committee. The following is
an extract from that Minute.

ìWe believe that to compel all schools and all teachers and supervisors to participate in displaying and pledging allegiance to the flag violates the guarantee of free exercise of religion set forth in
the Charter of Privileges granted by William Penn in 1701 (providing that no one in Pennsylvania could be ìcompelled to frequent or mantaine any Religious Worship place or Ministry contrary to his or theire mind or doe or Suffer any other act
or thing contrary to theire Religious perswasionî) and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Likewise, we believe that compelling students to participate in such practices unless they and their parents formally request exemption is contrary at least to the spirit of this guarantee.
For these reasons the Interim Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends minutes its opposition to House Bill 592 and strongly urges the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, Committee Chair James Rhoades, and all members of the State Senate, to strike this and similar provisions from any legislation that the Senate might consider.î

Patricia Reifsnyder, PYM representative to the National Council of Churches and the Metropolitan Council of Churches, reported on their action:

The Metropolitan Council partnered with the Roman Catholic archdiocese in sponsoring a conference on ìValues, Nuclear Weapons, and National Priorities,î and conducted a session for members of the Board
on Understanding Muslims an entire year before September 11. Women of Faith is a group within the Metropolitan Council which sponsors an annual race relations seminar and an annual conference on contemporary theology. Women of Faith holds monthly programs addressing a wide range of issues. During the last year these have included a session on ministry to women in prison and another on women in transition from welfare to work.

On November 15, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA adopted the document ìOut of the Ashes and Tragedy of September 11, 2001.î It states it
is time for us as an ecumenical community to make
a renewed commitment to a ministry of peace with Justice, and to make real in these days the call of Jesus ìLove your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.î It goes on to make a formal statement urging the U.S. Government and the international community to cease war and violence and to protect human rights and fundamental freedom. The report of the called session on November 10 has been posted on the PYM web site, www.pym.org. A Minute advising the employment of someone to coordinate Peace Action was referred to the Peace and Social Action Standing Committee to address the cost of such a position and evaluate the duties and how they would differ from work already being done.

Underground Railroad Story

On Tuesday, February 12, from 10ñ11 pm, Channel 12 will present ìWhispers of Angels: A Story of the Underground Railroad.î This short film, shot on location in the Philadelphia area, tells of the collaboration between Quaker abolitionist Thomas Garrett and William Still, a free black anti-slavery activist. Together, they helped thousands of fugitives to freedom.

HFS School News

Hello from the Art Room of HFS! We are now back in business, fully functional, and ready for the rest of the year here in Art. We had a big overhaul in the fall, making the room waterproof and replacing cabinets, painting and rearranging like crazy. But now we are back and a lot more comfortable.

Projects beginning and ending:
1st grade is learning the fine art of painting pine trees, and that blue and yellow make green. Pine trees need
a LOT more blue. 2nd grade is working with ëfrozen cool colorsí of blues, greens and purples to make a paper patchwork snowman. 3rd grade also has a
snowman theme to explore, using plaster gauze and balloons to make a cute little guy with felt hat, scarf, and twig arms. 4th grade is using a type of clay perfect for snowmen. When itís warm, itís easily sculpted, and when placed in ice water for a few hours, it hardens up and stays that way! Perfect for the little snowmen they are working on. Permanent markers will add a bit of color when the deep freeze is over.

5th Grade is ending a perennial yarn sculpture project we call ëLines in Space.í They are learning how to use color, balance and composition in three dimensions with their hanging sculptures. Feathers, tassels and beads add to the interest. These sculptures are hanging in the upper floor outside their room, and are worth
a look. 6th grade is finishing computer portraits a la Andy Warhol, and have looked at other pop art artists for inspiration. They had a portrait taken with the digital camera, had it posterized in black, white, and gray, and added color back into the different tonal areas to achieve a very unique look. They took another version of the portrait in black and white only and were free
to experiment with it using paint, markers, crayons, watercolor, and creating a background to enhance their experiment. This project will soon be hanging in the school ëgalleryí as well. Next up for 6th grade: papier machÈ dragons, by popular request!

We are a busy bunch down here in the Art Dungeon, come see our masterpieces all around the school!

Tr. Cathy Gaul

Summer Music Program

We are thinking about running a summer music program for our current 3rd graders and up. The program would include orchestra, percussion, Orff and recorder ensembles, as well as singing, dancing, games, and trips. It would be from 9 am until noon and run for one month early in the summer. Students could attend both music camp and summer camp. All children would be eligible to enroll for 3 days a week, while the other two days would be reserved for children already taking lessons on an orchestral instrument. We would also like to open this up to the community at large, but right now we need to get an idea of what level of interest there is in our own HFS community. If your child attends HFS and is interested in this program, please contact Tr. Marcy.

The Journal of George Fox
Continued from January

While I was in prison in Launceston, a Friend went to Oliver Cromwell, and offered himself, body for body, to lie in Doomsdale in my stead; if he would take him, and let me have liberty. Which thing so struck him, that he said to his great men and council, ìWhich of you would do as much for me if I were in the same condition?î And though he did not accept of the Friendís offer, but said he could not do it, for that it was contrary to law, yet the Truth thereby came mightily over him. A good while after this he sent down Major-General Desborough, pretending to set us at liberty. When he came, he offered us our liberty if we would say we would go home and preach no more;
but we could not promise him. Then he urged that we should promise to go home, if the Lord permitted.

After this Major-General Desborough came to the Castle-Green, and played at bowls with the justices and others. Several Friends were moved to go and admonish them not to spend their time so vainly, desiring them to consider, that though they professed themselves to be Christians, yet they gave themselves up to their pleasures, and kept the servants of God meanwhile in prison; and telling them that the Lord would plead with them and visit them for such things. But notwithstanding what was written or said to him, he went away, and left us in prison.

We understood afterwards that he left the business to Colonel Bennet, who had the command of the jail.
For some time after Bennet would have set us at liberty if we would have paid his jailerís fees. But we told him we could give the jailer no fees, for we were innocent sufferers; and how could they expect fees of us, who had suffered so long wrongfully? After a while Colonel Bennet coming to town, sent for us to an inn, and insisted again upon fees, which we refused. At last the power of the Lord came so over him, that he freely set us at liberty on the 13th day of the Seventh month, 1656. We had been prisoners nine weeks at the first assize, called the Lent-assize, which was in the spring of the year.

Poems Old and New

Meeting Faith

Daniel Picker

This first day morning
I studied the light,
a parallelogram
divided into six panes

falling on the plain
wall in the quiet
and knew it came
from the window

in the balcony above
in this last month
ending at winter
and I studied the light

lighting a bowed white
head of hair leaning
forward in prayer;
no easy answers here.

I couldnít see that
balcony window, but
I could see the result:
light in here from above.

Among Friends

Kitty and Takashi Mizuno have a new e-mail address: ktmizuno@erols.com