 November/December 2000 (XXXVIII 5) |
When broadcast is scheduled, it will be posted on this web page.
n Saturday, September 16th, approximately two-dozen Abington Friends Meeting members and attenders gathered to participate in the filming of a portion of a documentary on The Power of Silence. In early July, as Meeting secretary, I responded to a phone message from Susan Haymer, a producer for Wisdom Television. Susan had been researching ‘silence’ as a topic for her next documentary. After searching the Internet, Susan had her sight set on Robert Lawrence Smith’s A Quaker Book of Wisdom. She became intrigued with the comfort Quaker’s have with silence. Her hope was to film a Meeting for Worship.
Trying to reach the author who had been Head of School at Sidwell Friends, Susan spoke with Bruce Stewart, current Head of School at Sidwell, past Head of School of Abington Friends, and member of Abington Meeting. Bruce recommended Abington as a site to consider for the location of the filming. He shared with Susan a glowing review of the summertime Outdoor Meeting for Worship held at 9:45 a.m. in addition to Abington’s regular Meeting for Worship at 11:15 a.m. It was my job to figure out how to handle this request.
As Meeting secretary, difficult requests often pass through my office. I am often guided by knowledge of members who have been around longer than I. I started my search for direction via phone calls to seasoned Friends. I discovered that the subject of a documentary had been approached in the past. There were some fond memories and some deep-rooted concerns. I could see that this was going to be a tough project. With enough information to have a decent conversation with the Clerk of the Meeting, I summarized the request and recommended that it be brought to Business Meeting. There would be one last Business Meeting for the summer. It would be crucial to the viability of the request to walk away from Business Meeting with some level of interest and a plan to move forward.
The request was brought to Business Meeting on July 31. I am always enlightened by each individual’s perspective on subjects that are brought to Business Meeting, particularly subjects that I know nothing about. The investment in time proves to be very educational. Some spoke enthusiastically about past experiences of the Meeting and the opportunity to share Friends’ Meeting for Worship as a form of outreach. Others had grave concerns over their degree of comfort to worship in front of a camera. Many at Abington have felt that there should be no filming of any sort during a Meeting for Worship. The point that stood out above all the rest, for me, was one that touched on historical perspective. It was stated that Meeting for Worship of the Religious Society of Friends had always been a public meeting and that outsiders, in whatever ever form, were always welcome. It had been suggested that a staged Meeting for Worship be scheduled with hope that this would be sufficient to address the request of the producer as well as the issues that had been brought forth in Business Meeting. Another concern arose, if the Meeting for Worship were staged then it would not be truthful. After considerable discussion of the nature of this project it had been agreed that we would extend an invitation to the producer to come to Meeting for Worship before going forward. At that time, the Clerk and a representative from Worship and Ministry would meet with her and discuss the particulars. If comfortable, the Meeting would move forward with an invitation to members and attenders who wished to participate.
The following weekend a representative of the production company participated in Abington’s outdoor meeting for worship. She was introduced after Meeting and at that time she spoke of how she was moved by the worship and how it had spoken to her directly. It had been decided to move forward and allow the filming.
As the day for filming approached I was in constant contact with Susan Haymer to provide directions, hotel information and last minute details. Susan had asked if there would be a family that would be willing to have the camera crew come into their home and film then in their daily life. I had a tough time making a recommendation as I had no idea who had decided to be willing participants. I had one lead, the Moreno family. Amy had called to ask about childcare earlier so I knew they were considering coming. I quickly called Amy and she entertained the idea. After careful consideration Carlos and Amy agreed to the opportunity.
The day before the filming the producer flew in from Los Angeles to view Abington Meeting herself. A concern that was brought forth by the caretaker was whether the Meetinghouse had sufficient electrical wiring to address the needs of the filming crew. Although the emphasis would be on the outdoor worship, we would also be filming an indoor worship and need special lighting. An electrician was hired to be on-call. My family and the Moreno family welcomed the producer and the reporter, Chantal Westerman, formerly with Good Morning America, by joining them for dinner and much conversation about Quakerism and the Religious Society of Friends.
The day of the filming came with crisp autumn air after many rainy days. I had gotten to the Meetinghouse early and set up chairs outside. The filming crew arrived from New York at 9 a.m. The caretaker took the crew and the electrician on a tour of the building to determine need. Lighting was set up in the Meetinghouse.
The filming of the outdoor Meeting for Worship was to start at 11 a.m. As the time came closer I had become very aware of the whistles from the soccer field. I hadn’t thought about soccer or school activities. I was concerned as to how they would impact the filming. As I paid attention to this concern I began to see a heavy flow of people traffic through the burial ground, our outdoor meeting for worship location. As I walked around the Meetinghouse it became very apparent that we had a problem. Soccer games surrounded our worship space.
As we have so often heard, “the show must go on”, and it did. We moved our outdoor Meeting for Worship space to the grove in front of the Meetinghouse. Prior to worship, Susan and Chantal greeted participants. Each shared their passion for the subject of silence. For thirty minutes or so the spirit flowed, somewhat unexpectedly, through the outdoor Meeting for worship. Despite the cameramen there was no noise. They used hand signals. As a combination of their sensitivity and the efforts of the participants to be centered, the presence of the camera crew was unobtrusive. Messages were shared regarding ‘reflection and change,’ ‘a sense of place,’ ‘preservation vs. stagnation.’ The group then moved in to the Meetinghouse. The silence was even greater.
When all was said and done, participants shared their feelings of pleasure over how each worship service was genuine in its own context. Some shared how their initial hesitations compared to their actual experience. The group, the crew, the producer and reporter broke for lunch, which brought as much conversation about cameras and the documentary process as it did about the subject of silence.
The afternoon was spent filming two interviews in the John Barnes Room. When Robert Lawrence Smith was unable to provide an interview for personal reasons, Bruce Stewart agreed to do the interview. Bruce joined us from Washington on Saturday morning. Carlos Moreno provided the second interview and the crew followed up with some family shots at his home.
Abington Meeting was the first of many to be filmed for The Power of Silence. The following weekend the crew was off to Vermont to interview, Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. The documentary will also include Father Thomas Keating from Santa Fe; Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to walk the Labyrinth; and a final interview with Rabbi Michael Ozair, on mystical Judaism.
The producer will be delivering the film to Wisdom Television the beginning of December. It is possible it will be aired around Christmas time. They may wait until the spring. Abington Meeting will be provided with a videocassette copy.
Carol Beaton
Former Meeting Secretary
Abington Meeting (PA)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM