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At the appointed hour, the Meeting gathered to begin worship in which to attend to the business at hand. Those at the Clerks’ table introduced themselves: Arlene Kelly (Central Philadelphia), Clerk, Anne Moore (Valley), Alternate Clerk, Sue Makler (Abington), Clerk of the Annual Sessions Planning Group, and Mae January Sterrett (Westtown), Recording Clerk.
- Minute 1:
For the Epistle Project Group, Marjorie Anderson read the Epistle from Denmark Yearly Meeting in which they express their gratitude for being part of a diverse, world-wide community of a living tradition. These Friends have simplified the structure of their Yearly Meeting to allow better distribution of resources to maintain their faith community as an organization and the stewardship of their testimonies. Several of their sessions centered on their concerns for making peace work on an individual and worldwide scale through early, loving, respectful resolution of conflict.
- Minute 2:
The Clerk read the minute from the afternoon session of 3/25/00, concerning the Minute on Drug Concerns which was approved in spirit. Raymond Bentman (Central Philadelphia) read the revised minute on Drug Concerns, which incorporated most of the suggestions lifted up at the previous session. Raymond Bentman explained the changes made, noting that the point about the disproportionate length of prison sentences for minorities, while a valid concern about a terrible injustice, seemed too specific for the Minute. The committee felt the Minute should be kept general so as not to lift up only one problem among many terrible problems caused by the war on drugs. After a struggle that included much discussion, powerful ministry and deep, prayerful searching, the Meeting reached unity and felt moved to reaffirm the revised Minute with the deletion of the phrase “of the disadvantaged” after the word “terrorism” and the addition at the end of that same first paragraph, of the sentence “While we are all affected by the war on drugs, we are painfully aware that particularly victimized are people of color, the poor, and other less powerful persons.” The Meeting recognized that this Minute reflects where we are at this moment and that we must continue to move forward, both to act upon these concerns as way opens and to revisit the issues as leadings are given to us.
- Minute 3:
It was noted that $675 was collected from the Simple Meal to be given to the Right Sharing of Resources.
- Minute 4:
After the minutes from this sessions were read, amended, and approved, the Meeting was joined by the Young Friends for Meeting for Worship.
Following the end of Meeting for Worship, the Younger Friends shared their activities, through song, character representations, posters, and banners, which have centered on the their personal experiences with and awareness of God. The Middle School Young Friends also shared brief reports about their experiences of the week. Their activities centered on creating a sense of community among themselves as they explored their dreams and aspirations and ways they can care for the earth.
The Meeting then adjourned to meet again, if rightly ordered, at 1:00 in the afternoon.
Mae January Sterrett, recording clerk
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM