Bristol Friends Meeting Annual Report
Presented at Quarterly Meeting – May 20, 2018
Camp Onas, Ottsville PA
Bristol Friends Meeting membership continues to be low. We have had a few meeting with six or eight folks attending, but that is the exception. Many meetings have had just three people. We are happy to see a new Quaker couple has moved into the borough, and look forward to them joining us in worship. We continue to gather once a month, usually on the second Sunday, for worship followed by our business meeting.
It was approved by the Quarter that Bristol Friends become a preparative meeting under the aegis of Fallsington Meeting. This move reflects the reality of our current situation and provides needed financial oversight for endowments and accounts in Bristol Friends’ care. The members of Bristol Friends thank the Quarter and Fallsington Friends for their loving concern and generous help.
Jim Fine continues as our treasurer, currently performing his duties from far away Iraq. Although halfway across the world, his quick responses and active involvement in our affairs makes it feel as if he is still here in Bristol. We wish him safe travels and look forward to his July return.
Bristol Friends collected many bags of warm clothing, including coats and jackets. These were passed along to families who had fled to our area from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
We worked locally promoting peace and non-violence in cooperation with the Peace Center. They presented an anti-bullying program in the Bristol schools.
Paul Shaffer attended the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting gathering of clerks at Hockessin Meeting in Delaware. The clerks spent time working on examples of microaggressions and institutional racism.
Going forward, Bristol Friends Meeting will continue working with the clerk’s committee on small meetings to explore ways to increase our outreach effectiveness. And finally, this October, Bristol Friends will have an extra special event held during Historic Bristol Day…
Historic Bristol Day dig! Researchers from Bucks County Community College and Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation are conducting ongoing excavations in Bristol borough. It is just possible that our yard is untouched over the past three hundred years. The public would be invited to participate in the archeological dig. Who knows what we could find?
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Shaffer, clerk