{"id":3117,"date":"2025-04-24T21:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T21:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pym.org\/state-of-the-meeting\/?p=3117"},"modified":"2025-07-25T15:05:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:05:49","slug":"gwynedd-monthly-meeting-2024-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pym.org\/state-of-the-meeting\/gwynedd-monthly-meeting-2024-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Gwynedd Monthly Meeting 2024 – 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gwynedd Friends Meeting has had an eventful year. As a community, we were able to continue with hybrid Meetings for Worship, with many Friends still joining from home via Zoom.<\/p>\n

Our Meeting sometimes feels like an island of tranquility in a chaotic world. But it’s possible that chaos could intrude on us. The Ad Hoc Safety Committee continued its work, to develop an active shooter policy, but also to enhance our responses to possible fire and medical emergencies. The Pennsylvania State Risk & Vulnerability Assessment Team visited the Meeting twice in August and provided exhaustive assessments. The AHSC is still reviewing these recommendations. A threshing session was held on Zoom in late February, when the AHSC heard concerns from members.<\/p>\n

Some improvements have already been made. A new first aid kit was purchased. Parents of a school child have donated an AED, which should be in the meetinghouse soon. The AHSC is working on a proposal to install panic bars on the 1823 building front doors.<\/p>\n

After much deep listening, an ad hoc committee submitted verbiage for a GFM historical marker to Lower Gwynedd Township.<\/p>\n

The Care & Counsel Committee brought forward a concern on inactive and distant members. A threshing session was held, to gather thoughts on inactive members, in addition to the meaning of Membership in a broader sense.<\/p>\n

The Communication Committee acquired an owl camera, which replaces the temperamental cordless microphone. The communication committee also continues to work hard keeping our website up to date, informative and easier to use by Friends at Gwynedd and the general public.<\/p>\n

Using their God given resilience, the Peace and Social Action Committee continued many social justice projects. In July this year Gwynedd Meeting hosted several families from the Interfaith Housing Network of Family Promise. A total of 3 women and 4 children between the ages of 1 and 7 were able to have a safe, comfortable place to stay while they worked on finding jobs, balancing their budgets, keeping their families together, and getting along with each other. We used three classrooms for their bedrooms, and they had use of the kitchen, community room, and bathrooms. Two of the families had cars, so only one family needed transportation. We used the Family Promise van most of the time, though occasionally a volunteer would use their own car.<\/p>\n

The AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) Sale Subcommittee continued the 60 + year few sales with some making last than we would have hoped but we figured out what the contributing factors to that were and how to improve where needed. The search for a co-clerk proved unsuccessful but learned that with enough volunteers helping with each individual sale it can still work amazingly well. We made a total of $6,910 for AFSC from November 2023 to September 2024 which included a little bit of Facebook Marketplace sales.<\/p>\n

The Peace and Justice Vigil continued alongside Route 202 on Saturdays.<\/p>\n

The Peace Camp program had another successful year. Peace Camp’s theme of “Pathways to Peace” focused on ways for campers to find peace within themselves, using techniques for self-calming, such as yoga, breathing, and meditation practices. Other activities included building listening skills and the practice of patience, along with fun activities centered on developing dramatic skits, arts and crafts, outdoor play, and interactions with service animals, among other camp experiences.<\/p>\n

Our Youth Quaker Education program attendance has continued to increase. With new families and youth attending and a group of high school aged Friends dedicated to participate. Most of our youth don’t attend weekly but attend often. Our programs, especially for the Middle and High School Friends, have become stand-alone lessons to accommodate attendance trends. We’ve seen a decline in intergenerational activity participation in the past few years. In October, Friends will be invited to discuss how we can nurture the seeds of our youth and reflect on how we are called to strengthen the ties of community. We are also looking at ways of strengthening community with families of Gwynedd Preschool. Our volunteer teacher pool continues to dwindle, which jeopardizes the youth program. Next year, one of our four main teachers will be stepping down so the Middle and High School classes will likely be combined. Our ability to provide child-care for all activities has declined. We continue to provide child-care to families with our littlest Friends during meeting for worship.<\/p>\n

The Coffeehouse events sponsored by our Fellowship and Outreach Committee continued with a schedule featuring the RaveOn duo in October and Dan Kennedy & Jon Fadem in November. The coffeehouse is an important community outreach program, bringing many non-Quaker visitors to our Meetinghouse.<\/p>\n

The Property Committee again had a busy year, including construction of a new path from the intersection to the bus stop shelter, and around to the Meetinghouse porch. In May, thanks to the efforts of the Property Committee, the Meeting received a settlement of$ 25,500 from Utility Line Services after the contractor damaged a sewer line.<\/p>\n

The Nominating Committee had another year of successfully populating all of our committees with motivated members.<\/p>\n

Many other committees completed much valuable work, and they are too numerous to mention in this brief summary. In preparing this report, I reviewed the annual reports of all committees, and the amount of work done here is truly inspiring. We give thanks to all these Ad Hoc and standing committees who continued their work this year. Individuals on committees enabled us to share God’s love, not only at Gwynedd but also in the wider community and, in the world. The Inner Light is expressing itself through us.<\/p>\n

Submitted 01-19-2025 by Steve Kerr, Clerk.<\/p>\n

Responses received in MMB On February 16, based on the Clerk’s notes at the time:<\/p>\n

We’re an aging population, and we need to encourage more young people to attend and join.<\/p>\n

We need to leave the door in the partition open; it’s not very welcoming when closed.<\/p>\n

We need more interaction between young and old. The coffeehouse needs more publicity.<\/p>\n

We’ve lost the essence of Quaker values. Young people feel unknown and unsupported. Show up for intergenerational activities. Can Secret Friends be restarted?<\/p>\n

Can families with children be a larger part of MFW? We don’t sing anymore.<\/p>\n

Could children’s classes compete to see who can draw the most visitors?<\/p>\n

Our Meeting is too tightly structured which does not encourage spontaneous interaction.<\/p>\n

Can we have more signs along Dekalb Pike and Sumneytown Pike to encourage visitors?<\/p>\n

We need more balance–visitors should be welcomed if they want to learn. (I don’t understand my own notes on this one :).<\/p>\n

We’ve lost sight of what our mission is-especially in the current political climate.<\/p>\n

For the first time in a while, we have 3 high school juniors coming most weeks, and this needs to be encouraged.<\/p>\n

We also need to serve older members, including hearing assistance. It’s a joy to have children in our MFW.<\/p>\n

Coffeehouse needs more acts that are interesting to younger people.<\/p>\n

How is your Meeting changing\/Annual Report from Care & Counsel (2025)<\/p>\n

As the committee gifted with the responsibility for pastoral care, including the homebound, members of Care & Counsel are uniquely aware that our long-time members are moving toward the night time of their lives. New members and transfers from Foulkeways, our sister across the street, often begin their journey with us in that group. This provides an ongoing source of spiritual experience and history. At the same time, younger people are finding their way to us looking for community and a spiritual experience unburdened by dogma and hierarchy. Liberated from the strictures of past religious experience, these younger people want to channel their energy, joy, and love into human relationships and into actions that grow these human connections both within our community and the larger world, now. They see religious\/spiritual growth as inseparable from the deepest experiences of human connection. They seek “that of God” to “that of God” sharing.<\/p>\n

While the energy and enthusiasm of these new members and attenders are welcomed, it is also resisted. Grace Cooke from PYM visited Gwynedd Friends several years ago. Her message to us was summarized in her final suggestion, “Just say, YES!” This is too often not the case in our meeting. Too often, our voluminous Plan of Organization, committee structure, and years of past experience lead us to say no. Often, with enough effort this reflexive no can be changed to yes, but the dampening effect is still felt. As one new member described it, “It’s a spiritual Buzz-kill.”<\/p>\n

Even life-long friends, especially as they transfer from other meetings, feel that our committee structure is overbearing. It is felt that our structure encourages the feeling of being married to specific roles and that committees are being burdened by too many rules and regulations. Our committees can feel like individual puzzle pieces too busy with their own work to reach out and see how<\/p>\n

the other pieces fit with them. We lose sight of the big picture of our faith and practice as a communal whole doing the work of the Spirit.<\/p>\n

However, … Care & Counsel also feels a deepening of our communal worship. The extended silence at the beginning of the worship period seems to give rise to richer sharing of the experience of Spirit as the worship continues. There has also been a gradual acceptance that new younger worshippers will understandably affect the tone of worship. This willingness shows spiritual growth on the part of experienced Friends, and it can be used by Spirit for spiritual growth by younger Friends. This spiritual reciprocity can be further developed by loving mentoring relationships between these two invaluable groups within our precious spiritual community. Let it be so!<\/p>\n

Carol Shearon, Clerk of Care & Counsel, with Francine Brocious, Paula Cell, Nancy Heers, Julie-Ann LaPointe, Betsy Lowe, Marty Wilcockson, Stacy Kent Wyckoff<\/p>\n

For the annual Spiritual State of the Meeting Report to PYM, the Sustainability Committee is responding to this question:<\/p>\n

“Please share any triumphs or troubles you have had regarding the climate witness.”<\/p>\n

Under triumphs:<\/p>\n