Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
16, Eleventh Month, 2008 Number
884
WQ 08-57
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Pipe Creek Meeting
House,
Union Bridge, MD 16th day of Eleventh Month, 2008 for the 884th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 08-58 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Andy Hoover, Joan Anderson, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick/Shepherdstown:
Ian Clarke
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon: Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Tony Breda, Walter Calahan, Larry Fisher, Gwen
Handler, Laurel
Hummel, Frank Reitemeyer, Jim Slingluff, Emily & C.J. Swet,
William Swetchannik, T.R. &
Laura Wailes, Wilbur Wright
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York: Leada Dietz, Lamar Matthew, Wim Neij
Guest: Ann Whittaker (Baltimore Yearly Meeting,
in her own capacity)
WQ 08-59 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Received
Frederick: Received
Gettysburg: Received
Menallen: Received
Pipe Creek: Received
Warrington: Received
York: Received
WQ 08-60 Treasurer’s
Report
The Treasurer reports that Warrington
Quarter’s finances are in good order. All
apportionments from Monthly Meetings for 2008 have been received, as well as
all past due apportionments. The Quarter began the year with a balance of $485.95. Income received for the year totaled $155.00. Expenses for the Quarter totaled $149.76. The Quarter ends the year with a checking
account balance of $491.19.
WQ 08-61
Clerk requested that Friends reflect on the following BYM
proposed Advices and Queries on Stewardship and the “voices” on the matter and
asked for their reflections:
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Advices
“To turn all we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the
business of our lives” - this, in the words of John Woolman, is the meaning of
Quaker stewardship.
This applies to all that we have and are, as individuals, as members of
groups, and as inhabitants of the earth. As individuals, we are obliged to use
our time, our various abilities, our strength, our money, our material
possessions, and other resources in a spirit of love, aware that we hold these
gifts in trust, and are responsible to use them in the Light.
Investment of assets and consumption of resources require our careful
stewardship. As friends, we can direct our investments toward socially
desirable ends, avoiding speculation and activities wasteful or harmful to
others. We should seek to participate constructively and without greed in the
economic life of the community and to refrain from undue accumulation of wealth
as well as irresponsible borrowing.
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Queries
Do we regard our time, talents, energy, money, material possessions and
other resources as gifts from God, to be held in trust and shared according to
the Light we are given?
What are we doing as individuals and as a meeting to nurture our gifts?
How do we encourage the members of the larger community to be careful
stewards of their gifts?
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Voices
To turn all we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business
of our lives.
John Woolman
Of the interest of the public in our estates: Hardly any thing is given us
for our selves, but the public may claim a share with us. But of all we call
ours, we are most accountable to God and the public for our estates: In this we
are but stewards, and to hoard up all to ourselves is great injustice as well
as ingratitude.
John Woolman, 1720 (quoted by North Pacific YM)
As Christians, all we possess is the gift of God, and in the distribution of
it we act as his stewards; it becomes us therefore to act agreeably to that
divine wisdom which he graciously gives to his servants.
John Woolman, “A Word of Remembrance and Caution to the
Rich”
In reading those short last essays of John Woolman, which are little treatises
on economics, I have been struck by his intuition that wrong roads were being
taken by his contemporaries, upon which we their descendants should find our
direction almost irreversibly fixed. Unrighteous use of other human beings,
unrighteous use of one's own powers, irresponsible use and waste of land and
other natural resources - he touches on them all. It is evident that he was
convinced that the spiritual life of men and women is deeply conditioned by
their economic life.
Mildred Binns Young, What Doth The Lord Require of Thee?
For some there is a danger that care for the future may lead to undue
anxiety and become a habit of saving for its own sake, resulting in the
withholding of what should be expended for the needs of the family or devoted
to the service of the Society. The temptation to trust in riches comes in many
forms, and can only be withstood through faith in our Father and his providing
care.
London Yearly Meeting, 1945
To “stretch beyond one’s compass” grasping at shadows, and encumbering
oneself with more than is needed for simple, wholesome living, is at variance
with all our best traditions.
Caroline Stephens, Quaker Strongholds
WQ 08-62 Business
Agenda
1) Monthly Meeting Reports
2) Report of Nominating Committee
3) Major Projects
4) Outreach
5) Interim
Meeting-Peace and Social Concerns
6) Advice on
Preparing Quarterly Reports
WQ 08-63 Report of Nominating Committee
Margaret Stambaugh presented the report of the Nominating
Committee. Andy Hoover has accepted the
nomination as Clerk of the Quarter and Leada Dietz as Recording Clerk/Treasurer
of the Quarter. Friends gathered accepted
the nominees. The nominations will be
laid over for final consideration until the next meeting of Warrington Quarter
on 15 Second Month 2009 per custom.
WQ 08-64 Major
Projects
Clerk requested to hear from Monthly Meetings
about any major projects that Meetings have been, or are, engaged in.
Carlisle Friends stated that their mortgage
on the Meetinghouse has been retired. A
major annual endeavor of Carlisle Friends is their participation in Carlisle
Cares. Carlisle Cares is a project of
several religious communities in Carlisle to provide overnight overflow housing
for the homeless. Carlisle Friends have
been opening their meetinghouse for several years to provide overnight
accommodation for men and women in conjunction with this worthwhile cause.
Frederick Friends are looking at ways to
“green” their meetinghouse. Frederick
Friends have a healthy population of young Friends and a major obligation is
providing First Day education.
York Friends are investigating adding
additional building space.
WQ 08-65 Outreach
Friends exchanged information about what
their respective Meetings have been doing in regards to outreach in their communities. Meetings have been hosting speakers,
festivals, yard sales, and open houses all in an effort to make themselves more
visible and to engage their communities.
Maintaining a web presence was another route that Meetings have been
using. York Friends will be hosting
Quaker Quest next year and invite Monthly Meetings to participate. Information will be announced as it becomes
available. Check with Leada Dietz for
further information. Clerk stated that Quarterly Meeting can also
be used as a venue to exchange ideas for outreach.
Ann Whittaker stated that Meetings can
contact her at BYM for information on outreach (adm@bym-rsf.org)
and/or to inform other Friends what their Meeting is doing by publishing news
in the Interchange.
WQ 08-66 Interim
Meeting-Peace and Social Concerns
Leada Dietz reported from BYM Peace and
Social Concerns Committee. Through
Warrington Quarter’s sponsorship, the Committee joined, on behalf of the
Yearly Meeting, the National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT). This
temporary arrangement was formalized by Yearly Meeting at Interim Session last
fall. Baltimore Yearly Meeting is now a Participating Member of NRCAT, and a
member of our committee represents the Yearly Meeting to that organization.
The Committee calls upon Meetings and
individual Friends to act out of our beliefs and to prayerfully consider
supporting and creating awareness of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund
(www.peacetaxfund.org).
WQ
08-67 Advice on Preparing Quarterly
Reports
Clerk
shared the following minute approved by Carlisle Friends November 8, 1998 as a closing
reflection on the preparation of Quarterly reports:
Carlisle Friends
unite in understanding that Quarterly Meeting, whatever it may undertake,
should focus its main efforts on developing a sense of unity among Friends
across Monthly Meetings, strengthening Friends’ public witness, and helping Monthly
Meetings discern and cultivate gifts (of ministry and otherwise) among their
members.
There may
be many ways to support these efforts, but we believe that it will be helpful
to ask Meetings to report on a regular basis about specific developments,
whether encouraging or problematical.
To this end, we suggest that the following queries be considered when
submitting reports to the Quarter from Monthly Meetings within Warrington
Quarter:
1) What
fresh openings have occurred in your Meeting during the past quarter year?
2) What
has your Meeting done during the past three months that has strengthened your
witness to your community?
3) Where
is your Meeting languishing? Who or
what is missing in your Meeting?
WQ 08-68 Announcements
The 49th Annual Nazareth
to Bethlehem Christmas Peace Pilgrimage is planned for Saturday, December 13th. The Pilgrimage began in 1960 as a
Christian witness for peace. All persons of any age are welcome to join the
Pilgrimage, symbolic of the journey of Mary and Joseph. In the 10-mile trek
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and in the rally, we seek to reflect
the non-violent life of Jesus Christ and his truth of forgiving love. Walk with
your family and friends and make new friends with others who seek a more
peaceful world. For more information
visit: http://www.peacewalk.org/.
Carlisle Meeting has 4 or 5 very heavy 11 foot benches (benches painted
white with brown ends) it would like to offer.
WQ 08-69 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Pipe Creek Meeting, for hosting today’s session.
WQ 08-70
Meeting closed with a period of
silent worship. Friends of Warrington
Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Second Month, 2009 (February 15th,
2009) at York Monthly Meeting, York, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
17, Eighth Month, 2008 Number
883
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
16, Eleventh Month, 2008 Number
884
WQ 08-57
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Pipe Creek Meeting
House,
Union Bridge, MD 16th day of Eleventh Month, 2008 for the 884th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 08-58 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Andy Hoover, Joan Anderson, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick/Shepherdstown:
Ian Clarke
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon: Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Tony Breda, Walter Calahan, Larry Fisher, Gwen
Handler, Laurel
Hummel, Frank Reitemeyer, Jim Slingluff, Emily & C.J. Swet,
William Swetchannik, T.R. &
Laura Wailes, Wilbur Wright
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York: Leada Dietz, Lamar Matthew, Wim Neij
Guest: Ann Whittaker (Baltimore Yearly Meeting,
in her own capacity)
WQ 08-59 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Received
Frederick: Received
Gettysburg: Received
Menallen: Received
Pipe Creek: Received
Warrington: Received
York: Received
WQ 08-60 Treasurer’s
Report
The Treasurer reports that Warrington
Quarter’s finances are in good order. All
apportionments from Monthly Meetings for 2008 have been received, as well as
all past due apportionments. The Quarter began the year with a balance of $485.95. Income received for the year totaled $155.00. Expenses for the Quarter totaled $149.76. The Quarter ends the year with a checking
account balance of $491.19.
WQ 08-61
Clerk requested that Friends reflect on the following BYM
proposed Advices and Queries on Stewardship and the “voices” on the matter and
asked for their reflections:
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Advices
“To turn all we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the
business of our lives” - this, in the words of John Woolman, is the meaning of
Quaker stewardship.
This applies to all that we have and are, as individuals, as members of
groups, and as inhabitants of the earth. As individuals, we are obliged to use
our time, our various abilities, our strength, our money, our material
possessions, and other resources in a spirit of love, aware that we hold these
gifts in trust, and are responsible to use them in the Light.
Investment of assets and consumption of resources require our careful
stewardship. As friends, we can direct our investments toward socially
desirable ends, avoiding speculation and activities wasteful or harmful to
others. We should seek to participate constructively and without greed in the
economic life of the community and to refrain from undue accumulation of wealth
as well as irresponsible borrowing.
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Queries
Do we regard our time, talents, energy, money, material possessions and
other resources as gifts from God, to be held in trust and shared according to
the Light we are given?
What are we doing as individuals and as a meeting to nurture our gifts?
How do we encourage the members of the larger community to be careful
stewards of their gifts?
Stewardship of Personal Resources: Voices
To turn all we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business
of our lives.
John Woolman
Of the interest of the public in our estates: Hardly any thing is given us
for our selves, but the public may claim a share with us. But of all we call
ours, we are most accountable to God and the public for our estates: In this we
are but stewards, and to hoard up all to ourselves is great injustice as well
as ingratitude.
John Woolman, 1720 (quoted by North Pacific YM)
As Christians, all we possess is the gift of God, and in the distribution of
it we act as his stewards; it becomes us therefore to act agreeably to that
divine wisdom which he graciously gives to his servants.
John Woolman, “A Word of Remembrance and Caution to the
Rich”
In reading those short last essays of John Woolman, which are little treatises
on economics, I have been struck by his intuition that wrong roads were being
taken by his contemporaries, upon which we their descendants should find our
direction almost irreversibly fixed. Unrighteous use of other human beings,
unrighteous use of one's own powers, irresponsible use and waste of land and
other natural resources - he touches on them all. It is evident that he was
convinced that the spiritual life of men and women is deeply conditioned by
their economic life.
Mildred Binns Young, What Doth The Lord Require of Thee?
For some there is a danger that care for the future may lead to undue
anxiety and become a habit of saving for its own sake, resulting in the
withholding of what should be expended for the needs of the family or devoted
to the service of the Society. The temptation to trust in riches comes in many
forms, and can only be withstood through faith in our Father and his providing
care.
London Yearly Meeting, 1945
To “stretch beyond one’s compass” grasping at shadows, and encumbering
oneself with more than is needed for simple, wholesome living, is at variance
with all our best traditions.
Caroline Stephens, Quaker Strongholds
WQ 08-62 Business
Agenda
1) Monthly Meeting Reports
2) Report of Nominating Committee
3) Major Projects
4) Outreach
5) Interim
Meeting-Peace and Social Concerns
6) Advice on
Preparing Quarterly Reports
WQ 08-63 Report of Nominating Committee
Margaret Stambaugh presented the report of the Nominating
Committee. Andy Hoover has accepted the
nomination as Clerk of the Quarter and Leada Dietz as Recording Clerk/Treasurer
of the Quarter. Friends gathered accepted
the nominees. The nominations will be
laid over for final consideration until the next meeting of Warrington Quarter
on 15 Second Month 2009 per custom.
WQ 08-64 Major
Projects
Clerk requested to hear from Monthly Meetings
about any major projects that Meetings have been, or are, engaged in.
Carlisle Friends stated that their mortgage
on the Meetinghouse has been retired. A
major annual endeavor of Carlisle Friends is their participation in Carlisle
Cares. Carlisle Cares is a project of
several religious communities in Carlisle to provide overnight overflow housing
for the homeless. Carlisle Friends have
been opening their meetinghouse for several years to provide overnight
accommodation for men and women in conjunction with this worthwhile cause.
Frederick Friends are looking at ways to
“green” their meetinghouse. Frederick
Friends have a healthy population of young Friends and a major obligation is
providing First Day education.
York Friends are investigating adding
additional building space.
WQ 08-65 Outreach
Friends exchanged information about what
their respective Meetings have been doing in regards to outreach in their communities. Meetings have been hosting speakers,
festivals, yard sales, and open houses all in an effort to make themselves more
visible and to engage their communities.
Maintaining a web presence was another route that Meetings have been
using. York Friends will be hosting
Quaker Quest next year and invite Monthly Meetings to participate. Information will be announced as it becomes
available. Check with Leada Dietz for
further information. Clerk stated that Quarterly Meeting can also
be used as a venue to exchange ideas for outreach.
Ann Whittaker stated that Meetings can
contact her at BYM for information on outreach (adm@bym-rsf.org)
and/or to inform other Friends what their Meeting is doing by publishing news
in the Interchange.
WQ 08-66 Interim
Meeting-Peace and Social Concerns
Leada Dietz reported from BYM Peace and
Social Concerns Committee. Through
Warrington Quarter’s sponsorship, the Committee joined, on behalf of the
Yearly Meeting, the National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT). This
temporary arrangement was formalized by Yearly Meeting at Interim Session last
fall. Baltimore Yearly Meeting is now a Participating Member of NRCAT, and a
member of our committee represents the Yearly Meeting to that organization.
The Committee calls upon Meetings and
individual Friends to act out of our beliefs and to prayerfully consider
supporting and creating awareness of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund
(www.peacetaxfund.org).
WQ
08-67 Advice on Preparing Quarterly
Reports
Clerk
shared the following minute approved by Carlisle Friends November 8, 1998 as a closing
reflection on the preparation of Quarterly reports:
Carlisle Friends
unite in understanding that Quarterly Meeting, whatever it may undertake,
should focus its main efforts on developing a sense of unity among Friends
across Monthly Meetings, strengthening Friends’ public witness, and helping Monthly
Meetings discern and cultivate gifts (of ministry and otherwise) among their
members.
There may
be many ways to support these efforts, but we believe that it will be helpful
to ask Meetings to report on a regular basis about specific developments,
whether encouraging or problematical.
To this end, we suggest that the following queries be considered when
submitting reports to the Quarter from Monthly Meetings within Warrington
Quarter:
1) What
fresh openings have occurred in your Meeting during the past quarter year?
2) What
has your Meeting done during the past three months that has strengthened your
witness to your community?
3) Where
is your Meeting languishing? Who or
what is missing in your Meeting?
WQ 08-68 Announcements
The 49th Annual Nazareth
to Bethlehem Christmas Peace Pilgrimage is planned for Saturday, December 13th. The Pilgrimage began in 1960 as a
Christian witness for peace. All persons of any age are welcome to join the
Pilgrimage, symbolic of the journey of Mary and Joseph. In the 10-mile trek
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and in the rally, we seek to reflect
the non-violent life of Jesus Christ and his truth of forgiving love. Walk with
your family and friends and make new friends with others who seek a more
peaceful world. For more information
visit: http://www.peacewalk.org/.
Carlisle Meeting has 4 or 5 very heavy 11 foot benches (benches painted
white with brown ends) it would like to offer.
WQ 08-69 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Pipe Creek Meeting, for hosting today’s session.
WQ 08-70
Meeting closed with a period of
silent worship. Friends of Warrington
Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Second Month, 2009 (February 15th,
2009) at York Monthly Meeting, York, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
WQ 08-45
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at the historic Huntingdon Meeting
House,
York Springs, PA 17th day of Eighth Month, 2008 for the 883rd
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 08-46 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick/Shepherdstown:
Tori Bolton, Sue deNeer, Emily & Ian Clarke, Andrea
McCluskey, Ruth
Snyder
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon: Barclay Brooks, Chris Fee, Kate McCaffrey
Pipe Creek: Tony Breda, Tr. & Laura Dailes, Larry
Fisher, Gwen Handler, Dottie
McAdams
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York: Leada Dietz, David Fitz, Tracy Hardar, Lamar
Matthew, Wim Neij, Tim
Williams
WQ 08-47 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Reported
Frederick: Received
Gettysburg: Received
Menallen: Received
Pipe Creek: Received
Warrington: Received
York: Received
WQ 08-48 Treasurer’s
Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s finances are in good order. The Quarter has a checking account balance of $640.95.
WQ 08-49 Business
Agenda
1) Query on outreach
2) Nominating Committee
3) Ideas for the Quarter-M&C hour before meeting for
worship? Retreat Ideas?
4) Financial needs of monthly meetings
WQ 08-50 Query on Outreach
Following the reading of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s query on
Outreach, Clerk solicited Friends’ reflections. Among the reflections offered:
- The
world needs to hear the Quaker message and we need to do a better job of
getting it out.
- Let
our lives speak by sharing and witnessing to our concerns.
- Friends
need to express their faith in words and in deeds.
- The
Faith & Practice Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting is making
available to Monthly Meetings revision packets on the queries. Friends are encouraged to read and
offer suggestions, either individually or as a Monthly Meeting.
WQ 08-51 Nominating
Committee
The Nominating Committee for the Quarter to
search for a new Recording Clerk and Treasurer will be comprised of:
Recording Clerk: Andy Hoover
Ian Clark:
Frederick Meeting
Margaret Stambaugh (conveener): Gettysburg Meeting
Barclay Brooks: Menallen Meeting
Tony Brady:
Pipe Creek Meeting
Lamar Matthew: York Meeting
Faith Basehore: Warrington Meeting
Joan Anderson: Carlisle Meeting
WQ
08-52 Ideas for the Quarter
Clerk has asked Friends to consider a
proposal for having a Ministry & Counsel hour before Meeting for Worship. Clerk would also like to generate ideas for
future retreats.
WQ
08-53 Financial Needs of Monthly
Meetings
Clerk asked Friends to consider whether there
is a need to establish a network to assist Monthly Meetings in need of
financial assistance outside of Yearly Meeting channels. What are the practicalities and how would it
be administered?
Menallen Meeting has contacted Partners for
Sacred Places for guidance for meetinghouses under its care. Pipe Creek Meeting is beginning initial
investigations into replacing its flooring and may require assistance.
One Friend spoke in favor of a Quarterly fund
in that it would foster community building among the Meetings of the Quarter
and raise awareness of the needs of the Monthly Meetings.
WQ 08-54 Announcements
Carlisle Meeting has benches it would like to offer to Meetings.
Leada Dietz (York Meeting) reports that the Peace & Social Concerns
Committee of BYM calls upon Quakers to hold fast to our peace testimony and to
take action as F/friends are led, in the spirit of Jesus’ teachings, as we are
held in the light with the steadfast belief that there is that of God in
everyone. As one expression of this, we
ask Baltimore Yearly Meeting to send the accompanying letter to Mr. George W.
Bush, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice,
and Senators Obama and McCain. (Copies of the letter were made available on the
front bench).
Copies of a Petition against the paying of taxes for war were made
available on the front bench.
The Network of
Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org)
is
seeking to have the advanced industrial countries of the world use their
resources to eliminate once and for all global poverty, homelessness, and
hunger; provide quality education and health care for all; and repair the
global environment. As an initial commitment, it wants the U.S. to donate at
least 1-2% of its Gross Domestic Product each year for the next twenty (though
the amount may be less if other countries join in the effort, more if they do
not).
WQ 08-55 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Huntingdon/Menallen Meeting, for hosting today’s session.
WQ 08-56
Meeting closed with a period of
silent worship. Friends of Warrington
Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eleventh Month (November 16th),
2008 at Pipe Creek Monthly Meeting, Union Bridge, MD, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
19, Fifth Month, 2008 Number
882
WQ 08-38
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Frederick Meeting
House,
Frederick, MD 18th day of Fifth Month, 2008 for the 882nd
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 08-39 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan Anderson, Andy Hoover, Amy Hurley, Ed
Sonnenberg
Frederick/Shepherdstown:
Carol Ahlum, Tori Bolton, Sue deNeer, Howard Fezell, Joan Fisher, Ruth Snyder,
Helen & Ian Tasker, Jim Wagner, Gail Whitehead, Francy William
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon: Mary & Mike Gemmill
Pipe Creek: Emily & C.J. Swet, William Swetcharik
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York: Lamar Matthew, Wim Neij
WQ 08-40 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Received
Frederick: Received
Gettysburg: Received
Menallen: Received
Pipe Creek: Received
Warrington: Received
York: Received
Sheperdstown Allowed Meeting: Friends from Sheperdstown Allowed
Meeting (Shepherdstown, West Virginia), under the care of Frederick Monthly
Meeting, report that attendance at Meeting is becoming more consistent. The Meeting is looking to strengthen and
formalize its business meetings.
WQ 08-41 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s finances are in good order. The Quarter has a checking account balance of $545.95. 2008 apportionments are being accepted.
WQ 08-42 Business
Agenda
1) Nominating Committee for New Officers
2) State of the Quarter Report
3) Website/Meeting Retreat
Nominating Committee
for New Officers
Clerk has requested that Quarterly Meeting representatives
report to their respective Monthly Meetings seeking the name of a person
willing to serve on the nominating committee for Quarterly Meeting.
State of the Quarter
Report
Clerk presented the “State of Warrington Quarterly Meeting
Report” (appended) and asked for Friends’ considerations. Some of the thoughts expressed:
1)
Proposal to establish a fund that Monthly Meetings of the
Quarter can draw from
2)
Importance of Quarterly meeting as a setting to meet and learn
from seasoned Friends and to meet new Friends and enjoy one another’s
camaraderie
3)
Concern for Frederick Monthly Meeting’s relationship with the
Quarter. Frederick has not formally
visited the issue.
4)
Suggestion to use the issues in the State of the Quarter
Report as points for discussion in future Quarterly meetings.
5)
Hold quarterly Meeting three times a year if quarterly is
proving to be burdensome
Website/Meeting
Retreat
Friends of the Quarter may want to consider setting up a Warrington
Quarter Blog.
Mary Gemmill of Menallen will investigate the possibility of Menallen
Meeting hosting the August gathering of Warrington Quarter at historic
Huntingdon Meetinghouse in York Springs, PA.
A sleep over/camping event would be planned for Saturday evening, August
16th, with Meeting for Worship and Business Meeting on Sunday,
August 17th. Stay tuned for
details.
WQ 08-43 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Frederick Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 08-44 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eighth
Month (August 17th), 2008 at Huntingdon Monthly Meeting, York
Springs, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
What purpose does Quarterly Meeting serve? In the past it was the occasion for some amazing meetings for worship. Meeting for worship was often preceded by an hour of worship sharing. This helped Friends consider a variety of subjects with a depth that was close to worship and gave them an opportunity to learn from other thoughtful Friends. It also naturally led into worship and helped to deepen the level of worship. Do we need to re-institute the kind of worship sharing we once had in the Quarter?
We also had people who seemed to have a gift of ministry and Quarterly Meeting gave them an opportunity to exercise that gift. There’s something about going to an unfamiliar meeting that causes you to pay attention more. And having visitors often changes the usual dynamics in a meeting.
We’ve also lost the opportunity to learn from one another by discontinuing the consideration of queries at Quarterly meeting. At one time, we would consider 3 queries at Quarterly Meeting and document the responses.
At one time the Quarter provided a place for meeting outlaws to meet with other Friends. Friends like George Faller, Bob Euler, Francis Worley, and Jack Swezey needed the Quarter and in turn enriched us. The Quarter also provided Quaker contact for meetings that were small. When I joined York MM, there were only 2 members. Pipe Creek was also quite small at one time. The Quarter also helped people who were new to Friends to see how Friends did business.
The Quarter also provided a place for meetings in conflict to talk about those conflicts with Friends other than the people they were in conflict with.
As far as I know, we don’t have significant conflicts in any of our monthly meetings. And the outlaws have died. Our monthly meetings seem fairly self-sufficient.
At one time we had a Quarterly Meeting youth coordinator who planned activities that could bring children from the different monthly meeting together. This was especially valuable for the small meeting that only had a few children. For several years we had camp-outs in connection with our August gatherings. We talked about doing something like that last year but had trouble getting it organized. Is this something we should be doing?
The business meeting this past year has been mixed. We united behind a minute on a death penalty moratorium. We paid for Yearly Meeting’s membership in the National Religious Council Against Torture. The real life in business meeting seemed to center around BYM’s relationship to FUM. We united on a minute after a couple of intense meetings. I think it was good for us to talk about it among ourselves, even if the issues have changed at the Yearly Meeting level.
One concern has been Frederick’s lack of participation in the Quarter. I have read that they have talked about whether they want to continue being formally a part of the Quarter. They have not had a representative at Quarterly meeting in over a year. We have also had limited participation from Pipe Creek. Both meetings certainly add to the diversity of the Quarter.
One strength (it may be a weakness in some ways?) is that we have a core group of Friends who regularly attend Quarterly meeting and who have known each other for a long time. Do we need some fresh faces?
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
17, Second Month, 2008 Number
881
WQ 07-31
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Carlisle Meeting
House,
Carlisle, PA 17th day of Second Month, 2008 for the 881st
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-32 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Kenyon McCoy, Pegi Siegel, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: None Present
Gettysburg: Margaret Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Mary & Mike Gemmill
Pipe Creek: None
Present
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Leada Dietz,
Lamar Matthew, Wim Neij
Unaffiliated Visitor:
Michael Moyer
WQ 07-33 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Attached:
Frederick: No report
received.
Gettysburg: Attached
Menallen: Oral report
recorded below.
Pipe Creek: No report
received.
Warrington: Attached
York: Attached, with oral
addendum recorded below.
Menallen: Menallen Friends mourn
the passing of Friend Roseanne “Posey” Wright. Friends from Menallen Meeting
report that Menallen Friends’ annual potluck with A.M.E. Zion Church of
Gettysburg was a success with approximately 40 people in attendance. Menallen Friends, in conjunction with A.M.E.
Zion and another church, is developing a musical project portraying the plight
of Kitty Paine, a freed Virginia slave living in Pennsylvania with her children
who was kidnapped in 1845 and imprisoned in Virginia. Menallen Friends and other residents
eventually helped Kitty return to freedom and brought her kidnappers to justice.
Menallen
Friends have joined with Partners for Sacred Places, the only national,
non-sectarian, non-profit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and
active community use of America's older religious properties. Partners provides
assistance to the people who care for sacred places while promoting a new
understanding of how these places sustain communities (from their web site: www.sacredplaces.org). Menallen Friends have under their care 3
meetinghouses and 5 cemeteries.
Menallen Friends also report that
their First Day School is thriving.
York: Addendum to attached
written report: York Friends Meeting
website has been revamped. Please visit
York Friends web presence at: www.yorkfriendsmeeting.org
. On their web page can be found a
“Spiritual Events” calendar and links to much information.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting and
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Indian Affairs Committee are encouraging Friends
to participate in, and support, the Longest Walk, a spiritual walk for the
environment. The walk is scheduled to
pass through the Carlisle and York areas in July. See www.longestwalk.org
for further information.
Friend Wim Neij recommends that
Meetings acquire a copy of the following film for viewing: “For the Bible Tells Me So” (www.forthebibletellsmeso.org). From the web site: Through the
experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families --
including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal
Bishop Gene Robinson -- we discover how insightful people of faith handle the
realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop
Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and
Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and
understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual
identity.
WQ 07-34 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $500.95.
WQ
07-35 Business
Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s (BYM) relationship with Friend United
Meeting (FUM)
Clerk circulated minutes from Carlisle, Gettysburg, and
Menallen Monthly Meetings which are in response to a BYM query asking that
monthly meetings consider how Friends wish to relate to individuals based on
sexual orientation, to African Friends, and to various Quaker bodies:
Carlisle Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute on February 10, 2008:
Carlisle Friends affirm our wish to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus
and the vision that convinced Peter that the gospel message is for all
people. We believe that denying employment or positions of leadership to
Friends based on sexual orientation or openly acknowledged sexual
commitments risks following what Paul called "the letter of the law" at the
expense of "the Spirit that gives life." We acknowledge, however, the good
faith of those who disagree with us. We know that they have tried as hard
as we, often harder and under more difficult conditions, to be faithful to
gospel teachings. We hope that Baltimore Yearly Meeting will be able to
maintain and restore a spirit of unity with Friends United Meeting, based on
a shared commitment to a Quaker process that keeps us all open to the
possibility of new insights and leadings. We hope that BYM will base its
financial and other decisions on whether there appear to be reasonable
grounds for hope of improving relations through patient listening and open
and respectful dialogue.
Gettysburg Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute on February 10, 2008:
It is fundamental to Quaker Faith and Practice that we
honor the equality and integrity of all human beings and affirm individuals in
their leadings. Gettysburg Monthly Meeting strongly expresses its support for
withholding financial aid from any organization that discriminates on the basis
of sexual orientation. At the same time we hope that BYM will continue active
dialogue with members of FUM.
style='color:black'> Friends were reminded of a cogent statement by
Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong. On page 14 of the soft-cover issue of his
book “A New Christianity for a New World” he states “…Homosexuality is more
like left-handedness. It is a part of the very BEING of a minority of the human
family, and therefore it is something to which one awakens, not something one
chooses to be.”
Menallen Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute, Second Month, 2008:
These are the times that try our souls, as we search for
unity with Friends United meeting (FUM) and Friends within our own Meeting
regarding issues of sexual orientation.
Regardless of where we stand, each Friend truly believes that as they
speak the inner Light guides them. So
while we try to create unity on this contentious subject, this must be the
understanding with which we approach each other.
As long as we recognize that love encompasses all of God’s
children, we must continue to reach out to all of our own Meeting’s Friends and
FUM. Not only should Menallen Monthly
Meeting and Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) persist in speaking to this subject,
but also be willing to listen and rejoice on each point, notwithstanding how
small the consensus.
Meanwhile, we cannot ignore the needs of those specific
schools or hospitals under the auspices of FUM. Can BYM not send financial support directly to those worthy
initiatives of FUM?
Because we are members of the Religious Society of Friends
we know the quest for unity is not a place but a never ending path. How long id John Woolman pursue his Inner
Light?
Clerk also provided copies of the “Report on Friends United
Meeting” from the New York Yearly Meeting Representatives to FUM, April 2007
and BYM Representatives Rich Liversidge and John Smallwood’s “Report o FUM
General Board Meeting 12-13 October 2007” dated October 20, 2007 which was
submitted to BYM Interim Meeting (copies of which are attached).
After much heartfelt and tender discussion and listening, Clerk sensed
that Friends favored restrictive giving to FUM. Friends of Warrington Quarter united on the following minute of
which a copy will be forwarded by the Clerk of Warrington Quarter to BYM:
Warrington Quarter supports an ongoing dialog with
Friends United Meeting about their Personnel Policy. We cannot recommend that Baltimore Yearly Meeting support Friends
United Meeting financially until there is a change in Friends United Meeting’s
policy.
WQ 07-36 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Carlisle Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-37 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Fifth
Month (May 18th), 2008 at Frederick Monthly Meeting, Frederick, MD, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
18, Eleven Month, 2007 Number
880
WQ 07-23
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at historic York Meeting
House,
York, PA 18th day of Eleventh Month, 2007 for the 880th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 07-24 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: No
Representative
Gettysburg: Tim Cullen, Margaret Stambaugh, Marvin and Ruth
Shapiro
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Frank
Reitemeyer
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Sue Doering,
David and Ruth Fitz, Louise Heckert, Mark Hilton, Sally Keller, Pat
Long,
Lamar Matthew, Dawn Mogren, Wim Neij
WQ 07-25 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral Report
Submitted:
Carlisle Friends participated
once again in Carlisle Cares, a local interreligious initiative that provides
overnight shelter to the homeless.
Carlisle Friends opened their Meeting House during the month of October.
The mortgage on Carlisle Friend’s
Meeting House will be paid off at the end of the year. In consideration of the additional funds
that will be available to the Meeting, as a form of outreach to the community, Carlisle
Friends are exploring ways to make the “A” Street face of the Meeting House
more welcoming and attractive to those who pass by and who may want to stop in.
Frederick: Attached
Gettysburg: Attached
Menallen: Attached
Pipe Creek: Attached
Warrington: Attached
York: Attached
WQ 07-26 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $485.95. The balance reflects a contribution of
$250.00 made payable to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (www.nrcat.org) to sponsor Baltimore Yearly
Meeting as a Participating Member in the organization.
Monthly Meeting apportionments to
the Quarter are $15.00 per year.
WQ 07-27 Business
Clerk Andy Hoover forwarded a letter on behalf of the
Quarter to the Legislative Initiative Against the Death Penalty presenting the
Quarter’s Minute (approved in 1995) on the Death Penalty (see attachment).
WQ 07-28 Business
Clerk Andy Hoover presented Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s (BYM)
request to constituent Monthly Meetings to consider BYM’s affiliation with
Friends United Meeting (FUM) in the hopes of jump starting the discussion in
the Quarter (see attachment). Clerk
began by reading issues, presented as Queries, from General Secretary Riley
Robinson:
Friend Lamar Matthew provided an overview of other Yearly
Meeting’s current association considerations with FUM. He stated that New York, New England, and
Southeastern Yearly Meetings are all in the process of reviewing their
association with FUM. He provided a
brief overview of the issues confronting BYM and of BYM’s outreaches to
FUM. Friends are directed to the minutes
of Interim and Yearly Meeting available in the Yearly Meeting Yearbook and
available online at Yearly Meeting’s Web site at: www.bym-rsf.org for
detailed information on the conflict with FUM.
Clerk directed Friends’ focus back to considering the
Queries as posed by General Secretary Riley Robinson and Clerk summarized the
discussion as thus:
Problems
(1.)
Do we want FUM to change its policy that restricts from
leadership positions people who are involved in a sexual (genital?)
relationship outside of the traditional marriage relationship between a man and
a woman?
(2.)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting still feels some lingering resentment
and anger over the way Lamar was treated in Kenya.
(3.)
From our vantage point it seems that many of the pastors in
FUM non-liberal meetings come from outside of Friends and from a more
“fundamentalist” background. Can we
productively work with these pastors?
(4.)
From our vantage point it seems like many people in FUM
non-liberal meetings lack a strong sense of the inner light and look more to be
led by an outside authority. Is there a
shared sense of discernment that guide our deliberations with FUM?
(5.)
There are Friends like “us” in “those” meetings who would feel
deserted if we left FUM.
(6.)
How do we deal with these “people”?
(7.)
We are FUM – we are mixed just like FUM.
(8.)
Do we want a voice with FUM?
(9.)
We suffer from guilt by association. On the one hand, “they” are different from us liberal east-coast
Friends; on the other hand, we feel responsible for pulling them into our camp.
(10.)
We need to change hearts; can only do that if we continue the
relationship.
(11.)
Discrimination is bad.
(12.)
Putting people into categories is bad. People should be judged by their affect on
other people.
(13.)
The Richmond declaration does not allow for theological
diversity.
(14.)
Who are we as Friends – not defining who we are separates us?
(15.)
We don’t have good experience with schisms
Solutions
(1.)
Don’t discuss.
Moratorium on discussion.
(2.)
Support just the missions of FUM.
(3.)
Do more intervisitation
(4.)
Base money we send them on monthly meeting headcounts.
(5.)
Continue talking even though we disagree and listen.
(6.)
FGLBQ needs to take the lead.
Background
(1.)
The main issue seems to center around their personnel policy
on the participation of people who are sexually active outside of traditional
marriage.
(2.)
New York, New England, and Southeast Yearly Meetings have also
been dealing with this issue.
Montclair, NJ brought a minute to NYM to withdraw from FUM. Southeast YM has a moratorium on discussing
the issue.
(3.)
BYM was giving FUM about 17 thousand dollars per year. We had been putting the money in
escrow. This past year it did not
appear in the budget. We give FGC about
27 thousand dollars per year.
(4.)
We share the issue about the role of non-celibate members
outside of marriage in leadership positions with other protestant
denominations.
WQ 07-29 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, York Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-30 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Second
Month (February 17th), 2008 at Carlisle Monthly Meeting, Carlisle, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
20, Eighth Month, 2007 Number
879
WQ 07-09
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Phistoric Warrington Meeting
House, Wellsville, PA 20th day of Eighth Month, 2007 for the 879th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-10 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Jeremiah Cox, Andy Hoover
Frederick: No one in attendance
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: No one in attendance
Warrington: Faith
Basehore, Helen Cadwallader, Virginia LaFond
York: Leada Dietz, Lamar Matthew
WQ 07-18 Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting
Quarterly Reports from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted
and read:
Carlisle: written report attached
Frederick:
written report attached
Gettysburg: written report attached
Menallen: written report attached
Pipe Creek:
Warrington: written report attached
York: written report attached
WQ 07-19 Treasurer's Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter's checking account has a balance of $735.95.
WQ 07-20 Business
National Religious
Campaign against Torture (NRCAT)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting has agreed to become a sponsoring member of
NRCAT and was grateful for the Quarter’s offer to pay the first year’s dues. That check for $250 will be mailed in the
near future. Ellen Argenteanu (State
College) will be the BYM representative to NRCAT.
Andy Hoover also reported for Christy Hoover who attended the QUIT
(Quaker Initiative against Torture) Conference at Guilford College in
June. Some monthly meetings are asking
their legislators to sponsor laws taking away the license of any health
care/mental health care professional who participated in torture. There is a
free adult curriculum, Teaching about Torture, available to download from the
QUIT website at www.quit-torture-now.org as well as
a collection of other resources.
Moratorium on the
Death Penalty
York Monthly Meeting signed the Moratorium on the Death Penalty that Joan
Anderson (Carlisle) had presented last Quarterly Meeting and forwarded it to
her. Menallen Monthly Meeting sent
letters directly to Governor Rendell and their state representatives and
senators as well as a letter to the
Gettysburg Times requesting such a moratorium.
Yearly Meeting Report
Lamar Matthew observed that it was good to see so many
friends from the Quarter in attendance.
Over all, a little over 400 attended, down about 100 from last year, not
unexpected due to the new venue of Frostburg State University, Frostburg,
MD. Yearly Meeting will return there
again Aug 4-10, 2008. 3 issues of
concern considered were the status of relationship with FUM, Young Friends’
continued autonomous self governance, and the budget. BYM representatives to
FUM, Rachel Stacey, Gunpowder and John Smallwood, Langley Hill presented a
disturbing report regarding integrity of operations and funding practices for
FUM’s many programs. Young Friends and
older Friends are working hard on accountability in self governance. The budget became balanced with much effort
by such measures as decreasing support to other Quaker organizations and
increasing apportionments of Monthly Meetings.
More detailed information on all of the above and more will be coming to
the Monthly Meetings. Reports from FUM
representatives and the work being done to address the concerns relating to
Young Friends are on the website www.bym-rsf.org
Quaker Quest, an outreach program developed in London,
England is being piloted in Chesapeake Quarter under the auspices of FGC by
Maria Bradley, Sandy Springs and FGC, Walter Brown, Langley Hill, and Ken
Stockbridge, Patapsco.
Peace and Social Concerns presented a list of actions for
meetings to engage in reference to the Peace Testimony which are appended with
the meeting reports.
Partners for Sacred
Spaces
This is a program that offers training and information to
historic places of worship to help them obtain the resources needed to maintain
or improve their facilities. Menallen is participating because of the three
meetinghouses and five graveyards under their care.
Native American History in Carlisle Virginia LaFond
(Warrington) presented the following information for consideration in keeping
with Quakers’ longstanding concerns for Native Americans: From the Plains Indian Wars to the Carlisle
Indian School: An American Odyssey--Three Exhibitions - Three Institutions
Friday, September 7, 2007 – Saturday, January 12, 2008,
Trout Gallery at Dickinson College
A KIOWA’S ODYSSEY: A SKETCHBOOK FROM FORT
MARION
Thursday, September 13, 2007, Cumberland County
Historical Society 5-7 p.m.
AN ODYSSEY CONTINUES: THE ART AND ARTISTS OF THE CARLISLE INDIAN
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL Reception and Exhibit Opening R.S.V.P.
249-7610
Friday, September 14, 2007 – Saturday, February 16, 2008, CCHC
AN ODYSSEY CONTINUES: THE ART AND ARTISTS OF THE CARLISLE INDIAN
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL This special
exhibit will highlight Plains Indian art drawings made by students in the first
decades of the school and will also examine the evolution of art instruction at
the school, from teaching Western art theory to efforts to reinstate Native
American art traditions.
Monday, September 17, 2007 – Sunday, January 27, 2008, The
Army Heritage and Education Center and U.S. Army Military History Institute
CHANGING PLACES: THE ARMY, THE INDIAN WARS, AND CARLISLE BARRACKS
Announcements
September 16, 2 pm, Redlands Meetinghouse will be open. Deb McCauslin (Menallen) will present a program
on Quaker abolitionists
September 16, noon-5pm, Gettysburg Heritage Festival
in the Recreation Park with entertainment, children’s activities and ethnic
food
October 4, 7pm, Sister Helen Prejean speaking at
Dickinson College in the ATS Auditorium
October 6 QUIT meeting at Pendle Hill franko@ix.netcom.com
October 19-21—Amnesty International Faith in Action
Weekend on the death penalty
WQ 07-21 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like
to thank our host, Warrington Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today's
session.
WQ
07-22 Meeting closed with a period of silent worship. Friends of Warrington
Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eleventh Month (November 18th), 2007
at York Monthly Meeting, York, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Substitute Recording
Clerk: Leada Dietz
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
20, Fifth Month, 2007 Number
878
WQ 07-09
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Pipe Creek Meeting House,
Union Bridge, MD 20th day of Fifth Month, 2007 for the 878th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-10 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy & Christy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: No one in
attendance
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Bill
Atwater, Larry Fisher, Gwen Handler, Lisa Johnson, Eileen & Frank Reitemeyer, Emily Swet
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Leada Dietz
WQ 07-11 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report
presented by Andy Hoover
Several weeks ago Carlisle
Friends hosted an Extended Meeting for Worship in which approximately 18 people
attended. Many of those in attendance
were from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
A Memorial Meeting for Ralph
Slotten will be held on Saturday, May 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Holland Union
Building on the campus of Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.
The mortgage on Carlisle Friend’s
Meeting House will be paid off later this year. Friends in Carlisle are considering various venues which may
benefit from the additional funds that are available. One example, which falls under the purview of outreach, is working
on improving the external appearance of the Meeting House (the front face) as
viewed from A Street.
Carlisle Friends First Day
students will be holding a yard sale on Memorial Day to benefit Project Share.
Frederick: Written report
submitted. Attached
Gettysburg: Written report
submitted. Attached
Menallen: Written report
submitted. Attached. Barclay Brooks added that Menallen Friends
hosted 8th graders from Upper Adams Middle School to learn about the
Underground Railroad. The Meeting also hosted a family reunion for descendants
of Kitty Paynes.
Pipe Creek: Written report to
be submitted.
Warrington: Oral report
presented by Faith Basehore:
Friend Earl Robson passed on
5/02/07. Friends are requested to hold
his family and friends in the Light.
Warrington Friends hosted third
graders from Dillsburg to learn about the Underground Railroad.
The Meeting assisted a local
family that lost their material possessions in a fire.
Terry Wallace has published a
book of poetry through Friends United Press entitled Sparrow Seed.
York: Written report
submitted. Attached
style='font-size:12.0pt;'>WQ 07-12 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $705.95. Gettysburg, Menallen, & Warrington
Monthly Meetings have contributed their 2007 annual apportionments. Annual
apportionments are $15.00.
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ 07-13 Business
National Religious
Campaign Against Torture
Friends continued discussion on whether the Quarter should
become a sponsoring member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
(NRCAT). Leada Dietz (York) mentioned
that the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting is
considering recommending at Interim Meeting that BYM become a sponsoring member
of NRCAT. Friends of Warrington Quarter
approved recommending to BYM that BYM become a sponsoring member of NRCAT. Warrington Quarter is offering to pay a
portion, or the total amount, of BYM becoming a sponsoring member and has asked
Leada to bring forth the Quarter’s intention to the Peace and Social Concerns
Committee at Interim Meeting. A
Sponsoring Member of NRCAT requires a contribution of $250.
Moratorium on the Death Penalty
Joan Anderson (Carlisle), a long
time participant in working towards legislative initiatives against the death
penalty, brought to the Quarter’s attention a Moratorium on the Death Penalty
which she is asking individuals and groups to sign. The copies of the Moratorium will be sent to Equal Justice
U.S.A., and a copy of those signed by Friends in sylvania will be sent to
Governor Rendell. Joan emphasized that
the time to act on a national moratorium on the death penalty is NOW.
Friends approved having Clerk
Andy Hoover sign the Moratorium on behalf of Warrington Quarter. The Quarter has a minute opposing the death
penalty. A copy of the Quarter’s minute
will be attached to the Moratorium signed by Andy.
Warrington Quarter Retreat
Leada Dietz (York) will explore
the interest of Friends in having a Quarter retreat. Several venues would be possible such as Friends Wilderness
Center and Catoctin Quaker Camp. Leada
welcomes others interested in the idea of a retreat to assist her.
WQ 07-14 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Pipe Creek Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-15 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eighth
Month (August 19th), 2007 at Warrington Monthly Meeting, Wellsville, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
18, Second Month, 2007 Number
877
WQ 07-01
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Menallen Meeting House,
Biglerville, PA 18th day of Second Month, 2007
for the 877th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 07-02 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: Sue
deVeer
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
David & Trista Farley, Emmy Lou & Chris Fee, Fred & Peggy Fisher, Mike & Mary Gemmill, Al Griest,
Deb McCauslin
Pipe Creek: No
Friends in attendance
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Ed & Fran
Norton
WQ 07-03 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report presented by Andy Hoover:
Carlisle Meeting mourns the death
of Friend Ralph L. Slotten, one of the founding members of the meeting, who
passed on February 12, 2007. Ralph is
survived by his wife, Martha, and daughter Amy and son Hugh. Friends are asked to hold Martha, Amy, Hugh,
and their families in the Light.
Carlisle Meeting once again
participated in Carlisle Cares during the month of December. The Meeting provided shelter for the
homeless as an overnight overflow shelter in conjunction with the other faith
communities participating in Carlisle Cares.
Several Friends from the Meeting also provided a hot breakfast for those
sheltered on Sundays.
Carlisle Friends are anticipating
the paying off of the Meeting House’s mortgage at the end of the year. In anticipation of this event, Friends met
during Second Hour to explore Meeting needs and wants.
Carlisle Friends celebrate the
membership of Amy Hurley.
Several families from Carlisle
Friends participated in the protest in Washington, D.C. against the troop surge
in Iraq.
Frederick: Written report attached.
Gettysburg: Written report attached.
Menallen: Oral report:
Menallen Meeting mourns the death
of Friend William Wright. Friends are
asked to hold his family and friends in the Light.
Menallen Meeting engaged in a
lead abatement program for the Meeting House.
This necessitated relocating of the preschool and Meeting for Worship
while the work was completed. The
result has turned out very nicely.
Menallen Friends participated in
a National Chain of Prayer.
Menallen Friends have established
a relationship with A.M.E. Zion Church and have enjoyed exchanges with one
another.
The National Park Service has
acknowledged individuals from Menallen and Huntington Friends Meetings for
their efforts and contributions to the Underground Railroad in Adams
County. Framed certificates are on
display at Menallen Meeting. Affixed to
the back of each are the following statements:
Menallen:
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Menallen Friends Meeting (Quakers) is the burial
site of Adams County anti-slavery activist and Underground Railroad conductor
Cyrus Griest (1801-1869). Griest, along
with many of his family members buried at Menallen Meeting, were key supporters
for freedom seekers passing through Adams County, Pennsylvania, along what has
come to be called either the Central Route or the Southeastern Corridor of the
Underground Railroad. Menallen Meeting
was established in 1780 and worship began at the present site in about
1838. Griest’s involvement in the
Underground Railroad is established by his collaborative activity with other
Quakers and formerly enslaved African Americans who, by mid-19th
century, owned property in the community.
This Adams County group is estimated to have been responsible for
secreting hundreds – perhaps as many as 1000 freedom seekers. Griest is also recorded as having worked to
restore freedom to Kitty Payne, a manumitted slave and the mother of three, who
lived in Adams County and who was kidnapped back to the South by agents of her
former Virginia owners. Griest, along
with fellow Quakers and African American neighbors, gave testimony at the trial
in Pennsylvania of her kidnapper in 1845 and also gave testimony during Kitty
Payne’s trial in Virginia. Griest was
involved in raising money among Adams Countians for her trial in Virginia.
Huntington:
William Wright, b 12 Mo. 21, 1788, d. 10 Mo. 25, 1865 m.
Phebe Wierman, daughter of William and Hanhan (Griest) Wierman, at Huntington
Mtg., 11 Mo. 7, 1817. She was born 2
Mo. 8, 1790, and d. 1 Mo. 30, 1873.
They were both buried near their ancestors in the graveyard at Huntington
Friend’s Meeting House, near York Springs, Adams Co., PA William Wright and his wife were probably
the most active and prominent agents of the Underground Railroad in Adams
County, and hundreds of slaves fleeing from southern masters found rest and
shelter in their hospitable home until forwarded over the Underground Railroad
to the promised land of Canada. Two
interesting oil paintings of William and Phebe, his wife are (1902) in
possession of the only surviving child, Mrs. Annie Phillips, of Lancaster,
PA. Children: General William Wierman Wright, b. 7 Mo. 27, 1824, d. 3 Mo. 9,
1882, unmarried, buried beside his parents; Mrs. Rachel W. Day, d. 1901; Mrs.
Hannah Mifflin, d. 1901; Mrs. Annie Phillips.
Pipe Creek: No report
Warrington: Written report attached.
York: Written report attached. Ed Norton added the following:
York Friends are witnessing to
peace on the square in York. The plans
for a nightclub by some business people in the vacant building adjacent to the
historic York Meeting House have been placed on hold by York City Council.
WQ 07-04 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $645.95, not including
the 2007 apportionment from Menallen Meeting ($15.00) which was received but
not yet deposited. Apportionments for
2006 are outstanding for Frederick and Gettysburg Monthly Meetings. Annual apportionments are $15.00. The Treasurer is accepting 2007
apportionments. Checks may be made payable
to Religious Society of Friends, Warrington Quarter and mailed to:
Ed Sonnenberg
c/o Carlisle Friends Meeting
252 A Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
The treasurer will also accept
the apportionments at Quarterly Meetings.
WQ
07-05 Business
Quarterly Meeting Clerk would like the Quarter to consider becoming a
sponsoring member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
(NRCAT). NRCAT seeks to influence
government policies against torture and provide educational materials and
trainings as to what local faith communities can do to stop state sponsored
torture. Stony Run Monthly Meeting and
the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) are listed as among Quaker
bodies which are sponsoring bodies of NRCAT.
To become a sponsoring member, the Quarter would have to pay $250 per
year. Further information on NRCAT is
available from their web site at: www.nrcat.org .
Discussion on the Quarter becoming a sponsoring member ensued. Friends voiced concerns as well as favorable
leanings with the question being posed as to whether Friends just wanted to
lend the Quarter’s name as a sponsoring member or were they seeking a more
active role. Friends with a concern to
take a lead in active participation would be welcome. Friends are asked to take back to their Monthly Meetings the
Quarter’s interest in possibly becoming a sponsoring member of NRCAT in order
to get the Monthly Meetings’ reactions.
The Quarter approved of sponsoring individual Friends, up to $100 per
person, to attend a NRCAT event in March and the Quaker Initiative to End
Torture in Guilford, NC from June 1st -3rd.. Friends are asked to announce these events,
and the Quarter’s sponsorship of individuals to attend, at their Monthly
Meetings.
WQ 07-06 Announcements
Interim Meeting will be held March 24, 2007 at Gunpowder
Monthly Meeting,
Margaret Stambaugh (Clerk, Gettysburg) brought to the
attention of the Quarter the passing of Friend George Owen Fellers on November
6, 2006:
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George
Owen Fellers (9/12/25-11/6/06), husband of Gloria Berry Fellers, was a resident
of the Friends House Retirement Community in Sandy Spring, Maryland. He is survived
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>by a sister, Veiva Piner of
Whittier California, a daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ron Summerville of
Rockville, MD, a granddaughter, Brooke Summerville of Sandy Spring and a
grandson, Greg Summerville, a graduate student at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George was a registered civil engineer, a graduate of
Dartmouth College and of the Johns-Hopkins School of Engineering. He was a volunteer with the American Friends
Service Committee (AFSC) in Baltimore.
There his interest expanded and he became a member of the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers). This
membership included the Pipe Creek meeting where he was Clerk, the Frederick
Friends Meeting and finally Sandy Spring Friends Meeting. He also maintained his membership, along
with Gloria, in the Frederick Unitarian Church. He served as a reserve officer with the Naval Seabees, commanding
a unit at Fort McHenry while residing in Baltimore.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Among
his special interests were serving with the Sandy Spring Prison Committee, a
love of symphonic and traditional jazz music, horticulture, as well as
traveling by freighter to many foreign countries. His latest interest was participating in gardening and activities
in the Friends House garden and the pleasure of sharing the produce with other
residents.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George
Fellers was buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, WV on November 8th. Memorial contributions in George’s name may
be made to Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive (Suite 100), Rockville, MD
20850.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>
WQ 07-07 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Menallen Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-08 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Fifth
Month (May 20th), 2007 at Pipe Creek Monthly Meeting, Union Bridge,
MD, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer:
Ed Sonnenberg
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
19, Eleventh Month, 2006 Number
876
WQ 06-26
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Frederick
Meetinghouse, Frederick, MD 19th day of Eleventh
Month, 2006 for the 876th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 06-27 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: Tore Bolton, Anne Buttenheim, Norma Chapman,
Sue deVeer, Katrina & John Darnell, Karen Lockett, Deborah McCoy, April
Miller, Eleanor Milligan, Lynda Osborne, Ben Swet, Greg Tobin, Jim Wagner,
Francey Williams
Gettysburg: Andy Stone
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Pipe Creek: Emily & C.J. Swet
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York:
WQ 06-28 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report
presented by Joan Anderson and Andy Hoover:
All meetings for Worship and
Business have been held in good order with the new Queries from Baltimore
Yearly Meeting being read and considered.
Carlisle Meeting rejoices in welcoming two new members, one of which is
a transfer. The Meeting plans to buy
bibles for First Day classes from gifts donated in honor of Ralph Slotten and
in memory of Rob Rathfon. Carlisle
Meeting will once again participate in Carlisle Cares during the month of
December. Carlisle Cares is a local
effort sponsored by local Carlisle faith communities which provide shelter for
the homeless during the winter months. Carlisle Friends will open their
meetinghouse during the month of December as an overnight overflow
shelter. Homeless will be offered a warm place to sleep overnight in the
meetinghouse along with snacks and a listening presence.
A Spiritual Formation group
continues to meet and fosters a greater sense of spirituality and community for
those who participate. Bible study at
the Meeting has been reinvigorated and meets each First Day at 9:00 a.m.
One of our members had been
jailed and is out on bail for an accusation of possession of child
pornography. The Meeting continues to
support our Member in prayer and as a faith community.
The Meeting is saddened by the
marital separation of two longtime active members.
Frederick: Written report
appended.
Gettysburg: Written report
appended.
Menallen/Huntingdon/Redlands:
Written report appended.
Pipe Creek: Oral report
presented by Emily & C.J. Swet:
All Meetings for Worship and
Business have been held in good order.
Pipe Creek welcomed a new member and renovations of the meetinghouse
kitchen. Pipe Creek hosted the Sandy
Spring Bell Ringers in concert.
Warrington: Written report
appended.
York: Written report
appended.
WQ 06-29 style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:normal'> Treasurer’s
Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $645.95
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ
06-30 Business
style='font-weight:normal'>
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Friend Jack
Sweezy
The Clerk presented a
reflection on Friend Jack Sweezy of Menallen Meeting who passed suddenly during
Eleventh Month. Friends offered
reflections on his life and their acquaintance with him. Friend Sweezy was remembered as a gentleman,
scholar, and a good friend of the Quarter whose presence will be missed.
Clerk presented three items from Yearly Meeting for
discussion:
1)
Letter to the Secretary of State of the United States of
America thanking her for efforts to urge changes in restrictive Israeli
