York Monthly Meeting

• Interchange, Fall 2008
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2007
• Interchange, Spring 2008
• Interchange, Fall 2007
• Interchange, Summer 2007
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2006
• Interchange, Fall 2006
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2005
• Interchange, Summer 2006
• Interchange, Fall 2005
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2004
• Interchange, Spring 2005
   
• Interchange, December 2004
• Interchange, September 2004
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2003

York Monthly Meeting is trying to discern whether we have the energy and resources to build a First Day School and community activities building on the grounds. We discovered that we could all get involved in some way in a financially successful “golden elephant sale.” From the comments of many of the people who came to check out our “stuff” and stayed to listen to an explanation of our history and our worship, we came to realize that visibility is witness and outreach.

This experience has led to two worship sharing sessions on what we have to offer the larger community and how best to do that. To paraphrase what one of us said, “The aim of outreach is not to make everyone a Quaker. The aim is to get the Quaker message to more ears, e.g., peaceful and nonviolent solutions to conflict, simplicity, integrity, right sharing of world resources, care of the earth, recognizing the dignity and worth of every person, etc. The world needs to hear constructive, loving voices speaking and eliciting conversations about different ways of being in the world.

We invite F/friends from BYM to help our process while enjoying this offering from Friends Ed and Fran Norton: a CD, “A Musical Feast” of flute, harpsichord/keyboard, and cello. Part of the proceeds for the CD will be donated to the First Day School Building Fund. The cost is $15 plus $2.30 packaging and shipping. To order please send check to Ed Norton, 240 Runaway Rd, Abbottstown, PA 17301, or contact Edandfran2@verizon.net.

As we considered the queries provided to help us discern the spiritual state of York Meeting during 2007, we became aware of growth in many directions:

Inwardly, the discussion of A Hidden Wholeness has drawn in new people and people seem to be speaking from the heart and demonstrating a growing trust of each other that seems to carry over into interactions in other aspects of our community. Both Meeting for Worship and Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business are well attended and there has been an increase in participation in life both inside and outside the Meeting. The expression of warm and gentle welcoming is embraced by a wide range of members and attenders. A spirit of “Quaker hospitality” is an integral part of our meeting. However, finding adequate time and tempo to accommodate the experiences of informal socializing, worship sharing, Meeting for Worship. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, and potluck fellowship present a challenge

Outwardly, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee brings our attention to legislative issues and writes letters on behalf of the Meeting addressing issues of concern; the Garden Committee engages in native plant outreach as well as caring for the grounds and enriching a local elementary school’s science classes; the stimulus of families with children has led members and attenders to commit to First Day school education through a cooperative arrangement with St John’s Episcopal Church for space and to consider building a place for their education on our grounds; participation in YCCC interfaith dialogs and joining the YCCC has built more bridges to other faith groups; and sharing our space with a Latino AA group, Literacy Council tutors, and other appropriate community groups increases our connection with the larger community. We also share our hospitality and gifts with the community when we open our Meetinghouse for community events such as First Night, Oysterfest, Native Plant Garden tours. As we enjoy greater exposure and activity in the community, we need to caution ourselves to wait on the leadings of spirit rather than rushing forward toward personal goals through ego directed actions and words.

In considering what is most needed to deepen the spiritual life of the meeting, there is a heavy concern about how to care for individuals going through difficult times. We feel helpless when a member is suffering and rejects or is even hostile to help and sympathy, and also find it hard to ask for help ourselves as we are taught from an early age to be "independent" and self-sufficient. We seek to become cognitively and experientially acquainted with the spiritual power of clearness committees as one means to help each other.

We were challenged by the heartfelt concerns of one who urged us to measure the spiritual state by the following questions: Does love thrive among us? How do we apply “Let us then see what love will do” to the spiritual state of the meeting?

Many find our Meeting to be a safe, caring place that nurtures the spirit needing care, although some feel tension between finding a spiritual family among people whose communication is open and heartfelt and decreased responsiveness from some whose other obligations and relationships limit their contact time. Our many projects and out reach efforts use our capabilities and possessions not as ends in themselves but as God’s gifts entrusted to us to use with humility, courtesy and affection. A Friend comments that the nurturing, spiritual support of this Meeting helps to carry one through the week - to walk cheerfully on the earth and see that of God in everyone. Others find inspiration to live better in the world. As the spiritual well-being of the meeting is attended to, the sense of prophetic witness planted years ago grows and calls for speaking truth to power with love while not accommodating those who do violence to others, whether that is our own Monthly Meeting, the larger Quaker community, our local York County community or national or international associations and governments.

Our Meeting has been blessed with several gifts from members and attenders.

Pat Long has answered the call from the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of BYM in writing letters, often in the name of the Meeting, to our Congressional representatives, Senators, and to the local newspaper concerning nonviolence and peace in the Middle East. Pat is our representative to FCNL, freely gives out "War is Not the Answer" signs, and stands with the Vigil for Peace on the square in York every Friday at 4:30 pm as people are driving home from work.

We have the gift of children attending Meeting, which has created a need for a First Day School. A gift of lumber from Steve Stankowicz has made it possible for us to dream of a First Day School building. A First Day School Building Committee has been formed and we look forward to undertaking such a big project.

Ed and Fran Norton offered their gift of flute and harpsichord music at the Meeting House on New Years Eve as part of York’s First Night celebration. A CD of their music is available for $15, $5 of which is being donated to the First Day School Building Fund.

York Friends Meeting was part of the "Bring Back the Natives Garden" tour in July.

Our Garden Committee is looking forward to continuing teaching 4th graders at McKinley Elementary School about native plants through out the school year.

Our outreach into the community is expanding: We have been represented in an interfaith discussion group with the York Council of Churches. We will be part of the Oysterfest October 21st with Lamar Matthew speaking on local Quaker History followed by an open house for the community. Then on October 24th, the Meeting will sponsor a talk for the York community by Donald Kraybill on the Amish and their ability to forgive.

The York Meeting continues to improve the appearance and structure of our old Meeting House and to be more involved in the York community. We welcomed a new member, Jeff Lears, who immediately offered to make cushions for our wooden pews. His wife, Laurie, has been helping to teach the children.

In the fall of 2006 we landscaped the grounds of the Meeting House with Native plants and shrubs. On April 14, we had a native plant sale in conjunction with Earth Day/Pear Blossom Festival with the city of York.

As part of the efforts to expand our native plant garden, we received a grant for $1,000 from the York Foundation Yorkscapes program. An agreement in accepting the grant was to involve young people. Four of our members have been working with a fourth grade class at McKinley Elementary School. This has been an enriching experience for all involved. The students have been curious about nature through art and science, and will come to the Meeting House grounds in May for a hands-on experience in our garden.

At the 9:30 First Day discussions we looked at the DVD “Searching for Peace in the Middle East.” Peace and Social Concern Committee followed up with an evening program for the community, May 24 at 7:30, moderated by our good Friend Lamar Matthew who traveled to Ramallah with BYM.

Our Meeting did more in 2006 than ever before in terms of outreach and financial support: i.e.: donations to AFSC and FCNL, camp scholarships for young people to attend Quaker camp, meals for needy people at the Majestic restaurant, donations to Access York, Our Daily Bread, and Helping Hands for the Homeless. We also undertook the following outreach activities: Oysterfest, native plant project, Steam Plant situation, and First Night. Two concerns from this outward activity are how are we led to balance sharing our resources, both financial and energetic, with our responsibility to the needs of the Meeting, both physical and spiritual.

A painting project and the loss of a strong leader brought to light communication issues in the Meeting. People seem to have varying levels of acceptance of differences and may feel isolated by personal responsibilities to the extent that they don’t seek help from other members of the community or doubt that help would be forthcoming. A parallel issue is the observation that speaking truth is sometimes done without sufficient love and concern for the other. Can we take the time and effort to make sure that what was said and what was heard are the same message? Do we ask for God's guidance as we seek for how best to serve the communities inside and outside the Meeting rather than relying on our own mental decision making process?

The attendance of families with babies and young children has brought joy and energy to our meeting. We face not only the challenge of providing an education program for these children and supporting those in the meeting who are actually doing the teaching and working with the children, but also supporting and encouraging each of us on our spiritual journeys. That includes members and attenders who come infrequently as well as welcoming new people. Phone calls have been appreciated in the past. Personal contact is effective. Could we call people at least twice a year to invite them to some event and let them know we're thinking of them? Quakerism 101 "refresher" class was very helpful and it would be good to continue doing this every so often to remind us of our Quaker roots and traditions and to build on these.

A visitor mentioned one attraction for her is that Quakers are a piece of living history. She visits different churches in order to explore various ways to hear God better and feels that God speaks well here. This is a powerful reminder to us to live in that Power and Spirit of those early testimonies and experiences and seek and trust Its guidance today whenever confronted with how to respond to the needs and problems we see around us.

As other Friends Meetings in an urban setting, we have had an ongoing struggle with how to deal with the homeless in our community. We began sharing our simple meals after Meeting for Worship with a few men. Then in the 4th month of 2005, we started a ministry with a local restaurant where we gave tickets worth $5 of food to men and women who came and asked us for help, or to those who might stop by and help in the garden. As word spread, by the seventh month of 2006 we had 39 people standing outside our Meeting during worship waiting for tickets and the costs became too large for the meeting to sustain. Our Meeting is planning called meetings, or threshing meetings, to discuss how to address the situation.

Our Native Plant project received a grant from Yorkscapes and we are working with a local expert to landscape the grounds of the Meeting House with native plants.

Membership numbers are stable-2 new, one transfer, one death. Thanks to the efforts of several members, we were blessed with Eldon Leech's presence at meeting for a few months before he died peacefully in his sleep in November. Some of us experienced for the first time the spiritual depth of a Quaker memorial service, which we were able to share with Eldon's family, for which they expressed gratitude. These two experiences seem to be especially poignant last gifts from a man who single handedly kept the meeting alive through barren times for us to find nurture in today.

Midweek evening worship was discontinued as attendance waned. A seven session Quakerism 101 based on the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting syllabus began in October with attendance from other meetings in the Quarter and from the community. Many participants have found it to be enriching.

Following are some ongoing issues around which we labor, hopefully with love and mindfulness that resolution of the issue is not the only goal. Deepening our ability to use Quaker process to open our hearts and minds in understanding as we build trust and dare to be honest to our own truth and receptive to the truths of others is the larger goal.

1. Questions continue about how best to minister to the homeless men who come for food/meal tickets. Concerns include appropriate limit setting on time of giving and number given, the loss of the opportunity to sit with them as they seem to prefer meal tickets to joining us for our simple feast, and potential for abuse of the system.
    
2. Finance committee labored over how best to use our funds to do good in the world while retaining enough for expected and unexpected repairs to the building, resulting in some new monthly and single donations.
    
3. The grounds continues to seek greater harmony with its location and at the same time reach out into the community to encourage others to go native in their landscaping as a way to bring greater harmony with nature to the garden lovers of the city
    
4. Allowing the 9:30 adult worship sharing time to meet the needs of the meeting community-some feel it should not be a forum for assigned subjects, but rather a place to bring the experiences or challenges of the week for consideration. Some desire more religious education but most agree it provides spiritual inspiration. Some have identified its function for them as providing a connection to the larger Quaker community, providing an opportunity to be heard by others and to listen to others, leading to the opportunity to learn to know each other at a deeper level.

Some have expressed feeling nurtured from just being with others in the meeting who are making a difference in the world and there was mention of the members and attenders who work hard to make our world a better place through their involvement in the community.

One attender summarized her experience thus: “I have felt, in the past year, a deepening sense of unity in our worship. I've been feeling that just by coming, and for each individual who attends, our intent as a group is somehow strengthened. I have felt that each individual, no matter how strong their needs may be, is contributing to the combined spiritual state of the meeting. It feels like a snowball effect, it's like the more that individuals grow spiritually, the more loving energy is gathered together when we worship and then more love and energy is given back to each of us, allowing us to keep growing spiritually.”

Two ongoing frustrations are the lack of children and young people and a size too small for effective use of committees.

Our hearts and prayers are with Friends of Langley Hill as they cope with their great loss and time of change. Most of us did not have the privilege of meeting Tom Fox, but one Friend in our Meeting spoke of sharing a meal with Tom Fox at the Yearly Meeting. She spoke of his spirit and courage that shined from within.

Our Meeting also lost a special spirit among us this winter. Eldon Leech died peacefully in his sleep in November at the age of 89. Eldon was Clerk of our Meeting for thirty-nine years. Often Eldon was the only Friend sitting in silence at the Meetinghouse every First Day. He saw the Meeting grow to our present membership of twenty-seven seekers and York Meeting will be eternally grateful for his stewardship.

It was with great joy that we welcomed David Fitz as a member of the Meeting. Dave has been a contributing attender for many years.

Quakerism 101 was successful with attendance from new people and several members from other Quarterly Meetings.

We face the spring and summer with continued concern for the homeless men who come to the Meetinghouse, though the situation has improved over the years. We look forward to working in our garden with native plants and look to ways to use the garden to become more involved in the wider community.

Friends at York went through several changes this past spring. We said goodbye to our Clerk Dave Elkinton, as he and his wife, Jan Hurst, moved to Maryland. We welcomed Leada Dietz as our new Clerk. Other new officers are Dorothy Shumway, Recording Clerk, and Louise Heckert as Assistant Treasurer. We also welcomed new members Wim Neij and Dorothy Shumway.

The Meeting will offer Quakerism 101 beginning October 9, 2005 from 9 – 10:30 am. The course is open to the public and will be held for seven months on the second Sunday of each month. A workshop will be held on Saturday, March 18th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, led by Ria Hawkins, who uses the life and times of James Nayler to bring the spiritual energy of early seekers of truth and light to enliven modern Quaker experiences.

Several members of our Meeting will be volunteering at the “Eyes Wide Open Exhibit” at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, September 23-25.

Thursday evening, September 15th, at 7 pm, longtime Friend Lamar Matthew will talk about his recent visit to Ramallah, the West Bank, and Israel, and the work that needs to be done on the Friends International Center in Ramallah. He will share insights on possibilities for peace in Palestine and tell of the ongoing nonviolence activities in the region. Light Middle Eastern refreshments will be served. We hope many friends will join us for this evening.

The year 2004 was a year of growth, initiative, and change for Friends in York, Pennsylvania. The Meeting House, the oldest continuing house of worship in this historical community, received a new roof, after nearly a decade of planning, inaction, failed attempts and frustration. New Meeting member, Wim Nei j and his crew completed the project in late 2004 to a very appreciative meeting community. Other projects have also received needed attention.

The continuing concern for inappropriate and disrespectful use of the grounds has led to a wonderful ministry of members restoring the flowers, pruning shrubs and beautifying the premises. As a result, the misuse of property has been significantly lessened.

Our membership continues to increase slowly. The transfer of former clerk Lamar Matthew was a great loss to the Meeting. Ed Norton, Clerk, and Louise Heckert, Recording Clerk, served the meeting for yet another year, and already both have been missed in the first few months of 2005. (Unfortunately David Elkinton, incoming Clerk, is relocating, and Leada Deitz will be assuming the Clerk's duties in May 2005.)

The Meeting began a midweek evening meeting in April 2004, which has been maintained by a small but loyal group every week since. The Religious Education Adult Discussion sessions that precede Meeting for Worship each First Day have generated many interesting and meaningful discussions. The common meal following Meeting continues to provide an opportunity for fellowship.

The Meeting continues to reach out to the wider community in a variety of ways. Members representing the Meeting are active in neighborhood associations, peace organizations, and a local interfaith alliance. The Meeting House was opened for a local garden tour in June, participated in a holiday tour of churches, and again served as a venue for a musical performance on First Night. As mostly a group of relatively new Friends, many members and attenders comment that within the meeting they feel an acceptance and respect for their spiritual searching. Through discussion, worship, and community involvement, each person has a growing personal experience better understanding Friends testimonies and beliefs.

York is indebted to Steve Baker, Dave Elkinton, Dave Burnet, and Rick Knaub for our new website: www.yorkfriendsmeeting.org. The site provides the Meeting's history, interactive communication and a "blog" for discussions.

Dave Burnet led three discussions on "Approaches to Peace and Non Violence for Modern Quakers." A discussion outline is on our website.

Several members active with People for Peace and Justice went to Washington D.C. on January 20 and were moved by AFSC's "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit.

The Meeting House was open for First Night. Many enjoyed music provided by Friends Fran and Ed Norton on the flute and harpsichord.

Excerpts From A Speech Given By Young Friend, Linnea Meier, At The Baltimore Counter-inaugural

As a high school student in the United States, I feel that youth have great cause to oppose the second inauguration of George Bush on this day.

Since his first inauguration in 2000, George Bush and his administration have taken it upon themselves to revamp education in America by creating generic niches into which our youth are expected to fit. We are assessed by a standard embodied in superficial, meaningless tests that are an insult to real education and learning. The administration has cut funding for Federal Pell Grants. These grants allow many students from low-income households to attend college. Simultaneously, funding for military recruiting in schools has been greatly increased. The result is the successful targeting of the lower socioeconomic stratum for military recruitment.

If President Bush wants to see a war, he should come to the Baltimore City schools, where the battleground is poverty and the weapon of mass destruction is the standardization of education; where the collateral damage is the multitude of children left behind. We as youth want an America in which the student is not a statistic and the teacher is not a test proctor. We want an America in which young people do not have to choose between the drug trade and military service; one in which the working poor do not have to bear, more than the rest of us, the torment of the deaths of sons and daughters in a pointless war.

We are soon to have a Secretary of State who called the tsunami a wonderful opportunity for America to show its generosity to the rest of the world. Our next potential Attorney General is a man who condones the use of torture. Our President is leaving our children in the dust while telling them, Uncle Sam wants YOU to protect our economic interests at the price of human life.

And as a young person in America, I say we need to rise up and take action. From the bottom up and the inside out, let us reclaim our government for peace, for justice, and for equality. Thank you.

As the winter season approaches, the Meeting continues to make improvements for the Meeting House through the hard work of Wim Neij. Gutters will be added to the new roof and a handicap accessible ramp is being built.

The Clerk sent a letter of transfer for Lamar Matthew to Baltimore, Stony Run. Lamar's loving dedication to York has been appreciated for many years.

Concerns before the Meeting are a need to increase attendance on First Day and Wednesday evenings and a need to restructure committees so that committee meetings do not add a burden to members and attendees.

Spring and summer have been a time of physical improvement for our Meeting House. A hard working “Garden Committee” planted native shrubs and flowers and restored the raspberry bushes. It was featured in the Annual Garden Tour of York. The activity has had a positive effect on others in the community. In the past, we have had great concerns about some people abusing the grounds of the Meeting. It appears that people are respecting the sacredness and beauty that has been created. Future plans are to put up a “Friendly” sign welcoming visitors and requesting respect for the grounds. Also, the committee is investigating, and learning more about the native plants of Pennsylvania.

A new roof will soon adorn our Meeting House, thanks to the skill of Wim Neij and Chris Colvin, who spent many days working on the roof and coordinating others to help. The entire roof of the building, which was built in 1766, had to be replaced. Wim was also responsible for getting approval from Historic York Association to allow us to install a new roof and approved our request for the installation of a steel roof that will outlast shingles by many years.

We have started a Mid Week Meeting for Worship, though lightly attended it has been extremely valuable for those who find it difficult to meet on First Day and need a quiet hour during the week.

The education committee is planning for a fall session of “Quakerism 101”, open to all in our community.

We continue to ask all Friends to hold longtime member Eldon Leach in the light as he remains in a nursing home in York for over two years.

SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE MEETING REPORT - 2003

York Monthly Meeting is a healthy Spiritual Community that is growing. There is a sense of connectedness within the Meeting. We have added five new active Friends to our membership.

Each 1st Day at the 11th hour, Meeting For Worship continues to be attended by 20 to 35 Friends and attenders, and the shared meal afterwards brings us closer together as a loving community.

Meeting for Business on the first lst day at 9:30 AM is well attended.

The 9:30AM discussion group on First Day has been a blessing for Members and Attenders who find it a safe place to speak freely about issues.

The meeting continues to attract attenders who for the most part join us for meeting only one or two times. Occasionally a seeker finds the meeting a place that speaks to their condition and becomes a welcomed participant in our activities.

The problem with the use of the graveyard and grounds by the homeless and vagrants has taken a turn towards improvement. A committee meeting which was attended by three of the homeless people added input to help in our decision making. A program of incremental steps to address the problems has been put into place and has been successful. The meeting has grown spiritually in this process.

A project for beautifying the grounds and gardens with the thought of creating a Peace Sanctuary has brought attention by the larger community with offers of help.

The Meeting building is small and continues to inhibit first day programs that would attract families with children. Working together on improving the interior of the building has drawn us closer together. It also has been frustrating for some who are impatient over the lack of movement to complete urgent building repair projects.

A Spiritual Formation Group has concluded and it is hoped that it will be formed again as the way opens. This year there has been a renewed interest about Quakerism and our Meeting from other churches and groups.