What I liked about Annual Session

From First Time Attenders

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling...
Come home, come home

Dear Friends,

I attended Annual Session for the first time this past week, and would like Friends to know of my experience there.

I will say first that in my lifelong emotional self-containment, I have always avoided and been averse to the mawkish or cheaply sentimental. For those who might judge these lines so, I would say to you that now, this is my truth, and acquiring it has been in no way cheap; it has cost me dear.

I have been attending Williamsburg Friends Meeting only for one year, since July 2003, having come upon Friends as the culmination of a years-long, (or life-long) mostly solitary spiritual journey, unaffiliated with any organized religion. As a Gay man, only the Religious Society of Friends have taken me in unreservedly, when I was alone and cold.

Some of my most powerful experiences of this past week are meant to remain private until such time as they are to be revealed to individuals, but I tell you Friends that the most powerful of these was a call to help a specific Friend whenever and wherever the call for help arises. This was the most powerful call from God that I have ever experienced and I will honor that call at some unknown, unspecified time.

I came to Friends after wandering in a largely loveless desert for most of the years of my life, stopping briefly at only a few oases of loving community along the way. I have lived alone now for all but 18 months of the past 30 years. I have sometimes felt ashamed of my solitary existence, and certainly have often felt ashamed of, and impatient with, any yearning to love and be loved. I have been proud of my independence.

As this past week progressed, and I observed especially the beautiful and whole children and young people, who had grown up in the Religious Society of Friends, loved and nurtured, I began to feel a profound sense of sadness for the fact that I have only so recently brought myself to the well of Friends’ love and nurturance. I wept for the last two days of the sessions, both privately and openly, unashamedly, and was comforted by many Friends to whom I confessed my sadness, and lonely wandering.

During the week, a scripture was read twice, about the man who Christ exhorted at Bethesda to take up his mat and walk, with the question, Wilt thou be made whole? (John 5:1-9) I really didn’t hear the scripture the first time it was read, but the second time the question came, during First Day Meeting for Worship Wilt thou be made whole ? Not only did the question speak directly to my condition, but my heart and soul cried out in answer, unreservedly: I would be made whole! Friends, I know now with certainty that my immersion in your healing waters of loving kindness has begun to make me whole.

I will continue to open myself to your love with God’s help. I am already being helped to be more loving to others, and now feel I am being called to do God’s work, which I believe is to make sure that everyone I meet knows that they are beloved of God, as you have convinced me with your love that I am beloved of God. May you all be blessed for the love you have shown me. You have pried open my lonely heart. With loving regard and gratitude,

Bill Carroll, Williamsburg

Dear Friends,

I really enjoyed the week in Quakerland. I am glad I went and I am glad I got to experience Lamar as Clerk. I am certain Lauri will be equally effective. Thank you for persuading me to go.

A few of my favorite things:

• The Spiritual Healing retreat. I am glad I went to this, it gave me more instruction on settling into worship. Please offer it again next year.
• Family Worship Sharing led by Riley Robinson. This was fantastic—we shared our feelings, experiences, thoughts, and creative urges. Depending on how we felt, we got down on the floor, created colorful “pictures” big and small, cut, pasted, knit, and wrote stories with the children.
• Dorm tag. I was impressed by how responsible the kids were—they let us know when they were going to be playing and how the Young Friends were going to supervise the games. I have heard the story of how this solution came about and I am impressed by the kids and their advisors and Frank working out a compromise that pleased everyone.
• Capture the Flag played by the young people Thursday evening—utter chaos, utter fun.
• Friday’s meeting for worship with a concern for business. When the discussion became difficult, Lamar settled us into worship. The meeting could have disintegrated into chaos, but Lamar did not let that happen. I also think folks really wanted to come to a good resolution of the question.
• The Coffee House. Joy Newhart’s deadpan recounting of growing chickens, Deborah James reading her vignette on sunbathing nude, and the many talented Young Friends.
• The love seat on the elevator. The Young Friends were so wonderful, from helping with Dorm Tag to playing live elevator music to helping the Young Friend who got sick and had to go home, to organizing and enjoying the Coffee House.
• How everybody was so loving.

Bronna Zlochiver, Sandy Spring

Dear Friends,

What a lovely opportunity to share the wondrous world of Quaker process in action! The power of our unprogrammed worship to address the Yearly meeting’s business in the real time expectation that a sense of the meeting can be revealed through our collective Spirit joined in the light. The Meetings for Business were skillfully guided spiritually under the loving care of our outgoing Clerk Lamar Matthew’s discernment of the way to move us forward.

The camping program was touted for all the wonderful work it is accomplishing, but there are great financial needs in caring for the properties and compliance with state and local requirements for the condition of our camping facilities. The financial challenges are great and some Friends spoke of the need for BYM to increase its contributions to prevent an increase in fees, which could result in an institutional bias of exclusion.

I felt my Hicksite roots strengthened: that from each of us equally flows the potential ministry of the Inner Light, revealed through our collective worship. The way was opened for an enlightenment of that of FUM within our Yearly Meeting. We shared our desire to respect the sense of each of our Monthly Meetings to fashion their own relationships with FUM based on their sense of spiritual leaning and conscience.We learned that there is no financial endowment or obligation of our Corporate BYM to FUM.

I thoroughly enjoyed feeling that I belong in BYM and look forward to being an active member for many years to come, sharing in the loving presence of Friends our spiritual growth.

Andy Stone, Gettysburg

Dear Friends,

It’s like this. You arrive, throw your stuff into your dorm room and get down to business in the bookstore, opening a bazillion boxes of books and reading off their titles to Margaret Stambaugh. She checks them off the inventory list. Next thing you know, it’s almost midnight. You’re tired but happy. And you haven’t seen the last of Margaret Stambaugh.

As the week progresses, you meet fascinating people, attend riveting workshops, try to sort out your thoughts on serious issues facing BYM. When someone wants to say something in a threshing session, Margaret hands him/her a microphone.

There’s another threshing session. Several Friends always sit in the northeast corner, holding the group in the Light. One morning, of course, Margaret is sitting there.

Your little worship group meets every the morning, out of doors. It’s a great group, but one day you have a sense that something’s missing. It’s about the only place you don’t see you-know-whom; she’s in another group somewhere.

By dinnertime Saturday, you’ve figured it out. Margaret is quadruplets. Actually, she is typical of the Quakers who attend BYM. Warm, generous to a fault, hard-working, uncomplaining. They are everywhere, Quakers like Margaret. They make you so glad to have attended the annual session. And that’s why you’ll be back next year.

Meanwhile, it’s about time to pack up the unsold books. Margaret will be here any minute…

Nancy Coleman

Dear Friends,

Being relatively new to the Quaker process it was fascinating to observe the process in action during Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business. There were moments when Friends who spoke delivered truly inspired messages, raising creative suggestions for dealing with issues that have trouble the Yearly Meeting for several years. In those moments the energy and excitement of the Quaker process in action could be felt strongly in the room.

Another strong presence was the feeling of community; everyone I encountered displayed an honest warmth and openness. This was felt most strongly among the nursery staff, with whom 11 1/2 month old Joshua (and his parents) immediately felt at ease.

Christine Stone, Gettysburg