Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends Epistle
James Madison University

August 2005

Dear Friends,

This was an exceptional year for Young Friends. Since last BYM, we have struggled to establish unity and our identity as a community by looking into our own souls for guidance.

Last BYM, Young Friends sought to expand spiritual and cultural horizons. We enjoyed workshops on Tai Chi, a Japanese Tea ceremony and a visit from a Mennonite who spoke on peace and the connections between Friends and Mennonites. We started the tradition of Dorm Tag with the Tiny Young Friends (TYFs) and practiced mindful eating at designated meals. Young Friends also wrestle with weighty issues which were met with love and concern and which resulted in processes that would continue for months to come.

In September we gathered at Nottingham Meeting in Oxford, Pennsylvania and treated our muscles and minds in a massage workshop. We played group trust-and-cooperation games to get to know each other- this was much needed due to the high volume of new attenders. We took a late-night run to a local ice cream stand where we indulged our collective sweet tooth after a late dinner of Ramen Noodles. This conference was particularly relaxed and helped to integrate the new Young Friends into the community as well as build ties in the group as a whole.

November conference was held at Stony Run meeting in Baltimore. Lamar Matthew spoke to us about boundaries and the controversial loss of a member of our community. The ever-lovely Rachel Stacy led us in a workshop concerning the diversity of Friends throughout the nation and the world and led us in a worship sharing on faith. Later that evening we held a candle-light peace vigil on Charles street followed by a discussion on peace led by two members of Jonah House, a Catholic worker community in Baltimore. In our attempt to have a simple meal, we discovered that beans and rice can become ridiculously complex and frightening even for the strong-hearted. However, we learned a thing or two about food planning in the process. This conference we found ourselves looking inside for ways to find peace in ourselves, amongst Friends, in our home communities and in the world.

The dubious nature of the food at November conference inspired us to have a Wellness-themed conference at Sandy Spring meeting in February. There was no smoking and lots of healthy food available. While the no-smoking rule proved controversial in planning, it inspired some Young Friends to try quitting at least for the weekend and did not cause much trouble in the end. Our workshop was on element-based energy walking which grounded us all very well and prepared us for the debut of the amazing Art Box, compliments of Amrit Moor. A plethora of board games filled our free time with hungry hippos and word-bending Scrabble. We partook in the budding tradition of a Valentine's Day Love Feast in which we could not feed ourselves but were more than welcome to paint each other with vegan chocolate fudge. This conference promoted a balance of mental, physical and spiritual wellness that enriched the gathering.

In April we took our bus trip to State College, Pennsylvania. The spontaneous dancing in the rain, ultimate frisbee, dinner dates and admiration of an unearthly large bunny proved that the spirit leads us to explore the inner child in us all. Our workshop was on spiritual movement and led us to ground our energy together.

The June conference, which was actually held in May at Adelphi, was a mellow and appropriate close to the conference year. We approved new members for our executive committee. This gathering was particularly musical and we enjoyed YF talent on guitar and percussion instruments. Our workshop consisted of camp games which built friendships and trust amongst YFs and the weekend was full of Frazzlyram. We sent our seniors off with a word blast and lots of love.

The year was very productive spiritually for the community and brought much joy to us all, but we experienced one great tragedy. We are deeply saddened by the passing of a Young Friend, Caitlin Dunbar, in December. Her death was a shock and very painful for all of us, whether we knew her well or not. In February we had a worship sharing to honor the joy of her life, hold her family in the light, and search for healing in a time of enormous loss. Even in sadness, and maybe especially in sadness, Young Friends came together as one for Caitlin and for each other.

For our ups and downs, our joys and our losses, Young Friends are strong and look forward to a great year. We will grow and share and nurture each other, always keeping in mind that we never know what may happen, and we can never say "I love you" too many times.

In love and light,
The Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends