Adelphi

• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2008
• Interchange, Spring 2009
• Interchange, Winter 2009
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2007
• Interchange, Spring 2008
• Interchange, Fall 2007
• Interchange, Summer 2007
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2006
• Interchange, Spring 2007
• Interchange, Fall 2006
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2005
• Interchange, Summer 2006
• Interchange, Fall 2005
   
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2004
• Interchange, Summer 2005
• Interchange, Spring 2005
• Interchange, December 2004
• FUM Policy Concern
• Interchange, September 2004
• Interchange, March 2004
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2003

Three factors helped shape the spiritual state of our Meeting in 2008: the long-range planning process, support for Young Friends’ service, and walking with a transgendering Friend and family. This report will discuss those factors, along with worship, gatherings, First Day School, business meeting, community, and witness to the wider world.

The long-range planning process, which began with the fiftieth anniversary celebration in 2006, seemed to “season” everything that we did. Threshing sessions were held for the whole meeting to discuss particular aspects of the meeting’s life. Following the threshing sessions, members and attenders were encouraged to join “dream teams” so that they might meet regularly to flesh out provocative proposals. We found these meetings to be occasions for growing spiritually and getting to know one another.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee budgeted financial support for Young Friends’ service projects. Young Friends applied for money for a particular project and then were scheduled to share with the Meeting about the project after it was completed. Several Young Friends took advantage of this opportunity; Ian Schwenke went to Colorado, Giovanna Selvaggio-Stix went to El Salvador, Chike Croslin went to Costa Rica, and the seventh and eighth grade class from Friends Community School went to Washington, DC.

We walked with the family of one Friend who was “transgendering,” that is, changing gender identification from male to female. The Friend and her family has had a support committee, which consulted with the Meeting’s standing committees. A second hour was held with the Friend and her spouse. Young Friends participated in the Second Hour, made a statement welcoming the Friend, and wrote a letter to the Friend and her family. The Meeting held several events of celebration and support.

Perhaps because of these factors, Meeting for Worship seemed deeper, with fewer messages on a typical First Day. One Friend said, “We have raised our level of ministry to one another.” Our regular First Day schedule included two meetings for worship, a smaller one at 9:00, held outside in the Memorial Garden the third First Day of the month, and a larger one at 10:00, ending with joys and concerns, and followed by introductions and announcements, with singing in between the two meetings. In the larger meeting the children and youth remain for the first twenty minutes, after which they go to their First Day School classes, though a few remain for the entire Meeting for Worship. On the fourth First Day, however, the children have Junior Meeting, and the youth have Young Friends Meeting for Worship.

We continued to offer a wide variety of ongoing gatherings, including monthly adult Bible study, Spiritual Exploration to nurture spiritual growth through monthly gathering of all participants and small support groups, monthly Preparation for Meeting for Worship when a Friend shares one’s spiritual journey, and several women’s groups and men’s groups. All of these have enriched our worship. A Friend said, “I listen to the messages with new appreciation because I know more about the person speaking.” A book group met for several months to study Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak. One participant said that she found it helped her discern what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

First Day School was, according to Young Friends, “a safe place,” where they were “known and listened to.” The children particularly appreciated times in which they were cooking and eating. First Day School was held for preschool through senior high school students. The two classes of elementary school age children (first and second grade in one class and third through fifth grade in the other) have studied the Bible, Quaker history, and living the testimonies. Middle School Young Friends have been studying world religions and service opportunities, and High School Young Friends have been discussing contemporary issues in light of Quaker values. First Day School, however, has been struggling to find teachers, and we have been encouraging non-parents to teach. Teachers of the younger children have reported challenges because of the different expectations of the children, parents and teachers.

Due in part to our envisioning a more vibrant future of the Meeting, Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business has witnessed a larger attendance and a less contentious spirit. Friends have appreciated the work of the clerk. In carrying on the work of the Meeting, however, a number of committees have reported inadequate membership, and Friends felt they were stretched too thin.

Nevertheless, a Friend commented, “The spirit of the Meeting is very uplifting. I feel a real sense of community here.” Less of a “chasm” seemed to exist between Friends who identify themselves as Christians and those who do not. One second hour focused on being Christian in a liberal Quaker meeting. Some Friends expressed a need to know one another more deeply. The reinstitution of “neighborhood groups” might be helpful.

In our witness to the world, many individuals have done a “marvelous job for a meeting this size,” said one Friend. Furthermore, we have become more supportive of people following their leadings. People were showing more trust for one another on their spiritual paths. More people are coming to Meeting in order to be nurtured so that they can express their witness in the world. We still struggled as a meeting to find corporate ways of service in which more people can participate. One of the ways we have exercised corporate witness has been through Friends Community School, which is under our spiritual care. There are still unhealed wounds suffered over the life of the school. The new head is open to talking with the people involved and moving forward in a forthright and loving manner.

We continue to grow, to serve, to care, to worship, so that, in the words of George Fox, “the power of the Lord might be over all.”

January 31 found a large contingent of our Meeting coming together in a retreat to hear about and further process the dreams that have emerged during our Meeting-wide long-range planning process. We dreamed very big dreams at this retreat, and from this will come the first specific changes towards those dreams. This has been a very exciting process and one that has brought our community closer together.

Many women from our Meeting attended the yearly BYM Women’s Retreat in Front Royal, and a group of committed and energetic women stepped forward to organize the 2010 Retreat! It looks like the dates will be January 29-31, 2010, and the location will move back to Skycroft Retreat Center in Middletown, MD.

The prompting of the Spirit led one member of our Meeting to organize us to contribute food weekly to the food pantry at St. Camillus Catholic Church. Most weeks our food “basket” is quite full, and we are grateful to work together with a church that has a food outreach program to the community.

A long-time member of our Meeting, Esther Webb, age 92, died on March 27th. She was faithful in her attendance at Meeting for Worship and, true to form, she was with us the Sunday before her death. She was very active in organizing and working for peace from World War II all the way through to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Memorial Service was held for her on April 5th.

Our Meeting has been searching, stretching and transitioning. We took a several month journey with Chloe (formerly Stephen) Schwenke and Christine Lucas as Chloe’s transition from male to female was brought to our Meeting. Support was provided for the family (they have two young children) and education provided for the Meeting, including a Second Hour on transgender issues and an amazing performance by Peterson Toscano “Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible.”

We have also been continuing our Meeting-wide process of long-range planning by having Dream Teams in five major topic areas. January 31 will be a retreat where Dream Teams will report their top dreams and we will seek unity on future directions of our Meeting. Peace and Social Concerns has been sponsoring a monthly program, “Preparation for Meeting for Worship,” in which once a month an individual from our Meeting shares his or her spiritual journey in the half-hour before Meeting for Worship. We have deepened our understanding and appreciation of each other as we have done this.

We have also been experimenting with snacks after every Meeting for Worship as a way to increase fellowship in our fairly large Meeting. There has been a very positive response to this and we hope to continue it. We have also started to offer monthly electronic debit of donations to the Meeting. We hope this will not only simplify the donation process but increase the predictability of monthly income.

The trauma of war affects more than just the soldiers coming home from the Middle East. Alaine Duncan from our Meeting has been recognized for her work in founding Crossings Healingworks, a non-profit group that provides soldiers, their family members and others who care for them with stress reduction in the form of acupuncture and massage. The group offers reduced and sliding scale fees to soldiers and their partners, parents and children. More information is available at www.crossingshealingworks.org. (Donations or other support appreciated in this effort to help bring peace to war.)

Worship continues to be the anchor for most members and attenders of Adelphi, and during this year many say they have experienced a deep spirit of worship. Both the vocal ministry and the silence have been described as rich and spiritually rewarding. We still need to work on providing space between messages for absorbing and deepening the experience, although this was less of a problem than in previous years. The young people, through Junior Meeting and Young Friends Worship Sharing, are guided in their participation in Meeting for Worship and other Quaker practices. Peace and Social Concerns Committee instituted a Preparation for Meeting for Worship, a half-hour period prior to Meeting for Worship on the Third First Day of the month, during which individual members of the Meeting reflect on their own spiritual journeys. A small outdoor worship in the Memorial Garden on the second First Day of the month was instituted. A Christmas evening meeting was held, and it was well appreciated by those who attended. Individuals still express some concern that our time to express joys and concerns sometimes goes too far afield or lasts too long. The Ministry and Worship Committee has struggled with this issue, but no consensus has emerged.

Many changes have occurred during 2007. Building on the impetus provided by the 50th anniversary celebration, during which we began the process of envisioning how the Meeting should continue to grow, the ad hoc Long Range Planning Committee worked throughout the year. Their report, entitled “Tending our Roots, Nurturing Our Future,” challenged the Meeting to look at the various themes developed and to respond to provocative proposals on each theme. There has been enthusiastic participation, and a plan has been developed to have threshing sessions on each theme during 2008.

Ministry and Worship Committee completed two major documents that have been in the works for years. Living Life in the Spirit is the Meeting’s guide for supporting individual callings and leadings, and a manual entitled Practices and Procedures Supporting the Spiritual Life of the Meeting spells out the charges of each Meeting committee and is a guidebook for worship, business and other spiritual practices. Both documents were approved by the Meeting, with the understanding that the manual will continue to be a work in progress, as Meeting needs and committee structures change.

Responding to the concern that visitors and newcomers sometimes find it difficult to integrate in the Meeting, Outreach and Fellowship has become more active in welcoming them and being available to interpret Adelphi and Quakerism. In addition, this committee along with the Hospitality Committee initiated a process by which expanded snacks are available following Meeting for Worship—with volunteers signing up to bring in food. This has enhanced the fellowship and might have encouraged more people to remain for the Second Hours, which have been better attended than in the past. The topics have included: Ramallah Friends School; an imam discussing Islam and peace; a threshing session on Peace and Social Concerns' new proposals for distributing the money given to community organizations; Prince Edward County, Va. civil rights history; a listening session on the BYM young Friends program; worship sharing on the Spiritual State of the Meeting; and a session on Quaker Discernment.

The first interment of ashes in the Memorial Garden took place this year. The Memorial Garden provides a quiet sanctuary for individual meditation.

Our Meetings for Worship for the Conduct of Business this year presented no big controversies, and there was a general feeling that the business was conducted in a spirit of worship. This was the first full year since the Meeting changed its fiscal year from the calendar year to a December through November year. Finance Committee kept the Meeting well informed of how we were doing in terms of contributions and expenses, and appreciation has been expressed for the clarity of their reports. We were pleased that the budget was met.

All the committees of Meeting have been very active during the year, although it has been difficult to find enough members for our various committees. As a result, some people are stretched too thin. The Long Range Planning Committee is examining the role of the committees in the life of the Meeting, including the spiritual life of the Meeting. Pastoral Care has responded to the needs of members who were ill or who needed other assistance.

The First Day School program continues to be vibrant for both children and adults. Adult Religious Education has not been as active this year, and several people have expressed regret that Quakerism 101 or some variation on it did not occur. A desire for Bible study expressed by many will be addressed in second hours beginning in 2008.

Individual and corporate leadings and activities in the Meeting have continued to inspire and challenge us. Among the many, the renamed and revitalized Quaker Earthcare Witness Committee presented a sustainability minute, which was approved by the Meeting, and led us in potluck dinners using local foods and less trash. The tutoring project at Mother Jones Elementary School continues to receive financial support from Meeting, some volunteer support from Meeting members and support from other volunteers from the larger community. The same could be said on a national and international level for Ufufuo, which focuses on rebuilding and reconciliation. The Restore and Renew Wellness Clinic at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP) have called us to ponder our relationship, respectively, with the military in wartime, and with the poor in our area.

Friends Community School, which is under the spiritual care of the Meeting, moved into its new green building in the fall. On November 4, Adelphi’s Meeting for Worship was held at the school in celebration of the anniversary of its founding. Tours of the new building were a highlight of this event. Concern, however, still exists about the degree of involvement of the Meeting in the spiritual life of the school.

The children in Meeting responded to the queries (adapted from the BYM queries) by saying that they do not feel encouraged to speak in Meeting for Worship, and there was a mixed response to whether they feel listened to by adults. Most find the silence (when they are in Meeting for Worship for the first twenty minutes) too long or too boring, but at least one appreciated the silence. Potluck and Strawberry Festival are popular with them and provide opportunities for intergenerational fellowship. The children have a concern for the environment, and they want to be more active. It has been suggested that there should be more cooperative games and social activities for the children on a regular basis.

Young Friends and Junior Young Friends provided feedback that Meeting is the focus of their spiritual life and expressed appreciation for hearing other people’s spiritual thoughts and understanding of Quakerism. They also appreciate the fellowship of other young people, and some feel that the Meeting provides a larger family.

Adelphi is currently involved in an exciting long range planning process to envision and plan for the future of our Meeting. The process began over a year ago during our 50th anniversary weekend retreat and celebration. At this point we are developing the five themes that came forth, and are holding a series of second hours to thresh theme-related “provocative proposals” compiled and put forward by the Long Range Planning Ad Hoc Committee. After that process, “dream teams” will be formed to further develop and refine ideas that emerge from the threshing sessions. While we do this, committees have been asked to suspend some normal activity and spend a substantial amount of time discussing the future as it pertains to that particular committee.

Other activities of the Meeting have included a winter Local Foods potluck that challenged us to bring seasonally appropriate food, and Meeting middle schoolers learning about and visiting different religious traditions

June 2nd found our community out in full force for Strawberry Festival, our largest fundraiser. We were able to have a white elephant sale, clothing sale, silent auction, baked goods and plants, a café for lunch and strawberry confections, a book sale and children’s games. This event is a wonderful one for us and for outreach to nearby neighborhoods where there are a number of immigrants and many different levels of income.

Over the summer our First Day School’s theme was “Friendly Gifts”. This is a time when 1st through 12th graders come together in one group and this year Meeting folks shared their interests and gifts, such as cooking, button-making, crafting duct-tape wallets and drawing. September 9th is the opening of our regular Religious Education classes.

Quaker Earthcare Witness continues to be hard at work and this summer a Sustainability Minute crafted by QEW and reviewed then by Meeting committees, and presented at a Second Hour, was approved by Business Meeting. September’s potluck after Meeting for Worship will focus on local foods, and all participants will be encouraged to include at least one fruit, vegetable, meat or cheese that is locally grown or made. We’ll make a list and see how many different types of food we have.

And finally the much anticipated opening of the new “green” Friends Community School in Greenbelt was achieved. An occupancy permit was issued on August 30th, just in time for the school to open on September 4th! The celebration of this new school will take place in the spring so that the grounds around the school can be restored to non-construction-site status.

Our Meeting is struggling to find folks for all of our committees and related positions. Nominating Committee has worked extremely hard to talk with members and attenders. In part due to busy-ness, and in part due to there being so many significant roles, many important positions are going unfilled. We have several new or ad hoc groups, such as Long Range Planning, Earthcare Witness, and Memorial Garden that are attracting and requiring significant energy. We hope that we will be able to solve this dilemma as time goes on so that we can spread out the many important duties necessary to keep us functioning well!

On March 11, Adelphi Earthcare Witness began a 9:00 a.m. outdoor worship in our Memorial Garden every second Sunday. A community-wide cleanup of a section of the nearby Northwest Branch trail with an accompanying potluck was held on Sunday April 22, which is also Earth Day.

Friends Community School’s new “green” building, currently being constructed using straw bales and passive solar, has attracted some excellent television and newspaper publicity.

Join in this annual community event for an abundance of food, fun and red, ripe strawberries including: crafts, children’s games, sale of plants, gently used books and clothing, farm-fresh produce and delicious desserts! For more information call: 301-445-1114.

In 2006, Adelphi Friends Meeting celebrated 350 years of Quakers in Maryland, and we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our Meeting. A full weekend of anniversary events in September was a highlight of the year for our community. As we gathered Friday evening under a large tent erected behind our meetinghouse, many former Meeting members, including some who were present at the founding of the Meeting, joined us for a terrific slide show and an evening of story-telling about earlier times at Adelphi. On Saturday, our ad-hoc long-range planning committee sponsored a day-long retreat with activities for all ages. This was an opportunity for our community to reflect on past and present and create a vision for its future. On Sunday, following Meeting for Worship and a group photograph, the celebration concluded with potluck and birthday cake.

Many in our Meeting expressed gratitude for this celebration. As some put it: “I enjoyed…reflections on the history of AFM. It was nice how some discussed their personal lives and how they had been changed, while others discussed big events that impacted AFM—the Vietnam War, etc. I got a better sense of how Quakerism intersects with and impacts the world.” “I expected a fun, nostalgic event, but got so much more—especially the retreat approach to looking affirmatively at our Meeting, then to wish for change in the future. …I feel more connected to Adelphi Meeting than ever.” “The celebration spoke to the heart of our Meeting as well as anything ever has and so was very enriching."

A highlight of the anniversary weekend was the worshipful dedication of a Memorial Garden on our property. The garden was designed by a Meeting member and constructed with much assistance from volunteers in the Meeting, including the children who particularly enjoyed planting hundreds of flower bulbs. This beautiful garden not only provides the opportunity to inter the remains of our loved ones; it also provides an oasis for silence and meditation on our grounds. The Meeting is very grateful to the committee members who persisted in their vision for this garden over a dozen years of discussion and planning.

Another milestone in 2006 was the first same-sex marriage under the care of Adelphi. Our Meeting approved a minute recognizing same-sex marriage in 1991 after many years of deliberations, but in the intervening years no couple had completed the clearness process for such a marriage. The marriage, of a woman who had grown up in the meeting and her partner, was celebrated in good order and with great joy.

Overall, Adelphi continues to be a sizable and vibrant Meeting and our spiritual life as a community is rich. Many in the Meeting community expressed gratitude for the welcoming and accepting environment of the Meeting and the simple joys of conversation, of a “thank you” expressed. One observed: “I think the Meeting members appreciate me more than I deserve.” Another remarked: “I think people are usually appreciative when you reach out to them in almost any way.”

Meeting for Worship continues to be at the center of our Meeting’s spiritual life. Many expressed appreciations for Meeting for Worship: “Each meeting is different, has its own flavor, its own blessings.” “There were many meetings for worship that were rich experiences.” There were also numerous expressions of concern regarding the depth of silent worship and vocal ministry, and the lack of appropriate space between messages. As one Friend put it: “Somehow I feel that folks speak thoughts off the top of their head rather than messages that come from the depths of their spirit.” Another was more blunt about vocal ministry: “Too ego driven.” Our middle school-age Junior Young Friends, who with the other children are usually in meeting for the first 20 minutes, commented that those 20 minutes are not a very settled time and 20 minutes is not long enough for them to get a full sense of Meeting for Worship or hear many spoken messages. Finally, Junior Young Friends expressed a wish for a wider repertoire of songs during the singing time before meeting, and for more opportunities to sing. There has also been considerable discussion of our practice of sharing “joys and concerns” at the conclusion of Meeting for Worship. While many find this time rich and valuable in building up our community, a number have expressed concerns about its placement within Meeting for Worship and about the nature and length of the offerings.

Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business went well in 2006, with many comments containing words such as “consideration,” respect,” and “sensitivity.” Many also expressed great appreciation to our Clerk for her worshipful, grounded approach to Meeting for Business: “I appreciate how the clerk runs the meeting in an efficient yet open and friendly way.” There was also a sense that committees had seasoned business well.

Late in the year, the Meeting launched a “spiritual exploration group” which will meet regularly in small and larger groups with the intent of sharing a sustained, disciplined spiritual practice. There were other suggestions which the Meeting might consider, including numerous suggestions for worship-sharing or “after-thoughts” opportunities, greater service and witness opportunities, opportunities to gather in one another’s homes, more intergenerational activities, and more consistent use of name tags. Many comments reflected a great deal of care and concern for the life of our community and the individuals within it. For example, considerable concern was expressed over a number of marital separations occurring during the year, and what meeting can do to nurture and sustain the marriages under its care.

Adelphi continues to be a meeting which is rich with children of all ages. Our children’s programs were vibrant this year, with an active and engaged group of adult leaders supported by the Children’s Religious Education Committee. We note that more classes are engaging in Bible study at a deeper, more holistic level than in previous years.

Adelphi’s children enjoy community events such as Strawberry Festival, playing on our playground, potluck, and giving away the money they raised on Games Day. As one child summed up, “Meeting to me is about community.” At the same time, our Junior Young Friends suggested that the “whole meeting should do more getting to know each other activities,” noting that “we don’t get to know each other in the silence.” They also said they’d like more activities like Games Day geared to their age group, and suggested that “people could put a little more thought into the dishes they bring to potluck.”

Adelphi’s high school age Young Friends are a lively group of young people who have done activities that help them build community, engage with the world, grow as people, and learn about life. As one put it, “we have learned to affirm everyone…and we have learned to bring out the best in each person.” They also report that they have learned not to be affected when schoolmates make funny comments about Quakers. The meeting is mindful that these young people will soon go out into the wider world and carry with them the Quaker message, and we were thrilled that two young adults who grew up in the Meeting became members this year.

Many important projects of our Meeting are moving right along. Our new Memorial Garden was dedicated in a moving ceremony at our 50th Anniversary celebration in September, 2006. Benches, rocks and plantings are in place and the Memorial Garden is ready for the ashes of F/friends from our Meeting. Many Meeting friends worked very hard for years to make this garden happen. Likewise, Friends Community School’s new “green” building in Greenbelt is moving forward quickly and straw bales are now being put in place. Once a month, a Meeting for Worship is held on the grounds.

Our Long Range Planning Committee is involving the whole community in planning for our future. Using a process called “appreciative inquiry”, we have been invited to reflect on what is most important to us about our Meeting. Important themes have been identified and will be used as the basis for some “provocative proposals” of images for possible futures.

In December, Safe Haven, a rotating shelter for homeless men, meet at our Meeting House the week before Christmas. An outpouring of food and assistance from the community accompanied this yearly event.

Our Meeting is excited about our upcoming 50th Anniversary celebration, September 22nd – 24th! There are many events planned including a Friday evening dinner and slide show, a facilitated retreat, neighborhood group meetings, a cookout, a group photograph and, of course, birthday cake!!

Friends Community School’s new building in Greenbelt is getting to the stage in its construction where the straw bales will be placed. Community participation is being invited.

Harold Confer of our Meeting has organized a three-week work camp to be part of Mennonite Disaster Relief in Pass Christian, Mississippi, starting around September 1.

His organization, Ufufuo! raised over $12,000 to participate; this money was matched by an anonymous donor. This work camp is helping to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. These homes are being rebuilt on 17 foot pilings to accommodate any future storm surges.

Our Quaker Earthcare Witness group did a 5-week program for the summer First Day School, which generally includes a mixture of ages from 5 to 15. It was very well attended and included a session on bicycling in which a collection of different types of bicycles, from tandem to recumbent to folding, was brought to the Meeting House by Guy Le Valley. There seemed to be a type of bicycle for everyone!

Many of our Young Friends are off to college: Cara Curtis to Haverford, Thomas Bassert and Damian Morden-Snipper to Montgomery College, Julia Klima to Drew University, and Rebecca Zeroth to Towson State.

Submitted by Carole Hoage

Adelphi Friends Meeting is in its fiftieth year and continues to be a vibrant Meeting with an active First Day School. On most First Days, we found ourselves enriched by visitors from the surrounding area, other nearby Meetings, and out-of-town.

This report is based on several Second Hours, individual and committee surveys, interviews with children and Young Friends, and prayerful consideration by members of the Ministry and Worship Committee. While about half of the survey respondents were members, an equal number were attenders and those who were fairly new to Meeting.

Overall, 2005 was a good year for Adelphi Friends Meeting, following the somewhat difficult year of 2004. Last year’s Spiritual State of the Meeting report expressed concern that some people and committees experienced burnout, that we struggled with using good Quaker order in decision-making and communication with each other, and that political messages were not always spirit-led. These and other issues were embraced in 2005 and those efforts helped many to feel spiritually renewed. Ministry and Worship devoted more effort to committee support and more people were involved in Meeting activities. Second Hours were held on Business Meeting process, a mid-year check-in on the Spiritual State of the Meeting, and living in the Light.

Adelphi was experienced this year as an inclusive, welcoming place, where people’s contributions were appreciated and they felt taken seriously. Many felt that Quaker process is being practiced in committee work and Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business. It was recognized that Quaker process involves a lot of human failing, but that the goodness and rightness of the process outweigh by far any challenges or differences. Many people yearned for greater simplicity in their lives and more time to be deeply involved in Meeting life. People recognized the importance of “carrying each other’s water” as we moved through different phases of our lives affecting our ability to participate. Still, more people were involved in the Strawberry Festival, donations were up, we changed our fiscal year to encourage better giving habits, new initiatives such as Earthcare Witness began, and many members contributed to the Capital Campaign to build a “green,” permanent home for Friends Community School. The much appreciated series of Second Hours on death and dying continued as well as planning for the Memorial Garden. We developed a comprehensive policy and set of procedures for youth safety after much struggling with difficult issues such as freedom for our children to explore versus responsibility to assure their safety.

Many Friends experienced Meeting for Worship to be nourishing. They felt vocal ministry was more spirit-led this year, noting appreciation for Meetings with long silences and shorter messages. Others felt frustrated and upset when messages did not seem spirit-led or when some people gave messages too frequently. Some wished for more seasoned Quakers to set the tone for spoken ministry. Eldering was identified as both needed and difficult to do. People continued to enjoy the singing before Meeting as a joyful transition. The called Meetings for Worship were especially appreciated, particularly when Hurricane Katrina hit and when Tom Fox and the other Christian Peacemaker Team members were kidnaped, to hold in the light those affected and leading us to consider our corporate and individual response to those in crisis. Some saw a need for more spiritual accountability through spiritual formation, Bible study, individual preparation for Meeting for Worship, reflection on vocal ministry, and more frequent in-depth study of Quaker faith and practice. Discussion continued regarding the nature and timing of Joys and Concerns, as well as setting aside time for “afterthoughts.”

Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business was seen by many as being respectful of those attending and participating, including those who dissented, nevertheless we wish more people would attend these important monthly Meetings. Under the Clerk’s leadership, business was well-seasoned and decisions spirit-led and the silence before and between items of business helped create an atmosphere of groundedness and rootedness in the Light. Timely emailing of the upcoming agenda for Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business succeeded in bringing Friends together with a greater sense of shared purpose. Business Meeting approved guidelines for email notifications that encouraged face-to-face, spirit-led discernment in lieu of using email to discuss sensitive issues. It was recognized that written communications (newsletter, silent announcements, the directory, and the website) could be better utilized and that basic information might well be repeated to make sure that people get it.

Several committees and special events were energized by the contributions of people who had not previously been involved in planning those activities. Responsibility for planning the annual Strawberry Festival and weekends at Catoctin were transferred from individuals or teams to small groups, and both activities were more rewarding for those involved. Some committees needed additional members and struggled faithfully to fulfill their missions. Nominating Committee continued to find it challenging to fill committees that required Meeting membership. An effort was started to review and update committee charges and responsibilities and to commit procedures to writing. A Long-Range Planning Committee was convened to develop a long-range planning process for the first time in over ten years. Activities such as, Safe Haven, work days, potlucks, Friendly 8s, the Library, the various support groups, and teaching First Day School, were cited as opportunities for engagement in service and community interaction.

To strengthen community life, an occasional afternoon hike, more Friendly 8s, neighborhood groups, and other inter-generational activities were suggested. The Outreach and Fellowship Committee improved our welcoming efforts for visitors. Some Friends wanted more people to wear name tags, while others did not want to be pushed to wear them. It was suggested that people identify themselves more consistently when giving announcements. Other suggestions were made regarding how best to steward our aging buildings and facilities, the need to improve the assisted listening devices in the Meeting house, the need to find better ways to include First Day School teachers in Meeting life, and the need for more service or witness opportunities.

Parents, young people, and children were all very affirming of the First Day School and Young Friends programs as well as the BYM camping and retreat programs. Junior Meeting Friends, grades 1-6, were learning how to center down in Meeting for Worship. They felt that Monthly Jr. Meeting and attending the first 20 minutes of “big“ Meeting gave them “time to reflect on things like what you did best and what happened.” Teachers “were helpful and let you speak your mind.” The children looked forward to singing, potluck, and special activities, but wished that snacks could be earlier in the hour. Several shared that it was harder to enjoy Meeting when they had stayed up late the night before. Our Junior Young Friends, grades 7 and 8, are a small group who are comfortable with each other and their small size lets them be closer than a larger group. But sometimes they struggle with feeling disjointed because the absence of even one person is more noticeable. Young Friends, grades 9-12, felt positive about their time at Meeting. One young person said, “I am searching for my spiritual beliefs and Meeting is a place where I can hear adults’ ideas and exchange ideas with my peers along that search.” The feeling of trust and mutual enjoyment among young friends and between youth and the adult leaders made this an important part of the lives of all the participants.

It seemed that our love of Quaker silent worship and the Quaker way of life sustained us greatly this past year. We felt greatly blessed by Meeting life and appreciated the opportunity to journey together individually and collectively.

With other Quakers and people of peace around the world, our Meeting mourns the death of Tom Fox after he was kidnapped and held in captivity. He was known and loved by many members of our Meeting. Tom’s calling and his death have challenged all of us in different ways.

In February, our Meeting hosted Safe Haven, a local church-based program for homeless men. About 15 men stayed in our Meeting House for a week and our community pitched in to provide food and evening companionship during their time with us.

Our community had a real treat when Adult Religious Education arranged for the one-person play “A Clear Leading” at our Meeting House after Meeting for Worship one Sunday. Starring Rich Swingle, a renowned playwright and actor, this play portrays events from the life of John Woolman. Rich held folks of all ages spell-bound for the duration of this amazing two-act play.

Another event of note was the marriage of Jen Chapin Harris and Alexi Smith on March 4th at Sandy Spring’s Meeting House. Jen and Lexi are the first same gender couple to be married under the care of Adelphi Friends Meeting since our Meeting adopted a minute approving such unions more than a decade ago. This was a very moving ceremony for all who attended.

Our Quaker Earthcare Witness group organized a “carpool Sunday” in April. They put together a large map of our area and individuals or families marked where they live on the map in order to find out who lives nearby and could be part of a carpool to Meeting on Sundays. It is hoped that the number of cars being driven to Meeting could thus be reduced. And perhaps new friendships can be made!

This fall, Adelphi Friends Meeting will have its 50th anniversary! Plans are being made to have a celebration in September. Stay tuned for further details.

We held our yearly Strawberry Festival in June with an amazing turnout of both new and old members and attenders helping this year. It is our major fundraiser of the year, but it is also a wonderful community event. This year we were able, once again, to sell white elephants, clothing, books, plants, strawberries and baked goods. We also had a café for lunch and snacks and a silent auction of goods and services. And after two years straight of Strawberry Festivals in the pouring rain, we had a lovely sunny day.

And just prior to the Strawberry Festival, a revitalized camping weekend was held at Camp Catoctin, with over 40 folks – mostly families – coming for a mostly unstructured weekend of relaxation and community.

Over the summer Adelphi joined an amicus brief for the lawsuit encouraging Maryland to permit same-gender marriage. Also, a decision was made to change the fiscal year for Adelphi to December 1 through November 30, hoping that this will make tasks easier for our hard-working Finance Committee.

Religious Education teachers are gearing up for another active year and are starting off with an opening retreat for teachers. The Outreach and Fellowship committee is working to organize Friendly Eights potluck dinners for the fall.

Young Friends worked on letters declaring their conscientious objection to military service, then had this opposition recorded both at their Meeting and at Yearly Meeting. Two high school graduates left for Earlham College: Lizzie Seitel and Anna Lee Horne!