Floyd

• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2008
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2007
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2006
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2005
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2004
• FUM Policy Concern
• Interchange, May 2004
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2003

SPIRITUALITY:

Some of our members who have been in active attendance for several years are feeling that our meeting for worship generally has a deep sense of community involvement. Even when there are newcomers or guests present we feel a strong feeling of the presence of the Spirit. Many of us have overcome our initial resistance to speaking our leadings aloud, but we are not uncomfortable with the frequent happening of silence through the entire Meeting for Worship. We have one attender who will at times quietly sing a song or hymn. We continue to read the query after about ten minutes of silence, when the children, if any are present, then go to First Day School. Also, about ten minutes prior to rise of the meeting the clerk asks if there are any joys or concerns to express, or thoughts that did not quite reach ministry. People who otherwise are usually silent often speak at this time.

We have a covenant group of three people that meets twice a month.

One of our attenders, who is a lifelong member of a West Virginia Meeting, was married at her home here last summer with one of our members officiating along with a member from her old Meeting. This was a joyful and meaningful time and we enjoyed having her family members visiting at worship the next day.

We had a shared meal on New Year’s Eve, preceded by half an hour of silent worship. We feel that this was so successful that we may continue it in the future.

In response to someone using our building inappropriately, we have put a welcoming note on our gathering room table that is near the entrance.

MEMBERSHIP:

We have lost two of our beloved birthright members to a Quaker retirement community: we are pleased for them, but we miss them and their participation. (We had a farewell meal for them; at their request it was at their home, and we had a leaf raking party beforehand.) We have some new attenders who are taking an active part in our business of running a Meeting. We have a young attender who is a lifelong Friend who is active and offers us new viewpoints at times, for which we are grateful. We have a new attender who is gay, and this person reports feeling welcome and supported by us. All of these people are adding to the richness of our Meeting. Our attendance at worship has increased to average about ten to twelve.

BUSINESS:

We have dealt with several issues that have strengthened our meeting, some weighty and some not so weighty. One matter on which we spent a great deal of time and energy was the question of incorporation. After one member did a lot of research and an ad hoc committee met with a local attorney who donates his time to churches, we agreed not to incorporate. We were advised that we could of course incorporate if we wanted to spend the time and money to do so, but that in Virginia it really is unnecessary because the courts seldom find against the church unless there has been negligence or egregious activity. That led us to question what we expect from our trustees and what they should expect from us. After much consideration, one of our decisions was to limit our trustees’ terms to ten years. Our trustees had been in office for about fifteen years and were also part of the group of people that were the founders of Floyd Friends Meeting. We feel great gratitude to them for serving in that capacity.

We installed new clerks this year. We are in the process of having each retiring clerk draw up a written list of duties that are handed over to their replacement. This has been helpful and should continue to help in the future. These lists will continue to evolve.

Also we are compiling a procedure book with written explanations of our varied policies and procedures so that new people may consult this for understanding of how this meeting proceeds .We feel that it is good policy to have written material pertaining to our procedures for all of us to be able to consult and for clarification in the future.

One of our members has been attending the monthly meeting of the county ministerial association, and we were proud that she was asked to speak at the local ecumenical Thanksgiving service.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

First Day School: We rotate teachers for first day school, using a sign up sheet. We have decided to not use a set curriculum, but to have a quarterly theme, and let each teacher speak to that as s/he is led, either using materials that we have available or providing their own. Our theme for this quarter is Discernment. We have a notebook to keep a record of what has been taught. We have a small group of children who are not present every First Day, but two attenders are expecting to sit in the rocking chairs soon with little ones on their laps. .

Adult discussion: We continue to have a discussion once a month, preceded by a shared meal, except in the summer months and December. We frequently use a Pendle Hill pamphlet. We have discussed testimony, simplicity, integrity, equality and social justice, and the Bible and homosexuality. We take turns leading these discussions. Our discussions are sometimes intense or are of a deep emotional nature, and it is a sign of our commitment to our spirituality that we can deal with these moments with integrity.

PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS:

We continue to collect non-perishable food items at our Second Sunday Harvest and take them to our local food bank. We sent monetary donations to the Central Asia Institute and to our local New River Community Action.

BUILDING AND GROUNDS:

We greatly appreciated an anonymous donation of a riding mower, The long awaited railing along our front steps became a reality when an attender who is a wood worker donated beautiful wooden posts and rails and even installed them with help from some other members.. We have planted clumping bamboo to hopefully hide some of our neighbor’s various apparatus that he is storing in his field..

1. Spiritual Condition

We became concerned with the matter of people coming in after Meeting for Worship had started; sometimes visitors didn’t know when Meeting for Worship began. We struggled with the negative impact that a sign on the closed door to the meeting room might have and decided that a caution that would not offend people would be appropriate: “Welcome - Silent Meeting for Worship has begun - Please enter quietly - Thank you.” Another way in which we were mindful about providing information for guests and visiting worshippers was to update our brochure that is available on the table in our community room along with our guest book which we encourage people to sign. A phone tree list was created to enable efficient and quick contact of members and attenders when essential information needed to be disseminated.

A Covenant Group of five Floyd Friends members was formed and met for six months during the year. The concept for the group was based on material in a Pendle Hill pamphlet which had been used for one of our Adult Discussions in 2007 - “Quaker Social Testimony in our Personal and Corporate Life” by Jonathan Dale. The purpose of the group was to share, in a small and confidential meeting, how each of us felt we were living our faith and sense of calling in our ordinary, every day activities. In our weekly Meeting for Worship, the Clerk reads the query for the month soon after Worship begins and, shortly before the end, the Clerk invites us to voice any thoughts, concerns, joys which hadn’t yet been offered. We had questioned whether or not we wanted to continue the practice and have concluded that it is a meaningful way of centering into Worship and preparation for ending our time together. A highlight of our sense of being a worshipping and cohesive community came with our Christmas gathering for dinner and carol singing at the home of Wil & Mary Stratton. It was especially meaningful as it would be the last Christmas we could gather at the Strattons’ since they will be moving from Floyd in 2008.

A major part of the year was spent in the preparation for and drilling of a new well as we no longer had access to our former water source. Various people were instrumental in collecting data about the cost and in making an effort to locate the most reliable people to do the job. The community as a whole approached the project with a discerning and responsible attitude about providing the meetinghouse with an adequate and safe supply of water. A weighty issue that was raised during the year was the possibility of becoming an incorporated Meeting and we also considered whether we needed or desired having trustees for the Meeting. Our discussions concerning these items were carried out with the intention of doing what was best for the Floyd Friends Meeting and with respect and concern for all involved in the process.

2. Meeting for Business

3. Religious Education

4. Peace & Social Concerns

1. Spiritual Condition

A joyful occasion in the Spiritual life of the Floyd Friends Meeting this past year was the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the completion of the Meeting House. Guests from Maury River, Blacksburg, and Roanoke Meetings and others who helped with the building work were invited to join us for Meeting for Worship and lunch on 17 September. We've begun compiling a notebook of informational material about the Floyd Friends’ Meeting policies, philosophies, and activities which pertain to our particular Meeting. We also have updated our “Getting to know us better” brochure which we give to people who are interested in our Quaker practice and to welcome people who wish to worship with us. We've developed a program of spiritual listening (in other faith practices this is known as spiritual direction or nurture.) Two children of members, who attend First Day School, became associate members. We regularly have good attendance at Meeting for Worship by both members and attenders. One of our members expressed a profound sense of nurturing supportiveness by the community of Floyd Friends when she had heart surgery and through the long period of her recovery. In December, we celebrated a healthy and prosperous year as a Friends community in Floyd with a Christmas gathering for dinner and singing at the home of Wil and Mary Stratton.

2. Meetings for Business

We have our Meeting for Business on the first Sunday of each month with a shared meal after Meeting for Worship and before Meeting for Business. Attendance at Meeting for Business has been good with an average of 7 people each month and the Meeting has been intent on being good stewards of our financial resources and obligations. We ended the year with a slightly higher financial balance than from the previous year with all bills paid and in some instances not having spent the limit of the budgeted amount. Care and maintenance of the building and grounds was shared by members and attenders of the Meeting.

3. Religious Education

We continue to develop our First Day School curriculum and have a group of members who share the teaching on a rotating basis. Generally the two associate member children attend the First Day School, but occasionally through the year we’ve had other children in attendance. We continue to have a strong Adult Study group which meets monthly on a Wednesday evening with a shared supper before each session. During the past year our study curriculum included Quakerism 101; Bible study of Romans and Paul & The Letter to the Galatians; and the Pendle Hill pamphlet, “Quaker Social Testimony in Our Personal & Corporate Life,” by Jonathan Dale.

4. Peace and Social Concerns

This year we sponsored a series of three movie nights which were held at the Floyd Jessie Peterman Library. The movies were “Bowling for Columbine,” “Black Diamond,” and “Earth and the American Dream.” The movies did not generate a large attendance of people from the community, but discussion after the showing of the movies was thoughtful and energetic. We plan to continue this program in the future. Our year end contributions went to The New River Valley Community Center Emergency Fund and AFSC Crisis in Gaza Fund. Whenever we have a shared meal at the Meeting House, we are encouraged also to bring a nonperishable food item for the local food bank.

1. Spiritual Condition

In this past year, we’ve experienced a general increase in First Day worship attendance by members, attenders, and visitors with between 10 to 20 people. We do not have frequent spoken ministry in our worship, but various long time members of the Floyd Friends Meeting feel this past year has been rich in spiritual growth for both individuals and for the Meeting. Also, people comment they have a sense of spiritual peace and calm in the worship. We have welcomed three new members into our Meeting during 2005. In November, letters were sent to our absent members to maintain a connection with them. On October 12, a marriage took place which is under the care of the Meeting. During a Meeting for Worship, another couple renewed their marriage vows. During the year, members and attenders were given the opportunity to share their spiritual journeys as part of our monthly Wednesday evening Adult Study.

2. Meetings for Business

We averaged about 6 members and attenders in Meetings for Business during the past year. By the end of 2005, the Meeting had been fiscally responsible in paying our debts and honoring our commitments. As a Meeting, we feel very fortunate that our building is mortgage and debt free. Baltimore Yearly Meeting vouchers were available for first time members or attenders to participate in BYM in Harrisonburg and one person from our Meeting accepted the use of the voucher. Another person from the Floyd Meeting also attended. Several members and attenders participated in the FGC Gathering in July in Blacksburg. Various members and attenders worked individually and as a group to maintain the grounds and the Meeting House which saved on budget expenses, especially mowing the grounds. Our sign at the entrance to the Meeting House has been repainted and a new direction sign to the Meeting House has been placed at the intersection of Rts. 221 and 615 in Floyd. Our building and grounds projects have included a new and expanded parking lot with reflectors and wood bumpers; brick patio repair; and the removal of a decaying railroad tie step leading to the Meeting House.

3. Religious Education

Children have become a regular part of our worship and we now have a well organized First Day School program with a group of women and one man scheduled to teach on a rotating basis. New resource material has been purchased and contributed for First Day School. Our Adult Discussion continues to be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month except July and August. During the year, members and attenders were given the opportunity to present their spiritual journeys as part of our Adult Study and eleven people chose to share. We also did a study in February and March about the Quaker response to Fundamentalism.

4. Peace and Social Concerns

During the year, we have contributed to the Floyd community food resource SHARE (Self Help and Resource Exchange,) the Floyd Rescue Squad, and relief for Pakistan. Various members and attenders from the Floyd Friends Meeting are actively involved in community, national, and international peace and social justice organizations and efforts.

1. Spiritual condition

Meetings for worship continue to be held each First Day with from three to ten in attendance. Our meetings for worship are typically characterized by an intense stillness with occasional spoken messages. A spirit of faithfulness and loyalty to one another and to the Religious Society of Friends binds together the members of our Meeting. Our Meeting membership continues to evolve. One member has moved and transferred her membership to another Meeting. Four of our ten members either live at a distance or only minimally participate in our program. We are pleased to have increased participation by several attenders, and our Meetings for Worship are strengthened by visits from Friends passing through or visiting the area. Our spiritual state of the meeting was enriched by our adult discussion topics, explored in a spirit of openness and trust. Together we probed the basis of our beliefs, what we retained, and what we found to be not essential as basis for belief.

2. Meetings for Business

Meetings for business are held on the first First Day of each month, following meeting for worship and a shared lunch. Good attendance occurs by members. During the past year work days occurred for painting the porch ceiling, pruning, and maintenance work on the cemetery. A generous donation will make it possible to carry out a long-intended parking lot improvement. Our meeting house was used by two Friends groups, one for an overnight stay by a class from Wilmington Friends School, and an evening event by a multi-generational group from Blacksburg Friends Meeting. We also began repayment of a loan from the Black Creek Fund in Charlottesville Meeting that had been made at the time of the building of the meetinghouse.

3. Religious education

We have met for adult education on the third Wednesday evening of each month (except in summer months) following a shared meal. Our discussions are led by different members. We examined the peace testimony using three different approaches and texts: Sandra Cronk's pamphlet on the spiritual basis of the peace testimony; the historic record of Friends' responses to the testimony during the Civil War; and contemporary reflections prompted by Scott Simon's written response in Friends Journal to war in Afghanistan. Our second discussion topic focused on the Gnostic Gospels, primarily the Gospel of Thomas. We read and discussed Elaine Pagels' Beyond Belief. We have no regular ongoing First Day program for children since at the moment there are none in the Meeting. However occasional youthful attenders are taught on a volunteer basis.

4. Peace and Social Concerns

Peace and social concerns were exemplified in the various activities of our members. In addition we made significant monetary contributions to the Carter Center for the Conflict Resolution Program and to the area Habitat for Humanity with our donation earmarked for building a home in Floyd County.

We, of Floyd Friends Meeting, had a lengthy discussion on Jane Megginson and Josh Riley's letter. We appreciate their telling us of their painful situation and we wish to support them in every possible way. We in no way support a policy that discriminates against gays and lesbians.

We would like BYM to reaffirm to FUM that we are an inclusive yearly meeting in membership and leadership in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation.

Our monthly meeting is divided on how to make our witness to FUM and specifically on the question of whether or not to withhold financial support. Some members feel that it is important for BYM to witness to its beliefs in tangible ways and that the proposed action sends a clear message. The apparent lack of open dialog on the part of FUM is troubling and therefore withholding financial support seems reasonable. Others feel this is a drastic step that may be viewed as a hostile, un-Quakerly act that will close the door to further communication. BYM should strive to maintain open dialog with FUM while working for a more inclusive policy. Social change comes slowly and we should be patient.

One approach suggested was to ask FUM whether they want BYM to continue its membership in FUM, given BYM's policy on inclusiveness. In effect, this puts the ball in their court.

An important question for discernment by the yearly meeting is: What are the consequences of BYM withdrawing financial support from FUM? Is this, in effect, a severing of the long-standing relationship between BYM and FUM? Also, what is FUM's policy on gays and lesbians?

In the Light,

 
Jo Parr, Presiding Clerk
Rebecca Dameron, Recording Clerk

The Meeting continues to have adult discussions once a month following a shared meal. We had four sessions this winter dealing with various aspects of globalization. We are now studying Elaine Pagels’ book Beyond Belief, which explores the gnostic Gospel of Thomas. Several of our members have had challenging situations to deal with lately and have felt loving support by being held in the Light by the Meeting.

SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE MEETING REPORT - 2003

1. Spiritual condition:

   Meetings for worship are held each First Day with from two to seven in attendance. A spirit of faithfulness and loyalty binds together the few local members of our Meeting. We have two occasional attenders and are blessed with a new active attender who has just moved to our area. One member who lives at a great distance has withdrawn membership. Some members continue to be distressed that we do not grow, but our loyalty to one another and to the Society of Friends sustains us. Our meetings for worship are typically characterized by an intense stillness with occasional spoken messages.

2. Meetings for business:

   We meet for business on the first First Day of each month, following meeting for worship and a shared lunch. Good attendance occurs, which is fortunate because there are so few of us to participate in making decisions and assuming various tasks. During the past year we were able to complete some final details in construction of the Meetinghouse. Individual monetary donations and contributed physical labor enabled us to install hard wood floors in the two uncarpeted main rooms in the Meetinghouse. The porch ceiling was painted by two members and gravel was added to the parking lot. The Meeting was gifted with a piano. Our clerk attended a week-end workshop on clerking at Pendle Hill, primarily supported by our Meeting and Pendle Hill. Three members attended Baltimore Yearly Meeting in Harrisonburg in August. Our building is occasionally used by community groups.

3. Religious education

   We meet for adult education on the third Wednesday evening of each month (except in summer months) following a potluck meal. We promoted an ambitious program for adult discussions this year as we focused on globalization and its spiritual dimensions. Different members made presentations using as our basic texts Spiritual Perspectives on Globalization by Ira Rifkin and Globalization and its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz in addition to various related articles and current newspapers, We extended invitations to the community and to regional Friends Meetings. We will begin a study of the Book of Thomas and Elaine Pagels' Beyond Belief. We have no regular ongoing first day program for children since there are none in the Meeting, but we are prepared to share teaching responsibilities when needed.

4. Peace and Social Concerns

   Peace and Social concerns were exemplified in the various activities of our members. Our faith inspires members to various pursuits: two giving regular medical aid at the Free Clinic; one serving as volunteer on a fire and rescue squad; two serving on boards at Pendle Hill; one providing an example of simple living through a private business. In addition we made significant monetary contributions to AFSC for a water treatment program in Iraq and for aid to our local Free Clinic. Supplies for local elementary schools were donated as well.