Herndon

Spiritual State of the Meeting Report - 2003

To assess the spiritual state of our Meeting we made special efforts to get comments from our members and attenders this year. We distributed a set of queries we composed and got written responses from some. Then, during a potluck lunch, the members of the Ministry and Oversight committee distributed themselves among the tables and took notes on a discussion of those queries. The collected comments give a general impression of a healthy Meeting.

In particular, the responses indicate that those who participate regularly in Meeting for Worship at Herndon Friends Meeting find that their lives changed as a result. Some describe these changes as being inspired, more centered, or refocused, and as having a different perspective. During Meeting for Worship they feel spoken to from within, as well as from the spoken messages that they hear during Meeting for Worship. They leave thinking about the spoken message and its meaning for their lives, and feel that they take the Meeting with them in their lives in the outside world. They describe a sense of community, which is caring, and in which they can more freely discuss their spiritual selves. During the week they continue to feel the presence of the Meeting community as they do work related to the Meeting and their other work. They describe a greater awareness of the spirit, and commitment to a life devoted to peace that comes in part from being refreshed by Meeting for Worship. This leads them to work on Meeting projects as well as to focus their efforts in life in ways they might have ignored had they not been attending.

We asked Friends, "How is your spiritual growth nurtured by Herndon Friends Meeting? In what ways does your involvement with Herndon Friends speak to your understanding of faith, religion, or spirituality?" Many responses mentioned the experience of sharing the silence, how it reinforces dedication, and gives one a calming feeling of community and connectedness. Some described how being with the children is energizing. Others credited the Meeting with introducing them to inspiring writers and described the influence that has had on them. We have many members who have converted from other religions; they expressed satisfaction in the contrast with their former religious experiences.

Our members see a reflection of our corporate spiritual state in our activities. We see ourselves involved in many kids' activities and efforts at Religious Education; this tells us that the Meeting cares about the children and their education. Friends felt that last year's response to the war in Iraq showed leadership in the community and demonstrated Quaker beliefs. Several mentioned that they were very impressed by the level of commitment to spiritual and social activities in the Meeting. We show a joyous frame of mind with our singing before Meeting for Worship. We take care to greet visitors and new attenders, answer their questions, and provide them with the new pamphlets we bought, which shows that we believe what we have is worth sharing with others. Our efforts to help others who are less fortunate show that we carry our Quaker values into the real world. Good turnouts for clean-up days at the Meetinghouse show the commitment and giving attitudes of our members. Small turnouts at Business Meeting compared to Meeting for Worship is an ongoing concern, and we are not clear as to how this reflects our commitment to the work of the Meeting. Is it due to busy lives, discomfort with business concerns, or something else?

We also asked Friends what programs and activities, other than Meeting for Worship, specifically addressed a spiritual need in their lives. The most popular response was participating in the Friendly Eights discussion groups; we love our book discussions. Closely related to this sentiment and was the frequent mention of the satisfaction our people get from fellowship. Our members deeply value divers interactions, including working together on committees or to set up potluck, calling one another during the week, and meeting socially away from Meeting. Many also find that working with our young Friends in First Day school fulfills a spiritual need. They mention with delight how interested and motivated our young people are and point out how remarkable it is to see such a high participation of teenagers. Interest in our annual retreat has declined over the last few years, but feedback from members indicates that much of the problem is the scheduling conflicts with that weekend, and we are investigating alternative dates. Finally, working on death-penalty issues seems to fulfill a spiritual need for some members.

In response to our queries on changes we should consider, Friends responded in four areas:

• Further care and nurturing of our spiritual community
• New opportunities for service in our home communities
• The possibility of further outreach to organizations such as AFSC
• Whether our new approach to retreats will be fruitful.

Care and nurturing of our spiritual community might include calling people that have not been to Meeting in awhile, wearing our name tags and making ones for new attenders, perhaps at hospitality or potluck day, and social excursions for adults as well as children of the Meeting. New opportunities for stretching ourselves spiritually and monetarily could be in our own back yards working to solve local problems and cooperating with organizations that serve the community. Friends felt we should consider what we give organizations like AFSC and FCNL and that we might take a more active role in their financial support and work. We will have to look at what Friends think about the new venues and make up of our retreats after they have been held. The Friends of Herndon Meeting seem to be looking for more ways to extend their help, both spiritually and financially to the local and Quaker community.