Little Britain

As we look at our spiritual sate of Little Britain Monthly Meeting, which is made up of Eastland and Penn Hill, we realize the two meetings have much in common, but different experiences. We both use the Evangelical Friends interpretation of the International Sunday School lesson. Eastland continues to have a core group that attends First Day School with a fundamental discussion and only three or four attending Meeting for Worship. Penn Hill uses First Day School for preparation for all to attend Meeting for Worship; we find that our discussions are diverse, as not all agree with the lesson. We recognize the value of listening to all. Over the years we have read many Bible selections that help us understand our Biblical history.

The young man, who was involved with spray painting at Penn Hill, has nearly completed his hours with Restorative Justice towards repaying for his mistake. He has worked with several of us in scraping, priming, and painting the iron fence around much of the grounds. He has also worked at the Ballance Meeting Grounds in clearing up the brush that is a continual problem there. This meeting house belonged to Primitive Friends, but we have taken over the care of the property; as that group is no longer living in the area.

Quarterly Meeting, held at Penn Hill in December, was a program on Quaker Quest. We have had another session at Nottingham Meeting and are hoping, as a Quarter, we will be able to all contribute towards implementation towards reaching out to the communities to let others know that Friends are still seeking to follow the Truth and Light.

When discussing the spiritual state of Penn Hill Meeting for Worship, some Friends feel the quality is excellent. We have welcomed visitors and lost members through transfers and death this year. Our membership is down, growth would help us. Hopefully we will continue to grow spiritually so that our lights will obviously shine when seekers come.

Members of the meeting have been getting to know one of the young men involved with spraying graffiti on the meeting house and other buildings in the community. He is serving his time for Restorative Justice by scraping our metal fence in preparation for painting when the weather permits and doing some care taking on the grounds of Ballance Meeting.

The family working with our local school district to get the randomly “suspicionless” drug testing examined has found that with a new superintendent the issue has been resolved without a suit. It has been a long two years, but with the superintendent was willing to talk and with “Friendly Persuasion” it is now possible for the boys to take part in all school activities.

Although Eastland remains small, we value our time of fellowship. Some prefer the structure of Adult First Day School; others prefer silent worship each according to his or her needs. Worship is silent. Months or years may pass without vocal ministry, yet the rise of meeting finds us refreshed and renewed. Two newcomers have recently doubled the size of our meeting for worship. Occasionally, some from the First Day class will also stay. What matters most is how each group helps us carry our blessings to the world for the rest of the week.

Monthly Meeting expands our spiritual experiences. As our two preparative meetings come together for monthly meeting, our meeting for worship is enriched and fulfilling. We are prepared for the business meeting that follows.

Little Britain Monthly Meeting continues to wrestle with our concern and care of the Ballance Meeting House. We are grateful for the Pendle Hill students who willingly come for a workday in June to clean up around the grounds and do minor repair on the building. Last year a plant sale held at Penn Hill brought in some needed funds to repair windows and doors. The roof was repaired. We feel we need to keep it from being an eyesore for the neighbors, but what is the future for this building that was a split of Primitive Friends from Eastland Meeting?

Penn Hill was surprised to find graffiti on our outer walls in September. We have recently learned about the young man who did this and hope that Restorative Justice can be used to help this young man. We have offered to paint the fence with him to cover his community service time. At this writing we do not know if this will be used. Shortly after this event two members felt called to purchase and put a peace sign on our fence. It has not been disturbed.

At Penn Hill, we continue to enjoy our Bible discussion before meeting for worship. An evangelical visitor from Camden, NJ visits occasionally. At times his Biblical knowledge challenges us. We spend less time on the birth and death of Jesus and more time on his teachings. The diversity in views of our small group leads to good discussions. We hope that the tolerance and open mindedness is reflected in our daily living.

We are especially pleased to have a family with teenaged boys taking part in our Sunday worship. They willingly help and see ways to address repairs needed in and around the meeting house. Recently our local school district found a source of income by agreeing to a drug-testing program that is of great concern to them. A clearness committee has been formed to help listen and give guidance as they feel they need to challenge the school board in a loving fashion to say this "random suspicionless" drug policy does not respect each individual.

"Wherever two or three are gathered. . ." is often the situation at Eastland. We continue to have greater attendance for Adult Bible Study than for Meeting for Worship. As we have reported before, we feel that if this fulfills a spiritual need, we should not pressure people into becoming members. Recently we welcomed two attenders into membership, who had waited more than 50 years before feeling led to commit to Friends.

With so few participants at Meeting for Worship, we realize our limitations as a Meeting. Our voice is small and may not be heard by the world, by our community, and at times, not even within the Yearly Meeting. Knowing this, we hope that with God’s grace, we may continue to let our faith speak through our lives.

The former primitive Friends Balance Meeting house site continues to be a challenge for our meeting. In the spring, we had a work day to clean up a fallen addition to the meeting house and lots of left over timber and branches from some harvested trees. Many neighbors came to haul away fire wood. In May we had a plant and yard sale that raised some funds to help with the repair work. In July the young students at Pendle Hill spent a day repairing a window and cleaning up the brush while doing some mowing. We were pleased that Mary Phillips from Silver Spring, MD, a descendant from the original members has felt called to work on making the tombstones readable.

Little Britain is pleased to add three members: Sandy Strong; and Russell and Jesse Griest

Through Nottingham Quarter the essence of Quakerism was brought through when some met weekly for a vigil for Tom Fox, who was led to go to Iraq with the Christian Peacemakers Team and was captured and put to death there. His spirit continues. Other members held vigils in their homes. We were able to reach out to the community with our concern.

The Quarter hosted the Baltimore Interim Meeting day in October between Penn Hill and Eastland Meeting Houses.

Our major concern has been the Ballance Meeting House, which has been under our care since 1998. This was a meeting formed when some primitive Friends split off of Eastland in the 19th Century. It has been laid down for more than half a century. Spiritually what is the purpose of this meeting house?

We are pleased that Linda Coates feels led to meet with Friends in other Yearly Meetings as a part of the Yearly Meeting Intervisitation Program.

We welcome Sarah Brabson into our meeting, having enjoyed the wedding of Mark and Sarah in September at their home. We are looking forward to another wedding in April.

Penn Hill is pleased to have a long time member rejoin us for meeting for worship, the presence of a Philadelphia Yearly Meeting family with school aged sons and the return of another attender.

The two meetings continue to function in the light we have been given.

We all know the story of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse. After they exchanged places for a while, they were each happy to go back to their familiar environment. Baltimore Yearly Meeting is a growing group. We are pleased and delighted to meet the many new people coming to Yearly Meeting. Most of the members are in the metropolitan area of Baltimore and Washington and are the most vocal in the Yearly Meeting. These people have access to much in the way of entertainment, activist groups, and interest groups. They are probably much more enlightened and liberal in their thinking than the rural members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Many of us in the rural area of the Yearly Meeting come from small struggling meetings. We are more conservative and less vocal. We wrestle with issues in a different light. Many have farmed. We know that our food does not grow in the super market. It takes a lot of work for the 1% still farming to provide the quantity and quality expected. Farming teaches us we are not in control no matter how hard we try to plan ahead. Nature is in control. In addition, we must adapt to the changing desires of the customer. The US cheap food policy for nearly a century has changed the nation from an agrarian society to one that does not understand that farmers buy retail and sell wholesale. As long as the farmer can pay bills, he/she looks forward to the next season.

Rural people try to keep current in news, but too often fall asleep while reading. We know we are looked down upon as we have dirt under our fingernails. But we love working with nature and the soil, while providing affordable goods. Those who like the idea of no chemicals in food also look to genetically modified food as all bad. They forget that since the beginning of planting seeds from certain stock was saved, as it was superior. Now that we have technology to help with improvements, it is suddenly wrong to help change seeds or animals. Those who can afford to pay more for their food are the one who object most strenuously, while the underfed struggle to get food on the table. Who is right — the wealthy and their demands or the ones making it easier to get food to the masses? How does this have anything to do with Yearly Meeting? Perhaps none, but we need to be open and listen to all. When we know all of the facts we can make wise decisions. We must never think we can change others by withholding finances to make a point. Do we continue to put farmers out of business with our cheap food policy? Do we try to ruin a Friends organization by withholding funding to make a point? We need to listen to all involved in this issue, without conveniently looking at ways to get issues passed when the minority is absent.

Little Britain Monthly Meeting, made up of Eastland and Penn Hill Preparative Meetings is always pleased to have visitors arrive. We try to make them feel welcome and are pleased when they return. We need new membership in order to continue as a meeting. We are a small group. Some are involved in the greater community. Hopefully our light shines in all of our endeavors.

SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE MEETING REPORT - 2003

Each year when we write the spiritual state of the meeting, Friends say recopy last years. That might indicate that our spiritual state is low. Looking through the minute book for the past year our business meetings are short, We did gain three new members at Penn Hill, but none are able to attend. They are all seeking to join a meeting of their ancestors. Penn Hill feels the void left by two members seeking AZ and NM as homes for most of the year. We are always happy when they travel east to rejoin us briefly before they return to where they feel a spiritual drawing.

About the time of the involvement in Iraq, Penn Hill was happy to find visitors at meeting. Somehow we did not have the spiritual strength to encourage them to continue to be with us.

Eastland often has just one person present for meeting for worship. A larger group has came for the discussion from the David Cook lesson leaf, but they do not feel led to stay for meeting for worship and quickly leave at the close of that discussion. Penn Hill has five on most Firstdays. We often combine programs between the two meetings, which means if someone comes to meeting and finds no one at the meeting house, it is assumed we have been laid down. When it snows, most choose to stay home. Some attend Oxford and enjoy the fellowship there.

Our annual question is how do we find the path of growth and change. Are we spiritually aware of the life beyond our community and able to grow? The query reminding us that our failure to act speaks loudly and might be considered. Eastland is diligent in collecting money to support the George Fox Friends School. Penn Hill struggles to maintain a large building and grounds and seldom feels called to give money beyond the immediate community. Quaker Ladies is a group that grew out of Penn Hill's True Blue group. They meet monthly to make things for local nursing homes. They attract a group from both meetings and those who have roots at Penn Hill. They enjoy the fellowship.

1/16/05

To Baltimore Yearly Meeting,

Today at monthly meeting we wrote this minute:

Little Britain Monthly Meeting is not in agreement with Friends United Meeting personelle policy on personal relationships. We recognize that with FUM having a written policy on the homosexual issue it has opened dialogue.

We are concerned that the valuable humanitarian work FUM does worldwide will be harmed by BYM withholding funds. That is a spiritual violence.

Withholding funds does not address the homosexual issue. There is no consensus within the Yearly Meeting to withhold funds therefore FUM should receive their share.

In addition we discussed the Proposed Minute Opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment. We suggest deleting the sentence 'Some of our Meeting will marry same sex couples, and others will not.' It is redundant restating the preceding sentence. Last paragraph, first sentence, might read 'As God's children, as members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and U.S. Citizens...' then continue with your statement.

 
Sincerely,
Suzanne P. Lamborn
Clerk.