Maury River

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

In the year 2004, Maury River Friends Meeting passed through adolescence and on to young adulthood. Our youthful exuberance gave way to a more sober understanding of our role as a faith community – what it can mean for us, and for our own wider community here in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

In the first instance, we acknowledge that we are, in fact, a way station for many who are on a necessary spiritual journey of their own; and that our meetings for worship, and our support for them in this journey are welcomed; but that this will not necessarily result in membership or even in continued attendance. We are learning that this is a role which has value in and of itself; that our efforts to be open, welcoming and inclusive of all who seek us out are appropriate. And we are learning not to harbor residual feelings of guilt concerning those who may leave.

In the second instance, we have maintained our support for our testimonies of peace, justice and equality, witnessing publicly in vigils as the occasion arose. We realized, as we folded peace cranes, and prepared our “Peace on Earth” float for the local holiday parade in December, that we have done this for more than ten years now. Yet this year we won a prize for the most original entry.

Ordinarily, as we gather for worship, many of us focus on the view through the clear glass of the large windows in the meetingroom; assuring ourselves that we are of God’s world, and not some-how set apart by virtue of our humanity. Even when high winds and thunderstorms have rattled the old window frames and the tin roof over us, we have not been unsettled. But world events, human in origin – politics, war, terrorism, discord in the wider community of Friends – and nature’s own tsunami, have been exceedingly unsettling. How is it possible, we ask ourselves, to still walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone?

Nevertheless, meeting for worship continues to average 25 adults, with a smaller number for both 2nd Hour and meeting for business. Our youth number 12 to 15. Their activities continue to thrive. We have been aware that our attention to potlucks, Friendly 8’s, and committee goals has been hampered by constraints of time. We are competing with family and secular commitments.

We concluded the year with our Christmas celebration, gathering for gifts of poetry, story, and music; then sharing a potluck meal, and finishing with candlelit silence, broken by thoughts expressed by any and all. This continues to include many who have attended in the past but are no longer with us regularly.

The Meeting has begun a major renovation. Friends recently removed the benches and all other furniture from the meeting room so that the floor can be replaced. For the nonce, meeting for worship is being held in the largest RE room. We hope to return by September.

Friends welcomed new member Jessamine (Jemma) Mayer during business, 1st month. Jemma had been an associate member since 1990,.

During business, 2nd month, we welcomed Christine Williams, who transferred her membership from Williamsburg.

Minutes

Maury River Friends Meeting. Called Meeting for Worship for Business. Twelfth month, 12th day, 2004. 11:30 a.m.

106-04 Clerk opened meeting with worship then read selected minutes from fifth month and tenth month respectively, concerning the question before us: how do we respond as a BYM monthly meeting to the troublinghiring policies practiced by our fellow body, Friends United Meeting? See attached selections. Clerk reminded us we are gathered to see if we are in unity about how to proceed regarding three inter-related funding issues: 1) what to do with the 2nd half of our portion of 2004 funds already allocated to BYM for disbursement to FUM, 2) what to do with the 2005 funds of the same purpose, and 3) what to do in regard to MRF's direct annual benevolence to Ramallah School, which is administered by FUM. We note three possibilities: 1) forward funding as usual even while noting our concerns, 2) designate use of those FUM-bound funds for specific non-discriminatory purposes, or 3) withhold funding from FUM.

106-05 In ensuing discussion many among us considered how we might proceed in Quakerly way: namely, how do we find and answer that of God in others , including fellow Friends? How might we cherish persons and our relationships with them even as some behaviors seem troubling to us? By calling us to affirm relationship, might this painful dilemma be an opportunity and challenge for us to practice what we preach? We wondered how members of BYM/FUM can walk together as fellow seekers, moving in a direction of spiritual discernment that increases our understanding of God's work among us. In that spirit of moving forward, a Friend suggested we abide by previous commitments and advise BYM to release our 2004 funding without reservation to FUM. Friends so agreed and united in the following three minutes.

106-06 Honoring our commitments, Maury River Friends Meeting agrees to complete its 2004 payment to FUM (part of our 2004 BYM apportionment) even as we unite in concern regarding FUM hiring practices we believe to be discriminatory, as expressed in the attached fifth month minute.

106-07 We also empower our Peace & Justice committee to include Ramallah School among our 2005 benevolences, if so led.

106-08 Additionally, affirming the primacy of engaged relationship as a path of mutual growth and discernment for both BYM and FUM we also agree to approach decisions about future FUM funding in ways that will further this engagement.

106-09 Although grounded in unity with the above minutes, we are not yet united what this understanding calls us to do in regard to the disbursement of our meeting's 2005 apportionment of BYM/FUMfunds. We will continue our seeking during first month meeting for worship for business, recognizing we will need to inform BYM of our decision no later than third month 2005.

We closed with silent worship.

 
Respectfully submitted,

 
Elise Sheffield
Recording Clerk
Peggy Dyson-Cobb
Clerk

Minute from Maury River Friends Meeting, Monthly Meeting for Business Fifth Month, 23rd Day, 2004

Maury River Friends Meeting is strongly supportive of expressing our displeasure with the discriminatory hiring practices of FUM towards gays and lesbians. We feel strongly about the good work FUM is doing in the world and would regret withholding support of that. We actively encourage BYM Friends to make connections with those in FUM working on pursuing a dialogue towards change.

Friends participate each year in the local seasonal parade, distributing peace cranes that we have folded for the occasion. Last year, young friends decided they wanted a more memorable presence in the parade and made a very large peace crane, complete with moving wings. They then adapted it to a pickup truck. Now, we are  busily recreating our large and small cranes for the upcoming event.

Ona Friedrichs and Jeff Armstrong celebrated their marriage on May 22, 2004. They are living and working in Asheville NC.

Spiritual State of the Meeting Report - 2003

As Maury River Friends have considered the Meeting's spiritual condition and needs this year, the undeniable fact of war has loomed large, and Friends have found their faith tested by world events. We have looked within and among ourselves for spiritual sustenance, and we have found that Meeting continues to speak to our condition. But the result has not been a retreat from the world; rather, we have found ways to make our witness a tangible presence in the world.

Already at the beginning of 2003, Maury River Friends found themselves working for peace in several ways. We held weekly prayer vigils for the first four months of the year, gathering in front of the county courthouse each Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. Many Friends participated in a community meeting which was the beginning of "Rockbridge Response to the War on Iraq" and Friends continued to lead this group after the war began in Third Month. An interfaith peace service and candlelight vigil at First Baptist Church in Lexington brought our light to Main Street. Meeting welcomed Chuck Fager for a day-long Saturday workshop on the Peace Testimony, and in his follow-up second hour Chuck spoke to over 40 attenders. Chuck's core message was that the best way to work for peace is to have a strong meeting. Here again, a Quaker voice spoke to our condition. When three Friends engaged in civil disobedience by staging a prayer vigil in Representative Goodlatte's Roanoke office, Maury River Friends had a range of responses to the issue and to the action itself. Worship sharing helped us work through our responses and come to unity in supporting our three Friends. Indeed, one of the three Friends noted that without Meeting he would not have engaged in the action, and he believes that Meeting gave him the strength to make a statement about a larger truth with a basis in Christianity and Quakerism.

Clearly, the sense of community has been a major issue for Maury River Friends this year. After several years of growth, this year attendance has dropped off somewhat, and Friends express sadness at the loss of both new and long-time attenders. We see two issues that Meeting needs to address-how Quakerism relates to Christianity, and how politics relates to religious belief. We are open and willing to thresh through these important concerns together, and are involved in a productive process, but we are also sure that the process is never complete. We recognize that Maury River Friends is still a relatively young meeting, with few seasoned Friends. The gifts of vocal ministry are growing and deepening over time. Even though overall attendance has dropped, second hour attendance has grown, and this fall Patricia Loring's Listening Spirituality gave Friends many personal spiritual practices to explore and develop. The influence of meeting for worship is subtle, the experience "incremental," as one Friend puts it. And yet we see many tangible signs that the spiritual life of the meeting continues to grow. Friends find safety, openness, and acceptance within Meeting, and we continue to strive to provide opportunities for deepening spiritual connections with one another.

Tangible signs of our maturing meeting can be seen in the work of committees:

• Peace & Justice has led us well throughout the year, keeping up a steady current of action and reflection. Friends sent health kits and infant care kits to Iraqi families, made contributions to AFSC for mobile water purifiers, and sent phone cards to US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. We hosted Mark Lancaster of AFSC-MAR to educate us about programs and projects in our own area. Our yearly participation in the Lexington Christmas Parade brings peace cranes to the citizens of the community, and this year young Friends built a truck-peace-crane float as part of the parade, a very tangible sign of our peace witness.
   
• Religious Education continues to develop our First Day curriculum along a seasonal pattern, though losing several families with children has been disheartening. While we do not know the specifics of some of these decisions, we feel that Meeting must continually ask whether there is more that we can do to encourage young families to attend.
   
• The Young Friends Service Committee, begun in 2002, has had a fine year, providing older children with a meaningful way to learn Quaker business process, interact with Meeting adults, and connect with the wider community. Likewise, the BYM Camping Program continues to play an important role in the spiritual life of our children, and one elder notes that the influence on the wider culture, while subtle, is evident.
   
• Care & Counsel finalized the "Procedures for Clearness Committees," that has already been helpful, and has held six clearness committees this year, one for marriage and the others for personal concerns.
   
• Introducing the use of name tags to increase community and equality in Meeting brought both discomfort and relief. The committee is now adapting and expanding Charlottesville Friends Meeting's booklet, "Planning Ahead: Meeting Our Responsibilities for Planning the End of Life."

In many cases, committees coordinated their work, and that spirit of cooperation is also a tangible sign of growth. The tangible work of both the Library Committee and House &Grounds has led to great improvements in the use of our meeting house. Religious Education and Worship & Ministry worked out a new sequence for rise of meeting, allowing time for the personal sharing that deepens our sense of connection. Along with its regular duties, Fellowship helped organize a floriferous summer wedding, and worked with Worship & Ministry to coordinate Friendly 8s and the Christmas Eve celebration, all of which contribute to the deepening of our spiritual community.

In her discussion of lectio divina, Patricia Loring adds a step in the process, a step she calls "embodiment." For Maury River Friends, this step of embodiment has occurred not only in our personal spiritual practices but in our work together as a spiritual community. Our many actions radiate from a spiritual center. The tangible signs point back toward an intangible source. And they point also toward an as yet unknowable future.