What purpose does Quarterly Meeting serve? In the past it was the occasion for some amazing meetings for worship. Meeting for worship was often preceded by an hour of worship sharing. This helped Friends consider a variety of subjects with a depth that was close to worship and gave them an opportunity to learn from other thoughtful Friends. It also naturally led into worship and helped to deepen the level of worship. Do we need to re-institute the kind of worship sharing we once had in the Quarter?
We also had people who seemed to have a gift of ministry and Quarterly Meeting gave them an opportunity to exercise that gift. There’s something about going to an unfamiliar meeting that causes you to pay attention more. And having visitors often changes the usual dynamics in a meeting.
We’ve also lost the opportunity to learn from one another by discontinuing the consideration of queries at Quarterly meeting. At one time, we would consider 3 queries at Quarterly Meeting and document the responses.
At one time the Quarter provided a place for meeting outlaws to meet with other Friends. Friends like George Faller, Bob Euler, Francis Worley, and Jack Swezey needed the Quarter and in turn enriched us. The Quarter also provided Quaker contact for meetings that were small. When I joined York MM, there were only 2 members. Pipe Creek was also quite small at one time. The Quarter also helped people who were new to Friends to see how Friends did business.
The Quarter also provided a place for meetings in conflict to talk about those conflicts with Friends other than the people they were in conflict with.
As far as I know, we don’t have significant conflicts in any of our monthly meetings. And the outlaws have died. Our monthly meetings seem fairly self-sufficient.
At one time we had a Quarterly Meeting youth coordinator who planned activities that could bring children from the different monthly meeting together. This was especially valuable for the small meeting that only had a few children. For several years we had camp-outs in connection with our August gatherings. We talked about doing something like that last year but had trouble getting it organized. Is this something we should be doing?
The business meeting this past year has been mixed. We united behind a minute on a death penalty moratorium. We paid for Yearly Meeting’s membership in the National Religious Council Against Torture. The real life in business meeting seemed to center around BYM’s relationship to FUM. We united on a minute after a couple of intense meetings. I think it was good for us to talk about it among ourselves, even if the issues have changed at the Yearly Meeting level.
One concern has been Frederick’s lack of participation in the Quarter. I have read that they have talked about whether they want to continue being formally a part of the Quarter. They have not had a representative at Quarterly meeting in over a year. We have also had limited participation from Pipe Creek. Both meetings certainly add to the diversity of the Quarter.
One strength (it may be a weakness in some ways?) is that we have a core group of Friends who regularly attend Quarterly meeting and who have known each other for a long time. Do we need some fresh faces?
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
17, Second Month, 2008 Number
881
WQ 07-31
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Carlisle Meeting
House,
Carlisle, PA 17th day of Second Month, 2008 for the 881st
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-32 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Kenyon McCoy, Pegi Siegel, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: None Present
Gettysburg: Margaret Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Mary & Mike Gemmill
Pipe Creek: None
Present
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Leada Dietz,
Lamar Matthew, Wim Neij
Unaffiliated Visitor:
Michael Moyer
WQ 07-33 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Attached:
Frederick: No report
received.
Gettysburg: Attached
Menallen: Oral report
recorded below.
Pipe Creek: No report
received.
Warrington: Attached
York: Attached, with oral
addendum recorded below.
Menallen: Menallen Friends mourn
the passing of Friend Roseanne “Posey” Wright. Friends from Menallen Meeting
report that Menallen Friends’ annual potluck with A.M.E. Zion Church of
Gettysburg was a success with approximately 40 people in attendance. Menallen Friends, in conjunction with A.M.E.
Zion and another church, is developing a musical project portraying the plight
of Kitty Paine, a freed Virginia slave living in Pennsylvania with her children
who was kidnapped in 1845 and imprisoned in Virginia. Menallen Friends and other residents
eventually helped Kitty return to freedom and brought her kidnappers to justice.
Menallen
Friends have joined with Partners for Sacred Places, the only national,
non-sectarian, non-profit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and
active community use of America's older religious properties. Partners provides
assistance to the people who care for sacred places while promoting a new
understanding of how these places sustain communities (from their web site: www.sacredplaces.org). Menallen Friends have under their care 3
meetinghouses and 5 cemeteries.
Menallen Friends also report that
their First Day School is thriving.
York: Addendum to attached
written report: York Friends Meeting
website has been revamped. Please visit
York Friends web presence at: www.yorkfriendsmeeting.org
. On their web page can be found a
“Spiritual Events” calendar and links to much information.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting and
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Indian Affairs Committee are encouraging Friends
to participate in, and support, the Longest Walk, a spiritual walk for the
environment. The walk is scheduled to
pass through the Carlisle and York areas in July. See www.longestwalk.org
for further information.
Friend Wim Neij recommends that
Meetings acquire a copy of the following film for viewing: “For the Bible Tells Me So” (www.forthebibletellsmeso.org). From the web site: Through the
experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families --
including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal
Bishop Gene Robinson -- we discover how insightful people of faith handle the
realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop
Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and
Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and
understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual
identity.
WQ 07-34 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $500.95.
WQ
07-35 Business
Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s (BYM) relationship with Friend United
Meeting (FUM)
Clerk circulated minutes from Carlisle, Gettysburg, and
Menallen Monthly Meetings which are in response to a BYM query asking that
monthly meetings consider how Friends wish to relate to individuals based on
sexual orientation, to African Friends, and to various Quaker bodies:
Carlisle Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute on February 10, 2008:
Carlisle Friends affirm our wish to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus
and the vision that convinced Peter that the gospel message is for all
people. We believe that denying employment or positions of leadership to
Friends based on sexual orientation or openly acknowledged sexual
commitments risks following what Paul called "the letter of the law" at the
expense of "the Spirit that gives life." We acknowledge, however, the good
faith of those who disagree with us. We know that they have tried as hard
as we, often harder and under more difficult conditions, to be faithful to
gospel teachings. We hope that Baltimore Yearly Meeting will be able to
maintain and restore a spirit of unity with Friends United Meeting, based on
a shared commitment to a Quaker process that keeps us all open to the
possibility of new insights and leadings. We hope that BYM will base its
financial and other decisions on whether there appear to be reasonable
grounds for hope of improving relations through patient listening and open
and respectful dialogue.
Gettysburg Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute on February 10, 2008:
It is fundamental to Quaker Faith and Practice that we
honor the equality and integrity of all human beings and affirm individuals in
their leadings. Gettysburg Monthly Meeting strongly expresses its support for
withholding financial aid from any organization that discriminates on the basis
of sexual orientation. At the same time we hope that BYM will continue active
dialogue with members of FUM.
style='color:black'> Friends were reminded of a cogent statement by
Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong. On page 14 of the soft-cover issue of his
book “A New Christianity for a New World” he states “…Homosexuality is more
like left-handedness. It is a part of the very BEING of a minority of the human
family, and therefore it is something to which one awakens, not something one
chooses to be.”
Menallen Friends
Monthly Meeting adopted the following minute, Second Month, 2008:
These are the times that try our souls, as we search for
unity with Friends United meeting (FUM) and Friends within our own Meeting
regarding issues of sexual orientation.
Regardless of where we stand, each Friend truly believes that as they
speak the inner Light guides them. So
while we try to create unity on this contentious subject, this must be the
understanding with which we approach each other.
As long as we recognize that love encompasses all of God’s
children, we must continue to reach out to all of our own Meeting’s Friends and
FUM. Not only should Menallen Monthly
Meeting and Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) persist in speaking to this subject,
but also be willing to listen and rejoice on each point, notwithstanding how
small the consensus.
Meanwhile, we cannot ignore the needs of those specific
schools or hospitals under the auspices of FUM. Can BYM not send financial support directly to those worthy
initiatives of FUM?
Because we are members of the Religious Society of Friends
we know the quest for unity is not a place but a never ending path. How long id John Woolman pursue his Inner
Light?
Clerk also provided copies of the “Report on Friends United
Meeting” from the New York Yearly Meeting Representatives to FUM, April 2007
and BYM Representatives Rich Liversidge and John Smallwood’s “Report o FUM
General Board Meeting 12-13 October 2007” dated October 20, 2007 which was
submitted to BYM Interim Meeting (copies of which are attached).
After much heartfelt and tender discussion and listening, Clerk sensed
that Friends favored restrictive giving to FUM. Friends of Warrington Quarter united on the following minute of
which a copy will be forwarded by the Clerk of Warrington Quarter to BYM:
Warrington Quarter supports an ongoing dialog with
Friends United Meeting about their Personnel Policy. We cannot recommend that Baltimore Yearly Meeting support Friends
United Meeting financially until there is a change in Friends United Meeting’s
policy.
WQ 07-36 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Carlisle Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-37 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Fifth
Month (May 18th), 2008 at Frederick Monthly Meeting, Frederick, MD, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
18, Eleven Month, 2007 Number
880
WQ 07-23
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at historic York Meeting
House,
York, PA 18th day of Eleventh Month, 2007 for the 880th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 07-24 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: No
Representative
Gettysburg: Tim Cullen, Margaret Stambaugh, Marvin and Ruth
Shapiro
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Frank
Reitemeyer
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Sue Doering,
David and Ruth Fitz, Louise Heckert, Mark Hilton, Sally Keller, Pat
Long,
Lamar Matthew, Dawn Mogren, Wim Neij
WQ 07-25 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral Report
Submitted:
Carlisle Friends participated
once again in Carlisle Cares, a local interreligious initiative that provides
overnight shelter to the homeless.
Carlisle Friends opened their Meeting House during the month of October.
The mortgage on Carlisle Friend’s
Meeting House will be paid off at the end of the year. In consideration of the additional funds
that will be available to the Meeting, as a form of outreach to the community, Carlisle
Friends are exploring ways to make the “A” Street face of the Meeting House
more welcoming and attractive to those who pass by and who may want to stop in.
Frederick: Attached
Gettysburg: Attached
Menallen: Attached
Pipe Creek: Attached
Warrington: Attached
York: Attached
WQ 07-26 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $485.95. The balance reflects a contribution of
$250.00 made payable to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (www.nrcat.org) to sponsor Baltimore Yearly
Meeting as a Participating Member in the organization.
Monthly Meeting apportionments to
the Quarter are $15.00 per year.
WQ 07-27 Business
Clerk Andy Hoover forwarded a letter on behalf of the
Quarter to the Legislative Initiative Against the Death Penalty presenting the
Quarter’s Minute (approved in 1995) on the Death Penalty (see attachment).
WQ 07-28 Business
Clerk Andy Hoover presented Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s (BYM)
request to constituent Monthly Meetings to consider BYM’s affiliation with
Friends United Meeting (FUM) in the hopes of jump starting the discussion in
the Quarter (see attachment). Clerk
began by reading issues, presented as Queries, from General Secretary Riley
Robinson:
Friend Lamar Matthew provided an overview of other Yearly
Meeting’s current association considerations with FUM. He stated that New York, New England, and
Southeastern Yearly Meetings are all in the process of reviewing their
association with FUM. He provided a
brief overview of the issues confronting BYM and of BYM’s outreaches to
FUM. Friends are directed to the minutes
of Interim and Yearly Meeting available in the Yearly Meeting Yearbook and
available online at Yearly Meeting’s Web site at: www.bym-rsf.org for
detailed information on the conflict with FUM.
Clerk directed Friends’ focus back to considering the
Queries as posed by General Secretary Riley Robinson and Clerk summarized the
discussion as thus:
Problems
(1.)
Do we want FUM to change its policy that restricts from
leadership positions people who are involved in a sexual (genital?)
relationship outside of the traditional marriage relationship between a man and
a woman?
(2.)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting still feels some lingering resentment
and anger over the way Lamar was treated in Kenya.
(3.)
From our vantage point it seems that many of the pastors in
FUM non-liberal meetings come from outside of Friends and from a more
“fundamentalist” background. Can we
productively work with these pastors?
(4.)
From our vantage point it seems like many people in FUM
non-liberal meetings lack a strong sense of the inner light and look more to be
led by an outside authority. Is there a
shared sense of discernment that guide our deliberations with FUM?
(5.)
There are Friends like “us” in “those” meetings who would feel
deserted if we left FUM.
(6.)
How do we deal with these “people”?
(7.)
We are FUM – we are mixed just like FUM.
(8.)
Do we want a voice with FUM?
(9.)
We suffer from guilt by association. On the one hand, “they” are different from us liberal east-coast
Friends; on the other hand, we feel responsible for pulling them into our camp.
(10.)
We need to change hearts; can only do that if we continue the
relationship.
(11.)
Discrimination is bad.
(12.)
Putting people into categories is bad. People should be judged by their affect on
other people.
(13.)
The Richmond declaration does not allow for theological
diversity.
(14.)
Who are we as Friends – not defining who we are separates us?
(15.)
We don’t have good experience with schisms
Solutions
(1.)
Don’t discuss.
Moratorium on discussion.
(2.)
Support just the missions of FUM.
(3.)
Do more intervisitation
(4.)
Base money we send them on monthly meeting headcounts.
(5.)
Continue talking even though we disagree and listen.
(6.)
FGLBQ needs to take the lead.
Background
(1.)
The main issue seems to center around their personnel policy
on the participation of people who are sexually active outside of traditional
marriage.
(2.)
New York, New England, and Southeast Yearly Meetings have also
been dealing with this issue.
Montclair, NJ brought a minute to NYM to withdraw from FUM. Southeast YM has a moratorium on discussing
the issue.
(3.)
BYM was giving FUM about 17 thousand dollars per year. We had been putting the money in
escrow. This past year it did not
appear in the budget. We give FGC about
27 thousand dollars per year.
(4.)
We share the issue about the role of non-celibate members
outside of marriage in leadership positions with other protestant
denominations.
WQ 07-29 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, York Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-30 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Second
Month (February 17th), 2008 at Carlisle Monthly Meeting, Carlisle, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg (Carlisle Monthly Meeting)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
20, Eighth Month, 2007 Number
879
WQ 07-09
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Phistoric Warrington Meeting
House, Wellsville, PA 20th day of Eighth Month, 2007 for the 879th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-10 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Jeremiah Cox, Andy Hoover
Frederick: No one in attendance
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: No one in attendance
Warrington: Faith
Basehore, Helen Cadwallader, Virginia LaFond
York: Leada Dietz, Lamar Matthew
WQ 07-18 Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting
Quarterly Reports from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted
and read:
Carlisle: written report attached
Frederick:
written report attached
Gettysburg: written report attached
Menallen: written report attached
Pipe Creek:
Warrington: written report attached
York: written report attached
WQ 07-19 Treasurer's Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter's checking account has a balance of $735.95.
WQ 07-20 Business
National Religious
Campaign against Torture (NRCAT)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting has agreed to become a sponsoring member of
NRCAT and was grateful for the Quarter’s offer to pay the first year’s dues. That check for $250 will be mailed in the
near future. Ellen Argenteanu (State
College) will be the BYM representative to NRCAT.
Andy Hoover also reported for Christy Hoover who attended the QUIT
(Quaker Initiative against Torture) Conference at Guilford College in
June. Some monthly meetings are asking
their legislators to sponsor laws taking away the license of any health
care/mental health care professional who participated in torture. There is a
free adult curriculum, Teaching about Torture, available to download from the
QUIT website at www.quit-torture-now.org as well as
a collection of other resources.
Moratorium on the
Death Penalty
York Monthly Meeting signed the Moratorium on the Death Penalty that Joan
Anderson (Carlisle) had presented last Quarterly Meeting and forwarded it to
her. Menallen Monthly Meeting sent
letters directly to Governor Rendell and their state representatives and
senators as well as a letter to the
Gettysburg Times requesting such a moratorium.
Yearly Meeting Report
Lamar Matthew observed that it was good to see so many
friends from the Quarter in attendance.
Over all, a little over 400 attended, down about 100 from last year, not
unexpected due to the new venue of Frostburg State University, Frostburg,
MD. Yearly Meeting will return there
again Aug 4-10, 2008. 3 issues of
concern considered were the status of relationship with FUM, Young Friends’
continued autonomous self governance, and the budget. BYM representatives to
FUM, Rachel Stacey, Gunpowder and John Smallwood, Langley Hill presented a
disturbing report regarding integrity of operations and funding practices for
FUM’s many programs. Young Friends and
older Friends are working hard on accountability in self governance. The budget became balanced with much effort
by such measures as decreasing support to other Quaker organizations and
increasing apportionments of Monthly Meetings.
More detailed information on all of the above and more will be coming to
the Monthly Meetings. Reports from FUM
representatives and the work being done to address the concerns relating to
Young Friends are on the website www.bym-rsf.org
Quaker Quest, an outreach program developed in London,
England is being piloted in Chesapeake Quarter under the auspices of FGC by
Maria Bradley, Sandy Springs and FGC, Walter Brown, Langley Hill, and Ken
Stockbridge, Patapsco.
Peace and Social Concerns presented a list of actions for
meetings to engage in reference to the Peace Testimony which are appended with
the meeting reports.
Partners for Sacred
Spaces
This is a program that offers training and information to
historic places of worship to help them obtain the resources needed to maintain
or improve their facilities. Menallen is participating because of the three
meetinghouses and five graveyards under their care.
Native American History in Carlisle Virginia LaFond
(Warrington) presented the following information for consideration in keeping
with Quakers’ longstanding concerns for Native Americans: From the Plains Indian Wars to the Carlisle
Indian School: An American Odyssey--Three Exhibitions - Three Institutions
Friday, September 7, 2007 – Saturday, January 12, 2008,
Trout Gallery at Dickinson College
A KIOWA’S ODYSSEY: A SKETCHBOOK FROM FORT
MARION
Thursday, September 13, 2007, Cumberland County
Historical Society 5-7 p.m.
AN ODYSSEY CONTINUES: THE ART AND ARTISTS OF THE CARLISLE INDIAN
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL Reception and Exhibit Opening R.S.V.P.
249-7610
Friday, September 14, 2007 – Saturday, February 16, 2008, CCHC
AN ODYSSEY CONTINUES: THE ART AND ARTISTS OF THE CARLISLE INDIAN
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL This special
exhibit will highlight Plains Indian art drawings made by students in the first
decades of the school and will also examine the evolution of art instruction at
the school, from teaching Western art theory to efforts to reinstate Native
American art traditions.
Monday, September 17, 2007 – Sunday, January 27, 2008, The
Army Heritage and Education Center and U.S. Army Military History Institute
CHANGING PLACES: THE ARMY, THE INDIAN WARS, AND CARLISLE BARRACKS
Announcements
September 16, 2 pm, Redlands Meetinghouse will be open. Deb McCauslin (Menallen) will present a program
on Quaker abolitionists
September 16, noon-5pm, Gettysburg Heritage Festival
in the Recreation Park with entertainment, children’s activities and ethnic
food
October 4, 7pm, Sister Helen Prejean speaking at
Dickinson College in the ATS Auditorium
October 6 QUIT meeting at Pendle Hill franko@ix.netcom.com
October 19-21—Amnesty International Faith in Action
Weekend on the death penalty
WQ 07-21 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like
to thank our host, Warrington Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today's
session.
WQ
07-22 Meeting closed with a period of silent worship. Friends of Warrington
Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eleventh Month (November 18th), 2007
at York Monthly Meeting, York, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Substitute Recording
Clerk: Leada Dietz
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/meetings/warringtonq.shtml
style='font-size:16.0pt;
text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
20, Fifth Month, 2007 Number
878
WQ 07-09
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Pipe Creek Meeting House,
Union Bridge, MD 20th day of Fifth Month, 2007 for the 878th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 07-10 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy & Christy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: No one in
attendance
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Barclay Brooks
Pipe Creek: Bill
Atwater, Larry Fisher, Gwen Handler, Lisa Johnson, Eileen & Frank Reitemeyer, Emily Swet
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Leada Dietz
WQ 07-11 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report
presented by Andy Hoover
Several weeks ago Carlisle
Friends hosted an Extended Meeting for Worship in which approximately 18 people
attended. Many of those in attendance
were from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
A Memorial Meeting for Ralph
Slotten will be held on Saturday, May 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Holland Union
Building on the campus of Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.
The mortgage on Carlisle Friend’s
Meeting House will be paid off later this year. Friends in Carlisle are considering various venues which may
benefit from the additional funds that are available. One example, which falls under the purview of outreach, is working
on improving the external appearance of the Meeting House (the front face) as
viewed from A Street.
Carlisle Friends First Day
students will be holding a yard sale on Memorial Day to benefit Project Share.
Frederick: Written report
submitted. Attached
Gettysburg: Written report
submitted. Attached
Menallen: Written report
submitted. Attached. Barclay Brooks added that Menallen Friends
hosted 8th graders from Upper Adams Middle School to learn about the
Underground Railroad. The Meeting also hosted a family reunion for descendants
of Kitty Paynes.
Pipe Creek: Written report to
be submitted.
Warrington: Oral report
presented by Faith Basehore:
Friend Earl Robson passed on
5/02/07. Friends are requested to hold
his family and friends in the Light.
Warrington Friends hosted third
graders from Dillsburg to learn about the Underground Railroad.
The Meeting assisted a local
family that lost their material possessions in a fire.
Terry Wallace has published a
book of poetry through Friends United Press entitled Sparrow Seed.
York: Written report
submitted. Attached
style='font-size:12.0pt;'>WQ 07-12 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $705.95. Gettysburg, Menallen, & Warrington
Monthly Meetings have contributed their 2007 annual apportionments. Annual
apportionments are $15.00.
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ 07-13 Business
National Religious
Campaign Against Torture
Friends continued discussion on whether the Quarter should
become a sponsoring member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
(NRCAT). Leada Dietz (York) mentioned
that the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting is
considering recommending at Interim Meeting that BYM become a sponsoring member
of NRCAT. Friends of Warrington Quarter
approved recommending to BYM that BYM become a sponsoring member of NRCAT. Warrington Quarter is offering to pay a
portion, or the total amount, of BYM becoming a sponsoring member and has asked
Leada to bring forth the Quarter’s intention to the Peace and Social Concerns
Committee at Interim Meeting. A
Sponsoring Member of NRCAT requires a contribution of $250.
Moratorium on the Death Penalty
Joan Anderson (Carlisle), a long
time participant in working towards legislative initiatives against the death
penalty, brought to the Quarter’s attention a Moratorium on the Death Penalty
which she is asking individuals and groups to sign. The copies of the Moratorium will be sent to Equal Justice
U.S.A., and a copy of those signed by Friends in sylvania will be sent to
Governor Rendell. Joan emphasized that
the time to act on a national moratorium on the death penalty is NOW.
Friends approved having Clerk
Andy Hoover sign the Moratorium on behalf of Warrington Quarter. The Quarter has a minute opposing the death
penalty. A copy of the Quarter’s minute
will be attached to the Moratorium signed by Andy.
Warrington Quarter Retreat
Leada Dietz (York) will explore
the interest of Friends in having a Quarter retreat. Several venues would be possible such as Friends Wilderness
Center and Catoctin Quaker Camp. Leada
welcomes others interested in the idea of a retreat to assist her.
WQ 07-14 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Pipe Creek Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-15 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Eighth
Month (August 19th), 2007 at Warrington Monthly Meeting, Wellsville, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
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Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
18, Second Month, 2007 Number
877
WQ 07-01
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Menallen Meeting House,
Biglerville, PA 18th day of Second Month, 2007
for the 877th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 07-02 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: Sue
deVeer
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
David & Trista Farley, Emmy Lou & Chris Fee, Fred & Peggy Fisher, Mike & Mary Gemmill, Al Griest,
Deb McCauslin
Pipe Creek: No
Friends in attendance
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Ed & Fran
Norton
WQ 07-03 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report presented by Andy Hoover:
Carlisle Meeting mourns the death
of Friend Ralph L. Slotten, one of the founding members of the meeting, who
passed on February 12, 2007. Ralph is
survived by his wife, Martha, and daughter Amy and son Hugh. Friends are asked to hold Martha, Amy, Hugh,
and their families in the Light.
Carlisle Meeting once again
participated in Carlisle Cares during the month of December. The Meeting provided shelter for the
homeless as an overnight overflow shelter in conjunction with the other faith
communities participating in Carlisle Cares.
Several Friends from the Meeting also provided a hot breakfast for those
sheltered on Sundays.
Carlisle Friends are anticipating
the paying off of the Meeting House’s mortgage at the end of the year. In anticipation of this event, Friends met
during Second Hour to explore Meeting needs and wants.
Carlisle Friends celebrate the
membership of Amy Hurley.
Several families from Carlisle
Friends participated in the protest in Washington, D.C. against the troop surge
in Iraq.
Frederick: Written report attached.
Gettysburg: Written report attached.
Menallen: Oral report:
Menallen Meeting mourns the death
of Friend William Wright. Friends are
asked to hold his family and friends in the Light.
Menallen Meeting engaged in a
lead abatement program for the Meeting House.
This necessitated relocating of the preschool and Meeting for Worship
while the work was completed. The
result has turned out very nicely.
Menallen Friends participated in
a National Chain of Prayer.
Menallen Friends have established
a relationship with A.M.E. Zion Church and have enjoyed exchanges with one
another.
The National Park Service has
acknowledged individuals from Menallen and Huntington Friends Meetings for
their efforts and contributions to the Underground Railroad in Adams
County. Framed certificates are on
display at Menallen Meeting. Affixed to
the back of each are the following statements:
Menallen:
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Menallen Friends Meeting (Quakers) is the burial
site of Adams County anti-slavery activist and Underground Railroad conductor
Cyrus Griest (1801-1869). Griest, along
with many of his family members buried at Menallen Meeting, were key supporters
for freedom seekers passing through Adams County, Pennsylvania, along what has
come to be called either the Central Route or the Southeastern Corridor of the
Underground Railroad. Menallen Meeting
was established in 1780 and worship began at the present site in about
1838. Griest’s involvement in the
Underground Railroad is established by his collaborative activity with other
Quakers and formerly enslaved African Americans who, by mid-19th
century, owned property in the community.
This Adams County group is estimated to have been responsible for
secreting hundreds – perhaps as many as 1000 freedom seekers. Griest is also recorded as having worked to
restore freedom to Kitty Payne, a manumitted slave and the mother of three, who
lived in Adams County and who was kidnapped back to the South by agents of her
former Virginia owners. Griest, along
with fellow Quakers and African American neighbors, gave testimony at the trial
in Pennsylvania of her kidnapper in 1845 and also gave testimony during Kitty
Payne’s trial in Virginia. Griest was
involved in raising money among Adams Countians for her trial in Virginia.
Huntington:
William Wright, b 12 Mo. 21, 1788, d. 10 Mo. 25, 1865 m.
Phebe Wierman, daughter of William and Hanhan (Griest) Wierman, at Huntington
Mtg., 11 Mo. 7, 1817. She was born 2
Mo. 8, 1790, and d. 1 Mo. 30, 1873.
They were both buried near their ancestors in the graveyard at Huntington
Friend’s Meeting House, near York Springs, Adams Co., PA William Wright and his wife were probably
the most active and prominent agents of the Underground Railroad in Adams
County, and hundreds of slaves fleeing from southern masters found rest and
shelter in their hospitable home until forwarded over the Underground Railroad
to the promised land of Canada. Two
interesting oil paintings of William and Phebe, his wife are (1902) in
possession of the only surviving child, Mrs. Annie Phillips, of Lancaster,
PA. Children: General William Wierman Wright, b. 7 Mo. 27, 1824, d. 3 Mo. 9,
1882, unmarried, buried beside his parents; Mrs. Rachel W. Day, d. 1901; Mrs.
Hannah Mifflin, d. 1901; Mrs. Annie Phillips.
Pipe Creek: No report
Warrington: Written report attached.
York: Written report attached. Ed Norton added the following:
York Friends are witnessing to
peace on the square in York. The plans
for a nightclub by some business people in the vacant building adjacent to the
historic York Meeting House have been placed on hold by York City Council.
WQ 07-04 Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $645.95, not including
the 2007 apportionment from Menallen Meeting ($15.00) which was received but
not yet deposited. Apportionments for
2006 are outstanding for Frederick and Gettysburg Monthly Meetings. Annual apportionments are $15.00. The Treasurer is accepting 2007
apportionments. Checks may be made payable
to Religious Society of Friends, Warrington Quarter and mailed to:
Ed Sonnenberg
c/o Carlisle Friends Meeting
252 A Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
The treasurer will also accept
the apportionments at Quarterly Meetings.
WQ
07-05 Business
Quarterly Meeting Clerk would like the Quarter to consider becoming a
sponsoring member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
(NRCAT). NRCAT seeks to influence
government policies against torture and provide educational materials and
trainings as to what local faith communities can do to stop state sponsored
torture. Stony Run Monthly Meeting and
the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) are listed as among Quaker
bodies which are sponsoring bodies of NRCAT.
To become a sponsoring member, the Quarter would have to pay $250 per
year. Further information on NRCAT is
available from their web site at: www.nrcat.org .
Discussion on the Quarter becoming a sponsoring member ensued. Friends voiced concerns as well as favorable
leanings with the question being posed as to whether Friends just wanted to
lend the Quarter’s name as a sponsoring member or were they seeking a more
active role. Friends with a concern to
take a lead in active participation would be welcome. Friends are asked to take back to their Monthly Meetings the
Quarter’s interest in possibly becoming a sponsoring member of NRCAT in order
to get the Monthly Meetings’ reactions.
The Quarter approved of sponsoring individual Friends, up to $100 per
person, to attend a NRCAT event in March and the Quaker Initiative to End
Torture in Guilford, NC from June 1st -3rd.. Friends are asked to announce these events,
and the Quarter’s sponsorship of individuals to attend, at their Monthly
Meetings.
WQ 07-06 Announcements
Interim Meeting will be held March 24, 2007 at Gunpowder
Monthly Meeting,
Margaret Stambaugh (Clerk, Gettysburg) brought to the
attention of the Quarter the passing of Friend George Owen Fellers on November
6, 2006:
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George
Owen Fellers (9/12/25-11/6/06), husband of Gloria Berry Fellers, was a resident
of the Friends House Retirement Community in Sandy Spring, Maryland. He is survived
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>by a sister, Veiva Piner of
Whittier California, a daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ron Summerville of
Rockville, MD, a granddaughter, Brooke Summerville of Sandy Spring and a
grandson, Greg Summerville, a graduate student at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George was a registered civil engineer, a graduate of
Dartmouth College and of the Johns-Hopkins School of Engineering. He was a volunteer with the American Friends
Service Committee (AFSC) in Baltimore.
There his interest expanded and he became a member of the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers). This
membership included the Pipe Creek meeting where he was Clerk, the Frederick
Friends Meeting and finally Sandy Spring Friends Meeting. He also maintained his membership, along
with Gloria, in the Frederick Unitarian Church. He served as a reserve officer with the Naval Seabees, commanding
a unit at Fort McHenry while residing in Baltimore.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Among
his special interests were serving with the Sandy Spring Prison Committee, a
love of symphonic and traditional jazz music, horticulture, as well as
traveling by freighter to many foreign countries. His latest interest was participating in gardening and activities
in the Friends House garden and the pleasure of sharing the produce with other
residents.
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>George
Fellers was buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, WV on November 8th. Memorial contributions in George’s name may
be made to Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive (Suite 100), Rockville, MD
20850.
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WQ 07-07 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, Menallen Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 07-08 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Fifth
Month (May 20th), 2007 at Pipe Creek Monthly Meeting, Union Bridge,
MD, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer:
Ed Sonnenberg
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
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text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
19, Eleventh Month, 2006 Number
876
WQ 06-26
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at Frederick
Meetinghouse, Frederick, MD 19th day of Eleventh
Month, 2006 for the 876th
Meeting of Warrington Quarter. Meeting began with a period of silent
worship.
WQ 06-27 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan Anderson, Andy Hoover, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: Tore Bolton, Anne Buttenheim, Norma Chapman,
Sue deVeer, Katrina & John Darnell, Karen Lockett, Deborah McCoy, April
Miller, Eleanor Milligan, Lynda Osborne, Ben Swet, Greg Tobin, Jim Wagner,
Francey Williams
Gettysburg: Andy Stone
Menallen/Huntingdon:
Pipe Creek: Emily & C.J. Swet
Warrington: Faith Basehore
York:
WQ 06-28 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Monthly Meeting Quarterly Reports
from the following individual Monthly Meetings were submitted and read:
Carlisle: Oral report
presented by Joan Anderson and Andy Hoover:
All meetings for Worship and
Business have been held in good order with the new Queries from Baltimore
Yearly Meeting being read and considered.
Carlisle Meeting rejoices in welcoming two new members, one of which is
a transfer. The Meeting plans to buy
bibles for First Day classes from gifts donated in honor of Ralph Slotten and
in memory of Rob Rathfon. Carlisle
Meeting will once again participate in Carlisle Cares during the month of
December. Carlisle Cares is a local
effort sponsored by local Carlisle faith communities which provide shelter for
the homeless during the winter months. Carlisle Friends will open their
meetinghouse during the month of December as an overnight overflow
shelter. Homeless will be offered a warm place to sleep overnight in the
meetinghouse along with snacks and a listening presence.
A Spiritual Formation group
continues to meet and fosters a greater sense of spirituality and community for
those who participate. Bible study at
the Meeting has been reinvigorated and meets each First Day at 9:00 a.m.
One of our members had been
jailed and is out on bail for an accusation of possession of child
pornography. The Meeting continues to
support our Member in prayer and as a faith community.
The Meeting is saddened by the
marital separation of two longtime active members.
Frederick: Written report
appended.
Gettysburg: Written report
appended.
Menallen/Huntingdon/Redlands:
Written report appended.
Pipe Creek: Oral report
presented by Emily & C.J. Swet:
All Meetings for Worship and
Business have been held in good order.
Pipe Creek welcomed a new member and renovations of the meetinghouse
kitchen. Pipe Creek hosted the Sandy
Spring Bell Ringers in concert.
Warrington: Written report
appended.
York: Written report
appended.
WQ 06-29 style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:normal'> Treasurer’s
Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $645.95
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ
06-30 Business
style='font-weight:normal'>
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Friend Jack
Sweezy
The Clerk presented a
reflection on Friend Jack Sweezy of Menallen Meeting who passed suddenly during
Eleventh Month. Friends offered
reflections on his life and their acquaintance with him. Friend Sweezy was remembered as a gentleman,
scholar, and a good friend of the Quarter whose presence will be missed.
Clerk presented three items from Yearly Meeting for
discussion:
1)
Letter to the Secretary of State of the United States of
America thanking her for efforts to urge changes in restrictive Israeli visa
regulations which negatively affect staff at Ramallah Friends School and
Friends International Center in Ramallah
2)
Minute regarding Darfur
3)
Minute on Torture (appended)
Quarterly Meeting focused discussion on the Minute on
Torture. Clerk read the Minute and
queried Friends on the phrase “That of God in every person” that appears in the
text of the Minute. The Clerk queried
Friends on how they relate to the phrase and wondered how other faith
communities would react to it and view Friends.
Friends spoke to the need for greater clarification of the
phrase. It was noted that the phrase
could be confusing to some people. The
phrase resonated with Friends, however, and is a measuring stick which should
cause us to pause in our judgments and interactions with others.
As to the Minute on Torture, itself, Friends expressed
frustration with the Minute in what it failed to say from a Friend’s historical
experience with torture and the sense of a lack of accomplishment of action on
the subject. Friends sensed that
something more concrete should be done other than just offering a Minute. Friends, however, affirmed that it is
important to speak out to create an awareness of an issue, when not doing so
implies consent.
The Clerk invited Friends to bring back to the Quarter
creative ideas on what further steps can be taken.
WQ 06-31 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank our
host, Frederick Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 06-32 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Second
Month (February 18th), 2007 at Gettysburg Monthly Meeting (tentative),
Gettysburg, PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the
Religious Society of Friends
Warrington Quarter
carlisle frederick
gettysburg menallen pipe creek
warrington york
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text-transform:uppercase'>
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
19, Second Month, 2006 Number
873
WQ 06-01
Friends of Warrington Quarter gathered at historic York Meetinghouse, York, PA 19th day of Second Month, 2006 for the
873rd Meeting of Warrington Quarter.
Meeting began with a period of silent worship.
WQ 06-02 Attendance
The following Friends were present:
Carlisle: Joan
Anderson, Andy Hoover, Rob Rathfon, Ed Sonnenberg
Frederick: No
Friends present
Gettysburg: Margaret
Stambaugh
Menallen/Huntingdon:
John Sweezy
Pipe Creek: Frank
Reitemeyer
Warrington: Faith
Basehore
York: Leada Dietz,
Louise Heckert, Sally Keller, Pat Long, Dawn Mogren,
Bill Schintz, Deb Spinelli, Sandra
Stoltz, Richard Warggy
WQ 06-03 Nominations of
Andy Hoover (Carlisle) as Clerk of Warrington Quarter and Ed Sonnenberg
(Carlisle) as Recording Clerk/Treasurer were approved.
WQ 06-04 Monthly
Meeting Quarterly Reports
Reports from the following
individual Monthly Meetings were presented and read:
Carlisle
Frederick
Gettysburg
Warrington
York
In lieu of a written Quarterly
Report, the following Meetings offered a vocal report:
- Menallen: Friend John Sweezy reports that Meetings for
Business and Worship were held regularly.
On second First Day of January, Menallen hosted Gettysburg A.M.E. church.
- Pipe Creek: Friend Frank Reitemeyer reports that Pipe
Creek Monthly Meeting participated in a church visitation program in
December with other worship communities in Union Bridge which proved to be
very successful.
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ 06-05
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer reports that
Warrington Quarter’s checking account has a balance of $540.95. Treasurer is accepting 2006 apportionments
and will be sending out notices to the Monthly Meeting clerks.
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WQ
06-06 Business
The Supervisory Committee of Baltimore
Yearly Meeting has proposed a Draft Position Summary (available online at
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/staff/position.shtml)
for Monthly and Quarterly Meetings to consider and has issued a call for
comments as the Yearly Meeting seeks to clarify and fill the position of
General Secretary of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
Gettysburg and York Monthly Meetings have responded to the
Supervisory Committee’s call for comments and have minuted their respective
responses. Gettysburg Meeting’s minute
is reproduced below:
At a special called business
meeting, November 5th, 2005, Gettysburg M.M. Friends discussed what
we would like to find in a new BYM General Secretary. We are very appreciative of what Frank Massey has done for
BYM. The only change we would encourage
is for the General Secretary to have more time for the spiritual enrichment of BYM. We
wondered if the treasurer could take care of the money matters, freeing up the
General Secretary for visitations to the Monthly Meetings.
Although Friends gathered for Quarterly Meeting did not
minute a response, Friends expressed an interest in learning of outgoing
General Secretary Frank Massey’s advice on the position. Friends also expressed views on whether they
see the position as an administrative or ministerial one.
WQ 06- 07 Business
The Clerk expressed an interest
in exploring Monthly Meetings’ feelings/activities toward the ongoing war in
Iraq and government surveillance of private citizens.
Friends expressed an awareness and
concern of current administration policies and the war in Iraq. Monthly Meetings have minuted and publicized
concerns and individual Friends are active in several respects in anti-war
witness and in political concerns. Such
witness is not necessarily conducted on behalf of the Monthly Meetings, but in
conjunction with wider societal groups.
WQ 06-08 Announcements
Stand United/Stand Peaceful will be holding an anti-war
rally Saturday, March 18 at 11:00 a.m. on the steps of the state Capitol in
Harrisburg. The rally coincides with
the third anniversary of the war in Iraq.
The Eyes Wide Open exhibit will be returning to the Mall in
Washington, D.C. May 11-14th.
Information available online @
http://www.afsc.org/witness/default.html
Ria Hawkins will be presenting a workshop on James Nayler Saturday,
March 18 at York Monthly Meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Potluck lunch. (Notice attached).
Interim Meeting will be held Saturday, March 25th
at Baltimore Stony Run.
WQ 06-09 Minute of
Appreciation
The Quarter would like to thank
our host, York Meeting, for their hospitality in hosting today’s session.
WQ 06-10 Meeting closed
with a period of silent worship.
Friends of Warrington Quarter will meet again Third First Day, Fifth
Month (May 21st), 2006 at Warrington Monthly Meeting, Wellsville,
PA, if so favored.
Clerk: Andy Hoover
Recording Clerk/Treasurer: Ed Sonnenberg
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