Friends Bulletin-Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends-December 1992

16 Pages·1992·2 MB·English

Friends
Bulletin
PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC, AND INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETINGS
OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Volume 61, Number 4 December 1992
Among
The Youth Us
—
PAGE 50 DECEMBER 1992 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Editorial The Importance of Hugging
by Kathy Hyzy, Multnomah
LastsummerIbegantheprocessofworkingonthisissueofthe 1
magazine. I visited withyoung people atour threeyearlymeet- Mostofusbumblealongthroughlife,notgivingmuch
ings.AsItalkedtothemIissuedaninvitationforthemtowritefor thought to everyday events like eating, imbibing, and
FriendsBulletin andparticularlyforthisissueinwhichIexpected jumpingoutofthepathofoncomingcementmixers. Yeta
to focus onyouth. hugoranaffectionatepatusuallyaddsahighlighttoaday
Weallknow that it'shard tobea teenager. WhatIwanted to (unlessit'syour grandmother, attemptingtosqueeze that
knowwas,whatdifferencedoesitmaketobeaQuakerteenager? lastdropofbloodfromyourcheeks).Touchisaprettynifty
Doesbeing a Quakermake thingsbetterorworse? thingwhose importance should notbe overlooked.
Several young people responded. Their responses are as Touchisalso,aseveryoneisawareof,somethingwhich
varied as their experiences with Friends. De Kerr has been isoftenmisusedbysocietyandthemedia.Youngchildren
involvedinorganizingJuniorFriendsprograms;ChrisRetherford are made wary of affectionate hugs by overprotective
tells about his first experience with Friends; Peter Herrick-Stare parents, and peer pressure to have sex is not unusual
talks about being teased because he is a Quaker. They, and the among thirteen-year-olds. It is very easy for someone to
others, shouldbe listened to. Theirexperiences arevalid. misconstrue an innocenthug as an unwanted advance or
De Kerr throws my questionback at us. How do we Friends offense.Becauseofthis,muchofoureverydaylifehasbeen
look at our teenagers? How do we treat them? Do we put them stripped of the simple joys of innocent and often much-
downforwhowethinktheyare,withoutreallylooking?Howcan needed physical contact.
we helpbridge thegap?1 So,watchoutforyourownneedsandpayattentionto
As I write this. Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas them. Don't underestimate the powers of creating snow
decorationsarestartingtoappearinmyhouse;perhapstheyare angels on hardwood floors, or the powers of a hug from
inyourhousealso. WehadawonderfulThanksgiving,withlots your local friendlyperson.
ofpeople, includingseveral teenagers.
JYO/ FRIENDS,NorthPacific YearlyMeetingjunior
I was starting to feel overwhelmed with work and holiday FriendsNewsletter, November, 1992.
preparationswhenIwasbroughtup shortbyreality. Oneofmy KathyHyzyisaJuniorFriendfromNorthPacificYearlyMeeting.
daughter's friends called to see if she could spend the night
becauseshehadbeenkickedoutofherhouse.Ofcourseshecould
and did. Now she is trying to work outwhether she will go to a YEARLY MEETING OFFICERS
fosterhomeorquithighschoolandwork.Theredoesn'tseemto PACIFIC
be any place for her in what we would think of as a "normal" Presiding Clerk: Ellie Huffman [phone]
family. I know her. Iknow she's a good kid. She deservesbetter PO Box C13A6
Rescue, 95672
than she's getting.
AssistantClerk: Jane Mills [phone]
Andsodoallyoungpeople.Ireallydon'tbelievetherearebad 7899 St Helena Rd
teenagers. Ibelieve there are youngpeople to whombad things Santa Rosa, CA95404
happenandwhothendobad things. Ifonlywecouldhelp them Treasurer: PPhOylBliosxJ4o9n3e5s99 [phone]
before this vicious cycle getsstarted. Redding, CA96049-3599
Manyteenagersareatrisk.Intoday'sworlditisrumoredthat NORTH PACIFIC
a college diploma isn't a guarant—ee for a job, yet many young Presiding Clerk: MargeryAbbott [phone]
people drop out of high school many of them for reasons 1830 NE Klickitat
beyond theircontrol. How canwehelp them? How canwehelp Portland, OR97212
Steering Committee Clerk:
theirfamilies?Myfamilycanbeavailableforthisyoungwoman Paula Butzi [phone]
andfora fewotheryoungpeoplethatwecontact. Ihopeyoucan 14349 189thWWayANE
do thesame forothers. Woodinville, 98072
IdowishyouandyoursaHappyHannakuh,aMerryChrist- Treasurer: C0h4a8r6l2eOscKeiamnbaalDlr [phone]
mas, and/or a Joyful Winter Solstice. May the peace of the Florence, OR97439
INTERMOUNTAIN
HolidaySeasonbe with us, now, and in the year tocome.
NancyYamall Presiding Clerk: Martin Cobin [phone]
1720 Linden Ave, Boulder, CO 80304
1 IfyouwouldliketorespondtoDeKerr'sarticle,pleasewritetoher: ContinuingCommittee Clerk:
De Kerr, Box8404, Moscow, ID83843. Randy Herrick-Stare [phone]
501 E First Ave, Denver, CO 80203
Treasurer: Jim HWoffman [phone]
9300 Tennessee Ave
Lakewood, CO 80226
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN DECEMBER 1992 PAGE 51
Friends Bulletin Table Of Contents
TheofficialpublicationofPacific,NorthPacific,and Intermountain The Importance of Hugging
YearlyMeetingsoftheReligiousSocietyofFriends by Kathy Hyzy 50
1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330-2055 THE YOUTH AMONG US
Editor, Nancy Yarnall On Quaker Youth by De Kerr 52
757-7143 Culture Shock by Christopher Retherford 53
(503)
Making Oatmeal by Peter Herrick-Stare 53
Book Review Editor
The Peace Sign by Darcia McDaniel 54
Molly Bishop, PO Box 192, Duncans Mills, CA 95430 Witnessing for Peace by Sabrina Godfrey 55
[phone] Two by Sara: Poems by Sara Ashworth 55
IMYM Corresponding Editors
Setting up the Teepees: AFSC's Quincentennial
Jim Ray, 2520 S Ivanhoe PI, Denver, CO 80222 Youth Camp in Montana 56
Marie Godfrey, 523 Valley View Dr, Richfield, UT 84701
Epistles 58
Phyllis Hoge, 213 Dartmouth Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 Book Review
NPYM Corresponding Editors
The Heart of the Global Village by
Madeleine Cadbury Brown, 1412 Farrell Ln, Richland, WA 99352 William A. Charland, Review by Tom Head ..59
Jim Johnson, 715 Lexington Ave, Butte, MT 59701 News From the Meetings
Sheila Smith, 925 NW Merrie Dr, Corvallis, OR 97330. New Mexico Regional Meeting
PYM Corresponding Editors
by Phyllis Hoge 60
Betsy Kahn, 4636 Morro Dr, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Willamette Quarterly Meeting
Patricia Silva, 16557S HighlandAve, Selma, CA93662 by Sheila Smith 60
Friends Bulletin Committee Southern California Quarter
Clerk: Grace Buzaljko, 612 Albermarle, El Cerrito, CA 94530 by Betsy Kahn 61
[phone] The Montana Gathering of Friends
Molly Bishop, PO Box 192, Duncans Mills,CA 95430 byJim Johnson 61
Charlie Kimball, 04862 Oceana Dr, Florence, OR 97439 Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting
Gerry Maynard, 2941 Northwood Dr, Alameda, CA 94501 by Melody Inchumuk 62
Alan Strain, 260 High St, Apt 1, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Memorial Minute 62
Lowell Tozer, 14842 Penasquitos Ct, San Diego, CA 92129 Advertisements 63
Rob Roy Woodman, 2532 Westernessee Rd, Davis, CA 95616 AFSC Denver Office by Tom Moen 63
Calendar 64
SendallcorrespondencetotheCorvallisaddress. Deadlineforcopyisthe
firstofthe month precedingthemonth ofissue. We gladlyacceptcopyon
Cover:
3 1/2" PC orMACfloppydisksin anywell-knownword-processorformat. Senior YoungFriends, Intermountain YearlyMeeting.
PhotobyTony Umile, Boulder.
Friends Bulletin foryou and me,
RENEW NOW FOR Sketches in this issuebyRickDanielson, Walla Walla.
93.
Printedby Corvallis Web Press, Corvallis, OR
Photo
• FRIENDSBULLETIN (USPS859-220)ispublished monthlyexcept by
February and August by Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious
Society of Friends at 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, Oregon
Harold
97330-2055. Telephone [phone]. Second-class postage
paid atCorvallis, Oregon.
Carson,
• SubscriptionRates: $20.00peryearforindividuals,$16.00peryear
for group subscriptions through Meetings. $14.00 per year for a
student/low income subscription. First class postage $5.20 addi- Olympia.
tional. Foreign postagevaries. Individualcopies$2.00each.
• Postmaster: Send address changes to FRIENDS
BULLETIN, 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR
North Pacific YearlyMeetingJuniorFrieridsenteringMeetingfor
97330-2055. Worship, handin handwithyoungerchildren.
AmyCarson, Eastside, in center.
—
PAGE 52 DECEMBER 1992 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Among
The Youth Us MeetingtriedtodiscourageJuniorFriendsofanotherQuar-
terfromattending the gathering.
On the next four pages Junior Friends, Young Friends, Forthesereasons,someJuniorFriendsnolongercometo
SeniorYoungFriends,andJuniorYoungFriendssharesome gatheringsfortheQuakercommunity. Weusuallycomefor
aspectofwhat itis like tobe a Quaker Youth today. theJuniorFriends'community.Wenolongerwishtoattend
all-ageactivitiesandarebecomingmoreandmoreexclusive.
On Quaker Youth We no longer want adults to come to our meetings. We are
by De Kerr, Pullmart-Moscow wary of adult input. Though it is true that not all Junior
life.BMeiynbgealiQefusaIkheorldisatshaeQsiunagkleermoinsftluiemnpcoeretvaenrtytfhaicnegtionfmmyy Ffforeriwteanybdolseufndeegeallptiehnoigpslwweiatyah,ttatedhnuedltpQseurgacokeeenstrdaggoaewtohnferetiahncoghsseyeatfahtrae,traatrnhedecyvoebmre-y-
being.AndyetIfindithardtobeaQuakerteenager.Notonly come too old forJuniorFriends.
is it hard to be a Quaker in a normal community where This really hurts because for some of us this is the only
Quakerbeliefsarelookedonasstrange,itisalsohardtobea placewherewearegivenachancetoberesponsible.Wewant
teen ina Quakercommunity.
toreachouttoadults,tointeractwiththem,andtobecomea
Most Junior Friends come to Quaker gatherings not so contributing, vital part of the community. But too often we
much for thereligionas for thecommunity. Thesegatherings have been made to feel that we are not trusted. We are no
area placewherewefeelfreetobewhoweare,wherewecan longerwilling to make the first move.
bwwleeehtidonaogrwewpetunhtaoordueu,rogwhwwtaenltlofosfobrtaeei.ntn.dWfWseihhnidaalrroeeeuwrwosfehetoleavnrweesseenbeerenveiaeblnrylgyptpuahurteetdawddoiuowtlwhtnonmfueoftromfrbbeewaeirhrnoosgf ettrhdirgeeTedehdsyioespahairarssrttdthooetfmotatmhhkaieenkgMetehtteehhtaJeitunfnhigiru.sortrtImsFohrmvaieeev.nedtIshdheoaanmvteoreusssetttv,reeidbrveyaectnnahdfuioasnrcgetkhIinenhopawmavlsye-t
ofthecommunityasunrulyanduntrustworthybecausethatis powertomakeotheradultsfeelmorecomfortablearoundme
thewaythatmostteensareseenandnotbecauseweourselves
and other Junior Friends, and I think, up to a point, it has
have done anything to meritsuchan outlook. worked. I have had adults ask my opinion on numerous
Whilewe areneverputdownforbeingwho occasionsandIhavereceivedpraisefortheworkI'vedoneas
ive are, we often find ourselves being put well. Yet, the distrust remains.
downfor who we are thought to be. Iamtrustedtoplanaweek-longgatheringforsixtypeople,
Onthecontrary,wehavedonemanytrustworthythings. andyetIamgivenaquiettime,curfew,andbedtimebecause
Wearrangeandholdourownhalf-yearlymeeting,summer Iamnottrustedtorespectmyselfandothersenoughtobeable
planningsession,andCampeachyear.Westartedanewslet- to behave after dark. I am not trying to blame anyone or to
terbyand forJuniorand YoungFriends thatgoesoutevery make anyone feel guilty. I just want to point out what has
monthandisnowinitssecondyear.Wecompiledadirectory happenedsothatpeoplecan realizehowwefeel'andthenwe
and putout an updated copy everyyear. Wehaveourown canbegin to workonbecominga strongercommunity.
clerks, treasurers, and committees. We have begun to send InclosingIwouldliketogiveyouagiftofwordsthatthe
representatives tootheryearlymeetings to seehow theydo Junior Friends have given so often in song. There are some
things in the hopes of setting up some sort of exchange adults that we love and respect and we have learned a lot
program to connectJunior and Young Friends ofall yearly fromthem. InmemoryofoneofthoseadultsIwouldliketo
meetings.Wehavewrittenandreadanannouncementofour give you the words to one of her favorite songs. Maybe
support of the gay and lesbian community. And yet we eventuallywewillfollowthesongindeedsaswellaswords,
roefcteeinvseeveemrsytlhiatttlewseupapreorttrefartoedmatsheunatdrulutsst.wNorotthoynpluyntkhsa.t, it bhuetarfionrgntohweimtiwsiellnroeumgihntdhaytoIumtehaatnatlhlewweoradssk.isPteorbheapgsivyeonura
Thereh—avebeenmanyinstanceswhichwe—feelstemfrom cchhaanncceewaendartehgativwene. will respond wholeheartedly to any
thisbelief allteenagersareuntrustworthy andnotfrom
anywrongdoingonourpart. During the 1991 NorthPacific How could anyone ever tell you
YearlyMeetingannualsessionwewereaccused oftrashing thatyou're anything less thanbeautiful?
the gayand lesbianlounge. Unbeknownstto the adults, the How could anyone tell you
motheroftheaccusedJuniorFriend isa lesbian. Thepeople thatyou're less than whole?
whohadreallydonethetrashingwerestudentsatthecollege How could anyone fail to notice
where we were staying. At Pacific Northwest Quarterly thatyour loving is a miracle
Meetingwewerenotgivenourownlodgingbutweretoldto how deeply you're connected to my soul?
sleepwithourparentsorsponsors. Atthe 1992NPYM,due
to a misunderstanding, we were not given a place to meet DeKerr,acollegefreshman,is pastclerkofNPYMJuniorFriends.Shewas
until the end ofthe second day. Registrars ofoneQuarterly editoroftheNPYMJuniorFriendspublication,YO!FRIENDS,1991-92.m
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN DECEMBER 1992 PAGE 53
Culture Shock highschool. How strange itfeltforme toopenup topeople
by Christopher Retherford, Corvallis Ihadonlyknownafewhours.Usuallyatreligiousgatherings
— I was dying to gethome the moment we arrived, buthere I
TheRomanCatholicChurch Iwasoncemystifiedbyit wanted to stay.
and loved it. (In some ways I still do.) At the same time I DayturnedintoduskandmynewchumsandIsatinthe
disliked it because of its strict authority and the way it openclearingandlaughedaboutlife,people,music,andthe
basically tried to run the livesofits followers. various hush-hush jokes we whispered. But the subject of
IfeltveryspiritualasIenteredthechurchanddabbedmy peace was the one we discussed the most. We also talked
right hand in the blessed water, with which I then crossed abouthow everyoneisequal,nomatterwhotheychooseto
myself.NextIwouldwalkinthepresenceofthecrucifixand have relationswith.
kneel. There again I would cross myself. As I walked into a Morningcameand mynew friends and Ilaughed about
pew, I would kneel again on the kneebench and pray for a the night we had shared. During moments of silence, I
few minutes. I had doneall this and Ihadjustarrived. thoughtabouttheCatholicdoctrinesandhowIwasbeinga
Otherpeoplefollowedthesameritualandthenwewaited natural "heretic" because I no longer agreed. I had been
in silence for the Priest to come to conduct Mass. Mass forced to feelguiltyattimeswhenI wasbeingonlyhuman,
consisted of hymns, prayers, and the communion of wine andIwaspunishedandorderedtobegtoGodtoforgiveme.
andbread. Itnow seems ritualistic and boringtome. Ididn'tneedtheSaintsorMotherMary;Ineededtobecloser
The Roman Catholic Church is determined to punish to God.
those who have supposedly sinned against the word of IhavenowlefttheRomanCatholicChurchbecauseIhave
ChristandGod.IalwaysfeltthatifIneededtoconfessmysins foundsomethingbettertofollow.IcanworshiphowIplease
Ineednotgotoa mandressed ina cloaked robe,occupying and nothavetofollowabookorpraywitha rowofbeads. I
acloset.Ididlovethepenanceatfirstandwasalwaysthrilled havediscoveredthatGodacceptsmeforwhoandwhatIam.
atthepunishmentofprayersgiventome,althoughIonlydid
ChristopherRetherford,a highschooljunior,foundhisexperience
thema few times.
This summer as I began to evaluate my feelings abo—ut atWillametteQuarterlyMeetingpowerful;helooksforwardtoother
worshipping God, I wondered who is more important Friendlyexperiences, including monthlyandyearly meetings. •
God orMotherMaryandall theendlessSaintstowhomwe
offered ourrespects?Wasitnecessaryformetoconfesstoa
priesttoensuremypassagetoheaven?WhydidIhavetokiss
thefeetofaPopewhoissaidtohavebeensentbyGod?Iasked
myPriestthesequestionsandwasanswered,"BecauseGod
requeststhis." Ihadhitanultimatedeadend. Idecided that
ifI wanted tofeelbetteraboutmyselfas a Christian,maybe
I should focus on a religion that encourages worship ofthe Staff
oneand onlyGod andnotallofthe others.
Towards the end of the summer I made friends with a photo.
memberoftheReligiousSocietyofFriendswhogoes tomy
high school, and she occasionally would answer the ques-
tionsIhadaboutherbeingaQuaker.Iwasintriguedthatthe
religionwasstillaroundandthattheydidn'twearknickers, Intermountain YearlyMeetingJunior YoungFriends
weirdhatsliketheoneontheoatmealbox,andbrass-buckled BusinessMeeting,June 1992.
shoes. Making Oatmeal
About a month later she invited me to join her at Wil- by Peter Herrick-Stare, Mountain View
lamette Quarterly Meeting at Sky Camp, near Eugene, Or-
egon.ImustadmitIwasnervous,yetIignoredmyinsecurity ItoldmyfriendsaboutbeingaQuakerteenagerandthey
and went with an open mind and an extremely talkative askedifonSundayIgoandmakeoatmeal. Itwouldbealot
mouth. more funifmy friends knew whatQuakerismis.
I was in awe ofthe majority ofmypeers that I metwho I am in the Seventh Grade at Garland Country Day
wereopen-mindedandacceptingofothers(sodifferentthan School, which is a preppy private school in Denver. The
thesocietyinwhichIwaslockedup).Theywerepleasantto gradesgofromkindergartentoninthgrade.Mymaininterest
converse with, and I was intrigued byhow they lived their isslalom/extremeskiing.Thedefinitionofextremeskiingis
livesinpeace.TheonesItalkedtothemost—wereveryhelpful simplyputas anyand all terrain skied ruthlessly.
with advice onhow Ishould livemylife thatIshouldbe PeterHerrick-Stareisamemberof'IntermountainYearlyMeeting's
free. These were the people I wish could fill the halls ofmy Junior YoungFriends.m
—
PAGE 54 DECEMBER 1992 FRIENDS BULLETIN
The Peace Sign circleforworshipdiscussion.Atfirst,thethoughtofworship
by Darcia McDaniel, Rogue Valley discussionscaredmeandalsoseemedalittleboring.Besides,
the topics were controversial, and Iwas afraid to speak my
WhenMr. Dextersuggests we discusspolitics, Icanfeel mind,worried aboutwhatothers might thinkofme. Tomy
my heart begin to pound against my chest. Once again the surprise, sharing my thoughts became easier day by day.
classwillbeinvolvedinaheatedargumentandmyopinion Finally, I started looking forward to something I used to
We
will be with the minority view. begin discussing the dread. Forthefirsttime,Icoulddiscusspoliticswithpeople
presidential debate, but that subject quickly dies out. In an ofmyown agewithoutmakingsomeone angrywithme.
attempt to postpone reading another boring chapter in the Oftenwewouldjustsitaroundatableandtalkaboutour
history of Western Civilization, someone suggests we dis- lives.Onediscussionstandsoutinmymind.Itstartedwhen
cuss another topic. Mr. Dexter relates his theory forsolving wewerewonderingwhyholdinguptwofingers,forminga
theUnitedStates'problemofunevendistributionofwealth. "V," is a symbol of peace. Catnip Frederick from Montana
Hebelievesinasocialisticphilosophythateveryoneshould told usastoryabouthow kids athis school treated him.
earn about the same amount of money and that a limit be Hesaid,"Alotofthejocksandskatersatmyschoolwalk
placed on how rich any one person may be. Of course, his up to me, give me apeacesign, andyell, 'Piss off, hippie.' "
commentoffendsthefuturecapitalistsinthegroupwhoare Inapuzzled voice, forming thepeace signwithhis own
dreaming of sports cars and diamonds. They retaliate by fingers, he said, "I don't know just what they think this
insistingthatsomepeopleactuallyworkharder,aresmarter means."
and luckierthanothers, and therefore deserve tobe rich. Therestoftheweek,anytimesomeonewouldsay, "piss
Myownopinion, one Istronglybelieve in, isontheside off, hipp—ie," everyone would chuckle. It became an in-joke
ofthesocialists.Idonotthinkthatitisfairforafewpeopleto withus asignthatweallfeltclosetohimandtoeachother.
bewealthyandspendtheirmoneyfrivolously,whileothers Onourlastnighttogetherwealljustrefusedtogotobed.
are forced to live on the street. The capitalists continue Sleepwasoflittleimportancetous. Wewouldprobablynot
defendingtheirpointandkindlysuggestthatMr.Dextertake seeeachotheruntilthenextyear,ifthen.Itwasasthoughwe
ahikeover toa socialistcountryofhis choice, ifhedoesnot could delay the time for leaving and stay together.
approve ofcapitalism. Forgetting my frustration, my mind Morningarrived. Itwastimetopackourbagsandleave.
begins to wander. I remember a time when everyone be- I had only met these people a week ago but now I found it
lievedasIdid;whenIcoulddiscusspoliticswithouthaving impossible to say good-by. As I stood on the comer and
toconstantlydefendmyideas. ThathappytimeIspentwith watched my closest friend in the group, Nathan Prichard,
someJunior Friends. driveaway,myeyesbegantoswelland tears trickleddown
Ihatecamping,amnotfondofthebeach,andhadalways myface.
thought that most Junior Friends were weird. At least I Iwastryingtoholdthemback,toacttoughandbrave,but
believedthisuntilonesummerwhensomethingdrewmeto Nathan'sgrandfather,whowasstandingbehindme,sensed
a Junior Friends Camp on the Oregon coast, where I lived howIfelt. "It'shard,isn'tit?"hesaid.Icouldnotanswer,but
withaboutthirtystrangepeoplefromOregon,Washington, somehow,withoutanotherwordspoken,Iknewhehadbeen
Montana, and Idaho. That camp changed my opinion of through the same pain.
Junior Friends forever.
The week started out a disaster. Naturally, the closest The bell rings, marking the end of third period and
showers were abouthalfa mile away, andby the time I got releasingmefromanotherangryWesternCivilizationbattle-
there,thewaterwasusuallycold. Ihadtosharetwomirrors ground.Withaquietsmileonmyfaceforthathappymemory,
andfouroutletswithaboutfifteengirls.Thefood,whatthere Iwalkoffto Algebra II.
wasofit,wasstrangelynutritious,definitelynotthetypethat DarciaMcDanielisasenioratLewisandClarkCollege,Portland,
normal teenagers eat. For "fun," the adults decided to hike Oregon. She isaNorth Pacific YearlyMeeting YoungFriend.
outtoCapeLookoutandeatapicniclunchthere. Wehadto
carry this magnificent meal (consisting of a bagel, a few
carrots, and two oreos for a treat) on our backs. The trail
seemed to switch-back forever, until it dead-ended at the
edgeofacliffwithpreciouslittlespaceforthirtypeopletosit
Staff
safely,eatinglunch,perched abovetheoceanbreakers. This
tortuousadventurewasjustoneofthe "healthy" activitiesI
photo
endured thatweek.
Such hard labor was not the only pastime at camp,
however. I did actually have many wonderful times that
helped me forget the daily misery. Every morning after we Senior YoungFriendsatworship, IMYM.
had eaten breakfast and cleaned up, we would gather in a
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN DECEMBER 1992 PAGE 55
Witnessing for Peace Two by Sara:
by Sabrina Godfrey, Richfield (Utah) Poems by Sara Ashworth, Rogue Valley
Richfield,Utah,myhometown,isanextremelyconservative
Mormontown.IhavebeentoprotestsattheNevadaTestsiteand "He makes his sun rise on the evil
tovigilsinSaltLakeCity,butIfindthatitishardertospeakup and the good, and sends his rain
inasmalltownwhereIfeelmoreisolatedandaloneinmybeliefs. on thejust and the unjust."
Richfield is the type ofplacewhereto speakup isasinand to Matthew 5:45 —
questionisblasphemy.Often,Iwanttojustkeepquietandnot The same sunbeats against your skin and mine
trytochangethings,butsomethinginsidealwaystellsme,"You You, who have distanced me
can'tlivethisway.Youhavetosayordosomething."So,Ido. mirrored the snakes nest ofmy insecurity
I'vebeenaskedwhenIstartedwitnessingforpeace. Idon't into my face until my eyes were stony as
honestly know. The first time I thought about it I was in Medusas; you I have longed so long to hate.
kindergarten, and I'vebeenwitnessingeversince. Two recent You who I held when your best friend died
eventsmayhelpexplainhowIwitnessforpeace. because the griefon your lips was as bitter
Seniors in tine AP English class had just finished reading as any salt you ever made me taste.
Thoreau'sCivilDisobedience.Theteacherfoundthattheclassliked
theideasbutthoughtthatcivildisobediencewassomethingofthe Speaking of Silence
past.Theyalsothoughtthatthoughtheworldwasfarfromperfect
therewasnothing theycould do tochangeit. Sheinvited me,a Strand by strand weaves the silence,
Sophomore,totelltheclassaboutsomeofthethingsIdidinmy so rests my heart secure.
life and what civil disobedience means in today's terms. I told Around me other heartbeats sound
themabouttheprotestsIhadtakenpartin.WhileIwastalkingto ofblood, the veins, oflaughter-
theclass,IrealizedthatwhatIwasdoingdidmakeadifference. sound and silence singing hymns,
Talking to that class was witnessing. I was speaking about the web around me turns.
somethingIbelievedinstronglyandtheywereresponding. The
twoboysthatIthoughtwouldstonemeforevensuggestingthat I think of other heart-beats stilled;
theUnitedStateswasnotabsolutelycorrectineverythingitwas the voice of those veins
doingactuallywanted toknowwhattheycoulddo. Oneofthe now sing the ringing of the leaves;
girlswantedtogototheNevadaTestSiteandprotestassoonas gold-autumn, silver spring,
shecould. IwasmakingadifferenceandIcouldseeit. and the blue bells ofsummer echo
At the end of every school year there is a huge awards in winter's white harp deep.
ceremonyhonoringalmostallofthe700studentsindividually. Sound by sound weaves the silence,
Asyoucanimagine,itlastsforever.DuringtheGulfWarmany so rests my heart secure.
Richfieldgraduateshadservedinthewar.Iknewtheprincipal's
speech would most likely be centered around the war. As I
lsaiisdt.enIebde,ghaonwetvoecron,sIibdeecrawmalekmionrgeouatn.dTmhoerneIhaepapradl,l"eLdeattuwshsattahned SaraAshworth is a North Pacific YearlyMeeting YoungFriend.
SheiscurrentlytreasurerofJunior-YoungFriends.u
andpledgeallegiancetothegreatestcountryinalltheworld."I
don'tsaythePledgeofAllegiance,butIdousuallystand.This
timetherewasnowaythatIwasgoingtobudge.Isatthereand Continuedfrompreviouscolumn.
Ipouted! Icouldnolongerevenpretend tosupportwhatwas "Ifthepeoplelead,theleaderswillfollow."Itwaspeople
happen—ing.LateroneofmyfriendsaskedmeifIweresick.Yes, who tookdownthe Berlinwall and endedCommunistrule
Iwas sickfromwhatwashappeningaroundmeandwhatI in the former Soviet Union. Maybe I made a difference. The
couldnolongersupport. pointis,standupandbecounted. Or,sitdownandletpeople
RecentlyIwasthinkingabout"howmuchisenough" and knowtocountyouout!
whether Iwasmakingadifference.Ithinkitdoesn'tmatterhow &
Sabrina Godfrey afreshman at Lewis Clark College, Portland,
otlhdinogrsytohuenygbealpieervseoinn.isI.WwhasatamsaktetdeirnsitshtahtaEtnpgeloipslhecsltaassndwuhpefnorI Oregon, was cler,kofIntermountain YearlyMeeting Senior Young
Friendslastyear. Thisarticleisessentiallythetextofanaddressthat
wouldquitprotesting.Iftheystoppedallnucleartesting,could
shegavetoIntermountain YearlyMeeting,June1991. Editor'snotes
IgohomeandbesatisfiedwithwhatIhaddoneandwhathad
fromthespeechappearedintheJanuary1992issueofFriendsBulletin.
been accomplished by thisworld? I answered, "No." Ihave a
However,thisissuchaspecialexampleofwhatitisliketobeaQuaker
feeling that there's always going to be something I can do,
teenagerthatthestoryistoldhereagain,thistimeinSabrina'swords.
somethingIcareenoughabouttospeakup.
Continuedtonextcolumn.
—
PAGE 56 DECEMBER 1992 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Setting Up the Teepees:
Reflections on AFSC’s Quincentennial Youth Camp in Montana1
Togethertheyoungpeoplelearnedhand
gamesanddrumming;theyhikedtogether
toadamandwentswimming; theyvisited
sites sacred to the Crow Nationover thou-
sands of years and shared in a pipe cer-
emony;theylearnedaboutthehistoryofthe
Crow and about the dynamics of racism
andpoverty.
—
PipeCeremony Burton Pretty- On - Top.
In early July the Crow Nation in southeastern Montana
hosted six white, six Crow, one Sioux, and three Northern
Cheyenne high school students, mostly from Montana and
Wyoming. They were brought together by AFSC for a week-
longInterculturalYouthCamp,tolearnfromeachotherandto
lookatthelong-lastingimpactsofColumbus'voyage:cultural
and environmental degradation, poverty, disease, prejudice,
and isolation.
Drumming.
"Themostimportantlearning,however,"
saidPeterIsbister,ayouthparticipant,"hap-
pened onaperson-to-personlevel." For the
first few days campers stayed in cliques:
Indian males, Indian females, white males,
white females. "No one talked to anyone
else. Things weren't working," said a coun-
selor. "Weworried."
1 American Friends Service Committee, Pacific
Northwest Region, News Update, October 1992, p. 1.
PhotosbyPaul Dix.
Flute Workshopwith OliverPease, CrowTribal Elder.
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN DECEMBER 1992 PAGE 57
On Saturdaythecampers talked to the adults gathered
for their own conference on the Quincentennial. "Our
presentation about our youth camp was largely extempo-
raneous and extremely heartfelt," said Peter. "We were
received verywell, given tremendous attentionand many
encouraging comments."
JoJo LittleLightandMallory Venneinhistoryworkshop,
"What 1492Means to You."
AboutWednesdaysomethinghappened.
The youth got together to protest the rules.
Theystartedtogettoknoweachother. "Both
IndiansandWhiteslearnedabout theothers' Learningtoset up thetepees.
presentdayrealities,"Petersaid."Welearned Awhitewomanaskedus, "Whatdoyouneedfromus?"
about the Crow culture and the difficulty of
living in the dominant white societyas a full It was a moving question because it showed that she was
readytogivewhatshecouldandfeltaresponsibilitytogive
member, while retaining cultural ties." it... Andweneedwide-rangingand deep supportfromour
communities to build from here, as we make presentations
about th—is program bac—k in our communities and plan for
another evenbetter camp fornextyear.*
Stickgames. Mallory Vennespeaking.
—
PAGE 58 DECEMBER 1992 FRIENDS BULLETIN
PYM
Epistles Junior Yearly Meeting Epistle #1
—
PYM
Young Friends Epistle Aftertwoandahalfintensedays,JYMersareregretfully
realizing thatourtime togetheris atan end.
GREETINGS! Worship-fellowships and various workshops and inter-
Will youjoin us in a briefmoment ofsilence? est groups have occupied our hours and given us food for
thought, while pool parties, dances, and Capture the Flag
Our spiritual needs bring very few ofus to this place. havekeptus entertained.
Many ofour dear friends who grew up as children ofthe WeareconcernedaboutthefutureofJYMandPYMas a
Yearly Meeting have looked elsewhere to fill their needs whole. Some of us feel powerless and unheard. We see the
for community and for ritual. importance of the general PYM and would like to become
How can our Young Friends group offer a place for moreinvolved.Wehopethatnextyear'sPYMwillbelonger
transition from adolescence to adulthood? andbetterattendedbypeople ofall ages.
How can we encourage each other to seek a meaningful
faith and support each other in the directions that this
might take us?
How do we learn Quaker process?
JuniorFriends
How do we share the gift ofgrounding in the Spirit with atPYM.
those both older and younger than ourselves? Staffphoto.
When do we let go and move on to our own next stages?
We invite you to think about these things: how they fit
into our Yearly Meeting, our Monthly Meetings, and our
ongoing lives in community and faith.
No more, but our love,
PYM Young Friends 1992
PYM JYM Epistle #2 NPYM Junior Friends Epistle
Here we stand. This year at Camp we concentrated on dealing with problems as a group. Our
Lost in the void between strengthenedcooperationwasillustratedonthelastnightofcampwhenthethreatofalarge
Childhood and adulthood. stormforcedustoquicklyandefficientlybreakcampandseekcover.Whenthestormhit,
Here we sing wewereprepared.
Of thejoy and sadness Our work party consisted of rebuilding eroded trails around Lake Pend Oreille.
That fill our lives. Throughcooperation, wewereabletoplacelargerocksalongthetrailsandfeltthatwedid
Here we sit aservicethatwillbenefitthecommunityforyearstocome.
And rest our weary souls Wedidnot,however,spendtheentireweekworking.Wetooktimeouttoparticipate
Once a year. in swimming, hiking, and Indian-style Capture the Hag. We also experienced a multi-
Here we talk culturalceremony,influencedgreatlybytheideaoffindingtheSpiritwithinourselvesand
And find that we communicationwithnature.AlthoughthereweremoreJuniorFriendsandadultsthanin
Are not alone. anypreviousyear,Camp,asawhole,flowedquitewell.Throughthefunandwork,many
Here we hope ofusfeltboththeabsenceandthepresenceofourdearfriendandadvisor,Abbie,whostays
And pray and work inourhearts.
For a future we're never sure of. MostJuniorFriendscontinuedontoYearlyMeeting,whereothersjoined us. IDuring
Here we dream worshipdiscussiongroups,weseparatedbygrades,whichmostfoundfurtherenhanced
Of the world we want to thediscussion.SivaRavenandKenHoldenledaworkshoponconflictresolution,hoping
Create. to increase the group awareness. The Friend in Residence,Judy Brutz, also talked to the
Here we watch groupaboutconflict,morespecificallythatofabuseinQuakerfamilies.Itwasaninformative
The miracles of sessionandbenefitedboththosewhohadandhadnotcomeintocontactwithabuse.
Growing up. Awelfarecommittee,startedbyafewJuniorFriendsatCamp,wasofficiallyformedat
Here we learn YearlyMeeting. Thecommittee'sresponsibilities include listening toproblemsofothers,
About love and tenderness givingadvice,andhelpingworkoutproblemswithinthegroup.
And the vital importance of time. Thisyearmanyheart-feltdiscussions tookplacewithareachingout toeachotherto
Here we live. better thegroup. Thisgut-levelsharinghelped us grow togetherand grow inSpirit. Itis
-by Reo Wexner somethingweeachtakewithusaswegoourdifferentways.
JuniorFriends,NorthPacificYearlyMeeting