Friends Bulletin-Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends-May 1996

16 Pages·1996·1.8 MB·English

Friends Bulletin
PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC, AND INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETINGS
OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Volume 64, Number 8 Building the western Quaker Community since 1929 May 1996
North Pacific Yearly Meeting
Friend in Residence:
Vincent Harding
Speaking on:
"The Last Years of
Martin Luther King
and the Future of America"
Meeting Place:
The Evergreen State College,
Olympia, Washington
Registration Deadline:
June 22, 1996
(Early Deadline, June 15, 1996
Subtract 10% from lodging
and meal fees)
Registrar:
Louis Webster
N
1218 Sherwood
St.
WA
Spokane, 99201
[phone]
The clock towerat The Evergreen State College. Staffphoto.
—
PAGE 130 MAY 1996 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Editorial Comments PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING
Children and Meeting Presiding Clerk: Eric Moon [phone]
2314 Eighth St, #B
We often say that Friends Bulletin is the magazine of news, Berkeley, CA 94710
information, opinion, and activities of Friends in the West. You Assistant Clerk: Andrea English [phone]
will find many of the above categories in the first few pages of 1746 VirgiCniAa
Berkeley, 94703
this issue. The difference, this month, is that our authors are
Treasurer: Phyllis Jones [phone]
much younger than usual. PO Box 493599
Children fromDavisMeeting tellusofplayingthepiano and Redding, CA 96049-3599
reading,aswellasthefrontyardand thegardenoftheirmeeting Junior Yearly Meeting Clerk or contact person:
house. Children from Tempe Meeting tell us about their meet- S1a9r15ahMOornrtgomery Ave(619) 436-8346
ing, First Day school, and Quaker beliefs. Robin Miller and Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007
Leksy Shabazz from Eugene Meeting tell us about God. Jordan Young Friends Clerk or contact person:
Blumberg-Enge provides a bountiful potluck. Cassie Forbes Carl Magruder [phone]
fromPimaMeetingshareshertriptoSeaWorld. FirstDayschool 1900 Alcatraz Ave, #8
CA
Berkeley, 94703
teachers from Corvallis explain their program. The Raccoons
from Logan Meeting share animal word picture poems.
— NORTH PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING
Theology, information, activity, opinion it's all there.
Presiding Clerk:
Margaret Sorrel [phone]
It's time to be thinking about yearly meeting. You'll find the 4302 Woodlawn Ave N
WA
"Call to North Pacific" in this issue; Intermountain's was in the Seattle, 98103
Aprilissueand Pacific'swillbeinJune. Ifyearlymeetingisn'ton Steering Committee Clerk:
yourcalendar,considerputtingitthere.You'llhaveawonderful Helen Dart [phone]
2675 Baker Blvd [email protected]
time, and I look forward to seeing you there. (For dates and Eugene, OR 97403
locations, see p. 143.) Treasurer: Sylvie McGee [phone]
12525 17th Ave NE [email protected]
WA
Seattle, 98125
Corrections from Previous Issues Junior FriendsClerk or contact person:
Katy Thorsos [phone]
1. Phillip Wells from ArgentaMeetingreviewed thebook. 19627 NE 140th St
WA
Thirty Essays on the Gospel ofThomas. (January 1996, p. 88). Woodinville, 98072
Phillip writes to clarify the editorial comments: Young Friends Clerks or contact persons:
"Pacific Yearly Meeting was established in 1947. I was Kathy Hyzy [phone]
clerkofit (notPacificCoastAssociationofFriends) from 1952 Linfield College Unit #2334
OR
to 1954. By thattime Pacific CoastAssociationofFriends was McMinnville, 97128
[email protected]
a thing of the past. Its name disappeared from the Friends
Bumm
Bulletin in 1950. Incidentally, Iwas Recording ClerkofPacific Secretary: L2e34x2anNne50th St d(2i0a6l)[email protected]
Coast—Association of Friends when it met at Hidden Villa in Seattle, WA 98103
1942 ameetingwhichJosephine Duveneckin herautobiog-
raphymistakenlycalled 'thefirstsessionofPYM.' TheArchi- INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETING
vist is correct in that I was Clerk of the Bulletin Committee Presiding Clerk: [phone]
from 1948to 1952,butIwasalsoClerkofthatCommitteefrom Chuck Rostkowski [email protected]
1944 or 1945 to 1947,whenEdSanders and Iworked to insure 962 26th St
Ogden, UT 84401
the establishment of PYM. At that time the Bulletin Commit-
Continuing Committee Clerk:
tee was the only active committee of PCAF. I was asked to Jan Miller [phone]
serve in various capacities during the first 25 years of PYM, 211 Fifth Ave, #204 [email protected]
includingserviceontheBulletinCommittee,ashe [theArchi- Salt Lake City, UT 84103
Treasurer: Tom Schroeder [phone]
vist] mentions." N
715 E 400 [email protected]
2. Cynthia B. Taylor, Salt Lake Meeting, "The Testimony Wellsville, UT 84339
ofCommunity" (March 1996, p. 98), said, "John 3:3 says that SeniorYoungFriendsCo-Clerks:
the tongue is a tiny muscle with enormous power, like the Alida Godfrey [phone]
rudder of a ship; it easily offends those we love." Willamette University
900 State Street, E219
The sentence should have read James 3:3&4." OR
Salem, 97301
3. In the "Vital Statistics" column (April 1996, p. 127), [email protected]
"New Members" section, we placed Whitaker Rehm in the Keil Mueller [phone]
wrong meeting. He is a memberof Orange County Meeting. 1840 Dover St [email protected]
Continuedon page 135.J Lakewood, CO 80215
FRIENDS BULLETIN MAY 1996 PAGE 131
Friends Bulletin Table of Contents
TheofficialpublicationofPacific,North Pacific,andIntermountain Children and Meeting 132-135
Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends Davis Meeting 132
—
1620 NW Menlo Drive, Queries on Interaction of Children and Adults 133
Corvallis, OR 97330-2055 Our Meeting 133
Eugene Meeting 134
[phone]
Animal Word Pictures 134
[email protected]
Corvallis Meeting 135
Editor, Nancy Yarnall
Expenses at IMYM, by Jan Miller 136
Business Manager, Wayne Yarnall, Volunteer
Letters 137
Book Review Editor Friendly News 138-139
Grace Buzaljko, 612 Albemarle, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Arizona Half-Yearly, by La Donna Wallen 138
[phone] Pacific Northwest Quarterly, by Diane Ste. Marie 138
IMYM Corresponding Editors Southern California Quarterly, by Bobbi Kendig 139
Mary Lou Coppock, 1 127 E Belmont, Phoenix, AZ 85020 Fifty Years Ago in Friends Bulletin 139
Randy Herrick-Stare, 501 E First Ave, Denver, CO 80203 Memorial Minutes 140
Amanda Skow, 851 E 600 S, #204, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Book Reviews 141
Charlotte Williams, PO Box 186, Hillsboro, NM 88042. Silence: Our Eye on Eternity, by Daniel A. Seeger 141
NPYM Corresponding Editors Small Press Books, by Grace Buzaljko 141
Jim Coates, PO Box 377, Red Lodge, MT 59068 Desirefor the Land, by Richard Bear 141
Ruth Evan, 477 E 32nd Ave, Eugene, OR 97405 Calendar 142
WA
Diane Ste. Marie, 10430 57th Ave S, Seattle, 98178 Announcements 142
PYM Corresponding Editors Advertisements 143
John Fulbright, 3038-A Waipuna Rise, Honolulu, HI 96822 Vital Statistics 143
Bobbi Kendig, 3275 Karen, Long Beach, CA 90808 Call to North Pacific Yearly Meeting 1996 144
Ramona Silipo, 1613 Tyler St, Berkeley, CA 94703
Friends Bulletin Board of Directors
Clerk: Rob Roy Woodman, 2532 Westernessee Rd, Davis, CA 95616
[phone]
Recording Clerk: Randy Herrick-Stare, 501 E First Ave,
Denver, CO 80203 AFSC/SCQM Youth Service Project
Treasurer: Annis Bleeke, 3540 SW Corbett, Portland, OR 97201
byAnthonyManousos, Claremont Meeting
Mary Lou Coppock, 1 127 E Belmont, Phoenix, AZ 85020
Pat Daggerty, 625 E Grandview, Sierra Madre, CA 91024 OnMarch9, 1996,theWhittierFriendsYoungFriends
Lucy Fullerton, 41 1 N 90th St, #402, Seattle, WA 98103 and the AFSC/SCQM Youth Service Project organized
Arden Pierce, 3498 South Court, Palo Alto, CA 94306 a barbecue and crafts project for inner city children in
Long Beach. Fifteen teenagers and five adults partici-
Send allcorrespondencetotheCorvallisaddress. Deadlineforcopyisthe pated in this project. Around fifty African-American
firstofthe month preceding the month ofissue. We gladlyacceptcopy on children and their families showed up, played games,
3 1/2” PC or MAC floppy disks in any well-known word-processorformat. ate food, and had a wonderful time. Afterwards, the
We
appreciate receiving copy by e-mail (address above). youth met with Fred Newkirk, Marloma Friends, and
Printed by Albany PrintingCompany, Albany, Oregon. others involved in building bridges of understanding
• FRIENDS BULLETIN (USPS859-220) ispublished monthlyexcept between the African-American and Korean communi-
February and August by Friends Bulletin Corporation of the ties. In the evening the youth took part in "rice bowl-a-
Religious Society of Friends at 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, thon" whichraised over$250 forAFSC'sreliefeffortson
Oregon 97330-2055. Telephone [phone]. Second-class behalf of North Korea's flood victims. On Sunday, the
postage paid at Corvallis, Oregon. youth attended meeting for worship at Whittier First
• Friends Church and gave a report at their business
Subscription Rates: $24.00 peryearfor individuals, $19.00 peryear
for group subscriptions through meetings. Check with editor for a meeting that was well received.
student or low income subscription. First class postage $10.00 addi- Our third year ended in the spirit of unity and
We
tional. Foreign postage varies. Individual copies $3.00 each. friendship. aregrateful to theSpirit thathasbrought
• Postmaster: Send address changes to FRIENDS ustogether. ForinformationaboutYouthServiceProject
BULLETIN, 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR events,contactAnthonyManousos 1446 E. RalstonAve,
CA
^San Bernardino 92404. Phone; 909-883-1319.
97330-2055. ,
—
PAGE MAY FRIENDS BULLETIN
132 1996
Children and Meeting
Davis Meeting
r
~\
Davis Meeting Children:
Grace Pettygrove, age 8.
Elizabeth Hennies, age 8.
Katie Shepard, age 9.
Mar-y-Sol Pasquiers, age 9.
V
to play the piano
Grace.
FRIENDS BULLETIN MAY 1996 PAGE 133
Queries on Interaction of Children and Adults*
1. When you were a child, what was one of your
best memories of an adult sharing with you?
• Spending time one-on-one (reading, teaching, etc.)
• Someone going out of their way for you, a little child
• Teaching skills (i.e., basketball)
• Sharing songs
• Patience, caring, tenderness
• Being treated as a human being
• Listening to adults debate some moral issue
• Involvement with nature
• Lives according to beliefs; examples of sense ofjustice
2. If you were a child now, what would you
like to do or learn with an adult?
• Learn a special skill (sewing, woodworking, knitting) First through third grade class, Tempe Meeting.
• Curious about what adults do and like
• How to translate beliefs into activism (i.e., recycling, Our Meeting
helping others) by the first through third grade class,
How
• to practice Quaker principles
Tempe Meeting
• Be given the opportunity to help or serve or make a
connection Tempe Friends Meeting is the name of our meeting.
• To be called specifically, to be included in activities When we first come into the meeting house to go to
meeting forworship,weseethegreeter. Thegreetergreets
3. Is there something you think that children us by saying "good morning" and shaking our hands.
are missing now? People come to the Friends Meeting to take time to think
We
• Special one-on-one attention from an adult other than about God. go with our families.
parents; a sense of extended family Then the children go to First Day school. We learn
• Awareness of children's gift to Meeting aboutJesus and how he loves kids and aboutQuakers like
• Use their names George Fox. We went trick or treating for UNICEF on
• Knowledge of the Bible Halloween. We had a Christmas play.
• Special intense events (preadolescent and adolescent), Quakersbelieve in doing good things for other people.
(i.e., camping, overnights, youth projects) They believe in peace, equality, simplicity, and commu-
• See what grownups do nity. They take time off to sit down and think about God.
• Intergenerational community Written by Kaitlin and Jeremy Melcher-Post, Rebecca
4. What can we learn from children today? Janney, and Lisa Roth, the first through third grade class.
Paul Gardner is in the class, too.
• Children have very special and clear insights into
matters of justice, spirituality, and moral behavior,
but we rarely listen to what they have to say
• Emphasize what children can learn rather than what
adults can teach
• Closeness to the spiritual
• What their reality is like, what they are concerned
with, deal with (sharing circle); get to know their
world, a different world
5. What are some of your favorite activities or
talents that you could share with the children?
• Crafts, sewing, baking
• How to cook, make things
• Group camping
* Davis Friends Meeting Newsletter, Sixth Month (June) 1995. Looking at the Boats at Sea World
Queries dated April 16, 1995. by Cassie Forbes, Pima Meeting.
PAGE 134 MAY 1996 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Eugene Meeting
Poem
by Robin Miller
I
God created me as am because
I
God God God.
is is
love God.
I
II
Hours lasting,
Love is good.
Hours lasting.
Love is always good. Potluck, w_ m
Hours and hours lasting. by Jordan ib
Love is always good. Blumberg-Enge.
Because you are love
And am
so
I.
III
When what you love
Is what is going to stop.
Don't be afraid.
It will come back
Without a drop
Eugene Meeting Children:
And you will rise
Up
in the air
Jordan Blumberg-Enge, age 8.
Without a care.
Leksy Shabazz, age 7.
Miah K. Edson, fourth grade.
Robin Miller, age 6.
The Rhythm
of the Light Bird,
va by Robin Miller.
/
\
Wondering ifshewould like to go, sixyear
-eld Leksy asked her Dad, "What's Bible camp
like?"
"I don't know, but I think it would be lots
of fun, and people will try to convince you to
believe what they believe."
"Like what?"
"Like that God is a man."
"Well, IbelieveGod is a man, and Ibelieve
God is a woman, so I already believe more
than they do, so it's all right."
Deer, by Miah K. Edson. -Leksy Shabazz
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN MAY 1996 PAGE 135
Animal Word Pictures Corvallis Meeting
by The Raccoons, Logan Meeting
The Raccoons (children's group, ages 6-9) of Logan
Meeting have been studying the curriculum, "Walking
Cheerfully in the Light." They have learned how humans
are part of the web of life and of their connection and
responsibility to the other creatures that share our small
planet.
The Raccoons wrote these poems:
WOLF
timber wolf
runs very fast
howls at the moon Thad and Zina Allen, Neil and Jeanne Davidson are part of
wild dog. the First Day school class at Corvallis Meeting.
COUGAR First Day School
—
lean fast by Hugh and Jeanne Davidson
quick to strike
shadow on the wind In First Day school we are exploring why the Bible is
cautious. arranged the way it is, how to look stuff up, the difference
between the Old and New Testaments, and what the Law
MOUSE and Prophets in the Old Testament say about the Messiah.
Mouse moves quickly into its hole We will focus on how the Old and New Testaments con-
away from the snake. verge, where Jesus fits in as a historical figure, and try to
get the kids to understand what is knowable from history
We
TORTOISE aboutthesetimes. areconsciouslytryingtogetourkids
very slowly to see there was a child, then a youth, and later a young
crosses the desert PalestinianJewish man namedJesus who experienced life
hurries into its shell and death as a member of a larger culture and belief
safe. system. Laterwe will more concretelyexplore His life as a
full adult and the larger role He has played in so many
OWL
lives.
From Corvallis Meeting newsletter, March 1996.
night bird
stalks its prey
showing wise power Corrections. Continuedfrom p. 130.
its
smart. 4. In the poem, "TheColor ofMyGod" by MaryCoffin,
Pima Meeting, (January 1996, p. 79) the word "violet" was
BOBCAT
printed as "violent." The passage should have read:
runs fast God when blessing
looking for food is lavender-violet
flies through the desert but when teaching
powerful. does he move in
an earth tone aura,
does he grieve in
The Raccoons are Skyler Bosworth, Justin Burger, Seth jade green hues?
Burger, Timothy Duskin, Hank Easterling, Laura Evans,
5. The cover photograph of the April 1996 issue is of a
Tony Litizette, Charlie Milner, Will Munger, Mitchell sculpture on the Fort Lewis College Campus (site of Inter-
Neuber, Mark Sailor, Martin Schroeder, Kaitlin Shugart, mountain Yearly Meeting). The sculpture, "The River Pot-
Christine Terry, and Miranda Trostle. The article was ters," was created by Doug Hyde.
submitted by Peggy Neuber.
Friends Bulletin regrets these errors.
—
PAGE 136 MAY 1996 FRIENDS BULLETIN
IMYM
Expenses
at meeting when I have a job; it's just a different yearly
by Jan Miller, Continuing Committee Clerk meeting." Those who have worked in junior yearly meet-
Intermountain Yearly Meeting is considering whether ing speak of it as a deep spiritual experience.
or not to cover the room and board expenses for officers A third view is that officers are people who attend
and coordinators who operate and conduct the annual yearly meeting anyway, and need no financial assistance.
session. Manyviewpointshavebeenexpressed,indicating Or, if they do, it should come from the Scholarship Fund.
a wide variety of opinions among individuals, monthly And since regions take turns operating yearly meeting, no
meetings, and yearly meeting. The searching has brought one serves more than two years in a row, and burdens are
us to see how diverse our points of view are, whatever shared equally.
yearly meeting decides. Finally, there seem to be varying views of the relation-
IMYM was formed in 1974 by Quakers in Arizona, ship of individuals and the yearly meeting. Some say that
Colorado, and New Mexico. Because of the vast distances the individuals who work to keep the organization func-
involved, the three regional meetings decided to take two- tioning should be rewarded, or at least, not financially
year turns providing officers and managing yearly meet- burdened. Yearly meeting is subsidized by the labor of its
ing affairs. Executive committee meetings are thus held members. Others see yearly meeting as an important part
within one state, with relatively small travel expenses. of their spiritual, personal, and community well-being,
Eachregionfindsofficersforitsturnandgetsarestforfour andtheywanttocontribute toward keepingitfunctioning.
years. (Utahtakesits turnwith Arizona, thesmallestofthe One monthly meeting said our society looks down on
original three regions. Utah joined IMYM in 1979.) those whoare poor, and we ought to make itOK to ask for
Another early decision was that IMYM would pay the scholarship help when we need it. Others want to set up
room andboard expenses for those people who work full- mechanisms so that no one has to be embarrassed by
IMYM
time in the children's program. In 1990, decided to asking for assistance.
cover expenses for those officers whose duties require Some say it is a mistake to believe that officers contrib-
—
them to arrive early at yearly meeting registrar, opera- ute more to the functioning ofyearly meeting than others.
tions coordinator, and junior yearly meeting coordina- Attenders bring and share with others their cares and
—
tor on the theory thatbeing an officer should not require troubles, their hopes and prayers, their compassion and
a cash outlay beyond what other attenders have to pay. caring. For most of us, those sharings are more important
In recent years, the regional meetings have had greater than the mechanics of getting our business done.
—
difficulty in finding officers to serve the yearly meeting. Afterconsideringalltheseviews tobediscussedagain
—
We decided in 1993 to let responsibility for the children's atIMYMinJune ContinuingCommittee'srecommenda-
programlagtwoyearsbehind otherresponsibilities. Thus, tion to IMYM is:
fortheperiodJune 1995-June 1997, UtahandArizonahave Minute CC-96-2
New
general responsibility for yearly meeting, while "In order to make service to IMYM as easy as
Mexico is responsible for the children's program. possible, the total room and board expenses
In June 1995, a request came before yearly meeting to
should be covered for the following officers and
cover the expenses of officers, and that issue was placed
coordinators of executive committee: clerk, re-
before monthly meetings. The responses, as reported at
cording clerk, treasurer, clerk ofcontinuing com-
Continuing Committee, indicate a variety of viewpoints.
mittee; registrar,coordinatorsofoperations,wor-
Repeatedly, we heard of ''providing the financial support
ship sharing, interest groups. Senior Young
necessary toenable individuals to undertake theresponsi- Friends, Junior Young Friends; and clerks of Se-
bilities of officers." Does that mean those individuals nior Young Friends and Junior Young Friends.
could not otherwise afford to attend yearly meeting? Or
This expense should appear as a line item in the
does it mean that carrying out IMYM jobs may require budget and the annual assessment should be
expenses not usually reimbursed, such as child care?
raised (as necessary) to cover this cost.
Some felt that only the most heavily burdened officers
should be supported—those whose jobs require only a "In the following positions, up to two people can
small amount of time or effort should receive only a be covered: registrar, director of operations,
portion of their expenses. That implies we are paying clerks and coordinators of young friends (both
individuals for the work they do; yet no one believes we SYF andJYF). When more than one personserves
should do that. in another position, the funding for that position
would be splitbetween the two. Positions in Jun-
Another point is that officers "give up" yearly meet- ior Yearly Meeting are already covered in the
— Junior Yearly Meeting budget. The coverage will
ing in the sense that they can't attend activities such as
worship sharing—and shouldn't have to pay the costs of be used for the first time in 1997. "
being there. Others say, "No, Ihaven'tgivenup myyearly Jan Miller is a member ofSalt Lake Meeting.
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN MAY 1996 PAGE 137
Letters
Friends Summer Gathering in New Zealand Inclusive Language
Greetings from the Pacific! I am writing from Fiji, As the National Hymnal Committee works toward a
whereIamfinishing up myservice in thePeaceCorps,and close, it is time for Friends to strive for clarity and unity in
Ihavejustreturnedfrom theFriendsSummerGatheringin the spirit on the subject of inclusive language. Inclusive
New Zealand. language is the use of language which is sensitive to all,
The Summer Gathering was held in Kaiapoi, New and describes beings in a global, ecumenical way. When
Zealand,justoutsideChristchurch,atthe BlueSkiesScout- oldertextsareedited, martialand monarchical imagescan
ing Centre, from January 2-11, 1996. About a quarter of be addressed at the same time.
New Zealand's 700 Friends were in attendance. Summer There are three levels of gender-based inclusive lan-
Gathering is a familyaffair, like ouryearlymeetings, butit guage. The most common, which nearly all Christian
is kept separate from the yearlymeeting so thatbusinessis denominations have accepted, refers to the people, the
kept to a minimum. congregation,themeeting,asbothmaleand female. "Good
The focus of the Gathering is on having fun and on ChristianMen, Rejoice"becomes "GoodChristianFriends,
community-building, and I can attest that it is very effec- Rejoice" or "Good Christians, All Rejoice."
tive on both counts. I feel very lucky to have been able to The second level refers to the Deity: patriarchal imag-
—
attend notjust one but two Summer Gatherings I was at ery may be replaced by "Father-Mother God," "Maker,"
last year's Gathering as well. Being an unofficial living "Creator," & third-person male pronouns (He, Him, His)
epistle is a great job. maybe replaced by second-person pronouns (You, Your).
These were some of the highlights of the Summer Plain speech also may be useful (Thee, Thou, Thy), par-
Gathering for me: ticularly when editing older texts which already include
• The food was delicious. It was organized by a archaic language ("How Great Thou Art").
Christchurch Friend who made the kitchen a special place The third, and most controversial level, is how to de-
thefirstdaybyputtinguphandmadesignswithimportant scribe Christ so that Christ's message is more accessible to
reminders like "Breathe!" and "Never confuse movement all, and so that Christ's role-modeling and leadership are
with action." There were lots of choices for vegetarians, completely available to everyone. This level substitutes
andthefruitsandvegetableswere 100percentorganic. We "Christ" or "Savior" formalepronouns,and includessuch
all had duties, many of them involving cooking, cleaning, imagesas the "SourceofPeace." "Oh, MasterWorkmanof
or serving, which are an important part of the Gathering the Race" becomes "Oh, Wonder Worker Full of Grace."
my
experience. I particularly enjoyed job as a dinner Friends have always provided leadership for all of Chris-
server. "More broccoli, anyone?" tianity in these areas; now our language needs to reflect
• Young Friends (high school to college age) are a vital our all-encompassing values. Those who describe Christ
part of the Gathering. One older Friend said to me, "My inclusively usually do so in order to give worshippers an
favorite part of Summer Gathering is not just that the alternative choice, since one can always take a fullyedited
adults treat younger people like people, but that Young text and change back to a less edited version. Once the
Friends treat adults like people, too." Although Young work is done, anyone can use it.
Friends tended to keep separate from the rest of the Gath- Whatever level of inclusive language upon which
ering, itisclear thatthistimeand space isjustas important Friends reach unity, we must do so soon if we are to have
to them as it is to the older people, a defining part of their a hymnal that creates clarity well into the 21st century.
identity as Quakers. Margaret Fruth, Palo Alto Meeting
• Fascinating sessions every morning and evening Margaret Fruth, the author of "Onward Christians Every-
were held by different Friends on many subjects. The
where,” has edited approximately 350 hymns for inclusive
Frenchnucleartestingwasa topicofwideconcern. I spoke language.
about my work as a Peace Corps volunteer. There were
also interest groups on bullying in schools, land mines,
lesbian and bisexual women's concerns, membership in
meetings, and spiritual habitats. Summer Gathering. Continuedfromprevious column.
• Every night there was a special brief session called I have learned a lot from being able to attend the
"Epilogue" to put people in a good mood for sleep. Often Summer Gathering. I wish there were more chances for
it was as simple as a poem read aloud by candle light, intervisitation, especially among Young Friends. Meeting
cushioned on either side by five minutes of silence. This Friends from other parts of the world makes me excited
was a special time of the day, preparing the way for and proud to be a Friend. I send you all loving greetings
peaceful dreams. from the 1996 Friends Summer Gathering!
Continuedin next column. Melinda Glines, Strawberry Creek Meeting
—
PAGE 138 MAY 1996 FRIENDS BULLETIN
News
Friendly
Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting
by La Donna Wallen, Tempe Meeting by Diane Ste. Marie, University Meeting
Ninety-five children, Young Friends, and adults gath-
ered at the Pima Meeting house in Tucson on March 16-17 Please Speak Up
for Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting. O Friend who mumblest when thee speaks
TheTestimonyofIntegrityin theReligiousSocietyofFriends We we
urge, beg, entreat you,
by Wilmer Cooper (Pendle Hill Pamphlet #296) was dis-
Shriek!
tributed before the meeting.
Rather than have one precious word
Jim Corbett gave the opening address on the theme
Be lost
"integrity." He has found that his interpretation of integ-
Be sure, when thou art moved
rityis oriented toward thebiblicalsenseofcommunity. He
To speak
feels that Jesus took His message from the book of Isaiah,
Thou wilt be held
which provided the basis for the Christian gospel. We, as
In Light
Quakers,need toreestablishtheconceptsofintegrityofthe
Endearing
covenant community and primitive Christianity that
By those of us with
George Fox and the early Quakers sought. This does not
Impaired hearing.
mean merely sitting in meeting once a week; it is the way
a meeting practices its professed faith. Integrity depends -Sybil Bayles, University Meeting
on community.
In the afternoon, 20 childrenand a few adults attended "University Meeting recently installed a sound sys-
theplay, "WolfChild," presentedbyChildsplay,aTempe- tem to help the community hear messages in Meeting.
based theater group. The teens hiked the Sabino Canyon Sound system notwithstanding, we continue to puzzle
while the remaining adults enjoyed different discussion aboutwhy, ifthe Spiritwould speak, the Spiritsometimes
groups based on the theme of the day. mumbles." (Excerpted from 1994-95 State of the Meeting
During the meeting for business. Friends minuted ap- Report)
provalforaprisonprogramtobeconducted underthecare Thequeries inNorthPacificYearlyMeeting'sFaithand
of Arizona Half-Yearly Meeting. Pat and Jay Jemison, Practice to help one engage in vocal ministry, both as a
Prescott Friends who have spent their careers in prison senderand a receiver, are directed tobeing in a spiritually
work, will work with the prison officials of the state of receptive place. There is no query to help the sender
Arizona to trytoestablishseparate quartersand appropri- consider sharing the message in a voice firm and loud
ate programs and medical needs for aged prisoners. This enough for all to hear. Does someone have thoughts or a
came as a result ofa religious calling for theJemisons, and query that speaks to doing one's best to include everyone
the concept was enthusiastically endorsed by Arizona in the message one has been led to share?
Friends. Olympia Meeting has a "Reading Buddy" system in
During the evening, the children presented a play theirlibrary. WhenthereismorethanonecopyofaPendle
about the life of Elizabeth Fry and her prison work, fol- Hill pamphlet, the title is posted on a sign-up sheet. Then
lowedbyotherintergenerationalactivitiesandfellowship. Friendswho have read the same material can get together
Worship-sharing groups, including all ages, met on to talk it over.
Saturday and Sunday mornings. A monthly Criminal Justice Study Group has been
formed in Olympia Meeting. They are using materials
During the week prior to Half-Yearly Meeting, four developed by the American Friends Service Committee
ArizonaFriendstookpartintheIMYM-AFSCJointService (AFSC) to educate themselves about issues surrounding
Project in Trigo Moreno, Mexico, a remote village of 13 thecriminaljusticesystem,bothlocallyandnationally. An
families, about an eight-hour-drive from Hermosillo. Bill agenda with speakers, field trips, and readingmaterials is
and Cindy Theisman from Tempe Meeting and Caroline being developed. To include the entire meeting in the
Isaacs and Robert Solenberger from Tucson, along with educationprocess,adetailedreportfromeachstudygroup
four others (two from Mexico), and project leader Mike session is published in the newsletter.
Grayspenttheweekbuildinga latrine, teachingthevillag- Port Townsend Worship Group has become larger,
erstheconceptofreforestationbyplantingpineseeds, and outgrowing someofthehomes used asplaces for meeting
bringing running water into one ofthe housesbyconnect- for worship. In February they began an eight-session
ing with an existing line from the house next door. The Seekers' Study of North Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and
grouprelaxedbyhikinginthesurroundingSierraMadres. Practice. They look forward to the "continuing opportu-
This group of people is willing to put faith into action, a nity to grow in the spirit as well as in numbers."