News of Friends Meetings and Churches

Pumpkin carving will be the activity in the Fellowship Hall of First Friends, Whittier (CA) on Saturday, October 30^th. Friends will view a jack-o-lantern display on Sunday after Meeting for Worship.

Quaker Quest will be presented by members of First Friends, Whittier (CA) on the subjects of Quakers and the Religious Experience, Quakers and Equality, and Quakers and Social Action. There will be six sessions in March and April, 2011.

Tempe Friends (AZ) are joyously invited to a Dia de los Muertos celebration on October 31st. The Counsel & Oversight Committee invites Friends to prepare, and share, information helpful to the community at the time of death. (Documents are available on the Tempe Meeting website.) The Hospitality Committee invites Friends to participate in the creation of a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda and potluck. The First Day School will be learning about Dia de los Muertos and making traditional handcrafts to contribute to the ofrenda decoration, and will be accepting ofrenda items that Friends choose to contribute in honor of individual and communal ancestors.

The Ministry and Oversight Committee of Tacoma Meeting (WA) recognized the need for additional members for the Nominating Committee. Ministry and Oversight also proposed that the Meeting consider laying down all formal committees except the Ministry and Oversight and Building and Grounds Committees, since membership has been dwindling and people are not available to serve on other committees. Friends will continue the discussion.

The Facilities Committee of Strawberry Creek Meeting (Berkeley, CA) rented a smaller storage space which reduced the cost considerably. The Facilities Committee intends to clarify what should and should not be stored and prepare guidelines for future storage.

Many Friends at the August 31st outdoor worship of Strawberry Creek Meeting (Berkeley, CA) at Live Oak Park expressed how joyous it was to sit in silence surrounded by nature. Worship & Ministry Committee is considering whether and how more such outdoor/nature worship experiences might be offered. One suggestion was to occasionally set up chairs outdoors at the Berkeley Technology Academy.

North Pacific Quarterly Meeting approved South Seattle Friends Meeting (WA) for full monthly meeting status. Those at South Seattle who are members of University Friends Meeting and would like to transfer their membership to South Seattle will be part of a one-time mass transfer of membership.

The Clerks of Santa Monica Meeting (CA) are planning to organize a welcoming potluck for the new clerks of committees to discuss Quaker process.

For many years, Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) had a Peace and Social Order Committee.

Then, in 2007, the Meeting created a Peace and Social Order Liaison position instead of a committee. At first one person served, then two people served as Co-Liaisons, holding this space open in the Meeting’s life. Now those two people are ready to lay down their Liaison work as of the end of December, 2010, thus allowing others to pick up the work, perhaps in a new or different way.

The co-clerks of Santa Cruz Meeting (CA) have been considering changing the December Business Meeting to be a sharing on who Friends are as a meeting and what the Meeting is called to do in the coming year. In order to make the change to the normal agenda, committees will bring matters to either the November or January business meetings.

Santa Fe Friends (NM) approved the proposal to offer Kathleen Burke, the current resident at the Meeting House, an optional fourth year, which would begin in September 2011. The normal term for resident is three years.

After more discussion in the Ministry & Caring Committees, Friends at San Jose Meeting (CA) are dropping the idea of trying an extended meeting. Instead, Friends ask that the greeter, who breaks the meeting, try to pay less attention the clock and respond more to the sense of when meeting is over.

The Children’s Religious Education Committee of San Francisco Meeting (CA) is asking the Meeting to hire a First-Day School teacher for children 5-11 years old. The person would be with the children on a regular basis each week and would lead the First Day School group on days in which no parent is able to attend.

Salem Meeting (OR) will host an Alternatives to Violence Project, Basic Community Workshop, on November 5-7.

An Ault Elective class at Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA), called “It’s Your Serve!”is a seminar that will help Rose Drive Friends discover that God has given them spiritual gifts and a heart for serving Him.

The Singles Group at Rose Drive Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) meets the First Friday of every month for “Global Grazing.” Singles dine at various ethnic restaurants with other singles. Kathy Perry, missionary serving in Ireland, joined the group on October 1^st.

Friends from Redwood Forest Meeting (Santa Rosa, CA) and the Worship Groups under the care of the Meeting (Friends House WG, Lake County WG, and Ukiah WG) are invited to worship together at the Meeting House on the Fifth Sunday, October 31. Worship will be followed by a light meal. All are invited to participate in a discussion, in the spirit of loving dialogue, on the relationship between Redwood Forest Meeting and the Worship Groups under its care. What does it mean for a Worship Group to be under the care of the Meeting?

Nominating Committee of Palo Alto Meeting (CA) has been working to draw a distinction between Representative and Liaison positions. Representatives would be entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses, while Liaisons would not. The committee proposes that Representative positions be those serving on governing bodies of the organizations to which they are sent.

Orange County Meeting (Irvine, CA) is considering whether to change the Meeting’s annual retreat to a time other than Easter weekend. The original idea was to get away from the consumerism and hyper-activity of the Easter holiday and to use the time in a way that would be quieter and more spiritually enriching and would strengthen the community. However, this excludes those who are involved with family celebrations at that time.

Multnomah Meeting (Portland, OR) Peace and Social Concerns is offering to support a young Friend to attend the Friends Committee on National Legislation Annual Meeting Nov. 11-14.

Mountain View Meeting (Denver, CO), through the Quaker Quest Program, will examine as a Meeting what the Meeting believes and practices. They anticipate the program will take more than a year, possibly two or three. Friends will gather and explore the spiritual hunger many feel, the questions they don’t now know how to answer, the concerns where they lack agreement, the issues that cause tension, and – most importantly – what brings them together.

Friends at Missoula Meeting (MT) were asked to bring a special object about which they had a personal story to tell, during a session on “Getting to know one another more deeply.”

Ministry and Oversight of Santa Fe Friends (NM) made arrangements for Santa Fe Friends to visit Las Vegas Worship Group (NM).

La Jolla Meeting (CA) has plans for November. They hope to have a discussion on “Gracious Aging” and a Talking meeting on inclusivity and place of LGBT people in Meeting

Humboldt Meeting (CA) asks if they change the title of Peace and Social Concerns to Peace, Earth Care, and Social Concerns, how can they make it more than a name change?”

In response to the loss or extended leaves-of-absence of books from the Grass Valley Meeting Library (Nevada City, CA), the Library Committee drafted proposed language for signage that is expressed in the spirit of stewardship - the careful, responsible management of something entrusted to one.

Fifth Sunday is a special time of Worship at Grass Valley Meeting (Nevada City, CA). Sunday, October 31, will be an hourly combination of 20 minutes of singing, 20 minutes of magical storytelling (appropriate for both young and old), and 20 minutes of Silent Worship

Fresno Meeting (CA) expressed its satisfaction with its new Meeting place.

Tom Rawson was at Eugene Meeting (OR) for the seventh annual “Close the School of the Americas” concert. Friends raised money and had a great time for a good cause. �

The Children’s Religious Education Committee of Eugene Meeting (OR) has been concerned about Junior Friends with only one or two visiting occasionally. The Committee hopes to connect with Yearly and Quarterly Meeting Junior Friends and to form a new Junior Friend’s planning committee consisting of three adults and several junior friends. �

Corvallis Meeting (OR) agreed to rent a table and print a banner for the Oregon State University Student Involvement Fair.

Corvallis Meeting (OR) will hold an Adult Education session on “Being Single Within the Community”: What is the role and responsibility of the Meeting toward single adults? . . . of single adults in the Meeting? What are the unmet needs and struggles for single people? What does the single attender gain from the Meeting?

October 30 to 31, Friends Southwest Center in McNeal, AZ is hosting a 35th anniversary gathering. In addition to feasting and visiting, Friends hope to collect stories and history for the last 35 yrs of this ongoing experiment in intentional community. FSC and members of Cochise Worship Group (McNeal, AZ) will offer hospitality for as many as possible.

Worship and Ministry Committee of Chico Meeting (CA) is working on discernment about the worship life of the Meeting, in particular the post-worship announcement period, listening carefully and considering the requests and concerns regarding this period. It is also working on structuring Winnowing Sessions once a month as non-decision-making time to labor with some of the deeper questions the Meeting must consider as a whole.

Chena Ridge Meeting (Fairbanks, AK) is offering a Couple Enrichment Workshop in Fairbanks the weekend of November 5-7.

Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) asked for prayer for its team that went to Juarez, Mexico . They drove to curb costs and to take materials.

Canyon Hills Friends Church (Yorba Linda, CA) will hold its 5^th Annual Canyon Carnival on Sunday evening, October 31^st.

At Friday night at the movies on October 22^nd at Berkeley Friends Church (CA), Friends will view Lemon Tree, a movie about a Palestinian widow who fights to keep her lemon grove from being uprooted by Israeli security forces.

Friends at Berkeley Meeting (CA) have the opportunity to discuss Parker Palmer’s book, A Hidden Wholeness; the Journey toward an Undivided Life. Friends are asked to bring journals and will try to understand Palmer’s path through writing, poetry and sharing.

Barbara Reynolds will give an illustrated talk at Berkeley Friends Meeting (CA). She volunteered with Friends Peace Teams under its African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI), and helped to build a meeting place for use by workshops to heal trauma.

Beginning in January, 2011, a book study will be scheduled at Albuquerque Meeting (NM) for interested adults. The book is To Be Broken and Tender: A Quaker Theology for Today by Margery Post Abbott.

Oversight and Counsel of Albuquerque Meeting (NM) has brought together a group of Friends in a Care Circle, people who have offered to help other friends when a short-term need arises. Several volunteers are willing to take on limited yet important tasks such as driving friends to appointments, helping with shopping, doing laundry, reading, doing errands, writing notes and letters, overseeing bills, making phone calls, watering plants, house- or person-sitting, etc.

Beyond the Monthly Meeting/Churches

The Alternatives to Violence Project will present a Basic Community Workshop on November 5-7 at Salem Meeting.

The American Friends Service cordially invites Friends Meetings to attend a one-day Peace-building workshop at the AFSC Community Office in downtown Los Angeles on October 23rd. This one-day workshop is designed to help build a renewed sense of community, a deeper connection to one another, and a shared vision and action plan for nonviolent peacemaking for tomorrow.

Amigas del Señor Monastery for Women is a monastery practicing in the forms of Methodists and Quakers, located in the foothills near the Caribbean Sea in Limón, Colón, Honduras. They seek other women to join them in a life of prayer and service. Sister Alegría, formerly known as Beth Blodgett , is a pediatrician who founded the monastery in 2006. She has been connected with Multnomah Meeting for twelve years. Read letters from Amigas del Señor online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amigasdelsenor/. They are also on Facebook.

The Ben Lomond Quaker Center announces an internship opportunity beginning in early 2011 for an individual who is led to service with the Religious Society of Friends and who hopes to learn about nonprofit management and social justice work.

The Casa de Los Amigos in Mexico City now hosting daily Spanish classes for recently arrived refugees in Mexico City. The classes began in response to the June 2nd arrival of 198 additional Haitian earthquake refugees. Learning basic Spanish quickly is absolutely critical for refugee families to begin to rebuild their lives in Mexico City. The free classes currently serve mostly Haitians but also Iranians, Nepalis, and people from several African nations (most of whom are current or former Casa guests).

The quarterly meeting of the Christian Friends Conference was held on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at Berkeley Friends Church, with about 18 present, fairly evenly divided between Friends Meetings and Friends Churches. Following a brief period of worship, a reading was offered from Francis Howgil's 1665 The True Rule and Guide of the true Church discovered. Friends settled into waiting worship, to hear Bible readings. Following a period of fellowship over lunch, Friends gathered again for a round table discussion of the question, how does Truth prosper among you? The next session will be December 11, 2010 at Palo Alto Friends Meeting. A planned meeting of a Christian Friends Conference in Southern California was announced, organized by Kim Palmer.

Colorado Regional Meeting will gather October 22-24 in Estes Park. This year’s featured speaker is Mary Lord. Mary Lord worked professionally in the field of peace and security for thirty years, including as Assistant General Secretary for Peace and Conflict Resolution for AFSC and with the program on peaceful prevention of armed conflict for FCNL. She is the Henry J. Cadbury scholar at Pendle Hill for 2009-2010.

The Friends Committee on Legislation Annual Bay Area Dinner will be at the Hillside Club in, Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 6.

October 30 to 31 Friends Southwest Center in McNeal, AZ will host a 35th anniversary gathering. In addition to feasting and visiting, Friends hope to collect stories and history for the last 35 yrs of this ongoing experiment in intentional community. FSC and members of Cochise Worship Group will offer hospitality for as many as possible.

Intermountain Yearly Meeting approved two minutes that concerns about conditions in our world and nation. The first was on Immigration, spurred by the passage of Arizona SB 1070. The second was on the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both minutes have been distributed to the Congressional delegations and governors from Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico and to the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

The Intermountain Yearly Meeting Clerk is forming a task group to advise the Yearly Meeting about the direction it should take in assisting meetings with Quaker service. Each monthly meeting is asked to appoint a representative to the task group.

The Fall women's healing weekend of the Montana Gathering of Friends (MGOF), which will be on the weekend of October.22-24, Friday evening through Sunday noon, and held at Flathead Lake at the Methodist Church camp.

This is a year of evaluation of the new North Pacific Yearly Meeting structure, replacing the old Steering Committee with a Coordinating Committee. The major effect of the change is that more business is now handled at Annual Session.

With 204 quizzers, coaches, and officials (so far) from Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church, this weekend's Bible Quiz Meet at Newberg Friends looks to be the largest in more than a decade.

Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church will observe Peace Month in January 2011! Friends are asked you to participate by sending in submissions for the Daily Reader, a booklet with an entry for each day of the month of January. Information: peaceeducation@nwfriends.org

There are two openings for pastoral positions in Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. Crossroads Community Church in Astoria, Oregon, is looking for a bi-vocational lead pastor. Homedale Friends Church in Homedale, Idaho, is looking for a full-time lead pastor. Information:csaxton@nwfriends.org

Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church is currently receiving applications from candidates to serve as Communication and Resource Coordinator. Information:csaxton@nwfriends.org

Friends in the Portland-area of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church are invited to gather at Lynwood Friends on November 13. There will be a potluck at 5:00pm, followed by an opportunity to hear Nate Macy speak on discernment.

There is a proposal to change the name of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting to Cascade Regional Meeting.

Pacific Yearly Meeting Representative Committee will meet at the San Francisco Meeting on the weekend of March 4-6, 2011.

For the first time, the eight Woolman Community Interns at Sierra Friends Center arrived during the summer to help with the bountiful garden, and in turn, with feeding Sierra Friends Campers with vegetables straight from the garden. If Friends would like to get their hands in the garden, they are invited to the Harvest Day Work and Celebration on Saturday, October 23^rd.

The Fall gathering of Southern California Quarterly Meeting will be at Temescal Canyon Conference Grounds, Pacific Palisades, CA. Nov 6-7. The theme for this Fall Gathering, “Speaking Truth with Love: Transforming Conflict in Our Quaker Communities,” has two points of origin. One is the prevalence of unresolved conflicts of various sorts within the monthly meetings as reflected in the 2010 State of the Meeting reports. In some cases, these conflicts have resulted in lingering resentments and polarization within Meetings. The other point of origin for this theme is the idea, explored by George Lakey at Pacific Yearly Meeting, that Friends suffer from a pervading disposition toward conflict avoidance.

Twin Rocks Friends Camp and Conference Center finds itself in immediate need of volunteer help to replace the old roads with sidewalks, shrubs, and grassy lawns before big winter rains arrive. Therefore, the camp is seeking people who can help rake dirt and conduct a number of other important tasks between now and the end of October.

Lisa Graham McMinn, author of Walking Gently on the Earth, will lead the Seminar by the Sea at Twin Rocks Friends Camp on October 29-31.

Berkeley Friends Church will host the annual meeting of the Western Association of the Religious Society of Friends (WARSF) on February 11-12, 2011. The Board of Oversight will meet on Friday evening, and then the general meeting of members the following afternoon.

Western Half Yearly Meeting of Canadian Yearly Meeting will meet this October at Camp Valaqua which is located an hour outside of Calgary, Alberta. At WHYM Friends will be reflecting on Global Change and have distributed queries as part of preparation for FWCC Kenya 2012.