Twelfth Month, 2003

QUERIES for the Twelfth Month: PEACE TESTIMONY

• Do you live "in the virtue of that life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars"?
• Do you seek to take your part in the ministry of reconciliation between individuals, groups and nations?
• Do you faithfully maintain our testimony against military training and other preparation for war and against the participation in war as inconsistent with the spirit and teaching of Christ?
• Do you seek to carry out consistently this testimony for peace in all your relationships, whether in family, community, or business?

CALENDAR NOTES

• Quaker study group Come on out for an evening of good food, fellowship, and an opportunity to brainstorm topics and readings for future discussion. The meeting this month is at Karen and Jim Porter's.

• Christmas party We are invited, one and all, to the home of Judy Shea for our annual Christmas Party and Carol Sing. Please bring the children, something for the buffet table and gifts for Gainesville Ministries (they need non-perishable food and toiletry items).

• The Bible Seminar will apply Merrill Tenney's Comparative Method to Paul's Letter to the Galatians. Anyone who attends is asked (but not required) to bring 10 verses from some other part of the Bible that he or she thinks will provide an interesting comparison to Galatians.
• Forum: Labor Unions: The status of labor unions today and the pressure brought to bear on nascent union movements. Presented by Don Smith. He will show excerpts from several films.

Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2: 14

MEETING NEWS

• Please hold Dave Chalmers in the LIGHT as he recovers from recent surgery. Please hold Walter Morris in the LIGHT as he meets a new health challenge.
• Representative meeting will be at the Orlando meeting House First Day, January 18.
  • 9:30 am Meeting for worship.
  • 11:30 am lunch.
  • 1:00 pm Michener Lecture: New Theory, old Practice: Nonviolence and Quakers. George Lakey a nonviolent activist, community builder teacher, and author will speak.
  A brochure is available on back table of our meetinghouse.
• The Peace and Social Concerns Committee meets the fourth First Day of each month at 9:30 am. The committee is currently working on planning upcoming forums and continuing their letter-writing to the editor. They have also recently named a Nicaraguan subcommittee.

  All are welcome to attend.

Birthday for Gainesville Monthly Meeting

We always enjoy our potlucks, but this one was special. Morrie made his vegetarian fried rice with a secret ingredient that keeps people asking if it really is vegetarian. Phil and Tak prepared freshly caught pompano. There were homemade stewed greens, macaroni and cheese, tender chicken, broccoli salad, and so many more dishes that I cannot begin to describe. We topped it off with birthday cake, with Betty recording the event in a photo.

Gene Beardsley had us come up imaginative uses for the new meetinghouse for both ordinary and extraordinary objects. For example, a long handled light bulb changer became a talking stick.

This birthday party followed a pattern for fundraising set earlier by Gainesville Meeting when it raised funds for the current meetinghouse. At the party, contributions totaling $2195 were placed in a model house, along with a pledge of a table for the First Day Room. Thanks to everyone for helping bring the new meetinghouse closer to construction.

Towards a new meetinghouse

Jean Larsen

Please send your contributions to our newsletter to Joan Andrews, Editor: JAndrews13@cox.com ; phone 373-2201; fax 373-2343 OR Gene Beardsley, Special Correspondent: phone 462-3201.