Ninth Month, 2005

QUERIES for the Ninth Month: WITNESS

• Does my life reflect Quaker testimonies?
• Am I open to continuing revelation and do I incorporate it in my spiritual life?
• Is my distinctive Quaker witness characterized by humility and willingness to learn form others?
• Do I recognize that the spirit works in the world through me?
• Does my witness lead me to the condition in which I "walk cheerfully over the earth answering that of God in everyone"?
• Do we as a Meeting try to share in the religious life of our whole community, availing ourselves of opportunities for worship and service with other local religious groups?

CALENDAR NOTES

• Meeting for business will be at Betty Odum's house this month.
• The Friend's school committee will meet at Marilyn & Phil Hall's.
• The bible seminar decided to continue studying the Gospel of Thomas this month. Ellie and Larry Clayton co-convening. They will meet at at Books, Inc, 205 NW 13th St.
• Peace and Social Concerns committee will meet at the Porter's house.
• French Canadian Dinner. Cheryl Demmers will prepare a scrumptious meal of the traditional favorites for the Quaker Market Dinner. Entertainment and location are still in the planning stage, so stay tuned. But you know we'll have fun! Proceeds will go the Meetinghouse Building Fund. $10 per adult and $5 per child.
• As a Meeting, and as a member of Southeastern Yearly Meeting, we have been charged with the prayerful consideration of withdrawing from FUM in response to their personnel policies. There will be a brief presentation of background information and then John Graham-Pole will lead us in Worship Sharing. We will meet at Betty Odum's house.
• Quaker Study Group. Come enjoy the hospitality of the Buskirks as we join in feasting, fellowship and spiritual nourishment. After supper, Hap Taylor will lead an Indoor Quaker Scavenger Hunt.
  Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

  Psalm 27:14

  MEETING NEWS

  Please hold in the LIGHT Morrie Trimmer, who is scheduled for restorative surgery on August 29th, Claudia Davis, who continues to recuperate, Eleanor Patrick who has been in Hospice House, Patricia Ulrey who is on a trip to Nicaragua after the death of her Mother, and Jim Winefordner, Phil Klein, and Marilyn Hall,

  Many thanks to Jean and David Chalmers for their loving hospitality to our homeless Meeting over the last few months. We will be back to Hillel now, we think, for the UF fall term.

  Thank you, Sybil Brennan, for accepting the post of assistant clerk of SEYM. Also thanks for your newest cookbook project: Vegetarian Recipes. Looking forward to your return.

  Come join us for a canning session at the Peace Farm Sept 24th starting at 1 PM. For details call Arlene Epperson at 386-462-5615.

  Take to the Street Corners of NW 13th Street, between 10th Ave and 39th Ave, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September in support of the National March on Washington, D.C. Wear Red (Stop the War) or Green (bring the troops home). Talk to Peace and Social Concerns members for more information. Sponsored by Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

  For me this year, Friends General Conference, (June 2-10 at Blacksburg University in Virginia) was both comforting and disturbing. The subject of my discussion group was the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The leader was very knowledgeable about the subject and group dynamics; several of the participants had worked in the area. However, a Jewish man who was a Friend, came into the group convinced that Quakers were unfairly biased toward the Palestinians. The troubling conclusion, after much discussion, exchange of facts, and prayerful silences was that he had not changed his mind at the end of the week. It was a rough time.

  Otherwise, I alternated yoga and Bible at 7am, made a presentation on the Prosperous Way Down, ate good food from many choices, attended plenaries that ranged from a music group, to a funny Quaker, to an Episcopal bishop. I bought books and t-shirts, and did lots of Friendly talking. Betty Odum

  Shelby Hall wrote this for her language arts class: I go to Quaker Meeting. Quakerism is a religion that tries to promote peace for the world. Quakers protest against war and violence. I really like that. They also believe that God is the light within each of us -- not a spirit. I don't know what I believe about God, but I do like being a part of a group of people trying to make the Earth a better, more peaceful planet to live.

  WEIGHTY MATTERS

  Maybe the Meeting for Worship for Business is just a little edgy about taking on the operating costs of our new Meetinghouse. This sense of Quakerly caution has us looking for ways to stay in the black. First thing was to figure the per person cost of mailing the newsletter per year. This is about $8:00 and some Friends have elected to receive E-Newsletters from now on. If you would like to help in that way, you can notify Joan Andrews by E-Mail.

  It came as a shock to some of us to realize that our apportionment due SEYM is $67.30 per member this year and $33.65 per attendee. This applies even to Friends who don't attend Meeting often. Because we rarely talk of these matters, it occurred to us that some Friends might not be aware of this situation. Please know, however, that your place in the Quaker community is always secure and valued regardless of financial consideration.

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  Divine Jump Start

  Occasionally my spiritual life comes to a sputtering halt.
  I look under the hood and kick the tires to no avail.
  Maybe I need a divine jump-start or perhaps a faith-boosting additive.

  Failing these measures, Lord, would sending an angel
  with mechanical aptitude be asking too much?

  Meditation on spiritual breakdown

  Dick B 7/25/05

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  Please send your contributions to our newsletter to Joan Andrews, Editor: , phone 373-2201. Gene Beardsley, is in charge of distribution. Phone 462-3201.
  
  

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  Joan Andrews, editor jandrews1@cox.net
  converted to HTML by Bill Mitchell, mitchell@math.ufl.edu