October Queries

ADVICES AND QUERIES ON: SOCIAL JUSTICE

For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me. Matthew 25:35-36.

The pioneering quality of Quaker social work is largely due to the character of the meeting for worship. Silent waiting worship permits a fresh and direct facing of facts under conditions in which the conscience becomes sensitized. … The worshiper is seeking God's guidance for his actions. … A concern develops and with it a sense of uneasiness over a situation about which something needs to be done. Howard Brinton, Friends for 350 Years, 2002, p. 177.

Be not content to accept things as they are, but keep an alert, sensitive, and questioning mind. Understand and maintain Friends’ witness for truth, simplicity, and non-violence, holding up your personal life to these testimonies. Encourage inclusiveness and discourage discrimination. Cherish diversity.

Do we seek to transform the world with our actions in the spirit of love? How can we balance our desire for independence with our need for interdependence with all creation? Are we reaching out to others, providing hope and aid to the homeless and the hungry?

Have we objectively considered the causes of discrimination and are we ready to abandon old prejudices and think anew? Do we, as individuals and as a Meeting, do all in our power to end governmental, social, economic, environmental, and educational injustices in our community, acting to alleviate suffering and pain?

What can we do to address the excessive rates of incarceration of certain segments of our society? How are we acting to improve the conditions in our correctional institutions and to promote the health and well-being of those confined there?

------
The advices and queries for October are taken from the new advices and queries document adopted at the July 2012 annual sessions of LEYM. The document is in 16 sections; we publish one section each month. Friends can find the entire document online at http://leymquaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/aq3f2.pdf

September Announcements

On the Calendar

• Sept. 8-9: GRFMM 50th anniversary celebration, on the campus of Aquinas College and at Marywood Dominican Center.
• Sept. 15: Peace Festival, East Town Fair.
• Sept. 18: “Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road?” That’s the unlikely title of a talk to be presented by author Brian McLaren, an activist, public theologian and frequent conference speaker, at the GVSU Eberhard Center, 301 W. Fulton St., GR, at 7 p.m.. McLaren will present his ideas on how Christians should treat members of other religions, an issue he thinks has become more and more urgent since Sept. 11, 2001. He believes the answer lies neither in an us-versus-them attitude, which fuels mutual misunderstanding and hostility, nor in buying tolerance for other faiths at the cost of lost commitment to our own. Instead he proposes a third alternative, one built on benevolence and solidarity. Advance tickets are $15 (contact Whitney Belprez, belprezw@gvsu.edu or 616-331-5702 to order). Tickets are $20 at the door.
• Oct. 30: More opportunity for broadening interfaith horizons will be provided at the Triennial Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dialogue, featuring Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, Dr. Cynthia Campbell, and Dr. Omid Safi. Note that this will be an all-day conference at GVSU’s Eberhard Center, with both lunch and dinner served. Advance registration (before Oct. 1) is $40. Information about the conference schedule and speakers is available at http://www.gvsu.edu/2012interfaith/2012-triennial-jewish-christian-muslim-dialogue-24.htm.

News and Notes

• Friends General Conference announces matching funds are available for all contributions to the FGC annual fund made by September 30. Two Quaker families will generously match up to $35,000 in donations made by that date.
• A $400,000 grant has been awarded to FGC to work with yearly meetings and others to support the formation of new Quaker meetings and worship groups. A gift of the Thomas H. and Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund, the grant provides for a full-time new meetings project coordinator, a travel team of volunteers to help nurture and support new groups, the development of written and online resources and other services. Find current information on this unfolding two-year project at www.fgcquaker.org/services/new-meetings-project.

QUERIES FOR SEPTEMBER: EDUCATION

QUERIES FOR SEPTEMBER: EDUCATION

Our children are given to us for a time to cherish, to protect, to nurture, and then to salute as they go their separate ways. They too have the Light of God within, and a family should be a learning community in which children not only learn skills and values from parents, but in which adults learn new ways of experiencing things and seeing things through young eyes.

Elizabeth Watson, 1980, in Britain YM, QF&P, 22.63.

Seek the full development of God’s gifts, which is true education. Remember that the Meeting as a whole shares a responsibility to cherish every child in its care. Realize that education should continue throughout life, and that all should share its opportunities and privileges. Make time for regular personal prayer and worship, and for reading the Bible, Friends’ literature, Faith & Practice, Advices & Queries, and other sources of spiritual value. Seek truth together in shared worship and discussion. Teach by being teachable.

Does the Meeting give the children loving care and promote their spiritual life through religious education and other activities? Do we share our deepest beliefs and values with one another and with our children, while leaving them free to develop as the Spirit may lead them? Do we encourage in children a sense of hopefulness, imagination, and confidence? Do we honor the needs of children to have quiet times and solitude?

How do we encourage our children’s participation in the Meeting’s work? How do we cultivate their desire for service to others? Do we foster their enjoyment of plants, animals, and the beauty of nature? How do we educate our members and attenders about the Bible (especially the teachings of Jesus), other spiritual literature, and the history, principles, and practices of Friends?

How do we show our concern for the improvement of education in our community and the world? Are we informed and active contributors to the public education system? Do we give proper consideration to supporting Friends’ schools? Are we concerned that all children receive a sound education in a nurturing and respectful environment?

A note on the queries. Lake Erie Yearly Meeting adopted these advices and queries at its annual sessions in July 2012, after four years’ development and consideration. They are organized by topics, 16 in all, each with an introductory quotation or two. We provide a new topic each month. Next month’s topic will be social justice.

GRFM 50th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, September 8, 2012

7:00 pm until 10:30 pm

Wege Center Ballroom, Aquinas College

1607 Robinson Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506

https://www.facebook.com/events/283271328438277/

Co-clerk Scot Miller will introduce Patricia Pennell, who has been a part of this Meeting since 1967; Fred Stella, President of The Interfaith Dialogue Association; and

Keynote Speaker: Brenda Beadenkopf, a Friend from Niles, Michigan, who will speak on Quaker involvement in the Underground Railroad in Southwest Michigan. 

Concluding will be Emma Seif, one of our Young Adult Friends. 
Light refreshments will be served. 

Melanie Farkas of Bellevue, Michigan will be the caller for 90 minutes of Folk Dancing. 

Grand Rapids Friends Meeting Worship
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Worship at the Dominican Center at Marywood

2025 Fulton Street East, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

followed by potluck at The Browne Center, Aquinas College, with lots of visiting & sharing.
https://www.facebook.com/events/408746585830889/

Join us for either or both joyful occasions: please RSVP on Facebook (links above) or by using the Email us link on this blog.

QUERIES FOR AUGUST: PEACE
The first step to peace is to stand still in the Light. (George Fox, 1653) I lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars. (George Fox, Journal, 1651)

Consider how our way of life relies on and benefits from violence. Friends’ peace testimony is the positive exercise of good will calling us to lend our influence to all that strengthens the growth of friendship and understanding.

How does my daily life express this effort within my family, my community, and my workplace? What are we doing to build a more peaceable world? Does our way of living rely on violence?

How do we communicate to others the basis of our peace testimony? Do we join with them in working for peace? What are we doing to encourage consideration of alternatives to military service? How do we reconcile our peace testimony with the payment of taxes that support war?

Have we considered whether the seeds of war may be nourished by the way we treasure our possessions? Have we thought about the structural violence imbedded in our economic, political, and legal systems? Is our manner of participation in these systems consistent with obedience to the living spirit?

To oppose war is not enough; how are we responding to the injustices and inequalities that often lead to violence? Are we mindful that simply refraining from using or supporting violent means may not be an adequate response to war and atrocities? Do we provide refuge and assistance, including advocacy, for spouses, children, or elderly persons who are victims of violence or neglect?

How do we support institutions and organizations such as the American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation and Quaker Earthcare Witness that are actively engaged in peace building and the prevention of violence?

A note on the queries. Lake Erie Yearly Meeting adopted these queries at its annual sessions in July 2012, after four years’ development and consideration. They are organized by topics, 16 in all, each with an introductory quotation or two. We provide a new topic each month.

August Newsletter

Calendar

August 16: 50th Anniversary Planning Committee meets at the Holadays, 6:30 p.m.

August 19: Fremont Friends Worship Group invite all fellow Quakers & Friends for an afternoon of sharing and fun, 1:00 p.m. throughout the afternoon. Activities led by Herbert Lindsay. Waterfront activities include kayaks, canoe, rowboat & paddleboat. Potluck at @ 2:30 p.m. Please bring something to share; lemonade & ice tea provided. At 4:00 p.m. Jana Norlin will share her reflections on the FWCC Meeting in Kenya. In case of rain, we'll meet inside. 8885 W. 32nd St. Fremont, MI. tel: 231-924-5349. sdaly1@rocketmail.com

Aug 19; Aug 26? 7 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. on WGVU-FM 88.5 and 95.3 Common Threads radio program featuring co-clerks Scot Miller and Deb Wickering on the GRFM 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Sept. 8-9: GRFM 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Sept 15: Peace Festival, East Town Fair.

News and Notes

A website recommendation from Walt Marston: I was searching for info about the Wider Quaker Fellowship and ran across this site: Voices of Friends. It looks very helpful in understanding the wide variety of Quaker expressions in the world. Even mentions Holiness Friends (one yearly meeting in Indiana with relationship to Bolivia?).

Right Sharing of World Resources, a Quaker organization that GRFMM has supported, has published its second-quarter newsletter. You can access it at the organization’s website at http://www.rswr.org/.