Friends Meeting of Washington
Order of Worship
Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
October 2014
Do you endeavor to live "in virtue of that life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars"? Do you work to make your peace testimony a reality in your life and in your world? Do you weigh your day-to-day activities for their effect on peace-keeping, conflict resolution and the elimination of violence? Are you working toward eliminating aggression at all levels, from the personal to the international?
Advices
We…utterly…deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretense whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world. … The spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as to once command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ which leads us into all Truth will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for any kingdoms of this world.
George Fox, 1660
Voices
We actively oppose all that leads to violence among people and nations and violence to other species and to our planet. Refusal to fight with weapons is not surrender. We are not passive when threatened by the greedy, the cruel, the tyrant, the unjust. We will struggle to remove the causes of impasse and confrontation by every means of nonviolent resistance available. We must start with our own hearts and minds. Together, let us reject the clamour of fear and listen to the whisperings of hope.
Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting, 1987
Meeting for Business opened with 26 people present and welcomed first time attender to MfB, Michael Huffington.
2014/10-2 Clerk’s Report
· FWM sponsored an event with Canon Byamugisha.
· The small group on safety and welcoming guidelines met last week to go over the first draft of the guidelines. That draft, with revisions, will be circulated among the community in the next 2-3 weeks.
o A Friend clarified that these guideline are not to be characterized as a child safety policy. They are in addition to the existing child safety policy.
Major items
2014/10-3Search Committee – Meg Greene. Friends approved the nomination of Steve Coleman to the Search Committee.
2014/10-4Trustees – Dan Dozier
(Supporting documents for this decision may be found here [1])
Trustees request the Meeting to authorize the Trustees to approve the
Accessibility project for up to $2 million, including:
1. Signing a construction contract (with the cost of the contract expected to be about $1.6 million, with additional money for contingencies, A&E fees, permits, etc. raising the total project cost to around $2 million); and
2. Taking out loans/mortgages to pay for the part of cost of the project while the Capital Campaign does its good work.
Trustees will come back to Meeting for Business if, upon receipt of bids, the estimated total cost of the project rises materially (more than 5%) above $2 million.
A Friend asked some clarifying questions in regards to expected interest rates and the Trustees responded that the quoted interest rates were well-researched estimates and we could expect that the confirmed interest rates would be very similar. Another Friend expressed gratitude for the detailed summary of Meeting finances.
A Friend expressed concern about the availability of the knowledge of the amounts that FMW would be able to pay for the requested work.
Friends approved this request. This approval was followed by a moment of silence as well as discussion about the value of the process used to reach this decision.
2014/10-5 Membership Committee – Janet Dinsmore
· Second presentation for membership of Gillian Griffith. Friends approved this membership.
· Second presentation for membership of Eugene Throwe. Friends approved this membership.
2014/10-6 Peace and Social Concerns
Friend Patty Murphy requested support from the Peace and Social Concerns Committee in seeking Meeting support for a request by the National Coalition for the Homeless for FMW to support an amendment DC legislation to included homelessness as a protected class under the DC Human Rights Act and our endorsement of this legislation. The Committee was not able to meet during the past month to provide a recommendation on the request by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
A Friend expressed concern about allowing the Committee to move forward with this without presenting it to MfB and about the fact that the PSC Committee did not meet this past month. Friends defined two options:
1. Peace and Social Concerns Committee could support the National Coalition for the Homeless as a committee, not representing the Meeting as a whole;
2. The Meeting could decide to act independent of a recommendation from the Committee.
Ultimately, MfB decided to move ahead on this issue and the request by the National Coalition for the Homeless was approved, with some Friends standing aside due to lack of information or concerns about process.
2014/10-7 Request to form Ad Hoc Committee for Capital Pride– Malachy Kilbride
FMW has been involved in Capital Pride day for the past two years. It was proposed that the Meeting form an ad hoc committee to help coordinate with other Friends Meetings of the DC-Baltimore area for the 2015 DC Capital Pride events.
A Friend requested that the ad hoc committee request include language clarifying that the committee would be laid down after the conclusion of the Capital Pride events for 2015.
Friends approved this request with the stipulation that the additional language be included.
Milestones
2014/10-8 Memorial Minutes
Presentation of Joan Oehser memorial minute with changes. The revised minute was approved.
Other business
2014/10-9 Hospitality Committee annual report– Bill Strein
The Hospitality Committee presented its annual report and thanked those who consistently support their efforts. They did express their concern that the committee is understaffed and have issued a request to the Nominating Committee for three additional members.
Friends expressed great gratitude for the work of the Hospitality Committee.
2014/10-10 Peace and Social Concerns annual report– Meg Greene
The Peace and Social Concerns Committee presented their annual report. The Committee is operating under a new model where they respond to the leadings of members and attenders of the FMW community.
2014/10-11 Garden Committee– Mark Haskell
The Garden Committee provided an update concerning roses, soil and renovations. ‘Deconstruction’ of the FMW grounds is tentatively scheduled to begin in February. Many of the plants in the garden will be lost or moved. The Garden Committee is waiting for a confirmed deconstruction date before beginning to move the plants. They are hoping to wait until spring but may need to move plants before the first freeze this year. The Committee will protect the two oak trees on campus.
A Friend asked the Meeting to consider creating a columbarium for Friends’ ashes as part of the renovations. She will research the issue and bring it back to the Meeting for further consideration.
2014/10-12 Conflicts between MfB and the Shoebox Project
It was noted that the December MfB and the Shoebox Project are scheduled for the same date of December 14th. The new date for MfB has tentatively been changed to December 21st.
2014/10-13 Young Adult Friends annual report– Kate Oberg
The Young Adult Friends have continued to grow, adding new social and spiritual activities. The YAFs have also changed their current leadership structure to include four separate roles.
Friends expressed appreciation for the growing engagement of YAFs in the life of the Meeting.
2014/10-14 Personal Aid request –Ylene Larsen
Personal Aid presented a request for signatures on a card for long-time member Albert Hadler, who is ill.
2014/10-15 Minutes,
Friends approved the minutes.
2014/10-16The Meeting closed with approximately 25 members in attendance.
Friends Meeting of Washington Ad Hoc Committee for Capital Pride
Purpose: To organize and coordinate FMW participation with other Friends Meetings of the DC-Baltimore area for the 2015 DC Capital Pride events.
Function:FMW Ad Hoc Committee for Capital Pride 2015 will reach out to other Friends Meetings in the DC-Baltimore area and organize participation together for the various events including the annual Pride parade. We plan on organizing together and pooling our resources to help fund our participation in Capital Pride. Once the work is done in 2015, the committee will be laid down.
Joan Uppington Williams Oehser
6 August 1928 - 18 January 2008
Joan Oehser lived a life of continual commitment to Friends’ beliefs and principles, and of active efforts to further both. She was one of the stalwarts of this Meeting for forty years. As the Ministry and Worship Committee minuted on learning of her planned absence in 1985: “Joan Oehser’s rich spiritual presence and her work on causes that concern Friends . . . will be greatly missed.”
Born in Pennsylvania, Joan moved to Washington as a teenager and was an enthusiastic member of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation. During her first year at Swarthmore College, however, she experienced what she described as “the typical bewilderment, doubt, and rejection of religion.” Participation in the Friends worship group there and many discussions with Friends both within and without the school drew her into Quakerism, so that when she returned to Washington after graduation she began attending worship at this Meeting. She found true fellowship in the Young Friends group, which she clerked for a year before moving to Philadelphia to work with AFSC, prompted by her growing commitment to pacifism.
Joan applied for membership here while living in Philadelphia and was approved in the January 1952 Meeting for Business. At this time her mother was also a member of FMW. Joan began studies in applied social studies at Western Reserve University in 1952 and in 1956 married Gordon V. Oehser under the care of this Meeting. The couple’s only child, Thomas Arthur, was born in 1962, the same year that the Oehsers divorced.
Her life continued its pattern of change and commitment. Returning to Washington by 1956 she worked as Associate Secretary of the Meeting (“office manager, guide and counselor to the Meeting Secretary, friend to all the world,” to quote the July 1957 newsletter) until her resignation in 1957 for a job at an insurance company while her husband attended college. The couple moved to Berkeley, California, in 1958 and Joan transferred her membership to the Berkeley Society of Friends (although she also regularly attended the Friends Church there). With the break-up of her marriage, Joan returned to the city and meeting she always referred to in her many letters as “home” in 1964 and transferred her membership back to FMW.
Friend Joan’s life at this Meeting in the 1960s to ‘80s was an active one, serving on FMW committees (Ushers, Nominating, Social Order, Ministry and Worship, Personal Aid) and BYM committees (Aging, Program). She helped coordinate the many activities at Quaker House in 1971 and this Meeting’s 50th Anniversary commemoration. She was one of the organizers of our Mid-Week Worship meeting in 1981. She served as Assistant Clerk of Potomac Half-Yearly Meeting in 1985. Her letters to individuals and organs of the Meeting, contained in her personal file, show a deep and thoughtful concern for our community on a wide range of issues.
In 1986-88 she lived in Baltimore to nurse her aged mother.
The 1980s saw Joan begin a continuous effort to avoid paying federal taxes for fear that her money would be used for military purposes. As she wrote in 1983: “I have been a Christian all my life and a member of the Religious Society of Friends for about 30 years. I cannot conscientiously participate in military activities by payment of taxes used for that purpose. Such participation is inconsistent with my religious conviction.” Fully supported by this Meeting, Friend Joan left her work at AARP to become a domestic worker for our elderly member Oliver Stone. This allowed her to live below the level of taxable income and to have no federal income tax withheld for her salary.
When Oliver Stone died in 1992 she continued working intermittently, but faithfully refused to pay federal taxes. For this she was fined by the IRS, in spite of vigorous representation by Meeting member J. E. McNeil.
Joan’s health began to deteriorate about this time, a condition exacerbated by her low income. In the early 2000s she moved to Friends’ House in Sandy Spring, Maryland; she worshipped with the Friendship Preparative Meeting but continued a lively and probing relationship with FMW. She endured several emergency trips to the hospital in these last years but friendly visitors reported her in good spirits and interested in Meeting news. “I was surprised how sharp her mind was,” wrote one in 2005. “It was sad, as she wanted me to stay…. [w]e were talking about ‘old times at FMW’ and people we knew in common. It was hard leaving her.”
Joan slowly faded in these last years, and she died in 2008. Her memorial meeting was held in this meetinghouse.
Hospitality Committee Report, October 2014
Susan Griffin, Bill Strein, Co-Clerks
The Hospitality Committee's responsibility is primarily setting up and cleaning up for the weekly after Meeting social gathering. We have also volunteered, on an individual basis, for other functions such as memorial services and weddings.
The Committee members thank all those who have contributed food and drink for the after Meeting social gathering. As in the past, there are certain stalwarts who contribute with great regularity - Bob Meehan whose Quaker Treasure Chest Bread has been a Meeting favorite and Faith Williams who regularly provides wonderful munchies, crackers, fruit, etc. We are grateful to all who make contributions to the weekly nourishment of members, attenders and visitors. Biweekly, Michael Smith, a de facto member of our Committee, receives from an agency uncooked vegetables, breads, and fruit. We have continued to redirect contributions to the feeding program at the Church of the Pilgrims.
Once again, we want o particularly express our great appreciation and thanks to Debby Churchman and Ken Orvis, without whom the kitchen and he Hospitality Committee could not function. Debby monitors and orders staples, such as coffee, sugar, milk, etc. Ken’s expertise with regard to maintaining the kitchen appliances and the kitchen space is exceptionally helpful.
This year we recruited a small corps of Friendly Volunteers, who, although not members of Hospitality with the obligations associated with membership, are “on call” to help out when needed. These helpful souls include Travis Bailey, Krista Clark, G. T. Hunt, Patti Murphy, Emily Schmeidler, and Elaine Wilson. We have been especially warmed by the occasional return of Alex Matthews and Frank Wise, long-standing co-clerks, as ad hoc volunteers. We have also attempted, with some success, to establish a system whereby members commit to one particular Sunday each month, so as to have a regular schedule as is the case with the FOP group. We need a minimum of two people per Sunday. Thanks to new members Mike Hubbard and Greg Robb, we have the 1st First Day of each month staffed. Other committee members are scheduled one each for the other three weeks. To make our plan work, we would like to have an additional 3 people for Hospitality and have spoken to Nominating.
Congruent with our name, the committee has have made it our mission to be warm, welcoming, and hospitable. We have attempted to involve children when appropriate, have supported our new “souper Sundays” lunch on MfB days, and have reached out to incorporate in a Friendly way some of our special needs attenders who frequent the Assembly Room.
Our Committee members enjoy preparing the Assembly Room for the after-Meeting social gathering. Continued from 2013, the number of members, attenders, and visitors coming to the gathering appears to have increased over that of just a few years ago, and they tend to stay longer. In last year’s Report we speculated that the increased number of activities on Sundays may have contributed to more people at the gathering. Our sense is that the gathering nourishes the life of the Meeting in more than just the snacks that are provided.
Submitted respectfully,
Susan Griffin and Bill Strein, Co-Clerks
Formal Committee Members: Pam Collard, Susan Griffin, Margot Greenlee, Judy Hubbard, Mike Hubbard, Tom Libbert, Greg Robb, Bill Strein
de Facto Member: Michael Smith
Peace and Social Concerns Committee Annual Report
Friends Meeting of Washington October, 12th 2014
Summary
The Peace and Social Concerns committee has been small but active through much of 2013 and 2014. There is much energy within the meeting towards a large number of social concerns. The committee has been focused onnurturing and supporting individuals’ and groups’ lead to action, sharing opportunities and resources and offering educational programs related to the peace and equality testimonies.
Supporting the leadings
-PSC Committee sponsored a minute, initiated and written by a Friend in the meeting, regarding criminalization of LGBT in Uganda and the response of communities of faith. The Minute was approved by Meeting for Business in September 2014. The committee also sponsored an event on the same topic with Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha of Uganda.
-The committee financially supported a friend led to research Quaker peacemaker Elise Boulding. The committee covered airfare to Colorado for the Friend to research in an archive of Elise Boulding’s private papers at the University of Colorado with Carew Boulding, the granddaughter of Elise and Kenneth Boulding.
Resources and opportunities
-The committee has brainstormed with and provided suggestions to several Friends who have sought advice.
-The committee has been posting opportunities in the weekly bulletin and is looking for other effective ways to share about events and opportunities.
Educational activities
The committee hosted numerous educational events. Some of these were initiated by the committee but many were initiated by members and attenders who sought the support of the committee. These included events focused on:
· Anti-trafficking
· The work of Friends Peace Teams
· Quaker peacemaker Elise Boulding
· Nonviolent Communication
· LGBT in Uganda and the response of communities of faith
Other update
-In the fall of 2012, at PSC Committee’s request, the Meeting for Business co-signed a letter from religious organizations advocating for an exemption to peacebuilding organizations. In November of 2013, the Humanitarian Assistance Facilitation Act (HR 3526) was introduced before congress and was referred to committee.
State of the Committee
In the spring of 2014, interim clerk Louise Levathes stepped down from her role and from the committee. The committee size shrank to an unviable size. Mike DuVall became interim clerk, and as summer is often a time when committees are inactive, Mike and the Nominating committee decided to wait until fall to try to revitalize the committee. With tremendous support from Beth Cogswell and the Nominating committee, PSC has reconvened with 4 members. Susan Meehan and Elaine Wilson have joined the committee. While it is still small and looking for new members, it is active and able to continue moving forward.
At the September meeting, the committee changed its regular meeting time to 9am on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
Expenses
-$350- Support for the research of Bridget Moix on Quaker peacemaker Elise Boulding. Funding towards airfare to University of Colorado where Bridget had special access to Elise’ private archives where she researched with Elise’ granddaughter, Carew Boulding.
-$100 Honorarium to Jonathan Faust from Insight Meditation Center for workshop on Nonviolent Communication
Sponsored Events:
Nonviolent Communication Workshop, Jonathan Foust, Senior Teacher at Insight Meditation Center - Tuesday, Feb. 11. 7:15
Elise Boulding Presentation, Bridget Moix - Sunday, Feb. 23 noon
She discussed her leading to work with Carew Boulding (granddaughter of Elise and Kenneth) to sort through boxes of the Bouldings' work that still remain in the University of Colorado archives, and how this connects with her own PhD studies in peace and conflict resolution.
Palestinian Writers Presentation - April 7, Monday. 7 pm. FMW. Meeting Room.
Young Palestinian writers from Gaza discussed their new book (Gaza Writers Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza, Palestine) Slide presentation, reading and discussion.
Friends Peace Teams, Asia and West Pacific Region - June 22. Noon.
Co-sponsored with Young Friends. Nadine Hoover (co-ordinator), Rick Rizard (Water Filter Production) and Gay Howard (Spiritual Companionship) spoke.
Anti-Trafficking Film and Expert Talk, "Breaking the Links" Tour stop in DC for screening of short film "Not My Life," August 6 at 7pm
We hosted a very special expert guest, Matt Friedman, who was accompanied by his teenage son, Brandon. Together, they are on a tour across the country to raise awareness about the issues. Matt has more than 20 years of experience as an activist, program designer, evaluator and manager in the counter-trafficking space, having worked on the issue all over the world at agencies such as the United Nations, USAID. He currently is technical advisor to the Mekong Club, based in Hong Kong. He is highly regarded in the anti-trafficking world for his passion, knowledge and commitment to the issue.
Young Adult Friends of Friends Meeting of Washington
Annual Report
October 2014
The Young Adult Friends Community has continued to grow and become more vibrant over the past year.
Young Adult Friends met to discuss the current leadership structure of the YAF group and it was decided that the co-convener position would be decentralized into four separate roles focusing on: communications and focal point, Meeting for Worship, Worship Sharing, and special events. These four people would act as organizers of current YAF events as well as facilitating any other events YAFs expressed an interest in. The new focus on special events has been especially successful.
Spiritual Activities
The Young Adult Friends continue to meet on a bi-monthly basis for a shared meal and Meeting for Worship or Worship Sharing. These events, when possible, are held in each other homes allowing YAFs to learn more about each other on both a social and spiritual level. We have also begun to hold these potlucks at Friends Meeting of Washington or the William Penn House as some YAFs are unable to host in their own homes. An average of four to eight Friends attend each gathering.
YAF Gene Throwe has become the Quaker Chaplain at American University where he holds bi-monthly meetings for worship with interested students. William Penn House staff member and YAF Josh Wilson has successfully worked with George Washington University to create a Quaker spiritual gathering on that campus as well. Both Josh and Gene represented FMW at freshmen orientation events. Attendees from both gatherings have participated in larger YAF events.
Four YAFs created a ‘Listening Spirituality’ group, which met every three weeks for several weeks and was used to explore personal spiritual practices among Friends.
In July, five YAFs participated in a trip to a nearby labyrinth to explore the role of the meditative physical journey as an aspect or addition to their spiritual journey.
YAF Kevin Camp was supported by the YAFs and FMW to attend YAFCON 2014 at Pendle Hill. The focus of the conference was Leadership and the Testimony of Community. He composed and shared a report on his experience with Meeting for Business.
Social Activities
The YAFs have begun holding monthly game nights every fourth evening of the month at FMW. This has been a highly successful activity, which attracts four to twelve participants each time and has provided a space for new YAFs to interact in a low key setting and where Friends can bring friends and introduce them to the Quakers.
On the third Saturday of the academic year, two to six YAFs have been attending a Square Dance at St. Stephens hosted by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington.
YAFs have also been taking making an effort to undertake activates outside. In January and March, four and ten YAFs respectively went skating at the Sculpture garden. In May of this year, eight YAFs participated in a camping trip, hike and worship in Harpers Ferry. We also organized a Summer Solstice hike through Rock Creek Park in June (eight participants), a field trip to Gunpowder meeting and hike at Gunpowder Falls State Park in September (nine participants) and a group outing to a Nationals Baseball game (nine participants).
Several young adults remain or have become more active in the life of the meeting at large. Betsy Bramon continues to coordinate the once-a-month SOME (So Others Might Eat) Breakfasts as well as undertaking organization of a Spiritual Formation group, YAFs continue to facilitate the Fiber Party where all attendees of FMW can learn and work on fiber based crafts together, and several YAFs have become part of Committees within the Meeting.
The YAF listserv has continued to provide a forum for YAFs to convene outside of the meeting. The listserv has been used to disseminate information, hold discussions, and coordinate in-person gatherings. There are currently 234 members of the YAF listserv.
In an effort to boost our online presence the YAFs have created a Meet-up group called DC Young Adult Friends (Quakers). The page is an open group to list spiritual, community service and fun events involving Young Adult Quakers (18 to 40ish) or those interested in learning more about Quakers in the wider DC area. Though the meet-up page is only a few weeks old, it already has 38 members and 24 events upcoming events.
Overall, the Young Adult Friend Community seems to be strong, if constantly changing. There is a core group of around 25 young adults and each YAF event attracts four to twelve Friends. Many young Friends attend Meeting for Worship on a regular basis.
Faithfully submitted by Michael Huffington, Kate Oberg, Joshua Wilson, and Shannon Zimmerman.
_____________________________________________________________________________
(This ends the Minutes & Reports)
October 31 – November 2 – FGC Gathering for Friends of Color, Mountain View Friends Meeting (Denver, CO) This fall FGC’s Ministry on Racism Program is sponsoring an opportunity for Friends of Color and their families to come together to build an rich multigenerational community through Mutual support and sharing, Worship, exploring our Faith, sharing what brought us to Friends and Identifying ways to support each other. Past retreats provided the space for Friends to come together and explore our gifts and challenges, do work intergenerationally and in affinity groups, and explore the surrounding community. We look forward to another opportunity to share in deep worship with each other this year. This gathering is for Friends of Color and their immediate family members. Individuals of European descent are welcome to join us, provided they are attending with a family member who is a person of color. We will meet from Friday, October 31 at 4 pm until Sunday, November 2 at 1 pm at Mountain View Friends Meeting, 2280 S Columbine St, Denver, CO 80210. Overnight accommodations will not be provided. In an effort to keep costs down, we will be preparing meals on-site, together. All participants will be assigned to assist with cooking meals. If you have questions about this opportunity, Vanessa Julye will be happy to assist you. Email: ministryonracism@fgcquaker.org [2].
Come to So Others Might Eat on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 6:15 to 8:15 and help make breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. For more information, contact Betsy Bramon at betsy.bramon@gmail.com [3]
There will be a Meeting for Singing on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 10:00 am in the Meeting Room. All voices are welcome.
You are invited to attend a potluck and Quaker dialogue at 6:30 PM on November 2, 2014 Our Program this First Day is presented by Joseph Porcelli, Angela Zimmerman and Brad Ogilvie Building Community in the Digital Age.
"Community" is one of the "SPICES" that many Quakers hold dear, but in our culture of divisiveness and business, it seems harder and harder to connect with each other, to share resources and wisdom for the greater good of all of us. There are options available, and sometimes it is just a matter of learning how to use them. For this potluck, we will be hearing about some of these.
Joseph Porcelli is a "professional neighbor" who, for the past 10 years, has worked to help neighbors connect and be of service to one another. By day, he is a Senior City Strategist for Nextdoor.com, the private social network for neighborhoods. He also founded and voluntarily Snowcrew.org that matches neighbors who are elderly or have disability to nearby neighbors who can dig them out. Nextdoor.com is a free website that makes it easy for you and your neighbors to talk online and to build a happier, safer place to call home. Nextdoor's mission is to use the power of technology to build stronger and safer neighborhoods.
Angela Zimmerman will talk about DC Time Bank, an organiztion that builds circles of reciprocity and mutual aid, building community ties, community self-sufficiency, and resilience. With time banking, everyone's time is valued equally. By doing someone a favor for one hour, you earn a time credit that can be spent in the time bank. The DC Time Bank was created in 2012 and it now has over 500 members. The DC Time Bank can also serve as a tool to organize around different initiative including education, food and wellness, prison reintegration, immigrant worker cooperatives, and others.
We will also talk about how other efforts (idealist.org connectors, Quaker Workcamps) can be a resource for those wishing to be a part of vibrant community building in the digital age.
Our monthly potluck is on Sunday at 6:30 PM. This is an opportunity for fellowship among Quakers, attenders and fellow seekers. Bring a dish to share; family members, neighbors and friends are always welcome.
Note: William Penn House is an alcohol and tobacco free facility William Penn House hosts groups and individuals who visit Washington to help make this a better world. We host programs and seminars on peace and social justice issues and on Quakers, past and present.
William Penn House A Quaker Center on Capitol Hill515 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Tel: (202) 543-5560 Fax: (202) 543-3814 e -mail:
The Grate Patrol will prepare sandwiches and soup to take out to the city’s vulnerable people on Wednesday, Nov 5 starting at 5:30. For more information, contact Steve Brooks at sbrooks@uab.edu [6]
Sunday, Nov. 9, two Friends will tell their Spiritual Journeys at 9:15 in Quaker House Living Room. All are welcome. This is part of a monthly, ongoing series. Would you consider telling your own journey? Contact Blair Forlaw on the Ministry & Worship Committee at bforlaw@aol.com [7]
On Sunday, Nov. 16 at 9:15 am, the Adult Study Group will discuss Quakers in Boston history. The talk is derived from several sources, including a wonderful book by George A. Selleck, former Executive Secretary of the Cambridge Friends meeting, " Quakers in Boston, 1656-1964". It is filled with intriguing information that not only shines the light on the horrible experience in the hands of the Puritans, but some interesting flash-backs to what was going on with Quakers in England--so soon after Friends start.
On Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 pm, former FMW member David Hartsough will speak about Waging Peace. A reviewer says this: “David Hartsough knows how to get in the way. He has used his body to block Navy ships headed for Vietnam and trains loaded with munitions on their way to El Salvador and Nicaragua. He has crossed borders to meet “the enemy” in East Berlin, Castro’s Cuba, and present-day Iran. He has marched with mothers confronting a violent regime in Guatemala and stood with refugees threatened by death squads in the Philippines. Hartsough’s stories inspire, educate, and encourage readers to find ways to work for a more just and peaceful world”. Sponsored by the Peace & Social Concerns and the Library Committee. All are welcome.
November 28 – 30 – BYM –Young Friends Conference, Adelphi Friends Meeting (Adelphi, MD) Young Friends should plan to begin arriving at 7:00 pm on Friday. For information, check the Young Friends website (https://bym-rsforg.presencehost.net/what_we_do/yfs/yfcon.html [8]) or contact Alison Duncan [9]. (301-774-7663) Please remember that the deadline to register and be guaranteed a slot is two weeks before the conference (November 14). Any one registering after that date will be placed on a waiting list and may not be able to attend.
THINKING ABOUT RACE(November 2014) –
Within Our Lifetime (Prepared by Elizabeth DuVerlie)
“The Within Our Lifetime (WOL) Network brings together organizations and individuals from across the country who have made the bold and audacious commitment to uproot the embedded racial hierarchy in our society and to work toward ending racism within our lifetime.” (See http://www.withinourlifetime.net [10])
During October, the WOL Network held a campaign to raise awareness about the impact of implicit bias and to encourage actions to combat it. Just what is implicit bias? Implicit bias
- “refers to the way people unconsciously and sometimes unwillingly exhibit bias toward other individuals and groups. Many people are not aware of having implicit bias.
- “should not be confused with explicit forms of bias, or racism. Explicit bias, or overt racism, involves conscious and knowing discrimination toward other individuals and groups.
- “can reveal itself in different ways, such as by the words we use to express feelings and behavior toward people of color.
“These unconscious mechanisms are deeply embedded in various aspects of our lives, including health care, education, and our criminal justice system.”
(Adapted from “State of the Science Implicit Bias Review 2013,” Cheryl Staats, of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University.
The topic of implicit bias also appeared in April’s Thinking About Race. Here again is the link for the Implicit Bias tests: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ [11] Even though it may not be October, you may still participate in this campaign. Efforts to end bias and racism are ongoing!
Note: The Working Group has published a new flyer: “A Quaker Response to Events in Ferguson, MO – What Can I Do?” Look for it on the BYM-RSF website under “Committees, Working Group on Racism.”
The BYM Working Group on Racism meets most months on the third Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, usually at Bethesda Friends Meeting or Friends Meeting of Washington. If you would like to attend, on a regular or a drop-in basis, contact clerk David Etheridge, david.etheridge@verizon.net [12].
So the big news this month is that Trustees figured out a way to finance the much-anticipated renovation while the Capital Campaign continues its good work of asking for pledges. At Meeting for Business in October, we agreed with this plan, and the project is officially in the works.
Just this step alone involved dozens of hours of work on the part of Trustees, Finance & Stewardship, the Capital Improvements Task Force, and the Capital Campaign. It was all a bit daunting to watch, with meetings and emails and spreadsheets zipping back and forth, full of crunched numbers. Bottom line: it looks doable, and we’re going to do it.
It was more fun to watch the email trail of the Capital Campaign Committee getting ready to make a full-out presentation at rise of Meeting in mid-October. The committee had decided to do something and picked a date, but then what?
The effort started with a photo of Mark Haskell’s 40-pound red pumpkin. He grew this himself and then volunteered to turn it into curried pumpkin soup. Inspired by this, others came forth with volunteered cider, corn bread, chocolate, and IT help for showing the video, and a good time was had by all.
People sometimes ask me how Quakers get anything done without hierarchy. Doesn’t someone have to be in charge? Well, as it turns out, the answer is no. How this actually works has been described extensively by far more articulate folks, but a key element seems to me to be our testimony of equality. That’s the thing that tells us that Everyone counts, everyone is valued, and everyone is responsible—whether you grew the pumpkin or just showed up to watch the video. We are trusting our Meeting that this is a well-seasoned and much-needed renovation, and trusting each other to fund it as a community. And we are stepping up.
Meanwhile, at FMW this month we hosted numerous groups. Some of them were pretty rowdy, including a very creative group of Filipino women—survivors of sex trafficking who are working to stop the traffickers in this country. They took over the kitchen to cook for each other, and then learned songs and dances to use to “make some noise” against the traffickers. On another day, a team from Greenpeace spilled out into our back garden, playing team-building games that involved a LOT of laughter. And on a Saturday, we had a very cool group here offering career and education options to D.C. youth who are graduating out of foster care. They were fun; we hope to have them back again. On a quieter front, we hosted dozens of language classes, two memorial meetings, a wedding, some serious office retreaters from various small non-profits, and the Air Force Chaplains office. It’s all good.
- Debby
The renovation is expected to start next Spring.
FMW on World Quaker Day, 10/5/2014
Greyson working on his Eagle Scout project in October 2014. 401 hands-on volunteer hours this weekend, 5 
water bars installed, and English Ivy removed from more than 9,000 square feet of the park. Go, Greyson!