July August 2011
Printer-friendly versionCONTENTS:
Monthly Meeting June Order of Worship
Attachments to Monthly Minutes
Capital Improvement Task Force Update
FMW Newsletter
FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON
ORDER OF WORSHIP
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS
June 12, 2011
6/11- 1 Opening The Meeting opened at noon with a period of silent worship. DavidEtheridge served as Clerk, Meg Greene as Alternate Clerk, and Debby Churchman as Recording Clerk. The clerks read Advices, Queries and Voices concerning Integrity which have been proposed by the Faith and Practice Revision Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
Advices
Integrity implies a harmony within, a music created through attentive listening to expressions of God in ourselves and each other. When we live with integrity, alone or as a faith community, our words and deeds ring true. We are able to hear when there is discord between our values and our words or actions, and we often sense when others in our community are “out of tune” with their own truth, or when, as a community, we do not seem to be following the same conductor.
When we live with integrity, our sense of self is lit from within by the same steady Light whether we are with our family, in meeting, or at work. We may express the truth we know differently so that different people can better hear it, or we may be silent because we feel it is not the time for certain words; but we are willing to allow the Inner Light to guide us in ways consistent with the truth as we understand it. Rooted in an awareness of God’s guiding presence in all times and places, each of us finds the strength and nourishment we need to be faithful.
Community plays a critical role in discernment. Integrity calls us to recognize our gifts and our flaws alike with humility, helping each other to “let our lives speak,” lovingly, the truth as we know it. When we live with integrity, we hold the imperfections and dark places in ourselves and our communities to the Light, remembering that our mistakes and flaws may help us understand the pain and burdens of others or even become a spring for ministry.
Queries
How do we seek truth by which to live? How do we know it when we find it?
In what ways does my life speak of my beliefs and values?
In what way is my life out of harmony with truth as I know it? Why?
Voices
At the first convincement, when Friends could not put off their hats to people, or say You to a single person, but Thou and Thee; when they could not bow, or use flattering words in salutations, or adopt the fashions and customs of the world, many Friends, that were tradesmen of several sorts, lost their customers at the first; for the people were shy of them, and would not trade with them; so that for a time some Friends could hardly get money enough to buy bread. But afterwards, when people came to have experience of Friends' honesty and truthfulness, and found that their Yea was yea, and their Nay was nay; that they kept to a word in their dealings, and that they would not cozen and cheat them; but that if they sent a child to their shops for anything, they were as well used as if they had come themselves; the lives and conversations of Friends did preach, and reached to the witness of God in the people. –George Fox, 1653
Regarding the quote from George Fox, “Walk cheerfully over the world, answering to that of God in everyone”: The word “cheerfully,” in addition to the way we use it, had another meaning in 17th century England. It meant “encouragingly” (this is the way Shakespeare used it) as in our modern sense of “to cheer someone on.” If I were to paraphrase a small part of Fox’s message it might go something like this: “Always be examples of your best conduct and behavior where ever you are. Then you will come to walk through the world, encouraging others to do likewise. –Bruce Folsom, 1994
A neighbor…desired me to write his will: I took notes, and, amongst other things, he told me to which of his children he gave his young negro: I considered the pain and distress he was in, and knew not how it would end, so I wrote his will, save only that part concerning his slave, and carrying it to his bedside, read it to him, and then told him in a friendly way, that I could not write any instruments by which my fellow-creatures were made slaves, without bringing trouble on my own mind. I let him know that I charged nothing for what I had done, and desired to be excused from doing the other part in the way he proposed. Then we had a serious conference on the subject, and at length, he agreeing to set her free, I finished his will.
–John Woolman, 1756
6/11 – 2 Welcome of Visitors Approximately 38 Friends were present, all of whom had attended at least one other Meeting for Business.
6/11 – 3 Clerks’ Report A memorial meeting for Raoul Kuhlberg will be held at 10:00 am on June 25, 2011. The day before, June 24, from 11 am to 1 pm, a reception will be held at the Avalon Theatre to honor Raoul's love of film.
MAJOR ITEMS
6/11 – 4 Shiloh Request Steve Coleman, Trustee, presented a request from Baltimore Yearly Meetingfor FMW financial support for building a swimming pond at Camp Shiloh. BYM would like Friends to consider a donation of $5,000 for capital bequest for creating this pond. It is a time-sensitive request; donations need to be raised by August 1, 2011.
A Friend asked about where the funds to support this project would come from at FMW. Loie Clark, Clerk of Finance and Stewardship, said that such funding would not be part of our annual budget. She also indicated that this amount of money is available in bequest funds. Another Friend spoke in favor of this request as an important enhancement to the Shiloh camping and Teen Adventure experience. A Friend spoke as a parent and an attender of the BYM visioning project. She spoke of the importance of the camp experience in nurturing the practice of Friends among young people. In a time when kids are under so much pressure to be cool, popular, and high tech, this camp provides an opportunity to have simple fun. This request will go to Trustees, who will season it and bring it back to Meeting for Business in July.
6/11 – 5 FY 2012 Budget (second presentation) Loie Clark, Clerk of Finance and Stewardship, presented the FY 2012 budget. Friends asked clarifying questions, and were told where to look in the budget for answers. In addition to recommending that the Meeting approve the FY12 budget, Finance and Stewardship asked the Meeting to approve the policy of splitting any excess of revenue over expenses between capital reserves (to replenish the fund for major improvements) and cash reserves (to support Meeting cash flow and provide for emergencies.) This is to follow best practices of keeping six months of operating expenses in savings. Friends APPROVED the budget. A Friend thanked the committee for putting together such a complex and prudent budget. Loie added major thanks to Laurie Wilner, our bookkeeper, who spent a lot of time helping the committee to put this budget together. She also pointed out that FMW is beginning to receive more funding from earned income from the use of Quaker House than from investments, and urged Friends to not let this affect contributions.
6/11 – 6 Meeting membership and committee service Marcia Reecer, Interim Clerk of Nominating Committee, presented Friends' observations from the discernment meetings held on this topic, as well as the Committee's recommendations. Friend Marcia noted that there has been serious questioning of the Nominating Committee's process in seeking and recommending members and clerks for FMW committees. Specifically, some Friends have questioned the practice of asking for exceptions (waivers) for qualified non-members when the Nominating Committee has been unable to find committee clerks and members for certain committees. The FMW Handbook allows such waivers and they have been regularly sought and granted in the past.
The Nominating committee wrote a list of queries around this question, and held two meetings for discernment around these queries. At these meetings, Friends spoke meaningfully about what it means to be a member of FMW. No one questioned the existence of waivers. The committee discerned no request that we change procedures at this point. However, when asking for a waiver, the Nominating Committee will redouble its efforts to explain the basis for its request.
Last year, the committee asked for four waivers. An additional four committee members are currently serving with a waiver. All of these committee members are experienced Friends. Friends asked if there is a legal issue involved. Trustees (who are not appointed by the Nominating Committee) must be members of FMW because they have fiduciary responsibilities at the Meeting. Also, so far, all Meeting officers are members. It is not legally necessary for members of Marriage and Family to be members of the Meeting so that they can sign the marriage certificate in D.C.--we have other members who can legally sign. There are 98 positions on standing committees, 24 of them held by attenders. A Friend urged the committee to reach out to include more teenagers on committees. Another Friend also urged the Membership committee to speak with long-time attenders to ask if they are interested in joining the Meeting. Another Friend suggested that Membership and Ministry & Worship have an annual event around the membership process. Harry Massey, Clerk of Membership, said that the committee hosted such an event earlier this year and gathered a lot of interest.
MILESTONES
6/11 – 7 Marriage and Family Relations Committee Margot Greenlee, on behalf of the Marriage and Family Relations Committee, made the following presentations:
1. Request for marriage under care of the Meeting of Jorge Sánchez and Margaret Edwards (second presentation). Friends APPROVED this request
2. Report on the marriage of Mohamad Olabi and Justin Connor on June 4, 2011. The marriage was accomplished in good order. During the wedding, which was held in the manner of Friends, an Imam gave a Muslim blessing at the couple's request. The couple exchanged their vows in English and Arabic, and the certificate was written in both languages. After the wedding in the Assembly room downstairs, the reception was graced by the presence of a belly dancer.
6/11 – 8 Recommendations for Membership
1. Mark Meinke (first presentation) – Harry Massey, Clerk of the Membership Committee, presented the committee's recommendation for membership of Mark Meinke. This request lies over for one month, as is our custom.
2. Susan Griffin (second presentation) - David Etheridge, Clerk, made the second presentation of membership for Susan Griffin. Friends APPROVED this membership.
REPORTS AND OTHER BUSINESS
6/11 – 9 Nominating Committee Marcia Reecer, Interim Clerk of the Nominating Committee, brought the committee's recommendations, as follows:
1. Nominations
1. Joan Gildemeister to the Membership Committee for a term ending December 2013.
A Friend objected to this recommendation, stating that she feels Friend Joan to be unqualified for this committee. Other Friends spoke in favor of this nomination, and asked that we support it despite whatever individual differences may exist between these two Friends. Friends APPROVED this nomination.
2. School for Friends Board for terms ending June 2014.
1. Lewis Smith
2. Michael Cronin
Friends APPROVED these nominations.
2. Resignations
1. Virginia Avanesyan from the Religious Education Committee
2. Andrew Lightman from the Property Committee
3. Malachy Kilbride as Clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee
Nominating will gather the remaining members of the Peace and Social Concerns to see if the committee is still viable, and bring their findings back to the Meeting for Business. Friends spoke with concern about this situation. A Friend asked if the need for members of Peace and Social Concern could be placed in the weekly announcements. Another Friend noted that peace and social concerns is at the heart of the Society of Friends. A Friend asked that committees be clear about how much of a time commitment committee membership will require, in the hope of drawing more people to this work.
Friends spoke with special gratitude for the extensive work of both Virginia Avanesyan and Malachy Kilbride.
6/11 – 10 Committee of Clerks Merry Pearlstein read a minute from the Committee of Clerks concerning the contract for the Administrative Secretary. The committee approved a six-month extension of this contract. The individual committees will provide a list of specific tasks they need performed by Personnel.
SUMMARY REPORTS
6/11 - 11 Capital Improvement Task Force Ken Forsberg, Clerk of the Capital Improvement Task Force, gave a report (see attached). The report outlines a plan which would connect the Meetinghouse to Carriage House, and Carriage House to Quaker House. The addition of an elevator would not affect the Meeting Room.
A Friend thanked the task force for its simplicity of approach, and asked about whether this approach would fit within the guidelines of D.C. Historic Preservation. The answer is Yes, as long as the street view is compatible with historic guidelines. A Friend thanked the task force for its clear communication and good work. He noted that, while considerable elements of the plan remain to be resolved, much progress has been made. He asked that the capital campaign committee begin its work, based on this initial plan. Many Friends spoke in support of this idea.
6/11 – 12 Peace Tax Fund David Etheridge, Clerk, presented the summary report for the Peace Tax Fund. The Fund has had many challenges, including low funding. They had one staff member, who recently resigned. They hired a new, part-time executive director in May 2011. Some Board members, including J.E. McNeil, are leaving as well.
6/11 – 13Right Sharing of World Resources David Etheridge presented this committee's report. Joan Gildemeister and Karen Grisez continue as co-clerks of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Right Sharing of World Resources Committee, which is under the care of BYM's Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Both clerks continue to visit the different Meetings to share information and stories about this organization. Karen just joined the national board of Right Sharing. Both will give a workshop on August 4 at Annual Sessions of BYM. They welcome invitations to speak to other communities about this work.
6/11 – 14 Adjournment With approximately 40 Friends present, the meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. to reconvene as way opens on Sunday, July 17, 2011at 11:45 a.m.
Attachments:
Peace Tax Fund Report
Capital Improvement Task Force Update (see “Link” below). In printed Newsletter this is attached at the end on the newsletter- not in color).
A copy of the document distributed is available at the following link:http://quakersdc.org/sites/default/files/CITF-Update-June-12-2011.pdf
http://quakersdc.org/sites/default/files/CITF-Update-June-12-2011.pdfFriends should note:
- this is an update on work still in progress, not yet a final proposal ( the document has two pages - don't miss the second page
Report on the activities of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund during the past year, to Friends Meeting of Washington
The past several years have been difficult for NCPTF/PTFdn, as they have been for many non-profits, principally due to a decreased income. The presence of only one staff person in the office, (Bethany Criss, Executive Director) beginning in November, 2008, then followed by her resignation in August, 2010, all add challenges to NCPTF/PTFdn.
Due to the challenges we were facing, we scheduled additional meetings including a "Visioning meeting" on September 3, 2010, and a special Board meeting on Feb. 28, 2011.
Since then, the activities of the organization have been carried out by volunteers. Especial credit should be given to Board members living near Washington, notably J.E. McNeil, Treasurer; Kim McDowell, Secretary, and Church of the Brethren pastor in Hyattsville, MD, Rick Woodard, Chair, from Camp Hill, PA; Bill Galvin, co-worker with J.E. McNeil at the Center on Conscience & War; and Bob MacFarlane, retired Episcopal pastor, from Fairfax, VA, and the other three members of the Board, when possible.
Principal activities during 2010 to the present have included:
1. Due to FMW's plans for reconfiguration of some of their properties, and our own realities we agreed with the Property Committee to reduce our space usage. We recognize and are grateful for the many ways in which Friends Meeting has helped our organization since the outset, including the considerably reduced rental rate charged in the past (and we recognized the Meeting's need to receive rents from its tenants closer to the market value of the property). We recognized the convenience of this location, in regard to our work with Congress, and to visitors wishing to meet with us.
2.We have continued to work with some legislators in Congress, notably Representative John Lewis (of Atlanta, Georgia). John Lewis has been our principal sponsor since 1998, and remains dedicated to the principles of the RFPTF Bill. The RFPTF Bill was re-introduced in the 112th Congress on March 17, 2011 as H.R. 1191. The Bill's language was unchanged from that of the Bill in the 111th Congress. We believe that this language is concise, and explains well the rationale for the legislation, its straightforward functioning, and the mechanism which would make possible "alternative service for the funds of those who are conscientiously opposed to paying for war." (Copies of the RFPTF Bill can be accessed at thomas.loc.gov.)
3. We continue to benefit from the publication of "A Persistent Voice; Marian Franz and Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation", published in 2009 by Cascadia Publishing House, and available from Amazon.com. This book describes the 40-year history of the Peace Tax Fund efforts, which began in Ann Arbor in 1971. A valuable book review appears in the Friends Journal for January, 2010, pp 32 & 34.
4. We are pleased to announce that Jack Payden-Travers, a social responsibility educator and community organizer, and currently teaching at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, VA, has joined us as part-time Executive Director, beginning on May 16, 2011.
5. We want to expand the Membership on our Board (and will be interested to hear from persons who are knowledgeable about and committed to the goals of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, and of NCPTF.) Bill Galvin found it necessary to step down as a Board member at the Feb. 28, 2011 Board meeting, after long and faithful service (including having been our Chair) and J.E. McNeil will be leaving the Board after similarly long and faithful service at the time when she also steps down as Executive Director at the Center on Conscience & War.
We know that many organizations, currently and historically, have faced ebbs and flows in their efforts. We know that, in regard to our present NCPTF efforts, not only do we face the economic recession, but there is very likely a "fatigue factor" among some of those who have been ardent contributors to and supporters of the NCPTF effort, and the RFPTF Bill in the past.
But we continue to know that violence begets violence; and that war is a form of societal pathology, which is amenable to prevention. We know the importance of directing more funding to the prevention of deadly conflict. Further, we believe that paying for war is a form of participation in war, and that paying federal taxes at present means that we are paying for war. The Peace Tax Fund Bill is designed to recognize the human right of conscientious objection to paying military taxes, (an extension of conscientious objection to military service), while providing that one would pay one's full amount of taxes, but with the portion presently being used for current military expenses, instead being used for peaceful and constructive purposes.
We continue to believe that the human right of conscientious objection to military taxation will ultimately be recognized by public bodies (our Congress, and Parliaments.) Worldwide efforts have been underway to establish this human right since 1986 (see Conscience and Peace Tax International. (cpti.ws). We encourage your active consideration of the principles, history, and actions we have set forth above. FINAL, 5/16/11
FMW NEWSLETTER
July August 2011
Summer Events
BYM Annual Session 2011
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Annual Session will be held from Monday, August 1, through Sunday August 7, at Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland. The theme for the Annual Session this year is “Moving Forward in Community: Welcoming the Divine, Welcoming Every Person”.
Since 1672, Baltimore yearly meeting Friends have come together every year to worship, to seek clarity, to support each other, and to act positively on the world around us. These opportunities are available to you at every turn at our Annual Session, from morning until night.
Although Friends’ silent way of worship can seem rather solitary, we have always desired to take on the joys and responsibilities of being together for our own growth and enjoyment, but also to strengthen our witness. For adults our day begins with a refreshing worship sharing or Bible time in small groups after breakfast. Next comes Meeting for Worship with Concern for Business, where we gather to tend to the administration of Friends’ affairs, while renewing and deepening our individual and corporate spiritual lives. Afternoon activities include a range of workshops and interest groups that offer many choices for learning and sharing Quaker approaches to important issues. You might also visit the Quaker book and crafts store, or attend a Quaker organizational presentation. Engaging evening speakers and recreational activities full of music and fun fill out an active schedule.
Childcare is available for infants and toddlers. For our young children there are morning classes full of exploration. Afternoon activities, from swimming to arts and crafts, ensure that children will be supervised and entertained. Other programs range from an all-age celebration to movies to outdoor games. Parents are responsible for taking children to class, picking them up before lunch, and ensuring that their children are enrolled in a program or are with the parent. Children may not be on campus unsupervised.
Children in rising sixth through rising eighth grades are part of the Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) and have classes and activities of their own.
High school-aged teenagers (Young Friends) gather from Tuesday to Sunday in their own dorm. Young Friends (YF), Friendly Adult Presences, and the BYM Youth Secretary cooperate in a community based on caring, trust, and love. Young Friends hold their own Meetings for Business and workshops, and invite everyone to their nighttime Produce Department sessions and to the Saturday evening Coffee House. Young Friends should sign and submit the “Letter of Understanding” in the registration portion of this Interchange, if they will be on campus anytime during the week.
Are you thinking of trying us out for the first time? Each local Meeting can offer three certificates for attendance at Annual Session for two free nights. If you have never attended Annual Session and would like to take advantage of this, please contact your Meeting Clerk or Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee.
After our week together, Friends will find they have a deeper relationship with Quaker values, a stronger skill set of Friends’ practices, and new ways of being a meaningful part of their Monthly Meeting community. Welcome to BYM Annual Session!
Buddhist Meditation Master at FMW
The Dzogchen Society with the FMW Religious Education Committee are pleased to host H.E. Khenpo Choga, Dzogchen Meditation Master, teaching on "Planting the Seeds of Compassion; Establishing the Roots of World Peace" on July 12, 2011 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Friends Meeting in the Meeting Room. A suggested donation covers travel costs. No one turned away for lack of funds.
In these times of extraordinary political unrest and natural disasters, we all want to know how to help. Tibetan Buddhist Master, Khenpo Choga Rinpoche will teach on meditation and positive thinking to cultivate inner peace, and affect peace in our families, community, nation and world.
Rinpoche is known for his simple, clear style of teaching in English. His direct and practical approach to difficult subjects give students a way to apply profound teachings in their daily lives.
He began training in Buddhism at the age of five at the Dzogchen Monastery. For seven years he meditated in the Siltrom Mountain caves in the Holy Dzogchen area of Tibet, under difficult conditions.
He received the doctoral-level degree of Khenpo at twenty-two years old from the Dzogchen Shri Singha University, where he taught for several years. He is the author of 30 books and has founded Dzogehen Buddhist retreat centers in Nepal and India, as well as many Buddhist practice centers in Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia.
FriendsWilderness Center
The Friends Wilderness Center is located outside Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and offers Friends many outdoor and nature related workshops. On Saturday, July 9 at 10:00 a.m. there is a workshop - Meditating on Scripture. OnSaturday, July 30 at 8:30 p.m. a program ofStargazing is scheduled. On Saturday, August 20 a workshop – Healing, Spiritual and Nature is offered. For information Google the Friends Wilderness Center or call Sheila Bach (304) 728-4820.
Singing Before Meeting for Worship
Please join the community in singing before Meeting for Worship on the third Sunday of the month. For July that will be July 17. (August is TBA). Singing will be led by Chris Benz and will start at 10:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room and continue until worship starts at 10:30 a.m. Song choice comes from either Rise Up Singing or the Quaker Hymnal.
William Penn House
The William Penn House is a Quaker spiritual retreat center on Capitol Hill that offers workshop, seminars and low cost lodging. It is an alcohol and tobacco free facility. During July and August there will not a Sunday potluck dinner and discussion. The Sunday potluck will resume this fall. Yoga classes, for all levels, are offered every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. A $15 donation is requested. William Penn House is located at 515 E. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003. (202) 543-5560.
Adult Study Group
The Adult Study Group will not meet during July and August. The Group will meet at 9:15 a.m. in the Assembly Room on Sunday, September 11 and Sunday, September 25. On Sunday, September 11 the program will be a presentation about the life of James Michener, a Quaker. On Sunday, September 25 some of his writings will be discussed. For more information, contact John Scales.
Living Our Queries
Please join Friends as we discover how the monthly queries, advices and voices connect with our daily spiritual experiences. The group meets the fourth Sunday of each month at 9:15 a.m. in the Quaker House Living Room. Participating in this monthly discussion can lead both long time Friends to a “deeper understanding” of the queries, and help newcomers better understand Quakers, our practices, our beliefs and our spiritual lives. The next session of Living Our Queries, is on Sunday, August 28, and thequeries to be discussed are “Stewardship of personal resources”. For further information, contact Tracy Hart.
FMW’s Senior Center
The Senior Center will not meet in July and August. Programs will start again in September on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. in the Decatur Place Room. The program for Wednesday, September 14 is Medicare and Fraud
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AFSC Community Discussion
Please join the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and invited experts for a community discussion on the creation and power of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Tuesday, July 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Quaker House Living Room. We will be looking at how WWII and the Holocaust gave rise to an international demand for increased human rights protection, how from its founding the United Nations has striven to make human rights a reality, and how these global aspirations have been translated into national and local policies today. All are welcome. Refreshments and light appetizers will be served. Please RSVP to Sara Ramey at sramey@afsc.org or (202) 241-9314.
AFSC Human Right Workshops
AFSC DC is hosting two workshops this summer at Quaker House on the hot human rights topics of immigration (July 30-31), and Democracy (August 20-21). Each workshop will begin with a discussion of the problem through a variety of hands-on activities, news articles, film, and expert lecture. The discussion will be followed by an afternoon visit to a locally based organization working on these issues, where you will have the opportunity to hear stories from the field firsthand and engage in a community service activity. The second day will be devoted to an action project that you and the other participants will choose from a list that includes creating a documentary film, gathering petition signatures, conducting a public awareness campaign, and polling community members on their view. For an application or more information contact Sara at sramey@afsc.org or (202) 241-9314.
Do You Seek a Deeper Spiritual Experience?
The Spiritual Formation Program invites its participants into a deeper experience of God’s presence. Spiritual Formation provides a practical way for people in our busy culture to turn to God with their minds through spiritual readings, with their hearts through daily spiritual practices, and with their human relationships through local friendship groups. The program begins and ends with weekend retreats in September 9 to September 11, 2011 and May 11 to May13, 2012. For more information and a registration form, see the Baltimore Yearly Meeting website. Registration deadline is August 16, 2011. For information about the local FMW group, contact Judy Hubbard (202) 966-1995 or Sabrina McCarthy at (240) 778-5234.
FCNL Information
The national Friends lobby arm is Friends Committee in National Legislation (FCNL) with headquarters on Capitol Hill. This is the organization which most effectively represents individual Friends meetings and other Quaker groups in terms of interpreting our urges toward National policy. FCNL’s success depends on Quakers communications of desires and financial contributions. The FCNL Annual Meeting is held at a hotel in Washington, in November. At that time, policy decisions will be made for the following year. If you have any input, you should forward it to FCNL at 245 2nd St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5761. Contributions are welcome anytime and may go to either of two funds, One is the Education fund, which is tax deductible, and the other is for lobbying and is not tax deductible. For further information, call FCNL at (202) 547-6000 or FCNL@FCNL.org or speak with Maurice Boyd (202) 488-4312, FMW’s Liaison with FCNL.
From the Vault
A monthly series of edited extracts from the historical material of the Friends Meeting of Washington. (By Hayden Wetzel, FMW Historian).
September 21, 1973
Dear Ralph Boyer and Harold Snyder:
I am writing not as Chairman of Overseers, nor as Clerk (of the month), but for myself. My concern is the behavior of XX at Monthly Meeting, of which you no doubt have heard. It appears that XX struck Marshall Sutton forcefully, knocked him down and then kicked him. This followed obscene behavior in Monthly Meeting, For me, I am afraid this irresponsible behavior is unacceptable, regardless of the cause….(continues with opinion on the matter).
Sincerely,
GLS
File: ISSUES: Mtg for Business –Altercation 1973
(This remarkable event –not mentioned in any other 1973 papers I have seen – actually did occur; XX’s contrite letter to Marshall Sutton two years latter and Marshal’s generous reply are in XX’s personal file. XX did not attend Meeting thereafter).
Summer at FMW
Friends should note that during the month of August most committees do not meet. This is due to BYM Annual Session (August 1 to 7) and the Washingtonian practice of leaving the city for cooler climates during the month. If committees do meet, often they meet as a social occasion at a committee members home. If a committee plans on Meeting at the Meeting House during August, please call the FMW Office, (202) 483-4233 to schedule a room and get the committee meeting on the monthly calendar. Friends should also note the FMW Office will be closed on Monday, July 4 and Monday, September 5, in observance of holidays.
Friendly Office Presence Sought
The FMW Office is seeking Friends who would be interested in working as a “Friendly Presence” for the Meeting. This part time paid employment would include unlocking and opening door/gates, offering visitors directions, and doing light office work. The FOP would work evenings, and weekends when groups want to use the facility. The compensation is above minimum wage. If you are interested, or would like more information, call Tom Cooke, FMW Administrative Secretary at (202) 483-4410, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m to 4 p.m.
OUT and ABOUT
News of Friends
Hayden Wetzel ran into our former attender Michael Vanya on the metro last week. He has gone through a “rough patch” but says he has things under control and is now doing well as an independent contractor.
Hayden also keeps in touch with FMW member Don Weightman. Currently, he is in the process of moving from Louisville, Kentucky to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order to receive medical care where his sister lives.