January 2014 Newsletter
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Peace & Social Concerns Report
American Friends Service Committee Report
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS
December 8, 2013
2013/12-1 Opening The meeting opened with silent worship at 12:15PM. David Etheridge served as Presiding Clerk, Margaret Greene as Alternate Clerk, and Hayden Wetzel as Recording Clerk. The clerks read a Query from Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s draft Faith and Practice, and appropriate advices and other readings. 22 Friends were present and no visitors.
2013/12-2 Personal Announcements The Clerk announced the deaths of our former member Elizabeth Lowry Brache on 21 April; a memorial meeting will be held in New Jersey in January. Our member Alex Mathews is in treatment for cancer. Upcoming activities were announced.
2013/12-3 Committee and Other Nominations for 2014 Beth Cogswell, clerk of the Nominating Committee, presented the list of committee and other nominations to begin in the coming January (approved list attached). Friends approved the nominations.
A number of nominations of attenders to positions generally open only to members and which require a waiver were also announced and will be presented a second time next month. They are: Shannon Zimmerman (Recording Clerk, and member of Healing & Reconciliation), Louise Levathes (Interim Clerk, Peace & Social Concerns), Gene Throwe (Ministry & Worship), Anne Harper (Ministry & Worship).
2013/12-4 Accommodation of Richmond Friends Meeting’s Marriage Ceremony Liz Pomerleau, clerk of the Marriage and Family Relations Committee, reported that a member of this meeting will attend as a legal signer of the marriage license at the upcoming marriage ceremony of Frances Olive Stewart and Wendy Anne Wadsworth, members of Richmond (Virginia) Friends Meeting, to be held in our meetinghouse but under the care of the Richmond Meeting. We are providing this service as a convenience for a sister Friends meeting.
2013/12-5 Religious Education Committee Annual Report Justin Connor, clerk of the Religious Education Committee, presented the annual report of that committee (attached). The support of the broad Meeting community for our First-Day School brings joy to the committee. There is, of course, a continuing need for helpers both short- and long-term. The committee works closely with the Child Safety Committee.
2013/12-6 Ministry and Worship Committee Annual Report Gray Handley, of the Ministry and Worship Committee, presented the annual report of that committee (attached). Some issues of the last few years – arrangement of the meeting room benches, entry of late-comers to worship and the time of children’s attendance, use of microphones during meeting for business – have been satisfactorily resolved. The committee will soon begin work on the annual Spiritual State of the Meeting report. The committee has revived the sharing of spiritual journeys and invites Friends to participate. Vocal ministry, the nature of eldering, audibility of messages during worship, and welcoming new members remain concerns of the committee. A Friend suggested that innovations made at the meeting room worship might be applicable to other worship groups. Friends worshipping in Quaker House at 10:30 AM on Sundays have asked to continue their special welcome to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
2013/12-7 Peace and Social Concerns Committee Annual Report Louise Levathes, interim clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, presented the annual report of that committee (attached). The committee looks to greater cooperation with other Washington-area meetings and with AFSC in worthy projects.
2013/12-8 Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund Committee Annual Report Anne Kendall, clerk of the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund, presented the annual report of the project (attached). The committee awarded five scholarships this year to students named in the written report, in cooperation with Bethesda Friends Meeting. Currently about 17 students attend college with funds from this scholarship. The committee hopes to include Langley Hill Friends Meeting and Sandy Spring Friends Meeting in this work next year. The committee will hold its annual Barbara Nnoka Memorial Luncheon in January.
2013/12-9 Young Adult Friends Annual Report Shannon Zinmmerman, co-convenor of the Young Adult Friends, presented the annual report of that group (attached). The group continues to welcome new Friends and has held a variety of activities as Way opened. Young Friends look for ways to integrate with the Meeting at large while maintaining their own identity as a group.
2013/12-10 School for Friends Annual Report Michael Cronin, one of our Meeting’s representatives to the School for Friends, has supplied a written report for that organization, which is attached.
2013/12-11American Friends Service Committee Annual Report David Etheridge reported that the local branch of the American Friends Service Committee has concentrated on human rights in the last year. The written annual report is attached.
2013/12-12 Report on Meeting Finances James Bell, clerk of the Finance and Stewardship Committee, reported that the Meeting is running a deficit of about $10,000 and has recently made a funding appeal which has helped somewhat. A spreadsheet showing monthly giving from July 2009 through November 2013 is attached.
2013/12-13 Property Manager Position Steve Brooks, co-clerk of the Property Committee, requested that Friends approve the extension of our Property Manager’s contract to June of the coming year, which funding was approved at our last Business Meeting. Friends approved.
2013/12-14 Nomination to Search Committee David Etheridge, Presiding Clerk, reported the nomination of Arne Paulson to the Search Committee. Friends approved this appointment.
2013/12-15 Minutes Friends approved the minutes.
2013/12-16 Closing Friends expressed their appreciation to Friend David Etheridge for serving as our Meeting’s Presiding Clerk for the last five years. The meeting ended at 1:40 PM with 14 Friends present, with silent worship.
Nominations and Resignations to be Presented
To Meeting for Worship with Concern for Business
December 8, 2013
Officers:
Margaret Greene, Presiding Clerk
Daniel Dozier, Alternate Clerk
Shannon Zimmerman, Recording Clerk (waiver; membership application in progress)
Edwin Hustead, Financial Coordinator
Committee Clerks:
Byron Sandford, Finance & Stewardship
Gray Handley and Marilyn Pearlstein, Healing & Reconciliation
Susan Griffin and Bill Strein, Hospitality
Michael North and Faith Williams, Library
Elizabeth Pomerleau, Marriage & Family Relations
Hayden Wetzel, Membership
Blair Forlaw, Ministry & Worship
Beth Cogswell, Nominating
Louise Levathes, Interim Clerk, Peace & Social Concerns (waiver, non-member)
Michael Cronin, Personnel
Jean Harman, Property
Todd Harvey, Records and Handbook
KimberlyAcquaviva, Religious Education
Note that no clerk has been identified for the Personal Aid Committee
New Nominations:
Thomas Goodhue, Trustees
Byron Sandford, Finance & Stewardship (clerk)(2nd standing committee)
F.T. Clark, Finance & Stewardship
Katherine Brandt, Finance & Stewardship
Kenneth Orvis, Healing & Reconciliation
Shannon Zimmerman, Healing & Reconciliation (waiver, membership application in process)
Michael Hubbard, Hospitality
Danielle Spruance, Hospitality
Gregory Robb, Hospitality
Faith Williams, Library (co-Clerk)
Gregory Robb, Library (waiver, 2ndstanding committee)
James Bell, Marriage & Family Relations
Ann Herzog, Marriage & Family Relations (needs waiver; non-member)
F.T. Clark, Marriage & Family Relations (2nd Term, 2nd standing committee; non-member)
Janet Dinsmore, Membership
Marcia Reecer, Membership (2nd standing committee)
Gene Throwe, Ministry & Worship (waiver; membership application in process)
Deborah Churchman, Ministry & Worship
Anne Harper, Ministry & Worship (2nd term; waiver, non-member)
Adam Hixson, Personal Aid
MalachyKilbride, Personal Aid
Patricia Murphy, Personal Aid (2nd term)
Beth Cogswell, Records & Handbook (2nd standing committee)
Michael Beer, Religious Education
Nicole Else-Quest, Religious Education
Judith Hubbard, Capital Campaign
Andrew Hall, IT
Resignations:
Ann Herzog, Finance & Stewardship
Deborah Churchman, Healing & Reconciliation
Andrew Lightman, Membership
Thomas Goodhue, Marriage & Family Relations
Beth Cogswell, Peace & Social Concerns
Stephen Coleman, Property
Byron Sandford, CITF
Report of the Religious Education Committee for 2013
Presented at the December 2013 Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Committee members: Kim Acquaviva (Recording Clerk), Jane Connor, Justin Connor (Clerk), Anita Drever, Nicole Else-Quest, Rob Farr (Alternate Clerk), Carrie Mitchell, Windy Cooler (FMW Youth Program Coordinator and ex officio committee member)
The Religious Education committee is delighted about the lively and joyful spirit that abounds in our First Day School (FDS) program these days at Friends Meeting of Washington. We care deeply for the spiritual lives of the children in our Meeting and we rejoice in how much they bring life and Spirit to our Meeting. The nursery for our littlest ones (birth to 4) has grown substantially this year, both in the number of children attending and the care providers whom we rely upon to nurture our children. The FDS program is also strong and comprises three different age groups under its care, each of which has a group of children that regularly attend.
One of the signature achievements of the committee of which we are most proud was the selection and hiring of Windy Cooler, our Youth Program Coordinator, who has provided a much needed boost to the energy and coordination of our youth program at FMW. From her first days with us, Windy has made a significant impact on our Meeting, on our children and on our hearts. The energy, positive spirit and joy that Windy brings to the way she nurtures our program and supports our volunteer teachers is a breath of fresh air. We love the way she both nurtures and challenges us to grow in new ways and build a better program together.
FDS and youth programs at Friends Meeting of Washington have grown and deepened substantially in the last year due to the ongoing commitment of our community. We have had greater success in retaining and serving children and youth, moving from having one FDS class to three from January to September. As of the Fall of 2013, we have anywhere between nine and twenty children and youth with us, more than doubling attendance in our weekly program. FMW recently hosted a Baltimore Yearly Meeting Youth Conference (or “Con”) comprising nearly 80 young people from across the BYM community. We have successfully reached out to the greater Quaker community in our region through our youth programs as well. Several from FMW attended the recent weekend BYM-wide Religious Education retreat hosted by William Penn House.
With well over 30 people volunteering in some capacity to serve our programs creatively and in community we have instituted a system of seasonal planning sessions, two of which have happened thus far, one for the Spring and another for the Fall of 2013. These were well attended with half of our volunteers and the vast majority of our regular volunteers attending and participating in the planning of our programs. This planning includes making decisions about new ideas to try in the basic structure of our offerings as well as in the details of how we carry forward decisions. FDS has a weekly planning call on Tuesday nights at 9pm that anyone interested in our work is invited to join. FDS is happy to be a meaningful and thoughtful part of the work Friends do in service to our community.
FDS has a weekly bulletin that includes information about past lessons as well as the upcoming week's offerings as well as links and events that might be of interest to our families.
FDS has worked closely with Property Committee to reinvigorate our spaces and seeks to work with each committee of the Friends Meeting of Washington to move toward greater connectivity and meaning in the life and broader work of Meeting.
Our nursery is now well staffed, with eight rotating paid caregivers and what seems like an ever-growing population of regular toddlers and babies. We regularly provide skilled childcare for special events at FMW and are grateful to the Meeting for approving the larger Religious Education budget this year that makes this possible.
Nursery–Coordinator: Windy Cooler
The Meeting offers child care to our little ones, from birth through 4 years of age each week during 10:30 Meeting for Worship and monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business. Average attendance is 8-10 children each week and over the past year we have nurtured approximately 15 children and families. We are blessed with a wonderful group of child care providers on staff at FMW. Over the past year, we hired Katie, Katherine, Patti and Meredith to join our existing providers: Makai, Katorra, Lizzie and Thanh.
Lower Elementary– Coordinator:Jay Harris
This year saw the introduction of the Lower Elementary class at First Day School at FMW. This newly formed class supports the religious education of children ages four to six years. While only active since the start of the FDS year in September, this class has seen strong support and attendance by children of FMW members and attenders, as well as parents of School for Friends. On average, there are five children each First Day. The LE class also has a dedicated group of parents who volunteer to lead the class; special thanks to Anita Drever, Robin Appleberry, Nicole Else-Quest, and Jay Harris. Other volunteer leads join the class as their schedule permits. There are always two teachers, the lead and their support (though there are always more than two adults in the class each First Day). A typical LE lesson concentrates on the query for that week or month. The class then reads a book or does an activity focusing on the query – so far favorite books have been simple books that the children can relate to. Story time is generally followed by snack time with the kids, giving the class an opportunity to discuss the story and other relevant topics openly and informally. After snack time the children join the others in Meeting for Worship.
Upper Elementary– Coordinator: Michael Beer
2013 has seen a steady growth in the numbers of children attending upper elementary first day program from 4 to 7. The renovated children spaces in the North Room and the Children’s Library have made for a better environment for diverse programs. Upper Elementary children go to the Church of the Pilgrims monthly to make sandwiches for the homeless. The first Sunday of every month, all children and parents join together in a “Family Meeting for Worship”. Content in the remaining 2 or 3 Sundays every month has varied from Queries, to Quaker history, to exploration of the “light” to Yoga, the environment, and music. The new practice begun in 2012 to have the children join the community in worship at the end of Meeting is a successful capstone to their morning gathering. We have had a large number of volunteers that has helped make this age group a success.
Junior Young Friends/Teens– Coordinator: Kim Acquaviva
This year has been a vibrant one for the youth in the Junior Young Friends group (AKA “Tweens and Teens.”) The third-floor room we meet in each week has become a comfortable gathering space where the JYF’s can flop down on beanbag chairs, eat donuts, and hang out with their Friends. This framework of informality has provided the group with a cohesion not seen in recent years. As a result, attendance has not only remained steady, it’s also grown. Along the way, the young people in our JYF group have demonstrated both enthusiasm and insight as they’ve tackled difficult questions such as “what is a query?” Our young people have grown in their comfort with silent reflection (and our adults continue to grow in our collective ability to refrain from filling those periods of silence with our sage wisdom and guidance! J) We have been incredibly fortunate to have a strong and supportive cadre of adults working with our JYF’s this year. I’d like to give particular thanks to Emily and Ken – two steadfast volunteers who brighten each week with our youth. Thank you!
BaltimoreYearly Meeting
Our Yearly Meeting(BYM) continues to have a very active youth program that includes regular weekend retreats at Monthly Meetings throughout BYM for those in 6th through 8th grade – Junior Young Friends –(see http://jyf.bym-rsf.net) and those aged 14-20–Young Friends –(see: http://yf.bym-rsf.net/). Parents of FMW teens report to us that the BYM programs are just wonderful and enable the teens to get to know other younger Friends from all over the area and they have the time of their lives together while practicing lived Quakerism through the regular retreats they have. This program is also always seeking Friendly Adult Presences to be watchful guides at retreats such as the one we hosted at FMW over the last weekend in November.
Adult Religious Education Study Group– Coordinated by John Scales
During the past year the study group met generally twice a month on Sundays before the Meeting for Worship. It benefited by the contributions of new, as well as long-standing, members as they shared in their readings and led discussions.
The Adult Education Study Group meets generally on selected Sundays from 9:15-10:15, before Meeting for Worship. It considers a wide range of topics of interest chosen to enhance appreciation of contributions Quakers and others make to individual spiritual growth and society. Sessions over the years have addressed Quaker history and Quaker leaders (e.g. George Fox, John Woolman), Social activists with Quaker backgrounds (e.g. Susan B.Anthony, Bayard Rustin), writers with Quaker influences (e.g., James Michener, Thornton Wilder, Walt Whitman). Religions such as Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism, have been considered in terms of their tenets and differences and similarities to Quaker beliefs and approaches. Writers about spirituality from those and other religions are also considered.
During the last year, the study group has featured an array of different topics –presentations and discussions of a film "Amazing Grace." about William Wilberforce's fight in the British parliament against the slave trade, a diary of a Quaker who refused to serve in the Civil War, a book "How to Read the Bible", and a number of sessions on the history of the Underground Railroad--from perspectives in the North and the South, as well as movements of freed slaves into Canada.
Child safety
We were delighted to note that this year the monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business approved the revised Child Safety Policy at FMW and, like all Friends, feel much gratitude in our hearts to the Child Safety committee for the extensive work that they did in the preparation, revision and presentation of the policy to our Meeting. We know that this work will benefit Friends in our Meeting for years to come. We expect that the important work of the Child Safety committee will continue and be supported by the broader Meeting.
Conclusion
We have pursued multiple goals in the past year and will again be working toward them in the coming year. We concern ourselves not only with the spiritual nourishment of youth and families, but questions of intergenerational and community cohesion and welcome to families and youth at FMW and in the larger Quaker community, as well as the larger community around us. We have worked to increase the physical safety of our children while on the property. We have worked to bring meaningful work to ourselves as adults in service to one another. We have worked to increase our ability to make choices with each other about how to try to do that. We have worked to make our spaces more aesthetically pleasing and useful so that they may serve us better. Each of these goals will always be in process, though we have witnessed and felt our ability to climb this mountain together, with one another, with much joy in our hearts.
Ministry and Worship Annual Report, 2013
In 2013, Ministry and Worship continued its efforts to enhance the experience of worship in FMW’s multiple Meetings for Worship. Earlier actions taken to include children more meaningfully into Worship were built upon as the year progressed. Additionally, the modifications that changed the latecomer’s policy of the 10:30 a.m. larger Meeting for Worship seemed to settle well with Friends. The committee also made changes to the Head of Meeting schedule. Previously, only committees or task forces could serve as Head of Meeting. Towards the end of the year, we invited the individuals or informal groups that felt led to participate to have the ability to serve in a Head of Meeting role.
Preparation of the annual Spiritual State of the Meeting report was particularly arduous this year, in part, because our community provided a wealth of heartfelt comment. As is always the case, the Committee deeply appreciated a truthful and revealing account of our Meeting’s Spiritual state. The Meeting came to unity on the report in May. We will begin the process anew as 2013 turns to 2014.
To help welcome newcomers and inquirers, the literature rack was updated, a welcome packet was completed, and other outreach materials were either revised or obtained. Many existing materials were made more visible. As the year moved toward its conclusion, we oversaw Memorial Meetings for four Friends, including beloved members Bill Cousins and Sara Satterthwaite.
For several months our committee considered eldering and spirit-led vocal ministry. Friends’ practice, expression, and conduct often create spiritual challenges. In partnership with the Healing and Reconciliation Committee, we convened a meeting to consider eldering. The Meeting, in part, deliberated as to how it might more carefully be undertaken as a gentle correction, not a public scolding. Minutes from this meeting were shared far and wide. We concluded that individual and collective reflection would continue in pursuit of deeper understanding and Spirit-led compassion within our community.
During the year we were mindful that our Meeting is large, diverse and spiritually active – with five worship opportunities each week, and a variety of study groups, spiritual gatherings and called Meetings for Worship. Our committee celebrates and supports all these opportunities. They provide different pathways for spiritual growth through a variety of practices and formats, each in response to the needs and preferences of our members and attenders.
In several ways over the year, our committee gave special attention to FMW’s diversity. After careful consideration and consultation with regular attendees, the committee decided to continue a long-standing special welcome for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender worshipers at our 10:30 a.m. Quaker House Living Room Meeting for Worship. This particular Meeting for Worship has recently decided to compile its own history to share alongside a previously published FMW history.
To help enhance our spiritual community and, in particular, to foster intergenerational activities, the committee also has revived the practice of inviting individuals to share their personal spiritual journeys. Two sessions were held in 2013 and more are planned. The experience has been profoundly moving and enlightening. Our committee deeply appreciates all those who have participated in this direct exercise of Quaker Ministry and we look forward to additional spiritual journey sharing. We find that when Friends from many generations join together, the accounts and stories voiced are richer and more gratifying to all who hear them.
Going into 2014, the committee will continue efforts to nurture spiritual well being. It will address additional ways to welcome all seekers, individuals of all ages, those with special needs, and those with difficult histories. We also will continue to give attention to Spirit-led vocal ministry and eldering as elements of Quaker practice which are of particular concern at FMW. None of these efforts can or should be addressed by Ministry and Worship alone. Concerns such as these are everyone’s responsibility. We look forward to working with other committees, established Friends, and new seekers alike as we move forward.
Annual Report for 2013 of Peace and Social Concerns Committee
Mark Cannon was the clerk of the committee through August of this year and regular members of PSCC have been: Beth Cogswell, John Pepper, Mike Duvall, Louise Levathes. In January and February, Maurice Boyd led an Amnesty International letter writing campaign, a long-standing tradition at FMW, and Beth Cogswell organized a small discussion at the meeting house on people’s personal experience with gun violence. Mark Cannon headed a book group (of four) who read and discussed Curtis Paul DeYoung’s “Living Faith – How Faith Inspires Social Justice.” In the spring, the committee sponsored two groups: students from Olney (Ohio) Friends School, who gave a video presentation they had prepared on what the Quaker peace testimony meant to them; and, a local chapter of a national campaign against genetically-modified foods, who organized an evening of speakers, music, and dinner. Committee members assisted with the catered dinner. Over 100 attended. April 12, the committee held a fund-raiser to support the work of School for Friends elementary school teacher Makai Kellogg, who visited the Dominican Republic to observe discrimination in the schools. Also in the spring, a member of DC Youth Court made a presentation to the committee on how PSCC and FMW could get involved with volunteers (adults and teens) in supporting Youth Court, which involves youth in the rehabilitation of youthful offenders. (No volunteer program has yet been undertaken.)
After Mark’s departure from DC for graduate studies in August, John Pepper and Louise Levathes took over as co-clerks of the committee on an interim basis. (John will continue the end of 2013; Louise through March 1, 2014.) At the October committee fair, the following attendees expressed interest in joining the committee: Christopher Brauss, Abigail Vacquez, Janet Parker, Bridget Moix, Christopher Adam Hixson, Corinne Vandagriff, and Emilie Schmeidler. We have reached out to Young Friends and Elisabeth Johnson, who is now on our mailing list. We are also seeking to establish connections with Peace and Social Concerns Committees at our neighboring meeting houses in Maryland and Virginia and was pleased that Dona Boyce-Manoukian from Langley Hill attended our Nov. 3 lecture/discussion on Quaker involvement in North Korea by American Friend Service Committee representative in China and North Korea Prof. Linda Lewis. Our hope is to establish a “hub” at FMW for future AFSC representatives to come and talk, drawing interested attendees from other neighboring meetings and are in discussions with about this with Richelle Ogle, with the AFSC office in Philadelphia. On November 17, John Pepper will lead a discussion of CIA torture of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and the committee is sponsoring a slide presentation and Amazon craft sale by Campbell Plowden (of the Center for Amazon Community Ecology) on December 8.
For 2014, we are planning in February, an evening workshop open to all Friends run by Jonathan Foust, head of Washington Insight Meditation Center, on tools for conflict resolution; and a lecture/ fund raising event (hopefully with the Records and Handbook Committee) for Bridget Moix, who is working on the archives of Elise and Kenneth Boulding, a Quaker couple in Colorado who made enormous contributions to peace and sustainability (Elise was nominated for the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize). Sometime in the spring we will sponsor (hopefully with Young Friends) a showing of AFSC (Indianapolis) youth video when the group is visiting DC.
For the long term health of the committee, we need more active and involved members and we need to reach out to other committees, particularly Young Friends, for help and support.
Louise Levathes, co-committee clerk, with Mark Cannon and Beth Cogswell, November 15, 2013
Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Report
June 22, 2013
The Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Committee enters our 33rd year. With the inclusion of this year’s scholarship recipients, we will have provided support for 101 students. This year with the partnership of Bethesda Friends, we were able to give 5 scholarships, $3500 each. We provide $1500 year one, $1000 year two, and $500 for years three and four. This is a commitment of $17, 500. Next year our goal is to have each scholarship worth $4000 so that we can increase the 3rd and 4th year grants to $1000.
Meet this year’s recipients:
Sherve’ Belldescribes herself as a “hard worker.” As a student at Kipp DC she was in school from 7to 5 and did 3 hours of homework. She particularly likes math. Over the course of her high school years, she learned to prioritize what she needed to do. Because she works well at a desk, she stayed after school to do her homework. The hard work paid off with a 3.8 GPA.
Sherve is going to Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. She intends to be a business major. Her goal is to be successful which she defines as having a stable income and a nice house. She is committed to helping others who have been through hardship and in particular would like to work in the area of adoption and foster care.
When asked what she is proud of, she explained that she helped build a playground for her neighborhood elementary school. She is working this summer at a daycare center for 3 and 4 year olds. She is also proud of coming from three generations of strong women. We were impressed by her hard work and organization.
Kasey Davis went to Kipp DC and demonstrated increased effort and academic success over his time in the school. He explained that he only knows 4 people in his neighborhood who have gotten out and gone to college. At a certain point he realized that he wanted to be one of those people, and so he started applying himself in school. Fortunately, one of the 4 is his brother who went to Tuskegee and now is working in the Coast Guard. Kasey wants to follow that path by going to Loyola in New Orleans and joining the ROTC program. Kasey’s grandfather was in the military and he feels he will do well in the structure of the navy or marines. He spent a summer at the Naval Academy and loved it.
We were impressed by the way in which Kasey consciously expanded his world. For a solid year, he studied Mandarin after school and on weekends so that he could travel to China. During another summer, he did two wilderness programs, NOLS and Outward Bound. He said he learned that a person like him could actually go across the ocean to another country. He also developed a love of the wilderness where he learned to be comfortable in nature, to think about the wellbeing of the people in his group, and to be a leader.
Chanel Mack knew at an early age that she wanted to be an artist. When she was in the 8th grade, she won a contest at the SEED school to make a sculpture to represent the school. The Big Tree that she constructed is still on Benning Road. She said that she is an inherently creative person who is constantly working with her hands to make “something out of nothing.” Often she walks into the cafeteria for lunch with something she has constructed during the morning. She also works hard on her academics and has a 3.4 GPA.
At Temple University, Chanel will study engineering and art. She enjoys math and is interested to see where her mathematical skills and artistic bent will take her. She also loves traveling and was able to be part of a student trip to Greece.
Chanel is clearly a social person. In the eighth grade, she and some friends formed The High Tea Society. They worked on skills of etiquette and cooking as well as learning how to make a business plan and write resumes. One of the things she is looking forward to in college is getting to meet new people.
Chanel is a hard worker. She has had a series of jobs and currently is working in the Mayor’s Summer Program as a visual art specialist.
Nijah Richie found Kipp high school to be a school that backed her to succeed during a period when she had a turbulent family life. She was a very good student (GPA 3.45) who took a difficult academic load of four AP courses. While math is an easy subject for her, she has particular passion for English and the social sciences. She has done a great deal of community service by tutoring her peers who did not find academics as easy as she did. Her tutoring efforts continued even after the peer-tutoring program stopped. She clearly enjoys helping others.
Nijah will be going to Virginia Tech where she was admitted last fall in an Early Action program. She is going into the Universal Studies program because she does not know exactly what she major she wants. She thinks she will end up in computer engineering, but she wants to sample other things. She is quite organized and has already found that there is a Megabus that goes from DC to the University. Nijah has had a variety of jobs and has saved $1000 for college.
Nijah said that optimism is her most important attribute. She described always trying to look at things from the most positive light. She is proud of keeping her focus as a teenager and having the opportunity of going to college.
Rajanique White is a well- rounded young woman who has done well academically at Kipp DC (3.2 GPA). She is a strong athlete who has been a lead cheerleader and the captain of the lacrosse team. She was chosen as the Female Athlete of the Year. When asked what she had learned in her leadership roles, she said that she had learned patience. Rajanique also has a strong interest in acting and worked at the Shakespeare Theater after school and during the summer.
Outside of school, Rajanique has been actively involved in community service. She is independent and did not want to work in an existing program. Therefore, she and some friends started a project of mentoring the 6th grade girls at Kipp. She felt that she and her friends had a positive impact on the younger students.
Rajanique has a good scholarship at Furman University. She will be a premed student with the goal of being an anesthesiologist. She will focus on her studies as she needs to maintain a 3.7 GPA to keep her scholarship. However, she has already signed up to do community service at a medical clinic in Greenville.
We thank the Meeting for the ongoing support that you have given this committee and we hope for continued support.
Young Adult Friends of Friends Meeting of Washington
Annual Report
December 2013
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 are held in each other homes allowing YAFs to learn more about each other on both a social and spiritual level.
YAF’s held a series of meetings to organize the transfer of the position of convener of the Young Adult Friends. YAFs were led to split the position of convener into two co-convener positions. This new organizational structure will be tried for a trial period of 6 months and then revisited sometime in late November/early October. While this structure seemed to work well, one of the current positions is vacant until another young Friend feels led to take it up.
The Young Adult Friends have taken advantage of several gleaning opportunities around the DC area including with the Takoma Farmers Market and the MidAtlantic Gleaning Network. YAF’s have helped gather fresh greens for distribution to local organizations, which serve disadvantaged individuals and communities.
Over the past year the YAF’s proposed and facilitated the Fiber Party where all attendees of FMW can learn and work on fiber based crafts together.
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, Elizabeth Pomerleau has been very active on the Marriage and Family Relations Committee. Many YAFs have been active in Meeting wide events such as helping staff the Quaker booth at the Capital Pride Festival and attending the DC United game, events facilitated by YAFs Gene Throwe and Kevin Camp respectively. YAFs continue to convene as time allows including having brunches after meeting, and attending events together such as a ballet at the Wolf Trap Theater. Several new YAFs have joined the meeting in recent months.
From September 20-22, two young adult Friends attended the Friends United Meeting sponsored conference entitled ‘Bridging Gaps: For those who care for Youth and Young Adults’ held in Richmond, Indiana. This conference brought together programmed and unprogrammed Friends from coast to coast to discuss issues facing the Religious Society of Friends with regards to attracting and retaining youth and young adults. The result of this conference was a report presented to FMW Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, which addressed ways in which the Meeting might be able to cultivate stronger relationships between the young adults in the Meeting and the more seasoned Friends. As a result of attending the FUM conference in September, Gene Throwe was led to become the Quaker chaplain for American University. He hopes this will become an outreach to students at American University who are Quaker or are curious about the Religious Society of Friends. Hopefully, chaplaincies or other outreach programs can be replicated at the other universities in the DC Metro area either by him or others who are so led. Also, as Young Friends go off to college, the Meeting needs to provide guidance to local Meetings for college students.
The YAFs held a showing of Trying is Good, a filmed comedy routine by British indie comedian Josie Long. Efforts are also underway to find time that Josie can Skype with Friends here at FMW and share insights on the lighter side of Friends.
YAF Kevin Camp was the point person for a FMW visit by a group of 6 young adults from All Soul Unitarian-Universalist’s who attended Worship and then had a brief question and answer session.
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 224 members of the YAF listserv.
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 5-15 Friends. Many young Friends attend Meeting for Worship on a regular basis.
- Faithfully submitted by Shannon Zimmerman
School for Friends Highlights – 2012 - 2013
school for friends[SfF] sustains its excellence as a nationally accredited preschool offering full and half day educational programs for 50 two-to-four-year-olds, Monday - Friday from 8 am to 6 pm year-round.
SfF is a Quaker school and is a member of the Friends Council on Education. “The School for Friends educational curriculum reflects the Quaker values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence.” [See http://schoolforfriends.org/]
strategic planning initiative deferred
Anticipating a major expansion of the school, the School for Friends board deferred undertaking a new three-year strategic planning cycle in 2013. Instead, the board will focus on expanding the school.
Expansion
The School is in negotiations with the Church of the Pilgrims’ governing body, its Session, and its minister, to coordinate an expansion of the SfF by two additional classrooms. A memorandum of understanding has been drafted and is under consideration. The board anticipates a lengthy endeavor to accomplish the expansion.
staff and teacher development
Jim Clay continues to serve on committees of two national educational organizations, the Friends Council on Education [FCE] and the National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC]. In 2013, head of school Jim Clay and two teachers were among the 10,000 attending NAEYC’s annual conference held this year in Washington, DC. NAEYC has 90,000 members worldwide.
board governance
The Board has worked diligently to expand from twelve to sixteen members as well as to change the composition of the Board. Changes required modifying by-laws to allow more Board members.
Director Jim Clay and a few Board members have continued to attend three “webinars,” sessions of “Trustees U,” on governance of Boards, sponsored by the Friends Council on Education.
History, operations, philosophy, and affiliations of SfF
The School for Friends was co-founded in 1981 by members of FMW and neighbors who supported Quaker teaching and education.
SfF has four classrooms for up to fifty-two 2 to 4 year-olds, located at the Church of the Pilgrims, 2201 P St NW, two blocks from FMW. The SfF rents approximately 3400 ft2 of space for classrooms, offices, indoor activities, meeting rooms, and storage.
Approximately 50% of the families with children in the School identify themselves a people of color (African American, Latino, Asian American, American Indian). Approximately 15% of students receive financial aid. The School enjoys strong parental involvement and close teacher-parent relationships.
A Quaker school promoting Quaker values, SfF “provides a loving, caring, and supportive educational environment for children.” The curriculum reflects the Quaker values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence.
All children have a moment of silence at circle time, and the pre-kindergarten classroom at Quaker House does so in the FMW Meeting room twice a month. The SfF curriculum for three- and four-year olds includes the Quaker pillar of “service” by having children in all classes complete a community service project.
school for friends accreditation and affiliation
SfF is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and has met the naeyc Academy’s criteria for high quality early childhood programs. In 2012, School for Friends was awarded accreditation through 2017.
SfF is a member of the Friends Council on Education [founded 1931]. The Council celebrates four centuries of Friends education and promotes the theory and practice of Quaker education.
“The Council has 81 member schools in 21 states with 20,600 students, 4,560 faculty and staff and 1,190 trustees/board members. It includes 14 nursery schools, 37 elementary schools, 19 preschools, 10 secondary schools [7-12 and 9-12] and eight boarding schools. Five new schools have applied for membership. ” [http://www.friendscouncil.org/]
School for Friends is also a founding member of Washington, DC-area Friends Schools located in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Program: DC Peace and Economic Justice Program
2013 Annual Program Report
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) DC Human Rights Learning Project taught 150 students in three DC high schools about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The project consists of a ten-week class taught by law students and a summer learning program (The Human Rights Summit). Throughout the course, students learned the principles of the UDHR by identifying human rights breaches in their community. They proposed solutions and applied what they’ve learned to a community project. Twenty of those students then attended the UN National Capital Association’s Model UN Conference to learn about Human Rights in a global context.
With support from the AFSC’s donor-funded 2013 Opportunity Grant Fund, AFSC’s DC Peace and Economic Justice Program organized and hosted its first annual AFSC Youth Human Rights Summit, which took place in DC over five days in June 2013. The Summit drew ten young people (seven high school students from New Orleans, LA; St. Louis, MO; Logan, West VA; and Washington, D.C., two college students from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and one college student from Washington, D.C.
At the conclusion of a three-day intensive training, youth participants petitioned their Congressional representatives with confidence on prison reform in Louisiana, immigration reform in North Carolina, gun violence in Missouri, teen pregnancy in West Virginia, and education reform in DC. They continue to use what they have learned to design follow-up strategies with local elected officials and other leading stakeholders in their respective communities. DC youth participants who advocated education reform have remained involved as the City Council debates education reform legislation.
On December 5, 2012, at the urging of the participants of the AFSC-DC Human Rights Learning Project, the City Council of the District of Columbia passed Resolution CER 19-340 declaring 2012-2013 as the “D.C. Year of Human Rights Learning” to promote the importance of educating D.C. residents about human rights. The Resolution also reaffirmed the partnership between the D.C. Public Schools System and the AFSC to teach human rights values to DC high school students, increase their knowledge and understanding of human rights, and empower them to become educated and engaged citizens.
As part of this effort a Human Rights Steering Committee of local organizations will meet soon to prepare its 2013 report card on the state of human rights in DC.
Jean-Louis Ikambana and David Etheridge
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Here ends the Minutes and Reports from the December 2013 Meeting for Business
Come to S.O.M.E. on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 6:15 AM and be prepared to flip pancakes and help prepare breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. The kitchen is at 70 “0” St. NW, adjacent to a parking lot. For more information and to sign up, contact Betsy Bramon at betsy.bramon@gmail.com
The Grate Patrol will pack and deliver 120 bag lunches and soup to people living on the street on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Soup or chili is made in the afternoon. At 5:30 PM we start making sandwiches and packing the lunch bags. At 7 PM, we load the van and one or two people go out on delivery for about an hour. You’re welcome to help out with any or all of these things. Call Steve Brooks 240-328-5439 or email sbrooks@uab.edufor more information.
There will be Singing! On Sunday, January 5, please bring your willing voice to the Meeting Room at 10:00 am for chants and hymns of praise and longing. For more information, contact the office at admin@quakersdc.org
January 15, Camps Registration Opens for Returning Campers
New camper registration will begin on at 7:00 pm on Friday, February 1.Baltimore Yearly Meeting runs three camps for children 9-14 and two camps for teens ages 15-17. All of these camps are residential. Activities include community building, Quaker values, and developing a love of the outdoors. Trips out of camp include backpacking, rock climbing, and canoeing. See bymcamps.org for information and to register online, or contact Jane Megginson, Camp Program Manager. (717-481-4870 or jane@bymcamps.org).
On Sunday, Jan. 19 at noon, there will be a New Clerks Orientation led by Hayden Wetzel. If you are a new (or old, or potential) clerk, please join and learn about the mechanics of the job and how the Meeting can support you.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Women’s Retreat, Friday, Jan. 24 to Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. Women from across the BYM region gather each winter in a beautiful retreat setting (where others cook and clean up). We nourish friendship and celebrate our journeys with singing, movement, worship sharing, participant-led plenaries and workshops…and naps. In lighthearted reference to a certain popular book, the 2014 theme is Wholly/Holy Present: Open. Embrace. Release. We will convene at the Skycroft Retreat Center. The 2014 Women’s Retreat is being organized by the women of Annapolis Friends Meeting and Patapsco Friends Meeting. Registrations are being accepted now. (click here to go directly to registration.)
On Sunday, Jan. 26 at noon, there will be a reading in the Meeting Room of The Crippled Line, written by Earl Fowler, former Westtown School Librarian and a member of FMW from 1936 until the early 1970's. The play describes his experience working in relief efforts with the AFSC in Germany after WWII.
A monthly series of edited extracts from the historical material of the Friends Meeting of Washington.
1952
ORGAN THEME/ANNOUNCER: Look to this day! As a service in the religious life of the community, this program is presented by WRC in cooperation with the Washington Federation of Churches"/MUSIC/
SPEAKER (Herbert Hadley, Secretary, FMW): If you were listening at this time yesterday you heard us speak about the joy of service to others when performed in the spirit of love -- a genuine expression of "springtime in the soul." No life -- however lived -- is made up of unbounded joy. The life given over to evil, or simply to the neglect of righteousness, can lay no claim to real joy of the spirit. But neither is there any promise that the righteous man shall be without times of severe testing and trial. Jesus Himself in one week's time experienced the acclaim of crowds of people in the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the loneliness and agony of Gethsemane, and trial . . .
MUSIC/PRAYER AND BENEDICTION/ MUSIC (theme)/ANNOUNCER: Today's program was arranged in cooperation with the Washington Federation of Church and was conducted by . . . Go to church on Sunday, attend the church of your choice. This program came from the NBC station for Washington.
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The Meeting apparently took at least two broadcasts of this local radio program; we have the complete script (in Hadley's hand) for the second of these, quoted above.
Hayden Wetzel
FMW Historian
THINKING ABOUT RACE– Black Dolls
Excerpted by Elizabeth DuVerlie from “Black Is Beautiful: Why Black Dolls Matter,” by Lisa Hix in Utne Reader, February 2013. The article focuses on the documentary Why Do You Have Black Dolls? by Samantha Knowles. The film debuted in October 2012 at the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival in New York City, where it won the Reel Sisters Spirit Award. It was also selected for the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival and the Hollywood Black Film Festival in Beverly Hills.
“When a young child is playing with a doll, she is mimicking being a mother, and in her young, impressionable years, I want that child to understand that there’s nothing wrong with being black. If black children are force-fed that white is better, or if that’s all that they are exposed to, then they might start to think, ‘What is wrong with me?’” says Debbie Behan Garrett, author of Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion.
Knowles says that [doll maker Debra] Wright best sums up her answer to the question posed by the film: “I think women know that they’re beautiful … But when you see a doll, it’s such a wonderful reminder of that beauty—because somebody took the time to make a doll in your likeness.”
Among Knowles interviewees were Barbara Whiteman, a black doll collector who runs the 25-year-old Philadelphia Doll Museum where she has a rotating display of 300 of her collection of 1,000 black dolls. On Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, Knowles’ documentary screened during the Black History Month programming at the National Black Doll Museum in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Read more at: http://www.utne.com/arts/why-black-dolls-matter.aspx#ixzz2mcEyykDk
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.
The 23rd annual Shoebox Project is now behind us, with all 1008 boxes constructed, filled, wrapped, and delivered to shelters to distribute this Christmas. So many people played such a crucial role. Many thanks to the children and adults who worked tirelessly (ok, maybe there was a little bit of tiredness) for hours on that weekend in December, and for months beforehand planning and fundraising.
January is the month when many Friends rotate onto—or off of—committees, and the newly configured groups meet to learn together how Spirit will lead us. We say goodbye to David Etheridge, stepping down as Clerk, and say hello to Meg Greene, who is stepping up to fill his shoes. She comments on how intimidating this is, since is David is both beloved and respected, even after five years on the job. It will be fun to see how Meg helps us stay open to new leadings.
Special thanks this month to CJ Lewis, Steve Brooks and Eric Nothman for steering the Shoebox Project to a successful end, to Jenny Moore, Tom Libbert, Joe Izzo, and Faith Williams for helping me with a Directory project, to Ann Herzog and BYM’s Wayne Finegar, for spending a day untangling the Logos database for your Administrative Secretary, to whoever donated that huge Ikea bag full of children’s hats, gloves and scarves for the kids in D.C. shelters (and to Emilie Schmeidler for continuing to churn out more), to Jean Harman for her super-abilities to recruit people to serve as Friendly Office Presences on Sunday (and to G.T. Hunt, Tim Schleicher, Olivia James, Hayden Wetzel, Molly Tully, Joe Izzo, and Tom Libbert for succumbing to her siren’s call), to Gene Throwe and BYM’s Nony Dutton for organizing the Young Adult Friends retreat at FMW, and to Mary Campbell and Charmaine Gilbreath for organizing the Christmas Eve Potluck and Worship. You are all rock stars!
- Debby