March 2013 Newsletter
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FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS
February 10, 2013
2013/2-1 Opening The meeting opened with silent worship at 12:20 PM. David Etheridge served as Presiding 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. 33 Friends and visitors were present.
Listening to the Spirit enables us to hear “where the words come from” when others speak. Hearing truth as others understand it is a way of deepening our own faith.
Just as compassionate listening can be a healing experience, inattentive conversation can be unkind and hurtful. Undivided attention is a precious gift.
Speak with your own, authentic voice, using the terms true to your experience. Encourage and welcome others to do the same. Read between the lines. Listen between the words.
Queries
When is it hardest for me to be ready to listen?
To what extent do I open myself to the risks of listening?
How have I been changed by deeply listening to another?
How does my own perception affect the way I understand what others say?
Voices
When listening, Friends need to be aware that certain words carry powerful emotional weight for them personally, and that they may hear meanings which reflect their own emotions and sensitivities rather than the intentions of the speaker. Each person is encouraged to be faithful in using the language which feels authentic and appropriate to their message, and those listening are encouraged to hold the actual words as lightly as possible, while seeking to be open to the Spirit which enlivens them.
–New England Yearly Meeting, 2006
The fathomless depth of the listener who can go beyond words, who can even go beyond the conscious meanings behind words and who can listen with the third ear for what is unconsciously being meant by the speaker, this fashion of attentive listening furnishes a climate where the most unexpected disclosures occur that are in the way of being miracles in one sense, and the most natural and obvious things in the world, on the other. –Douglas Steere, 1955
It is a powerful discipline for the “listener” to try to listen without agenda, without the compulsion to help, abandoning the need or desire to appear knowledgeable, wise or comforting. There may be no more tellingly difficult spiritual practice than the effort to receive what is being said by someone else hospitably, without editing, without correction, without unsolicited advice. Yet it is this open listening that makes room for the Spirit of God to be present in the midst of the interaction, illuminating and guiding what is taking place. –Patricia Loring, 1997
2013/2-2 Visitors The Clerk welcomed visitor Leslie Wiley of Washington DC.
2013/2-3 Personal Concerns Friends were asked to hold in Divine Light: our member Beth Cogswell, whose brother has recently died and whose mother is ill; our member Susan Lepper, suffering from back problems; and Elise Storck, Mark and Annelise Haskell, mourning the death of Elise’s father.
2013/2-4 New Meeting Contacts The Meeting’s email addresses have changed and the new addresses will be published as widely as possible and can be learned by contacting the Meeting office. Our telephone system has also been upgraded to allow better communication with our staff.
2013/2-5 Other Announcements The Clerk announced various upcoming events of interest to Friends.
2013/2-6 Child Safety Committee Membership Marsha Holliday, co-clerk of the Child Safety Committee, reported a recommendation that the Meeting’s Youth Program Coordinator and a member of the Religious Education Committee be ex officio members of the Child Safety Committee. Friends approved this proposal.
2013/2-7 Religious Education Committee Membership Kimberly Acquaviva, of the Religious Education Committee, reported a recommendation that the Meeting’s Youth Program Coordinator be an ex officio member of the Religious Education Committee. Friends approved this recommendation.
2013/2-8 Memorial Minute for Dick Bellin Lois Clark read a memorial minute for our member Dick Bellin (attached). Friends approved the minute with one change. Friends spoke with appreciation of our deceased Friend.
2013/2-9 Membership of Kiflu Kidanne The Clerk presented the request for membership of Kiflu Kidanne, which had first been presented to Friends last month. Friends approved the membership.
2013/2-10 Membership of Katherine Brandt Joan Gildemeister, of the Membership Committee, presented the membership request of Katherine Brandt and read portions of her letter of application. The request holds over for one month, as is our custom.
2013/2-11 Membership of Kimberly Acquaviva Gerri Williams, co-clerk of the Membership Committee, presented the membership request of Kimberly Acquaviva and read portions of her letter of application. The request holds over for one month, as is our custom.
2013/2-12 Transfer In of Thomas Goodhue Gerri Williams, co-clerk of the Membership Committee, presented the request for transfer into our Meeting from Ackworth (Indianola, Iowa) Friends Church of Thomas Goodhue. The request lies over one month, as is our custom.
2013/2-13 Transfer Out of Paul Baker Gerri Williams also presented the request for transfer from this Meeting to Atlanta (Georgia) Friends Meeting of our member Paul Baker. Friends approved the transfer.
2013/2-14 Out-of-Touch Members Gerri Williams reported the names a several members from whom we have had no communication or contributions for at least five years and for whom we seem to have no workable contact information:
Elisabeth L. Brache
Leonard Kenworthy
David Peters
Tilda Redway
Sarah Lowe Tewksbury
Any Friends with information on how we can reach these members are asked to contact the Membership Committee or the member themselves.
2013/2-15 Marriage of Danielle Spruance and James Sinclair Susan Griffin, clerk of the Marriage and Family Relations Committee, presented the request for marriage under care of the Meeting Danielle Spruance and James Sinclair. The couple hopes to marry in November of this year. The request lies over for one month, as is our custom.
2013/2-16 Nominations Beth Cogswell, clerk of the Nomination Committee, reported the following nominations:
Frank Whitelock to the Personnel Committee and the Child Safety Committee (both to December 2015)
Blair Forlaw to the Ministry and Worship Committee (to December 2015)
Justin Connor and James Dickson to the Capital Campaign Committee
Kevin Camp as Clerk of the Ministry and Worship Committee
Faith Williams to the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund
Friends approved these nominations. Frank Whitelock, first presented at last month’s Meeting for Business, was approved with an exception from the requirement that he be a Meeting member.
2013/2-17 Resignations Beth Cogswell also reported the following resignations:
Gerri Williams as Co-Clerk of the Membership Committee and
Ray Allard as member of the Ministry and Worship Committee (both as of March 31)
Friend regretfully accepted these resignations.
2013/2-18 Closing The meeting ended at 1:10 with 33 Friends present, with silent worship.
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Come to S.O.M.E. on Saturday, March 2 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
Slow Food DCis holding apotluck at the Meetinghouse on Saturday, March 2 starting at noon. Slow Food is an international food movement begun in Italy 40 years ago in response to the growing fast food culture. Slow Food imagines a world where the food we eat is good for us, good for farmers and workers, and good for the planet. All are welcome; please bring an appropriate dish to share. For more information, contact Mark Haskell at mkhaskell@aol.com
The Baltimore Yearly Meeting Youth Programs Committee will be holding their training for adults who are considering being Friendly Adult Presences (FAPs) to work with our middle and/or high school youth. The training will begin on Saturday, March 2 at 10:00 am and continue until 4:30 pm. Hospitality may be available either Friday or Saturday night for Friends coming from a distance. For more information, including to inquire about over-night accommodation options, contact Debbie Feldman Jones. (410-323-3619)
Stop by the table in the Assembly Room and participate in Amnesty International Letter Writing on Sunday, March 3 at rise of Meeting.
You are invited to attend a potluck and Quaker dialogue at 6:30 PM on March 3 at the William Penn House, 515 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC Our Program this First Day is presented by our Current Interns Josh Wilson, Ana Easterling, Ariel Bibby, Emily Ogders and Mark Sundermeyer, who will discuss their activities this year. Potluck starts at 6:30, presentation begins at 7:00 PM.
You are welcome to attend the bi-weekly meetings of Get Equal, a grassroots LGBT organization working towards full federal equality. Meetings will be held on Monday, March 4 and March 18 at 6:30 PM in the Quaker House Living Room. Contact Steve Brooks at sbrooks@uab.edu for more information.
Grate Patrolpacks and delivers 120 bag lunches and soup to people living on the street on Wednesday, March 6. 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.edu for more information.
Alternatives to Violence Programis a transformational, experiential program that teaches conflict resolution skills. It has applications in businesses, social justice, youth programs, prisons, and in our daily interactions. William Penn House will be hosting a three-day AVP workshop on March 8 - March 10. We will be starting at 6:00 PM on Friday evening, and ending at 4:00 PM on Sunday. Costs: $50 for the workshop (fee includes lunch). For information or to register, please contact Josh Wilson, josh@williampennhouse.org
You are invited to the inaugural meeting of Vertical Time Yoga in the Parlor on Saturday, March 9 from 10:00 AM to Noon. Suggested donation is $20. The teacher, Bill Scheffel, explains that this is a “series of teachings and practices derived from my long involvement with the Shambhala teaching of Chogyam Trungpa, from the I Ching and from numerous body disciplines I have studied and practiced. Vertical Time yoga consists of simple standing postures that are also guided meditations. These are combined with lying down meditation (as pioneered by Reggie Ray) and traditional sitting meditation. We will explore the personal journey of coming into natural alignment with our own body and with “vertical time,” moments in which we become available to spirit and the unconditional, the source of fundamental strength and genuine inspiration.” Find out more at http://verticaltimeyoga.com Please RSVP to bill@verticaltimeyoga.com
A Gathering of Crones (women over 50) will be held on Saturday, March 9, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. “We gather to embrace the wisdom within us and nurture our true natures. We seek to redefine retirement and acknowledge our aging process with fierceness, passion and patience.” Please bring a vegetarian dish or snack to share. Coffee and tea provided. Venue: Eden Valley (Bette’s home), 5085 Green Bridge Rd. Dayton, MD 21036 (western Howard County, near Clarksville). Register atedenvalley@verizon.net
Women’s History Month: Honoring Augusta Savage (Honoring Who?) Augusta Savage is one of the hundreds of African American Women whose names and work we would honor—were they not women of color. Augusta Savage was a sculptor who did get some recognition in her own community for her busts of prominent black leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. In the 1930s and 1940s she maintained a teaching studio in Harlem and was a founder of the Harlem Artists Guild (1935). In 1937, she was commissioned to create a work for the World’s Fair to commemorate and symbolize the musical contributions of African Americans. She chose the national Black anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as her inspiration for her sculpture, “The Harp” (see photo, above). The strings were represented by Black Americans and the soundboard the arm and hand of God. Although it was one of the most popular works at the Fair, it was destroyed when the Fair closed because she had no money to move or store it. (Many thanks to Donna McDaniel of New England Yearly Meeting for this item.)
The BYM Working Group on Racism meets Saturday, March 16 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 at david.etheridge@verizon.net
On Sunday, March 17, there will be a simple meal provided by the School for Friends at rise of Meeting. All are welcome. Donations will go to support scholarships for needy families at the school, which was founded by members of FMW.
There will be a Meeting for Healing on Saturday, March 23 at 10:30 AM in the Parlor. You are invited to come and name the concern that brings you, and then we will hold each other in the Light. For more information, contact Malachy Kilbride at malachykilbride@yahoo.com
On Sunday, March 24 there will be singing in the Meeting Room, starting at 10:00 AM. Lelac Almagor and Debby Churchman will lead us in songs, hymns and chants, singing us into a centering state. All ages and voices welcome.
On Sunday, March 31 at noon in the Decatur Place Room, Maurice Boyd will clerk a meeting to discern FMW's contributions to the new FCNLPolicy Statement. FCNL's policy statement sets forth FCNL's broad objectives for public policy and is revised on an ongoing basis. The last policy statement was drafted in 2003, and FCNL is seeking the involvement of Quaker meetings, churches, and other groups of Friends across the country to update the document that shapes the policy principles undergirding the work of Quaker witness in Washington.
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A monthly series of edited extracts from the historical material of the Friends Meeting of Washington.
Report to the Board of Trustees, Oct 1951
Regarding the Calvert Street Cemetery, it was reported that, following authorization by the Monthly Meeting, the Treasurer, acting under direction of the Finance and Property Committee, had the DC Surveyor locate the four corners of the plot, had a marker placed at each corner, and had a substantial sign erected on the property reading "Cemetery -- Society of Friends". He then sent notices to the effect that the Friends still own the cemetery and will not abandon it to the District Commissioners and to Mr. Maurice E. Shapiro, the real estate operator who owns a large adjoining tract and seeks to improve it with an apartment house, and who apparently has been planning to get possession of the cemetery and make it a port of his property. Promptly after sending this notice a letter came from Mr. Shapiro's lawyers to the Treasurer suggesting a meeting to discuss the matter, and the Treasurer agreed to meet when them whenever they were ready, but up to this time nothing further has been heard from them. - HB Stone
The two most asked-about historical questions for our Meeting regard attendance by Richard Nixon and the old Quaker Burial Ground. This is the last mention of it in the Trustees minutes; it did in time pass to Shapiro and in the 1980s (if I remember right) his entire tract to the city, which now uses the site as a park. Our sometimes attender Mary Belcher has deeply studied the three burial grounds formerly on the property, and I continue to urge her to publish her researches.
- Hayden Wetzel, FMW Historian
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St. Luke’s Shelter
FMWFriends have provided a monthly dinner to St. Luke’s Shelter for many years. Merilee Janssen provides this update:
Last fall, after over 20 years of operation, St. Luke’s Shelter moved to a different operational model. While it remains a 7-bed shelter, it now focuses upon providing housing and employment services to men who are in the active process of transitioning from homelessness to employment and their own apartments. As such we have been able to serve more men (22 since last fall) for shorter periods of time. Many positive things are happening in the areas of employment and housing for the men that we serve at St. Luke’s Shelter. But the shelter meal program there (which had to change with the new model) has been experiencing some transition pains and is in need of greater support from us.
Under the shelter's new operating model, which works to promote and support the increased self-sufficiency of the residents, the residents are responsible for managing all their breakfasts and lunches throughout the week as well as three dinners. On four nights a week - Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays - volunteers provide the shelter residents with meals, and many of those volunteers choose to stay and share the meal with the residents that are on site. Though the shelter sleeps seven men, which is the number we ask meal providers to prepare dinners for, on any given evening at the dinner hour the number of men present may be less than seven, as some residents work night shifts or have class at night. We ask the meal providers to sign up for dates via the http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/ site and to plan to drop off or deliver the meal between 6:30-6:45pm to the shelter, located in the basement of the former St. Luke's UMC on Calvert St. Whether volunteers choose to stay and fellowship with the residents over dinner or not, the meals provided are something the residents really depend upon and for which they are so grateful.
Mary Wolcott/Lucy Foster Education Fund
The Mary Walcott Lucy Foster Education Fund will accept requests for limited financial assistance to attend a Friends school PK to12th grade, for children of members and active attenders of Washington area Meetings. Please forward a brief written request, a copy of the school’s Parents’ Financial Statement & Report of Financial Need, and most recent IRS Form 1040 to Bruce Kellogg,MWLF Ed Fund, 1202 Half St, SW, Washington, DC 20024. Friends are invited to contribute to the MWLF Education Fund. Even small amounts make a difference.
Formerly Live Wire in Quaker House
Ken Orvis reported in late February: “Below is a picture courtesy of Jon deWitt's iPhone, of the under-the-stairs zone there that I refer to as the Asbestos Pit (the name is apt), from the access port in the Peace Tax Fund's stairs closet. The electrical cable in the foreground is the other end of what the second switch switches, and the bare, uninsulated wire indicated by the red arrows is the hot lead sticking randomly out of the cable. The green arrow points to the similarly bare neutral wire.
Fortunately, a lot
of the debris on the floor is either plaster rubble or pieces of asbestos sheeting, neither of which is flammable or conducts electricity. Otherwise this would be an excellent approach to burning down one's building. I suggested to Debby that perhaps it was a rodent-control device: you put peanuts there, wait patiently until you hear chewing, and then flip the switch…”
Neil Froemming, upon examining the photo: “The red arrows, I believe, point to the trachea of some ancient sea creature that somehow beached itself in the North Wing of Quaker House. Tidying up continues.”
Kim Aquaviva: Yikes! Sounds like our Meeting almost became a lot more electrifying....and not in a good way, either!
Gerri Williams: “I think this represents a potential FMW income stream. Billed as “Mysteries of Quaker Urban Excavations,” we could open it up to the public on alternate Saturdays and public holidays, charging a modest fee. Retain the surrounding rubble for that important touch of authenticity...”
Debby: “We need a whole new approach to rodent control.”
Friends will be glad to hear that the current has been turned off and the problem solved.
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Our neighbor, Tostan, asked if we’d mind if someone used a sofa in the Meetinghouse one morning in early February. This fellow had just gotten off the plane from Senegal; he was coming to give a talk to the State Department about genital cuttings for Female Genital Cuttings Abandonment Day. We were happy to welcome him, but regretted not having a blanket to offer on that chilly day. A Friend came by later and spent some time on the sofa, also in need of a blanket. The next day, Pam Callard came by to pick up food for Martha’s Table, heard about the blanket need, and went out and bought a new one for the Meetinghouse. Many thanks to Pam for spreading Light and warmth.
In YAF news: Liselotte Beckh, a member who has been living for many years in Muenchen, Germany, writes that she is 87 and can no longer see well enough to receive anything in writing from the Meeting. In spite of her difficulties, she is thankful that she can still walk and enjoy music and nature. She says, “I often think of former times with ‘Young Friends’ long, long ago. Give my love and best wishes to the Meeting and all who might still remember me.” Behold the enduring spiritual power of Young Adult Friends!
It’s been a month of re-envisioning and re-invigorating space here at FMW. On Work Day, Friends spruced up the long-neglected Terrace Room, making it freshly usable for First Day School. Later in the month, Kim and Kathy brought cushions and doughnuts to the 3rd Floor North Room and helped the teen class to claim it as their own. They’re looking for frames for Papadan cushions as well as beanbag chairs; please email Kim at kdacqua@gmail.com to donate.
It’s also been a month of confidently lurching into the 21st century, thanks mostly to Neil Froemming and Steve Brooks. For example, after a, trust me, thorough discernment process, the new phones were installed and are now very much in use. FOPs may need a little tutorial—just grab a staff person or Neil (whoever is closest). When you call FMW, you now get a choice on where to direct your call.
- To reach Debby, our Admin Secretary, press 1#
- To reach Laurie Wilner, our Bookkeeper, press 2#
- To reach Ken Orvis, our Property Manager, press 3#
- To leave a message on the general mailbox, press *#
Neil has been helping committees that would like to have internet access to their documents to establish Skydrive accounts (similar to Dropbox). The big advantage to this is that committee members can all find and search the documents by computer or smart phone whenever and wherever they need to, as opposed to having to go to the FMW office to page through paper copies. (We still need copies of all committee minutes, she added, eagerly.) Let Neil know if you think this might be useful to your committee or taskforce: nfroemmi@gmail.com
Neil and Steve also managed to get us better email addresses—ones that are shorter and tied to our website rather than serving as a commercial for our phone service provider. Here they are:
FMW is also becoming a full-fledged participant in social media. The Young Adult Friends have long had their own Facebook page (look on Facebook for Friends Meeting of Washington Young Adult Friends), and then our new Youth Coordinator, Windy Cooler, started this one for our First Day School (look on Facebook for Friends Meeting of Washington DC First Day School). Not to be outdone, Kathy Brandt and I are working on setting one up for FMW as a whole. Stay tuned.
Steve Coleman reports that the FMWfamily ski trip in "Penn's Woods" was wonderful. The day dawned in lightly falling snow and fog and ended with a beautiful sunset. As expected, the slopes were nearly empty later in the day as everyone stayed home to watch the Super Bowl. We had nine families participating, including some who had been away from the Meeting for awhile, some brand new to the Meeting, and Windy Cooler, our wonderful new Youth Program Coordinator. Windy brought her 5-year-old son, Ob, who took his very first snowboarding lesson. Everyone found anew the simple power of silently bonding with nature and each other in such a serene setting. It was wonderful to see all the ways that the children looked out for each other, and the ties that bind our FMW family were strengthened. We are now exploring a possible cross-country ski outing for the next time so that even more people can participate.
Virginia Avanesyan got the First Day School focused on spring and growth by planting tomato seeds. What would you like to see planted in our garden this year? Do you have extra seeds or plants to share? Contact Virginia or drop them off at the office. We are especially in need of herbs such as parsley and basil, as well as plants that could tolerate the low light of a window well in the Assembly Room or North Room. We promise to keep them watered.
Special thanks this month to Work Day volunteers Kim Acquaviva, Steve Brooks, Steve Coleman, Windy Cooler, Ken Danty, Larry Haworth, Merry Pearlstein, Carol Phelps, Joy Rabb, Marcia Reecer, and Emilie Schmeidler, to School for Friends for bringing their class to FMW for silent worship, to Whit Mirts for sacrificing her iPhone while making chili for the Grate Patrol, to the many F/friends who marched for a saner gun policy and/or participated in the Climate Rally, to Beth Cogswell for gathering us to focus on gun violence, to Ken Orvis for discovering and then disabling a live wire in Quaker House, to Windy Cooler, for bringing structure, energy and focus to our First Day School program, to J.E. McNeil, for donating bay leaves from her tree as a fundraiser in support of the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Committee, and to whoever donated that huge collection of teas and coffee making equipment. Thank you, Friends.
- Debby