65 Ninth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-431-7440
January
2015 Newsletter
(First Month)
(First Month)
Meeting
for Worship
&
First Day School
Sundays
at 11:00 a.m.
Midweek
Meeting for Worship, Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.
Advices:
The heart of
the Religious Society of Friends is the Meeting for Worship. In direct
communion with God, we offer ourselves for God’s will. Our daily lives are
linked with the Meeting for Worship, the Meeting for Worship with our daily
lives.
Come
regularly to Meeting for Worship, even when you are angry, tired, or
spiritually cold. Bring your joys and your hurts, and the needs of other
people. Accept and support each other in the community where God dwells among
us. As you do so, you may find the grace of prayer.
At times the
Spirit may prompt you to speak in Meeting. Wait patiently to know that the
sense and the time are right. When you are sure, have confidence that the words
will be given to you. Listen to the ministry of others with an open spirit. If
it is not God’s word for you, it may be for others. After a message has been
given, allow time to ponder its meaning and to let the Meeting return to silent
worship. In speech and in silence, each person contributes to the Meeting.
Queries:
Do I come to
Meeting with heart and mind prepared for worship?
In both
silent and vocal ministry, do I respond to the leadings of the Holy Spirit,
without pre-arrangement and in simplicity and truth?
Am I careful
not to speak at undue length or beyond personal spiritual experience?
Do we meet in
expectant waiting for the promptings of the Divine Spirit?
Are we drawn
together in a living silence by the power of God in our midst?
San Francisco Monthly Meeting
December (Twelfth Month) Meeting for Business
12/7/2014
December (Twelfth Month) Meeting for Business
12/7/2014
Meeting for Business
began at approximately 1:00 with a period of worship with 12 in people in
attendance.
12-1 Meeting approves Minutes of November 9, 2014, with the
correction of changing the phrasing “clerk of Naming” to “member of Naming.”
Clerk’s Message
The clerk opened
with a brief reflection on the Wordle results of the query “what does good
membership look like?” A Friend noticed words that seemed to be missing: “hard
work” and “joy.” Another Friend mentioned that this reminded him of the Boy Scout
oath. Another Friend noticed the absence of the word “God.” The Clerk cited
“the Halo Effect” as an outcome of the practice of reflection by the group on
membership: we are all influenced by the good we perceive in others and are
affected by the goodness others perceive in us.
Minister Among Us: The clerk revived the practice of finding ministry among us
by requesting to hear from Stephen Matchett’s message on the Bible among
Friends and being a released Friend. Stephen spoke about his experience 10 years
ago while leading a reading group workshop on early Quakers. The workshops
always held a little Bible reading, as it felt necessary to access early
Quakers through the scripture they were steeped in. At the same time, at Yearly
Meeting, he started helping with Bible reading. While leading one, an
Evangelical Friend shared an impassioned testimony to thank the group for
“healing [her] relationship with the Bible.” On the strength of this, he has
started offering more Bible readings on a “come as you are” basis. A Quaker
Center workshop, “Come As You Are: Bible Reading with Friends,” led to more
invitations by other groups to offer this workshop. Oversight from an M&O
committee has helped support his efforts. He connects to the idea of “healing”
other’s connection to the Bible and feels “in the flow of the spirit”, like he
is being used best amongst attenders who come needing a safe environment to
engage in a Bible reading workshop. He feels there is gratification in being a
conduit to opening up and conveying a sense of what Quakers feel about the
Bible, among which is that “the Bible is not the word of god and Quakers have
gone to jail for that; the word of god is not words.” He feels that holding on
to that revolutionary view opens up people and him to what the Bible has to
offer.
Ministry and Oversight
Sandra Schwartz
spoke for M&O and reported that there will be Christmas Eve, Christmas, and
New Year’s Eve Worship. Christmas Eve’s meeting will be an Intergenerational
Meeting for Worship at 6pm. There will also be a Meeting for Worship held on
December 25th starting at 11am; plans for December 31 will be announced later.
Bob Kovsky spoke on
behalf of M&O to recommend the approval of a Traveling Minute for Stephen’s
Ministry and read a letter from Stephen’s Clearness Committee requesting the
Clerk to prepare the Travelling Minute.
Naming Committee
David Matchett spoke
for the Committee and brought forth 3 nominations: Beth Bird (Clerk of
Nominating), Nancy Lewis, and Loren Gillan. They proposed Beth Bird to be the
Clerk of Nominating.
Nominating Committee
Art Koch requested
releasing Chad Stephenson from Nominating. Nominating is still looking for a
clerk for CREC and are looking to revitalize Hospitality.
12-2 Meeting approves Stephen Matchett for Property and Finance
through April 30, 2016 and Lydia Cohen for Hospitality through April 30, 2016.
Property and Finance
Clerk Philip Gerrie
reported that storage space in basement is still available for rent to a
non-profit. The building manager, Steve Leeds, has been working with the
Community Benefit District (CBD), paying them to clean up after continuing
homelessness issues in front of the Meetinghouse; he continues to build
relationships on solving ongoing issues with people camping in front of the building
After coming
together in worship to meet over mutual frustrations and concerns over the use
of the kitchen by the group 67 Suenos, there has been a solution that everyone
is happy with. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 67 Suenos has
been created to help foster the support for their use of the kitchen. They
continue to use our kitchen up to 3 times a week to teach the youth how to cook
nutritious meals.
One issue with the
kitchen has been that the food that is excess from the food pantry is usually
parcelled out amongst the Hospitality after the social hour and taken home. The
Hospitality and P&SC committees will work on this together and bring it to
the meeting with a resolution.
12-3 Meeting approves the proposed 2015 budget as it has been
presented and seasoned.
Rausch Street Committee
Philip Gerrie spoke
on behalf of the committee and reported that the building has passed plumbing
and electrical inspection, and they are beginning to sheetrock. It will be
about a mid-January when it is completed, depending on dry days. A Friend asked
if the committee consider having an open house once it is completed. The
committee will consider this and thought it would be a good thing to do
Meeting closed with
a period of silence after sharing of Joys and concerns at 2:13pm with 19 people
present.
Respectfully
submitted,
Ann Marie Snell, Recording Clerk
Chad Stephenson, Clerk
Meeting
News
January 25, 2015
Displaced San Francisco: Our
Affordability Crisis and the People Pushing Against It
We will hear a presentation about how the growing cost of living here in our city is affecting the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors. We will discuss the many different pressures that people have pointed to in order to explain this problem and place it into broader national and historical perspectives.
We will also place a special focus on the work that our fellow San Franciscans have been doing in response to this crisis, with possible guest presentations from involved community members.
We will hear a presentation about how the growing cost of living here in our city is affecting the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors. We will discuss the many different pressures that people have pointed to in order to explain this problem and place it into broader national and historical perspectives.
We will also place a special focus on the work that our fellow San Franciscans have been doing in response to this crisis, with possible guest presentations from involved community members.
News from
Friends
2015 January News from the Quaker Center
Join David
Hartsough and Kazu Haga for Friends and Social Transformation from Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2015 for inspiring
stories of nonviolent direct action. We'll do some role playing and training in
active nonviolence, have discussions about the principles of nonviolence, and
strategize to effect change. Get more information and register online at .http://www.quakercenter.org/social-transformation/
Come
engage the wild expectation of Love loose in the universe potentially
transforming everyone! Yet with this love comes a painful refining process accompanying
the call to ministry. Marge Abbott and Julie Peyton from North Pacific
Yearly Meeting will lead us for Walk Humbly – Serve Boldly from
Feb. 27 – Mar. 1, 2015. We will share ways that we as Friends are wrestling
with the reality of prophetic ministry and how that shapes our lives as we seek
to be faithful. Find out more and register at http://www.quakercenter.org/walk-humbly-serve-boldly/.
The 2015 Calendar of Programs is
available on the Quaker Center website at www.quakercenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2015-Program-Schedule.pdf
We hope to see you soon!
College Park Quarterly Meeting
Winter
Gathering
First
Month 17, 2015, in Santa Rosa
Family
Bible Church 697 Benicia Dr. Santa Rosa CA 95409
(across
the street from Friends House)
Theme for
our day is “Peacemaking, an Inside and Outside Job.”
“Let
there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” We have sung this many times
and yet still need to remember that peace begins on the inside. We continually strive
to be peaceful people, not just at peace marches. If our actions flow from our
inner peace, we find the courage and energy to engage in outer peacemaking.
Many of us are committed to peace making projects of all kinds. Quarterly
Meeting helps us to deepen our inner peace and to learn of our many and varied
peace making projects. This will be a day to reflect on where our leadings come
from and to where they lead us. Mary Miche, Clerk
Pre-registration
is not required for adults. On-site registration will begin at 8:00 am. We
will begin with Family Worship at 9:00 am and end
with worship from 4:30 to 5:00 pm.
Fees are
$25.00 for adults (which includes lunch), $10.00 for children (5 to 13), no
charge for children 5 and under.
Friends
may choose to stay for dinner and may register for dinner that day (cost $15
for dinner for adults)
Teens
(age 13 and older) are invited for Quarterly daytime sessions but also to spend
Friday night and Saturday night at the Redwood Forest
Meetinghouse. ($30.00 for whole weekend, $10.00 for daytime only no dinner)
All
parents of teens need to fill out and send registration paperwork for teens
staying overnight (download the forms from http://collegepark.quaker.org/ );
for teens attending without parents,
please send a signed sponsorship form.
In order
for a teen to attend the overnight program, the parent must send registration
formsand a check for $30 -- made out to CPQM – and postmarked by Saturday, January 10 to
Kathy
Runyan, PO Box 1009, Ben Lomond, CA 95005
For
additional questions please contact the appropriate person listed here:.
Arrangements Clerk Jan, 2015 Jim Avera jim.avera@gmail.com 707-544-5904
Teen
Program Kathy
Runyan, kathyrunyan@hotmail.com, 530-635-0962
Children's
Program: Delcy Steffy, delcysteffy@gmail.com, 916-529-7455
Registrar: Sandy Kewman, srosekewman@gmail.com, 530-559-9850
Interest
Groups: Lisa
Hubbell, lhubbell@sonic.net
CPQM
Clerk: Mary
Miche marymiche@jps.net, 510-845-8417
· For
overnight accommodations please
call Jim Avera, Arrangements cler
· Location The Family Bible Church is
located across the street from Friends House
· Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. We will conclude the day’s program
about 5:00 pm, after closing worship
with an
optional evening meal and an optional overnight for the teens
· Lunch: Lunch
is included in the cost of registration.
· Children/Teen Program Information
o Teens are invited to spend Saturday night at the Meetinghouse (see info
above)
o For Children’s Program, parents
should bring along a completed CPQM release form,
or be
ready to fill one out at registration. Please email Delcy (above) if you are
bringing a child.
Pacific Yearly Meeting
The upcoming Pacific Yearly Meeting session will be 7/13 – 7/18 at Walker Creek Ranch, Petaluma CA
Google Groups for
SF Quakers
The group named "San Francisco Monthly
Meeting" is for sharing announcements or other news with the meeting community.
If you wish to be added to the group, please send a request to clerk@sfquakers.org . You will also need to create a free
Google user ID and password, if you don’t already have one, you can create one at
https://accounts.google.com/signup?service=mail . The address of the group is sfquakers@googlegroups.com
A Google group for Bay Area Quakers is now
available at http://groups.google.com/group/bayareaquakers.
The group is for Bay Area Quaker meetings, churches, and organizations, as well
as individual Friends, to share news of events and activities that would be of
interest to Quakers and the general public. Events do not need to be strictly
Quaker. For more information, contact Tom Yamaguchi, tomyamaguchi@mac.com
Help on using Google Groups is also
available at: http://groups.google.com/support
Submissions to the newsletter are due by the
next-to-last First Day (Sunday) of each month in the News Committee mailbox at
the meetinghouse, or by e-mail to news@sfquakers.org. This newsletter is also available for reading or
downloading on our website at http://www.sfquakers.org/news.html.
Members of the News Committee are Kate
McCarley (clerk, editor), Chad Stephenson (web servant), and Catherine Fox
(production)
(all events at 65 9th
St., unless noted; *see details elsewhere in newsletter)
Sunday
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
28
9:15a Non-Violent Comm. Practice Group
11a Meeting
for Worship
|
29
|
30
|
31
6p Meeting for
Worship
|
1
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
|
2
|
3
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
|
4
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship, Community Potluck
following
|
5
|
6
7p Property & Finance Mtg
|
7
1:10p SFFS Meeting for Worship†
6p Meeting for Worship 7p Ministry & Oversight Mtg |
8
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
|
9
|
10
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
|
11
11a Meeting for Worship
1p Meeting for Business
|
12
|
13
|
14
6p Meeting for Worship |
15
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
16
|
17
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
|
18
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship
|
19
|
20
|
21
6p Meeting for Worship
|
22
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
23
|
24
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
|
25
9:15a Non-Violent Comm.
Practice Group
11a Meeting for Worship
2nd Hour: “Displaced SF”
Presentation
|
26
|
27
|
28
6p Meeting for Worship |
29
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
30
|
31
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
|
†San Francisco Friends School, 250 Valencia
St. ‡Federal Building, Golden Gate Ave.
and Larkin St.
