July and August 2014 Newsletter
(Seventh and Eighth Months)
(Seventh and Eighth Months)
Meeting for Worship
& First Day School
Sundays at 11:00 a.m.
Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wednesdays
at 6:00 p.m.
Reaching out
Advices:
Friends fellowship
begins and is nurtured within the home and Meeting. It reaches greater
fulfillment as we carry our beliefs into the wider community.
Share your Quaker
faith. Take time to learn about other people’s experiences of the Light and, as
you learn, give freely from what you have gained. Respect the experiences and
opinions of others, but do not be afraid to say what you value. Welcome the
diversity of culture, language, and expressions of faith in your Monthly
Meeting, the Yearly Meeting, and the world community of Friends. Encourage
discourse with Friends of pastoral and programmed traditions, and with members
of other faiths.
Friends have
a long history of involvement in public and private education, sharing our
values with the world and nurturing future generations. Be mindful of the needs
of children in your community and of avenues for deepening understanding
between peoples.
Queries:
How does my life
reflect Friends beliefs and thus encourage others to be interested in the
Religious Society of Friends?
Do I respond
openly to inquiries about Quaker experience and belief?
What does our Meeting do to make others
aware of Friends principles and practices?
What are we doing to help people of various
races, cultures, and backgrounds feel at home among us and we among them?
How do we encourage newcomers to return and
participate in activities of the Meeting?
In what ways do we participate in the life
of the interfaith community and in the wider fellowship of Friends?
Simplicity
Advices:
"Life is meant to be lived
from a Center, a divine Center… a life of unhurried peace and power. It is
simple. It is serene. It takes no time, but it occupies all our time."
thomas r. kelly, testament
of devotion, 1941
A life centered in God will be
directed toward keeping communication with God open and unencumbered.
Simplicity is best achieved through a right ordering of priorities, maintaining
humility of spirit, avoiding self-indulgence, resisting the accumulation of
unnecessary possessions, and avoiding over-busy lives.
Elise Boulding writes in My
Part in the Quaker Adventure,
“Simplicity, beauty, and happiness go together if they are a byproduct of a concern for something more important than ourselves.”
“Simplicity, beauty, and happiness go together if they are a byproduct of a concern for something more important than ourselves.”
Queries:
Do I center my life in an
awareness of God’s presence so that all things take their rightful place?
Do I live simply, and promote
the right sharing of the world’s bounty?
Do I keep my life uncluttered
with things and activities, avoiding commitments beyond my strength and light?
How do I maintain simplicity,
moderation, and honesty in my speech, my manner of living, and my daily work?
Do I recognize when I have
enough?
Is the life of our Meeting so
ordered that it helps us to simplify our lives?
Meeting for Business began at 1:05 pm with a period of worship, with 20 people present. The clerk opened with a reading from PYM’s Advices & Queries for Sixth month on “Social & Civic Responsibility.” The reading was followed by silent reflection.
6-01:
Friends approved Neil Fullagar as acting clerk for the meeting today.
Approval of
Previous Month’s Minutes
6-02:
Meeting approves the minutes of May 12, 2013, as presented.
Recorder’s
Annual Statistical Report
Bruce Folsom, Recorder, reported on changes in our
meeting’s membership from May 31, 2013. In the past year, we had one
convincement, four transfers were completed, one release from membership, and
one transfer is still pending. Currently we have 88 members. These statistics
will be provided to Pacific Yearly Meeting and are then used to determine the
annual fees we pay to yearly meeting. (See Bruce’s full report attached to the
archive version of these minutes.)
Retreat Report
Ann Marie Snell, retreat registrar, gave an informal
report on the 2014 Retreat. The financials are being rounded up, but this year
we are in the black on the retreat. A great time was had by over 47 people in
attendance.
Nominating
Committee
Anne Hitch Collins, co-clerk, reported for the committee,
including the nomination of Arthur Koch for Property & Finance Committee
for a term ending April 30, 2015.
If appointed, Arthur requests release from the Hospitality Committee.
6-03: Meeting approves the following appointments to
Ministry & Oversight Committee:
Sandra Schwartz for a term ending 4/30/2015, and Anne Hitch Collins for
a term ending 4/30/2016. Anne Hitch Collins is released from Children's
Religious Education Committee and Hospitality Committee.
Annual Meeting
of Corporation
Neil convened a brief annual meeting of the San
Francisco Friends Meeting, Incorporated. The meeting was held in the manner of
Friends, four officers and five directors were approved for the board of the
corporation. (See the separate SFFM corporation minutes in the archive.)
Ministry &
Oversight Committee
Bob Kovsky reported for the
committee, which currently has no clerk.
6-04: Because of the earlier-than-normal Yearly Meeting
session this year, Meeting approves canceling our July 13 meeting for
business. We will plan to meet on
August 10 instead.
The committee brought a recommendation for a minute of sojourn for Blake
Arnall to Orange Grove Monthly Meeting, as he is moving to the Pasadena area to
continue his hospital chaplaincy work at a new institution.
A Friend pointed out that a minute of sojourn is
specifically for people who have a known time frame and are intended to come
back. A letter of introduction is an option that might be more appropriate. But
the impression is that Blake needs a continuous point of contact to maintain
his status as a chaplain (and needs a support and accountability committee).
Friends speak to the issues of technicality. A Friend mentions that both his
committee convener, and Blake found the specific requested approach as
necessary. A Friend mentions that we trust that this vehicle has
been discerned to be the best vehicle for the situation. We will set aside the approved minute of sojourn
and will send a letter of introduction for now until further advice is given
since neither Blake, nor his committee convener are present to clarify.
Membership Committees are being assembled for David Cowen to
be convened by Marion Chatfield-Taylor, and for Cheryl Hendrickson, with Steve
Leeds convening.
There have been disbursements from
the Gatherings Assistance Fund for about $1200 for attendance at Pacific Yearly
Meeting in July 2014.
In response to the disruption
during Meeting for Worship on June 1, 2014, M&O have decided that the
disruptor should not be allowed in the building until he can control his
behavior.
Rausch Street
Committee
Amy Baker, treasurer, reports on the existing Rausch
Street budget (copy attached to archive copy of these minutes) regarding the
loan.
There are two plans to consider for the layout of the
building. One presumes keeping the layout as is and going with a straight
upgrade. The other allows for a future of the building geared toward Quaker
purposes. If we go with the
expanded view of what this building could be we would have to refinance about
150k (payoff about 6-7 years) vs 3-5 years for a straight upgrade.
The Committee is mindful of the changes to this proposal
versus what has been previously presented and plan a second hour to discuss
these changes in a threshing session on June 22, 2014. The new plan opens up a
larger dining/community space, adds. Likewise, having a larger room in the back
and a central bathroom will increase opportunities for retreats, meetings,
visiting Friends, etc. Additionally, the proposed upgrades will also make the
house more marketable if we ever feel the need to sell. The original amount to
borrow is $65,000 with upgrades this loan will increase to $150,000. Currently
construction will take 3-4 months.
A Friend spoke against transfering deBeers money this
month and will prefer waiting on a called meeting about the meeting's finances.
Another Rausch Street committee member spoke about laboring about the plans and
wants to emphasize that the proposed plans are "stunning." Current
place feels like a "cubby hole" and encourages thinking about how
this place can benefit the community in the future as a space that will fulfill
needs for our meeting beyond as an apartment used for rental income. The
threshing session will have video walk-through and images to help visualize what
the difference the renovation will make. It is an Edwardian building that is
protected as an historic building and current plans intend to keep its original
beauty.
There was a decision to season the proposal to expand
the building based off of information from a threshing session.
6-05: We approved to proceed with the Threshing Session for Rausch Street on the 22nd of June, 2014, looking forward to consideration of approval at a later date. The Committee will do what it can to disseminate information from this session before the August Meeting for Business.
Meeting will continue to season Property & Finance Committee's proposal to direct 75% of the deBeers bequest toward work on the Rausch Street property and 25% to the General Fund.
Property and Finance Committee
Philip Gerrie, clerk, reported
for the committee. There is a
question about having a threshing session or a called meeting for business for
a discussion about where and how we spend our money as a Meeting. This should
be separate from the Rausch Street threshing session and preferably before the
August Meeting for Business. A friend reminded us that since we have no clerk,
we will have to seek clerks for these two proposed threshing sessions.
6-06: Friends approved the threshing session regarding
meeting finances for 7/20/2014 to be clerked by Neil Fullagar.
Peace & Social Concerns Committee
Charles Martin, clerk, reported
for the committee, reminding us that next week there is a second hour to
discuss solitary confinement.
As requested last month, Charles
presented a for the Friday Food Sharing program, and reported that to date
about $147 has been spent.
There are still some strong
feelings surrounding the Friday Food Sharing decision (2014 minute 4-05)
that center around Finances, Process and the Project. There was a
lengthly discussion where concerns were brought up around each of these issues.
M&O has this concern under their care and will report on it later.
Meanwhile the Friday Food Sharing program is continuing until further decisions
are made. Some of the concerns brought up were:
○
Will our account at the
food bank cover some of the items for a distinctly reduced cost if someone can
shop there on Friday night? This is a good option if someone is available to do
it. The challenge with this is
that we are on a menu option at the food bank, but we might not be able to shop
under the same account.
●
Donations are being
pursued outside of the food bank. Currently Arizmendi Bakery is donating among
other donors.
○
There is a call for help
in picking up donations.
○
There is also an issue of
space in the meeting house, so where would peanut butter go if we get a large
donation.
●
There is another concern
about decision making. A Friend feels that the decision to continue with this
project is not in right order with this meeting.
●
Is this more a leading for
one person that should be reviewed through the fund for leadings?
●
There is a comment that
there is a committee structure and that this particular project is being brought in under the care of the committee.
●
This is a good way to
bring in some younger attenders and energy into the meeting.
●
Clerk of a committee
should be given respect for decisions made by that committee and there is a
feeling that the service and thought and care put into the decision is being
disregarded
●
Before looking at process
issues, let's try to untangle business items versus process issues
●
How many people have been
involved? Four individuals regularly participate in the preparation with some
flux; 180 sandwiches (or other donated food items have been distributed)--this
also fluctuates based on variables such as the weather. Likewise the type of
service (food prep vs. distribution) calls different individuals and
involvement is harder to measure.
●
The easurer speaks that we
took $1200 from the general fund and set it aside for these expenses through
the end of the year. When we go through the budgeting process in the Fall we
will need to decide if this will work into our Meeting's Budget.
●
A friend questions the
Quaker-ness of the leaders of the program and their commitment to the Meeting.
●
Is there a desire to
revisit the funding of Friday Food Sharing through the end of the year? A Friend expresses that there is a
desire to revisit.
●
We have a status where the
food project has been approved. Removing that approval is not in right order.
We would need a specific action to stop an action that is approved
●
A flyer handed out clears
up some misconceptions about how the Friday Food Sharing represents the
meeting.
●
Two observations were made:
1. process of reconsideration--a decision that is made can only be un-made by a
new decision; 2. just as another item was discerned to take it's own path.
There is still a question of finances and living within our budget. The
question of why doesn't this come out of the P& SC budget as opposed to
General Fund? When we don't have enough money to fund standing committees, why
are we going outside of our process to fund new projects? There is a request
for P&SC to fund this out of their own budget.
●
The Meeting has a standing
decision to not hold extra money.
●
A Friend is still
uncomfortable with the process aside from the worth of the project or our
budget. "We are in spiritual disunity."
Queries on PYM Annual Session
A subcommittee of the Yearly Meeting Ministry & Oversight Committee
looking at the right holding of annual sessions has circulated queries for
Meetings to consider and answer. No action or discussion was taken at this time but the
clerk encouraged everyone to communicate directly to PYM.
After a period of announcements and sharing of joys and
concerns, Meeting for Business closed with worship at 3:20 pm with 20 people in
attendance.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Marie Snell, Recording Clerk Neil
Fullagar, Acting Clerk of Meeting
APPROVED 11 FIFTH MONTH 2014
(Twenty Friends, including two children,
contributed to this crowd-sourced report, meeting together in small groups to
reflect on selected queries from Faith and Practice.
Their rich responses were combined and alas of necessity ruthlessly
edited by the clerk.)
Attendance
at worship on First Day varies from 40 to 70. In months with five First Days,
we hold an approximately two-and-a-half-hour extended meeting for worship.
Mid-week meeting at six pm draws anywhere from two or three to as many as a
dozen worshipers.
Given
our location in the center of a major city we get many visitors not necessarily
familiar with our ways. We
continue to offer an orientation before meeting for worship each First Day; and
all Friends present at the rise of meeting are encouraged to greet newcomers
and answer their questions. We
strive to be welcoming to all. The
meetinghouse is accessible and convenient to public transit.
There
is a considerable diversity of beliefs, backgrounds and life experiences within
our faith community. Because or in spite of this, we find we are often drawn
together in our worship by the living presence of God in our midst, and
nourished and strengthened in a deeply spiritual manner.
Our First Day School has drawn a number of
new attenders. Each time they
meet the children introduce themselves and welcome any newcomers. We are blessed with reliable and caring
childcare workers and volunteers.
A conversation is ongoing on how to provide more religious education for
our children and young adults, and ways to encourage their consistent and
active participation.
For adults, twice-a-month Bible Study, a
weekly Quaker book group and a monthly Nonviolent Communication practice group
all meet in the meetinghouse, which is also the site of our weekly food pantry
program, involving a core of dedicated Meeting and non-Meeting volunteers of
all ages. These regular
activities, along with our monthly and seasonal potlucks, occasional
Friendly-Eights dinners and yearly retreats, are essential to our treasured
sense of community, which is not something you can create in fifteen minutes
after meeting for worship. The
women’s retreat was not held last year, however it has been scheduled again for
the fall and hopes are high.
Attendance
at meeting for business has increased. In general, business meetings have felt
worshipful and rightly ordered. We continue to live into our decision, reported
last year, to accept, over the reservations of at least two longtime members,
the bequest of a tenanted residential property in need of costly repairs. We are mindful to be tender to one
another on these issues. We
rejoiced in two marriages this year: one under our care, and the other under
the care of, and celebrated at, Port Townsend Meeting in Washington state, for
which there was a shared clearness process.
Concern
among Friends for peace, social justice and environmental issues is high, and
many are involved in one or another activity addressing them. To the
frustration of some, it can be difficult to get everyone in the Meeting to
support one effort, unless it is fairly discrete and short-term. The Food Pantry is a significant ongoing
undertaking, very fulfilling for those involved. A child of the meeting writes: "We like to help out at
our food bank because we like to assure ourselves that our community gets good,
healthy food." There is always a need for more Friends with time to help
manage the project and provide a consistent Quaker presence. Our Meeting has members who are
longtime war tax refusers, and we have a
fund available to assist with the payment of penalties and interest occasioned
by these acts of conscience. The
weekly interfaith peace vigil we cosponsor is in its thirteenth year, though
Meeting participation is light.
A
significant development this year has been the emergence and taking under our
care of the new Western Shore Worship Group, currently meeting in homes in San
Francisco on First Day morning. It
includes upwards of a half-dozen of our members, brought together variously by a desire for a different meeting time and an alternative worship
experience for people with physical or spiritual needs better served in a
smaller group environment with living plants and ready outdoor access. We are a
large meeting, and Faith and Practice
encourages the creation of worship groups as meetings expand. Still, some Friends note the existence
of long-standing tensions or conflicts in the Meeting that may have inspired
this separation from the main body, and are troubled. They suggest
Meeting pose itself these queries:
Do we work together in love to resolve conflict, or do we withdraw to
avoid conflict? Is a degree of withdrawal a form of conflict resolution consistent
with our faith and practice? Are we committed to addressing concerns that may divide us in a process of listening
and plain speaking grounded in love?
The Nonviolent Communication practice group mentioned earlier
was an outgrowth of a pair of workshops led by an invited Friend, as reported
last year. As fruitful as these activities have been and continue to be, some
are concerned that they have not extended to all parties to the conflicts that
have at times challenged our sense of unity, and ask whether other forms of
mediation might needs be sought.
Still there are hopeful developments at the same time, including a
conflict on one committee that its members were able to resolve with patience,
love and grace.
There are other issues
with which we struggle. How can we
be proactive about protecting the space for worship from the disruptive
behavior of troubled souls? How do
we nurture our worker bees? What about transportation for elderly and infirm
members? How might we best help
individuals with no family support whose needs challenge our ability to
serve? Do the busy-ness of our
lives and the competing claims on our time keep us from being available to
discerning the leadings to be nurtured in our Meeting? Do they deprive us of the time and
energy necessary to sustain our Meeting organizationally? How can we better
encourage the development of Quaker leaders? Questions of leadership and shared responsibility are
especially alive for us as we enter the new committee year with no nominee for
presiding clerk nor for clerk of Ministry & Oversight. Our Nominating Committee continues its
dedicated labors.
We are challenged to
take time to allow breathing space and to nurture deep ties and trust among
us. Thanking God for the gifts we
receive, we yearn for more robustness as a community, and to remain open to
where the Spirit leads.
Respectfully
submitted,
Stephen
Matchett, Acting Clerk
Dear Friends,
We have
less than 3 weeks before we leave Kenya. It feels like the end of a significant
chapter in my life as I close my practice and say good-bye to colleagues,
friends and our lovely small Quaker Meeting here. Last Sunday was my final one
in the capacity of Clerk for the Friends International Meeting. Next Thursday
will be my last day in my practice that I opened in January of 2007. As you can
imagine this time is bitter sweet - sadness at the good byes and excitement to
being closer to family and friends. (I kept imagining while you were gathering
in Ben Lomond that Anand and I will be in your midst next May!)
My Mom and
sister are both doing relatively well. My sister was able to stop the
chemotherapy treatments after six sessions as the cancer was undetectable. My
Mother has just started radiation treatment this week to, hopefully, reduce the
tumor that causes substantial pain. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and
please keep holding them in the light.
We have
found a lovely French family with four children to take care of our home and
pets while we sojourn in the US.
Our plans
are to spend the summer in the UK; going to the AVP International Gathering in
Ireland, and spending time with friends and family.
In
September we will be moving to San Antonio, Texas to be near my sister and her
husband. We are blessed to have a newly refurbished house to move into.
However, past this we don't know much.
We are in the
process of applying for Anand's Green Card so he has the opportunity to work.
He has an exciting idea to write a book envisioning a sustainable and more
satisfying future, which he would like to have crowd-funded. I am wanting a
break from psychotherapy and anticipating a time of being fallow and
rejuvenating my spirit. One of my hopes to find funding for a course in
"Core Energetics" at the Radical Aliveness Institute - sounds
wonderful, doesn’t it!
I think my
re-acculturation to the US may be challenging, so please continue to
pray for both of us as we face this time of transition.
Lots of love,
Heidi
July 2014 News
from AFSC
Livermore Gathering Wednesday, August 6, 2014
On the
69th Anniversary
of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, we invite all who
seek peace and justice and a world free of nuclear weapons to gather at the
location where scientists are developing new and modified nuclear weapons. Each
weapon type designed at Livermore Lab involves new and “upgraded” features able
to rain unimaginable devastation on a moment’s notice anywhere on Earth. The Lab’s budget request reveals that 89% of the money
(more than a billion dollars) will go to nuclear weapons activities in the
coming year.
On Wednesday, August 6, 2014, come to the
Livermore nuclear weapons laboratory’s
northwest corner, at Vasco and Patterson Pass Roads in Livermore. There will be
parking set up at the rally site and vanpools from the Dublin-Pleasanton BART
station (call 925-443-7148 to reserve a seat).
7:30 AM: Music,
speakers, art, and a solemn moment of silence to honor radiation victims.
8:30 AM: Short
procession to the gate where those who choose will peacefully risk arrest.
Flyer may be downloaded at:
http://oaklandquakers.org/AFSC/Flyers/Aug6SaveTheDate.pdf
July 2014 News from Ben
Lomond Quaker Center
There
are still openings for more campers in our Peace
Action Camp from July 27th – Aug. 2nd in
Carson City, Nevada at the McCleary Ranch for rising 10th - 12th grade teens.
Stephen Myers, Mary Klein and Jim Summers are
returning to co-facilitate, along with Katie and Kyle Chandler-Isaakson,
to explore Gandhian constructive
program. Themes will include sustainable, low-impact living as they relate
to Friends' testimonies around peace, justice and environmental
stewardship with inward and outward nonviolence, community service, and outdoor adventure. For more information visit http://www.quakercenter.org/summer-youth-camps/ or call Bob or Kathy Runyan at Quaker
Center
at 831-336-8333 with questions.
at 831-336-8333 with questions.
Please join us for our annual Family Work Camp from August 3rd
– 8th. This week of working, cooking, eating
and playing together is the best family vacation deal out there! All ages are welcome! Together we’ll work on improvements to
Quaker Center facilities while building community among us. Please register
online at http://www.quakercenter.org/family-work-camp/.
College Park
Quarterly Meeting
The upcoming College Park Quarterly Meeting
will be October 17 - 19 (Fri-Sun)
at Sierra Friends Center in Nevada City
Pacific Yearly
Meeting
The upcoming Pacific Yearly Meeting session will be July 14-19, 2014 at Walker Creek Ranch
in Petaluma, CA
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),
Eli Bishop (web servant), Catherine Fox (production), and Noel Schwerin
(distribution)
(all events at 65 9th St., unless noted;
*see details elsewhere in newsletter)
Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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29
9a
Extended Meeting for Worship
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30
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1
7p Property & Finance Mtg
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2
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3
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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4
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5
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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6
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship
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7
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8
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9
6p Meeting for Worship
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10
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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11
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12
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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13
11a Meeting for Worship
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14
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15
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16
6p Meeting for Worship |
17
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
18
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19
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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20
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship
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21
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22
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6p Meeting for Worship
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24
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
25
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26
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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27
9:15 Non-Violent Comm. Practice Group
11a Meeting for Worship
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28
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29
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30
6p Meeting for Worship
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31
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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1
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2
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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‡Federal Building, Golden Gate Ave. and Larkin St. †San Francisco
Friends School, 250 Valencia St.
(all events at 65 9th St., unless noted;
*see details elsewhere in newsletter)
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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27
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28
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29
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30
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31
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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1
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2
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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3
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship, Community Potluck following
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4
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5
7p Property & Finance Mtg |
6
6 Meeting for Worship
7p Ministry & Oversight Mtg
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7
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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8
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9
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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10
11a Meeting for Worship
1p Meeting for Business
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11
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12
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6p Meeting for Worship |
14
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
15
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10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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17
9:30a Bible Study
11a Meeting for Worship
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18
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6p Meeting for Worship
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21
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study |
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10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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24
9:15 Non-Violent Comm. Practice Group
11a Meeting for Worship______________
31 9a Extended Meeting for Worship
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25
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26
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27
6p Meeting for Worship
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28
12p Peace Vigil‡
7p Potluck & Quaker Study
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29
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30
10:30a-1p Food Pantry
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‡Federal Building, Golden Gate Ave. and Larkin St. †San Francisco
Friends School, 250 Valencia St.
