Hamilton Monthly Meeting
NEWSLETTER January 2003
I, the fiery life of divine essence, am aflame beyond the beauty of the meadows, I gleam in the waters, and I burn in the sun, moon, and stars .... I awaken everything to life.
- Hildegard of Bingen
Dates to Remember
Sunday, February 2: Meeting for Worship for Business, 1:00pm
Thursday, February 6: Potluck featuring Jane MacKay Wright on her trip to Iraq
Coffee List
Feb 2 Andy Muller Mar 2 Dick Preston
Feb 9 Harriet Woodside Mar 9 Cathy Brown
Feb 16 Carol Leigh Wehking Mar 16 Susan Wortman
Feb 23 Kris Wilson-Yang
Note from Dawn Lepard: a new coffee schedule has been posted in the kitchen.
“
Boring Gray? No Way!”
Story telling by Carol Leigh Wehking and Laurel Gugler
(part of the Toronto Storytelling Festival)
February 17, 2003
Friends House, Toronto
Sacred Chant led by Beverly Shepard
Monday, January 27th, 8 p.m.
Friends Meeting House
Everyone welcome. No particular musical skills required.
For more information, contact Beverly Shepard:
or 905-648-2853.
Friends General Conference (FGC): An Overview
(Ian Graham)
This article is to bring more awareness to the role and activities of this useful and active service organization.
Basic facts:
14 Yearly Meetings in US and Canada
33,000 members
US$2,000,000 budget (approx)
200+ volunteers
10 staff plus 8 part-time staff
7 program committees
bookstore
curriculum preparation and book publishing
interfaith, ecumenical and inter-Quaker relations
major family-oriented conference each summer
small regional conferences
traveling ministry program for visitation, education, spiritual nurture
website: with extensive resources for nurturing meetings
In 1995 FGC Central Committee started thinking about its direction and purpose. The result was a Minute of Purpose approved in 1996. This is the ‘mission’ of the organization, for all to see and recognize what FGC wants to be for itself and the wider society.
Minute of Purpose
(approved by the FGC Central Committee 1996)
Friends General conference is a Quaker organization in the unprogrammed tradition of the Religious Society of Friends which primarily serves affiliated yearly and monthly meetings. It is our experience that:
If 'to err is human', MUTUAL FORGIVENESS is absitively, possolutely essential---for goodness' sake!
abfaith is based on direct experience of God
abour lives witness this experience individually and corporately
abby answering that of God in everyone, we build and sustain inclusive community.
FGC provides resources and opportunities that educate and invite members and attenders to experience, individually and corporately, God's living presence, and to discern and follow God's leadings. FGC reaches out to seekers and to other religious bodies inside and outside the wider Religious Society of Friends.
The Minute of Purpose guides a committee discernment process to identify ways this purpose is accomplished. Four main goals with subsidiary objectives and tasks make up its Five Year Plan.
These goals fit into four areas:
worship and spiritual nurture
monthly meetings and worship groups
extended, loving community
core experiences, values and principles.
FGC is in the second iteration of its spirit-led planning process. Under the four goals there are 18 Objectives with more detail in 54 Tasks. Over half of these tasks in the current revision pertain to Advancement and Outreach, Traveling Ministry, and Ministry on Racism. That shows a substantial commitment to becoming more visible, accessible, helpful and spiritually hospitable to Friends, seekers and the wider society.
I have served on three committees over the past 10 years: Ministry & Nurture, Advancement & Outreach, and now, Religious Education. I am looking forward to ways of bringing ideas and approaches that work back to our Meeting. Two objectives are particularly interesting to me, for what they say about the future directions of FGC:
Goal IV, Objective 3: Recover the historical, spiritual and theological foundations of the Quaker Testimonies as the basis for our social witness and service.
Goal IV, Objective 4: Engage in and support dialogue between FGC Friends and those of other faith communities, in particular, involve young Friends in interfaith work.
(It should also be noted that Canadian Yearly Meeting is a united meeting, that is we affiliate with FGC and with the Friends United Meeting service organization. FUM is serves the pastored and programmed meetings within the Quaker tradition. Its website is .)
Canadian Yearly Meeting is represented on the Central Committee of FGC by three Friends, who are nominated for three year terms. The current delegates are Lynne Phillips, (Argenta BC MM), Liz Kampenhausen (Toronto MM) and myself. If you would like to support your spiritual journey and to serve the wider Quaker community through FGC or wish more information, please contact me at 905.336.0163 or ian.graham@hwcn.org.
First Day School Update
February Newsletter Deadline: Friday, February 24, 2003
(Ian Graham)
We offer something for kids every Sunday, from 11:15 to 12:15. Parents are reminded that children will not necessarily be supervised after 12:15. January's special outing headed for Gravity Climbing Gym in Hamilton. About a dozen friendly people really enjoyed themselves, testing their skills and courage in scaling the simulated cliffs. Thanks to Janis Muller for doing all the organizing. (One disappointing footnote: some Friends confirmed their attendance but did not show or cancel, so the Meeting had to absorb several registration fees.)
We are in semester Two of the year, from January to March, with new themes. The junior program, led by Harriet Woodside, is focusing on truth-telling, the Quaker testimony of Integrity, using curriculum materials from Friends General Conference. The middle school group (three girls) is learning about the archaeology and history of the ancient Middle East, with Helen Brink. These programs are meant to have continuity from one session to another. We schedule them on the second and fourth Sundays for that reason. We are re-starting a logbook for events and ideas for First Day School, to help with continuity among teachers and helpers and keep track of what seems to catch the children's attention. Parents can see what their young'uns are discovering and make contact with teachers more easily. It's a white binder and kept upstairs in the FDS room until the most suitable location is selected.
Discovery Day
A new name for the third (and occasional fifth) Sundays each month in First Day School. For several years now, we have tried to establish a monthly pattern that works for parents, teachers and kids. The third and fifth weeks are standalone supervised sessions so that families can arrange to be away some weeks and yet not miss the lessons that have been carefully planned by the teachers.
But what to call these in between days? A new name has emerged from the FGC curriculum book (Opening Doors to Quaker Religious Education). A discovery group is typically for K-3 children aged 10 or younger. It is experiential, yet introduces Quaker vocabulary and traditions through stories. It is designed with lots of choices for the kids.
Mentoring Project for Teens
About a month I invited adults who are interested in mentoring to make themselves known to me ago. So far two have offered, which is wonderful. The idea is that the teen-aged youth might be encouraged to select a mentor from this list, someone they feel comfortable with, to explore ideas and experiences related to life and faith. It's their program, they may come to worship or may not, they may meet on the phone or email, they may read a book together, or whatever suits. Mentoring sessions with the older kids could also fit into these Discovery days. We are still open to more adults willing to spent time with our youth in this manner. Please contact me at 905 336 0163 or .
Potluck on Children's Faith Education
Four families braved some inclimate weather on Jan 10th for a delightful potluck at the Mullers. Our focus was the question: What do we want to offer for religious education for our families? We shared stories of past successes and highlights of HMM's first day school programs and imagined the future ones. I shared some of the ideas from FGC's Religious Education Committee. What are the ways we convey knowledge on who we are as Friends? First, as role models, how we live our lives and relate to each other, especially across the generations. Second, story-telling, about our experiences and special events, legends, bible, etc. Third, wondering together. Now isn't this an intriguing thought? They call it cultivating the habit of the Spirit, through art, play, going more deeply into reality. Fourth, affirming of our essential worth, of the goodness of creation, of the reality of God in our lives. It happens all sorts of ways and in the most unexpected moments. Finally, curriculum, the stories and activities we bring to the class. But in this there is a new idea. In addition to the 'explicit', we also have the 'implicit' curriculum, which we don't notice consciously. It is the patterns and organization the frames the explicit curriculum. And the wild card, the 'null curriculum' which is what is deliberately left out: Jesus, not Buddha, sexuality or 'bad language', etc. (I enjoyed exploring 'bad language' with a youngster this past Sunday who had discovered a word that certainly got a reaction from older folks. But when it came right down to it, he didn't know what 'damn' meant. This became a segueway to swearing, oaths and truth-telling!)
One idea that seemed to grab people's imagination was to prepare a new way of offering child-friendly experiences in Meeting. It's called First Day School in a Bag. We assemble a kit bag of soft toys, cloth books, interesting objects around a theme, and make it available to any children who stay in the worship room with us. We could have several of them, in different colored bags.
Finally, I offered the view that we need to add some furniture and storage cupboards in the rooms used for First Day School. Is the Woodbrooke room downstairs meant to be a nursery? Can we get space built upstairs for storing paints, artwork, dress up, bristol board, etc.? Can we get the heat regulated so it is comfortable and controllable? These practical matters will make a successful program more likely, will result in children looking forward to meeting new friends at Meeting, and developing their journey into a faith of their own.
A Note From the “New” Newsletter Compiler
(adapted from an e-mail sent to the HMM e-mail list Jan. 22nd)
Greetings,
My name is Corine van Hoeve and I have volunteered to help compile the HMM monthly newsletter. Please bear with me as I get acquainted with HMM and Quaker ways (I've been attending Meeting since this past summer). Advice in practical matters related to the newsletter is sought and very much appreciated.
In the meantime…
Newsletter submissions: I would prefer items to be e-mailed directly if possible (). If you have a submission that cannot be sent via e-mail, please don't hesitate to call me (h) 905.627.9844; we’ll make alternative arrangements.
Also, if you notice that someone is not receiving a copy of the newsletter (e-mail or hardcopy) and should be, kindly bring it to my attention (e-mail or telephone).
Finally, thanks for the tremendous show of support this past week J.
In friendship,
Corine
HMM WANT ADS
Used TV Needed for Meetinghouse
The donated TV we have been using for some time has finally kicked the bucket. We have found it very useful to have a TV in the building for showing videos at social and educational events. If you have a working 19" to 23" color TV that is no longer needed, please consider donating it to the Meeting. A tax receipt can be given for the fair market value. It needs to be portable since we store it out of sight when not in use, and move it around the building.
Contact: Ian Graham 905 336 0163
Quakerism 101
VOLUNTEERS WANTED for SESSION 6
The sixth session of Q101 explores a Quaker business meeting. We use a simulation experience called the Wade House Takeover controversy. It is based on a true life situation in Chester Meeting PA in 1969. A local group took over Wade Neighbourhood Community Center owned by the Meeting and refused to vacate. The Meeting was polarized on how to respond. We need volunteers to join us in this session to round out the size of the group. The readings are handed out at the session, with roles and positions to start the decision process. Background reading is from Michael Sheeran's Beyond Majority Rule pg 47 -71 and 91 to 106. A date has not been set and will depend on the best fit with the people involved.
Please contact Ian Graham if interested 905.336.0163.
Seeking Occasional Childcare Provider
I am looking for an intelligent "older" young f/Friend to provide occasional childcare for Helen and Alexander. I have in mind a university-aged person (Helen would like a female) who would be interested doing non-TV oriented activities and would follow our very structured bedtime routine, if need be. However, I have been known to be out of my mind. Please contact Kris Wilson-Yang at OR call 905-627-1419.