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HAMILTON MONTHLY MEETING
of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
7 Butty Place, Hamilton, ON L8S 2R5
www.quaker.ca/hamilton
quakers@hwcn.org
905-523-8383
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2002
Welcome back to our newsletter! It was a bit of a slow start this month, but we’ll soon be back on track. I’ve left in some events which have already happened, for the record.
Enjoy...
DATES TO REMEMBER
September 10/11: Vigil in both Ottawa (CYM) and HMM
September 22: Called Meeting on MfWfB - 1:00pm
September 29: Quakerism 101 meeting - 12:30pm
September 29: Threshing session on Interest Free Loan Fund - 1:00pm
October 7: Meeting for Worship for Business - 7:00pm
October 19: Half-Yearly Meeting, Yonge Street MM, Newmarket
January 17-20: FWCC Conference, "Peace Witness”
COFFEE LIST
Sept 29 Ray C
Oct 6 Mona C
Oct 13 Ian G
Oct 20 Betty F
Oct 27 Tamara F
Dawn is now co-ordinating coffee. Please notify her of any changes. The schedule for August - January is posted in the meeting house kitchen. Dawn also asked that we pass on her new address! Here it is: Dawn Lepard, 17 Bruce Street, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 3M5; (905) 526-6738; or .
QUAKERLITE ANYONE?
(submitted by Beverly Shepard)
"QuakerLite", the informal sessions for inquirers and new attenders, will resume in October. Beverly Shepard will be happy to meet with any who want to know more about Quakerism, Quakers, and Hamilton Meeting on the second Sunday of each month after post-Meeting coffee. However, she is looking for someone to replace her. Do you have an interest in helping new attenders feel welcome, cared-for, and informed? Would you like to meet with them occasionally to talk and answer questions? There's plenty of wonderful basic information already gathered by Ian Graham and available as resource material, so the job is not onerous. Let Bev know if you might be interested -- perhaps more than one person could take it on for different months.
FIRST DAY SCHOOL
(submitted by Ian Graham)
The program planning will begin September 15 with an open meeting of all interested members and attenders, especially parents and children. We will meet for an hour upstairs starting at 12:30 pm. The Committee is comprised of Janis Muller, Ian Graham, and there is one open position. Offers of teaching or childcare are always needed. The basic idea is that the whole meeting is enjoined in providing spiritual guidance and education for the young people, not just parents. Parents are encouraged to look forward to some time of worship apart from their children, lovely and endearing as they are! An offer to plan and direct the Christmas event (pageant, play, etc.) has already been made by Bev Shepard. Thanks.
NOMINATIONS PROCESS REVIEW
(submitted by Bev Shepard)
In June of 2001, Hamilton MM accepted -- for a trial period -- a report from the Working Group on Nominations Process. Meeting for Worship for Business agreed that Nominating Committee should use the recommended guidelines in the report when making nominations in the following year. Next after a year's trial use, the Meeting would review the process and the recommendations. In June of 2002 we had too full an agenda to pursue this topic at that time and agreed to lay it over to the fall.
Well, guess what? Summer is pretty much over, and fall, for most intents and purposes, is here. We need to revisit the process of nominating in HMM. At M4W4B on September 5 Friends started doing just that. Here are some questions the Working Group would like you to consider. Please give the questions some thought, and if you have answers for us, contact me by real mail, e-mail or phone to tell us what you think. I will pull all the responses together, and a group consisting of Nominating Committee, the Working Group (minus Don, who has laid down this task), and fresh, new participant Kris Wilson-Yang will review the responses and prepare a report for the November monthly meeting. Of course, all those people are encouraged to answer the questions, too! Send comments to: Bev Shepard, 374 Philip Place, Ancaster, L9G 3G8; ; or call 905-648-2853.
Nominating Committee: Bev Shepard (actually outgoing, but involved in the nominations process in the past year), Sian Baker, Andy Muller. Working Group: Don Woodside (resigned), Beverly Shepard, Ian Graham, Dawn Lepard.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Were you aware of the nominating process in HMM this past year? Did Nominating Committee publicize the fact that the process was going on and positions were to be filled?
2. Were you informed as much as you'd like to be about the various committees and offices Nominating Committee was seeking to fill? -- for Quaker groups outside HMM (i.e., Canadian Yearly Meeting) positions? -- for Hamilton MM positions? Were your interests considered?
3. Please comment on the process and its results, e.g., whether appropriate people were nominated, did you believe your interests and willingness were known, did you experience undue pressure or not enough pressure, plenty of information or not enough, etc.?
4. Do you think the guidelines are good ones? (You can review them on the website at www.quaker.ca/hamilton if you do not have them at hand. If you would like a paper copy please contact Bev, Ian or Dawn.) If not, how would you improve them if you could? Did you observe that they were they followed? If they were not, how do you think they could be better followed?
5. Are you a seasoned member, a new member, or an attender? How long have you been worshipping with Quakers?
6. Please comment on possible ways the Nominating Committee could learn about newcomers' interests and get to know them better. Would a self-profile be a helpful addition to our community-building? Would you object if a gifts and interests checklist were used?
7. Any further comments would be appreciated.
NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS
(submitted by Ian Graham)
The address for our Hamilton Quakers website is now www.quaker.ca/hamilton. The old address (www.hwcn.org/link/hmm) also works but is less easy to remember.
Our internal online community, www.Communityzero.com/hquakers, is still available for anyone associated with Hamilton Meeting. To log on, go to the website and follow the instructions there. HQuakers is a passworded website with many features. Most notable are the ability to post articles that you write yourself, or find elsewhere and want to share, a calendar that any subscriber can add to print off or check for latest events at the Meeting, a place for photos and lists and of course, discussion groups.
This has been a free site with no advertising and good privacy. The Ottawa company that offers this free service is now planning to introduce a low fee of $30/year. The fee allows users to start and belong to as many online communities as they choose. HMM Website committee will be considering whether to continue this forum next year. In the meantime, please check it out, see if it is useful for you to stay in touch with Quakers and Hamilton friends.
THE HURT CHILDREN: A POEM
(submitted by Ray Cunnington)
We are the hurt children,
Who believed we deserved it.
"For our own Good," they said it was
That we are hurt children.
They said that they hurt us
Because they loved us.
Maybe they had no option, because
They also were hurt children.
We still feel the pain
But can't remember the cause.
We are angry inside
Because we are the hurt children.
To avoid more pain we pull away.
"It doesn't hurt," we say, lying.
We pretend all the time
Because we are the hurt children.
We wear a mask, you'll never know who we are,
We must not let on, no one must guess,
What we feel inside...
...Inside the hurt children.
We want to lash out, to even the score.
We want others to feel the pain,
We nurse grudges, want vengeance,
Because we are the hurt children.
We have to please others.
Denying our truth,
"If I kill myself, will you be sorry, or pleased?"
Ask the hurt children.
We try to speak out,
But are hurt some more.
That stifles our voices,
We become silent hurt children.
We retreat in our heads,
Where no one can follow,
That's how we justify
Hurting our children.
"Too small, too big, too fat, too ugly!"
The critical voices put others down.
"What colour's your skin?"
"What's wrong with your clothes?"
"Do as I say, are you stupid or what?"
That's how to make hurt children!
If we didn't hurt, criticize, ridicule, intimidate,
Neglect, punish, spank, beat, or sexually abuse,
We wouldn't have all these frightened,
Damaged, lonely, disappointed, hurt children...
...Who want to be loved and admired
Who want to do big things,
But who don't know how --
Because they are hurt children...
...Who don't know how to comfort themselves.
So they run away, pull back, close up.
Or retreat into scary things like drugs
Because they are hurt children.
If we can discover trust in ourselves,
And believe in our truth and goodness,
We may finally offer a bit of love
To some of the hurt children.
CALLED MEETING MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 22, 2002
(submitted by Beverly Shepard)
Minutes of Called Meeting for Worship for Business on the conduct of Meeting for Worship for Business, 22 September 2002.
Present: Dick Preston (acting Clerk), Don Woodside, Harriet Woodside, Andy Muller, Helen Paulin, Betty Preston, Rex Barger, Robbie MacGregor, Beverly Shepard (acting recording Clerk), Mona Callin, Carol Leigh Wehking, Denise Barron, Tamara Fleming, Rick McCutcheon.
1. Meeting opened with silent worship, during which our presiding clerk, Dick Preston, read from "Spiritual responsibility in the Meeting for Business" by Patricia Loring.
2. We asked Beverly Shepard to act as recording clerk for this meeting. She accepted.
3. We agreed to recommend to the Clerk that he consult with the Assistant Clerk and one other Friend in the preparation and prioritization of the agenda.
4. We refer to Ministry and Counsel for further seasoning the matters of the spiritual quality of Meeting for Worship for Business, the community life of our Meeting, and our identity as Quakers as nurtured in our business meeting.
5. We ask that at least one Meeting for Worship for Business in the next few months be held on a Sunday afternoon after a potluck lunch, and that we consider the effectiveness of using such a time for our business meetings at least part of the time. A Sunday Meeting for Worship for Business could include more community activities, such as music.
6. The meeting ended with silent worship.
OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT
(submitted by Ian Graham)
The last report to the Meeting was May 5 2002. Our selected areas of activity since Feb 2001 have been a) campus presence, b) visible support of public events and c) a new attenders program. Our activity year traditionally starts with the rise of Yearly Meeting session in August, sending attenders back to their local meeting or worship group with a boost of energy and renewed sense of community. Outreach has become much more common across Canada among Quakers. There is even a special fund for Outreach and Spiritual Nurture that Meetings can apply to when they have a project that excites them.
Since May we have hosted two Sacred Sites tour open houses (June 23 and Sept 1). The historical character of Alexander Ross, underground railroad conductor and ornithologist of the 1860s was popular as was the Taize chanting, which was shown on Cable 14 as well. These did bring a handful of visitors to see our building but the real benefit was to be listed in the attractive brochure designed by the Art Gallery of Hamilton. We hope they plan to learn from this first year and offer their Tour of Sacred Sites next year.
The City of Hamilton agreed to make and mount three street signs directing visitors to HMM from Main Street, for a reasonable cost of about $100.
Seven Friends helped with the Hamilton Quaker table at McMaster's Clubsfest. Thanks to Richard, Rex, Bev, Dawn, Julia, Harriet and Ian. We met a lot of campus students, had fun explaining what Quakers means to us, and gave out a lot of buttons and welcome cards. Quakerisms were inscribed on our graffiti board (now on display in the meetinghouse) and we had a draw for Westdale theatre tickets. Some students signed up for a home-cooked meal and for Quakerism 101. The display needs a more clear focus, and new signage for next year, but we all agreed, it was a worthwhile effort.
The website has been enjoying steady visitor traffic which reached a peak of 65 unique visitors in March, and is averaging about 45 visitors.
The committee supported the Peace Vigil with publicity on local events websites. Two portable signs for events were made for use at such times as we are having public events at the Meetinghouse.
Here are some pending projects: revise the HMM brochure and reprint; develop a brochure for campus and community use; finish the Names and Faces Board; consider uses for the website and online community site; guests for dinner: students with an interest in spiritual topics, quakerism, etc.
The committee has yet to meet to plan its work for 2002/3. Anyone is welcome to talk to us and participate in the work of making Hamilton Quaker Meeting visible, accessible, helpful and spiritually hospitable.
QUAKERISM 101
(submitted by Ian Graham)
This introduction to Quaker basics will be offered again this fall at Hamilton Meeting. It runs for six sessions of two to three hours each, is open to inquirers and anyone in the Meeting. Cost is about $15 for copying and $75 for books if purchased new. (There should be a dozen people with the books from last time who wouldn't mind lending theirs.) See the description on the website for more details, or the flyer in the information folder on the foyer counter. Contact Ian Graham by phone or email to register.
Interested persons will meet Sept 29th 12:30 after worship and refreshments to set a date and timetable to start. Most likely start date will be Oct 27th. Last year we found biweekly meetings worked quite well. Topics: Experiences of early Friends; The Light Within; Quaker Universalism; Worship and Ministry; Living the Light in our lives; Quaker Business process.
FRIENDS PEACE CONFERENCE NEEDS CANADIAN DELEGATES
(submitted by Beverly Shepard)
Canadian Yearly Meeting decided at Yearly Meeting Sessions in August to send two delegates to a conference in North Carolina in January. These two delegates, of whom one will be a Young Friend, will be funded by CYM, and they will be nominated by Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee before Representative Meeting in mid-November. All Monthly Meetings are encouraged to send names of appropriate and willing Friends to Y.M. Nominating Committee. HMM Nominating Committee would like to hear from all Hamilton Friends interested in attending the conference and able to go. Please read the information below and contact either Bev Shepard, Sian Baker, or Andy Muller by September 28th if you're interested.
In light of the tragedy of September 11, Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Section of the Americas has called a special conference to consider Friends' responses to the growing dangers of global war and terrorism. The conference, entitled "Peace Witness in a Time of Crisis: A Friends' Consultation" will be held at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, January 17-20, 2003, the weekend of the Martin Luther King holiday.
Attending the conference will be individuals from Friends United Meeting, Friends General Conference, Evangelical Friends International, and Conservative and Independent Friends. The program will include the history of the peace testimony, sharing spiritual journeys and Friends' witness at the corporate level. Discussion and study will be offered in the form of panels, workshops and small group sharing. One of the goals of the conference is to identify specific action that Friends can take to witness the peace testimony as individuals and to strengthen our corporate witness in the world. This specially called conference is only the fifth since FWCC's inception in 1937. The mission of the conference is to gather in the spirit of prayer and openness to Divine Guidance, as a family of God spanning all traditions of Friends meetings and churches, to assist Friends to carry forth the peace witness in its many forms in the face of the increasing danger of wars and terrorism. Together we will study the spiritual heritage of the Peace Testimony, identify spiritual tools for strengthening it in today's world, and prayerfully consider actions to remain faithful witnesses to Jesus' message, "blessed are the peacemakers".
FOOD! (GOT YOUR ATTENTION, EH?)
(submitted by Dick Preston)
The Meeting House needs a stove to replace the one which currently resides in the kitchen. Do you have one hanging about the house that needs a new home?
DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THIS PH PAMPHLET?
(submitted by Mona Callin)
If any friend has a copy of Universalism and Spirituality by Ralph Hetherington - Pendle Hill Pamphlet #309, that they are willing to part with, please contact me - with thanks!
SOMETHING TO PONDER FROM A&Q
(submitted by Larry Pogue)
3. Do you try to set aside times of quiet for openness to the Holy Spirit? All of us need to find a way into silence which allows us to deepen our awareness of the divine and to find the inward source of our strength. Seek to know an inward stillness, even amid the activities of daily life. Do you encourage in yourself and in others a habit of dependence on God’s guidance for each day? Hold yourself and others in the Light, knowing that all are cherished by God.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Remember that submissions for next month’s newsletter can be emailed to me at: . You can also place items in the folder located on the bulletin board by the coat rack at the Meeting House.
The deadline for next month’s newsletter submissions is Monday October 14th, one week after the Meeting for Worship for Business.
peace and blessings,
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