Smithfield Friends Newsletter November 2001 Smithfield Monthly Meeting of Friends 108 Smithfield Road Woonsocket, RI 02895 Vol.14________________________________________________________________________ No.133 Parsonage: 762-5726 Internet: www.smithfieldfriends.org Clerk: Richard Frechette Recording Clerk Connie Bair-Thompson Pastor: Marnie Miller-Gutsel Treasurer:Bruce Buteau Ministry&Counsel Rhoda Mowry Newsletter: Randy Oftedahl CALENDAR FOR November/December 2001 EVERY SUNDAY 10:30 am: MEETING FOR WORSHIP No First Day School in the Summer Child Care Available LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH: Unprogrammed Worship and Pot Luck Lunch OTHER WORSHIP UNDER THE CARE OF SMITHFIELD MEETING OR RI/SMITHFIELD QTLY. MTG. SECOND SUNDAY OF MONTH 7:00 PM: Unprogrammed Worship at Uxbridge Meetinghouse, Uxbridge, Mass EVERY WEDNESDAY 6:00 PM: Unprogrammed Worship and discussion at ACI(Maximum) Other Events: Sun., Nov. 18, 2 PM--Inter-faith Memorial Service of Thanksgiving in memory of 9/11/01; Congregation B'nai Israel, 224 Prospect St. Woonsocket Thursday November 22 9:30 AM--Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, Uxbridge Meeting House Wed, Nov. 28 7 PM--Ministry and Counsel, at Martha Smith's Sun., Dec. 2 Welcoming for baby Hope Smith, during Meeting for Worship Sun., Dec. 2 Meeting for Business Every Friday Gathering to Pray for Peace--6 PM at the Meeting House, followed by a simple supper at 6:30 Celebrate Thanksgiving in worship at Uxbridge: Thanking God in community is a nice way to start Thanksgiving. All are invited to the annual Thanksgiving worship service at the old Quaker Meetinghouse on Quaker Highway (route 146-A) in South Uxbridge. This is an interdenominational service lead by clergy and lay people from various faith communities in the area. The service begins at 9:30 AM, and is followed by beverages and pastry. Dress warmly! Letter from Marnie Dear Friends, Looking for things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving has become a bit harder on account of September 11. Yet those things truly are there--and can be all the sweeter and dearer because they shine in the midst of the dark clouds. This poem is one of the my recent shining discoveries, and I am thankful to the Swarthmore Alumni Magazine for reprinting it. It comes from The Cure at Troy, by Seamus Heany. Human beings suffer, They torture one another, They get hurt and get hard. No poem or play or song Can fully right a wrong Inflicted and endured History say, Don't hope On this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave Of justice can rise up, And hope and history rhyme. So hope for a great sea change On the far side of revenge. Believe that a further shore Is reachable from here. Believe in miracles And cures and healing wells. Call miracles self-healing: The utter self revealing Double-take of feeling. If there's fire on the mountain Or lightning and storm And a god speaks from the sky That means someone is hearing The outcry and the birth-cry Of new life at its term. After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?... Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? -Galatians 3:3, 5 Peace, Friends- Marnie Young Friends Yard Sale a Success! The Young Friends' (Jr. And Sr. high schoolers) yard sale held no Saturday November 10 raised well over $ 500! The funds will be used to support activities of the group through the year. Thanks to all those who donated items for the sale and who contributed their time. Gathering to Pray for Peace Smithfield Friends continue to gather on a weekly basis to pray for peace. A core group of Friends has committed themselves to meeting on Fridays at 6:00 PM in the Meeting House for prayer, followed by a simple supper at 6:30. All Smithfield Friends and attenders are encouraged to join the group. The Meetings are open to the wider community, so please invite your neighbors and friends. Inter-faith Memorial Service We have received an invitation from Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and the Jewish Community of Woonsocket to attend an inter-faith Memorial Service of Thanksgiving in remembrance of the tragedy of 9/11/01. It will be held Sunday afternoon, at 2 PM on Nov. 18, at the B'nai Israel synagogue. The service will be co led by Rabbi Kamens and Rev. Edward St. Godard, chaplain of the Woonsocket Fire Department. The synagogue is at 224 Prospect Street, Woonsocket. Baby Welcoming Part of our Meeting for Worship on Sunday, December 2, will be devoted to formally welcoming into Meeting our tiniest attender, Hope Smith. Please make a special effort to come, and to bring your children, who will have a special part in the service. Moses Brown Class Days for Parents of Prospective Students Thinking of sending your child to Moses Brown? Beginning on November 8 and continuing through February of 2002, there will be a series of days on which you may come to observe classes at the school. Reservations are required. See the notice on the Bulletin Board for dates and times. Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at Uxbridge Meeting House It's time again for the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at the old Uxbridge Meeting House. Join Friends and many others from the surrounding communities for our traditional gathering on Thanksgiving morning at 9:30 AM. The service will be led by clergy and members of area churches. And if you have never been in this beautiful 1770 Meeting House, this is the perfect opportunity. Dress warmly, and come early for a good seat near one of the fireplaces. For first-timers, the Meeting House is just south of Uxbridge on the west side of 146A, at the intersection of Rt. 98. Advent Music Come all ye singers and instrumentalists! Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. Can Advent be far behind? We hope to have special music not only for Christmas Eve, but also for some of our Advent worship. If you would like to sing and/or play for any of those occasions, please let Marnie know. New Years Retreat at Woolman Hill Looking for a different, quieter way to observe the arrival of 2002? Join leader Peggy Dunn for a Stillness Retreat at Woolman Hill, December 30-Jan. 1. See the flier on the bulletin board for details. Scholarships are available. Opportunities: You've been coming to meeting for a while now, feel a part of the worship community, and wonder if you should commit just a little further. Well, here's your chance. We encourage you to join a committee. We reluctantly use the term "committee" because of its bureaucratic sound. But "by committee" is the way that a Friends' community accomplishes its work The Meeting's Nominating Committee has begun the work of preparing recommendations to present at Meeting for Business over the next two months. Please give prayerful thought to what your role with the Meeting might be in this regard, and consider calling a member of the Nominating Committee (Connie Bair-Thompson, 508-278-2355; Diane Gauthier, 508-883-1189; Diane O'Hara, 401-769-8914) to discuss roles and to ask questions. A brief description of some of the committees follows: Religious Education: This committee works towards the ongoing education of our children, seeking for the full development of God's gifts in each. This committee members take turn teaching, insuring that our children receive a well-rounded education in various facets of spirituality. They also recruit other teacher, select themes, review teaching materials, and organize schedules. Peace and Social Concerns: This Committee is charged with fostering Friends' concern for the removal of all causes of war, violence and prejudice, and to bring to the attention of the Meeting events and circumstances in the local and larger community which impact upon those concerns. Concerns are wide-ranging: some past concerns have included restorative justice, death penalty, or war taxes, economic sanctions. He specific duties flow from the concerns. Building and Grounds: The condition of the Meeting House, Parsonage and related grounds are the purview of this Committee. Duties include developing and prioritizing an ongoing list of repair and maintenance tasks, organizing work parties, overseeing emergency repairs, soliciting bids for contract work, and overseeing the work of the custodian. Finance Committee: This committee is concerned with the ongoing financial well-being of the Meeting. It's duties include developing and monitoring the annual budget, investing excess funds, alerting the Meeting community to revenue shortages, and overseeing the work of the treasurer. Ministry & Counsel: This committee is responsible for the oversight of the spiritual well being of the Meeting community. It meets monthly to consider the quality of meeting for worship, and deals with pastoral needs and concerns. Other tasks include newsletter publication, host activities, Meeting library management, Young Friends advisors, Child Care Coordinator, representation of the Meeting with groups in the wider community. Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, November 4, 2001 (condensed from the minutes for the newsletter; full minutes are available at the meetinghouse or can be requested) * Friends approved an open letter on the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath, and agreed to send the letter to the media and other faith communities. (Note: the text of the letter is found elsewhere in the newsletter) * Friends accepted Jeanne Kinney into membership of the meeting.. * Connie Bair-Thompson, Diane Gauthier and Diane O'Hara were named to serve on the nominating committee and will report back with nominations at the next Meeting for Business (additional nominating committee information found elsewhere in the newsletter). * Our Meeting will participate again this year in the Holiday Basket Program sponsored by Family Resources, Inc. Our efforts will be coordinated Connie Bair-Thompson, Kathy Malin and the Young Friends working as a team. * Bob Sumner Mack is appointed to serve as Smithfield Meeting's representative to the American Friends Service Committee's Southeastern New England Support Group. Recognizing the benefit to AFSC that can come from having a seasoned Friend, we hope to find an additional Friend to serve with Bob. * The American Friends Service Committee has asked all Friends Meetings who have signed on to the Campaign of Conscience for the Iraqi People to send a representative to a summit on the weekend of Jan. 19. We are open to sending a representative if someone has a leading to attend, and we will provide up to $100 reimbursement for travel expenses. (note: The representative will be named at the Dec. 2 meeting; interested persons should speak to the clerk before that time.) * The Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Rhode Island (APC) vacated our meetinghouse this past summer, following our request that they find other facilities. We are open to the possibility if another group were to approach us about sharing our meetinghouse and if we determined that they were compatible. However, we need to think further on this matter before we actively seek to identify such groups. * Yearly Meeting's Permanent Board did not feel anything was standing in the way of our turning over the East Blackstone Meetinghouse to a local heritage group, if that is our final decision. They recommended that we use the services of a Quaker lawyer in developing a long-term lease or deed transfer, which document could include restrictions on usage and insure future rights to Quaker activities. Friends asked the ad hoc committee, (Rhoda Mowry, Richard Frechette, Jeanne Kineey, and Diane Gauthier) to meet with the group and to report back to the meeting with recommendations. * Richard Frechette will serve as our Meeting's representative to Quarterly Meeting nominating committee. An open letter on the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath We, the Religious Society of Friends in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, also known as Quakers, have met in community to pray for understanding of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and to ask for God's guidance as to the best way to respond. Our hearts go out to the thousands of people who have lost beloved family members and friends. The deliberate killing of so many innocent people is an evil attack on all humanity. It has hurt us and has made us angry and afraid. Yet we are concerned that our first response of shock and grief could lead us to act without the wisdom and restraint that would bring lasting peace. Rather, what we most need is justice for all people. We recognize that public safety must be maintained and that terrorism must be stopped. However, we believe that warring against another people will not help us maintain this safety. War never determines who is right, but merely who is stronger at the moment. We believe that retribution and war do not lead to justice; they only invite more violence. Ultimately, we see war as a violation of the sacredness of life; therefore we can not take part in it. We believe evil can only be overcome by good. Justice should restore and rebuild the community. It can not focus only on bringing the wrongdoers to account. It also requires the community to participate in helping those harmed. We are proud of the outpouring of physical and monetary help that has occurred throughout our country. Justice also demands that we take steps to prevent such acts from occurring again. In order to break out of the paralysis of fear and to overcome evil with good, it is necessary to understand not only how, but why, these acts occurred. Beyond improving our security procedures, we must also understand what motivated the terrorists to commit such horrendous acts. We believe peace is linked to social justice; therefore as a country, we need to reflect on how our political, economic and environmental policies may have contributed to our being a target of such hostility. We have been led as a community of faith to open our meetinghouse to the wider community as a place where we can pray together for peace, for divine guidance for government officials who must make difficult decisions, and for the ability to live in right relationships with each other. In so many ways, both peace and war begin at home. How we treat people immediately around us and how we, as individuals, utilize the earth's resources eventually does impact the world order. As a community of faith, we re-commit ourselves to Friends' principles of Integrity, Equality, Simplicity and Peace. Focusing on our core beliefs at home and in our community can help us avoid being overwhelmed by the tasks before us and, we believe, can have a positive impact on the world as a whole. This is our commitment to God and to our fellow human beings which we proclaim to all those around us. Approved by Smithfield Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends November 4, 2001 Note: This letter has been sent to various media outlets and to other faith Communities. Friends are encouraged to share the letter. Justice Is Still the Goal By Jim Wallis Washington Post, Wednesday, November 14, 2001; Page A33 Many of us in the religious community have deep concerns about the moral, practical and political consequences of the military campaign in Afghanistan. Causing the loss of additional innocent lives, however unintentionally, will undermine what should be our only goal: bringing terrorists to justice. But the question is what to do now. People committed to nonviolence cannot simply wish away the problems. We must answer the questions that violence purports to answer: how to stop further terrorist violence and punish those responsible for the mass murder of innocent people -- but in a better way. We can. It is not too late for the United States to return to the path of restraint that marked the first weeks of our response to the attacks. In those weeks we wisely built an international coalition against terrorism and developed a strategy to root out its sources through diplomatic, economic, political, intelligence and security means. The most effective and morally defensible strategy now would be one focused clearly on feeding starving people, bringing the terrorists to justice and utilizing the rule of law and international forces. Several recent developments strengthen this approach. First, the evidence against Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network has been broadly accepted internationally, including by most Arab and Muslim nations. Second, the United Nations has spoken unequivocally to the need to root out terrorism from every nation where it exists. And third, a broad international consensus against terrorist violence has emerged, even in places and nations where there is strong opposition to U.S. policies, especially in the Arab world. All this must now be built upon. We are at a critical moral turning point between pursuing justice and waging a wider war. Our first step must be to commence a massive relief effort to save the people of Afghanistan. More than 3.5 million are on the verge of starvation, and protecting innocent life is the main reason we are fighting terrorism. The United States should then redirect its campaign to the sources of terrorism's power and impact, which, after all, are not fundamentally military in nature. Our focus should be on cutting off the financial assets of the terrorists, heightening and coordinating domestic security, intensifying worldwide police and intelligence activity and using international law to convict, isolate and discredit the terrorists -- and then carefully targeting search and capture operations to find and stop them. Such a focused campaign would not only be morally superior to an escalating U.S.-led war against the states that sponsor terrorism (with such a heavy cost to their people); it would also be far less dangerous and ultimately more effective in defeating the terrorist threat. It is imperative to prevent the scenario of an expanding American war, increasing the danger of more terrorist attacks, prompting more escalation and thereby risking an unrelenting cycle of violence. We must seek the active participation of all nations, especially Islamic and Arab countries, in such an international campaign against terrorism, rather than simply their acquiescence in a military attack. A strategy of justice rather than expanded military action may take more time. But the discipline, patience and perseverance to cripple the networks, assets and capabilities of violent terrorists is more likely to produce lasting results than are massive military strikes whose targets and consequences are unclear. The writer is editor of Sojourners magazine and the convener of Call to Renewal, a national federation of churches and faith-based organizations working to overcome poverty. Pray for Peace Smithfield Monthly Meeting of Friends 108 Smithfield Road Woonsocket, RI 02895