Smithfield Friends Newsletter September 2001 Smithfield Monthly Meeting of Friends 108 Smithfield Road Woonsocket, RI 02895 Vol.14________________________________________________________________________ No.131 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 September/October 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: Letter from Marnie Dear Friends, Yearly Meeting sessions this year were the best and the worst since I've been in Rhode Island. The worst, because in the effort to make more time for worship in business sessions, workshops were put into competition with worship sharing groups-- BAD! However, best because business sessions were far better than usual--GOOD! So I don't know what the answer is, and I don't envy the Sessions Committee. However, I did notice that really good clerking--which we had--makes a tremendous difference. Perhaps if the agenda were pared down a little more, worship sharing could be restored. In the past, my worship sharing group has been an important oasis of sanity in a hectic schedule, a time of real spiritual nourishment. And I can certainly think of a few business items I wouldn't miss (though I suspect they'd be somebody else's "favorite barnacle" on the ship of Yearly Meeting Sessions). I think the high point for many attenders was the Wednesday morning worship following Marian Baker's lovely Bible Half Hour. It was the most gathered worship I ever remember experiencing at Yearly Meeting. Messages rose up on every side and from Friends on every part of the theological spectrum to the effect that Quakerism is Good News that the world needs, and we should be out there spreading it! This message stayed very close to me as I began my vacation the following week. On August 12, I set off on a visit I had long wanted to make, to Meeting for Worship at New Bedford. I have had a long time concern for little old Meetings that are struggling to continue, and New Bedford is a special favorite. They don't draw many people to worship, but there is spiritual strength there. They hosted Committee Day one sunny winter day a couple of years back, and I fell in love with the handsome old Meeting House (ca. 1820's) and with the town of New Bedford itself. That First Day, there was a small but enthusiastic group of worshippers (8!) and during Meeting, I was led share a message about the "good news" of Quakerism. I noted that in many meetings attenders seem to be quite ready for social action, but when it comes to talking about Quakerism in the outside community, people clam up. In some Meetings, it even seems that people come to worship in order to be "alone together." One sometimes hears the argument that we shouldn't be sharing our theology when we don't all agree on it. Yet we do agree on our basic theological teaching--that there is 'that of God in everyone' and that anyone may have a direct encounter with this Inner Light or Inward Christ. If we are committed to living it out, this teaching has profound implications for the way we treat other people. And this is the Good News of Quakerism, a Gospel that needs and deserves to be brought into the public square. This is the message that I heard at Yearly Meeting and that I tried to share with New Bedford. Consider it, Friends. And consider these words from the Prophet Isaiah: I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations. (Is. 42:6) Love, Marnie Bible Discussion Group--Everybody Welcome Smithfield's regular Bible discussion group will resume the week of Sept. 9. At these sessions, Friends gather to discuss a variety of ideas from a Quaker perspective, using the Bible as a springboard. Anyone interested is invited to meet briefly at rise of Meeting on Sept. 9 to select meeting times. As in the past, each discussion will stand on its own; you do not need to have attended previous sessions. Until heating season arrives, all meetings will be at the Meeting House. Drop-ins are welcome! Bibles are available if needed.Topics for each week will be announced at the preceding First Day Meeting for Worship. Come to the old East Blackstone Meeting House, Sunday, Sept. 16, 3 PM Here's your chance to visit the delightful old Meeting House in East Blackstone. This Meeting was at one time a preparative Meeting under the care of Smithfield. It was laid down as a Meeting in the mid nineteenth century, but the building is being cared for by a small historical association. These nice people sponsor Ecumenical services there from time to time, and for the one on Sunday, Sept. 16, Marnie has been invited to preach. Everyone is welcome. An offering will be taken for the maintenance of the Meeting House. Young Friends Yard Sale Young Friends of Smithfield Meeting are planning a yard sald on an undecided date in October. If anyone has anything they would like to donate, please bring it to the Meeting. Transitions This summer was a time of good-byes. Two families, the Tabers and the Kays, have moved out of the area. We will miss them - especially the Tabers who have relocated far away in Arkansas to live with Meredith's daughter. This is their new contact information: Bruce & Susan Kay and family 386 Browns Rd Storrs CT 06268 (860) 423-5879 bkay@uconnvm.uconn.edu Lester & Meredith Taber 4144 Highway 254 E Leslie, AR 72645 (telephone number pending) Request for greeting cards Sharon Key and Janice Thompson, chaplains at the ACI, are asking for donations of greeting cards (birthday, holiday, general) both for them to use for sending birthday greetings to inmates and for inmates to use to correspond with family and friends. They can be dropped off with Richard Frechette. From Ministry and Counsel This fall in the newsletter ther will be a survey on the pastoral care provided by Marnie. The survey is based on one done by Durham Meeting in Maine for their pastor, James Douglas. Marnie has asked for formal feedback of her work as our pastor and this is the way we have chosen to provide it to her. -Rhoda Mowry, Clerk, Ministry and Counsel Sept. 9, 2001 Meeting for Business (The following is an informal summary of the Meeting. Formal minutes have not yet been approved) ? Friends reported on their experiences at Yearly Meeting in August. ? Friends referred three "social concerns" minutes that were approved at Yearly meeting to Peace and Social concerns for review and consideration as to how Smithfield Friends should address these minutes. Further, Friends asked that the three minutes be published in the newsletter for all to review, and for individuals to whom one or more of these minutes spoke to join Peace and Social Concerns committee in their review. ? Friends approved the purchase of "peacemaking" bookcovers from Barton/Glover Meeting for distribution to and by our children. ? Friends approved a contribution to the Association which cares for the Uxbridge meeting house. ? Friends asked that each Monthly Meeting Committee meet over the next several weeks and to present a status report to either the October or November meeting for business. ? Friends considered the Queries from Faith and Practice on Care of our Children. From Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends The Queries #8: Care of Children Do children receive the loving care of your meeting? Does the meeting nurture their religious life and give them an understanding of the principles and practices of Friends? Are you an example to your children in your faithfulness to the ideals you profess? Do you promote your children's moral and spiritual development by loving oversight of their education, recreation, and social activities? Do you listen to children, recognizing that the Spirit may lead them along paths you have not foreseen? Do you assist them to assume their rightful responsibilities in the home, the meeting, and the community? Epistle of the 341st New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Greetings to All Friends Everywhere: Friends of New England Yearly Meeting gathered from August 4-9, 2001, on the campus of Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island for our 341st annual sessions with the theme "Coming 'Round Right: Our Witness to These Times." In our opening session, keynote speaker, Stan Thornburg of Northwest Yearly Meeting told us the story of his first verbal ministry, when as a 4th grader, he rose in meeting and asked, "If Christianity is so exciting, why is everyone asleep?" We ask, if Quakerism is everything we say it is, why isn't the joy and power of our faith spilling out of us and our Meetings? Stan spoke about his struggle of waiting on the Lord, and the discovery that that in itself was a transforming experience. He called us to an heroic faith that risks everything, without prejudice or pride, in search of a life of pure obedience. On First Day, young people ministered to us with a dramatic retelling of the story of Jonah, complete with an inflatable leviathan, which swallowed Jonah before our eyes. They challenged us to ask ourselves, "How have I disobeyed God?" and, "How can I obey God better?" Many of these themes were repeated in the report of the Long Range Planning Committee, and our State of Society Report. The LRPC noted that our needs are not primarily structural, but members need to answer the call to greater faithfulness, to give life to our structures. The committee identified an urgent need for Friends to give more attention to our inner lives and our use of time. This year, we changed our schedule to allow more time for faithful attention to Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business. We were faithful to our discipline, we waited on God, and God was present. Last year, we were unable to minute support for the Campaign of Conscience for the Iraqi People, as some Friends were concerned about the propriety of undertaking civil disobedience as a corporate entity, and the authenticity of such a witness when the consequences fall only upon officers, not upon individual members of the Yearly Meeting. This year some Friends still felt reservations; however, with God's assistance we were able to unite on a minute. A true witness extends far beyond our minutes; it must be evident in our daily lives. New England Friend Marian Baker's Bible Half Hours began with an emphasis on love as the start and origin of any witness. Through gospel and music, she reminded us that truth is spoken in many tongues, and we can listen for the truth beneath the words. Marian called us to a prophetic witness to the world; she herself is answering a call to serve Friends in East Africa for the next three years. The depth and strength of our worship gave us sustenance throughout the week. We see that the good news for all of us is that God is alive and working among us. We see how God heals, teaches, comforts, and confronts us with the Truth. It is the life of the spirit flowing through us that yields a diversity of gifts. When we grasp the world tightly with one hand and reach out to God with the other, we cannot hold both. We are called to the inner work which allows us to come 'round right to an authentic witness. If we let go of what we hold dear, God will take it over and return it to us for our joy, transformed. God poured love and laughter upon us this week. We pray for continued faithfulness to the Holy Spirit as we return to our homes. We pray that you, too, go forth in the joy and power of God's love. Right Sharing of the World's Resources Our desire is... that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." (2 Cor. 8: 7,13-15) God calls us to the right sharing of world resources, from the burdens of materialism and poverty into the abundance of God's love, to work for equity through partnership with our sisters and brothers throughout the world. (RSWR) Roland Kreager, the General Secretary of Right Sharing, came to NEYM this August from the RS headquarters in Cincinnati. He's visiting yearly meetings this year in a new outreach to Friends. Right Sharing began in 1967 when Friends recognized the great disparity of wealth in our world. As part of their testimony of simple living some began giving 1% of their income to the 3rd world, now called more optimistically the "developing world". The first small grants were made in 1970. At that time the organization came under the FWCC umbrella, until in 1999, it became a separate Friends organization. It is best described as a micro-credit financing operation that encourages micro-enterprises among small grassroot cooperatives in third world communities. The emphasis is on small. This is how it differs from other micro-loan programs which fund corporations and small businesses. Roland says: What the developing world needs is CAPITAL. Right Sharing works entirely with women's organizations believing that in helping women, we are best able to help children. And as Marian Baker pointed out, in Africa, women do most of the work. Micro-loans are made to coop organizations, not to individuals. Ideally 10 women will form a cooperative group and then apply for a grant. Their grant proposal will be judged by 4 factors that have proven successful in the world of micro-lending. * The individuals must be self-employed within each accountability group. * The seed money is granted to the group as a whole and must be controlled by the group itself. * The work chosen must be sustainable and environmentally friendly. * The end products must be consumed and used locally. According to Roland these principles have been tried and tested in the developing world. How do these principles resonate with American Friends? Can they be a lesson in simplicity to we New Englanders proud of our independence and individualism? Are they a gift from the poor who must work cooperatively to survive? RS micro-loans range from $500. to $5000. They may be divided equally or given to one or two or three individuals in the group to launch their enterprises. For example $500. may buy a cow or be enough to stock an orchard. The lenders then set up a payment schedule weekly or monthly with an amount of interest determined by the group. In addition the borrowers are required to save in a personal savings account an amount equal to their repayment fee. Whatever is left over is profit for the family. When the loans are repaid in a year or two, the individual borrower will have an equivalent amount in savings in the bank, as well as good credit and the opportunity to borrow again. The coop can then recycle the money to the next member or to a new person. The original borrower has a business, savings and profits, and often an enhanced position in community affairs. In this way a small loan can benefit several families. Because of the social structure of the cooperative, the default rate is remarkably low, 2 or 3%. The members help each other; success for one is success for all. Right Sharing now funds heavily in India but is expanding into Africa, especially Kenya and Sierra Leone. In 2001 Right Sharing will fund 50 projects in 8 countries totaling 204 K. Most partners are not Friends though an increasing number are. USFW has decided to fund raise this fall for Right Sharing. We shall request that our money be used by Roland (in consultation with Marian Baker) to fund a cooperative in Kenya. It is our hope that we shall be able to connect with the cooperative that we fund, God willing. Grant us Lord, the desire and the discipline to share some of our luxuries with our sisters struggling for the basics of daily survival. May our spirits grow rich in the process. And bless the Friends in the field doing your work. - Jeanne Kinney