Smithfield Friends Newsletter January 2003 Smithfield Monthly Meeting of Friends 108 Smithfield Road Woonsocket, RI 02895 Vol.15________________________________________________________________________ No.145 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 January/February EVERY SUNDAY 10:30 am: MEETING FOR WORSHIP Child Care Available LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH: Unprogrammed Worship and Pot Luck Lunch Children's First Day School during worship OTHER WORSHIP UNDER THE CARE OF SMITHFIELD MEETING OR RI/SMITHFIELD QTLY. MTG. SECOND SUNDAY OF MONTH 4:00 PM: Unprogrammed Worship at Uxbridge Meetinghouse, Uxbridge, Mass EVERY WEDNESDAY 4:00 PM: Unprogrammed Worship and discussion at ACI(Maximum) Other events Sunday, Jan. 12 4:00 PM: Meeting for Worship at Uxbridge Meetinghouse Sunday, Jan. 19 9:30 - 10 AM: Meeting for Worship for Healing Sunday, Jan. 26 9:15 - 10:15AM: Adult Discussion Group: "The Messy History of the Friends' Peace Testimony" Sat., Feb. 1 Smithfield excursion to "Quiet Helpers" exhibit at Boston Library (note date change) Sun., Feb. 2 Monthly Meeting for Business following worship Fri., Feb 7 - 9 Yearly Meeting Jr. High Retreat, Portland, ME Remember: Pot-luck lunch following Meeting for Worship On January 26 Letter from Marnie Dear Friends, Happy New Year! As we begin 2003 (and hope it will be an improvement on 2002), it seems fitting to begin a series of Bible Study sermons on the beginning of the Bible. So all of January, we'll be looking at the book of Genesis. Some years ago, Bill Moyers did a series of public television programs on this book. In them, he and a rabbi friend, Burton Visotzky, co-facilitated an inter-faith group discussion of Genesis which included Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus, and others. I found it so interesting that I bought the book based on the series. I can't promise you that my sermons will be equally interesting, but I think I can promise that you will learn something you didn't know before. That's because the stories and characters seem so familiar to us that we think we know them--so if and when we go back to reread them, our familiarity often blinds us even to what the words actually say, never mind what they imply. Sometimes when we read them, we do it remembering what someone in the past--a pastor, a parent--told us they meant. So when we read them, that's what we think we are reading, even if the actually words don't say that. So, try this little quiz. Do it before you reread the stories. Then check your Bible to see if you got them all right. (locations of answers are listed at the end of the letter) (1) What sort of fruit did did the serpent encourage Adam and Eve to eat? (2) Who tells the truth about what will happen if the fruit is eaten? (3) What was the precise reason that God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden? (4) What is the significance of the mark God puts on Cain after he kills his brother? Those are questions which address what the text actually says--and they only take us through Chapter 4! Then there are the philosophical questions, like these: What does it mean to be created "in the image of God"? Do the stories justify the subordination of women to men? Was God fair to Cain? Was Noah really a "righteous" man? What does it mean to be a "chosen" person or people? In the story of Sarah and Hagar, who do you sympathize with, and why? What is your opinion of the "test" God devises for Abraham in the demand that he sacrifice Isaac? What does the story of Jacob and Esau tell us about sibling rivalry and reconciliation? What does the story of Joseph and his brothers reveal about family relationships? We won't have time during January to cover all of Genesis--we will do only Creation, the Temptation, and the story of Noah. However, if Friends are interested in going further, a new Bible Study group might be in order. Tell Marnie or a member of Ministry and Counsel if this would be of interest to you. And in the meantime, get out your Bibles and start reading Genesis! Love, Marnie (locations of answers to the quiz: (1) 3:3; (2) 2:17, 3:4 and 3:7; (3)3:22-3; (4) 4:15) 4th day adult discussions to begin on January 26: Ministry & Counsel Committee is sponsoring an adult discussion program to be held on the fourth Sunday of each month, from 9:15 to 10:15 AM. We will discuss topics of interest to Friends. Specific topics will vary from month-to-month, based on recommendations of Friends. Each discussion session will be free-standing, that is, attendance at a prior session will not be necessary. This month's (January 26) topic will be Tom Hamm's keynote presentation at the 2002 New England Yearly Meeting Session entitled: ""The Messy History of the Peace Testimony: Some Lessons from the Quaker Past." Friends are encouraged to review Tom's presentation prior to the discussion session. Copies of the transcript are available in the meetinghouse lobby; you can also receive an electronic copy in Word or PDF format by e-mailing Richard Frechette (RFrech@cox.net); or you can borrow the audio tape or CD of the presentation that is in the Meeting's Library. Smithfield Friends Group Tour to "Quiet Helpers" - Date Change As announced in last month's newsletter, Smithfield Friends will sponsor a tour to the Quiet Helpers exhibit at the Boston Public Library. Please note the date change to: Saturday, February 1. The description from last month: The Boston Public Library on Copley Square is the setting for a touring exhibit entitled "Quiet Helpers", which tells of the work of Quaker relief efforts in Germany from World War I, through the Hitler years to reconstruction efforts after World War II. The exhibit uses a mix of artifacts and three-dimensional objects, documents, historical photos and video to explore the themes. It provides a glimpse of how Friends have stood with the oppressed in difficult times, and can serve as a springboard for thought and discussion on what we as Friends may be called to in the present and future. Friends who wish to attend are asked to contribute $10 per participant, all proceeds of which will be used to help offset the cost of the exhibit. Please note that this is a voluntary contribution; please feel free to give less if you are unable to cover this amount for yourself or other family members. For more information, contact Randy Oftedahl at 568-3420 or randy@oftedahl.com Jr. High Retreat Coming Up Soon! The next Jr High Retreat (open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders) will take place in Portland, ME. Feb. 7-9. Bring a friend! Registration is first come, first serve, so avoid winding up on the waiting list--send in your registration soon! See the Bulletin Board for details. If you need a registration form, ask Marnie. Investigating Moses Brown--for Parents of Prospective Students If you are thinking of sending your child to Moses Brown, there are still a few days left when you may visit a class. The program will end in February. Reservations are required. See the notice on the Bulletin Board for dates and times. Messages from Distant Friends If you haven't yet checked out the bulletin board for Christmas letters and other messages from distant Friends, be sure to do so. They will be taken down at the end of January. In the Meeting library audio collection: 2002 Yearly Meeting Session - Keynote Speaker Tom Hamm "The Messy History of the Peace Testimony: Some Lessons from the Quaker Past" Available in both CD and cassette tape versions 2002 Yearly Meeting Session - Bible Half-Hour presentations by Peter and Annie Blood Patterson At this time available in CD only War is Not the Answer! The New England Regional Office of the American Friends Service Committee is placing the following ad in the Boston Globe on January 20, 2003, in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER! As our government prepares to invade Iraq, we call for peaceful resolution of these crises, and we honor the nonviolent prophet Martin Luther King, Jr. "A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: 'This way of settling differences is not just.'" -Martin Luther King, Riverside Church April 4, 1967 "A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies." - Martin Luther King, Riverside Church April 4, 1967 "A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth." - Martin Luther King, Riverside Church April 4, 1967 A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. - Martin Luther King, Riverside Church April 4, 1967 "We will be marching and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy." - Martin Luther King, Riverside Church April 4, 1967 "If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos." - Sermon. Montgomery, Alabama, Nov.6, 1956 Smithfield Monthly Meeting of Friends 108 Smithfield Road Woonsocket, RI 02895