Middletown Friends have experienced the same challenges as other meetings over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic. We continue to search for ways to gather in meaningful, Spirit-led worship; communicate with our members and attenders and provide opportunities for fellowship; keep up with the business of the meeting and maintain our historic meetinghouse, and engage with the broader community to respond to the many concerns in today’s world.
Meeting for Worship
Middletown Friends began worshipping together virtually on Zoom in mid-March 2020 when the pandemic stay-at-home orders were issued. While we all missed in-person worship in our beloved meetinghouse, virtual worship has had some upsides, too, most notably the participation of several Friends afar. As of July 11, 2021, we have resumed in-person meeting for worship with a Zoom option. We received a grant for $993 toward the purchase of equipment needed to hold hybrid worship as well as a grant from Bucks Quarter for $500 to cover the cost of Verizon hotspot service for one year. Friends appreciate the time and technical expertise Tom Olson has contributed to make this possible. Our midweek meetings on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. also resumed in July under the care of Jerry Belew.
Our Children’s First Day School
Our First Day School consists of 11 children ranging in age from 7-17. The Covid-19 crisis moved us to Zoom meetings and a socially distanced treasure hunt for the Meetinghouse grounds for one family at a time. Our young Friends hosted a double donation drive-through event for the Penndel Food Pantry, collecting 353 pounds of food and approximately 150 toys! In May, our FDS families met in person for a socially distanced, outdoor gathering with a cornhole tournament and s’mores around a firepit. The FDS is planning to have a booth, Holly’s Helpers, at the Peace Fair in September. They are having workshops to produce pet items to sell to earn money to donate to Bucks Food for Friends, another “pet” project of our late Friend Holly DiMicco Olson.
Several young Friends from Middletown are attending Camp Onas this summer.
For several years we have had a monthly family-friendly movie night and potluck supper. This event is building community both within the meeting and with Friends from throughout Bucks Quarter. On hold since February due to Covid-19, we look forward to resuming this monthly event once children can be vaccinated and it is safe for families to gather.
Ministry & Nurture of Our Members and Attenders
The Ministry & Nurture Committee engages in visiting our shut-ins and those who are ill or in the hospital, providing clearness committees as needed, sending cards and flowers on joyous and sad occasions, and tries to be aware of other needs within the meeting. Ministry and Nurture was especially concerned this year with the pandemic affecting the needs of members and attenders who are isolated, and reached out to them with notes, e-mails and phone calls to help them keep connected with the Meeting. Normally we coordinate volunteers to help with worship services at Chandler Hall but of course, this is still on hold. Kathleen Parry, of our Meeting, has served as the Coordinator of the weekly services at Chandler Hall for the last 15 years. The support of Bucks Quarter Meetings that send their members to help with services is most appreciated. We hope to be able to resume this program in some form in the future when it is safe for residents and volunteers.
Our annual auction has been one of the highlights on Middletown’s social calendar for decades and serves as the sole fundraiser for the Ministry & Nurture Committee, which uses the proceeds to meet unbudgeted requests throughout the year. While we all missed the warm fellowship of our traditional auction-night potluck supper, the auction itself went on in true 2020 style – online! We came up with our own system—an auction “catalogue” featuring photos and descriptions of all 114 of the donated items that was updated and sent out twice a week via email. We had some wonderful items to bid on this year, including many hand-crafted by our young Friends. Thanks to the generosity of the bidders and donors, we raised significantly more than previous years and more people, including Friends from the Quarter and members of the Langhorne community, were able to participate. Our Zoom grand finale on November 6 when the winning bids were announced was “attended” by local Friends as well as those in Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pittsburgh. While we all hope that we’ll be able to safely gather in person this November, we are planning to do a hybrid version after the excitement that last year’s virtual auction generated.
We stay in touch with our members and attenders through our newsletter, Facebook page, and website, and send minutes from our business meeting out each month via email. We started the year with 87 members 21 or older and 3 under 21. Sadly, three cherished meeting members have passed away in 2021.
Community and Global Outreach
Our food pantry collection locker has been moved outside the meetinghouse and donations have increased as a result. Nancy and George Pickering pick up the donations each week and deliver them to the pantry in Penndel. A special drive thru Food Collection was held on June 26 to honor the 55th Wedding Anniversary of Nancy and George. 1,264 pounds of food were collected during this one-day drive.
The meeting participated in Langhorne Council for the Arts’ historic banner project by sponsoring a banner highlighting the history of the meeting. The banners are hung on the Victorian light poles throughout Langhorne and are part of a self-guided walking tour of the borough.
In August 2015, Bucks Learning Cooperative (BLC) assumed use of our schoolhouse building. BLC is a home-schooling support group that manages two similar facilities in New Jersey. Two meeting members serve on their board. The meeting worked with the board to establish safety guidelines to allow the Cooperative to reopen last Fall, paying attention to detailed public health measures. The Meeting maintains the outside of the old schoolhouse; extensive repairs are now underway, with stucco repair, a new chimney pot, painting, and interior electrical work, drywall, and painting.
Middletown meeting has a representative to the Langhorne Ministerium, providing opportunities for interfaith sharing and collaboration. Sadly, the Ministerium’s community Thanksgiving service and Good Friday Cross Walk did not take place this year.
In June, in collaboration with a Langhorne resident, we displayed a Juneteenth banner featuring a portrait of Frederick Douglas and the words “Finally Free” on the meetinghouse lawn.
Friends are currently supporting the leading of Friend Sally Farneth, who is working on the Friends’ Peace Team’s Rwanda book project. The group plans to make six children’s books for each of the six libraries in the African Great Lakes region books, plus a librarian’s copy/teacher’s manual available for each library.
Handling Conflict Among Friends
In November 2019 the meeting prepared a minute to Bucks Quarter (BQ) expressing our meeting’s concerns about racist and sexist behaviors at the August 2019 QM, stemming from events reported by several of our members who attended that meeting. The minute ended with a call to action to make BQ Meeting for Business an inclusive place where all will feel safe and welcome. The minute was received with some anger, although many seemed to come around after further consideration. It is hoped that the minute will have any effect on behavior at future QMs and that Friends would be more mindful of how their words and actions (or lack of) affect others, particularly women and people of color. Two Middletown Friends met with the BQ Clerk this past fall to follow up on the minute, which was read again at the November 2020 QM. As a result, a virtual program on eldering was presented by George Schaefer in January 2021, with many Middletown Friends participating.
Stewardship of Our Historic Meetinghouse and Graveyard
The meetinghouse property and graveyard were maintained through our annual cleanup, conducted this year with social distancing and wearing masks, and the ongoing efforts of numerous Friends who simply perform the tasks they see needing to be done. We are grateful to Friends for their care and work. Our graveyard convener continues to answer and assist many researching relatives’ graves, often upon a referral from our local historical association. A section of our graveyard has been designated for green burials, with one to date.
Maintaining Our Christmas Traditions During a Pandemic
Even though we were not able to gather in person for Christmas this year we came up with ways to maintain some of our most cherished meeting traditions. Instead of a Christmas pageant this year, we had a virtual inter-generational event, The Gifts of Christmas. The gifts were what Friends of all ages bring to share—playing musical instruments, reading, or sharing poetry, art, or meaningful memories, with others quietly listening and supporting Friends through their presence. Another tradition, having a harpist play during meeting for worship on the Sunday before Christmas, continued this year on Zoom from the meetinghouse. And finally, five open house sessions were held at the meetinghouse in the week leading up to Christmas for visitors to come and enjoy the quiet, holiday setting enhanced with a miniature Victorian Village, the Meetinghouse Manger Scene, and the Giving Tree where donations were left to benefit the Bucks County Homeless Shelter and Mercer Street Friends Center.
We look forward to peace and healing in the upcoming year and hold our world in the Light amidst these difficult times. Our hearts are lifted by our faith in the Spirit and the love and sharing we bring to each other.
Submitted by
Lance Mervine, Clerk
Robin Hipple, Recording Clerk
August 15, 2021
Queries
In July 2021 PYM approved minutes of action to be taken on anti-racism and climate change. How has your meeting been called to address these issues? What other concerns and initiatives has your meeting been led to address this past year?
- We displayed the Juneteenth banner in front of the meetinghouse throughout June.
- As covid permits, we will invite the Black community to hold its Juneteenth celebration on our grounds and in our meetinghouse.
- We helped a homeless woman found sleeping in the furnace room.
- We recycle, not using paper or plastic products when reusable dishes and utensils are feasible.
- We set the thermostat low when the building is not in use.
- We are joining the protest against PennDOT’s plan to increase nonlocal traffic on Route 413 through the Black community and past its churches. The plan would also be detrimental to the physically and developmentally challenged community at Woods Services.
- As covid permits, a Hindu sacred dance school holds classes in our meetinghouse.
- We use careful stewardship of our buildings and grounds to keep the trees and plantings healthy and environmental effects small.
- How has your meeting evolved as a spiritual community given the ongoing opportunities and challenges of the pandemic?
- Our fully remote or hybrid meetings allow for participation of Friends afar as well as protecting local Friends’ health. We thank PYM for the grant monies received to cover the costs of the necessary electronics.
- We held our annual auction fundraiser virtually. Proceeds go to our Ministry & Nurture committee, who uses the funds to meet un-budgeted requests for donations and aid throughout the year.
- FDS communications and Covid-safe gatherings are held outdoors as weather and the infection rate permit.
What practices and strategies are employed by your meeting to help members and attenders of all ages prepare for worship – whether in meeting for worship or in meeting for business?
- We communicate through emails, newsletters, website, Facebook.
- We send out minutes and agenda to prepare for MFB.
What is most needed to strengthen the communal witness of the meeting to the local community and beyond?
Our worst problem with witness to the community is of course covid. These activities have not been affected:
- Opposing with the AME church and other community organizations the proposed traffic changes that would harm Langhorne Borough, particularly traditionally Black neighborhoods and the disabled at Woods Services.
- Ongoing weekly collection for the Penndel food pantry.
- Special Thanksgiving food drive to provide feasts to Penndel pantry.
- FDS Christmas toy and food drive.
- Booth at Langhorne Harvest Day, which resulted in several new attenders.
- Participation in the Bucks Quarter Peace Fair in September, where FDS families had the “Holly’s Helpers” booth selling pet toys they made, with the funds going to pet-related charities. Meeting members also made and served chili at the fair.
- Participation in Langhorne Ministerium and serving as the starting point of the Good Friday cross walk. Before covid, we offered a continental breakfast before the walk.
- Our close relationship with Bucks Learning Cooperative, a self directed learning center for homeschooled teens. BLC rents our schoolhouse, participates in some of our community events, holds classes in the meetinghouse as covid permits, and will assist FDS with identifying and mapping our many trees. Two of our members serve on its board of directors.
Is there a query or are there queries that your meeting would like to respond to that have not been included here? Please share it/them and your response.
- One of our members writes a query for MFB every other month. We use the queries from Faith and Practice on alternate months.
- Another couple has been instrumental in opening warm relations with our foundational meeting, Settle Meeting, in the UK.
- Yet another couple has been trained as to serve facilitators for the friends Couples Enrichment programs sponsored by Pendle Hill.
- One of our members is Clerk of Bucks Quarterly Meeting.
- We hold a monthly dinner meeting of Quaker women in the region; we call it Quappy Hour.
