2024 Spiritual State of the Meeting Report for Middletown Meeting in Lima PA:
Over the past year, within your meeting community:
1. How is Spirit moving in your worship, and how have you nurtured deep, Spirit-led vocal ministry?
Although our numbers are small, Middletown Monthly Meeting is blessed by deep Spirit led ministry in many areas; vocal ministry being one which is informed by a deep rootedness of faith and prayer in our lives; a reliance on the Spirit that grounds us in all our ministries. There is sincere listening and appreciation for vocal ministry that our members and attenders offer, which is encouraging to all who listen deeply to God’s voice as we worship. One member did a workshop for our meeting 2 years ago on “How to Discern” if a vocal message is spiritually led and this continues to provide guidance to us all on sharing messages. This past year, another member offered two Bible studies which also encouraged members and attenders to think deeply about hearing the voice of God.
These studies were:
Spring 2023 on the Book of Job
Fall 2023 on The Voices of the Pentateuch
The meeting’s men’s group meets every other week to offer support, guidance, and worship.
Our Worship and Care committee were very moved to read an article in Friends Journal written by Olivia Chalkley on “Young Friends Want What Early Friends Had”. We subsequently invited Ms. Chalkley to worship at our meeting and had a deep discussion after worship on how the Spirit is moving among young people. It was a very fruitful discussion and has energized our meeting to consider exploring outreach with fresh eyes.
One of our members spent 10 weeks at Pendle Hill Spring Term 2023 as the recipient of the Kenneth L. Carroll Scholarship for Biblical and Quaker Studies. This member worked on a series of draft chapters for a book he is writing about his own search for a Living Faith among Friends.
2. How have you fostered an environment in which members and attenders of all ages and abilities know they are loved, cared for, trusted, and respected?
The Worship and Care Committee meets monthly and the first topic discussed is the well being and needs of all members and attenders, From this discussion, outreach is made to people who may be grieving, or are ill; transportation is offered if needed to medical appointments or for other essential needs; meals and/or visitation have been provided to give support during difficult times; We offer hybrid worship so that members/attenders who are not able to attend in person can participate in worship and monthly business meetings. At the rise of meeting for worship, joys or prayer requests are shared.
We continue to be blessed and strengthened by our two yearly large gatherings with the Christmas Social and Middletown Day. We are thankful we are able to gather again in person after years of holding these events virtually due to the Pandemic.
Although our meeting does not currently have any children regularly attending, we have been moved to create a child friendly space in the meeting house with a rug, a rocking chair, books and quiet activities so we are prepared to welcome children and parents for intergenerational worship.
3. How have you sought to be neighbors and in relationship with other communities, and how have you been changed by these connections?
We continue to be in relationship with our township’s emergency management department from the Emergency Disaster Plan our meeting developed with them a year and a half ago.
One member was a resident at Pendle Hill during the year and developed a spiritual friendship with a young Quaker also at Pendle Hill from Oxford Meeting in England. Our member then joined this young friend as an elder traveling in the ministry in England.
Two of our members visited Cropwell Meeting in October 2023. They were invited to speak about the center of Quaker faith. The talk “ What are We Waiting For?”
focused on what early Friends were seeking and then found: a way to directly connect with God and each other. This connection was found through an experience of Jesus Christ as their/our Light and Teacher.
Westtown School’s Quaker Leadership students held an overnight retreat at our meeting in the Fall of 2023. Two meeting members led a musical interlude with the students Saturday afternoon and another meeting member shared his spiritual journey with the students before Meeting for Worship on Sunday; the students then joined in meeting for worship and a time of fellowship afterwards.
One member is actively engaged with Concord Quarter Working Group on Aging.
Two other members met virtually with the Aging Concerns Group to answer questions about their experience in evaluating and choosing a CCRC.
Our meeting began discussion with an Al Anon group to use space in our social room for their meetings in 2024.
4. How have you been called to address issues of social justice, inclusivity, and difference, both within your meeting and in the wider world?
From Last year’s report: : “Our focus and deep concern always is to ground our actions in faith. We are aware that we can’t will our way to spiritual health by trying to perform our testimonies without the power that is available to us through Christ. From this place of faith, we serve one another in the body of our meeting, in the body of our families and friends and in the body of humanity.”
Although we cannot be an ADA certified space due to the structure of our old buildings, we have installed grab bars in our bathrooms and have a free standing ramp we can employ to assist people in wheelchairs or walkers to get into our buildings.
We recognize that the work our members do who are involved in environmental conservation efforts also addresses issues of social justice, as the people most affected by climate disasters are the ones who are most marginalized in our communities and the world.
In which areas does your meeting have a success story or advice to share with other meetings? In which areas does your meeting have particular concerns or need for support from the yearly meeting?
● Care of Worship (e.g., How can we get more/fewer people to offer vocal ministry?)
We have found that having discussions on discernment ,either one on one or in a group setting on when to offer vocal ministry to be helpful. We give attention to the vocal minister by offering thanks for being faithful in sharing the Spirit moving within the them.
● Outreach and Inclusion (e.g., How do we welcome newcomers warmly without overwhelming them?)
We show interest in their lives and spiritual journeys. We come from a place of how we can serve any newcomers, and not how they can meet the meeting’s needs.
● Adult Education Resources (e.g., How can we learn and share about our faith outside of worship?) Sharing through studying books in the Bible has been helpful.
● Families and Children (e.g., What religious education resources are available to use?) We currently don’t have any children regularly attending.
Youth and Young Adults (e.g., How can we create a welcome space for youth and young adults in the meeting?)
● Witness (e.g., How do we walk our talk as Friends?)
Please see question #4.
● Committees (e.g., How might a different committee structure be helpful to our meeting in conducting our business?)
We have merged Care and Counsel Committee and Worship and Ministry Committee into one committee, Worship and Care.
● Quarters (e.g., How can being part of an active Quarter have an impact on meetings and individuals?)
Several members from our meeting have attended events sponsored by the Quarter or PYM that have had a positive impact on fruitful discussion of the future of our meeting:
-Life Cycles of Meetings in April 2023
-PYM Thread Gathering on Outreach
-Concord Quarter Workshop on Committees within Meetings
-Concord Quarter Called Meeting on Small Meeting Support
● General Questions or Needs (e.g., Could someone visit my meeting?)
Finally, the Climate Change Sprint group would like to hear from you about your meeting’s work on climate change:
● How has the Spirit guided your work on climate change?
Several members of our meeting are actively involved in environmental conservation efforts In local , state and federal levels. As a meeting we focused on educating ourselves on and planting pollinator friendly shrubs on a portion of the meeting grounds. We have an emergency
disaster plan in place.
● How has your meeting addressed the action areas identified in the Climate Change Sprint Report: Activism, Education, Reducing Carbon Footprint, and Finances?
Please see above answer in above question.
● Has your meeting appointed a Climate Witness liaison? If not, why not?
Our meeting has appointed a Climate Witness liaison.
