Attending (via Zoom): Jen Hunsinger (Clerk), Pete Doerschler (Recording Clerk), Elaine Graham, Bob Mosteller, Jim Dalton, Carolyn Dalton, Pam Klinger, Marianna Wood, Charlie Gale, Nancy Gale, Karen Hertzler, Baker Anderson, Becky Anderson, Ed Solenberger, Melanie Anderson, Joan Silver, Andy Hunsinger
How have we sustained our commitment to be a covenant spiritual community during this past year?
The Meeting was committed to a covenant spiritual community by offering a variety of ways for Friends to connect spiritually: mid-week gatherings via Zoom, twice per week, centered on a query for worship sharing; walking fellowship outdoors in a variety of communities/trails; the Friendly newsletter from the Spiritual Care Committee which allowed Friends to share news about themselves and their families; Zoom worship with a sharing of a spiritual journey once per month; committees of the Meeting that continued their work via Zoom meetings; informing Friends of other opportunities for engagement throughout the Quarter and the Yearly Meeting. In particular, Friends reported that the mid-week gatherings and walking fellowships were rich experiences and meaningful ways to engage with other Friends. The variety of opportunities allowed Friends many choices if something didn’t work with their schedule.
What have been the joys and the learnings of this past year and where have we encountered challenges?
Technology was cited as both a joy and a challenge: we have been able to engage people who otherwise could not participate in person, (even despite Covid concerns), while we acknowledge we may have lost some Friends unable to engage with technology. Some Friends noted that technology did not engage our youth and while there was some lament, there was also an acknowledgement that our youth were already over-prescribed with technology through school and other activities. Some Friends reported a very rich spiritual experience through Zoom worship while others felt it has not adequately addressed their spiritual needs and there wasn’t enough attention given to fostering a gathered meeting through silent worship. The inability to worship and be together in person hindered social connections vital to community building. Currently our Meeting is taking steps to examine the utility of on-line worship through the formation of an ad-hoc technology committee which is collaborating with the Spiritual Care committee to address the philosophical questions of the way forward for our Meeting.
Some Friends also expressed a lack of resolution regarding the past conflicts related to Greenwood Friends School and wondered about paths for healing; some Friends expressed we have moved on. It was noted that currently there are fewer active Friends to serve on committees and participation overall in this Meeting is declining over time.
How has our faith supported our social witness?
Many Friends are active and engaged in a variety of community organizations that support their social witness and the testimonies, either consciously or unconsciously. As a Meeting, our Peace and Service Committee has been very active during the past year, despite the pandemic, and continues to look for ways for the Meeting to support their social witness.
How have our community members supported one another? The Spiritual Care committee has been very active reaching out to Friends during the pandemic.
There has been a lot of outreach in the form of the Friendly newsletter, phone calls, invitations to meet with Spiritual Care members for any concerns and walking fellowship with Friends outside on Sundays. Friends expressed appreciation for feeling supported by other Friends. Citing the expression of unresolved conflicts regarding Greenwood Friends School in query number two, there was a wondering whether there could be something collective that could address the trauma endured by many; a suggestion of 1:1 contact between Friends was given and Spiritual Care continues to remind Friends they are willing to meet with anyone regarding these concerns. There were differing opinions expressed as some Friends have moved on and some are still feeling a lack of resolution. There were a few factors noted that could be contributing to decreased participation in Meeting: technology issues, the conflict from Greenwood Friends School and changes in the Bloomsburg University community which has in the recent past brought new families to the Meeting. On the other hand, technology has brought some new people to Meeting and a question is how we remain welcoming, open and supportive to them.
The State of the Spirit concluded with a period of silent worship.
