Throughout the past 3 years Newtown Monthly Meeting continued to adjust to evolving concerns over COVID-19. We have continued to make minor improvements to the audio/visual equipment required to join Zoom from the Meeting House. While we welcome the presence of those attending via Zoom, we acknowledge that Zoom and our current audio/visual equipment have limitations. In late 2022, we conducted a threshing session to discuss the benefits and challenges of “hybrid” meeting. Those who attended the session generally agreed that we should continue to include remote participants in our meetings, but also agreed that some changes should be considered.
In response we created an AV Tech ad hoc committee whose charge is to develop plans to update tech equipment for the benefit of our hybrid meetings. These will improve sound quality, make coordination of “hybrid” meetings less burdensome, and reduce distractions caused by the technology used to facilitate the meetings. Recently a report and recommendation of this ad hoc committee was presented. The plans were approved at Meeting for Business and we hope to begin installation of these improvements in the coming month.
Through 2022 the Meeting continued discernment on how parking should be expanded on the Meeting House grounds. Throughout this discernment process we continued to exercise practices of Quaker worship, listening spiritually to one another, and waiting on the Spirit. In March of 2022 the Meeting approved construction of additional parking on the north side of the Meeting House. Additional parking proposed on the west side of the Meeting House was not approved, but will be re-evaluated in the future after the Meeting has had experience with the north lot expansion. Moving forward with construction of only one of the two parking areas originally proposed meant that the engineering plans needed to be revised and resubmitted to Newtown Borough for approval. Our Plans have been approved and we are ready to schedule construction in the next month. The Building & Grounds committee has begun searching for an outside firm that can help us to develop a master plan for our grounds. These plans will incorporate views expressed by Meeting members during our “Place Making” discussions held in November 2020.
The Quaker process proved to ‘work’ in the above process of discernment. It was a wonderful, albeit challenging, process in which to be involved. It did serve not only to help our decision making, it brought us all closer.
Our Adult Religious Education continues to operate in a hybrid fashion. The programs have been interesting, thought provoking and enriching. There was a wide variety of programs including: spiritual journeys of our members, programs on inward-focused issues (parking & placemaking, children’s Christmas program, Camp Onas, FCNL discernment process and Edward Hicks’ birthday), arts and culture programs (a documentary on indigenous culture, a focus on poetry, and a focus on murals), and programs on environment and/or justice (POWER Bucks, Historic Fair Hill, George School DEI, Allyship in the Face of Isms, Welcoming the Stranger, Philadelphia Common Market, Mother Earth: Resilience & Possibility, Independent Russian insights on current events). Member Norval Reece continues to publicize our programs in the local media. Last year, seventeen books were also purchased for the Library which serves as a resource available to deepen our knowledge, strengthen our faith and nurture our spirituality.
We continue to be challenged with the same predicament that many meetings are facing, which is the number of young children attending our Children’s Education programs. Notwithstanding, the newly invigorated CRE committee has continued to plan exciting programs for the children we do see regularly. Thankfully, this year we were able to continue our Simple Supper and Lasagna Dinner and Our children are actively involved in choosing the organizations that will receive the monetary benefits of these fundraisers.
Our Simple Supper dinner held last fall raised $2,515 half of which was donated to the Tuesday’s Children charity and the other half donated to Bucks County Interfaith Coalition for Refugee Resettlement. Our spring Lasagna Dinner will raise money for the Right Sharing of World Resources.
Children’s Religious Education included more content about the Old and New Testaments. We began the year with a Faith-and-Play-style presentation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and since then we have covered topics such as core imagery in the Bible (dove, olive branch), Noah’s Ark, the birth of Jesus, the expectant waiting process of Advent, the period of Lent, the resurrection of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Lord’s Prayer.
Our recent Easter Program focused on the Women of Easter. Each year the Meeting gives our fourth graders the Bible of their choice. We had 2 children this year who received their Bible.
Worship & Ministry continues to create material and programming to deepen discernment in decision-making for business meetings. In February 2022, the committee produced a document entitled: ‘Faithfully Participating in Meeting Decision-Making’. The document asks us to contemplate what the Spirit requires of us in the search for answers in our decision-making. We are reminded that once we release a message in business meeting, it belongs to the care of the meeting. Once that happens, we don’t have to defend our point of view,” just to hold the meeting in the light, and trust the Spirit.” The committee also presented a program called “Coming to Love,“. This program considered how we can share differences of opinion without having to be heavy or contentious and be in a space where we are led by the Spirit. Love is a key element, along with humor. We considered queries that ask how we can “give up our points of view” and turn our wills over to the Spirit. We considered how we can respond to God in everyone, including Friends who have different points of view.
Our Care & Counsel committee maintains contact with young adults and inactive members through letter writing and visitations. The committee sends notes to young adults and to inactive members. Care & Counsel also provided much needed support to members experiencing loss of loved ones, illness, and other challenges related to the pandemic. Prints of Edward Hicks’ “Peaceable Kingdom” painting were presented to 9 young adults who turned 21 this year. Healing quilts continue to be delivered to members in need.
Our Inreach/Outreach committee is continuing to sponsor potluck dinners for newcomers and meeting in the homes of members who live within walking distance of the meeting house.
We are also continuing our Friendly 8s Dinner groups as well as our annual summer Meeting Picnic.
We continue to assess the formats of communication that work best for engaging and disseminating information to our members and attenders. The Communications committee started a weekly email update called This Week at Newtown Meeting. Increasing the frequency of outreach improved the ability to deliver up to date information, especially when changes rapidly occur with committee schedules. This format, sent out on Friday or Saturday, describes the upcoming schedule, with short descriptions of the first day programs or other Quaker or Quaker related programs. Occasionally, photos are included from meeting events. This shorter, more colorful communication tool has been warmly received. This led us to lay down the monthly newsletter.
Newtown Friends School, which is under the care of the Meeting, is off to a great start the 2022 school year. The school began the year at the highest enrollment they have experienced in many years, including two separate pre-kindergarten classrooms. As COVID wanes, they have been able to resume some wonderful traditions such as after-school sports and inter-grade buddy meetings. They have also completed several important renovations, including a facelift for the front entry.
Respectfully submitted,
Katherine Borish, Clerk of Newtown Monthly Meeting
