Saturday, January 20, 2024
Norristown Friends Monthly Meeting Annual Report of 2023
Our meetinghouse is welcoming and peaceful with between 7 to 12 people gathering for worship and visiting afterwards. We no longer have hybrid meetings using the zoom link and the Owl technology, although these are available at the request of members or attenders. We share a sense of gratefulness for being able to worship together at Norristown Friends Meeting house. Several new people have attended meetings for worship, but we are looking for ways to reach out and attract new members. A long-time member of the meeting, Robert Neff (96 yrs.) who resides at Foulkeways was able to visit us after Christmas this year. His four grandchildren brought him to Meeting, it was a wonderful surprise. Bob’s message was caring and loving. He reminded us that even though our numbers of people attending worship may be low that it doesn’t matter because it is important to continue to keep the presence of love and caring in our Norristown meeting.
Membership at the beginning of 2023 is 58 adults. At the end of 2023 we had 57 people. In 2023 we lost one longtime member Susan Beebe Hallman, to death. Sorrow also came to us from the loss of two not in membership. Dave DeLuca had been a steady presence offering vocal ministry in our worship. Malcolm Brashear, who was a former member of the meeting graciously offered to lead the Christmas Carol singing following in his father’s footsteps for many years and he also graciously played piano for memorial services. GEM, (Greeting & Eating at Meeting) takes place on the second Sunday of the month. As always it brings us together for interesting news and conversations shared over delicious assortments of comforting soups, baked goods, and beverages. We also plan to begin discussions of the monthly queries on the fourth Sunday of the month. Our meeting house continues to go through many updates and improvements during the year 2023.
The Property committee is without any down time in caring for the meeting house facilities. Three new trees have been planted on the grounds in honor of three members that have passed. A tree was planted for Cliff Gillam, Louise Crossen, and Anne Neff. We also started a Pollinator Palooza which is a project initiated by at Friend at Plymouth Meeting Friends. This gardening project has been initiated at both sides of the gates and in the front at corner of Swede and Jacoby streets. The purpose of the plots is to act as pollinators by growing natural flowering plants that attract butterflies, bees and birds to the gardens. We were able to use the leaf mulch from our trees that we have collected in large piles on the side of the property. It is great to put the mulch to use creating gardens. Journeyworks folks will bring native flowers to plant in the mulched garden beds in the spring.
Little Treasures Day Care has renewed the lease for use of the meeting house for the fifth year. The day care /after school program is in transition to becoming Sunshine Academy. Amber Hooks, daughter of Kim Moody, the original manager of the day care is taking over the ownership and administration along with her partner Londyn. The relationship with the day care/after school program has evolved and grown. A new Shared Lease Agreement document was written and signed by the new administrators and the Property Committee of Norristown Friends meeting in December 2023.
We are fortunate to have a trustworthy and responsible cleaning staff, Michael Hunt. He communicates regularly with our property committee to keep us informed of any problems, concerns or changes at the meeting house and grounds.
We continue to have new attendees join us for worship, and they share that they found our meeting on our website through the internet. Many thanks go to the development of our website by Marguerite Hayes and the Communications Committee. More appreciation and thanks go to Jayden Sampson who committed on a weekly basis to set up the computer, with OWL and host the zoom aspect of meetings for worship until May of 2023. An email was sent out to the members and attenders of Norristown Meeting that if needed the zoom meetings are available at the request of members or attenders. We made this change since most of the members and attenders were meeting in person from early 2023 and few people were attending the virtual meetings for worship.
Easter, April 9, 2023, we worshiped at the Upper Providence Meetinghouse at 8 AM for Easter Worship. Our members then proceeded to Norristown Friends Meetinghouse to prepare and share in Easter breakfast. The worship service and breakfast were well attended by around 15 people with a delicious breakfast after worship. To prepare the U.P. Meetinghouse the Upper Providence committee met on April 8th, to dust, and sweep clean the meetinghouse and grounds. The Upper Providence Meetinghouse property has been providing continual care through the spring, summer and into the winter this past year with general maintenance.
December 10th a Christmas party after meeting for worship was well attended and enjoyed at Norristown Friends Meetinghouse. Marilyn Rogers led us in activities and singing. Bill and Annette Procyson led members/attenders in a challenging game, naming Christmas carols according to hints. A potluck luncheon was enjoyed with a variety of breakfast casseroles, fruits, and desserts. It was a good time, and we were thankful to have so many people attending the party.
The Finance Committee and Co- Treasurer’s reports have been delivered at the monthly meetings for business on a monthly basis keeping members/attenders well informed on the meeting’s financial status. We thank the Finance committee for being committed to this complex task which involves much consideration and appreciation. The finance committee has very diligently kept the financial records. Jayden Sampson has maintained payment of the bills and receiving of donations and making donations that are required to care of the meetinghouse and grounds. Many thanks and appreciation to both of them for their knowledge, experience, and commitment to caring for the meeting house finances.
Marguerite Hayes has been active on the Communications committee along with the Upper Providence Property committee and serves as the representative to Abington Quarter Meeting and Norristown Soup kitchen for many years now.
There are usually 5 members of Norristown Friends meeting that volunteer monthly at Cecil and Grace Bean’s Thursday Soup Kitchen at the St. John’s Episcopal. Carol Ashby runs a great soup kitchen and there are many people that respect her and commit to the soup kitchen because of her commitment and hard work. Social Concerns committee members, Olivia Brady and Mary Green have met to discuss social justice issues and pondered organizing a social justice series of meetings For 2023 the Social Concerns committee recommendations were approved. Contributions were made to many of the same agencies that we have contributed to in past years such as the G&C Bean’s Soup Kitchen, Norristown Hospitality Center, the Patrician Society’s HUMAN fund (assistance for utilities) and the Salvation Army homeless shelter and Hope Works. We contributed to two new agencies in Norristown: CCATE – Centro de Cultura Arte Trabejo y Education and the Uniting Families Bail Fund of Montgomery County. Ana Santoya informed us of the programs that CCATE has been doing for families in Norristown, so we contributed to this new agency in 2023.
On February the 24th, 2023, Norristown Friends held a public presentation, “The Christian Heresy of White Supremacy”. The speaker was Dr. Manfred Brauch, Prof. Emeritus of Biblical Theology presented a historical background of Christian Nationalism. The meeting room was full and 26 people signed the attendance sheet which did not include the members and attenders from Norristown Friends Meeting.
We remain committed to contributing to the life of our community through the beauty of the grounds and the uses being made of our meeting house. The meetinghouse is used by the AA Group on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and the NA Groups one evening per week. The use of the upstairs community room and the grounds by the Sunshine Academy Day Care program is also a benefit to the community. The maintenance of the meeting house and grounds is a commitment not only to our members and attenders but to the community. The issues facing our world and our community keep us searching for what is most needed to strengthen our communal witness. We recognize our place in our local community and beyond. The leadings of the spirit continue go give us faith in a path of doing what god would ask us.
Mary Green, Clerk of Norristown Friends Meeting
January 21, 2024
