We are a small group in a large meeting house. The meeting has existed now for 300 years; the meeting house almost as long. Obviously in the early days of the meeting there was cause to construct a large building. We now use the former women’s side of the meeting house for worship on First Day. We are a quiet meeting with a few messages during worship; some First Days there is complete silence. We feel the Spirit moving here during worship and a gentle intimacy among us. We feel that it is the gathered silent waiting that nurtures our vocal ministry. Our newest member has testified that being part of Sadsbury Meeting has filled a void she didn’t know she had.
During the late 20th century we had all ages of members and attenders with a thriving First Day School for elementary and middle school ages. Those young people have now grown up and moved away and their parents have stopped being part of our meeting. This is cause for concern among us. A family with two teenage children has recently worshipped with us several times; they have been warmly welcomed and the option of First Day School for the teens has been offered although it seems that they do well during silent worship. As older members/attenders age we have extended various levels of care such as providing transportation, meals, and companionship. Those of us who remain after the passing of the older ones look back on those times with a mixture of love and sadness but also a sense of privilege and fulfillment from traveling alongside them near the end of their lives. This same pastoral care is extended when illness or trouble strikes those of middle age. We utilize Yearly Meeting services for financial and other aid when appropriate. There have been times when our individual personalities and character flaws have caused us to practice “bearing one with another…and helping one another up with a tender hand.”
We are a country meeting house near a few small towns. Our 300th anniversary has given us new impetus to reach out to the local community and to the wider fellowship of Friends. The Christiana Historical Society, centered primarily on the 1851 Christiana Resistance when a southern slave owner sought to recapture an escaped person in our area, holds a Heritage Day every year near the anniversary of that event. We participate in the event with an information table where we find ourselves fielding challenging questions from members of other Christian churches. We have learned to respect the practices of others.
We feel that our primary focus needs to be to offer support and spiritual nourishment to develop our own faith community. However we do not shrink from social and other issues. Earlier this year we had a forum on book banning. In July we are having a speaker whose father worked for civil rights; his ancestors were members of Sadsbury Meeting. We have been a pastoral care committee of the whole when a member needed to process recent interactions with family and friends about politics. This “committee of the whole” pattern has been necessary in recent years due to our small numbers.
We encourage members/attenders to be active in Caln Quarter and PYM. One attender was invigorated by attending a PYM workshop at Arch Street Meeting House; being present with a larger group of Friends was a very positive experience for him. This year several Sadsbury Friends plan to attend Caln Quarter’s Spring Weekend at Camp Swatara, some for the first time. Being active beyond one’s local meeting reinforces a sense of belonging to a greater spiritual fellowship.
While we welcome new attenders we do struggle to explain our Quaker jargon and practices or absence of practices that people raised in a different sect are accustomed to.
Regarding Climate Change, again our meeting is small. However a couple years ago one of our members held a regular climate vigil every Saturday morning outside Lancaster PA Central Market. This was not the most satisfying experience, partly because of her expectations. She now relies on individual encounters and her own household efforts. Another person at Sadsbury has much knowledge and experience with solar installations and may seek to be part of the Climate Change Sprint. Sadbury uses an alternative electrical power source. Each of us tries to be aware of our carbon footprint, eating and buying locally as much as possible. As one attender has put it: “Act locally, be happy, and have a clear conscience.”
