“This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.” (Rumi) And so it has been for the past year. A series of unexpected ups and downs, highs and lows. We started the year in full COVID lockdown with strict protocols in place and in-person Meetings as aspirations. Then we moved into the spring and summer when Friends were feeling the strength of being vaccinated and boosted and we started to enjoy hybrid Meetings. We first dipped our toes by meeting outside under the trees and by fall we had moved to hybrid meetings where fully masked Friends worshiped in the Meetinghouse and, with the aid of our newly purchased OWL, could worship with Friends at home. And then the COVID breakthroughs that have brought us back to Zoom only Meetings once again. As a Meeting Community, we are small, yet strong and resilient because of the many contributions of time, talent and spirit by Unami Friends. Our Worship and Ministry Committee not only oversees the “Quality of worship” during Meeting for Worship, but also helps to guide the Meeting in deepening our spiritual practices through discussions and presentations of the Queries.
The Worship and Ministry Committee arranges a variety of discussions, sometimes in concert with the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, on topics that address important social, political, diversity, equity and justice issues and are frequently based on specific books, films, pamphlets, and poetry. All discussions this year have been held on Zoom. Inspired by the PYM series on Spiritual Practices, Dan Hazelton led us in a Worship Sharing of, “What is your practice of worship?” The sharing was deep and rewarding; Dan created a safe place for people to talk. Maureen Nolan led us in A Prayer Discussion: Walking in the Light, a life of constant prayer inspired by A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelley. In early November, we joined Radnor Meeting to hear Ben Pink Dandelion speak on The Ideal of Quaker Worship. Marietta Quinby led us in a discussion of Why I Have Hope, and Joyce Munro, inspired by Rumi’s, The Guest House, asked us to reflect on our COVID lives and consider the following queries in this context: As Friends, we seek to perceive and to live in the Light. We gather and sink into a silence that has the potential to sustain and transform us. For living in whatever normal is now and coming. For action in this world. Given that discipline and its potential outcome of discernment, it seems fitting to talk about this pandemic experience in a worshipful manner. Let us pause, purposefully, and reflect: What understanding of yourself can you name? Is there a life lesson that you have been learning? Is this an inflection point in yourself, our meeting, our nation, our life on earth? What transformation do you want to see and participate in?
We have considered race and climate change through discussions inspired by the following books: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, How to Be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X Kendi, The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson and have whole heartedly supported the Carbon Forest Project led by John Munro and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. We have committed to taking up the discussion of reparations after viewing the film, “Traces of the Trade” and to revisit our anti-racism practices in the months ahead. Our Seasonal Celebration contributions have gone to Afghan relief and resettlement projects.
Worship and Ministry Committee, along with all of the other committees, have worked hard to help maintain a strong community through the use of Zoom and the OWL, establishing protocols and best practices so that everyone would feel safe and welcome to worship either in person or on Zoom. In seeking to build community, Marietta Quinby led us in a “Show and Tell” discussion where we were encouraged to share an aspect of ourselves that perhaps others did not know about us or that is important to us. We have instituted a “Zoom coffee-hour” before Meeting each week to encourage Friends to gather.
We look forward to meeting in person again and will continue to maintain an active and vital community. Respectfully submitted by
Nancy Donnelly (clerk of Worship and Ministry from Jan. to August 2021) and Joyce Munro (current clerk of Worship and Ministry)
Unami Clerk Annual Report for January 2021 – December 2021
Prepared by Mary Hanisch (Clerk: January – August) and Nancy Donnelly (Clerk: September – December)
The 2021 Calendar Year was fraught with significant ups and downs. Everyday life seemed to be usurped by COVID 19, political unrest, and concern for loved ones. As we struggled individually, Unami found energy as a community to support each other, and provide meaningful ways to enrich, communicate, and participate.
Enrichment took the form as an amazing array of before-meeting discussions organized by Worship and Ministry, supported by Peace and Social Concerns. These presentations/ discussions were all done thru ZOOM. There were 10 sessions in all, concentrating on Racial Justice, Environmental Issues, Spiritual Practice, and Community Building (sharing).
We made a major commitment to provide the means to communicate/participate, with several upgrades of technology. We thoughtfully decided to provide Hybrid meetings by purchasing an OWL for the meetinghouse. The OWL provides audio and video in the Meetinghouse to share with participants on ZOOM. The technical upgrade included WIFI at the Meetinghouse, which can also be used for First Day School and /or presentations.
Unami had a few in-person Meetings for Worship during the year. We started over the summer with outdoor meetings at the end of each month. In September and October, we began Hybrid meetings, but these were discontinued in December, when a new strain of COVID-19 made worship at the Meetinghouse problematic.
A significant challenge was supporting our families with children. All families agreed that meeting in person was not an option. Our First Day School Committee did a remarkable job in sending monthly activities and books to the children, thus keeping them engaged and helping to support parents as well.
All in all, we managed to hang together, despite the challenges. Our community is small, but mighty! We are all tired of the Lockdowns, but now we have the tools to worship at home, on the road, at the Meetinghouse, or somewhere in between!
News of Ourselves and Membership Changes:
- In January, we were pleased to welcome Emil Theron Donmoyer Munro, son of Rebecca Munro and Patrick Donmoyer. Ada Fox now has a little brother!
- Rosalie (Sally) Adia Leber was born in April to Delila Leber in Washington State. Kathy and Bob Leber are happy grandparents to Delila’s second child.
- Liz Goff was married in January.
- Friends of Unami passed away during the year: Mark Hellman (UFS Trustee and member of Gwynedd Meeting) and Charlie Meredith (member of Richland Meeting).
- Many of our members were “on the road”with significant road trips to the West and Mid-West.
- Finances:
- Unami’s budget for 2020-2021 was $14,600. Our expenses were less than budgeted, ending the year at $13,986. General Fund donations were $14,053, with 20 contributors (up from 14 the previous year). We increased our Reserve Fund by $1,100, contributed $5,350 to Abington Quarter, and donated $1,000 to Open Link. Individuals donated $2,100 to Project Home (Seasonal Celebration fundraiser) and $1,006 to Open Link.
- Unami’s budget for 2021-2022 is $16,650. Some of the increase is due to technology expenses, including Unami’s ZOOM account, WIFI, and the fee for Quaker Cloud.
- Worship and Ministry:
- Discussions / Presentations included:
- Book Discussion on Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson
- Quaker Dialog – Why I have hope
- Book Discussion on How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Keandi
- Book discussion on Ministry of the Future by Stanley Robinson
- What is your Practice of Worship?
- Book Discussion on A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly
- Presentation by Daena Berdougo, new head of UFS
- Forum with Radnor Meeting, “The Ideal of Quaker Worship” by Ben Pink Dandelion
- Reflections on COVID-19
- Community Building Show and Tell
- Our Seasonal Celebration was on ZOOM again this year. There were fewer participants than previous years, but we were blessed with inspirational readings, Haiku, Ikebana, music, and (best of all) messages from 4 of our children. We were reminded by their parents that if our future is in their hands, we can find hope and inspiration. The fundraiser this year went to Afghan support, including Bethany Christian Services (settlement of families in the Lehigh Valley) and
- United Nations World Food Program.
- Care and Membership:
- C&M sponsored several ZOOM social hours during the year, allowing participants to socialize and share stories and current activities.
- C&M also reached out to many of us in need. There were various health and family challenges that required pastoral care. The tenderness and care is appreciated by the families and also the community, in general.
- Property:
- Several Projects included:
- Repair of an attic vent
- Pest control
- New toilet for the main bathroom
- Tree work including tree removal, chipping, and treatment of scale
- Clogged exterior drain remediation
- Workdays gave way to “worklists” due to COVID concerns.
- Peace and Social Concerns:
- Social justice was “lifted up” through the reading of books and discussions that followed. These topics were shared with Unami as a whole, and not just the members of
- P&SC.
- There were significant “leaps forward” in the Carbon Forest Project, including:
- A brochure was developed to describe the project to potential contributors.
- An application for an Earthshot Prize was sent to Cornell University for consideration. We did not receive a grant, but the process helped focus us to local sources of funds.
- John Munro and others were active in reaching out to Tinicum Conservancy in Upper Bucks County, as well as other conservancies, land trusts, etc. for funding and donations of land for the project.
- John participated in a webinar on Carbon Forest Markets.
- We received our first donation to the Carbon Forest Project! This led us to approve the establishment of an ad-hoc Committee of Unami Meeting Clerk, P&SC Clerk/or Project Manager, Treasurer, and Joyce Moore. The Committee will determine the fiduciary relationship between the Meeting and Project.
- Members of Unami were actively involved in the 2021 primaries and elections, Courageous Conversations, Better Angels, and other political and social organizations in this year of tumult. We shared concerns with the events of January 6. Joyce Moore ran for Lehigh County Commissioner in the general election. Although she was defeated, her effort was applauded, meeting with many in her area.
- Members also focused on generous individual donations to local food pantries and the Seasonal Celebration gifts for Afghanistan.
- First Day School:
- As reported in the summary, FDS provided monthly activities for the children throughout the year. ● The Committee also polled parents throughout the year to discern how they could best support families while they were all stuck at home, for the most part.
- Child Clearance guidelines were sent to potential volunteers for FDS. Many clearances were out of date. ● Meeting provided $500 to purchase new toys for the FDS toddler area.
- Outreach:
- The Committee met once (in the Fall). At Meeting for Business, decisions were made to: o Purchase a Meeting ZOOM Account
- Purchase an OWL
- Set up WIFI through Comcast
- o Continue with Quaker Cloud for Unami’s web presence.
- Committee Members (and others) donated:
- A laptop for Hybrid Meeting
- A projector for Hybrid Meeting
- OWL tests were conducted by an Ad-hoc committee.
- Philip Donnelly wrote up directions for setting up ZOOM meetings. He also provided follow-up to our $500 PYM grant and matching $500 Meeting expenditure.
- Mary Hanisch wrote up directions for using the OWL.
- Newsletter:
- Our Newsletter was, again, our Lifeline during Lockdown!!!
- Our Newsletter included important messages, ZOOM links, Event notifications and wonderful Haiku, Photos, and Inspirational messages.
- Kudos to Dan Hazelton!
- United Friends School:
- We continued to get regular reminders and reports from Marietta Quinby. Thank you, Marietta!
- Unami members donated items for a garden themed basket for the online Auction in the Spring.
- We met with Daena Berdougo, the new Head of UFS, by ZOOM.
