Report comprised of responses in February and March 2022 to queries posed by PYM’s Ministry and Care Committee and Monthly Meeting for Business.
1 ) How is our meeting connecting with PYM minutes of action on AntiRacism and Climate action?
These are not new concerns for us as a Meeting. We’ve been a welcoming community for decades, but only in past few years consciously aware of how much we’ve yet to learn before racist history and relationship or language patterns are overcome. Climate crisis we’ve known for decades, but made only small changes.
Our AntiRacism ad-hoc committee pays attention and encourages participation in Moorestown MM’s bi-weekly “Lets Talk” evenings, and our monthly newsletter encourages programs of Quarterly and Yearly Meeting.
We opted to supporting green energy through our electric bill decades ago; we need to encourage use of the Friendly Households survey. Sustainability and carbon footprint of meetinghouse and school have our attention; we had PSE&G energy audit, use LED bulbs have replaced outdated HVAC. Many avoid driving by Zooming to worship and committee meetings.
2) How has your Meeting evolved as a spiritual community given the ongoing opportunities and challenges of the pandemic?
Those who Zoom and those who attend in-person have differing needs. Hybrid worship and committee meetings work reasonably well, but with after-worship check-ins we’re falling into separate communities.
Children’s First-Day programming is a work-in-progress. A teen-age member is hired to assist the parent-teacher; they were able to bring us a traditional Christmas pageant.
Friendly Circle – our adult education after-worship – is timely and lively; why don’t more Friends feel drawn to participate in this continuing enlightenment and engagement? Our communal fellowship is affected by the pandemic’s isolation; eldering as a form of caring for one another in religious community is more challenging than pre-pandemic.
3) What practices and strategies are employed to help all ages prepare for worship – whether in meeting for worship or in meeting for business?
Outdoor meeting for worship followed by lunch on World Quaker Day (10-3-2021) was planned with all committees and brought to fruition beautifully. It drew in old-timers and newcomers of all ages, was a powerfully covered experience for all who participated.
Our Monthly newsletter gives Friends notice of opportunities locally, at Pendle Hill or Yearly or Quarterly Meeting to deepen and broaden spiritual development.
- Each weekly email call to worship with Zoom link opens with a spiritual quote.
- Newsletter includes agenda for Meeting for Business to encourage attendance.
- Queries of the month are read into worship-sharing at each Meeting for Business.
- Twice monthly Friendly Circle engages Friends with inspiring, stretching possibilities.
- We care for our cemetery, our grounds, our meetinghouse, our committees, as an extended family – in addition to hiring services. Singing – we recognize we’re not doing enough communal sharing of songs! Monthly Spiritual Oasis provides a space for knowing and caring for one another with spiritual compassion, queries, wisdom.
4) What is most needed to strengthen the communal witness of the meeting to the local community and beyond?
Numbers! We’ve got the usual challenges of populating the committees and positions of a small religious community. We’re engaging with new strategies for drawing in more potential Friends. Meanwhile, we try to support good works with financial donations and occasional public witness.
