August 2003
To All
Friends Everywhere,
Friends of New England Yearly Meeting, of the Religious Society
of Friends, send our loving greetings from the campus of
The wolf will live with the
lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the
yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with
the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like
the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child
put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (NIV)
In her keynote address, “Persevering for Peace: Centering and
Sustaining our Peace Witness,” Mary Lord reminded us that God calls us to the
task of peacemaking, and the world expects it of Friends, particularly in time
of war. Five New England Friends, Gordon Browne, Betsy Cazden,
Brian Drayton, Will Taber, and Jan Hoffman, addressed concerns close to home in
a panel on Quakers and Conflict. These Friends also blessed our gathering by
presenting our daily Bible Half Hours, since the
We discovered common themes throughout our sessions. In the midst
of tumult and fear, whether from world events or interpersonal conflict, we are
called first to be still. By waiting on God, we can discern the actions we are
called to take. By shedding those burdens which are not ours to carry, we may
find a singleness of purpose that allows us to overcome fear and to follow
leadings of the spirit. Our speakers suggested that in situations of conflict,
we must wait, and sink beneath the emotions of the moment to a place of
stillness, knowing that God is our refuge—“Be still and know that I am God.”
Confidence that God is there to be relied upon allows us to speak our truth out
of love, knowing that healing is available. We recognize that God alone is the
source of transformation and we are only the instruments.
Conduct of business provided opportunities to practice the
counsel of the panel on conflict. We did not always stay with our differences
long enough to reach a deeper place.
This year, we carried out a bold new experiment in our approach
to business. Committees did not present oral reports; information was available
before each session. We began by holding each committee and its work in prayer.
From a place of worship, Friends then raised concerns, queries, or prayers for
the work of each committee. While this change in procedure provided additional
space for wonderful worship, predictably it generated stress.
Our financial reports emphasized that as we have been
intentionally depleting surplus funds through deficit budgets, next year our
budget will not be covered unless members and monthly meetings rise to the
occasion. Having heard the meeting's enthusiasm for ministry to youth, and its
commitment to support this ministry, the Finance and Youth Programs Committees
labored together, sharing deeply. In worship, they set aside anxieties about
financial risk, resulting in a new budget with more funding for youth
activities.
Young Friends chose to join the adult business sessions during
the consideration of a minute on racism, and their valuable input illuminated
our discussions. We approved that minute and one in opposition to increasingly
coercive practices around Selective Service registration. We hungered to hear
more of the spirit of love in a minute opposing repressive
laws, such as that known as the USA PATRIOT Act. We approved the minute
when it came back, modified. During sessions, we learned that Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting had been fined by the IRS for its support of an employee’s war
tax resistance. We sent a minute of support to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and
re-affirmed our own 1998 minute concerning our employees and war tax
resistance.
Deep worship following the memorial minutes of several beloved
Friends nourished us, as did their lives. We pray to be faithful. In these
difficult times, we need to pay particular heed to how we are called to
participate in building God’s peaceable world.
Art thou in the Darkness? Mind
it not, for if thou dost it will fill thee more, but stand still and act not,
and wait in patience till Light arises out of Darkness to lead thee. -James
Nayler