New England Friends WomenNew England Friends WomenUnited Society of Friends Women
Fall 2004
New England Yearly Meeting had the privilege to have Mrs. Mary Lung'ahi Juma come to speak at our annual USFW talk during Yearly Meeting sessions August 2004. Mary works for the Rural Service Programme (RSP) in Kaimosi, Tiriki, Kenya as the deputy coordinator of all field staff.
She shared with us the work she does among the poor in Western Province, Kenya through RSP which serves all fourteen Kenyan Yearly Meetings. The people in the communities she works in are from many faiths other than just Quaker, but they all face the same challenge that the many poor in Sub-Saharan Africa face, AIDS. Those affected most acutely are the women and children.
Women and children do not have the social or legal standing that men have in their society. Especially in the rural areas, women generally do not own property. Employment outside the home is rare for women, and certainly most wages are for menial labor and not enough to live on. If a woman marries, she moves to her husband's family compound to live.
Over the years the population has grown to such an extent that, in many cases, the shamba (farm plot) that a father traditionally divides up equally among his sons has become so small that there is not enough land to sustain a growing family. Men in particular have traveled to the city to look for employment but often the labor is casual, that is day to day, and so poorly paid that he earns only enough money to support himself . What little is left he may decide to spend on himself, or on the "second" family he may have in the city. Being away from home for extended periods of time encourages the man to have other sexual partners; he may be exposed to HIV. In this way he brings AIDS home to his wife and community.
Even though the man may be the one who initially has AIDS, the woman may die first. If she has children she may feed them with what little food she has before she feeds herself and is therefore inadequately nourished; this and subsequent pregnancies and nursing weaken her already compromised immune system.
If the husband dies first the wife is subject to a series of cultural imperatives that make it difficult to care for herself and her children.
If the man is known to have died from AIDS the wife is often considered a burden to the family. No one wants to marry her and they may come and steal all the portable property leaving her and her children with a literally empty house. Or worse they may try to chase her away from the home. Parents generally will not take back grown daughters in such a situation. A homeless woman in Kenya has no rights and is a target for rape and other abuse by men. She has virtually no legal recourse or protection. Again any employment such as digging in someone's field is not enough to house and feed herself or her children.
In cases where it is not known if the husband died of AIDS or the widow's HIV status is not known, the widow may be subject to the tradition of wife inheritance, where the widow is married by a close male relative of the husband's. If she chooses to marry outside her husband's family she has to leave her home, all the household goods and very often her children, who are seen as belonging to the father's family. There is a great deal of pressure for her to marry a relative of the husband's in order to keep the property in the male line. It is situations like this and others (which you can read about if you go online to the links I have provided below) that RSP tries to address.
In the approximately twenty eight centers that RSP has set up in Western Province , women and widows are brought together to encourage them and help them live their lives in support of each other. Feeding programs, small business training and loans, agricultural support, and health counseling are among the things that Mary Juma and her staff do to support these women and children.
Darcy Drayton
Clerk USFW of NEYM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2817831.stm
http://www.eastandard.net/intelligence/intel21080411.htm
http://www.eastandard.net/intelligence/intel21080405.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3275451.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/545033.stm
Please support NEYM USFW. Send your contribution today.
Checks should be made out to USFW of NEYM and sent to:
USFW treasurer, PO Box 1401, Shirley, MA 01464
with the following information:
Enclosed total amount $________________________
Please use it as specified below:
____ Contribution for Rural Service Programme
____ Contribution to the General fund of USFW of NEYM
We met following our open meeting on Sunday of NEYM sessions.
Marian Baker led us in singing as others were coming in. Clarabel Marstaller led us in prayer. Darcy Drayton introduced Mary Juma of East Africa Yearly Meeting
Mary Juma spoke movingly about the work she is doing as deputy director of Rural Service Programme that is based in Kaimosi Kenya, and which works with fourteen different yearly meeting areas. They have been working with AIDS widows and orphans throughout the rural area, reaching over 2000 orphans.
Minga Claggett-Borne followed up with an invitation to our business meeting during supper.
Present: Acadia ,ME- Angela Hopkins; Acton- Ann Armstrong; Beacon Hill- Bunny Meyers; Cambridge-Gate West, Minga Claggett-Borne; Dover- Barbara Sturrock, Sarah Hubner, Carolyn Miller; Durham- Margaret Wentworth, Clarabel Marstaller; Hartford- Carolyn Webster; Monadnock- Anita Mendes, Shiela Garrett, Margaret Hawthorne; New Bedford- Diane Bolton, Marsha Glenn; New Haven - Virginia and Erskine Crossley; Northampton- Suzy Klein-Bernt; Smithfield- Ana St. Germain; Weare- Marian Baker, Darcy Drayton; Windham- Christine Wozich; Visitors: Mary Juma, EAYM, Donne Hayden, Right Sharing World Resources Indiana YM.
The meeting began with each person introducing herself.
1. Nominating Committee: Barbara Sturrock presented the following nominations, which were approved:
Presiding Clerk: Darcy Drayton, Weare MM
Assistant Clerk: Dorothy Hinshaw, Durham MM
Recording Clerk: Marian Baker, Weare MM
Treasurer: Clarabel Marstaller, Durham MM
Auditor: Bernice Douglas, Durham MM
Christian Service: Christine Wozich, Windham MM
Children & Youth: Minga Claggett-Borne, Cambridge MM
Peace & Social Concerns: Anita Mendes, Monadnock MM
Literature: Kathy Mulhern, Dover MM and Kitsie Hildebrandt, Durham MM
Stewardship: Glenice Hutchins, Portland MM
Adult Missionary Ed.: Christina Smith, Cambridge MM
Newsletter: Ann Armstrong, Acton MM
Nominating: Barbara Sturrock, Dover MM
There are still two vacancies to be filled on nominating committee.
2. Outgoing Clerk. Minga shared her joy of being clerk over these last three years. She encouraged us to form groups of women in each meeting as they have at Durham which meets monthly.
3. Fall appeal: We approved making our fall appeal go for the Rural Service Programme.
4. Fall Gathering:.
Theme: Considering our interest in working cross culturally, it was agreed to have a program on Ways we can work cross culturally and share spiritually with other cultures. Darcy Drayton, Angie Hopkins, and Gate West volunteered to plan out the program for us.
Location and Date: We approved holding our fall meeting at Durham on Sunday, 3rd October. We will worship with Durham Friends at 10:30 AM , Durham would provide lunch, and our program and business meeting will be held after lunch.
5. Financial Report : Clarabel presented an interim report. We approved submitting the financial reports for inclusion in the NEYM minute book.
6. Invite from Cuba YM USFW Minga shared that we have received an invitation to send several New England USFW members to visit their USFW annual meeting in March 2005. Several expressed eagerness to accept. At our fall meeting, we will make a final decision on whether and whom to send .
We adjourned purposing to meet again on 3rd October.
Marian Baker,
Recording Clerk
It was a privilege to attend the 2004 USFWI Triennial conference July 9 - ll. The theme, Simple Gifts, was emphasized throughout the 4 days: faith, hope, love, and joy. I was impressed and inspired by the program, the attendees, the joyous spirit, and the positive reports of various international USFWI projects in Africa, Belize, Jamaica, and Ramallah (read the Advocate to better understand the organization and projects).
We were kept busy from beginning to end; the first evening we were "entertained" by a motivational speaker who encouraged us to turn our "stressed" activity into "desserts" (get it?). Each day began with worship, then business, and Bible study. There were workshops on Ramallah schools, Friends Theological College in Kenya, Right Sharing, ACFIA (Indian concerns and projects), Simple living, Jamaica Bible School, and Friends Boys School in Belize.
Highlights of the weekend were two speakers: Diana Abdel Nour, principal of Ramallah girls school, and Mary Lord, Director of the Peace Building Unit of AFSC. We were entertained and inspired by Frank Levering's story of his mother, Miriam (Law of the Sea Treaty, etc.). Jay Marshall (ESR Dean) reported that 100 ESR students have benefited from the Sarrin Fund established by USFWI. We were uplifted by the presence of 20 Kenyan women and others from Jamaica, Ramallah and many U. S. yearly meetings as well as field staff.
Business sessions included the following items: Kenya USFW Yearly Meeting groups have united to form a united Kenya USFWI; several field staff spoke about work in their areas; Eden and Jim Grace will open an African Ministries Office in Kenya; the New England USFWI Minute about sister relationships between yearly meeting USFWs was discussed and referred to the Executive Committee for consideration; new officers were approved. Margaret Stoltzfus (Iowa YM) will be our new president.
The conference ended with the traditional banquet when new officers were installed and we were blessed to hear Elizabeth Yano, teacher at Friends Theological College speak about joy in the inner life of faith, and the outer life of service.
Oh yes, Quaker Men also met and were mainly occupied with "field trips".
Dorothy Hinshaw
Assistant Clerk
23 June 2004
Banes, Cuba
Dear Minga and USFWI,
Greetings in peace, in love and in the light of Christ.
I got your letter and it gave me so much joy to know that you were hoping that I could attend the Triennial in July but I couldn't do it at all because the invitation letter didn't come on time. Now (in Cuba) we need 6 months at least for all visa matters.
As for me, I prepared a loving message for you all and I'm so sad because I cannot share it. I'm praying for the success of the gathering. My heart will be with all my sisters. I'm so thankful for all of you. It makes me happy to call you friends and sisters.
For the moment I'm busy with the worship group in my neighborhood, where about 20 of us meet to listen to the message. What's most important is that many of these women never have heard anyone speak of Jesus. The Sunday School takes up a lot of space in my life. There up to 30 children or more meet. I ask God for strength to be able to do more things.
We are filled with joy with the visit of Susan Furry and 2 other Friends.
I love you all very much,
Cruz Concepcion
President (outgoing) of Union Feminil de los Amigos (UFA)
June 24, 2004
Dear unforgettable Minga,
I plead to the Lord that when you receive these lines, you find yourself full of God's joy and love, as may your Quaker sisters (find themselves full of God).
I am Yuleith, the spouse of Lazaro and we are here attending to the mission of Retrete. [Lazaro Garcia Aguilera is the pastor of a thriving rural meeting about 20 kilometers outside of Banes in the Holguin province of Cuba. Yuleith shares the responsibility of caring for the church with Lazaro.] Our work here progresses fairly well, thanks to God.
The reason for my letter is the following. Since March I have been the president of the national UFA and despite the little experience that I have, God has laid on me desires, ideas, and projects. One of these ideas is to invite a group of Quaker women of the sister Yearly Meeting of New England to share with us women Cuban Quakers a time to exchange experiences, ideas and especially to participate in our national meeting. Our annual UFA gathering will be in March 2005 in Banes. This project has already had agreement in the Executive Committee of the Cuba Yearly Meeting. I hope that soon it will be in the hands of you all there. For us women here this has given us so much joy and we anxiously await this time [that's the UFA annual gathering] that we wish to share with you. We will be praying for this project and that God will put it in your hands without any difficulty. [She says the theme of UFA this year is "Work Together for the Lord".]
Susan Furry told me that you would be very happy with this proposition. If somehow you can help us in this project we know it will be a huge blessing for us. We recognize that you love so much the work of Women in Cuba. We hope for your support.
Please receive a special greeting from all of our women Friends. God bless you.
Yulieth Esther Santi Feria
National President of Friends Women
If USFW of NEYM decides to accept this invitation, we would then need to follow the procedures for traveling to Cuba under the NEYM license. The following minute from the Puente de Amigos Committee of NEYM outlines the procedure.
"The process of going to Cuba representing NEYM involves three requirements:
a) clearness process in the monthly meeting;
b) Puente Committee's discernment process;
c) approval by the Permanent Board (no later than its fall meeting for winter visitors)
The monthly meeting and Puente processes may be concurrent but both must be completed before the names are presented to the Permanent Board. Friends who are considering going to Cuba should let Puente Committee know of their interest as early as possible." (Puente minute 97-26)
Contact Doug Armstrong: puente@neym.org
If you would like to be part of a group visiting Cuba YM's USFW, in addition to getting USFW of NEYM approval, you must ask you monthly meeting for clearness. (The Puente de Amigos committee has a list of questions and criteria for these clearness committees as well as other useful and necessary information for travelers to Cuba YM.) and let Puente de Amigos know that you are beginning your clearness process.
To travel in March of 2005, monthly meeting minutes of clearness need to be approved by Puente at their October 17 meeting in order to be approved at Permanent Board in November. There are possible ways to have this happen later but the following deadline is firm:
We need to send the list of names and passport numbers to Cuba YM at the end of December to obtain religious visas to Cuba. Getting a new passport can take up to 6 or more weeks so if you are interested in going and don't have a passport, apply for one now. Often your local Post Office has the information or check on the internet at http://travel.state.gov/passport/index.html.
USFW has so many delightful women doing good works. I define USFW as a women's group, focused on Christian ministry and serving those in need. So I was wondering why USFW in New England isn't growing? At NEYM sessions this year I got reactions from many women. About 150 people came to hear Mary Juma speak. But few of them imagine participating in a local USFW group. Why?
I conclude there are two main reasons Quaker women don't join USFW. First, many Quaker women don't identify as Christians. I'm the type of hybrid Quaker that follows Jesus but I loathe the imperialism that comes under the banner of the cross. It took me many years to know that I belong to USFW although I am not comfortable with Christian history/culture. Have you ever squirmed when a believer grips you by the shoulders stares you down to say, "a Christian is born a sinner; a Christian needs to surrender all fleshly pleasures; accept the Bible as the authoritative Word..." But, thanks to the living Word of the Creator, I didn't find that Christianity at USFW.
Second, some New Englanders don't like the missionary tradition which USFW exemplifies. I also am ambivalent about missions. My approach towards missions consists of Quaker intervisitation and sharing of our spiritual lives across cultures. I was in the Peace Corps in Tchad (native spelling), Africa, when I learned that no amount of money could buy friendship. Money doesn't show love. But if I don't share my wealth, then my heart is stone.
Living in another culture sharpens our perspective of who we are and what's important in life. The intervisitation that the USFWI applauds is phenomenal. Unfortunately it is a one way street. US Quakers stream out to visit other Friends, and fewer and fewer Friends overseas can come to the US. I'm part of this inequality. So over time we have US Friends with greater access and information, and less African Friends visiting us.
Do you see any dangers in USFWI raising money for projects far away without us understanding the circumstances in those foreign countries? If we don't know the people to whom we give money, does that cheapen our love? In other words would my love deepen if I raised money for a Mashpee Indian local health center where I could visit several times a year? I feel more comfortable giving money to Eden Grace going to Kenya or Marlene Pedigo working in Chicago slums than I do to my local Head Start or Boston ecumenical meals program for the homeless. Do you see what I mean?
A few of us have the privilege to go overseas to serve. Intervisitation is delightful and holy. Yet, when we send money without direct contact, I wonder about patronizing.
Does our financial support for field staff who live in other countries prevent us from looking at giving to people at home with whom we can love directly? USFW-NE isn't involved with the Iglesia Evangelica de los Amigos, a Boston Friends church made up of Salvadorans and Hondurans, or the 2 preparative meetings in prisons. Why is it hard for Friends to spend time with these groups. I don't mean to attack USFW of NEYM, only to self-examine.
To restore our vision, it is not new places we need, but new eyes. I had serious problems after coming back from Cuba to the US lifestyle. I couldn't stand rows of cosmetics in CVS. I really wanted to change my consumerism; my isolation from my neighbors; my ignoring the homeless or distressed children. When USFW women return from visits in Kenya or Cuba, God asks us to reexamine our own lives. How do we share how the cross-cultural experience changed our hearts? This is a layer of sophistication deeper than the simple telling of stories about our Cuban neighbor. This is what transforms the community where we continue to live. In wartime it's easy to condemn others, but Woolman entices us to look at the seeds of war in our lives. It's fine to hear how Spirit works in Kaimosi, but we, as North Americans, need to hear how the Spirit converted our stone hearts into broken hearts so as to minister to our condition here in the US.
USFW's efforts focus a lot on the glamour of the work overseas. I am discontent with the emphasis on how field staff serve overseas. I want us to celebrate the good works in many local chapters in Elgon, in Holguin and in Portland. This is a question for all who want USFW to grow: do women join USFW because they want to be involved with Friends overseas? Should we find other missions here in New England?
Whatever your response: know that all of our good intentions is valued and God loves us no matter how we serve.
With undying love,
Minga Claggett-Borne
Children and Youth
During the business sessions of USFWI we considered and approved the following amendments to the USFWI policy.
First, term limits were set for members of the Executive Committee. A person may serve three consecutive 3 year terms as an officer or secretary. Then serve again after 3 years off.
Second, that a secretary /officer be appointed from either East Africa or the Middle East. The Board will provide US$1500 per year for travel to meetings of the Executive Committee.
Third, that we continue to have a women from either Cuba or Jamaica on the board.
You can see the full text of these changes as they were presented in the May-June 2004 Advocate.
We also approved the following USFWI officers for 2004-2007
President: Margaret Stolzfus (Iowa)
Vice President: Peggy Hollingsworth (Western)
Secretary: Dorothy Hinshaw (New England)
Treasurer: Adis Beeson (North Carolina)
Stewardship: Angella Beharie (Jamaica)
Program Editor: Mary Glenn Hadley (Indiana)
Missionary Ed: Cynthia Steele (Wilmington)
Children & Youth: Sarabeth Marcinko (Western)
Christian Service: Gladys Kang'ahi (East Africa, North)
Literature: Judy Kendall (Indiana)
Peace & Christian Concerns: Karen Bauer (Iowa)
Advocate Ed: Lois Jordan (Indiana)
Subscriptions: Etta Florence Winslow (North Carolina)
Clerk of Sarrin Fund: Leanna Roberts (Western)
Ann Armstrong
Newsletter
Well, you know I have always wanted to tell a good story. I found this pleasure in the third grade when I was not feeling "right" with everything around me. I felt that I was different; and yet, I knew I was probably not alone. I imagined that there was something "out there" that made me just like every other kid. But, I just did not know how to get there. I wanted to be able to explore my curiosities. I wanted to be known, thought about, and to belong, just as I saw the other kids belonging. I wanted feel like what they exhorted about themselves. They knew they were smart, interesting, and that they had something that made others listen. I saw that they had a wish and trust for companionship, love, and sharing. Unlike me, they thought they had the right to explore anything. They did not only hold the right to be curious.
So not really having a best friend, I took to writing, mostly because no one ever listened, and... because I was not one of the smart ones. I discovered the power of writing upon accepting that my isolation might continue. When I began to write, I was accepting my own status: Perhaps I was not one of the smart ones, but I needed to keep my own company, and I needed to be my own best friend. It was Judith Faustino, who in my third grade class glanced over my shoulder and said, "What are you doing, Nita?" AND THEN, she could not believe that I would spend the time describing the insides of my bedroom. AND THEN, with all the surprise and delight that I could hold in my head, she said that she wished she had a bedroom like mine. Well, finally, I felt that I had something that someone else was interested in. But, too soon after, I began to doubt myself, forgetting about her reaction and that she believed me. I wondered if I really knew how to share the truth, or, was I just lying? Writing that small piece to myself, and sharing it brought me to realize that I really loved the challenge of describing what I saw, well enough so that I could tell a good story.
I was the oldest child of three in the only colored family in our neighborhood. As one of our students of color to graduate in my high school class, I was not given permission to (just) be joyful. When I asked for college track classes I was told that I was not college material. I was told that I was colored, my husband would leave me, and that I needed to be prepared with a trade to support me later. I knew everything I did either privately or publicly appeared to influence how the greater community saw and accepted other people of color. In fact, my own mother told me that it was only witches that kept journals. But then, mom, a colored woman, grew up in an era where there was no encouragement for women to explore their own thoughts, let alone pursue their interests. And, colored women were seen as dangerous when they congregated and showed any thoughtful political foresight. So, I learned to write in the dark, without a lot of encouragement, harboring a clandestine activity that sometimes bordered on the edges of my own boundary.
The pleasure of telling a good story, or listening to one, was stronger when I knew what was happening on the other side. This thing that I did with myself was to figure out the ending (hypothesis), backing up to then look at a route to the end as though I were following a road map, or doing a new piece of library skills (research). It would bring me to discovering the core of me... but --just what is it? I would tell myself, that writing would help me keep my sense of time (history), allowing me to discover the "me" in you and others (commonality), discovering influences and delights for my sensibilities (discover, a new way of being & doing). Writing became my steady support when the going got rough (developing a personal protocol or ethic). Through writing a piece, I found that boundaries are transient -- sometimes strong and sometimes not, able to keep others away, or pull them in. Sometimes, I wonder if we had better be prepared for what might happen when we crossed them. Or, if we also might benefit if we just looked at what their differences bring us, and then decide. A calculated risk might mean a choosing to act.
Knowing that you might like to hear something of me someday, I made a long list of experiences that I would be able to share with you; such as:
1/ Write about developing a center re writing; developing a discipline in time, process, and permission.
2/ My experience with meeting Christ through experiencing Guillian Barre: the journey through quadriplegia and back; or how to survive a crisis.
3/ My experiences with attending this year's NEYM and finding FUM
4/ Discussing cultural commonalties /and differences
5/ My first exposure to Quakerism
6/ Introducing other women from Monadnock Monthly Meeting
7/ Encouraging and exploring a brief survey re what other women think
8/ Women's history in developing and keeping affiliations
9/ Mothers and daughters
10/ Mothers and sons
11/ Domestic Violence, Mental Illness and The Throne of Necessity
12/ A family genogram
And, maybe, someday, I will.
Anita Mendes
Peace and Social Concerns
The first Query in our NEYM "Faith and Practice" concludes with the words, "Do you nurture your spiritual life with prayer and silent waiting and with regular study of the Bible and other devotional literature?"
I suspect that many of us experience this query as a real challenge. We struggle to find time for this kind of nurturing. We struggle with the age-old question: "How do I pray?" We struggle to find the kind of devotional literature that truly speaks to our individual needs.
I find that it is good to read some short meditative passage each day in the morning, something complete in itself, that I can chew on a bit throughout the day. The Plough Publishing House puts out a collection of readings for just this kind of use - a book called "Watch for the Light," intended for the season of Advent and Christmas, with passages dated from November 24 through January 7. I loved this book so much that I bought a second of the Plough's publications, "Bread and Wine", readings for Lent. I found these Lenten offerings harder going; I think I need to give them another try. Both these books can be used each year. In their selections, you'll be able to find refreshment, time after time.
The same is true of a book I recently discovered, "Mixed Blessings", by Barbara Brown Taylor, put out by Cowley Publications in 1998. (Taylor also has one offering in "Bread and Wine", a Good Friday sermon.) Rev. Taylor is an Episcopal priest, and "Mixed Blessings" is a collection of short sermons, each one based on a biblical verse printed at the beginning of each selection. There are more scriptures listed in an index - a number of them for each sermon, following the lectionary for the church year. Taylor has a wonderful gift for making biblical scenes come to life. Out of each scene, she draws contemporary meanings, in a down-to-earth, no-nonsense style (with touches of real poetry, too.) Her message is uniformly hopeful - the old, always new message that God loves us.
The connections Taylor draws are sometimes humorous, often striking. For instance, in a sermon called "Sacramental Mud", on the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, she starts with a description of what it was like for her to experience a real, honest-to-goodness mud bath. From here, she goes on to talk about Jesus' complete identification with us as humans. "He. . . has showed us how to live so that life never ends . . . above all choosing the things of earth - doves, water, mud, skin, love - to carry out the purposes of heaven." ("Mixed Blessings", p. 60)
Each of these sermons contains a single point, on which you can ponder throughout the day. Each is short enough to read in ten minutes before breakfast, or in any short time you may have for spiritual refreshment. I have found them useful over a number of weeks this summer. I intend to order some of Taylor's other books, which I understand follow a similar format. For me, Barbara Brown Taylor's sermons are a joyful discovery.
Kathy Mulhern,
Lit. Secretary
When I think about stewardship I think in terms of questions or Quaker queries. The queries that come to my mind are as follows.
1. Am I a good steward of the bounty that has been entrusted to me?
2. What am I doing about conserving resources such as oil, electricity, energy, time, etc.
3. How do I treat other living beings who share our planet?
4. Do I contribute my fair share to the life of my Meeting either in time or money?
When I make the effort to answer these queries I find that although I am doing much there is always room for more to be done. Here are some ways I try to be a good steward(ess).
Growing up on a small farm in Durham, Maine, during the Great Depression, I learned many important lessons in the art of stewardship. We learned to use up, make do, or often do without. A lesson I try to remember today. We had vegetable gardens which provided canned goods for winter as well as summer abundance. Now I miss the fresh vegetables but try to support the local Farmer's Market as often as possible. Most clothes were made at home and scraps were used to make beautiful crazy quilts.
In terms of energy I am mindful of the electrical use in a household and try to be careful of its use. In 2003 I purchased a hybrid automobile which gives 45-50 miles per gallon of gas. This has proved to be a valuable energy saver.
We live in an old house and had it remodeled to take advantage of the sun's heat. This is especially welcome during the winter months.
All my life I have been an avid reader of timesaving tips. It has been my goal to try to accomplish much while remembering to take time to nurture the spirit. It is often hard to find this balance.
Giving time to Meeting is done through committee work. As a member of the Finance Committee I realize that my monthly financial gift helps the treasurer to keep up with the expenses of our Meeting.
One area that always needs a stronger commitment is to other living beings on our planet. It is still hard not to kill ants, mosquitoes, and other pests that invade my living space!
One way that I feel a steward of life is in my commitment to peace. I am active in Peace Action, Maine which does such important work in our state.
Here is my last query. Do any of these thoughts around stewardship resonate with you?
Glenice Hutchins
Stewardship
I am called into community behind the walls of our state's prisons.
I am called to be a voice for this community.
I seek to be a released Friend in the tradition of Quakers. I seek the support of my community for this journey. Having met with a Clearness Committee at Fresh Pond Meeting, the meeting has minuted their ecclesiastical support for my work and their willingness to be my elders.
I seek to explore with the inmates what a nonviolent community inside a prison would look like. I envision a program called Staying Positive in Prison which gives inmates a chance to meet together, define areas of personal growth, identify resources, and support each other.
The men and women in our prisons and jails are still our neighbors. We cannot just throw away the key. Life does not stop when those doors close. Eventually, they will open and inmates will walk among us again. Helping them be prepared for a constructive life is not a job we can leave entirely to the state.
How About You?
Almost all of us drive by those walls on a regular basis. Most of us are within a half hour drive of at least one prison.
I invite you to join me in this exciting endeavor. Some of the men I have met have developed spiritual practices similar to an ashram or monastery. It has been a profound experience to meet these men as fellow travelers and sometimes teachers. This has deepened me spiritually and changed my life.
I invite you make a profound journey off the beaten path, without journeying half way across the country or the world.
I invite you to confront your fears. Is it those metal gates rolling closed? Rolls of razor wire glinting in the sun? Criminals?
I invite you to humility. Come into community and realize that there is no difference between yourself and every person behind those walls except a life that is more privileged.
I invite you to join me in being the barer of the coals of growth. We hear a lot about ending racism. We raise our awareness but regret that in our comfortable suburbs there is nothing we can do. Inequalities in the criminal justice system are just the end point of a road that begins with unequal prenatal care, education, job training, and opportunities for advancement. Right here we have the opportunity to experience a more diverse community then we can imagine. In my book discussion group I have had Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, a Buddhist, agnostics, unaligned Spiritual Seekers, African-Americans, Hispanics, European- Americans, a Cambodian, Native Americans and every possible combination.
We need contributions for books, journals, materials and administration. We need volunteers to join us and lead book discussion groups, Alternatives to Violence workshops, Emotional Awareness courses, Fathers groups, calligraphy courses... The list of possibilities is endless. There are three volunteer organizations interested in training and supervising volunteers: Our Prison Neighbors, my new endeavor. Concord Prison Outreach and Partakers. These organizations are committed to recruiting volunteers, developing programs and publicizing criminal justice issues.
I hope I have challenged you to consider that portion of our population which so often becomes invisible. I feel privileged to be a voice for this work.
Nancy Shippen
Fresh Pond Friends Meeting
Concord Prison Outreach, P. O. Box 383 Concord, MA 01742
http://home.sprintmail.com/~epeters/
Partakers Inc., 11 Garden Street Cambridge, MA
http://www.partakersinc.org/
Durham Friends Meeting
Durham Maine
3 October 2004
10:30 Worship (9:30 adult discussion)
Lunch provided by Durham Meeting
Program on
Ways we can work cross culturally and share spiritually with other cultures.
Business Meeting
Items for on our agenda include: Cuba YM invitation, programs for spring and summer meeting, reports from the USFWI Triennial, appeals for winter and spring newsletters.
Directions: Take I-95 to the exit in Freeport Maine for Route 125 go north on 125 to blinking light at the intersection with Quaker Meetinghouse Road.
Please pray for: Eden Grace and her family as they prepare to go to Kenya, Mary Juma's work with the Rural Service Programme, Nancy Shippen and her work in prisons, Iglesia Evangélica Amigos in Cambridge MA, all the Kenyan USFWs, any of us ailing.
United Society of Friends Women of NEYM Fall 2004
Next Newsletter Deadline is 1 February 2005. Please send your articles, thoughts, graphics to:
<usfw@neym.org> or PO Box 1401, Shirley, MA 01464-1401