Dec. 24 th Candle Light Worship Middletown Meeting 7:00pm. Dec. 24 th Candle Light Caroling Plumstead Meeting 7:30 pm

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12TH MONTH 2007 CALENDAR 2nd Overseers and Worship and Ministry 9:30AM Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM Mitten Tree The Red Cross homeless shelter would very much appreciate again our donation of hats

1 12TH MONTH 2007 CALENDAR 2nd Overseers and Worship and Ministry 9:30AM Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM Mitten Tree The Red Cross homeless shelter would very much appreciate again our donation of hats and mittens from our traditional mitten tree to meet the need for the winter months. So if lead, Friends can knit or purchase mittens and hats then place them on the Meetinghouse tree. 9th 16th Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM Meeting for Business 12:00 PM Meeting for worship 10:30 AM First day School Christmas Program 11:30AM 23rd Pancake breakfast 8:30 am Meeting for worship 10:30 AM 30th Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM Bucks Quarterly News Dec. 16 th Candlelight Carol sing Wrightstown Meeting. 7:30pm (tradition since 1941) Dec. 24 th Candle Light Worship Middletown Meeting 7:00pm Dec. 24 th Candle Light Caroling Plumstead Meeting 7:30 pm Dec. 31 st Candle Light Worship Middletown Meeting 7:00pm Buckingham Friendly Notes Upcoming events for 12 th month include: - Dec. 8 th, Candlelight service Saturday, 7PM, followed by dessert/beverage reception at the Roop/Kay home (dessert contributions welcome). - Dec. 16 th, Children s program to follow Worship. - Dec. 23 rd, Pancake Breakfast 8:30 am - Dec. 31 st, New Years Worship 11:30 pm Buckingham Friends Meeting welcomes all. Worship is at 10:30 every Sunday Clerk of the Meeting: Judy Kashoff: kashoff@comcast.net Co-treasurer (receives checks): Joan Maclatchie 3648 Dogwood Lane, Doylestown, PA Co-treasurer (pays bills): Tim Cunningham 7612 Woodlawn Ave Elkins Park, PA

2 Bucks Quarter Skating Party at Face Off Circle Warminster, PA New Years Day - Noon to 2:00pm Don t be left out in the cold or inside with nothing to do! Come enjoy the decade s long tradition of the Annual Skating Party. This is a time honored tradition of fellowship and great fun for the entire family. Since many Friends will be up late welcoming the New Year, we will not begin until noon, so you ll have plenty of time to sleep in and still get to the party. Feel free to invite your friends to come along. Abington Quarter Friends will be joining us again! Cost includes skate rental: Adults: $6.00 ~ Children under 12: $4.00 Face Off Circle is located at 1185 York Road, Warminster, PA Telephone Please call or Holly Olson for more information hollybqc@verizon.net 48th Annual Nazareth to Bethlehem Christmas Peace Pilgrimage 10-mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and in the rally, we seek to reflect the non-violent life of Jesus Christ and his truth of forgiving love. Walk with your family and friends and make new friends with others who seek a more peaceful world. Schedule Pilgrimage participants meet at the parking lot at 520 E. Broad Street, Bethlehem before 10:45 AM. Buses transport pilgrims to Nazareth Moravian Church on Center Square where the Pilgrimage begins. The Pilgrimage follows PA #191. Persons join at any point along the way. Support vehicles assist those not able to walk the entire way. Dress appropriately for the weather; pilgrims walk in sun, wind, rain or snow. Pilgrims arrive at Christ United Church of Christ, Market & Center Streets, Bethlehem, around 5:30. For more information call: Fran Dreisbach at Buckingham Friends School News Saturday, December 8th, 2007 Walk the Road of Peace. The Pilgrimage began in 1960 as a Christian witness for peace. We welcome all persons of any age to join the Pilgrimage, symbolic of the journey of Mary and Joseph. In the If you have an address and still receiving a paper copy of this newsletter, please let us know. In order to receive the newsletter electronically, you will need the latest version of Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded from Newsletter submissions are due by the end of Meeting for Business. The newsletter is published monthly and is available the last Firstday of the month. Suggestions are encouraged! Please send ideas and other copy to: John Bailey 86 Rocktown Rd. Ringoes, NJ jbailey@crusoe.net ~buckinghamfriends/private/ PYM news Make Your Holidays Greener Practice Quaker simplicity amid the frenzy surrounding the holidays, and walk lightly on the Earth. If your holiday celebrations include 2

3 exchanging gifts, be creative by wrapping your presents in old maps, newspaper comics, magazine pages, or kids artwork. Build memories instead of piles of things by giving gifts of tickets to a concert, play, sporting event, or museum. Share fair-trade, organic, shade-grown coffee with friends and support sustainable agriculture that benefits coffee farmers and migratory songbirds. Make decorations from what you have at hand; ask children in your Meeting if you need help. December 6 Open House for Friends Center s Green Building Renovation Friends Center invites you to celebrate another milestone in its green building renovation: the first use in Pennsylvania of deep-standing-column geothermal wells. On Thursday, December 6, you can visit Friends Center to learn about environmental and economic benefits of geothermal wells, application of deep-standingcolumn wells in urban settings, and the status of the renovation and capital campaign for Friends Center. The day s schedule includes an open house for members and attenders of Friends meetings from 1:00-3:00pm and 5:30-7:00pm. Friends are also welcome to attend an assortment of other sessions. Tours of the vegetated roof will occur at Noon, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. Building professionals will learn about the technical aspects of geothermal deep-standing-column wells from Noon-1pm under the co-sponsorship of Friends Center, American Institute of Architects- Philadelphia Chapter, Clean Air Council, and Delaware Valley Green Building Council. You are welcome to attend that session as well. A press conference will be held 1:00-1:45 pm. All sessions will be held at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia. If you would like to come, please RSVP to Adrien Finckel at or greeninfo@friendscentercorp.org Alternatives to Violence Workshops Offered Alternatives to Violence Project(AVP) workshops are opportunities for people to nurture the potential for peace that is present in our lives, fostering community, communication and conflict transformation. All are welcome! Basic (Level 1) AVP workshops will be offered November 9-11 at Casa Amistad/Friendship House, North Philadelphia, and November 30 to December 2 at Haverford Meeting (PA). For information, contact Jorge Arauz at AmigoJorge@aol.com (Philadelphia) or Emily Higgs at ehiggs@haverford.edu (Haverford). Advanced (Level 2) workshop will be offered November 30 to December 2 at London Grove Meeting, Kennett Square, PA. For information, contact Gail Newbold at or gailnewbold@verizon.net. Training for AVP Facilitators (Level 3 workshop) is being planned for January in Delaware County. Contact Gail Newbold. New Religious Education Website Is For Everybody PYM s new website for Children s Religious Education & Spiritual Life is easy-to-use, pretty, and chock full of resources for everyone who has a hand in nurturing our children. It includes the basics you would expect, such as two pages listing the services and resources offered by the Education and Religious Education Department of PYM. It also has pages and pages of inspiration, concrete support, links, 3

resources and ideas. The website (www.pym.

4 resources and ideas. The website ( is designed to be a support to First Day School teachers and religious education committees, of course, but it also seeks to be a resource for parents and for Meetings as a whole. After all, nurturing the seeds of Quaker faith, practice and witness in our children is a more comprehensive job than can be handled in a 45-minute First Day class! From The Faith Column Every week a different believer gives the inside track on their religion or philosophy. From: QUAKERS, CHRISTMAS AND WORSHIP Posted by Sally Brooks 19 December 2006 Christmas is an interesting time among Quakers. Way back in the mists of time when Quakers were new, or at least newer than they are now, Quakers didn t celebrate Christmas. We are not so conservative now, although there is a discussion every year on what the annual service to mark the festivities should be called. It is the only programmed religious service we have during the year. It is the only one with any formalized organization and hymns in the form of carols. Some Quakers find even this a little oppressive. You see, we are non-conformists of the highest order. On a Sunday morning a group of Quakers will gather at a Meeting House for what is called a Meeting for Worship. They will sit in a circle on simple benches and chairs, in a plain room. They will sit for a time in silence. Sometimes the silence will last the whole meeting, which is usually about an hour long. There is stillness, quiet and inward prayer. It is not meditation though, not in the traditional sense. We are together, focusing our attentions on God. There is no preacher or vicar or priest. There are words spoken in Meeting for Worship though. If anyone in the room whether he or she be an old hand or visiting for the very first time if anyone feels they have been moved to speak by God, then they can stand and speak to the surrounding Friends. A Friend, with a capital F is another name for a Quaker. Friends are not expected to agree with everything that is said, but are invited to listen without criticism or prejudice and consider the words. Sometimes there are no words, and the silence, in its perfect simplicity, brings its own message. Simplicity is at the heart of Quaker life. A friend who has been a Quaker for many of her 70-plus years sent me a card a few years ago with the following words printed on it: Live simply, that others may simply live. I think about that phrase often. To me, it is about seeing beyond the layers of complications of everyday life through to the people around us. We are divided by so many things culture, money, power The list goes on. It is hard to see beyond those things. But when you do look beyond the differences we are all human beings with the same basic needs and this is what Quakers Free for Christmas - story of Harriet Tubman s freeing of slaves Ebony, Dec, 1994 by Lerone Bennett, Jr. She came out of the night, silently, stealthily, mysteriously. Nobody knows how she came or when she came. But suddenly, inexplicably, she was there, on the edge of the slave quarters, singing a song old as the night and deep as the hopes of man. 4

5 Jesus, Jesus will go with you, He will lead you to his throme; He who died has gone before you, Trod the wine-press all alone. Of all those who heard the song, of all those who blessed and cursed the singer, only a handful knew that the song was a code, saying that the woman known as the Woman, the woman known as the General, the woman known as Moses, was in the Cambridge, Maryland, area, and doing business at the same old stand. The words of the song rose, fell, and died away. And the men and women to whom the words were addressed, the men and women who knew, listened in the silence, knowing that it was time to fish or cut bait, and that the odds were with the fish. What made the odds tolerable, or at least debatable, was the woman singing the song - Harriet Ross Tubman. She had escaped from slavery in this very area, and had returned five times to lead out 30 or 40 slaves. Now, in the Christmas, in 1854, she was back, calling for recruits. As dawn neared, Harriet Tubman quickened her pace. She was in a hurry. Three of her brothers were in danger of being sold, and she had come South to move their cases to a higher court. How did she know her brothers were in danger? For the rest of the story go to: findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n2_v50/ ai_ /pg_1 Holy Ordinary: Quaker Thoughts on Life Brent Bill is a Quaker minister and author who writes about everyday spirituality the ordinary which is wholly holy. He is the author of Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality and Mind the Light: Learning to See with Spiritual Eyes. Monday, December 11, 2006 Just Joseph Nancy s setting up crèches that s right, plural! Very unquakerly, I know, but she does love Christmas and the Nativity story. I was in the basement hanging a door and noticed a figure still sitting on the worktable where she d set them out prior to taking them upstairs. It was Joseph the silent partner in the Christmas story. Baby Jesus, rightfully, gets the most press. Next come the other featured players Mary, the Shepherds and the Magi. But did you know even horrible old Herod gets as much mention as Joseph in the Nativity stories? Joseph is named just 15 times in the entire Bible once just by the sobriquet the carpenter. Joseph? Well, he s just Joseph. On one level that s a pretty dismissive statement. But on another, it s quite a complement. It s dismissive, of course, because, Joseph though silent is a central character in this drama. Here s a man who evidently is in love with a young woman named Mary. They are engaged to be married. As a carpenter, he can provide her with a good, stable life. And then she does the unthinkable she gets pregnant. When we think of how people of faith are to respond to life s difficulties, we often think of Job, that marvelous Old Testament man. The patience of Job is a cliché that is common currency in our language. I suggest, for all of Job s goodness, there is an even better model for us today and that is the one of Joseph. What happens to Joseph is almost as calamitous as what happens to Job. His life and reputation are about to be ruined by the actions of the young maid to whom he is betrothed. Dishonor is about to come upon him. Mary is obviously pregnant thought to be unfaithful. That s where the compliment side of the phrase Just Joseph comes into play. You see, Joseph was just. The story tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. As such, he can not marry Mary for to do so would be an admission that he had some hand in this breaking of the law. But Joseph is as compassionate as he is just. He s unwilling to expose Mary to the disgrace of public divorce. He therefore chooses a quieter way of obtaining a divorce, requesting one before two witnesses, as permitted by the law. It would 5

6 leave both his righteousness (his conformity to the law) and his compassion intact. Which brings us back to the dismissive part of Just Joseph. When Mary accepts her angelic announcement, we celebrate it as an act of outstanding faith and courage which it is. When Joseph (who gets his word from God via a dream angel instead of a direct visitation) opens his will to that of God, we nod and accept it. We don t marvel at the faith of just Joseph, nor count the cost in reputation for this man. He turns his life, as surely as Mary does, over to God. This good and kind mansays yes. I think there are two lessons for us today in Joseph s story. The first is to never be dismissive of anybody. God chooses whom He will to do His work. The second lesson is that of personal goodness. That was the hallmark of Joseph Joseph, being a righteous man the Bible says. An important thing about his goodness is its inward nature, not its outward show. We are called to goodness and justice but not so that others can point to us and compliment us. Instead we are called to goodness and justice in order that we might better serve the God who calls us. Joseph lives the familiar words of the prophet Micah: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Joseph acts justly. He loves mercy. And he walks humbly with his God. There is no outward show of false spirituality. Instead he listens and obeys. May we be, at this season and throughout all of our lives, like Joseph people of soulful action. Brent. Buckingham Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Meeting for Worship for Business November 11, 2007 Draft Meeting began at 12:12 pm with a reading from the epistles of George Fox followed by a period of silent worship. There were 16 members and 4 attenders present. 1. Minutes from September and October s meetings for business were approved. 2. Worship and Ministry: Bethann Morgan. The Worship & Ministry and Oversight Committees met jointly to continue the discussion of membership issues. We focused on attenders who are considering membership and how we can support them. We also discussed adult programs and recommend that the Worship & Ministry Committee organize open, informal discussions on Quaker topics after Meeting for Worship, during the fellowship time. The Outreach Working Group is working on some additional events to build closer connections within the Meeting and open our doors to the wider community. Upcoming events: Candlelight service: Saturday, Dec. 8, 7:00 pm Pancake breakfast: Dec. 23, 8:30-10:00 am New Year s Eve Meeting for Worship: Dec. 31, 11:30 pm (refreshments to follow) New Year s Day skating party: Jan. 1, 1:00 pm at Face Off Circle. On the day of the pancake breakfast, the First Day School will be involved in cleaning up. Several ways of arranging cleanup, meeting for worship, and singing were discussed. The question of how to allow the most people to be involved in cleanup, worship, and singing was referred back to the committee. The report was accepted. 3. Overseers: Carla Davis Cunningham. Overseers met jointly with Worship & Ministry and refer Friends to the report above. There were two membership issues presented to the Meeting: the first, carried over from October, was the request for transfer from Buckingham Monthly Meeting to Yardley Monthly Meeting of Pam Retseck. The committee recommends the transfer be approved. The transfer was approved and we wish Pam well in her 6

7 new community. The second was the request for membership of Stan Lichtman. Several members of the committee met with Stan and his wife Hermie in October. The committee recommends Stan for membership. The meeting approved. We are happy to welcome Stan and his family into Buckingham. 4. Social Concerns: Marcia Angermann. Several members of Social Concerns attended a meeting with members of Plumstead, Solebury and Doylestown Meetings and Lutheran Children s Services, who handle refugees coming to the area, to discuss the possibility of jointly supporting an Iraqi refugee family for 4 months. If all the meetings support this, we will form joint committees to find them housing, transportation, employment and education for the period. The four meetings will reconvene at the end of this month and the committee would like to have the Meeting s support for the effort. Funding is not felt to be as much of a problem as time. Marcia and Elaine, as well as some others, are interested in being actively involved. Other area churches are doing this, so we can benefit from their experience. A Friend asked a question about finances. There is some small government help available, but that stipend doesn t cover all expenses. The planners do not think that an even contribution will be expected from each of the 4 meetings. We will be able to get support from Lutheran Children s Services and some county services, so we will not be on our own. Solebury and Doylestown are going to proceed whether we participate or not. There is a positive side benefit of working cooperatively with these other meetings. We do not know when the family will arrive, and there may be little notice. Friends were interested in supporting the effort. 5. Trustees and Finance: Joann Maclatchie. The Committee has approved a pledge of $2,500 (total, $500 a year for 5 years) to Friends Center for their environmentally friendly Center City building and asked for the Meeting s approval. The amount is less than we were asked for, but as much as the committee feels we can commit to now. The pledge was approved. Peter Ray has been putting in extra hours working on improvements to Plumstead Cottage, which the committee asked him to take charge of. The committee now seeks approval to continue to pay him additional hours until the cottage project is completed. His rate is lower than an external contractor and members of Trustees and Property felt that his work has been excellent. We have a tentative lease to begin in January, so the work is expected to be finished by then. We approve the extra hours. We will keep Plumstead informed about the work that we are having done on the cottage. 6. Property: Chuck Baker. Most of the committee s activity has been at Plumstead, with Peter and Bob Nuse working to prepare for the new tenant. The committee will also be moving some firewood next week from Buckingham to the Plumstead meetinghouse. The Meeting s mower had service for belt problem and winterizing. An upcoming project for the graveyard will involve filling in gully washes and resetting sunken tombstones, using rented equipment. The final work needed on the caretaker s cottage at Buckingham will be completed in December. The report was accepted. 7. Other business. Tom Tippett reported that Interim Yearly Meeting was cancelled for October. Friends were reminded that when holding committee meetings immediately after Meeting for Worship, to meet on the worship side of the meetinghouse. The meeting closed at 1:04 pm with a period of silent worship. Respectfully submitted by Carla Davis Cunningham, Recording Clerk Nineteenth Century Quaker Benediction Traditionally Spoken at Christmas When the song of the angel is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the Kings and Princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks The real work of Christmas begins. To find the lost To heal the broken To feed the hungry To release the prisoners To rebuild the nations To bring peace among brothers To make music in the heart. 7

8 Buckingham Friends Meeting Newsletter C/O 86 Rocktown Road Ringoes, NJ

Raiders News. Reformation Lutheran School & Preschool Weekly Newsletter WEEK OF DECEMBER 9-15, 2018

Raiders News. Reformation Lutheran School & Preschool Weekly Newsletter WEEK OF DECEMBER 9-15, 2018 Raiders News Reformation Lutheran School & Preschool Weekly Newsletter. WEEK OF DECEMBER 9-15, 2018 Principal's Message - Our ministry. Our School. Our Calling. This is a busy time for everyone, but this