SEASONED GREETINGS. A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF ROANOKE MONTHLY MEETING Winter edition 2014 THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS

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are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to

1 SEASONED GREETINGS A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF ROANOKE MONTHLY MEETING Winter edition 2014 THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS When the song of the angels 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 work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart. ~ Howard Thurman

2 monthly activities at roanoke friends meeting DECEMBER TWELFTH MONTH :00 POTLUCK 12:00 R. E. PEACE VIGIL 12:00: MFB 12:00 : TBA QUERIES FOR THE MONTH Simplicity Am I aware that the ways in which I choose to use my time, my possessions, my money, and my energy reflect my most deeply held values? How do we support one another in our search for a simpler life? What am I ready to release so that I can give my attention to what matters most? What in my present life most distracts me from God?

3 REGARDING REGULAR MONTHLY ACTIVITIES: FIRST SUNDAY, EVERY MONTH: potluck meal follows rise of worship SECOND SUNDAY: Typically a stimulating Religious Ed topic and discussion, beginning at noon THIRD SUNDAYS: Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, beginning at noon FOURTH SUNDAY: Activities TBA ALSO: First Sunday, every month: Backpack Sunday Please bring food to send home in school children s backpacks in order to augment food at home. THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH: Peace Vigil at the Roanoke City Market from noon until 1PM THIRD WEDNESDAYS: Chanting at the Meetinghouse, 7:00 Other regular activities will be added as they are submitted. THINKING ABOUT RACE :January 2014 James Baldwin in 1963 James Baldwin published this 51 years ago. The context for this quote is limited, due to space constraints, but Baldwin s take on a limit to the number of people any government can put in prison is a message for today, given the extent of mass incarceration. How can the American Negro past be used? It is entirely possible that this dishonored past will rise up soon to smite all of us. There are some wars, for example that the American Negro will not support, however many of his people may be coerced and there is a limit to the number of people any government can put in prison, and a rigid limit indeed to the practicality of such a course. A bill is coming in, that I fear America is not prepared to pay. - From Fire the Next Time, the section entitled Down at the Cross. Letters from a Region in My Mind, These monthly items are prepared by the BYM Working Group on Racism (WGR) and sent to the designated liaisons at each Monthly and Preparative Meeting for publication in their newsletter or other means of dissemination. The WGR meets most months on the third Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, usually at Bethesda Friends Meeting or Friends Meeting of Washington. If you would like to attend, on a regular or a drop-in basis, contact clerk David Etheridge, david.etheridge@verizon.net. ABOUT HOWARD THURMAN This issue features the writing of Howard Thurman ( ). Thurman was a prominent African - American author, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. After graduating from Morehouse College, he attended Colgate - Rochester TheologicalSeminary and was ordination as a Baptist minister. He later studied at Haverford College with Rufus Jones. Thurman was a prolific and influential writer. His book, Meditations of the Heart, available through Amazon. com would make perfect winter reading. Recommended!

4 FRIENDS CHRISTMAS POTLUCK & FESTIVITY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20th, :00 PM at Roanoke Friends Meetinghouse Day Ave. Roanoke, Va Dinner is a potluck, please bring something to share Festivities include carol singing and cookie decorating Join the fun! CELEBRATE On Sunday, January 4th, our dear Friend, Genevieve Waring will turn 90! We are marking this milestone with a special celebratory potuck for Genevieve. The celebration begins at noon following the rise of Meeting We look forward to enjoyings this special day with Genevieve If you know of anyone who may no longer be on our mailing list but would like to be included, please invite them! We want this occasion to be as special as Genevieve!

5 Below is a piece from Gary Sandman s forthcoming Quaker Artists book. Stay tuned for publication! THE ANGEL AND THE BADMAN Believe it or not, a John Wayne film exists in which he converts to Quakerism. The movie was called The Angel and the Badman, a Republic Western made in Wayne portrays an outlaw named Quirt Evans, who is rehabilitated by the love of a Quaker maid, played by Gail Russell. (At the film s conclusion it s implied he becomes a Friend, rather than shown). James Edward Grant wrote and directed The Angel and the Badman. His other screenplay credits included The Sands of Iwo Jima, Donovan s Reef, JOHN WAYNE (cont d): The Alamo,, and The Barbarian and the Geisha. The Angel and the Badman was his first directorial effort. He was also a successful novelist. John Wayne produced the film. Preposterous as this all may sound, it was actually a fairly good movie, if you can forget that Wayne plays the title role. The Friends and their beliefs are depicted in a sympathetic and understated manner. (A tip of the broadbrim to Peter Theodore for reminding me about it). submitted by Gary Sandman A sampling of the movie s dialogue: Quirt Evans (John Wayne): [reads the plaque on the wall] Each human being has an integrity that can be hurt only by the act of that same human being and not by the act of another human being. Quirt Evans: Is that Quaker stuff? Penelope Worth (the Quaker maid): Uh huh. Quirt Evans: You mean nobody can hurt you but yourself? Penelope Worth: That s a Friend s belief. Quirt Evans: Well, supposin someone whacks you over the head with a branding iron? Won t that hurt? Penelope Worth: Physically, of course. But in reality, it would injure only the person doing the act of force of violence. Only the doer can be hurt by a mean or evil act. Quirt Evans: Are there very many of you Quakers? Penelope Worth: Very few. Quirt Evans: I sort of figured that.

6 I Will Light Candles by Howard Thurman I will light Candles this Christmas; Candles of joy despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch, Candles of courage for fears ever present, Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens, Candles of love to inspire all my living, Candles that will burn all the year long. COMMuNITY FOOd PANTRIEs It is a season of feasting and celebration for many but for some it is a challenge to merely subsist. An estimated 49.1 million Americans, or 16.4 percent, are food insecure; meaning their access to enough food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. That roughly equates to 1 out of every six Americans! Needs are especially great this year, so please remember those less fortunate.there are many agencies in the area that would welcome donations of food. Here are just a few: Call the numbers to check for directions and hours. RAM house: The Rescue Mission: Samaritan Inn: TRusT: Bethany Hall: The Presbyterian Community Center: Also, consider a monetary contribution to Feeding America Southwest Virginia Feeding America Southwest Virginia has served the 26 counties and associated municipalities that make up Southwest Virginia for over three decades. As the leader in hunger relief in our region, FASWVA distributes more than 20 million pounds of food annually to nearly 400 partner agency soup kitchens, rescue missions and food pantries. ChRIsTMAs gift suggestions To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect. ~Oren Arnold LOoking forward Soon a new year begins! What will you take with you into the new year? The following prayer is known as the Sarum Prayer. It originated in Salisbury, England, probably in the thirteenth century. It was included in the Sarum Primer, a collection of prayers and worship resources that was used by clergy in the British Isles until the Reformation. Although the Sarum Primer is no longer relevant to contemporary use, this beautifully espressive little prayer remains fresh and easily committed to memory. It s an easy thing to carry with us into the coming year, connecting us to countless people who have recited it over the hundreds of years before us. GOD BE IN MY HEAD God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing. CONTACT INFORMATION: ROANOKE MONTHLY MEETING Elise Hansard, Presiding Clerk (540) ehansard@verizon.net Mike Heller, Recording Clerk (540) heller@roanoke.edu Letty Collins, Treasurer lettyjret@yahoo.co Jenny Chapman Newsletter Editor (540) jenny@rev.net Roanoke Meeting Tel: (540) Web Site: Lynchburg Indulged Meeting Heidi Koring, Convener (434) (H) (434) (O) Koring@Lynchburg.edu THE NEWSLETTER IS NOW QUARTERLY AND PRODUCED SEASONALLY Next issue will be mailed March 20th, 2015 Submission deadline for the next newsletter is the first of March.. items to jenny@rev.net No need for the news? To unsubscribe, jenny@ rev.net, type: Newsletter removal request

December 31, Christmas Living Rev. Louise Rogers

December 31, Christmas Living Rev. Louise Rogers December 31, 2017 Christmas Living Rev. Louise Rogers Christmas Living Rev. Louise Rogers 2017 by Rev. Louise Rogers and Westminster Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved. No part of this sermon may