The Farmington Friend

Transcription

1 The Farmington Friend Margaret Webb, Pastor VOLUME 69 NUMBER 5 FARMINGTON, NY May 2014 Let Your Love Shine Recently I switched jobs. I had been in my position for about six years, and had enjoyed some close relationships with some of my co-workers, so it was no surprise that these folks expressed sadness at my leaving. What was surprising, almost overwhelming at times, were the people who approached me to wish me well that I had felt never even knew who I was. I think of Margaret s recent message of Let your first response be love. That is something which I have always tried to abide by when I am at work sometimes all that involves is for me to greet everyone I meet with a smile and a kind word. I had no idea how powerful that little thing can be! It was very humbling and revealing to me that there were people who, some of whom I am ashamed to admit I know little about, would come up to me and tell me that I was one of the nicest people they ever worked with, and that they would miss me. I learned that simply by saying good morning every day made a difference to this person. This made me realize how these little things that I think don t matter, really do matter. I also see now how powerful it is to receive those loving responses. The knowledge that those folks took the time and effort to seek me out and wish me well filled me with a warmth that strengthened my sometimes weak faith in the goodness of my fellow humans. I am ever more encouraged to let my love respond to others, and ever more encouraged to be open to receiving the responses of love that may come my way. Let your love shine! Jenni Welch

2 Margaret s Musings I have been thinking a lot about community lately. A church community is a special kind of community. Churches are held together not just by the bonds of friendship or kinship but also by spiritual bonds bonds that make us brothers and sisters in Christ. We are told in scripture that we are all members of the body of Christ. We are taught that we each have gifts and talents and strengths and weaknesses and it is this diversity that makes us a strong whole (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Although we are all different, although our church represents a diversity of perspectives and gifts we are called to love and care for each other. Scripture teaches us that Christian communities should be places of fellowship, love, and respect. We are also taught that we are to work towards the greater good of our wider community. What scripture teaches us to do is not easy. It is much easier to only spend time with people who agree with you completely. It is easier to not have diversity. It can sometimes be easier to respect and appreciate people who have the same talents and gifts that you have. Certainly it is easier to get along with people who look the same as you, who vote the same as you, talk the same as you, dress the same as you, and are the same age as you. In social situations we can choose to be with others who are the same as us but churches provide us with a unique challenge. We are challenged to love and care for and respect people who we might otherwise choose to have nothing to do with. Since coming to Farmington Friends I have seen how powerful it can be to be part of a community that embraces diversity. There is something deeply Holy about being welcomed and welcoming others. We are a community that loves deeply and that love is not contingent on homogeny. It has been my experience that churches that work hard to respect and celebrate diversity, churches that take seriously our loving commitment to one another, these are the churches that grow and thrive. This is an uncertain time for main-line Christianity in this country. Churches are shrinking and even closing by the thousands. However, I see a bright future for Farmington Friends. I think that we are willing to engage in this difficult work of love and acceptance and that our world badly needs communities that are doing that work. I believe that our world needs churches like Farmington Friends, churches of welcome, churches that are willing to engage in the struggle to love even when it is a challenge. I am endlessly impressed (and blessed) by the way that our community welcomes and loves. This work is not always easy and my prayer for our church right now is that when we grow weary of the work of love that we might be renewed by the Holy Spirit to continue boldly on. I pray that when things get challenging (as they always do in community) and when disagreement arises (as it always will) that we be reminded of the beauty and Grace of our community. I pray that we might be mindful of our deep roots, of the depth of our love and care for one another, and the way that the Holy Spirit is active and alive among us. JUNE Happy Birthday! 1 Margaret Hartsough 3 Caleb Ford 3 Daniel Congdon 5 Noah Bedette 5 Carol Deys 5 Grace Ellingham 6 J J Bay 9 Teddy Webb 10 Randy Lee 10 Christine Walton 11 Mason Smith 13 Brennan Pawlak 14 Peter Soule 15 Elizabeth Campbell 16 Linda Kula 17 Nance Simkin 19 Jane Drury 20 Hazel Goveia 21 Colleen Horan 22 Hannah Sharp 26 Deborah Walton 29 Jonathan Parker FARMINGTON FRIEND STAFF Editor: Keith Egnor Co-editor Jeff Parker Front Page: Kathy Dudarchik Society Editors: Margaret Baker, Jeanette Bay Treasurer: Scott Parker Address Labels: Susan Sharp Mailing Staff: Gerry McClurg (co-clerk), Dick McClurg (co-clerk), Pat Ford (copying), Evelyn Sadler, Margaret Hartsough, Lloyd Hartsough, Margaret Baker, Linda Doyen Leave articles in Meetinghouse folders or mail to the editor by the 2nd Sunday of the month. Mail: 193 Howell Street, Canandaigua, NY egnork@yahoo.com Telephone: March 2014 Treasurer s Report Income: $5, Expenses: $7, Cash Flow: ($2,112.81)

3 Society Thank You! Thank you to Lila Kuehnert for her donation to The Farmington Friend. Caribbean Cruise Memories The whole Parker family (Grandma Jean, Scott, Annaliese, Jeremy, Joshua, Jonathan, Jeff, Karen, Cadi and Cole) spent April break cruising the Southern Caribbean on the Jewel of the Seas. It was the trip of a lifetime! Starting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, they traveled to 5 other islands, touring, shopping, kayaking the Salt River where Columbus landed (yes, even Grandma Jean!) and having a wonderfully decadent time! The staff, the meals, the shows and the warm Caribbean Sea were an incredible experience that won t be forgotten. (Photo on Page 8 and page) Special Recognition Award Presented David vander Velden received the Joseph and Sarah McDonald Alumni Award from his Administrators at the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA. The award is recognition for a teacher who goes above and beyond the typical role of a teacher, and does so without expecting any recognition. David is the son of Rudy and Diana vander Velden. Upcoming Events Called Monthly Meeting: May 22, :00 at the Meetinghouse A special called Monthly Meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 22 nd at 6:00 PM at the Meeting House. This Monthly Meeting has been called specifically to continue the discussion regarding the un-programmed worship models. Memorial Day remembrance of Veterans. There will be a service on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th at 8am by the flag pole in North Farmington Friends Cemetery. Supervisor Ted 3 Fafinski will head up the ceremony. Town Historian Donna Hill Herendeen is working on names of Veterans both for the WWI Veterans 100th Anniversary and the Vietnam Veterans 50th Anniversary. To date we know of two members of Farmington Friends, former residents of the Town of Farmington, who served in WWI, L. Nathan Aldrich Sr. and Clarence Wyman. Several Town of Farmington residents served in the Vietnam War. If you know the names of Town of Farmington residents, past and present, who served in either of these wars please notify our Town Historian at the Town Hall, or Diana vander Velden at cell prior to the Memorial Day ceremony. A TRIPLE HEADER June 1st Please join us on Sunday, June 1 for a three part day of music, food, and fellowship. At 11:00 AM the Bell Choir and Senior Choir will be leading worship in a Mostly Music Sunday. Immediately after that please join us down stairs as our Missions Committee oversees a quarter a dip carry in dinner. Following that Ann Davidson will be presenting pictures and a talk about her trip to visit Irish Quakers and the Ireland Yearly Meeting. It will be a day fill with worship, music, good food, fellowship, and information about fellow Quakers an ocean away from Farmington. We hope you will be able to join us. Special Open House - Sunday, June 22 Please join us on Sunday, June 22 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at Farmington Friends Meetinghouse to celebrate Gerry and Dick McClurg s 80th birthdays and 60th wedding anniversary. Cake and light snacks will be served. Come as you are at your convenience. No gifts, please. Sincerely, Colleen Horan, Carol Rourke and Kathy Dudarchik

4 Committee Minutes & Notes Farmington Friends Monthly Meeting Minutes April 27, 2014 Farmington Friends met for Monthly Meeting at the rise of Meeting for Worship on April 27, 2014 with 25 present. Clerk, Marion Cole, opened the meeting by reading from NYYM Faith and Practice (below) and with Friends singing verses 1 and 3 of O Jesus I Have Promised. In the transaction of business the same reverent waiting upon the Lord should prevail as in meetings for worship. Friends should give patient and sympathetic consideration to all proposals and expression of opinion. We reach decisions through a sense of the meeting rather than by vote. This was followed by a time of silence and prayer. Corrections: Darlene Farley reminded Friends that it is customary in Quaker practice to omit the names of people making requests about procedure, suggestions etc. from public meeting minutes therefore keeping such requests, suggestions etc. more objective. Health of the Meeting: Pastor s Report for Monthly Meeting April 2014 Pastoral Care: This month I have continued my work of regularly visiting members of the meeting. I have also done a number of hospitals visits over the last month and other crisis visits. I have continued to meet regularly for counseling sessions with several members of the meeting. I have also continued to be pastorally available by phone regularly checking in by phone with members of the meeting who are experiencing health issues or who have had surgery. In addition to the pastoral work I do weekly when I visit and make phone calls I also try my best to be aware of pastoral needs or concerns that are passed along to me or that I hear on Sunday. I try to make a point to check in and connect informally with members of the meeting who I have not seen around often or who seem like they might need extra support. At all times 4 when I am socializing, visiting or working with friends from Farmington Friends I try to conduct myself in such a way so that people feel that I am approachable and available. As always I welcome feedback about who I should be visiting and how to best arrange my pastoral care work. I also welcome tips, about pastoral care needs if you feel that someone would appreciate a visit or a phone call for any reason I am happy to look into it. Worship Planning: Worship planning is an on-going joy and I am always finding new exegetical resources and new ways to approach our worship time together and new ways to work with scripture. I have continued to use the basic structure or rhythm that I have fallen into since coming to Farmington Friends, but each week I work on small new ways to approach my sermon or new details to incorporate into worship planning. Palm Sunday and Easter were particularly challenging and joyful. I have only previously served as an associate pastor and in most church the associate is not in charge of substantial pieces of worship leadership on the high holy days. This was my first time preaching on Palm Sunday or Easter and the first time I had to put together those services. My sermon for Easter was a particular challenge because it is a story that is so familiar to all of us but is so fundamentally and vitally important to the faith life of Christians. I very much enjoyed participating in the Easter sunrise service. There is something special about celebrating the story of Easter at the break of day. Other Responsibilities and Commitments: I have continued to work hard with the website committee to upload content to our website and to begin the process of putting photos on the website. I am feeling really proud of the work that the website committee has been doing and I am really proud of the beautiful website that we have up and running! I have also continued to provide support for the work of RE and I have continued leading the high school/ middle school youth group with Carol. Our time with the youth group often includes an opportunity for each of the youth to share about joys and struggles in their lives and we often discuss scripture or theology or Quaker history or practice (or all of the above!). Since September when I began working with the youth I have seen an awakening curiosity around

5 religious and spiritual matters (or a deepening of an already existing interest) and I have also seen the way that several of our youth are growing into real gifts of leadership. In the future I would love to seen more of the youth participate on committees and attend business meeting I feel that they have a lot of wisdom and perspective as well as true spiritual gifts to offer the meeting. In the last month I had the opportunity to meet with Gabi Savory-Baily, NYYM YAFS. She spoke to me about ways that other meetings are supporting young adults and families with young children her conversation with me has inspired me to think about the possibility of forming a monthly potluck/fellowship time for families with young children where we could discuss Quaker parenting or other relevant issues. Right now it is still at the envisioning stage, but I would love to see something like that happen. I would also love to offer a class on Quaker practice 101, using Philip Gulley s new book. I would am thinking perhaps a 6 or 8 week class. I think we should think about a time in the fall when I will be back from maternity leave when we could get that on the calendar. Treasurer s Report: March 2014 Income $5, Expenses $7, Checking Account Balance as of 01/31/14 $13, Checking Account Balance as of 02/28/14 $11, Note: The $150 transfer noted was from the DMA Peace & Social Concerns Auction Fund which covered donations to Mom s For Action and Acadia Parker s Petal Project. Ministry and Counsel: April 22, 2014 Farmington Friends Ministry and Council met April 22, 2014 at the Parsonage. Present: Willie Bontrager, Clerk, Ed Golem, Carol Nicholson, Margaret Webb, Marion Cole, Ann Ledgerwood, Susan Sharp, Linda Doyen and Annaliese Parker. Ann Ledgerwood opened the meeting with the reading, There Is a Happiness in Me, by Grace E. Easley, followed by a time of silence. Health of the Meeting: Nance Simkin remains at the Highland at Brighton. Don Bay is doing better 5 since developing a bad cold. Jeanette Bay is recovering from surgery, two weeks ago, and doing a little more each day. Marion Milne was hospitalized briefly and is back home at this time. We continue to hold them in our thoughts and prayers. Old Business: The Web design is progressing well. Margaret, Carol and Gardie are working on making it easily accessible. The membership Welcome for Melissa Moore will be held May 4th during worship service. Melissa's three children will be welcomed as associate members. The Clerking Workshop: More information needs to be obtained at this time. Carol Nicholson will contact Lou Harper and Art Larrabee about possibilities. Quaker Practice: Margaret suggested offering a class on Quaker History and Practices, to be held at the Meeting House. Margaret would be happy to present a 6-8 week class. It was suggested the fall season might be a good time to hold these sessions. Marion Cole will contact Margaret Hartsough and Helen Kirker regarding the History sessions. New Business: Ed Golem will continue to explore the possibility of having a Soup Kitchen. Silent Worship: The Minute was prepared and will be presented to Monthly Meeting, April 27th. There is a diversity of perspectives on Ministry and Council around silent worship, which is representative of the meeting at large. We recommend that we keep the thirty minute silent worship before programmed meeting and to reserve the 5th Sunday of a given month for an unprogrammed meeting. Also, to allow for the possibility that some of the worship sessions can be un-programmed during the absence of the Pastor. Sunrise Service: Farmington Friends Meeting did a great job hosting the service. Linda's report on Pastors' and Elders' Retreat: Linda reported it was a wonderful enriching and spiritual experience at Powell House. She was surprised to learn that Farmington Meeting is the largest in the Northern New England area, Margaret's report on Pastors' and Elders' Retreat: Margaret presented a detailed report on the retreat at

6 Powell House and its recommendations. Each committee at Farmington Friends Meeting will be charged to draw up a job description. Marion and Margaret will work together to come up with guidelines for drawing up these job descriptions. Ministry and Council will set a date(s) to work on these guidelines. Pastor's report: Margaret presented her report for April. She continues to visit those who are ill, shut in or recovering from surgery. Margaret encourages and welcomes information regarding the needs of the meeting. Margaret would also like to encourage the young people into leadership roles. Darleen Farley's suggestion that a line item be created in the budget for financial assistance to Powell House sessions will go before Monthly Meeting at a future date. The next meeting will be held at Willie Bontrager's, May 20th at 6:30 p.m. Linda Doyen will bring the opening meditation. Willie Bontrager, Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Linda Doyen Margaret s request for time off, as follows, was approved by the Meeting. o May 19 th and 20 th o June 16 th, 17 th and 18 th o August 11 th, 12 th and 13 th Peace and Social Concerns: Meeting April 10, 2014 Peace and Social Concern met at the Bontrager s on April 10, Polly Nicholson, Judy Bovet-Egnor, Gardie and Sally Soule, Willie and Annie Bontrager and guest, Kay Pranis were in attendance. A brief update was given regarding the Parker women and their May trip to Kenya. Our main focus was the upcoming Peace Making presentation to be given Sunday, April 13 at 1:00 PM following a carry in dinner. Lela Zand, a Muslim peacemaker originally from Iran and Camilla Reyes from Columbia will give us their ideas on peace. Please bring your own tableware for the carryin. Liquid refreshment will be provided by Annie and Judy. Gardie will light ovens for those bringing in hot 6 dishes. Margaret will be asked to lead us in prayer before the meal. The Appreciation Dinner honoring Helen Kirker and Don Bay was another successful community event. A thank you note was written to John Ceddia for his part in preparing the chicken and biscuits. Monthly Meeting will be asked for approval to use auction money to pay for expenses of this event and other community gathering we initiate. PiRI Circle Training given by Kay Pranis at the Rochester Mennonite Fellowship Center will extend for a few more days. Please check with Willie Bontrager for more information. Earth Day Meditation: April 22 between 12 noon and 2:00 AM on the Point de Rennes pedestrian bridge over High Falls, Genesee River, Rochester, NY. All are welcome to pray for the Genesee River which is presently the 32nd most polluted river in our nation. Please note that our next Peace and Social Meeting will be May15 and not May 10 as recorded on the new church website. This meeting will be at 6:00 PM at the Soule s. Pam Hawkins and Rita Cronise will be asked to join us and give us their input on how they can provide our Meeting with peace making skills and conscientious objector information. Sally Soule, clerk of Peace and Social Concerns The request from Peace and Social Concerns for money from the Auction Fund was approved by the Meeting. Missions Committee: So far for 2014 the following monies have been collected for missions projects. In January $123 was collected for American Friends Service Committee. In February $90 was collected for the Good Neighbor Fund which was supplemented by the collection of $126 from the Lenten Challenge. In March $188 was collected for Powell House which will be used in part for their scholarship fund. Arpil collections will be for St. Martin s Boxing Club and May will be for CROP walk. Natalie will be reaching out to the other committee memebers to make a final decision on the

7 Fifty Cent-a-Dip Dinner collection which will be an FUM Mission. *Just a reminder we checked the Missions Committee workbook and Missions Sunday is the last Sunday of the month. Religious Education: April 02, 2014 Present: Annie Bontrager, Karen Parker, Margaret Webb, sue Ford, Gail Sheldon, Ellie Ellingham, Dianne Aldrich and Anne Gilson. We opened with a prayer given by Margaret. April 13 we have planned a bowling outing for the children and parents. We will leave the Meetinghouse at 1:30 to be at Roseland Bowl in Canandaigua by 2:00. Three lanes have been reserved by Anne with one being bumper bowl. Anne will contact all the families to get a feel for how many are going. RE will pay for a package deal that includes games and shoes for 2 hours. Also on April 13 is a carry-in-dinner to bring our Meeting together for a special visit from two young people who live their lives by working for peace. A concern was raised that our Meeting s committees need to be more mindful of planning more than one event at the same time as there are people wishing to attend both. There is a calendar by the Meeting s office with events posted and it was mentioned that when our Meeting s Web site is fully functional it will be much easier for committee clerks to check event times. It was also mentioned that having many events planned and having an active and participating Meeting is not a bad thing. Easter Sunday April 20 the Sunday School will be having an Easter egg hunt. Bags will be decorated for collecting, a movie will be shown and if the weather is good, we will hunt outside. If not, we will be searching inside. Helpers will hide the eggs. Kenyan Project update Karen and Cadi Parker will be gone on their trip to Kenya from May They have received monetary help from Lloyd and Margaret Hartsough, Sunday School collections, teens selling crafts and from Peace and Social Concerns. Cadi, herself, has raised $1,000 and is in awe of the generosity of people in support of this mission. 7 Spring cleaning for the Meeting will be May 3 rd. The children are encouraged to help. More information will follow. Mother s Day May 11 the Sunday School children will hand out flowers. We will ask if Jenni would be willing to get the flowers. Future Sunday School dates are April 6, April 20 (Easter), May 4 and May 18. June 8 (not the first Sunday) will be Youth Sunday and Sundae Sunday. It has been recommended that Sunday School room doors be closed when not in use as a fire safety procedure. There was also an inconclusive discussion about keeping doors open during Sunday School when only one adult is present for child safety reasons. Our next meeting will be May 7, 2014 at 6:15 at the Meetinghouse Respectfully submitted, Dianne Aldrich Library Committee: No report Music Committee: A reminder to Friends that with Mostly Music Sunday just around the corner there will be a need for summer special music. If any one is interested you can contact Jean Parker. Old Business: Decision on Un-programmed Worship Models: Ministry and Counsel read the minute (see M&C minutes) which they had prepared for today s Monthly Meeting. After a great deal of discussion among Friends it was determined that we were unable to reach unity on this issue. A special called Monthly Meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 22 nd at 6:00 PM at the Meeting House. This Monthly Meeting has been called specifically to continue the discussion regarding the un-programmed worship models. The Friend bulk mailing question: Due to time constraints it was decided to continue with the bulk mailing for the next year while Friends look into who would still need to receive The Friend via the mail and other issues concerning these mailings.

8 New Business: The 1816 Meetinghouse Program for June has been determined. It will be held on Saturday June 21 st, This request was approved at March s Monthly Meeting. The request from Kathy Dudarchik for use of the Meetinghouse on Sunday June 22 nd for a small Open House for Dick and Gerry McClurg s combined birthday and anniversary celebration was approved. The report from Cyndi Marvin and Darleen Farley of the NYYM Spring Sessions has been postponed until the May 2014 Monthly Meeting. Correspondence: Brochures from Pendle Hill and Oak Hill are to be displayed in the vestibule. Called Monthly Meeting: May 22, :00 at the Meetinghouse The next regularly scheduled Monthly Meeting will be May 25 th at the rise of Meeting for Worship. Attendees: Helen Kirker, Bea Kimball, Susan Sharp, Patricia Ford, Margaret Hartsough, Lloyd Hartsough, Anne Gilson, Margaret Webb, Ed Golem, Carol Nicholson, Ann Ledgerwood, Barbara Popenhusen, Jean Parker, Annie Bontrager, Willie Bontrager, Linda Doyen, Nancy Herendeen, Darleen Farley, Cynthia Marvin, Annaliese Parker, Gardie Soule, Polly Nicholson, Marion Cole, Dianne Aldrich and Kathy Dudarchik. Marion Cole, Clerk Kathy Dudarchik, Recording Clerk 8 The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Historic Structure Report You may be aware of our volunteer organization s remarkable success in saving the Farmington Quaker 1816 Meetinghouse from destruction. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and we have made great progress with our plan to restore it as a historical site and museum. In anticipation of the building s upcoming 200th anniversary we are making a special effort to locate hitherto unknown items that relate to the history of this unique structure. There have been anecdotal reports that Town Historians and other individuals have files with newspaper articles, letters, documents and photographs that would help us understand how the usage of this unique building evolved over the years. For example, Town Historians often have files on local churches including Quakers, with clippings from local papers. They may know of other individuals who have preserved artifacts from the building. We would very much appreciate if you would review your holdings and share with us any materials that are relevant. Thanks for your cooperation. The 1816 Meetinghouse Museum Group Contact persons: Judy Wellman, historicalnewyork@ne.com Helen Kirker, The Beach at Martinique - Scott Parker Photo

9 Farmington Friend June :00 Sunday School All Age Groups 10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship 10:00-11:00 Adult Bible Study 11:00 Worship Fifty cents-a-dip dinner following Worship Ireland Yearly Meeting Report 2 6:30 Spiritual Writing Group 3 Noon AA 4 6:15 RE Meeting 7:00 Senior Choir 5 6 5:30 Pastor s Monthly Open House/ Potluck 7 8 9:00 Handbell practice 10:00 Sunday School Youth Group 10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship 10:00-11:00 Adult Bible Study 11:00 Worship Youth Sunday Friend Notes Due Sundae Sunday 9 6:30 Spiritual Writing Group 10 Noon AA 6:30 (?) Ministry & Counsel (meeting date uncertain at this time.) 11 7:00 Senior Choir :00 Sunday School All Age Groups 10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship 10:00-11:00 Adult Bible Study 11:00 Worship 16 6:30 Spiritual Writing Group 17 Noon AA 18 7:00 Senior Choir Margaret Vacation June Meetinghouse Museum Open House Program 22 9:00 Handbell practice 10:00 Sunday School Youth Group 10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship 10:00-11:00 Adult Bible Study 11:00 Worship Monthly Meeting on Rise from Worship 3-5 PM McClurg Open House 23 6:30 Spiritual Writing Group 24 Noon AA 25 7:00 Senior Choir :00 Sunday School All Age Groups 10:15-10:45 Possible Unprogrammed Worship 10:00-11:00 Adult Bible Study 11:00 Worship 30 6:30 Spiritual Writing Group

10 Front Page Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 9 Let Your Love Shine Margaret s Musings/Birthdays/Treasurer s Report Society/Upcoming Events Committee Minutes & Notes Calendar FARMINGTON FRIENDS CHURCH 140 Church Ave. Farmington, NY The Beach at Martinique - Scott Parker Photo