TORONTO MONTHLY MEETING of the RELIGIOUS SOCIETY of FRIENDS (QUAKERS) 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ont. M5R 1C7

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1 TORONTO MONTHLY MEETING of the RELIGIOUS SOCIETY of FRIENDS (QUAKERS) 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ont. M5R 1C7 Friends House: tmm at web dot net Toronto Monthly Meeting Office: Fax: TMM Newsletter: April 2011 Meeting for Worship is held at Friends House every Sunday at 11:00 AM. All are welcome. Please see the back page for a list of regular events held throughout the month. Ministry and Worship Spiritual discernment lies at the heart of Quaker spirituality and practice. It s grounded in the central Quaker conviction of the availability to every person of the experience and guidance of God, immediate as well as mediated. Discernment is the faculty we use to distinguish the true movement of the Spirit to speak in meeting for worship from the wholly human urge to share, to instruct, or to straighten people out. It is the capacity we exercise in a centred meeting for worship for the conduct of business to sense the right course for the meeting to take in complex or difficult circumstances. It is the ability to see into people, situations, and possibilities to identify what is of God in them and what is of numerous other sources in ourselves and what may be both. It is that fallible, intuitive gift we use in attempting to discriminate the course to which we are personally led by God in a given situation, from our other impulses and from the generalized judgments of conscience. Patricia Loring, 1992 Canadian Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, 1.58 April and May Deadlines Sunday 10 April Agenda items for Meeting for Worship for Business Wednesday 20 April Items for the May TMM Newsletter April Annual Report Sexual Abuse and Harassment Committee Report May Annual Report January-April Interim Treasurer s Report Religious Education Committee Sunday 10 April, 12:45 PM I commend you to the Bible as living document. Set it beside your contemporary concerns, problems, opportunities, and see whether it can shed light for you. Wrestle with it, as Jacob wrestled with the angel. It is possible that God may speak to you from its pages. Elizabeth Watson, 1.98 in CYM Faith & Practice All are welcome to join Alice Muma Rutherford and Ginny Walsh for a presentation on Quaker understanding of Christian faith and the Bible Meeting For Worship for Business Sunday, 17 April, 12:45 PM All Friends and attenders are encouraged to attend. Minutes of the Toronto Monthly Meeting for Worship for Business are available in the library. Friends House Easter Holidays Friends House will be closed on Friday 22 April and Monday 25 April, but will be open during normal hours on Saturday and Sunday April TMM Directory Deadline Sunday 10 April 2011 Additions, revisions, and requests to be removed from the TMM Directory of members and attenders are due by 10 April To submit information, please contact Dan Cooperstock ( , dcoops at sympatico dot ca) or fill out a Change of Information slip (found above the mantel in the dining room) and drop it in the TMM mailbox. This information will also be sent to Canadian Yearly Meeting unless you request otherwise.

2 Midweek Meeting for Worship Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM All are welcome to share food, worship, and arts, with a pot-luck meal at 6:00 PM and worship at 7:00. The third Wednesday of the month is preplanned. On 20 April Elizabeth Block will share songs. On other Wednesdays, all are invited to bring short readings, poems or other offerings. In the past, friends have shared from Buddhist thinking, 12-step ideas, from the Canadian Friend, and from their own creations. Biotechnology Reference Group Saturday, 2 and 16 April Want to know more about what scientists are working today with genes and the human genome? Want to talk with people from TMM about what it means to you? Join a special pilot project on ethical questions relating to science, sponsored by the Biotechnology Reference Group (BRG) of the Canadian Council of Churches. The sessions are from AM to 1:00 PM, and are followed by potluck lunch. Discussions are facilitated by Anne Mitchell and Jaya Karsemeyer. Copies of the draft curriculum are available. For more information, please contact Anne Mitchell ( , annemitchell8 at sympatico dot ca) or Jaya Karsemeyer (jayakarsemeyer at rogers dot com). Couple Enrichment Weekend Retreat Friday to Sunday May A weekend in the country can help committed couples to improve communication skills and focus on their relationship. The workshop will be held at Meeting Place Organic Farm, home of the leaders, Fran and Tony McQuail, near Lucknow, Ontario. Cost ($250 per couple plus a simple meal for the group) includes simple accommodation or camping space. Registration is limited to eight couples. For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact the McQuails ( , mcqufarm at hurontel dot on dot ca). Quaker Quest Full-Day Workshop Saturday 11 June, at Friends House We hope that everyone yes everyone! in Toronto Monthly Meeting will set aside a day to explore ways in which we can help to build a stronger Quaker community. This workshop provides an opportunity to share stories with each other. It will be facilitated by two leaders from Friends General Conference and will involve fifteen fast-paced exercises. Lunch and child care will be provided so that everyone can attend. For more details Bette Logan (bette_logan at yahoo dot ca). or visit. Billet(s) Needed for CFSC Intern Toronto, 1 May to 31 August Hannah Ivanoff, the new Canadian Friends Service Committee Intern, needs a place in Toronto. Ideally, the Intern stays in one home for the entire period, but this is not always practicable. Interns are asked to contribute to housework and food costs, but not to pay rent. Toronto Friends who have billeted CFSC Interns in the past have enjoyed the experience. For more information, please contact Jane Orion Smith (janeorion at quakerservice dot ca, ) before 15 April. Keith Maddock Last Words: Through the Looking Glass An excerpt from Keith Maddock s paper Last Words, which he presented to the Canadian Council of Churches Faith and Witness Commission, is also published in the March 2011 issue of The Canadian Friend. The complete article was published in the Ecumenism (Fall/Winter 2010). Keith s article reflects on the controversial topic of doctrine, and he welcomes Friends comments and suggestions for future dialogues.

3 Taxes for War: Conscience Canada The Ad Hoc Committee on War Tax Concerns of the Canadian Yearly was established by a minute of CYM The Committee reminds all Friends and Attenders that 8.9% of our Federal taxes owing this year go to support the war in Afghanistan and other Canadian military actions (excluding veterans benefits). As we prepare our income tax returns for 2010 we seek God s will as those whose collective commitment is to be a peaceable people. For more information about Conscience Canada, (including the Peace Tax Return, which you can use to make known your objection to military taxation) please visit There is some question, given how few in the Canadian Yearly Meeting appear to withhold military taxes, whether the CYM Ad Hoc Committee on War Taxes should continue. The Committee has prepared a questionnaire (attached to this newsletter) so that they might better understand the attitudes and actions of Canadian Quakers related to conscientious objection to military taxation, and requests. New in the Library Harper, Lu. Plow Up the Fallow Ground: A Meditation in the Company of Early Friends. Pendle Hill pamphlet 411. Wallingford, Pennsylvania: Pendle Hill Publications, The Quaker Bible Reader. Ed. Paul Buckley and Stephen Angell. Richmond, Indiana: Earlham Press, (Thirteen very different Quakers look at portions of scripture, describe what they find, and how they found it. Contributors include John Punshon, Howard Macy and Janet Ross.) Williams, Carol. Emma Field: Book One. Merrickville, Ontario,: Journey Publishing, Emma Field: Book Two. Merrickville, Ontario: Journey Publishing, (The first two of a series of novels about Emma Field, who grows up in the mid 1800s in a Quaker pioneer family in Prince Edward Count. In the second novel she is living in Dutchess County, New York, where she meets Lucretia Mott and others involved in the anti-slavery and women s rights movements.) PeaceWorks PeaceFlicks! PeaceWorks, in cooperation with the National Film Board (150 John Street, at Richmond), will present a series of films on Wednesay evenings at 7:00 PM. 13 April: Teaching Peace in a Time of War (filmed in Belgrade, Yugoslavia): teaching the language of peace to a generation of children who have known only war. Raised to be Heroes: the experiences of Israeli conscientious objectors (refuseniks) inspire an essential dialogue about peace, democracy, and personal responsibility. 11 May: Six Miles Deep: the role of native clan mothers in the Caledonia reclamation of land. From Baghdad to Peace Country: chronicle of an artists journey to Iraq and his efforts to create a mother and child sanctuary in British Columbia. Spring Training: Activism in Action Series 2: Thursday Evenings 28 April to 2 June Sessions will cover self care (burnout prevention); human rights framework; using the media; gaining support for your cause and building a campaign; speaking and writing to get your message across; using technology (Facebook, video); fundraising and event organizing. For more information contact Lyn Adamson or Sylvia Grady ( peaceworks at primus dot ca). Registration: single series: $160 ($25 deposit; double series $250 ($35 deposit).please make deposit cheques payable to Toronto Monthly Meeting and marked for Peaceworks training. Donations to PeaceWorks make the program accessible to sliding scale participants. Send cheques (payable to Toronto Monthly Meeting, marked for PeaceWorks ) to the TMM office. Wednesday, 13 April, 7:30 PM Jimmy Johnson, a leading expert on the Israeli security and arms industry, will speak at Friends House on Exporting the Occupation: Israel s Pacification Industry. Jimmy Johnson is the founder of Neged Neshek (Against Arms), a project offering news, analysis, and data on Israeli military and security exports. The discussion will focus on Israel and the role of the occupation in the growing market for pacification strategies, equipment, and techniques in use in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

4 Advance Notices Yonge Street Half Yearly Meeting Camp Neekaunis, 3 5 June 2011 Plan to attend this wonderful weekend of fellowship and inspiration, including a Friday evening program led by John and Diana Lampen, a session on conflict resolution led by Lyn Adamson, a children s program, and Meeting for Worship in a beautiful setting overlooking Georgian Bay. FGC Gathering of Friends Meeting at the Center, 3 9 July 2011, Grinnel College, Iowa. Information is posted on the bulleting board at Friends House. For an advance program, please visit Atlantic Friends Gathering Windhorse Farm Conference Centre, May 2011, Nova Scotia. For more information, please visit Summer at Camp Neekaunis Think summer! The Camp NeeKauNis schedule for 2011 is now available. Reserve your regular camp or try a new one such as Digital Film Camp or Acting Camp! Information at or pick up a newsletter near the Meeting Room. Notes from the Resident Friends Friends House is now well stocked with towels and sundry, thanks to F/friends who brought donations in response to our request. In March, in addition to our usual TMM committees and events, we hosted various groups including a large Tibetan event, the spring CFSC meeting, a Planned Parenthood course, and several CYM committee meetings. In April, we look forward to greeting many Friends during Representative Meeting. We often hear compliments and gratitude for the use of the space, and we pass those thanks on to all of you. Of Thee and Thine Norman King s wife, Lorraine, died on 23 February 2011, with Norm and their two children at her side. An article about Fritz Hertzberg, his medical practice, and the Hertzbergs contributions to Pickering over more than three decades, was recently published in the Pickering News Advertiser and is available at Canadian Yearly Meeting 13 August 2011, Kings-Edgehill School, Windsor, Nova Scotia. A schedule and detailed information are available at

5 THE BACK PAGE REGULAR EVENTS FIRST SUNDAY (3 APRIL) 10:30 AM West End Worship Group (contact Gerhard Peters for location) 11:00 AM First Day School (Children join Meeting for Worship for the first 15 minutes.) 12:45 PM Ministry and Counsel presentation SECOND SUNDAY (10 APRIL) 9:30 AM Early Meeting for Worship 12:45 PM Religious Education Committee presentation THIRD SUNDAY (17 APRIL) 12:45 PM Meeting for Worship for Business: All Friends and attenders are encouraged to attend. THIRD MONDAY (18 APRIL) 10:30 AM Downtown Worship Group (contact Richard Lush for details) 6:30 PM West End Worship Group: Worship sharing and potluck (contact Gerhard Peters for location) FOURTH SUNDAY (24 APRIL) 11:00 AM First Day School (Children join Meeting for Worship for the first 15 minutes) 12:45 PM Presentation on Potters for Peace LAST MONDAY (25 APRIL) 6:00 PM Monday Night Worship Group welcomes people who are open, accepting, and supportive of diverse expressions of sexuality for Worship and potluck (contact Jane Orion Smith for location jorion at rogers dot com) WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 6:00 PM Potluck meal, Midweek Meeting for Worship, and sharing of food and arts THURSDAY EVENINGS 5:30 PM Quaker Program at Toronto West Detention Centre meets with a group of 6 to 18 prisoners for discussion and support. Contact Fred Franklin ( ) for more information. FIRST DAY SCHOOL DATES First Day School will be held on Sunday 3April. NEWCOMERS Welcome. If you are new and interested in participating in Toronto Monthly Meeting activities or have questions, please speak with the co-clerks Ginny Walsh or Ruth Pincoe, or any other member. FRIENDS WHO HAVE PHYSICAL DIFFICULTIES Financial assistance for taxis is available for those Friends and attenders who have physical difficulties getting to Meeting for Worship by public transport. Please speak to a member of Ministry and Counsel or the Resident Friends to obtain taxi chits. THE VISITING COMMITTEE The Visiting Committee co-ordinates visits with members and attenders who are unable to attend Meeting for Worship. Please contact a member of the Committee if you know of someone in need of a visit: Ruth Malloy ( ), Daisie Auty, Andrew Scorer, or Leonard Molczadski. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Please let the TMM Office (tmm at web dot net) know of changes in your address, phone, or . Due to government privacy legislation, this information will be put in the newsletter only if you request it. Please note that personal information is removed from the version of the TMM Newsletter posted on our website. These changes will, however, be added to the TMM Directory and passed on to Canadian Yearly Meeting for their Directory unless you request otherwise. Quote of the Month yet my mind was not at rest, because nothing was acted, and thoughts run in me, that words and writings were all nothing, and must die, for action is the life of all, and if thou dost not act, thou dost nothing. Gerrard Winstanley The New Law of Righteousness (1649)

6 Questionnaire Participation in Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation The purpose of this questionnaire is to better understand Canadian Quakers attitudes and actions related to conscientious objection to military taxation. Also, we would like to know, given how few in the Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM) appear to redirect military taxes, whether the CYM Ad Hoc Committee on War Taxes should continue. Conscience Canada (CC) (founded and led by Quakers plus Mennonites and others) operates a Peace Tax Fund (PTF) into which you can deposit the military portion of your taxes (9.4% for 2009) as a conscientious objection to war. CC also seeks signatures on a petition to support a Conscientious Objection Bill that would make it possible to legally pay all taxes owed to the government but to be used solely for non-military purposes. CC offers both a paper and electronic Peace Tax Return (PTR) to easily enable you to take either or both action. 1. I know about conscientious objection to military taxation. Yes No 2. I have re-directed the military portion of my taxes in the past. Yes No 3. I have redirected the military portion of my taxes for Yes No The following are ideas Quakers have expressed about participating in this peace tax initiative through redirecting military taxes. Please rate to what extent you agree with the following statements, on a scale 0 to 5, where 0 is don t agree at all, and 5 is agree strongly. 4. Redirecting my taxes is a symbolic way of expressing Friends peace testimony. 5. If I redirect my taxes, military spending will not be reduced because the government can still use the rest of my taxes or those of others for the military. 6. Conscientious objection to military taxation is a powerful way of speaking truth to power. 7. If we are able to refuse military taxes, I am concerned that anyone can refuse to pay taxes for other issues (such as medical coverage of abortions) on grounds of conscience. 8. I m worried about the hassle from and possible financial penalty by Revenue Canada if I withhold military taxes. 9. Canada needs a military force for peacekeeping and disaster relief. 10. We have a Responsibility to Protect and may need military force to intervene. 11. I don t owe any taxes; all tax deducted or low income. 12. Canadian Yearly Meeting should lay down the Ad hoc Committee on War Taxes. Additionally, I want to express this about military taxation: Yes No Thank you for completing this questionnaire. Please to jpriorvaldes at gmail dot com or via CYM Ad Hoc Committee on War Tax Concerns, July 2010 Jerilynn C. Prior (first named) To see the electronic Peace Tax Return go to