Jamestown Friends Meeting 509 Guilford Rd PO Box 2163 Jamestown NC July Light Workers

Transcription

1 Simply Speaking Jamestown Friends Meeting 509 Guilford Rd PO Box 2163 Jamestown NC July 2018 Light Workers Mark 4:35-41 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, Let us go across to the other side. And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. He said to them, Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith? Crossing boundaries is one of the most difficult activities in human experience. An archetypical story is one of unknown seas crossed by heroes fleeing persecution, enduring dangers and hardships, to arrive at a promised destination, a land of promise. We read of these in the Hebrew Scriptures: Noah and his ark withstanding the storm and flood; Abram traveling to a new land and becoming Abraham; the Hebrews walking through the waters and across the desert fleeing from persecution to a promised land; the Israelites being sent into exile when they separated themselves from God, and enduring that storm of reordering their lives toward God. If we examine our history, our human story, we will read time and time again of travels, of migration, of moving from location to location; yes, seeking better hunting grounds or better grazing lands, but more often escaping persecution, danger, and hunger always to a new, a better place, a land of promise, a promised land. I think of our European ancestors who survived cruelty, war, imprisonment, violence, and hunger to board tiny ships to sail out into the wild blue world to an uncertain, but hoped-for better tomorrow, a better place. Their crossing was storm-tossed, with the cosmic forces of opposition expressed in the wind, rain, and waves towering above them. Yet somehow through faith, the waters were calmed, the way parted, and they sailed through. They left everything, many with children in their arms, seeking a life of opportunity free from the constant threat of death and for the opportunity of a better life. I think of those native peoples standing on the shores, first seeing these tiny dots off in the distant blue growing into those tiny boats filled with light-skinned people, and I wonder what they thought. I wonder if they could even imagine the level of conquest, violence, domination, and superiority that these visitors would live out in the centuries to come. For the most part, these native peoples received these immigrants with a level of respect and honor; taught them to grow maize (corn), to cultivate, cure, and then smoke and market tobacco. Legend has it that the native peoples provided much of the food for that first thanksgiving feast. These first Europeans thought of themselves as the new chosen people. They were coming to establish the Promised Land, to found the New Jerusalem. Quakers expressed this as a holy experiment as they came to establish communities where there was freedom of worship, where the government would not establish a state religion. They came to be free from persecution, and to acknowledge equality for many instead of status and superiority based on birth or economics. Yes, they came with the Christian gospel, some to convert and impose a faith and a way of life, others to live their faith by example, providing a witness through everyday life. They came to try something new, where all were welcome, though we all know their effort, and ours, was less than perfect. Then there is another difficult crossing I must mention. In this crossing, Africans were ripped from their families and culture, chained below deck where they spent the duration of their storm-tossed middle passage to the new and strange land, one not filled with promise of a better tomorrow. They were not welcomed on equal footing as they were tossed into the pit, into a life of toil and hard labor. Their storm did not end when they landed on these shores. Their lives were filled with violence, inferiority, and dehumanization. Their storm intensified for the next couple of centuries, and their storm in many cases continues today. What I want us to recognize is that our spiritual life is a journey. Sometimes this journey means a change in location, a physical move; more often this spiritual journey means an internal move, an internal shift in our perspective and understanding. We know the physical move is often storm-tossed, but the internal shift comes with its storms as our previous understandings and ideologies are challenged and broken down. As we know, if we are not moving, we are standing still. We are to be moving toward a deeper relationship with God, which means a deeper relationship with others. If we examine the life of Jesus, we ll discover that he experienced his own journey of overcoming challenges. He was baptized in the river Jordan, coming up as the waters parted; the sky parted and the Spirit in the shape of

2 a dove descended upon him. He endured the wilderness journey and testing; he announced the new social order when he read from the Prophet of Isaiah in the synagogue. Thus, it was his journey as he struggled to establish a new order proclaiming repentance and healing. This was Jesus mission, his journey. We read of this in Mark as he and the disciples journeyed across the sea, invoking the imagery from the Hebrew scriptures of a passage through a watery chaos in the creation and liberation story of the Hebrew people. Jesus and the disciples were crossing to the other side, to a strange land, to the Gentile peoples to share the message of the liberating word of God s love and forgiveness. This was not a voyage of escape; rather it was a journey, a mission, beyond the acceptable social boundaries to extend the invitation of liberation found in Jesus proclamation. The storm represents the cosmic forces that work to keep the divide between cultures; these forces see others as unworthy, as undesirables, as beyond the scope of receiving the gospel, the good news. Or we can see that these storms represent the cosmic opposition by the forces of established order, or those forces seeking to recreate what some thought was good or great in the past. These forces are overcome through faith. Our faith will be tested, is being tested. Our renewed faith will lead to action. I wonder what the disciples felt when they heard Jesus say, let us travel over to the other side? I wonder what they felt as they sailed into the storm-tossed sea. I wonder if they wondered and worried how they would be received by others? I also wonder about the Gentiles, the others, and how they would perceive and receive the strangers coming from across the sea? Would they welcome them? Would they be fearful of this new message? Would they perceive it as a message of domination by another, or as a message of liberation and inclusion? Sometimes we are the ones reaching across the boundaries to extend Jesus reconciling message of repentance, forgiveness, and love. In this crossing over we will often encounter storms, storms that seek to maintain the status quo, as we move against the cultural norms in our reaching out to the others. And you know there will be times when we are on the receiving end of another s journey, as others travel long distances, through many storms, to challenge us to change our ways, to open us to a new understanding of Jesus call upon our lives. And then we may face storms from family, friends, society, as we seek to change our lives, our ways, and welcome those who have come, bearing the message, and challenging us to feed the hungry, welcome the widows and their children.. What and where are the boundaries that we are called to cross in our life, and in our community? What keeps us from crossing those boundaries? What keeps us from welcoming those who challenge our faith and action? Why are we frightened, of others? What is our faith? Are we open to receiving messages that challenge us to grow in our faith and understanding of how to live out our witness? In the Light,, Pastoral Minister July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29 July Message Schedule Name That Quaker By Linda Willard Unprogrammed I would be best known as an Indian fighter, explorer, mountain man and Union Army Officer. My mother and her family were strict Quakers who did not approve of my wild ways. Who was I? (Answer on a different page.)

3 Did You Know? By Martha Mattocks Summer is half over it seems, now that we are facing the Fourth of July! Many of you have taken some nice trips already - and others are looking forward to getting away later. Mark and Virginia Sills like to travel. In early June they drove to Michigan to attend the high school graduation of their oldest grandson from Linden High School. Their itinerary took them through Amish country in Ohio and they enjoyed the tranquil scenes. The travel bug is in their family genes... another son's family is getting ready to go to Thailand for a visit with his wife's family there. Too bad Mark and Virginia can't tag along! Currently Jan and Alan Purser are in New England, where hopefully the weather has been a lot cooler. They enjoy visiting historic places, going to ball games, and just having fun exploring! As of this time, we are all awaiting word on the birth of Frank and Beth's second grandchild - due anytime! I believe that Beth is going to take a week or two towards the end of July to go assist - probably mainly with Rye! Our grandchildren (and their parents) are in California! They flew to San Francisco, where they enjoyed visiting Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, riding the trolley, and seeing the 'crookedness' road, but the highlight of the trip is their visit to the giant Redwood Forest. Those trees must be a sight to behold! They are doing a lot of hiking in the state parks and will end up in Portland before coming home. By the way... the trip was also memorable for Luke - the tooth fairy had to visit him in California, not once, but twice! I guess she has a GPS! Abby Farlow has been working at Lowe's Foods this summer - first as a cashier (which she was not thrilled to be doing), but now she has been promoted to a 'personal shopper'. I think she is learning quickly that she is not interested in a career path along these lines! Rebekah Carmichael recently made her premier performance with the Thalian Hall Center for Performing Arts in Wilmington, NC in a play "Fun House". This play was the winner of the 2015 Best Musical Tony Award. We were treated to hearing her sing for us during our recent piano dedication concert. She has a lovely voice! Hope all of you are enjoying your summer. Just try to stay cool! And now you know! July USFW Projects Children & Youth USFWI Ramallah: Amari Play Center/Feeding program Native American children and Youth Programs (3 centers) Kenya: Turkana/Samburu Girls' Secondary Education Belize: Friends School Feeding Program Make your check payable to Jamestown Friends Meeting and mark "USFW" missions and put in the offering plate. Ronnie Hicks will record and make sure funds are sent to NC USFW. The NC Peace Resource Center invites you and your family and friends to a Peace Picnic to be held at Jamestown Friends Meeting on July 4th 5-8 PM. Bring your own hot dog, lawn chair, lawn games or indoor games and a side dish or dessert to share. Drinks will be provided. Join us!

4 Music Notes By Beth Massey We had quite a gathering at the meeting house on Sunday evening, June 24! Because of the unusually hot day, we moved the ice cream indoors, and friends felt free to linger and visit as we enjoyed many delicious flavors, toppings, and a celebration cake. The fellowship was rich, offering opportunity to get to know some new friends and friends of friends, and to catch up with some we hadn t seen in a while. I know of more than one Quaker gathering who have discovered that the fellowship of ice cream is important in building a loving and supportive community! Thank you to all who contributed to this rich smorgasbord of taste sensation! And to all who partook and shared compliments freely! (The program from the evening is attached.) Following the ice cream, we moved to the worship room. There, we found ourselves to be a gathering of excellent performers and sensitive, supportive listeners! Even those who did not perform individually lent our voices to hymns and became a rousing choir, filling the room with joyful music. Our music came from across time and place, style and genre, illustrating what seem to be timeless truths -- that God is an amazing artist, and that God s love knows no bounds! We are so grateful to Louise Richardson for her many and varied gifts to Jamestown Friends Meeting. We appreciate very much the willingness of the meeting to give a significant part of her financial bequest to help us purchase this piano. The process to provide a new piano for the worship room began a few years ago, when we acknowledged that we needed a different piano in the fellowship room. The music committee recommended that we move the piano then serving the worship room into the fellowship room, and purchase a new piano for the meeting room. The monthly business meeting gave their approval to undertake several years of fundraising to purchase a new piano. We remember fondly the talent show of February, That event also included multiple expressions of talent, and multiple contributors gave to the opening of our New Piano Fund. Fundraising can be lots of fund, and a powerful and effective community builder. Nevertheless, we are thankful that Louise s gift, along with the gifts of all the donors, brings completion to the fundraising for a new piano, and as of January 2018 we are able to reap the benefits of the music it facilitates. To honor and remember these gifts of time and talent and resources, a plaque will be placed on the Hailun piano now in the meeting room honoring Louise s gift and the gifts of the JFM community in providing the instrument for our use, as An Instrument of Peace. An additional plaque will be placed on the Yamaha piano now in the fellowship room, honoring its donation from Lew and Cindy Hudson, who now live in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. The names of those who contributed to the New Piano Fund will be noted in the meeting s book of honoraria and memorial contributions to special funds, which will be placed in the foyer (pending approval by monthly meeting for business.) So now, let us move forward together. May we continue to discover and celebrate new and continuing expressions of God s love and truth as they are given to us. May each of us find ways to be instruments of God s peace. May we always exercise the practice of looking for that of God in each other, in each situation, in each work of art. Let us every day find ways to... Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ~ Psalm 100: 1,2 (KJV) For more opportunities to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, see separate article, Summer Notes, below. Summer Notes After the New Piano Dedication, the choir will take a break from Wed rehearsals and providing music every Sunday. We are ready for a sabbath! Instead we invite you to sing or play for us. Any of you who love to sing or play an instrument for others but who can t make the commitment to sing with the choir every week throughout the year -- this is your opportunity. Summer Music gives all of us an opportunity to see and hear new voices and music, and sometimes not-so-new voices that we just get to hear less often. Please consider sharing some music yourself with our gathered worship on a Summer Sunday, or suggest someone you d like us to invite to share music with us, July - Labor Day. We will also come together a couple of times for Summer Sunday Serendipity Singers. The wonderful, full choir who came together for our New Piano Dedication on Sunday evening, June 24, do not often gather all in the same place and time! Even for this event we were missing some voices who often sing with us. So it is with singers who are busy doing God s work in many ways and places. We come together as we can; we are fed and we help feed each other. On these SSSS days, our choir members who are available will provide a core, but others are enthusiastically invited to join us on one or both of these times: July 8th at 9:30 AM~ for our meeting s 54th anniversary celebration. (If you know of guests who might enjoy singing with us this day, please invite them!) August 26 at 9:00 AM ~ the first Sunday of the new school year, the second Sunday of the new college school

5 July 2 July 8 July 9 July 12 July 13 July 16 July 18 July 21 July 24 July 28 July 31 July Birthdays Brenda Haworth Abigail Farlow Jan Michael Purser David Stanfield Sara Clawson Taylor Williams Steven Mattocks Brently Holder Michael Mattocks Jack Sullivan According to Susan...Bulla, that is Points to Ponder: It's not really hoarding if you have cool stuff! Why do they report power outages on TV? The bag that breaks is the one with the eggs. Exceptions always outnumber rules. Committee Reports Monthly Meeting Agenda July 8 Updates on energy efficiency NC Fellowship of Friends Gathering August 18 The NC Fellowship of Friends will hold its annual gathering at Quaker Lake Camp on August 18. Lodging will be available for August 17 and 18. The cost is $12 for lunch. Children ages 12 and under eat free. Childcare will be available. The registration form is attached to Simply Speaking or you may pick up a copy at Jamestown Friends Meeting. Lighting Solar HVAC systems Representative to NCFF nominating Committee Other Business Answer to Name That Quaker I was Kit Carson. My mother s maiden name was Jessup. My mother and her family were strict Quakers who did not approve of my wild ways. Simply Speaking is published monthly for Jamestown Friends Meeting 509 Guilford Road, PO Box 2163 Jamestown NC Phone: (336) JamestownFriends@aol.com Editor: Kathy Adams; Managing Editor: Wallace Sills Columnists:, pastor; Beth Massey; Martha Mattocks

6 A concert dedicating this new piano for Jamestown Friends Meeting as An Instrument of Peace 24th day, 6th month, 2018 Concert Program Worship in Song Hymn #306 ~ A Place in the Choir Bill Staines Congregation Deep River / Shall We Gather at the River African American Spiritual, Robert Lowry, arranged by Lloyd Larson Susan Samuelson & Beth Massey, piano A Simple Song from Mass Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Bernstein Rebekah Carmichael, Soprano; Beth Massey, Piano Nuvole Bianche Ludovico Einaudi Abby Farlow, piano Brethren, We Have Met to Worship George Atkins, William Moore, arranged by Stan Pethel Frank Barefoot, violin; Beth Massey, piano Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397 Wolfgang A. Mozart Sara C. Pearse, piano Troisiéme Suitte Sonate Jacques-Martin Hotteterre ( ) Prelude Allemande Courante Phil Hollar, recorder David MacDonald, piano Moonlight Sonata, Op. 27, No.2, Adagio Sostenuto Ludwig van Beethoven Susan Samuelson, piano Heliotrope Bouquet Scott Joplin Kathy Coe, piano Dry Bones Traditional Spiritual, Ezekiel 37, Arranged by Mark Hayes Love in Any Language Jon Mohr & John Mays arranged by John Higgins Alvaro Reyes, sign language Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace St. Francis of Assisi, Mary MacDonald Jamestown Friends Meeting Choir Worship in Song Hymn #305 ~ In Christ There Is No East or West ~ J. Oxehnam, A.R. Reinagle Congregation

7 This piano is a gift to Jamestown Friends Meeting made possible by funds from the estate of Edna Louise Harris Richardson and friends in the Jamestown Friends Meeting community Piano Dedication, An Instrument of Peace, 24th day, 6th month, 2018 We appreciate the ongoing services of Allied PianoCraft and Al and Elizabeth Guecia, in providing and caring for this Hailun piano. The piano which has served us in the meeting room for a number of years has been moved to the fellowship room, where we needed an improved instrument to meet the needs of that more intimate setting. A plaque will be placed there expressing appreciation for its generous donation by Lew and Cindy Hudson.

8 NC Fellowship of Friends Gathering at Quaker Lake Camp August 18, 2018 Registration Form Name(s) of adult participants: Mailing address: Telephone # Mobile phone # Emergency contact: Relationship: Phone #: Names and ages of children who will attend: Please list any allergies or health concerns of participants: Please place an X before all that apply: Will arrive on Friday evening and will need overnight accommodations. Number of beds: Will be present for the sessions on Saturday and will be present for lunch. Number of diners: Will be present for Saturday sessions but will not be present for lunch. Will sleep at Quaker Lake Camp on Saturday night. Number of beds: (Overnight lodgers will need to provide their own linens/towels and/or sleeping bags.) Special dietary needs: Please place an X before all activities of interest: Swimming Canoeing Hiking Backyard games (Horseshoes, GaGa, Ladder Golf, etc.) Cost: $12.00 for lunch; children 12 and under eat free. Tentative Schedule Friday evening Saturday 4:00-7:00 PM ~ Registration for overnighters Evening meal is on your own. Please bring snacks to share. 8:00-9:00 AM ~ Registration (coffee, juice, and snacks) Participants are invited to contribute pastries or fruit. 9:00 AM-10:45 AM ~ Gathering, centering worship, small group activity (Theme: Forgiveness) (Facilitated by Pastor Kimberly Luck, Associate Pastor/Director of Prison Ministry at The Headquarters of A Church Without Walls in Greensboro, NC.

9 11:00 AM ~Business meeting 12:00 Noon ~Lunch (Catered by Above and Beyond of Jamestown, NC) Cost:$12.00 (Children ages 12 and under eat free.) 12:30-2:30 PM ~Community Building (Swimming, canoeing, games, hiking, group singing/playing bring your music instruments!) 2:30PM~Small Groups (What is our fellowship called to do?) 3:30 PM Closing There will be childcare for children ages 5 and under. Children over age 5 are invited to participate in the group, intergenerational activities. All children/youth are invited to bring a white or pastel t-shirt to decorate during the 11:00 AM business meeting. All are welcome to attend the Annual Gathering of the North Carolina Fellowship of Friends. As we honor our Quaker Testimonies, remember that Quaker Lake Camp and Conference Center prohibits the use of tobacco, alcohol, weapons and illegal drugs on the campus.