Westport Friends Meeting

August 2005 Newsletter

Cynthia Brenner has lovingly and skillfully brought the Peace Garden into full bloom.

 
We are born in relation, we live in relation, we die in relation. There is, literally, no such human place as simply “inside myself.” Nor is any person, creed, ideology, or movement entirely “outside myself.”

- Carter Heyward

6-11      NEYM Sessions, August 6-11, at Bryant University, Smithfield, RI.
16         Market Ministries
22         Peace and Social Concerns Committee at11:45 AM.
 
Please Note: Monthly Meeting for Business, Finance, Property and Ministry and Counsel Committees are not scheduled to meet in August.
 
Dates to save:

Finance Committee will meet on Sunday, September 11, at 8:30 AM.

Meeting Pot-Luck Gathering to honor and celebrate Frankie and Stewart Kirkaldy, September 24th at 5:30 PM. See details in Monthly Meeting Highlights.
                                     

4          Eliza Miley
12         Leigh-Anne Rebello
18         Chris Rinier
20         Frankie Kirkaldy
30         Amy Lee-Vieira
 

Buddy Baker-Smith, Clerk of Meeting, presented a draft of a minute from Westport Meeting Friends who met on June 12th to discuss the NEYM “Minute of Exercise,” and what our Meeting’s response to the FUM Personnel Policy should be. (See June Newsletter for more details.) After a period of discussion, reflection and worship, Friends approved a final minute (go here for minute) that will be sent to NEYM.
 
Monthly Meeting approved a date and time for a Pot-Luck Gathering to honor and celebrate Frankie and Stewart Kirkaldy’s retirement and relocation to Vermont. Please be sure to join us on Saturday, September 24th at 5:30 PM. Speak with Betty Ann Lee, Gretchen Baker-Smith or June Correia for further details.
 
Ministry and Counsel: Steven Correia, Clerk of Ministry and Counsel reported that they will not hold a regular meeting in August, but will convene if necessary by call of the clerk.
 
Following the recommendation of Ministry and Counsel, Monthly Meeting accepted Joseph Bossom into membership of the Westport Monthly Meeting of Friends. As Friends know, Joe has been a valued part of our spiritual community for several years already. Now, we welcome Joe into membership with joy! A coffee hour celebrating Joe’s membership will be announced in the fall.
 
Nominating Committee: Betty Ann Lee, clerk, presented the committee’s slate of appointments for the coming year. Discussion followed. The committee especially noted how much Stewart and Frankie Kirkaldy will be missed once they move to Vermont.
 
Nominating Committee acknowledged that some members have voiced a view that Friends appointed as Trustees needed to be Westport residents. Other Friends have expressed that Westport residency need not be a requirement to serve as a Meeting Trustee. The Committee reported that they are not in unity on this matter, and recommended that deliberation on this item be taken up by the Monthly Meeting sometime in the fall. Friends approved.
 
Following discussion with minor revisions the slate was approved. The Clerk of Meeting thanked the members of Nominating Committee for their hard work. Please see copy here.
 
Finance Committee: Gretchen Baker-Smith, clerk, offered a preliminary financial report on our Booksale held July 9th: A combination of perfect weather, terrific volunteers and good leadership made this our best year ever!
 
Property Committee: Buddy Baker-Smith offered a progress report on the meetinghouse construction project. Even with the need to replace some rotted sections on the southeastern exterior wall, the project is still within budget and is expected to be completed soon. The committee also proposes to have the contractor repair, re-glaze, and paint the meetinghouse storm windows, depending on price. This will insure a uniform color appearance once the storms are mounted in November.
 
Friends expressed praise and appreciation to Buddy Baker-Smith for his invaluable work and oversight of this project from beginning to end. Thank you, Buddy!
 
“Summer Meeting” Children’s Program: Betty Ann Lee reported that she has made up a new sign-up sheet for Friends to use. If you enjoy sharing with children and have hobbies and other interests that our Meeting’s young people would enjoy, please consider signing up for a timeslot between 10:20-11:00 AM (during worship) until after Labor Day.
 
Booksale Committee: The committee expressed its’ appreciation to the many Friends and area residents who are not meeting members yet work year after year on the Booksale to help make our annual fundraiser so successful. In addition to the hectic weeks leading up to the sale and the day itself, the work of sorting and pricing happens weekly throughout the year, and these Friends are especially thanked as well.
 

 
This was our first Booksale following Jean Kennison’s death last August. The reminders of Jean’s imprint on everything connected to the Booksale were everywhere, from hand scribbled notes, old price marks, to Jean’s methodology of sorting. Many Friends held the joyful memory of Jean in their hearts throughout the year as they sorted and priced, sensing that Jean would have been pleased that the Booksale would go on.
 
Drew Lizak, who has skillfully and faithfully coordinated the overall Booksale for several years, kept sorting but took a deserved break and passed the coordinating chores over to Mark Bauer. Mark’s gentle, clear and inclusive style of leadership has been appreciated by many Friends especially as we continue in the midst of a year of loss and transitions as a Meeting community. During one of the many book sorting nights in late June, one faithful sorter said, “Where’s the education section? It used to be over here?” “Well it may have changed,” replied another worker. “Funny how life does that,” speaking more to the table and books in front of him than to anyone else in particular.
 
Stewart Kirkaldy, who has been the cornerstone and principal architect of the Booksale since it began more than thirty years ago, has “passed the torch,” as he calls it, to Mark by handing over the traditional whistle that Stewart used for many years to signal the start of the sale. Stewart’s idea was to have a photo op of the passing of the whistle. Mark was more comfortable, it seems, to accept the whistle graciously and without fanfare and go about his way. Stewart will always remain the grandmaster of the Booksale. As he and Frankie prepare to relocate to Vermont, Stewart will remain on the Booksale Committee, as Emeritus for life, with love and appreciation. Two weeks after this year’s Booksale, both Mark and Stewart were seen sorting books in the shed for yet another year. The blessings continue.

Ben, Jeremy, Amy and Genevieve pause to ham it up at this year’s sale!

 
Sandwich Quarterly Meeting met at Allen’s Neck Friends Meeting on Saturday, July 23rd. Stewart Kirkaldy was the featured speaker and called his talk “A Quaker Reflection.” Deana Chase is preparing typed copies of Stewart’s talk and will have them available soon. Marcia Cornell Glynn and Beverly Glennon were appointed as Sandwich Quarterly Meeting’s representatives to the Beacon Hill Friends Home.  Quarterly meeting also received the sad news that Katherine Stern, formally of North Dartmouth Monthly Meeting had died. Friends hope to have Jan Wood as their invited speaker at the next Quarterly Meeting, to be held at Yarmouth Meeting on October 22nd.
 
 
 
 

 

Please send items for Newsletter to Kevin Lee. kevin@jymretreats.org. 508-994-1638

Posted by Greg Stone at August 29, 2005 12:55 PM