Westport Friends Meeting

April 2006 Newsletter

If you believe that exposing your children to violence is a problem, by all means keep them away from the Bible.
- Rev. Charles Henderson

We do not read the Bible the way it is; we read it the way we are.
- Evelyn Uyemura

Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.
- Mark Twain

• 2 Ministry and Counsel Committee, 11:45


• Property Committee, 11:45


• 7-9 JHYM/JYM 6th Grade Retreat at Westport


• 8 NEYM Committee Day at Monadnock Meeting


• 18 Market Ministries


• 21-23 Young Friends Retreat at Mt. Toby


• 22 Sandwich Quarterly Meeting at New Bedford


• 23 Monthly Meeting for Business 11:45


• (Meets the 4th Sunday this month due to Easter)


• 30 Peace and Social Concerns Committee, 11:45


• Religious Education Committee, 11:45

• 2 Aimee Belanger


• 2 Lee MacGregor


• 7 Bill Nixdorf


• 16 Tristan Athearn-Hess


• 28 Tucker Manley

The March business meeting considered and approved the following items:

Deana Chase, Barbara Wicks and Steve Correia were named to the Friends In Residence Search Committee. The written agreement offered to the final candidates will be basically the same as the existing Friends In Residence Agreement. Additional language will be added that calls for the Friends In Residence to meet regularly with applicable committees within the Meeting. Advertisement of the position will be by word of mouth and classified ads in Quaker publications.

Ministry and Counsel: Steven Correia, Clerk, reported that an open session of worship sharing was held on March 5th to consider our Meeting’s state of society over the past year. The Committee presented its draft to business meeting for approval. Following discussion and revision, Friends approved. Please see copy attached to this Newsletter.

Ministry and Counsel asks if anyone has a leading to conduct an oral history of Meeting members. Please speak with Steve if you are interested.

Finance Committee: Greg Marsello, Clerk, reported that the Committee is reviewing how the College Fund is administered and will report back to business meeting later in the year.

Property Committee: Reported by Barbara Wicks: Friends are reminded that the “Renew Supplies List” that is posted on the refrigerator in the Community House is working well. If Friends notice that we need to reorder kitchen supplies, etc, add it to the list!

Property Committee expressed its appreciation to the young people in Meeting who have helped move the sorted and priced books into storage.

The Residence (parsonage) ad hoc committee continues to meet regarding the future use of the dwelling. The residence, which was built in 1910, was recently appraised at $275,000. No action by monthly meeting was taken at this time.

Property Committee announced that plans to purchase an equipment shed will be postponed for now so that funds can be used for other building projects needing attention.

The Committee To End Committees met on Second Day, Third Month. However, conscience was not achieved on the business before them so they will meet again next month.

Book Fair Committee: Reported by Deana Chase: Even though book sorting continues regularly, presently books are arriving faster than they can be sorted and priced. Storage space also remains an issue. The Committee will work with Property to see if additional storage space can be found in the Community House. Friends are encouraged to speak with Deana and/or Mark Bauer to see where help is need.

Religious Ed Committee: Betty Ann Lee, clerk, submitted a written report of the following: The Committee approved that Sara Mercer-Medeiros met the qualifications of the Infant and Toddler Teacher position. Final details are being worked out and will be reported to monthly meeting next month. Welcome Sara!

The Committee requested that Alice Mercer-Medeiros and Sara Mercer-Medeiros be added to the Religious Education Committee. Friends approved.

Note from our Acting Recording Clerk, Steven Correia: Committee clerks are encouraged, whenever possible, to also provide a written report of their committee’s business. This helps increase accuracy and makes the Recording Clerk’s job easier.

Westport Meeting High School Group: The next Wednesday night meeting of Westport Meeting's Middle School-High School Youth Group is scheduled for April 19th from 6-9pm. Gretchen asks that teens contact her by April 8th if they are able and interested in coming together on this evening. Gretchen Baker-Smith (508) 997-0940 or gretchen@jymretreats.org.

Upcoming opportunities to witness for peace and justice:

March for Peace, Justice and Democracy
Saturday, April 29, 2006, New York City

For more information go to http://www.april29.org/ or 212-868-5545. (Editor’s note: This event is listed on the AFSC/SENE’s Web site, though Friends organizations are not listed among its many and well known sponsors.)

Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living
A Witness to End the War in Iraq
May 11-14, 2006

To be held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
and across the United States. On Mother’s Day weekend. you are invited to join members and supporters of the American Friends Service Committee,

Gold Star Families for Peace, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and Veterans for Peace, who will gather for four days of witness in Washington, D.C. (and in sites around the country) to call for an end to the Iraq War. We will mourn for the thousands who have been lost and call for an end to the war that continues to take Iraqi, U.S. and other lives.

On Sunday, May 14, as part of the AFSC’s presentation of the “Eyes Wide Open” Exhibition in Washington DC, there will be a meeting for worship held on the National Mall from 10-11 AM For more information contact
Chris Pifer, AFSC Washington Office at 410-323-7200. Email: eyesvol@afsc.org. For downloads and additional info go to www.afsc.org.

Though we agree with our fellow Christians in this high esteem for the Scriptures, from the earliest days the Society of Friends has regarded them as the record of revelation rather than the revelation itself, and has insisted that the Scriptures be not substituted for the Spirit which gave them forth or for Christ or for the Inner Light to which they testify. They are not the primary rule for faith and conduct, though genuine experience and sound moral conviction are to be confirmed by them.

- NEYM Faith and Practice, 1930, p. 16

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

Posted by Greg Stone at May 15, 2006 02:07 PM