Monthly Archives: June 2016

Durham Monthly Meeting Minutes, May 15, 2016

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Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened in worship on Sunday May 15, 2016 with ten people present.

In Sukie Rice”s absence Martha Hinshaw Sheldon agreed to serve as recording clerk for this meeting.  Minutes will be sent out to those present for adjustments and revisions needed.

Clerk Sarah Sprogell began the meeting with readings from Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom by Joseph Goldstein and from NEYM Interim Faith and Practice, 2014.

  1. Minutes from the April Monthly Meeting were approved with corrections.
  2. Ministry & Counsel recommended releasing Doug to take a leave of absence to teach an online class at Pendle Hill for 6 weeks, September 18 to end of October and for 4 weeks in the winter. The Pastoral Care Team will cover pastoral care needs during this time, worship planning to be done in advance. This would be a time for community involvement, nurturing of Doug’s gifts, create a balance of work with the meeting and extend Doug’s ministry outside of the Durham community.  Approved
  3. Pastor’s report given. Doug continues to work with LACO Board.  He joined the newly formed support committee of the Friends Community of New England in Bath.  The midweek meetings continue, recently with the “Experiment with Light” guided meditation and an upcoming DVD about the Penobscot nation’s control of the Penobscot River.  Doug continues to work with Christian Education and Falmouth Quarterly Meeting.    Doug confirmed that June 26 Dorothy Salebwa will speak.  He will attend the next Quarterly Meeting Planning meeting.  Doug’s travels this past month were to Central Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to talk of his latest book, to Indiana to visit his mom and visit with Phyllis Wetherell with the surprise benefit of visiting with Ed & Dorothy Hinshaw. Doug anticipates fewer travels for the next few months.  A suggestion was made and accepted that Doug and Ministry and Counsel write a longer article for the newsletter about Doug’s time at Pendle Hill in the fall. Report accepted.

A concern was shared regarding the potential low attendance at the Brian Drayton workshop on ministry raising the question, will there be enough to still have the event? If you plan to attend let Kristna know.  Kristna will talk to Brian to consider how to proceed.

  1. Kristna Evans will be travelling to Cuba June 15 to 25 for Friends United Meeting General Board meetings. FUM Board meetings are held outside of North America every 3 years.  This year, meetings will be in Cuba.  Kristna has been to Cuba before and speaks Spanish, so she will be an asset.  Velasco Friends Meeting, Cuba, has been a sister meeting with Durham for many years.  This would be an opportunity for Durham friends to send materials, cards and letters to Velasco friends.  Tess will talk to Wendy about the possibility of Durham Friends children and youth sending letters to children and youth at Velasco.  Doug is to write a brief greeting that Ron Turcotte will translate and may be included in a locally produced card.  Kristna will offer a report upon her return.
  2. Tess Hartford gave the youth minister’s report for Wendy.   The annual yard and plant sale is to be May 21 from 9 to 12.  Plans for the June 5 children’s day activities were presented.  Tess is to contact Donna Ross regarding putting details on Facebook.     May we keep Wendy in our thoughts and prayers after the recent death of her mother.  Report accepted as presented.
  3. Treasurer’s Report: Reports are now to be presented quarterly with the next report due in July.  Income tends to be lower than expenses.  All are encouraged to take note and consider how to respond.
  4. Christian Education Report was presented by Tess Hartford. Graduates will be recognized June 5 and given store credit at the Gulf of Maine book store. The youth minister’s annual review was sent out, waiting for returns due May 22 after which a report will be presented to Monthly Meeting. Discussion occurred on how to message to the wider community about what Durham has to offer to youth.  How do we comminicate what is going on?  Other churches have put up banners that say “God is still speaking.”  We could say “We’re still listening”,Or “Listening to God 4 miles that way” at the intersection of 136 and Quaker Rd.  More ideas were shared.  All agreed that this is an important conversation to continue having.  What do we have to offer?  Sarah pointed out that the New England Yearly Meeting  website has an outreach ‘toolbox’ for meetings to use.  The report was accepted with appreciation for the work of CE and for the support Doug gives to the committee clerk.
  5. Trustees report given by Margaret Wentworth. Margaret suggested that a treasurer’s report be posted in the Meetinghouse and reported that the carpet has been taken up in the meeting room.  Discussion followed on next steps and care of the bench cushions.  The cell tower is progressing after receiving approval from the town with some expressing concern that the land not be clear cut for many years.  The Meeting has agreed to this concern.  There will be an open meeting to review and discuss the meeting roof and possible solar panels June 5.
  6. NEYM bound archives are being moved from the Maine Historical society, where conditions have been detrimental, to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, who would become the owners of the materials. Meetings will continue to have full use of the archives.  Approval was given to this transfer of ownership.
  7. The meeting closed at 2:30.

Durham Friends Woman’s Society May 16, 2016

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The Woman’s Society met at the home of Nancy Marstaller with 9 present. Margaret Wentworth led the devotions and program from “Blueprints.” The author spoke of how during a family health crisis she learned to remember God’s presence in her life. She remembered little things that had happened in better times, which prepared her and helped ease the way during the stressful times. Those little things made a huge difference, for which she was grateful.

Dorothy Curtis presided at our business meeting. Next month we will meet at Dot Hinshaw’s in Sumner on June 20 at 5 PM. We signed several cards, including one for Jocelyn Wilkinson- granddaughter of Lon Fendall who is consultant at Friends Theological College in Kenya. The minutes were approved as corrected. Our treasurer, Clarabel Marstaller, reported that the April offering was $104. After donating $20 to the USFWI conference offering, our balance is $527.99. Her report was accepted with gratitude.

We will pray for the pastoral team in Samburu, Kenya, as they help resolve conflicts in the area.

The Tedford meal in May was Sloppy Joes, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, rolls, fruit cobbler, and blondies. Team A will prepare the June meal.

Martha Sheldon agreed to be the point person for the nomination process. Current office holders were queried as to their willingness to continue for the coming year, which starts in September. Others will be asked and the slate finalized in the next month or two. Clarabel does not wish to continue as treasurer. We will do the program schedule at our next couple meetings, and then fill out the booklets as a group.

We ended the meeting by sharing personal prayer requests and joys, and then Dorothy read a nursery rhyme reminding us to give thanks. We enjoyed each other’s company during refreshments.

Nancy Marstaller, secretary pro tem

Calendars, the Meetinghouse, and Trustees

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Because Jo-an Jacobus is the contact person between the Meeting and the 12 Step meeting that calls Durham Meetinghouse home she has become aware of the importance of the Trustees’ calendar that hangs in the entry way.  When events, regular or not, are not entered on that calendar it is as though those events do not exist.  And the whole process actually starts one step earlier than entering your event on the calendar.

If you have an event that is not a regular Durham event – a committee meeting or a scheduled time for worship – but rather a one-time event, or something non-Durham related, you must check with the Trustees for approval for use of the building.  Margaret Wentworth is the clerk of Trustees.  Once that has happened then your event, and the date and time need to be entered into the calendar.  If those things haven’t been done, other events may be happening during the time you expected to be able to use the meetinghouse.

Whether or not your event is regular it needs to be listed on the Trustees’ calendar in the entry way.  This allows Friends to schedule meetings around yours rather than on top of them.

Jo-An Jacobus and Margaret Wentworth

Prayer concerns

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Phyllis Wetherell’s knee surgery May 16 went well and she returned to Friends Fellowship Community in Richmond, Indiana the next day.  She will begin the rehab process there.  Please keep Phyllis in your prayers for a full recovery of strength and renewed mobility.

A Meeting for Those With a Concern for Ministry

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Saturday, June 4, At Durham Friends Meetinghouse, From 10:30 to 1:00

Brian Drayton, from Weare, (NH) Meeting, has a concern to gather Friends from Falmouth and Vassalboro Quarters who are feeling a calling to ministry, to provide an opportunity for worship and fellowship.  If you have a concern for Gospel Ministry, if you sense a calling to being a spiritual nurturer, if you find yourself often called to vocal ministry in worship, or if you hunger for deep Spirit-led fellowship, please come to join us.

We will follow a simple format: after introductions, Brian will share the concern that led to the gathering.  Then we will have a period of worship, followed by conversation.  Friends of all ages are encouraged to attend.

For more information and to RSVP contact Doug Gwyn, pastoral minister, Durham Friends, at doug.gwyn@gmail.com or 207-407-3211.  Bring a bag lunch.

The First Motion

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John Woolman said in his journal on one of the days he spent travelling in earnest pursuit of God’s will for him, that “Love was the first motion,” after which “a concern arose to spend some time with the Indians, that I might feel and understand their life and the spirit they live in, if haply I might receive some instruction from them, or they might be in any degree helped forward by my following the leadings of truth among them.”

I appreciate that Woolman’s words give precedence to the instruction he will gain from the people whose land and culture he visits. I like how humbly he hopes that his presence and witness to truth among them might “in any degree” be helpful to them. Living in Palestine has made me keenly aware of the margin for harm that is possible when outsiders arrive thinking they have the balm that will sooth whatever ails people here (before they have any idea what ails them). It seems if more people were like Woolman, and arrived keen to be instructed by the Palestinians’ remarkable resilience, solidarity and forgiveness, the rest of the world would benefit greatly.

I’ve been wondering about my own return home. I wonder what I will say when prompted to speak about Palestine. When I was in the courtyard with 11th graders the other day I asked them what they would want Americans to hear about them. This is a paraphrase of what they said:

“We express ourselves in the many ways. We dance, and sing, and play music, and write, and act. There is so much more to us than violence, violence is not the only way we respond to the Occupation. We live like the rest of the world, but for us there is a piece missing.”

“That piece that’s missing, it doesn’t overtake our whole lives. Sometimes the media shows it like we’re being bombed and shot every day. We live normal lives, but we do feel that piece missing.”

“And we don’t let it depress us. We don’t get depressed and sad living under occupation, we are still happy and living good lives. We don’t let it prevent us from having a good time and being happy.”

“And we don’t want any harm for the other side. I want to be able to go back to my home town, but I don’t want other people to be harmed in the process. I just want to have my right to my land acknowledged.”

These students had, earlier that day, analysed a passage from a novel by Yashar Kemal, providing their own witness to the truth embedded in literature through discussion and questioning. That is the strongest impression I have of these students: their remarkable ability to collaborate to create meaning around a text.

I wonder what John Woolman meant when he wrote that “Love was the first motion.” In literature, and it seems in life, the first motion is usually accusatory, or defensive, or dishonest. The first motion is often rooted in fear, and I can think of nothing more contradictory to love than fear. Woolman says this right before he felt a concern for the Indians. That makes me think the first motion was God’s motion, not anything coming from Woolman. God makes the first motion, and we are asked to follow through. That first motion is love. When the job at RFS became available, and I felt the tug, it must have been the tug of the motion of God’s love.

I hope to continue making a life of following through on that motion of love, big or small, close to home or far. Love’s motions can be tiny, as when a colleague asks me how a class went or a person in the street returns something I’ve dropped. I believe God gives us opportunities to follow his love’s motion every day, and that it is in following those motions that the world progresses toward greater peace. We can as profoundly change the world by turning toward a neighbor as by crossing an ocean.

Mimi Marstaller, Ramallah Friends School