Falmouth Quarterly Meeting, 27 April 2025, Portland Friends Meeting

Present: Brunswick: Marian Dalton, Christine Holden on zoom; Durham: Leslie Manning on zoom, Sara Sprogell, Dorothy Curtis; Portland: Fritz Weiss (co-clerk), Ann Dodd-Collins (recorder), Andy Grannell; Windham: is having Meeting for Business at this time; Visitor: Kathleen Wooten, Lawrence Meeting.

Opening worship and land acknowledgement, Fritz Weiss

We began our meeting at approximately 1:30 pm.

Fritz noted that several people from Falmouth Quarter are participating in the Journey of Peace and Friendship.  He spoke about the walk on Saturday, a cold and rainy day, and the 15-18 people who made the seven mile walk, including seven from Brunswick, Durham, and Portland.   The prayer service and feast on Saturday was a time of fellowship, communion, and trust.  There was a wonderful sense of community, gathering in a way that is not typical for the quarterly meeting.

Land acknowledgement.

If the land acknowledgement becomes performative it loses its significance.

The land we are on is stolen.  Trauma was done to the people and to the land and to the communities, some who are gone forever.  That trauma continues to echo and resonate.  Acknowledging that is important, but what’s really important is that this is just a small step towards committing to healing what can be healed, repair what can be repaired and being in healthier relationship with our neighbors, the land and ourselves.

State of Society reports

1. Brunswick, read by Marian Dalton.  Attached.

Brunswick could use some help in finding a new space. 

Marian needs support in letting go; she has been clerk for 10 years.  The new clerk is not going to be one who has the history so it’s going to be different.

Brunswick is doing well; they are looking forward to having an alumni potluck that specifically invites people who still live in the area but no longer come to meeting.

2. Durham, read by Sarah Sprogell.  Attached.

There was concern expressed that the work of one member was not mentioned, which led to a short discussion about people who have a ministry but don’t see it as such.

There was also concern expressed about pushback on the Social Justice Book Project.   Planners are aware of the concern and are getting positive support from the school that is the pilot.

3. Portland, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached.

One member said we are in a very different and new and unexpected place.  We went through a very difficult time and some people are still hurt, but it’s a blessed time for PFM. 

4. Windham, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached.

Windham values the relationship with Falmouth Quarter.  We are holding them in the Light. Windham values visitors.  We wondered about ways we could strengthen the relationship and could know each other better.

5. Southern Maine, no report.

They are a very small, much older, semi- dormant meeting.  Our co-clerks do communicate with Louise.

Ministry reports

1. Leslie Manning.  Leslie read her report.  Attached.

We are holding Leslie in the Light.  She feels distinctly different calls to be a chaplain vs pastoral ministry and sees this as new territory. Leslie also asked that we hold transgender women and men and their allies in the Light.  Leslie’s role as meeting care coordinator has led her to recognize different pastoral care needs.

2. Craig Freshley, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached

Craig does not call his work as a ministry but as his work, both professional and volunteer.  He had a care committee when he wrote his book, but does not have one now. He does feel supported by his meeting.  Durham has continued to test Craig’s sense of calling.

3. Martha Sheldon, no report.

Martha is going to Palestine with Max and Jane Carter this summer.  Some of her most important work currently is with her family.

4. Elizabeth Szatkowski, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached.

One member commented that the quarter’s denominational endorsement of Elizabeth’s work has borne powerful fruit.

5. Jay O’Hara, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached.

We appreciate Jay’s honesty about how challenging it is to not know and to speak about it.

6. Sally Farneth, read by Fritz Weiss.  Attached.

Sally spends several hours a day online and is fully dedicated to this work.

7. Maggie Fiori, no report.

Maggie is one of three friends with a travel minute to visit Meetings in Maine.  She has a  clear passion for bringing the sense of community she’s found in Young Friends into the larger community. She has a support committee and is being faithful.

8. Heather Denkmire, no report.

Heather’s ministry is about talking to white people about white supremacy.  She is facilitating two small groups focusing on the embodied experience of exploring whiteness and privilege.  She has a care committee.

Kathleen Wooten, visiting Friend

Kathleen brought a travel minute which our co-clerk endorsed.   She is a member of Lawrence Meeting in Salem Quarter.  Salem Quarter has not met for 4 years and Kathleen misses the ability to gather and ask “Who are we and what can we do together that we cannot do alone?”  She asked for prayers for the Quarter.

Kathleen recently learned about Emily Provance’s book, Spiritual Gifts, the Beloved Community, and Covenant, and is feeling a nudge to offer a book group with Vassalboro and Falmouth.  We encouraged her to consider offering that book group in person for the quarter at Windham meeting and she agreed to explore this possibility.

Quote of the day: “Being faithful can be messy.” 

Concrete ways we are working across meeting boundaries

We noted that in the SoS reports and ministry reports we heard of a number of ways in which we are working together as a quarter beyond the scheduled quarterly meetings. These include:

1.  A Meeting for Healing, held bimonthly on zoom by Durham and Portland.
2.  The Cuba Sister Meeting relationship, a shared partnership of Durham and Portland
3.  The Pink Haven initiative in which both Brunswick and Portland are involved.
4.  The Iliad, presented at Windham Correctional Facility and Friends School of Portland, sponsored by Falmouth Quarter

Challenges

The clerk mentioned two specific concerns before the quarter.

1. The High Street worship group in Belfast crosses boundaries.  It is connected to Portland because it was founded by Portland members and the care committee supporting one of the founders is in Portland, and it is geographically  in Vassalboro Quarter but does not have a relationship with that Quarter. 
2. Falmouth Quarter needs to name the next representative to the Maine Council of Churches.  The quarter coordinating team will name a small group to find a new representative.

Andy Grannell

Andy has been researching Quakers mentioned in Portland newspapers from 1775 on.  Did Quakers get into the papers?  Yes.  At least 10 have made a world of difference.  He wants to tell their stories, “Maine Quakers in the News from the Revolution to the Present”.  The world needs their message and stories will stick; facts don’t.  Andy is close to the end of the research process and hopes to tell both new stories and old stories in a new way.

Announcements

1. Mimi Marstaller has joined Fritz Weiss and Wendy Schlotterbeck on the quarter coordinating group.
2. There is an intention to convene a zoom meeting before May 10 to address two last minute items which have been forwarded to the quarter:  (this has been scheduled for May 6th at 7PM)
3. A letter from NE Kingdom Monthly Meeting
4. A request from Permanent Board with a 5/10 deadlineClosing worship

We ended our rich, spirit-filled meeting at approximately 4:15 pm.

Attachments are HERE