ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING of the Religious Society of Friends N N E E W W S S L L E E T T T T E E R R OCTOBER 2019 TENTH MONTH 520 Meetinghouse Road • Jenkintown • Pennsylvania • 19046 Continued on page 2 Abington Monthly Meeting www.abingtonmeeting.org Abington Quarterly Meeting www.abingtonquarter.org Philadelphia Yearly Meeting www.pym.org Clerk of Meeting : George Schaefer, [email protected]Meeting Administrator: Loretta Fox, [email protected]Meeting Secretary: Cathy Callan, [email protected] (Office Hours: Mon-Wed 10-2, Th 10-1) Meeting Caretaker: Dave Wermeling 215-534-7011 Deadline for November NEWSLETTER is October 14 th . Please give information to Loretta Fox. Contributions may be sent to: Abington Monthly Meeting, c/o Assistant Treasurer Amelia Diamond, 520 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046 OCTOBER MEETING ACTIVITIES WEDNESDAY 2 ND 7:00 p.m. Women’s Meeting for Worship, Meetinghouse SUNDAY 6 TH 9:00 a.m. Quarterly Meeting at Upper Dublin Monthly Meeting –ALL WELCOME! See page 6 (There will be NO Children’s First Day School and NO Adult Class at Abington Meeting today. Please attend Quarterly Meeting.) 9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break—Host(s) needed! Sign up on bulletin board. 11:15 a.m. Worship & Ministry Committee Meeting, Short Stable 11:15 a.m. Care of Members Committee Meeting, Library 7:00 p.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable SUNDAY 13 TH 9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Meetinghouse 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. Sandwich Making, Short Stable 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, hosted by our Hospitality Committee 11:00 a.m. Equal Exchange Sale (coffee, tea, chocolate), John Barnes Room 11:15 a.m. Children’s First Day School, classrooms
Transcript
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING of the Religious Society of Friends
Contributions may be sent to: Abington Monthly Meeting, c/o Assistant Treasurer Amelia Diamond,
520 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046
OCTOBER MEETING ACTIVITIES
WEDNESDAY 2ND
7:00 p.m. Women’s Meeting for Worship, Meetinghouse SUNDAY 6
TH
9:00 a.m. Quarterly Meeting at Upper Dublin Monthly Meeting –ALL WELCOME! See page 6 (There will be NO Children’s First Day School and NO Adult Class at Abington Meeting today. Please attend Quarterly Meeting.)
9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break—Host(s) needed! Sign up on bulletin board. 11:15 a.m. Worship & Ministry Committee Meeting, Short Stable 11:15 a.m. Care of Members Committee Meeting, Library 7:00 p.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable
SUNDAY 13TH
9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Meetinghouse 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. Sandwich Making, Short Stable 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, hosted by our Hospitality Committee
11:00 a.m. Equal Exchange Sale (coffee, tea, chocolate), John Barnes Room 11:15 a.m. Children’s First Day School, classrooms
11:30 a.m. MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP TO ATTEND TO BUSINESS—Reports: Funeral, Worship & Ministry, Audit part 3
7:00 p.m. Sundays at Seven, Short Stable (see page 6) SUNDAY 20
TH
9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Meetinghouse 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break, Care of Members welcomes new members Maia & Ken Tapp
11:15 a.m. Adult Class, Topic: Adult Education Committee Query, John Barnes Room 11:15 a.m. Children’s First Day School, classrooms 7:00 p.m. Sundays at Seven, Short Stable (see page 6) SUNDAY 27
TH
9:00 a.m. Friendly Bible Study, Short Stable 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing, John Barnes Room 10:00 a.m. MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Meetinghouse 10:15 a.m. Children age 5-12 leave Worship for Gathering in Short Stable (see page 3) 11:00 a.m. UNICEF Bake Sale, John Barnes Room (Host needed to set up coffee)
11:15 a.m. Adult Class, Topic: Accessibility & Safety, John Barnes Room 11:15 a.m. Children’s First Day School, classrooms 7:00 p.m. Sundays at Seven, Short Stable (see page 6)
PLEASE HOLD IN THE LIGHT
All in our Meeting community whose struggles may not be known to us
We thank these Friends for providing flowers for our Worship:
October 6th Persey Drelich October 13th Persey Drelich October 20th Michele Clausz October 27th Michele Clausz
We thank these Friends for serving as Greeters prior to our Worship:
October 6th Two greeters needed! October 13th Michael Sperger, one more greeter needed! October 20th Two greeters needed! October 27th Two greeters needed!
Meeting for Worship with Abington Friends School, when in session:
Lower School Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. Middle School Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Upper School Wednesdays, 11:10 a.m.
Please Keep Us Informed…
If you have a concern about one of our members or attenders, please let anyone on the Care of Members Committee know, or contact Bette Conover, clerk.
OCTOBER 2019 ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING PAGE 3
Children's Gathering during Worship
This gathering is for children between the ages of 5 and 12, who are too old for the nursery upstairs, but who are not yet ready to sit through the whole MFW. At about 15 minutes into MFW, the adults who are supervising that day will rise and escort the children over to the short stable. They will play in the short stables or the playground or go for a walk for about a half hour and then will come back into Meeting for Worship at 10:45, in time for Joys and Concerns. If you would like your child to join us, just let them know about the Gathering, and have them join us when we announce it's time to go. If you have any questions, concerns or something you'd like us to know about your child, you can reach me at the email or phone number below (call or text).
If you are someone who likes kids and would be willing to spend 30 minutes with this group once every couple of months, we need you! This will not be a structured time, although you can plan a fun activity if you like. We will provide drawing and craft material and some games for the children to use. If the weather is nice, you can take them over to the playground or even on a walk around the grounds. There will always be at least two adults present, and you will need to complete a child abuse clearance beforehand (bonus points if you have one already). If you are ready to volunteer, please send your email and phone number to Carol Wolf, either via email or text.
Our Hospitality Committee invites all Friends to consider signing up to
Host a Coffee Hour
Perhaps you’d like to host a coffee in honor of or in memory of someone or to commemorate a special occasion. It’s a great way to share your cooking and baking talents or your savvy shopping abilities, whichever the case may be, and the fare can be quite simple. Coffee hours present a perfect time for members, attenders and visitors to share nourishment and conversation. While committees and individuals are certainly welcome to sign up for any week, we especially encourage anyone who is currently unaffiliated with any committee to sign up. If a few people sign up for one week, the burden is lifted for all. Enlist some Friends to help or sign up and see who signs up with you. A coffee hour schedule is posted on the Bulletin Board by the Meeting House door. Please take a look, and sign up for one!
Enrichment Assistance
Funds are available to assist members with the enrichment of their spiritual growth including taking a course at Pendle Hill or attending annual sessions. If interested in applying for assistance, please contact Bet Conover, clerk of Care of Members, via email. Please include the details of the course including full cost and be sure to contact Bet at least three weeks prior to the scheduled start date.
Be sure to reserve Meeting space in advance!
Please call Cathy in the Meeting Office at 215-884-2865 or email [email protected]
Spiritual Formation Collaborative Retreat All Welcome!
Join Abington Meeting’s Wanda Wyffels and John Brady, as well as the rest of the PYM Spiritual Formation Collaborative, for a weekend residential retreat October 11-13 at Kenbrook Retreat Center in Amish Country for refreshment, deepening, networking, and fun. Our theme this year is Seeking Connection to Self, Spirit, and Spiritual Companionship. For more details, pick up a flyer and schedule on the vestibule table, or visit PYM.org/calendar/. Financial assistance to attend is available if needed. Any questions? Ask Wanda or John. (More information is also available on page 7)
Hymn Singing
Hymn Singing at Abington Monthly Meeting will take place on First Days (Sundays) in the John Barnes Room at 9:30 a.m. Hymn Singing will end promptly at 9:50 a.m. to create 10 minutes of quiet prior to the start of Meeting for Worship. Thanks to Justin Solonynka for offering to lead this music!
Abington Meeting Flea Market, October 12
On Saturday, October 12, our Peace & Social Concerns Committee will host a Flea Market from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the meetinghouse Grove (in the event of rain, it will be in the John Barnes room). This is a fundraising event to benefit Annunciation House in El Paso and the John B Kelly School Library. Donations will be accepted only on Sundays. Donations may be dropped off in the John Barnes Room. No outside vendors will be permitted. Please mark your calendar now, and come browse and shop on October 12 to support the important work of these organizations! Donations needed are:
Musical Instruments, Jewelry, Books in Good Condition, Kitchen Items, Tools, Decorative Items, Garden items, – Ornaments, Garden Tools, Planters, Antiques – Small Furniture Pieces, Primitives, Games, Linens, (clean, no stains), Purses, Hats, Scarves, Gloves, Old Lighters, All Holiday Items, CDs, Cameras, Opera Glasses, Binoculars, Telescopes, Artwork, Clocks (working), Furniture – SMALL PIECES ONLY (in good condition), Cookbooks (old), Vintage Toys, NO CLOTHING
Questions? Contact Florence Degler or Phyllis Stickney.
Donations Gratefully Accepted!
Your financial support of our Meeting is greatly needed and deeply appreciated. Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Our donation box is on the wall in the foyer, or you may leave donations in the black mailbox at the curb near the Meeting office. Please make checks payable to Abington Monthly Meeting. We also gratefully accept donations via credit card or automatic deduction, and a Donate Now link is included in our weekly announcements. Information about specific ways to donate can be found on our website http://www.abingtonmeeting.org/how-to-donate/
The discovery made by early Friends, that there is an Inward Light that can guide us into ways of living that are sincere to the Spirit of Christ became the bedrock of Quaker religious experience. So, it is with us today. When we center ourselves in silent worship, sinking down to the source of being, what arises is a felt-sense of presence and well-being: A Spirit that we trust to lead us to the good.
To open to this feeling is to grow. As a seed in the ground which through patient nurturing will sprout and take form, the leadings of Spirit when attended to appear in our lives as an abundance of gifts. And, like a seed, our growth in the Light makes known the mystery of transformation and change as we evolve from one state into others yet unknown.
For this reason, early Friends often spoke of living in the new creation. Not a mystical otherworldly place but a world-affirming reality pregnant with potential. It is this unitive attitude to God and the world that informs the Quaker approach to the existential context of our lives: we can return again and again to the stirrings of the Light to discover new ways to live with integrity and hope.
As a community, we have spent the past three years discerning the Spirit of the meeting regarding the form the renovation of our facilities should take to become a more welcoming place for all Friends, especially for those differently abled. With the guidance of Spirit, the meeting has approved a proposed renovation project after much careful and patient listening to the concerns of all.
Now, it is time to find the resources and the funding to begin to make this plan a reality. To begin this process, the meeting approved spending funds to acquire engineering reports in preparation for undertaking the project. In September a group composed of members of the Accessibility & Safety (A&S), Property, and the Development Committees met to develop an approach to fund raising for the project keeping in mind its full scope and vision.
At the end of this month, First Day 10/27 and then on 11/3 we will gather in Adult Class to consider a series of queries from A&S and the Development Committees regarding our ability and commitment to realizing our vision of accessible and welcoming facilities at AFM. This work will take the theme of “Building Our Welcoming Community” and include a proposal for raising the funds need to finance the accessibility and systems upgrades needed at AFM.
Embracing this work will certainly activate our potential for growth as a community. It will involve living into our testimonies of equality and integrity, simplicity and stewardship in ways that are new and exciting. Like living in the new creation, it will open us to other ways of seeing, of understanding our lives together as more inclusive and open to a larger vision of who we are as Friends.
Please plan to join us.
Peace with you, George Schaefer, clerk
The Time Has Come
If you haven’t read White Fragility yet, it’s time to start reading. Kenan Sayers and Wanda Wyffels will be holding an Adult Class on January 5 to open our meeting’s discussion of racism.
OCTOBER 2019 ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING PAGE 6
Sundays at Seven
What is it? An informal class/discussion group addressing Quaker topics
Who is invited to join? Those who wish to learn more about Quakerism including:
People new to Abington Meeting and Abington Friends School Attenders and members who wish to re-examine their spiritual life
Time and Dates: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM October 13 through November 24, 2019
Need more information? Kathy Singer, 215-490-2595, [email protected]
Fall 2019 Schedule:
October 13—Continuing Revelation and the Light Within
October 20—About Meeting for Worship
October 27—About Meeting for Worship to Attend to Business
November 3—What Are Testimonies? and the Integrity Testimony
November 10—The Peace Testimony
November 17—The Simplicity Testimony
November 24—Membership ____________________________________________________________________________
Abington Quarterly Meeting Tenth Month, October 6st
Our next Quarterly meeting for business will take place at Upper Dublin Monthly Meeting, 1506 Fort Washington Ave., Maple Glen, PA 19002. We will begin at 9:00 am, join Upper Dublin Friends in meeting for worship at 10:00am, and reconvene our meeting for business at 11:15 am. Hospitality and light lunch is being graciously provided by Upper Dublin Friends. Our proposed agenda includes:
Welcome by our Host Meeting
Annual Reports from: AQ Trustees, Trustees Treasurer, AQ Treasurer & AQ Home & Care committee
A Proposal from Abington Quarter Fund
Our Abington Quarter Website Presence
JFC/MSFC Summer Conferences 2019 Report and Video
An Overview of Mothers in Charge - a women's support agency
Meetings for Business in the Fall are always rich in leadings, activities and prayers for spiritual and societal enhancement. We look forward to an increasing number of participants. Everyone in our Monthly Meeting is welcome to attend Quarterly Meeting.
