Learning from First Day School
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPARKNew York Yearly Meeting The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Volume 48, Number 3 15 Rutherford Place, New York, NY 10003 May 2018 Learning from First Day School Experimenting with Intergenera- tional Worship Caroline Lane Summer Flushing Meeting Sessions The wedding of George Fox and Margaret Fell. Having been involved in initiating From The George Fox LEGO Book, by the children of the First Day school of New Paltz Meeting. For Intergenerational worship at my Information more, see page 4. previous meeting in Britain, I spoke with the First Day School Commit- Inside! tee at Flushing about it. The others Friday morning all-JYM singing worship in the boathouse at Silver Bay, Sharing a First Day Summer Sessions, 2017. were curious to try it. We next went School Blesses Two to the Meeting on Ministry and Worship asking to experiment with it An Invitation to may be able to add more. Maybe Communities three times a year on the fifth Sunday you can dance, sing, or draw it. of the month. Ministry and Worship Summer Sessions Our cup overflows; we shall dwell Ann Kjellberg supported our request and it went in the house of the Lord for many 15th Street Meeting before the Meeting for Business, Lucinda Antrim long days (using Robert Alter’s 23rd who were willing to give it a try. Psalm translation). We have heard from Friends, though Clerk, NYYM In Britain where there was a We will be blessed to have long I can’t confirm it, that 15 Rutherford general movement towards bringing Abbondanza! July days together, Friends. Please Place in lower Manhattan is the only children into the worship service, come to Summer Sessions—for Quaker Meeting where programmed What is our abundance? advisors suggested that we have work, for play, for rest and renewal, and unprogrammed worship takes How do we share it? supplies for quiet creative activi- for worship, and to share our place in the same building. There ties in response to the theme and We decided on the queries that are abundance with each other and the have been times (now thankfully plan each session in a “Sandwich this year’s Summer Sessions theme world. behind us, it seems to me) when Format:” in a committee meeting. We were there has been some tension around about to move to the next item this encounter. But one longstand- • Begin with a brief period of when someone said “abbondanza!” ing source of connection has been settling silence and it took off from there. It was More Inside: our First Day School. When I arrived • A reading or other brief message a time of abundance in Sessions on the 15th Street Religious Educa- to introduce the theme for the Committee. We tried to think of Summer Sessions tion Committee around 2003, our worship (e.g. peace; care for the the word for abundance in all the info pages 7–12 regular First Day School class was earth; etc.) languages we knew. Of course, we probably about half-and-half 15th • Extended period of silence during googled it, and we were delighted Learning from Street and Manhattan Monthly which people may wish to use by the loveliness of the word when First Day School Meeting children (Manhattan being the papers and colored pens to written in Arabic. We wondered how the programmed meeting), and over page 4–5 explore the theme hard it would be to learn to sign it. It the years Manhattan grown-ups, was an abundance of abundance. • A period of time for those who Proposed Field many of whom are, as it happens, Every time you look at your wish to show their work and talk professional educators, participated Week-at-a-Glance at Summer Secretary Position about what it means to them in the planning of First Day School. Sessions you will see this page 3 continued on page 4 continued on page 5 abundance of abundance. You Notices Around Our Yearly Meeting schools. She served on many New Members Quaker committees, often as clerk, Richard Beck—Brooklyn and found clerking skills useful Walter Borkowski— in teaching, in League of Women Manasquan Voter’s work and in prison ministry. Charlotte Hanson —Brooklyn She learned early on to show up, to Michael Hanson—Brooklyn contribute, and to always be think- Irem Konur—Matinecock ing of better ways of doing things. Grace, Marta, Roya & Scott Mary Foster grew up in Rhode Pourshalchi—Matinecock Island in a Quaker family, origi- Clare Redden—Cornwall nally as a member of Nantucket Scarsdale Friends Bowen Alpern, Juli Alpern, and Susan Weisfeld at the Westchester County March Joshua Talbot—Elmira for our Lives on March 24, 2018 Meeting, but worshiping in Provi- Transfers dence. These meetings were part Friends Join with the March For UPCOMING EVENTS of the Wilburite branch of Friends. Ann Schillinger, from South Our Lives She was married to Christopher FGC Gathering Berkshire (NEYM) to Old Some Scarsdale Quakers and f/ Cadbury from 1950 to his passing in University of Toledo, Ohio Chatham. Friends were able to participate in 2010. She has one daughter, Vivian July 1–7, 2018 the Westchester County “March and two grandsons. Deaths Registration for the Gathering is for Our Lives” held Saturday after- Meeting for worship begins Harry S. Hoffman, Jr., now open. Go to fgcquaker.org/ noon, March 24, 2018, as part of at 10 a.m. At the rise of meeting member of Bulls Head-Os- connect/gathering for all program the national event. On the plaza Friends will share a meal and then wego, on December 26, 2017. information. The Gathering is at the edge of the rally, the League return to worship during which Julia Lyman, member of a great place for families with of Women Voters registered new Mary will share with us for about Purchase, on March 18, 2018. children and teens. Each age group voters. The young people were 30 minutes and then allow for a Stewart Manville, member of finds opportunities for spiritual passionate and inspiring. Everyone period of Questions and Answers Purchase on March 16, 2018. growth and community AND there left feeling that this time there will for another 30 minutes or so. All is plenty of family time as well! May be change! —Susan Weisfeld New York Yearly Meeting Friends 31st is the deadline for children and members of the community are NEWS Stevens Fund Applications Open and youth (birth–8th grade) to The Stevens Fund is a small fund encouraged to join us to learn from Friends Attend Conference on register. For more about the Junior held by NYYM Trustees in order to an accomplished and well-seasoned World Mission and Evangelism Gathering visit www.fgcquaker.org/ assist retired or disabled Friends Friend. Mary asks that Friends bring Four Friends, pictured below, repre- connect/gathering/programs-and- who are in need; often, but not questions in advance to make the sented Friends United Meeting at events/children-and-teens exclusively, pastors and ministers. gathering as interactive as possible. the Conference on World Mission Continuing Revolution: Building The next list of distributions will be For more information contact: and Evangelism, held March 8–13 Intentional Lives decided by the Ministry and Pastoral Fred Doneit, 845-297-5046, in Arusha, Tanzania: Eden Grace, A six-day intensive conference for Care committee at Summer Sessions, [email protected]; or Don Director of Global Ministries at young adults July 22–28. Those who would like to Badgley, 914-388-0382, don51249@ FUM; Emily Provance from New June 1–6, 2018, at Pendle Hill apply please request an application aol.com; or Solange Muller, 845-803- York Yearly Meeting, whose ministry How can we make sure that our from David Herendeen, 3007, [email protected] helps meetings in North America lives and our actions align with [email protected], 518-836- Quaker Study Tour of Bolivia identify and dismantle barriers those values we care about most 7209 or Anita Paul, anitalouisepaul@ July 26–August 1, 2018 to outreach; Dorcas Otieno from deeply? This year’s young adult gmail.com, 518-374-2166. Applica- We’ll explore Bolivia’s history Chavakali Yearly Meeting, whose conference will look specifically at tions due July 1. and culture from the pre-Inca ministry as a church planter in four areas that impact us as young traditions to the emergence of Tanzania has borne fruit in seven Opening for Clerk (or Co-clerk) adults: work, love and relationships, the Plurinational State of Bolivia. new churches in the Mwanza of NYYM Witness Coordinating justice, and spiritual practice. For We’ll visit those who have dramat- region; and John Moru Losike from Committee more visit pendlehill.org/learn/ ically improved their lives with Turkana Friends Mission, whose Term begins July 29, 2018. continuing-revolution/ Witness Coordinating Committee the educational support of trip ministry of leadership has helped Mary Foster Cadbury: A Quaker Life supports and oversees New York sponsor Bolivian Quaker Education Turkana Friends to plant numerous On June 24, 2018, at Poughkeepsie Yearly Meeting’s witness to the Fund (BQEF) and the development churches and also to reach out to Meeting (249 Hooker Ave. Pough- world both financially and spiritu- projects of Quaker Bolivia Link refugees from around Africa. keepsie, NY), Mary Foster Cadbury ally. The energy for the concerns of (QBL). We’ll learn about the cultural will gather in worship with Friends the various committees revolution taking place and make to share her thoughts, memories, is strong, and there are warm personal connections with experiences and reflections on her resources to support local Friends. For more information, life as a Friend among Friends.