Quaker Thought and Today
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December 1991 Quaker Thought FRIENDS and Life OURNAL Today MAKING ROOM IN MY INN WORLD GATHERING OF FRIENDS: KENYA REPORT VILLAGE CHRISTMAS Editor-Manager Among Friends Vinton Deming Associate Editor Melissa Kay Elliott Art Director Barbara Benton Finding the spirit Advertising Manager Catherine Frost Circulation and Promotion urely, we think, we'll find inspiration here for this month's column, Nagendran Gulendran something to get the writing started: an essay, perhaps, by a Friend Typesetting Services James Rice and Susan Jordhamo Son "The Meaning of Christmas"; maybe a bit of verse describing a Secretarial Services snowy scene outside the old meetinghouse, a new rendering of the babe in Edward Sargent Bookkeeper the manger story, some holiday message of peace. James Neveil Our search begins in a bound, dusty volume of the first issues of The Volunteers Jane Burgess, Carol Eresian, Anders Hansen, Friend-not the current publication of the same name of London Yearly Emily Conlon Meeting, but the Quaker weekly published in Philadelphia beginning Board of Managers 1989-1992: Jennie Allen (Secretary), Richard Seventh Day, Tenth Month, 13, 1827. It resides on a shelf outside our office Eldridge (Assistant Clerk), Bernard Haviland, near the bound volumes of FRIENDS JOURNAL and issues of our other Eric Larsen, Marcia Mason, Janet Norton, David Samuel, Carolyn Sprogell, Wilmer predecessor, Friends' Intelligencer. Tjossem, Alice Wiser But nothing seasonal catches our eye. In the Seventh Day, Twelfth 1990-1993: Clement Alexandre, Marguerite Clark, Leonard Kenworthy, Lee Neff, Mary Month, 22, 1827, issue, for instance, the best we can find is an article Ellen Singsen 1991- 1994: Frank Bjornsgaard, Emily Conlon, criticizing ''the peculiar tenets of Elias Hicks.'' Another contribution cites Nancy Cocks Culleton, Dian Fatula, Sam Legg "examples of disregard for the rules of good writing," and there's an (Clerk), Parry Jones, Richard Moses (Treasurer), Harry Scott, Larry Spears accounting of the number of boat shipments of coal from Mauch Chunk to Honorary Managers Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River (30,305 tons, actually). Eleanor Stabler Clarke, Mildred Binns Young A volume of the Intelligencer doesn't get our Christmas writing juices FRIENDS JoURNAL (ISSN 0016-1322) was established in 1955 as the successor to The flowing either. Consider, if you will, this fare from Twelfth Month 21, Friend (1827- 1955) and Friends lntelligencer (1844- 1955). It is associated with the Religious 1861: the lead article is an "Account of the Last.Journey of John Society of Friends, and is a member of the Pemberton to the Highlands of Scotland" (continued from the previous Associated Church Press. issue); then a piece from Scientific American by Dr. Stephens, "The 0 FRIENDS JOURNAL is published monthly by Friends Publishing Corporation, 1501 Cherry St., Geological History of North America (Third Lecture)"; finally, under a Philadelphia, PA 19 102-1497. Telephone (215) heading "Philadelphia Markets," a notation that "there has been a decided 241-7277. Accepted as second-class postage at Philadelphia, Pa. and additional mailing offices. advance in the price of cattle over last quotation," and, "At H.G. • Subscriptions: one year $18, two years $34. Imhoff's Union Hog Yard, 6356 head of hogs were quoted as having Add $6 per year for postage to countries outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Individual copies been sold at from $4.50 to $5 per cwt., net." $2 each. Clearly, Philadelphia Friends of the mid-1800s had nothing to say about • Information on and assistance with advertising is available on request. Appearance Christmas-at least not in their leading publications. of any advertisement does not imply endorsement by FRIENDS JOURNAL. So we leap forward 99 years Gust one shelf to the left) and find • Postmaster: send address changes to Christmas easily within reach (FJ 12/15/60): a Fritz Eichenberg engraving FRIE NDS JOURNAL, 1501 Cherry St., fills a full page; Christmas poetry appears throughout; William Hubben's Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497 • Copyright © 1991 by Friends Publishing editorial (we'd love to know what inspired him!) creates a mood for what Corporation. Reprints of articles available at follows. Then comes the main course: a wonderful article by Grace Yaukey, nominal cost. Permission should be received before reprinting excerpts longer than 200 a Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friend. words. Available in microfilm from University Microfilms International. Grace Yaukey suggests that "the night is deep again and endless . ", yet, if we look carefully, the Star of Bethlehem is "still in its place." PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER "Stand close," she says, "stand close, Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. Keep pointing so that we shall never lose it again, never forget this day as the symbol of love and hope, never let mind take over soul." Moving? May such spirit be with us all at this season. Let us update your subscription and address. Write or call: FRIENDS JouRNAL, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497 (215) 241-7277; Fax (215) 568-1377 2 December 1991 FRIENDS JoURNAL December 1991 FRIENDS Volume 37, No. 12 JOURNAL Features Departments 7 Fifth World Conference of Friends 2 Among Friends Melissa K. Elliott, Joram M. Amadi, Joram A. Avugo, 4 Forum Herbert Tucker, EdwardS. Nattress, and Peter Hancock Reports from the Kenya Gathering 26 Reports 15 Making Room In My Inn 30 QUNO Notes Helen Weaver Horn 31 Parents' Corner The Holy Family finds a place to stay. 32 Bulletin Board 17 Village Christmas Calendar Natalie Pierce Kent Through the eyes of WWII refugee children, Christmas 34 Books wishes take on a different cast. 38 Resources 20 Worship After the Manner of 39 Milestones Friends 40 Classified Jay C. Rochelle The power of the Spirit among early Friends brought a 42 Meetings freedom for ministry, not a freedom from it. 22 A Sharing of Silence Claire Gerber There are ways of saying nothing and meaning every thing. 23 Starting First-day Schools In Small Meetings Cover: Timothy Cole's wood engraving Michelle O'Kane from Jean Francois Millet's painting, Our important causes should include reaching our own Woman with a Lamp, courtesy of the Free children. Library of Philadelphia. Here's our annual FRIENDS JouRNAL staffportrait. Gathered around Mary Dyer's statue are (back row) Vinton Deming, Catherine Frost, Barbara Benton, Jim Rice, and Susan Jordhamo; and (front row) Melissa Kay Elliott, Nagendran Gulendran, Jim Neveil, and Edward Sargent. 3 Uplifted by the source Thanks for the wonderfully wise " Reflections on Forgiveness" article by Rick Herrick (FJ August). I'm reminded of a banner with the message, "Only your love enables the poor to forgive you the bread you give them." The Lord's Prayer comes to mind with its request for the gift of our daily bread followed by an agreement to find forgiveness by being forgiving. I've reread the article using a highlighter and find its essence in Herrick's statement, "The act of forgiving allows love to flow," but of major significance too is his decision "to A work daily on the problem" with suitable techniques. His desired results came not dramatically but gradually as ~ ---~-- understanding grew and his view response of Friends. The play centers are prophesied Jewish messiah with a new changed. the only place where the children find meaning. But they don't understand why While I agree that a benefit accrues to peace and safety on the West Bank away we today must make a leap beyond us from our being forgiving, I'm from the troubles and upheavals around reason to accept without question what convinced a benefit at least becomes them. may well be a first-century "Christ available to the person forgiven. If the Property maintenance in these difficult legend." reaction is merely that nothing is needed times is an ongoing expense. We've had Those who accept commitment to to be forgiven, then that's just a lost to put hardy mesh wire over all the openness and obedience to God as Jesus chance of being aware of the flow of windows to protect the glass from taught are not, in truth, secular love and acceptance-uplifted by the breakage, which has used up most of the humanists, or eclectic universalists, or source of a mystery commonly known as money donated. And for the safety of worshipers of the occult (convenient ways God. the children we would like to rebuild the to dismiss them), and they seriously Ruth W. Marsh playground wall that tumbled down last regard themselves as Christian, though Houston, Tex. winter. often without the label. Orthodox Perhaps we cannot prevent the world Christians appear to ignore any faith in from being a place in which children the religion of Jesus that does not say the Of the Spirit suffer, but we can reduce the number of right words, insisting that the name of suffering children. The children say, God's spirit to which Jesus referred must The class self-portrait made by second "Don't forget us!" be Christ. But today's message derived graders in Boulder, Colo., on the cover Violet Zarou from Jesus' teachings is powerful and (FJ October) is delightful and inspiring. Ramallah Friends Meeting relevant in today's world, and it needs to There is one bewildering aspect: Why Play Centers Project be witnessed to in word and deed. does the title of the portrait appear as Box 1325 This witness says we rely on nothing written from left to right and the Ramallah, W. Bank, via Israel done " for us" in the past; that Jesus children's names from right to left? Is lives in the scriptural record but that the this one of the Spirit's unanswerable living Spirit among us and within us is questions? We and You, God God's spirit, not the being envisioned by Collin Boyd the early Christians to give hope to their Ashland, Oreg.