State of Society

Westerly Monthly Meeting, February 2009

Westerly Friends Meeting held regular worship services during the course of the past year. The quality of vocal ministry was good and seemed an improvement over some previous years. We are grateful to God and to each other for the opportunities we have to grow in our faith because of this community of listening, sensitive people who give each other support and encouragement.

In an effort to listen to and support our young families, we decided that First Day School would not meet every Sunday but rather two Sundays a month. This structure helped families to know when children were expected to be in attendance and facilitated lesson-planning with the result that First Day School became more active than in the past. In other youth-focused work, we contacted older junior members about becoming adult members, and we supported younger Friends with camping experiences at Friends Camp at China Lake.

In efforts to help to build community, a number of book discussion and other groups were organized and held in the meetinghouse and members' homes, including a Spiritual Transformation Program through NEYM that some of our members participated in. Our new website: westerlyfriends.org, came "online" this year, featuring a Google-map locator and Google calendar, as well as the Advices and Queries from NEYM Faith and Practice. We discussed ways to incorporate music ministry in the life of meeting, and appointed a representative to the Sexuality and Spirituality committee of New England Yearly Meeting. At the request of the Faith and Practice Revision Committee of NEYM, we met in November to discuss revisions to Chapter Four of Faith and Practice: "Integration of Faith and Life." Notes were recorded and distributed to the Meeting via email for revision and further consideration.

In the belief that the Quaker way offers a spiritual path that is simple, radical, and contemporary, and with the awareness that our attendance, along with that of other religious organizations, had been declining, we felt led in 2008 to get out the message of what our faith is all about to the larger community of western RI and southeastern CT. We therefore started the training process for Quaker Quest in an effort to both revitalize our meeting and to increase attendance. A member attended a Quaker Quest workshop at NEYM sessions in August to learn about the process, and three members went to Powell House for a Quaker Quest workshop in October. Consensus was reached in the November business meeting to commit to the program.

Jesus' teaching to love our enemies is the foundation of the Peace Testimony.  One example of our actions was to confront wrongdoing and promote peaceful reconciliation through the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) campaign by erecting a banner stating "Torture is Wrong" in front of the meetinghouse. There was much discussion and discernment before displaying the NRCAT banner on two different occasions in the fall. When we learned that one of our neighbors had complained about the banner to a member, we sent a letter inviting him to speak with us about his concerns.  He did not take us up on this invitation. A misunderstanding occurred within our meeting when it appeared that we were taking the banner down in response to the neighbor's displeasure, but the decision had already been made to take the banner down according to national guidelines and was not a result of "caving in." The second time it was displayed, we made it two-sided and turned it sideways so that drivers could read it more easily and the neighbor might be less disturbed. We saw in more ways than one how important clear communication is when taking actions such as this. We also hosted the AFSC-SENE program "War Comes Home" at the meetinghouse in September, and several of us continued to enthusiastically participate in the peace advocacy singing group "Raging Grannies." Several members and attenders campaigned in the Presidential race, and we continued to support the Voluntown Peace Trust as we were able. Some members made regular visits to the farm, and two members served with much devotion on the interim board as the Peace Trust struggled through difficult times.

We mourned for departed Friends and offered support to their loved ones by offering use of the meetinghouse and helping to organize services. These Friends gave much to our Meeting, and Friends in the Meeting helped much in the dying days of these individuals. Each situation was unique and processed in a sensitive, practical way. These experiences deepened our commitment to the Quaker Way.

Another kind of loss occurred when the Clerk of the Meeting felt the need to step down in November before her term was completed. This situation caused Friends to consider what the responsibilities are for a person who agrees to this position in our meeting. We need to keep in mind that a Clerk of the Meeting is not a "minister" in the sense that word is used by other denominations. We are all ministers in an unprogrammed meeting; the joys and burdens of the Meeting are meant to be shared as much as possible by all members and regular attenders, not primarily by one or a few. All of us need to have a commonly held understanding of what the responsibilities of the clerk are, as well as what they are not. It is important that a person should know what he or she has agreed to when becoming clerk. What skills are required? What expectations are being placed on him or her? How can the Meeting help the Clerk to be effective?

In the past year, we made efforts to reach out to each other and to our wider community in a variety of ways. On New Year's Day one of the hardier among us plunged into the Atlantic Ocean as part of a fundraiser for the WARM shelter.  In April, several members and attenders once again took part in the annual Bowl-A-Thon to support the WARM shelter. As has been the case for the past several years, contributions from Westerly Friends were the highest of all groups participating.  We continued to serve a meal at the WARM shelter each month as we have done in the past. The first "Q and A Café" was held in June. This event was well attended and the variety of presentations by all ages was enlivening, entertaining and inspiring. A concert with Ed Sweeney and Yang Wei (a member of the Silk Road Ensemble) in July was one of the highlights of the year. Their concert, featuring music played on a pipa and a banjo, was a thrilling and fascinating blend of western and eastern music. Friends and members of the wider community were treated to a unique and unforgettable experience. 

Even though we ended the year with a small deficit in our budget, the Building and Grounds Committee began the work of addressing the recommendations of the fire marshal to bring the building up to new fire code regulations while continuing to explore ways to make our historic building more accessible for less mobile members and attenders.  We are a small meeting but we have a strong core of members who are active and involved in a number of activities, both in the Meeting and as volunteers in the community witnessing to their faith.