Friday, October 31, 2014

AN EPISTLE TO FRIENDS EVERYWHERE





I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings. 
George Fox, Journal, 1647                                               



These are some of my experiences during and after the "reconfiguration" of Indiana Yearly Meeting.


In August 2014, just over a year after we were "released" by Indiana Yearly Meeting, we met at Friends Memorial Church in Muncie to celebrate our new life together.

Two years ago, it felt like a shipwreck. But we supported each other, and began building something new. Other hands reached out, and we began to take our place in the organizational life of worldwide Quakerism.  

We sent out this Epistle:  



THE NEW ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS
503 S. Main Street, New Castle, Indiana 47362, USA
   



Epistle to Friends everywhere

            “What canst thou say?” This was the question that George Fox put to the people in the parish church near Swarthmoor Hall in 1652. It is the question about the work of the Spirit among us that we in the New Association of Friends have tried to answer in a gathering on August 23, 2014 in Muncie, Indiana.

            In our discussions of our lives as Friends over the past two years, four themes emerged:

First, drawing inspiration from our rich heritage. Two of our meetings are over 200 years old; one is 196. This year Spiceland Monthly Meeting celebrates its 190th anniversary. We all share a deep sense of the importance of our testimonies and worship and an appreciation of the power of silence. Many of us are engaged in discussions and study of how best to carry out these testimonies in the contemporary world.

Second, intentionality. The break with Indiana Yearly Meeting has given many of us a new sense of freedom—a feeling we can imagine and plan in new and innovative ways. We see this in a number of discussions and projects. These have, in some of our meetings, meant reevaluating committee and meeting structures in ways that would not have been possible in the past. It has meant a new focus on missions and giving, as each meeting has assumed responsibility for directing its donations and gifts, both in our local communities and in the wider world. This has given many of us a new sense of energy and joy. We were urged to seek ways to engage with each other more intentionally through the New Association of Friends, in more direct relationships.

            Third, change. The New Association is the result of a withdrawal from Indiana Yearly Meeting that some found traumatic, others liberating. But we now share a sense of relief that the tensions we experienced are past. All of our meetings are facing changes. Salem has children in its nursery for the first time in fifteen years. Richmond First Friends mentioned the energy from its new leadership. Friends Memorial in Muncie is in discernment about the future of its preschool program. All of our congregations face challenges and opportunities in change. All of us are trying to respond to economic and social changes that have caused growing poverty and deprivation in our local communities. How best to respond to these needs is an issue for all of us. We have also created a new web site for the Association that can be found at: http://www.newassociationoffriends.org


Finally, hope. We share a renewed sense of the encouragement that can be found in relationship with each other. Many of us spoke of how wonderful it was not to approach a gathering of Friends with apprehension, but with hope, joy, even an anticipation of having fun. We are still in discernment about the future of the New Association of Friends. We rejoice at how far we have come, trusting God will continue to lead us to deepen and strengthen our ties, and to increased effectiveness and faithfulness.


Margaret Fraser, Clerk
Friends of the Light, Michigan

Russell Wheeler, Recording Clerk
Englewood Friends Meeting, Ohio


Epistle Committee:

Thomas D. Hamm
New Castle First Friends Meeting, Indiana

Lincoln Blake
Richmond First Friends Meeting, Indiana

Stephanie Crumley-Effinger
West Richmond Friends Meeting, Indiana




The Epistle Committee at work during the meal break

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

SEE! I AM DOING A NEW THING


I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings. 
George Fox, Journal, 1647                                               



These are some of my experiences during and after the "reconfiguration" of Indiana Yearly Meeting.


                                                                                December 8, 2013

An article, scripture reading, questions for discussion and suggested hymn for United Society of Friends Women International, published in 2014 Blueprints. 

SEE! I AM DOING A NEW THING


Scripture:   Isaiah 43:19

Hymn: You are salt for the earth*

Eighteen months ago I was wandering in a bit of a blur, in that kind of disbelief that happens when you first get bad news. It wasn't like a death in the family, but it was the possible death of something that was dear to me - of my yearly meeting.  After a working group had looked painstakingly at the options open to the yearly meeting, its recommendation was for schism.

If my first reaction was disbelief, my second was dismay. Schism seemed to me to be a symptom of not working hard enough on our calling of reconciliation, whatever the difficulty. Schisms, in my yearly meeting, were in the past: 1828, 1843,1926. Surely we couldn't be about to repeat it?

There were attempts to reconcile. There were plenty of people who carried a vision of a yearly meeting that could embrace its shared history, and connect us all into something that was bigger than the sum of the parts. Despite that, it became clear that the schism would happen.

The larger two-thirds retained the name and the legal identity, and a smaller third was set off, with a negotiated settlement of property and assets, to form a new entity. It was like a divorce. The language of divorce became one of the threads running through the process. For those who, as children, had felt loss as a result of divorce, and for those who had felt powerless, as adults, to keep a marriage intact, it was painful. But for those who had experienced divorce as a liberation from abuse, or simply from a relationship that no longer had life, it was a relief.  We cannot help but bring our life experiences into new situations.

People stepped forward to volunteer in the new situation. I found myself, unexpectedly, serving as clerk of the New Association of Friends (a temporary name we in the smaller group gave ourselves, since we didn't yet know who we were, or what our geographical boundary was.) Suddenly there legal and administrative practical details to focus on: incorporation, by-laws, health insurance, recording of gifts in ministry, property and endowments. Who were we? What united us - other than being 800+ shipwrecked people?  We took comfort in the passage from Isaiah 43:19:

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
                                               
Step by step, month by month, we visited each other, worshiped together, shared meals and passed new milestones. We incorporated in the State of Indiana, and agreed a short statement of purpose:

The New Association of Friends is a voluntary association of monthly meetings, churches and individuals that supports worship, ministry and service through the cultivation of Christian faith in the Quaker tradition.

Friends Committee on National Legislation asked us to name representatives. Friends United Meeting recognized us as full members. Indiana USFW and Quaker Men chose not to be part of the schism at all. These things meant so much to us - we weren't alone. I learned, as a recipient, what a gift that those on the 'outside' can bring when they reach out to those who have lost a previous community, identity and role.

We don't yet have some things that others might think necessary, like a name, or a Faith and Practice. A name carries identity, and that is emerging only slowly. We probably can't talk choose a name until we have a geographical boundary. Our meetings are in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, but our individual members live throughout the USA. Since we have no staff and no office - New Castle First Friends serves as our business address - and we communicate only electronically, how important is it a boundary? We are glue that connects independent monthly meetings. Does that make us more like a yearly meeting, or more like a movement? I am aware that, without intending to, we are modeling something new, which Friends in other parts of the world are watching with interest.

A Faith and Practice is another thing. We have just agreed by-laws, which give us a framework, and we have gentle, supportive and appreciative ways of being with each other, so our Practice is forming. But, as fifteen independent monthly meetings, what we can say is our 'Faith?'  Whatever emerges won't be a set of binding doctrinal statements. It will be passages from the experiences of other Friends, from the first courageous generation onwards, that we will want to treasure, to inspire us to similar commitment.

It's new for me to be working in so much ambiguity. I like to know at least a year out what the plans are, even if they change. Before starting a journey, I map out a route - while being willing to take detours. So I'm growing - and finding that living into something that is emerging is fresh and exciting. It feels like sailing a very small boat, from island to island. The crew sets the course for each leg of the journey, knowing that the wind and tides will make adaptation inevitable, almost at every minute. The compass is of critical importance, but you don't travel in a straight line. When the wind hits the sails at just the right angle, it is exhilarating. Over these ten months the winds of the Holy Spirit have carried us further than I ever expected.

In addition to learning to be ok with not having all the plans and structures in place, what have I learnt over this last year? I was away from the Midwest when the yearly meeting embarked on the path towards this schism, so I can't reflect on that. But I do have reflections on the processes. One thing I know is that conflict is inevitable, but how it develops and is resolved varies, according to the intentions and actions of those involved.

When a fight is about to break out in the playground, the behavior of the onlookers is crucial to the outcome. If the onlookers egg on the combatants, they will fight. If they intervene to lower the tension, those about to fight may be open to seeing other ways to solve their differences. To borrow from popular biology, once the amygdala is aroused and the 'flight or fight' part of the brain gets going, it's too late to intervene, and the fighters may turn on the 'helpers.' Were there 'onlookers' who encouraged combat? Who we listen to, and take counsel from, will affect what happens, for good or bad.

The other complication is that we don't necessarily recognize that a conflict is going to turn into a fight to the end. I didn't. To me, there was always conflict at the yearly meeting sessions. The question was simply WHAT would be the issue of contention, not WHETHER there would be contention; so I didn't realize that this conflict was going to be different, until the train had left the station.

For people of faith, there is always a dilemma of how much to be 'in the world, but not of it.' Many of Friends' struggles in the past were about that. However much we try, the world's ways do affect us. The culture that surrounds Friends in the U.S. today is raucous, triumphalist and judgmental. In addition, the assumption in marketing is that, based on one or two indicators, people can be placed into entire lifestyle categories, with their social and political 'preferences' assumed. This may be effective in selling goods and services, but it can be toxic if it is used to put each other into labeled boxes. We have to be able to step back and observe when we are bringing such ways into our faith life. I'm not saying avoid them - just notice when it is happening, so that we don't act unthinkingly.

Our Friends' organizations must serve the purpose to help us know, worship and serve God. If conflicts over organizational life, quite apart from doctrine, distract us from that purpose, we have to make changes. My own view is that it is not part of our polity as Friends, coming out of the radical stream of the Reformation, to be servants of a structure. The structure must support work of congregations. But not everyone agrees. Some of us want a yearly meeting to exercise authority over member meetings.

There were, in our history, three attempts to split the yearly meeting by creating a new, northern one, centered on Marion, and keeping the old one, based in Richmond. So perhaps many of us have been trying to uphold something that only existed in our hopes and imaginations. Perhaps there never was a shared vision of what it meant to be a part of the yearly meeting, or if it was lost one day, no-one noticed.

Some of us were committed to doctrinal uniformity, others were comfortable with paradox, and saw God's realm as a big tent, full of surprises. Some of us thought that there was one right way to read scripture; others of us thought that it could bring forth something fresh with each reading and reflection. The problem with these differences is that they are not like tastes in music, or food, or TV programs, where negotiation and compromise can be applied. Those who embrace cultural and theological diversity can quite easily welcome those who are different from them into the big tent. However, if uniformity matters to you, too much variation from it is unsettling, or even threatening. It may be possible for a yearly meeting to have different kinds of Bible study carried out simultaneously, but if there really are major differences in the identity of what it means to be a faith community, those wanting greater uniformity start drawing lines.  People start sitting with "their own" during meals. "Parking lot conversations" may become the major form of real communication. Once the topic of conversations becomes, on a regular basis, about people who are not present, you know that conflict has escalated.

Whether in gangs or nations, for reconciliation to take place, there has to be a commitment to it. People have to come to the table, either because they are open to "sharing space" with those who are different from themselves because they think it is the right thing to do, or because they are weary of violence and loss, and want a different future for their children and grandchildren. I have now concluded that this doesn't translate into church life, particularly when some parties think that they are going to have to answer to God as to why they were in fellowship with those who they perceived as sinful. In the U.S. in particular, there is always the option to begin a new church or denomination. So once separated, it can take generations (if ever) to come back together.

There's good news in this difficult experience. When something happens to us that is not our choice, we still have a choice about how to react.  One is to choose not to be a victim. Some people develop a whole Identity around having been abandoned or deserted, but after a while, they are not good company. Most of us who are now out of the yearly meeting didn't want schism, but were powerless to prevent it. For everyone, it takes energy to rise above what has happened; just to accept that something did happen, that there are losses, but they don't define us, and to move on.

Another choice is to back off from being "right," and just accept that when there are many different perspectives about many different things, that's what they are: differences, some of which carry life-or death intensity. When the yearly meeting superintendent said we had reached a crisis of conscience, from which neither group, that cared equally deeply could shift, that felt accurate to me. Once you have accepted that analysis, you can choose the action. People are not going to be converted from a passionately-held position in the heat of the moment.

From my standpoint, the processes of formal separation have been marked with a lot of respectful "this is how I see it - what do you think?" conversations between the representatives of both bodies.  The financial and property settlements have been without surprises, and I hope that this care and integrity are laying good foundations for both organizations as we each look to the future.


Prayer
Help us, God, to have to courage to speak up when truth needs to be spoken.
Give us the courage to reach out in support of those who have suffered loss.
Help us to be instruments of peace and justice, even when we are afraid.
Remind us, dear Lord, when we forget, to trust you as our guide, even when we feel we are in the wilderness, because you are always doing something new.

Questions for reflection
1. Have you ever been an onlooker to a conflict that was brewing?
    If so, did your contribution intensify it? Or diffuse it?

2. Have you ever had the courage to speak up, when you thought that issues  were being ignored or 'papered over?'
    If so, what was the outcome?

3. Are there situations where you are holding onto a sense of having been   wronged?

4. In what ways do you consciously try to follow in the footsteps of the Prince            of Peace, whatever the cost?

About the author
Twenty years ago Margaret Fraser took an unpaid sabbatical from her position on the management faculty of the University of Brighton in England to attend Earlham School of Religion. While at ESR, she had a clear leading to serve Friends in the U.S.A, so she resigned her position and completed her M.Div. She served as Dean of Pendle Hill and Executive Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas. She has two daughters, two sons in law and a granddaughter. She is a member of Friends of the Light, in Traverse City, Michigan, and currently Clerk of the New Association of Friends.

* Text and Music, Marty Haugen, © 1986 G.I.A. Publications, Inc.  The Hymnal: A Worship Book Prepared by Churches in the Believers Church Tradition, #226





Sunday, October 12, 2014

I AM ABOUT TO DO A NEW THING



I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings. 
George Fox, Journal, 1647                                               



These are some of my experiences during and after the "reconfiguration" of Indiana Yearly Meeting.


This is an article that I wrote for Quaker Life on July 17, 2013.

Soon after writing it, the formal separation took place at Indiana Yearly Meeting Sessions in 2013 at Quaker Haven Camp. My own meeting, Friends of the Light, in Traverse City, Michigan, joined the New Association of Friends that fall, bringing the number of congregations to 15.


I AM ABOUT TO DO A NEW THING

                                                                                                                                                                 

After decades of relative peace, Indiana Yearly Meeting is separating, with meetings holding almost a third of the membership leaving, either to become independent, or to form a new body.

As in any life-changing event, we each have our own story. My sense is that while the focus was on a statement of inclusivity developed by West Richmond Friends, the discussions that followed highlighted many differences: views of human and organizational authority, the interpretation of scripture and the teachings of Jesus. Some wanted uniformity of beliefs to be enforced; others did not. Friends' peacemaking abilities were stretched, but eventually it became clear that reconciliation was not going to happen. I wrote:

An image is coming to me of having been in a catastrophic event. It is as if my home, along with others in the neighborhood, has been destroyed. We are traumatized, in occasional disbelief that it could have happened. With repeated realization come unexpected tears. But as we look around, we see that we are all alive, all safe... Most of us have not built before. We simply lived in our old houses. So we are going to have to identify gifts and skills that exist among us, and many of us are going to learn new skills.
In January of this year, 120 of us gathered at Richmond First Friends to share food and worship. We recognized that schism was inevitable, and began to prepare ourselves for formal separation. The Friend who served as clerk for the evening asked people to report if their meetings were 'engaged' in plans for a new organization, 'dating' or observing.  We agreed some broad aims, then appointed trustees and a nominating committee. We needed to be sufficiently organized to be able to incorporate legally, so that we could receive the funds and property as part of the settlement.
We had to move forward - deadlines had been set. However, too much pressure to be "in" or "out" would add to the stress in meetings, as well as adding to the lines that had already been drawn. We wanted to avoid wounding splits in congregations. With a lot of trust, and some hugs and tears, we began the process of building a new Quaker family. We decided to delay choosing a permanent name for ourselves until we knew what our ultimate geographical boundary was, and incorporate simply as The New Association of Friends.  I ended my blog:
So here we are. A little shaky, but wearing new hard hats and work boots, on a giant Habitat site, ready to join a crew to build the structures for our community, and to build community itself in a more intentional way. We have friends around the world praying for us and cheering us on. We will tread on each other’s toes – it’s a good thing about the work boots. In our clumsiness, we may hammer our own thumbs, or say things we regret. But if we keep our eyes on the Source of our faith, on why we are doing the work, and end each workday with laughter and gratitude and forgiveness, I think it will be just fine.
I accepted the invitation to serve as clerk, cleared my calendar, and began regular travel between home in northern Michigan to Indiana and Ohio. With a laptop and mobile phone I can work anywhere, but my favorite place is in the archives of the Lilly Library at Earlham, surrounded by minute books and bound copies of The American Friend.
Thank goodness for social media. One member had already set up a listserv.  With no funds for mailings, and a need to communicate, I started two Facebook pages: The New Association of Friends, and, for those who want to stay connected, despite the division in the yearly meeting, Friends in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. I used a free service to send an occasional electronic newsletter. We needed to get a website up quickly, so initially we chose Friends General Conference's Quaker Cloud as our platform. We are not part of FGC - we all have semi-programmed worship and most of us have pastors, but we have found them to be helpful.
One by one, meetings began to join. With no staff or office, we needed a mailing address and, on the day when it decided to join the New Association, New Castle First Friends Meeting offered to be that home. The 'baby' was well and truly born in April when we were notified by the State of Indiana of our incorporation.  In June, with the support of Indiana Yearly Meeting, we were accepted as full members of Friends United Meeting. Our conversations with Friends Committee on National Legislation and Friends World Committee for Consultation about recognition are also looking hopeful.


Things are moving fast. In six months we went from nonexistence to vitality. At the time of writing we have fourteen meetings (800 people) and some individual members whose meetings have chosen either to remain part of Indiana Yearly Meeting, or to become independent.  We are a network of independent meetings, but we share a vision of mutual support. We are diverse in theology, history and size. Two of our meetings, West Elkton and Richmond First Friends, are more than 200 years old and predate the founding of Indiana Yearly Meeting. Three more, Spiceland, Salem and Raysville, are more than 150 years old. Dublin, Muncie, New Castle, West Richmond and Pennville are over a hundred years old. There are a couple in their 90s: Bluff Point and Williamsburg, and one youngster, Englewood, which is 25 years old.

One of our meetings has over 200 members. Two have slightly over 100 members, and two just under 100. One has 54, and six have in the teens or twenties. Two have fewer than ten members. Rural depopulation has left a faithful remnant caring for aging buildings. I anticipate many opportunities for us to form volunteer work crews to work on some of each other's buildings and grounds.
Much of the last six months has been spent on legal and administrative work: getting incorporated, developing a purpose statement, recording of gifts in ministry, and so on. We don't want administration to dominate, though. After a time of pain and some isolation, we want to get to know each other better, to worship together, and to relax, as we did at a recent picnic in a state park.  All our business meetings begin with worship and joyful shared meals, as we make new friends.  We are eager for more shared religious education, and opportunities to serve.
After a period of inward focus, it is time to look outward. In addition to FUM's work, our meetings support a range of ministries from local food pantries to global service. We want to know more about each other's ministries, and share our support. As part of the settlement, Indiana Yearly Meeting will transfer some endowments for Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion, Ramallah Friends School and college scholarships for African American students.  This will give us the opportunity to keep alive the vision of those who gave those funds, long ago, and to showcase the impact that the recipients are making on the world today.

We found ourselves in a place that we did not expect or seek, and this called out flexibility and creativity that we scarcely knew we had. Earlier this year, a Friend designed what we called a "logo-ish thing" to be used temporarily - some grass, our name and the quotation from Isaiah 43:19, "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"  As I emerge and take a breath, I can look back and say, truly, this has been so.