Clear Creek Friends Meeting News

This month the quarterly meeting endorsed traveling minutes for two Friends. Diann Herzog of Fall Creek Meeting will be traveling within Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting, and Rex Sprouse of Bloomington Meeting will be traveling among Friends in the Midwest.

The next quarterly meeting will be at…

Third Trip to Iran Planned for April 28 – May 10!

Sam and Ruth N, for Neighbors East and West, are announcing plans for a third trip to Iran with visits to Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and other cities in between. The cost will be appr. $1350 for ten-day program in Iran, with a possible three-day extension to Shiraz and Persepolis for an additional $350. Travelers also need to obtain return airfare to Tehran from the United States (appr. $1200) and a visa to Iran (appr. $110). More information about this trip, accounts of earlier trips, and more information about Neighbors East and West can be found at the website http://neighborseastandwest.org or by contacting Ruth and Sam  (email: samn@earlham.edu ).

From the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) :

On 01/20 AFSC  released $50,000 for the purchase of supplies for emergency medical stations, shelter, and other needs of survivors suffering from burns, amputations, and other serious injuries.  In this first phase of response, AFSC is partnering with Handicap International in these efforts.

AFSC has released another $50,000 to provide ten thousand meals over the next 100 days to families in three hard-hit neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, Morne Hercule, Nevette, and Delmas neighborhoods.  Food is becoming an increasingly urgent priority.  In this phase of response, the AFSC is partnering with HEKS (Swiss Interchurch Aid).

Today (01/22)  AFSC staff prepare to travel to the Dominican Republic and Haiti to see the relief efforts underway and begin an assessment to identify additional pockets of need that are not being met by other providers. After the initial emergency phase, AFSC will commit our energy and resources to longer term reconstruction, recovery, and healing.

For more information or to donate online, please go to www.afsc.org/haiti.

From Evangelical Friends Missions (EFM):

In Haiti there are about a dozen Friends Churches with about 2000-2500 attenders, part of Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region. (The yearly meeting office is in Canton, Ohio.) The Haitian Friends are located 30 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti along the coast. Many in these hills will be unlikely to get aid from other sources anytime soon, according to John Williams, Eastern Region Superintendent. Early reports include some deaths in at least one of the villages but information is still sketchy.

John Williams reported on 01/13 that William Bertram, a Friends leader in Haiti, had managed to reach his daughter Rose in the USA, and he and his wife Marie are safe. Their church had some damage. On 01/20 it was reported that Haitian Friends are already sharing with needy people clean drinking water from a deep well and generator-powered pump.  Funds from Eastern Region built this well! EFM equated the situation in Haiti as nothing less than a magnified scene from Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan; not one injured by the road but 200,000 dead, thousands of orphans, perhaps a million traumatized people and overwhelming need.
Emergency funds are greatly needed in Haiti. Their yearly meeting is planning to work with World Relief and possibly World Vision. All Haiti funds that come to Evangelical Friends Missions (EFM) will be forwarded to Eastern Region.

Please clearly mark your check either “Haiti-relief only” or “Haiti-where needed most.”  The latter gives Haitian Friends the freedom to help their ministries there too, for longer-term recovery. Send your gift to EFM, P.O. Box 525, Arvada, CO 80001 or directly to the EFC-Eastern Region office.

Evangelical Friends Missions asks us to pray for our Friends’ families who may be affected and others as well, and to pray that Haitians will help Haitians and break the mold of cultural dependency. Both EFM and AFSC suggest that what is most needed now is money. For more information and the latest on Friends and World Relief efforts, go to www.efcer.org and look for Haiti Bulletin #3 on their home page.

The February “book” has changed to a poetry reading session. (The book we had originally selected is not readily available.) Participants are encouraged to bring a favorite poem to share and discuss. The discussion will be in the Friends Fellowship solarium on Sunday, 02/28 at 7:00 p.m.

In March, we will be reading James Mulholland’s and Phil Gulley’s book If Grace Is True. Contact Jan or Dan S if you would like to order a copy with the group.

Participate in an Exploration among Richmond Friends, January – May 2010

Friends from the three Richmond Friends meetings (Clear Creek Friends, First Friends, West Richmond Friends) will gather for eight sessions to explore the meaning of call, leadership, gifts development, community, the language and stories of faith. How can we renew Quaker traditions of discernment, the naming and nurturing of gifts, following our leadings, and envisioning the work of our meetings?

The course method will be shared exploration, rather than content delivery.  Participants should expect to be challenged and perhaps changed by one another and by the Spirit working in the group.  Organizers of the course hope that 6-8 participants from each meeting will commit to the series of eight Sunday evening sessions.

Jennie I, of Clear Creek Meeting, has developed this curriculum with the Earlham School of Religion.  She will facilitate the course with two other Friends from our Richmond meetings.

The tentative schedule for sessions is January 24, February 7 and 21, March 7 and 28, April 11 and 25, and May 2.  Sessions will be held Sunday evenings, 7:00 to 9:00 at the Earlham School of Religion. Participants are invited to come early at 6:30 and enjoy a brown bag meal together.

Cost of the course is only $30.  To register or to ask questions, contact Jennie I, Doug G, or Josh B.

Because our original date for Quaker Quest, Feb. 6th, was cancelled due to snow, M&O has rescheduled the event for Saturday, Feb. 20th, 9am-4pm. Friends are asked to let Jana S (or any member of M&O) know again whether you are able or unable to attend for this new date. Also, please let Mary G know again what food you can provide for the potluck lunch.

All local members and attenders are urged to attend this event sponsored by Clear Creek Meeting. This is an exploratory session for us to find out what Quaker Quest is (a structure first developed in the U.K. for both inreach and outreach for local meetings) and to see if we might want to sponsor some public Quaker Quest sessions in the future. It will include a sample panel with Clear Creek members and time for sharing with one another. Please make it a priority to attend!

1. The meeting opened with a reading of the Queries for the 1^st Month. Fourteen Friends were present. Friends reflected on how we prepare for and participate in Meeting for Worship.
2. Larry H presented the treasurer’s report: Income for the twelfth month was $12,607, due to a bequest of $9700 from Evan F. Expenses were $1627. Committees are asked to consider options for the use of this bequest money and bring recommendations to the finance committee.
3. Jan S reported for Nominating Committee: The nominations held over from last month were approved by the Meeting. Many thanks to the nominating committee for their wonderful discernment.
4. Gwen H reported for Ministry and Oversight: The marriage clearness committee for Anna Margaret B and Emmanuel G met with them twice and after a favorable report to M&O; M&O recommends that they be married under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting. This was approved by the meeting. The letter from Newell P and Jennie Itt requesting to be married under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting was read. A marriage clearness committee has been formed and has met with them once. Plans for the Quaker Quest session on Feb. 6th are continuing. Friends are asked to RSVP whether they are coming or not. Contributions of food are also needed. The committee gave further consideration to the time and format for monthly consideration of the Queries. M&O recommended that we try having a discussion of the Queries prior to meeting for worship on the first Sunday of each month. Meeting approved this starting in March and continuing for at least 6 months with reassessment of how it is going periodically.
5. Jane S reported for Peace and Social Concerns: Showing of the video “Life in Occupied Palestine” is set for Stout on Jan. 24th. In February there will be a discussion of FCNL priorities. The committee will look into a concern that the application process for the food pantry is unnecessarily cumbersome.
6. Gwen H reported for Children’s Religious Education:There are still opportunities to volunteer to help with the children in the spring.
7. Marya B read the announcement of a 3 Meeting program “Leading Quakers: Discipleship, Leadership, a Friends Model” that is being developed by Jennie I. It is hoped that 6-8 people from each meeting will participate. This will be a series of Sunday evening programs over a period of several months. Cost is $30, but those needing financial assistance can apply to the meeting.
8. Many thanks to David G for clerking this past year.
9. The minutes were read and approved.
10. Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

1. The meeting opened with a reading of the Queries for the 12^th Month. Nineteen Friends were present. Friends reflected on the relationship between our spiritual and work lives, as well as our views on gambling.
2. Larry H presented the treasurer’s report: Income for the eleventh month was $2180 and expenses were $1862.
3. Michael B reported for Nominating Committee: The nominations held over from last month were approved by the Meeting.

In addition, the following nominations were brought for the first time:

• Marya B              Clerk                                        2010
• David G             Assistant Clerk                         2010
• Jana S                        Clerk of M&O                         2012

These nominations will be held over for final approval next month.

4. Gwen H reported for Ministry and Oversight: A marriage clearness committee has met with Anna Margaret B and Emmanuel G and will be meeting with them again this month. We have also received a letter from Newell P and Jennie I requesting to be married under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting. M&O is putting together a marriage clearness committee for them. The committee brought a concern that with the current format of business meeting it feels rushed to consider the Queries at the start of business meeting. Various other options for consideration of the Queries were discussed. M&O will continue to consider these options. Planning for the Quaker Quest session on Feb. 6th is continuing.

5. Jane S reported for Peace and Social Concerns: They are still planning to show the video “Life in Occupied Palestine” in January. Feedback on format for this showing is welcomed. Jane S and Meg O went to Open Arms Ministries training recently and will be volunteering.
6. Jennie I reported for Adult Religious Education: In January there will be a worship sharing on Lectio Divina, and in February Larry H and David G will give a presentation on simple burial. She is also planning two sessions in the future on vocal ministry.
7. Gwen H reported for Children’s Religious Education: There are still opportunities to volunteer to help with the children.
8. The clerk reported that our sign usually placed in the front campus has disappeared. Do we want to replace it? If so, in what form? For further consideration later.
9. Friends were reminded that we had discussed the covenant being developed between Earlham College and Indiana Yearly Meeting and whether we wanted to start a similar discussion with OVYM. The feeling among those present was that there is no urgency to start this.
10. The minutes were read and approved.
11. Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

1. The meeting opened with a reading of the Queries for the 11^th Month. Sixteen Friends were present. Friends reflected on our relationship to the peace testimony.
2. Larry H presented the treasurer’s report: Income for the tenth month was $694 and expenses were $3415. These expenses included annual donations to local organizations and a one time expense for the new meetinghouse cabinet.
3. Gwen H reported for Ministry and Oversight: The initial Quaker Quest session is scheduled for Feb 6th. We need a second person to volunteer as a demonstration presenter. We also need to consider food during the session. Friends are reminded that we need as many people as possible to attend.
4. Cathy H presented the Nominating Committee report: They brought a slate of  new nominations:

Name:                         Position:                  Term (thru end of):

• Dan S                    Recording clerk                                  2010
• Jennifer F           Assistant recording clerk               2010
• Larry H                Treasurer                                              2010
• Cathy H                Assistant treasurer                           2010
• Jane S                   Archivist                                               2010
• Jane S                   Recorder/statistician                      2010
• Jan S                     Asst Newsletter ed/webmaster   2010
• John H                 Directory editor                                 2010
• David G                Ministry and Oversight                   2012
• Robin A                Ministry and Oversight                  2012
• Jane S                   Peace and Social Concerns           2011
• Mary G                 Hospitality                                           2010
• Erica P                  Outreach coordinator                    2010
• Jennie I                Adult relig. ed. coordinator        2010
• Gwen H                Children’s relig. ed. coord.           2010
• Larry H                Budget committee (ex. off.)         2010
• Cathy H                Budget committee (ex. off.)         2010
• Larry H                OVYM exec. comm.                        2010
• Cathy H                Whitewater QM                                 2010
• Jan S                      Whitewater QM alternate             2010

The nomination of Larry H for simple burial committee, brought last month, was approved by the Meeting.

5. Cathy H reported for Susan Lee’s support committee. They asked that the Meeting renew her traveling minute and this was approved.
6. Jane S reported for Peace and Social Concerns: They will be showing a video “Life in Occupied Palestine” after meeting on Nov 22. She also asked whether the Meeting wishes to become an affiliate of Open Arms Ministries? This would require a commitment by the Meeting to make regular contributions to them. P&SC will consider this further and bring a recommendation.
7. Gwen H reported for Children’s Religious Education: Helpers for first day school are largely arranged through the end of the year but the next year is open. Contact Gwen if you are interested in helping.
8. The clerk reported on plans for Christmas events this year. A planning committee was formed consisting of David and Mary G, Jan S, and Marya B.
9. The minutes were read and approved.
10. Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.