Clear Creek Friends Meeting News

Fourth query:

Do you keep to simplicity and moderation in your speech, your manner of living, and your pursuit of business?  Are you careful to keep your business and your outward activities from absorbing time and energy that should be given to spiritual growth and to the service of your religious society?  Are you just in your dealings and careful to fulfill your promises?  Do you take care of such members as need aid, and assist them, when possible, to become self-supporting?

On Thursday, March 26, come see the presentation “Desert Duality — Indifference and Indulgence,” a collection of photos, slides and  readings exploring the extremes of the southwest desert. Presented in two parts by Craig Goodworth and Dan Sims, it will be held at Arden Hearth, 202 N. 15th Street, Richmond, IN. Goodworth is a sculptor and writer from Arizona and New Mexico who seeks to explore spiritual landscapes through material ones. Sims is an artist with a Ph.D. in Botany and has studied the ecology of the southwest deserts as well as photographing several  southwest desert blooms.

Light refreshments and desserts will be served. Please RSVP to sims48 [AT] msn [DOT] com (address modified to prevent spam).

Whitewater Valley Land Trust recycles donated beverage cans to raise money to help protect natural areas in the Whitewater Valley.  There is a WVLT receptacle at West Richmond Friends Meeting building outside under the archway.  WVLT raised $32 just from collecting aluminum cans alone.  Now WVLT is starting to recycle tin cans as well.  Soon there will be a second receptacle under the archway to receive aluminum cans and you will be able to bring all your cans for recycling.

On Saturday April 18th at 2pm at the Dayton Peace Museum at 208 West Monument Street in Dayton, OH David Bucura from Rwanda will speak on his Alternatives to Violence, peace, poverty reduction, and transformational leadership work with Rwanda Yearly Meeting and Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC).  He will share the current situation in Rwanda and his efforts to seek peace there.  AFSC Dayton staff will also do a presentation that connects African conflicts with the Refugee resettlement in the Greater Dayton area.

NOTE:  This event is the same day that Whitewater Quarterly Meeting meets at Clear Creek so there is no planned Clear Creek Meeting field trip to the museum for this.

On Wednesday, April 1st, Barbara Mays will talk about the new book she helped edit for the Friends General Conference press on “Quakers, African Americans and the Myth of Racial Justice.”

(This is a series of monthly luncheon programs open to interested individuals who reside in, or who happen to be in, the Richmond area on the first Wednesday of each month.  The typical schedule is a light fellowship lunch at 12:00 noon (suggested $5 contribution for lunch followed by a program from 1:00 to 1:30 featuring speakers and resource people from the Quaker and Richmond community.)

Mary Morrissett Mullin was born in Columbus, Ohio, on April 29, 1915, to Irving and Anna Rogers Morrissett.  She grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Denison University.   After college, Mary worked with the American Friends Service Committee as a college secretary in New England and California, recruiting college students to work in AFSC projects.  She was active in the Emergency Peace Campaign in Philadelphia, where she met James P. Mullin of Brookville, IN.   They married on December 27, 1941.  In 1946 they settled in Brookville, where they raised four daughters.

A member of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting, Mary was active in many local, statewide and national organizations, including the executive committee of the Dayton Region of the American Friends Service Committee and the board of trustees of Earlham College.  She was a homemaker and worked as a tax accountant in the James P. Mullin Law Office in Brookville.  After her four children left home, Mary traveled widely with her husband, expanded her gardening interests, and became an enthusiastic “Quaker Quilter”.   She made more than 200 quilts, many of her own design, which she lovingly gave to many family members and friends.  She was an avid reader and computer user, reading the New York Times daily on the Internet.  In retirement Mary and Jim moved to Friends Fellowship Community, in Richmond IN.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, one granddaughter and four siblings.  She is survived by her four children; eight grandchildren, two sisters, a brother, numerous nieces and nephews, and many good friends.  In an e-mail to her grandchildren in December, 2008, Mary told them that she was contemplating exploring the vast universe free of a frail body.  Her life ended at Friends Fellowship Community on January 16, 2009

• Donate Food for the Community Food Pantry:  Richmond’s Community Food Pantry, a non-profit organization comprised of representatives from Richmond churches, needs donations of canned, jars and dry foods to meet the growing needs of our community. Clear Creek Friends Meeting has participated in this effort through individuals bringing food to donate on the first Sunday of the month and through other volunteer efforts. Currently Larry H is taking our first Sunday donations to the Food Pantry.  If you have food that has been sitting unused in your cupboard or wish to purchase something to donate, please mark your calendar to bring it on first Sundays.  The biggest need is for canned fruit, peanut butter and jelly.  If, on the other hand, you are in need of extra food to meet your financial needs, please speak to Jane Stowe or our clerk Dave Garman in order to obtain the necessary voucher to be able to pick up the free food.  You may also make a donation to the Food Pantry by making a check out to Clear Creek Meeting and earmarking it for the Food Pantry.
• Donate Used Stamps to Quaker organizations: Used stamps can be brought to Clear Creek Meeting on Sundays to put in a small box; they will then be sent by Jane S to the Quaker Missions Project of Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting in care of Brad Hathaway, PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739-0795. Stamps may be left on their envelopes or not; they may have more value if left on. This project has provided over $50,000 to Quaker organizations, including Right Sharing of World Resources.
• Donate to Right Sharing of World Resources: Roland K writes that individual donations to RSHW were 10% lower this past year though they are still managing well. This established Quaker nonprofit organization with its office at Quaker Hill makes loans to individuals living in poverty in India, Kenya, and other countries to fund small micro-enterprises to help them and their communities get back on their feet.  Check out their website at www.rswr.org.  If you care to donate, send your contribution to:  Right Sharing of World Resources or RSWR, 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, Indiana 47374-1926.  For questions call 765-966-0314.

First query:

Are love and unity fostered among you?  Do you manifest a forgiving spirit and a care for the reputation of others?  If differences threaten harmony among your members, is prompt action taken in a spirit of meekness and love?  Do you visit one another frequently?  Do you keep in touch with inactive and distant members?

Universal love:

We acknowledge that all persons are children of one God, whose love and care are shared by all.  We earnestly urge our members to be faithful to the principle of universal love in all the affairs of life.  As the love of God prevails in our souls, we are led to love and forgive one another.  Under the influence of that love we will give the shortcomings of others the best construction which circumstances warrant; we will not make such matters a topic of common conversation, but rather endeavor quietly to remove any causes tending to disturb the love, unity and peace which should prevail among the followers of truth.

The meeting opened with a period of silent worship. Fourteen Friends were present. The clerk read the Queries for the third month and Friends reflected on how we foster community within our Meeting.

• Treasurer’s report: income for the second month was $1066 and expenses were $1683.

• Nominating committee: recommend that David G remain as clerk for the rest of this year.

• M&O: Drafts of the State of the Meeting report and a memorial minute for Mary M were presented. The memorial minute was approved as written. Some revisions were suggested for the State of the Meeting report. A revised version will be brought next month for final approval.

• M&O report part 2: In the process of corresponding with distant members and attenders, we have received several requests for transfer or withdrawal of membership. Sam G has requested a transfer of membership from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting to Sandy Springs Monthly Meeting in Maryland and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This transfer was approved by the Meeting. Jon L has requested a withdrawal of membership and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This withdrawal was approved by the Meeting. Lisa N has requested a withdrawal of membership and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This withdrawal was approved by the Meeting.

• Children’s Religious Education: thanks to all who are helping with the children. The schedule is filled for now.

• The Clerk read a letter from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Richmond thanking us for the lunch we provided.

• The Clerk reported that Kelly Burke, as director of Campus Ministries, is proposing a year long trial of holding College Meeting at 1 pm. This would give us the opportunity to change our time of worship and other activities. Several suggested changes were discussed. M&O will consider these and bring a proposal next month.
• The minutes were read and approved. Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

David G, Clerk
Dan S, Recording Clerk