Clear Creek Friends Meeting News

For 350 years, Quakers have talked about the light in each person. But what is it? Is our experience of the light today the same that gathered early Friends and forged them into a dynamic movement? ‘Experiment with Light’ draws upon the spiritual counsel of Quaker founder George Fox. It provides an opportunity to center our awareness in the light in a focused, intentional way. This renewal began over a decade ago with the work of Rex Ambler, a British Friend, who immersed himself in Fox’s letters of spiritual guidance and devised a guided meditation based on them. I have attended one of Rex Ambler’s workshops and found his guided meditation a powerful experience. It is non-manipulative and does not assume any particular system of belief.

‘Experiment with Light’ has been taken up in North America by Mel Keiser, retired professor of religion from Guilford College. Mel led a short workshop in Richmond last spring with the annual gathering of the Quakers in Pastoral Care and Counseling. He will lead a more extensive workshop Saturday, November 7, at the Earlham School of Religion. We will begin at 10:00 am with coffee and rolls, then move into Mel’s introduction and our first meditation at 10:30. A free, simple lunch will be provided around noon. More meditations will follow the afternoon. We will close by 4:30. The focus of meditation sessions will move from a personal focus in the morning, to meditations in the afternoon on one’s community, Meeting, or the world. This free workshop is co-sponsored by Earlham’s Newlin Center for Quaker Thought and Practice and by First Friends Meeting. It will help planning for lunch and refreshments if you call the Newlin Center (983-1605) in advance.

October 18: Discovering the Light Within During Experiments with Light
Rex Ambler, a British Quaker, uses George Fox’s writings to articulate a meditation technique based on the early Friends.  Many Quaker “Light Groups” have formed using his book, Light to Live By: An Exploration in Quaker Spirituality.  After a brief explanation of the method, we will practice it.   This session will be led by Jerry Knutson, a member of Pittsburgh Monthly Meeting who is currently a student at ESR.

November 15: Sharing Our Stories, Sharing our Faith
Herb and Mandy Fraser will share their spiritual journey stories with Friends during second hour on November 15 , 11:30 to 12:30 pm.

December 20: Inner Christmas
Join Friends for worship sharing after the manner of Friends, prompted by queries on the places inside our spirits and our lives where Christmas and the Christian story is born and borne out. We will begin with Friends understanding of the events of the Christian story as inwardly real and move outward to share the evidence of this in our own lives. December 20, 11:30-12:30.

1.    The meeting opened with a reading of the Queries for the 10th Month. Eleven Friends were present. Friends reflected on our use of resources and its effects on the environment.
2.    Treasurer’s report: Income for the ninth month was $1370 and expenses were $190. This is the end of our fiscal year. For the whole year we had a surplus of $696 when special contributions were included. The budget for next year was presented for second reading. Changes from first reading were the addition of $1000 for Quaker Quest and $700 for partial reimbursement of costs and labor for the cabinet that Dan S built. This revised budget was approved by the Meeting.
3.    Nominating Committee report: They are working on filling a list of positions that will be open in January. One name was brought for first reading: Larry H for the Simple Burial Committee through 2011.
4.    Ministry and Oversight: The committee has received a request from Anna Margaret B and Emmanuel G to be married under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting. M&O is forming a clearness committee for them. The committee also received a letter from Keith S requesting a transfer of membership from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting to Spokane Monthly Meeting. M&O recommended approving this transfer and it was approved by the Meeting. The clerk will send a letter of transfer to Spokane Meeting. The committee received a request from Doug G, pastor of First Friends Meeting, that Clear Creek Meeting host the Christmas eve service for the 3 Richmond Meetings at Stout Meetinghouse this year. M&O recommended accepting this. This would mean that Clear Creek would plan the service and invite the other Meetings. In addition, since this is during Earlham break, we would have to make sure that heat was on in the Meetinghouse and snow (if present) was shoveled on the paths to the Meetinghouse. The Meeting approved moving forward with this.
5.    Children’s Religious Education: It is different this year since the children, on average, are younger. There is not a set curriculum, but the teachers are ably developing things as they go.
6.    Peace and Social Concerns: They have purchased a set of DVDs with the help of West Richmond Friends that will be available for our use and will be stored at West Richmond. She also reported that Open Arms Ministries is now opening on a permanent basis to help coordinate ministries by local religious organizations. P&SC has invited the director, Judy Jackson, as well as Sue Axtell, to the after meeting discussion on Oct. 25th.
7.    Jerry K reported on a covenant that is being developed by Earlham College in relationship to Indiana and Western Yearly Meetings. Jerry will develop a threshing session to explore whether Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting might also want to be involved. If there is a feeling that we should move forward on this, it would be brought to monthly and quarterly meetings. Contact Jerry if you are interested in pursuing this issue.
8.    The minutes were read and approved.
9.    Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

Do you endeavor to live in harmony with nature, avoiding pollution and the destruction of our environment?  What are you doing about your use of the world’s irreplaceable resources?  Are you concerned for family and population planning so that future generations will be able to live on the resources available to them?

Stewardship
We are called upon to be stewards not only of the Divine Spirit which God has implanted within us, but also of the rich provision which the Creator has made for the sustenance of all life on earth.  If we are true followers of Jesus, we must ever be seeking to bring conditions of life in this world into conformity with the purposes of God

From Britain Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice 2.50…It’s not easy for the parents to believe that their child’s gurglings actually help the meeting rather than interrupt it.  Nonetheless that is true, and you shouldn’t give way to the temptation to take a happily babbling child out of meeting (though howling is something different!)”