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of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) |
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Epistle of New York Yearly Meeting, 1999To Friends Everywhere, Greetings!At the 304th session of our yearly meeting, 571 adults and 207 children and youth gathered in the Spirit, creating a community of love on the shores of Lake George. We were again blessed to hold our annual "family reunion" in this place, where literally and figuratively we took shelter from the storms. We were awed by the splendor of God's creation. As the full moon illuminated dark waters and sunshine brightened our beloved children's faces, we prayed to find ways to share light and hope with others. Our keynote speaker, Philip Gulley, brought a message of God's Grace as shown in three parables told by Jesus (Luke 15:3-32): The "Found" Sheep, the "Found" Coin, and "The Forgiving Father." Conventional wisdom maintains that the adversary deserves justice. However, as our speaker reminded us, what all people truly need is God's gift of grace. We were led to consider: Do we as Friends act as instruments of God's Grace? Epistles from Friends all over the world helped us to reflect upon the condition of our yearly meeting and ourselves. We realize that amid the suffering and needy of this world, we carry responsibilities along with the privileges we have. In our programmed worship, we were reminded of the lesson that we must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned if we are to do the Lord's will. In Bible study, Rebecca Kratz Mays presented the concept of Jubilee (Leviticus 25 and Luke 4:16-30). Where there is lack, the challenge of Jubilee is to put social and economic relations right through sharing. Jubilee, like grace, asks us to give without reservation. By forgiving debts and loosening ideas of ownership, we strengthen community. We reflected on action taken by New York Yearly Meeting during our nation's Vietnam War. We also acknowledged the joyous service and sacrifices made by individual Friends. A visitor from Japan taught our children about the devastating effects of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. We are challenged to seek ways to bear witness to our peace testimony in today's world. In 1996, New York Yearly Meeting approved a new staffing structure. After an evaluation, it became clear that this structure has not worked well. After long and painful consideration, the decision was made not to employ field secretaries in the foreseeable future. A number of Friends expressed unhappiness that they were being asked to make a decision without having a full set of facts and history. An ad hoc committee was created to discern how the organization of New York Yearly Meeting can best participate in the continuing renewal of our local meetings and the Religious Society of Friends. We pray for wisdom in finding solutions. We affirm the necessity of grace in all our dealings. We were uplifted by the visit of Francisco Mejia, Presiding Clerk of Honduras Yearly Meeting. He told us that the evidence of their witness to Jesus Christ was demonstrated by the growing Friends church in Honduras. His presence among us reminded us of the rich diversity of Friends' experiences and testimonies throughout the world. The theme of Junior Yearly Meeting was "Sticking Our Necks Out," and our young people decided that Quakers were more like turtles than giraffes. Sometimes we stick our necks out, sometimes we pull them back in. We find that with the increasing number of youth present at Yearly Meeting there is a growing intergenerational exchange. We recognize the importance of sharing our skills, experiences, faith, and traditions with our children so that their light may shine now and into the future. In Loving Friendship,
Victoria Baker Cooley, Clerk |