• Representative Meeting December 5–7, 2003, at Purchase Meetinghouse and Pace University
• Registration Form NYYM Representative Meeting ¹
• General Secretary
• Query 9
• Membership Good News
• What does it mean to "release" a Friend?
• All Night at Woodbrooke Library
• Connecticut Friends School PoHo Trip
• Quaker Camp Director Needed
• Peace Camp
• The Military Draft
• Young People on Enlistment
• Guns
• Putting Our Sharing Fund Dollars to Work
  • Bolivian Quaker Education Fund
  • Right Sharing
  • Recognizing, Honoring & Acknowledging Diversity (with an Emphasis on Race)
  • Fellowship of Friends of African Descent
  • Light behind the Walls
  • A Bridge to Education: Indian Affairs Committee Stipend Program
• Study Group on Reality of Racism
• Book of Job
• Purchase Quarter Peace Tax Escrow
• Youth Delegation to Mexico
• Quakers Go to Court against IRS
• NYYM Proposed 2004 Operating Budget ¹
• 2004 Budget Presents a Challenge for Friends
• Notices

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Representative Meeting December 5-7, 2003
at Purchase Meetinghouse and Pace University

Purchase Quarter welcomes you to Representative Meeting. All Friends are encouraged to participate in this interim business meeting which carries on the business of the Yearly Meeting between our annual sessions at Silver Bay. Active participation is needed for the life and witness of the Religious Society of Friends to grow. The attendance and involvement of named representatives from all monthly meetings ensures that the wisdom of a variety of Friends will be brought to our business sessions and that the decisions made there will be reported back to the meetings.

Our weekend will begin at 7:30 P.M. at the newly renovated Purchase Meetinghouse (come use our accessible bathroom!) with a performance and sing-along by the Walkabout Clearwater Community Chorus. The chorus, in essence a true "people's chorus," is composed of folks who simply love to sing. Refreshments will be served. Hosts and guests are encouraged to come hear the Chorus and go home together.

On Saturday we will gather on the Pleasantville, N.Y., campus of Pace University in the Kessel Campus Center, with most committees meeting at nearby Miller Hall. The Pleasantville campus is set in rolling countryside in mid-Westchester County about 9 miles northwest of Purchase Meetinghouse. It is easily accessible from local parkways. You can learn more about Pace on the Web site: www.pace.edu. On Sunday we will meet at the Purchase Meetinghouse.

Meals and Hospitality

Coffee, tea, bagels and doughnuts will be available Saturday morning at registration, with a basket for contributions to defray the costs. Meals on Saturday will be in the cafeteria in the Kessel Center. Depending upon individual selections, the cost is estimated at $6 to $10 for lunch and $8 to $12 for dinner. The Sunday noon meal will be served by Purchase Quarter Friends; suggested contribution is $7.

On the registration form you may request hospitality with local Friends for Friday and/or Saturday night. Hospitality cannot be guaranteed after the registration deadline. The more people who register by the deadline, the more smoothly Purchase Friends can facilitate the weekend.

Friends who prefer to stay in a motel will find a list of area motels on page 8, including the price ranges quoted to us and the distances from Pace/Pleasantville and Purchase Meetinghouse. Those using the Internet may find MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) helpful in finding lodging nearby as well as directions to it. (In MapQuest type in address of Purchase Meeting, 4455 Purchase St., Purchase, NY 10577). You might also explore www.priceline.com.

Childcare

Transportation

Airport: To arrange to be met at the Westchester County (White Plains) Airport contact Jim Wood as above by Nov. 21.

Registration

Because meals will be paid for on-site, we are not asking for prepayment of the voluntary registration fee. But we do need your registration form to know how to plan for numbers of people.

Please send the registration form indicating your needs to Joan Oltman by November 21. Alternatively you may e-mail Joan Oltman for a registration form that you may return by e-mail.

Meeting and Display Space

Information

Directions

The meetinghouse is on Rt. 120 (Purchase Street) at the corner of Lake Street, adjoining the Westchester County Airport.
From I-684, from exit 2, turn right (south) 1 mile on Route 120. Follow 120 left onto Purchase Street. The meetinghouse is on that corner.
From I-95 (New England Thruway), exit 21 to I-287 (westbound, toward Tappan Zee Bridge), take I-684 (north) to exit 2. Continue as above.
From Tappan Zee Bridge, take I-287 to I-684 (north) to exit 2. Continue as above.
From Merritt/Hutchinson Parkways, take exit 27, go north about 4 miles on Route 120 (Purchase Street) to the meetinghouse on your right, just before the corner of Lake Street.

Directions to Pace University, Pleasantville Campus Route 117 (861 Bedford Road) Pleasantville NY 10570
From Saw Mill River Parkway northbound, take exit 26, Taconic State Parkway/Albany. First exit on Taconic is Pleasantville/Route 117. Turn right at light on 117 (Bedford Road) and go to Gate 3, 2/10 mile on the left.
From Sprain Brook and Taconic Parkways, northbound, the Sprain Brook leads directly onto the Taconic. Take the first exit on the Taconic, Pleasantville Route 117 and proceed as above.
From Saw Mill River Parkway southbound, take exit 29, Manville Road/Pleasantville. At the stop sign, turn left onto Manville Rd. (Route 117); go 2/10 of a mile to the stop sign. Turn right onto Bedford Road (Route 117). Gate 3 to the campus is 3/10 mile on right.
From Taconic State Parkway southbound, take exit Pleasantville Road/Pleasantville. At light turn left onto Pleasantville Road and go under the Parkway. Continue 1.5 miles to third light, turn right onto Manville Rd. (Route 117), and continue as above.
From Gate 3, proceed to second stop sign and bear all the way left there following the NYYM signs.

Motels in the Area

Hampton Inn ($119+) www.hamptoninn.com
200 Tarrytown Rd., Elmsford, NY 10523
Reservations 800-426-7866; Local phone 914-592-5680
13-minute/6.9-mile drive to Purchase Meeting, 14-minute/8.7-mile drive to Pace University Pleasantville

Comfort Inn & Suites ($155) www2.choicehotels.com
20 Saw Mill River Rd., Hawthorne, NY 10532
Local phone 914-592-8600
15-minute/8.8-mile drive to Purchase Meeting, 5-minute/3.7-mile drive to Pace University Pleasantville

Hilton Tarrytown ($129) www.hilton.com
455 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591
Reservations 800-774-1500; Local phone 914-631-5700
16-minute/10-mile drive to Purchase Meeting, 10-minute/6.3-mile drive to Pace University Pleasantville

Courtyard Tarrytown ($109+) www.marriott.com
475 White Plains Rd., Tarrytown, NY 10591
Reservations 800-589-8720; Local phone 914-631-1122
15-minute/8.8-mile drive to Purchase Meeting, 12-minute/6.8-mile drive to Pace University Pleasantville

Rye Town Hilton www.hilton.com
699 Westchester Ave., Rye Brook, New York, 10573
Local phone 914-939-6300
11-minute/4.7-mile drive to Purchase Meeting, 21-minute/13.9-mile drive to Pace University Pleasantville

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Proposed Query 9. "Do we participate actively and intelligently in the political life of our country? Are we conscientious in fulfilling all obligations of state and society that are not contrary to the leading of God? Do we emphasize the single standard of truth, and are we free from the use of oaths? Do we do all in our power to secure civil rights for all? Do we bear witness that capital punishment is wrong? Do we work to replace punitive policies with those that both to protect society and to help reconstruct lives and restore communities?"

Current Query 9. "Do we participate actively and intelligently in the political life of our country? Are we conscientious in fulfilling all obligations of state and society that are not contrary to the leading of God? Do we do all in our power to secure civil rights for all? Do we emphasize the single standard of truth, and are we free from the use of oaths?"

The Faith and Practice Committee will review comments at April 2004 Representative Meeting.

Harold J. Risler, convener

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Helen Garay Toppins, editor

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Next the meeting may seek clearness concerning its corporate calling: "Is the Spirit sending us a message or calling us as a community through this Friend?" If a meeting finds itself under the weight of the Friend's leading, it may "release" the Friend by assuming a commitment itself. This commitment may be to manage without expecting a Friend's usual service in support of the meeting, to assist with work, time with children, or other family obligations, to pay for particular expenses (health insurance, daycare, telephone), or to provide money to meet general living expenses. The meeting expects the released Friend to pursue the leading under the care of the meeting, which appoints an oversight committee. The terms of release should be clearly recorded, including a time period as well as particulars of what the Friend is called to and what is provided for.

Friends are likely to unite in support of concerns that overlap with their own. To deal with complications of overlap and difference, accountability, and authority, requires tenderness, clarity, and persistence. Confusion of "release" with "employment" is to be avoided.

Vicki Cooley, Central Finger Lakes

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"It's worth getting insomnia for," wrote one Friend about the library. As librarian, I can see what she meant, because even after two years in the job I'm still amazed by the quite stupendous collection of books and periodicals I have the privilege to look after.

There are two libraries at Woodbrooke. The Main Library is a general Christian theological collection that has significant sections on peace, conflict resolution, environmental issues, and gender and interfaith studies all areas of interest to Friends and expressing "faith in action." The bulk of the new book budget is spent keeping these areas up to date, though I don't attempt to reproduce the in-depth strength of (say) the University of Birmingham's libraries, which are nearby and accessible to Quaker Studies and other research students based here.

The Quaker Library sits right alongside (giving some intriguing possibilities for "cross-fertilization" of research on, say, Friends' antislavery campaigning in the past and contemporary issues of economic injustice). The roots of this library are much older than the century of the Woodbrooke "educational experiment." The jewel in the crown is the Bevan-Naish collection containing over half of all the Quaker and anti-Quaker material produced in the 17th century in the form of tracts, broadsides, and books. The collection was begun by Joseph Gurney Bevan (1753-1814), developed by his relative Paul Bevan of Tottenham (1783-1868), and considerably increased by Arthur John Naish (1816-1889) and the Friends of Birmingham (now Bull Street) Preparatory Meeting, by whom it was bought on Naish's death. The collection in its magnificent mahogany bookcases came to Woodbrooke in the 1930s, and the present Quaker Library room was built to house it. Books have also been added from the collections of J. Rendel Harris, John Wilhelm Rowntree, Henry Stanley Newman, and others to make this the second largest Quaker library in Europe (after Friends House, London) and one of the major world libraries of Quakerism.

And it's still growing our policy is to acquire all new Quaker books published in Britain and all significant new titles from the USA and Europe. Many Quaker authors donate copies of their writings. Last but not least, over 130 current Quaker periodicals are received, many having substantial runs of back issues. Preserving this magnificent collection is a top priority with which all Friends can help by giving to Woodbrooke's centenary appeal.

But where does insomnia come into all this? Because the library is open 24 hours a day to residents, Friends can (and do) spend all night reading and have sometimes been discovered fast asleep among the books at breakfast time. And I must confess, sometimes it keeps me awake at nights too!

Ian Jackson, librarian

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The trip is as much about the "invisibles" of our curriculum as about academic pursuits. The retreat contributes to the social, emotional, and spiritual growth of everyone who joins us on the journey. Given the importance of field trips to Friends philosophy and curriculum, we treat these trips as integral components to learning, not as extracurricular activities.

At Powell House, as on all our field trips, we get to be with one another beyond the confines of the school environment. All ages of children get to work, play, eat, and rest together in ways that develop deep friendships and give a taste of extended family that some of us may otherwise never experience. We are all given the opportunity to enhance and strengthen our feelings of community in a safe environment.

For further information about Connecticut Friends School, contact Judy Meikle, head of admissions, 203-762-9860 or visit our Web site, www.CTFriendsSchool.org

Kim Tsocanos & Sean Higgins

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Applicants should have an affinity for Quaker traditions and ways of doing business, and training and experience in youth camping and community living. The successful candidate will plan and direct a youth program, recruit campers, recruit, train, and manage staff, and relate well to parents of campers and the larger YM community.

Salary and benefits are competitive. A letter of interest and r‚sum‚ should be submitted by Dec. 15, 2003, to Search Committee, c/o Andrew Dewey, Box 590, Southwest Harbor ME 04679 or electronically (encouraged) to andrew@acadiacomp.com.

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The sessions ran from 8:30-12:30 with breakfast provided. Our format was a group session for the first hour including singing or storytelling and a presentation by Kids Against Pollution. Snacks were served and our mostly cooperative games outside were popular. The curriculum was based on: Peace within Ourselves, Peace in the Community, Peace and Conflict, Peace in the Environment, and Visions of Peace.

Children came from the city of Utica and from various towns in the area. Although the time of year seemed to be a factor in recruiting children from all over the area, the committee felt that they were not aggressive enough in letting more groups know about our camp.

Many people contributed scholarship money and various groups made contributions. Our thanks to all who contributed money and time to our efforts. We look forward to Peace Week 2004.

Isabel Chiquoine, Mohawk Valley

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(CCCO) was founded in 1948 "to protect and promote the rights of conscientious objectors to war." In addition to draft counseling, CCCO's goals include "demilitarizing our schools and communities, improving conditions for military personnel who come to realize their objections to war, and eliminating the Selective Service System." It works with those in the military who face racist, sexist, or homophobic harassment. CCCO can be reached at 1515 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19192; www.objector.org; 215-563-8787. Those seeking counseling can call the toll-free number given above.

A nationwide GI Rights hotline, 800-394-9544, is sponsored by these two organizations as well as others, which include the American Friends Service Committee (New England Regional Office), War Resisters League, and Quaker House of Fayetteville, NC. The hotline receives calls from people in the service and/or their families who need assistance in dealing with many problems they face in connection with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. These include, among others, the difficulty of getting discharged as COs.

A hotline training session held at 15th Street was attended by 10 people who were eager to become involved in this ministry, which is sponsored locally by NYYM's Peace Concerns Committee and Purchase Quarterly Meeting. It is important to find volunteers willing to participate, since the NY metropolitan area is currently underserved.

Recently, some Friends have been responding to the call from Chuck Fager, director of Fayetteville's Quaker House, to communicate with a soldier serving time in the brig at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The soldier, Stephen Funk, is a conscientious objector and war resister; he is also openly gay and at risk of harm while behind bars. Chuck Fager reports that "the way such at-risk inmates make it through is relatively straightforward: lots of mail and visitors to shine light on his circumstances and let the Marine jailers know people are watching."

Chuck Fager visited Stephen Funk in the Camp Lejeune brig on September 28 and writes, "He seemed to be doing well, and in good spirits. He is not confined to a cell, but in a bay with twenty or so other inmates and he gets outside about an hour a day. He has no regrets about his antiwar actions, and does not feel much anxiety over possible hostile acts by other prisoners, at least at this point. He said a number of men had expressed much sympathy with his antiwar stance. He has received 'hundreds' of letters, more than he can hope to reply to. You can send him stamped, self-addressed envelopes (but not postage stamps). Stephen reports that the brig library is sparse and not very interesting. Books can be sent to him, but only by a publisher or a distributor."

Stephen's address is Stephen Funk, Bldg. 1041, PSC 20140, Camp Lejeune NC 28542.

Information from CCW

We train groups of people most weekends. Draft counselor training takes a Friday evening 5-9 and a Saturday 10-5. We ask that the group pay for our transportation and provide us a place "with a door" to sleep. (We don't mind sofas but we need alone time!) Each trainee needs a manual, which costs $25. If AFSC cosponsors the training the manual is $20 each. The sooner we are contacted to work out a date, the better. We are already setting Spring dates.

We recommend that all who want to counsel be trained, even if they have done draft counseling before, not because we want to get rich from the airplane tickets, but because the law has changed drastically since Vietnam and even since the Gulf War. It is important to give accurate information so that each person can make an informed choice.

How can those trained find opportunities to do counseling after training?

Our draft counseling manual discusses setting up a counseling center. But any church or school or youth group will have young people who will want and need to discuss this issue, especially in relation to registration for the draft and joining the military.

In addition, one of the things that we encourage now is getting involved in counter-recruitment. CCW, even with the help of AFSC, the Mennonite Central Committee, and others doing similar work, cannot compete with the $2.5 million spent on recruiting each year. Recruiters are given access to our children in hundreds of ways most people are not even aware of. The "Let No Child be Left Unrecruited Act" is just the tip of the iceberg. Our high school age children and those of our neighbors are inundated with literature and gifts from recruiters, and they are never even told even by their school counselors that there are other and better choices than the military. National groups must rely heavily on local groups to actually go into the schools and churches and talk to the youth.

What else do people need to know?

There is no draft, but the possibility grows each day with the bumblings, missteps, and sheer aggression of our nation and others. As the world becomes politically less stable, calls for additional invasions in the name of security rise. Already the administration is making the same claims against Syria that it did with Iraq. Meanwhile the number of troops in Colombia and the Philippines grows rather than shrinks.

Although the Democrats' call for a draft, to bring relief to the Reserves and National Guard who never intended to spend a year or more on active duty, is unlikely to result in a draft, the call from the political right for the same thing is increasing. And President Bush has begun to distance himself from the opinion of Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, that there are enough military personnel in Iraq.

If there is a draft, it could take as few as 14 days for the first people to hit boot camp. Can we wait until then to talk to our young people about their options? Can we wait to educate ourselves about the law and the choices? It is surely preferable that we prepare ourselves, although we may never need the knowledge, rather than to wake up one morning to find that for the first wave of draftees, it is already too late.

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The Peer Counselor Training Workshop Project aims to address these challenges by developing a resource bank of young people who can assist other youth in these areas. The aim is to build their capacity to address military enlistment issues within communities. The workshops will train young people to assist their peers by: answering questions about the military; helping them resist inappropriate pressures to join the military; helping them to get out of the Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP); and preparing them to present their own version of the workshops.

Ideally, two workshops will be presented at each site but the workshops can be modified to fit the needs of the audience. Workshops will include:

1. Basic information about military recruitment and enlistment
2. Detailed information on military money for college programs, DEP separations, and life in the military, and
3. Help the participants design and facilitate a workshop on military recruitment and enlistment issues.

The facilitators will begin with a brief overview of each topic, follow with an in-depth lecture on each topic, provide tips for counseling others about the topic, and direct and critique role plays related to each topic. Two training videos, A Short Introduction to Military Service, and A Short Introduction to Military & the Media will be used to help guide the workshop discussions.

The workshops are facilitated by National Youth & Militarism Program staff and the cost of housing and travel is incurred by the group receiving the training.

For more information contact the American Friends Service Committee, National Youth and Militarism Program, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; youthmil@afsc.org; phone 215-241-7176; fax: 215-241-7177.

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1. Effectively closing legal loopholes at gun shows.
2. An International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers, so that legitimate sales of small arms are not diverted into illegal uses (formerly introduced by McKinney).
3. Mandate gun registration along with a national database (as currently used by police) with written purpose of sale.
4. Management of weapons stockpiles on a regional and subregional basis, i.e. state and municipal, along with provision for the destruction of surplus stocks.
5. Oversight and public monitoring, so that laws passed can be effectively implemented.

By small arms and light weapons we include pistols, revolvers, light machine guns, grenade launchers, mobile rocket launchers, etc.

Westbury Monthly Meeting and Long Island Quarterly Meeting share these concerns with the Friends Committee on National Legislation and the Quaker United Nations Office. I would encourage Friends to seriously take up this issue at all levels locally, nationally, and internationally wherever Friends feel called to intervene. Let us make our voices heard!

Antonia J. Swalgen, Westbury Meeting

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I write these notes on 10-20-03, my tenth day in La Paz. I was one of the last to arrive before the airport closed. Most of last week was consumed with the historic and largely nonviolent ouster of the president (for more details see my account at BuffaloReport.com), but on Saturday things were returning to normal and we were able to have the scheduled meetings with the scholarship recipients.

The scholarships are only for Quakers and only for post-secondary study in Bolivia. The award is the same for each recipient (that is a Bolivian decision), $50 per month. Sounds little, but here it means a lot. For example, one student on Saturday told how this scholarship enabled him to give up a fast-food job he held down in order to pay university fees a job that paid less than $60 per month for working from 7 P.M. to 2 A.M. six days a week. Of course he was then too tired to study effectively. As with others (about half are women), his motivation and attitude improved as well as his performance.

I was much impressed with this group of Quaker young people, and very pleased to be a channel for Friends in the US and UK to support them.

It was not part of the original plan of BQEF, but the work of BQEF in Bolivia, especially the effort to strengthen English teaching, has drawn the participation of Quaker volunteers. Three Guilford students spent six weeks helping in classes and giving evening lessons for adults. A 2003 Haverford graduate is there now on a four-month stint; two Westtown seniors are headed down for their four-week senior service project; and a retired teacher in England is planning for a tour of some months.

It is an exciting new form of mission and witness.

Newton Garver, Buffalo Meeting

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As we draw closer to the national frenzy of holiday giving, let us think about the significance of our gifts to others. Do they enhance our love for one another? Are they our way of subtly controlling those to whom we give them? Do they give nourishment to our hunger for material things? Do our gifts to children encourage their love for virtual violence? Do they teach peace? Cooperation? Self-reliance? Do the adults on our list derive real pleasure from our gifts? Can we demonstrate our love for our families and friends without strengthening materialistic attitudes?

Let us also consider the meaning of the Christmas and Hanukkah stories we celebrate with these gifts. Both, ultimately, are about a God who cares passionately for the poor and oppressed peoples of the Earth. Both are about a God who miraculously provides for people once by making a day's worth of lamp oil last for seven, once by feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fishes, and once, before either of those miracles, by spreading manna out on the desert floor. Those who place physical miracles in the category of fairy tales may yet believe in this God who provides, by miraculously softening the hearts of those who have plenty.

We, Friends, are those who have plenty. Let us participate in God's miraculous care for those who are in need, especially those in the two-thirds world of the poor. For love itself never fails. It is only that we are not always able to love as much as is needed. If God is the source of all love, then by participating in God's care for the poor, we may also find ourselves reconnected to that Source. And God's gift of love and life is really what it's all about. May your holidays be joyous.

Mary Eagleson, clerk

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The workshop, Recognizing, Honoring & Acknowledging Diversity (with an emphasis on race) will take place at Powell House November 21 23, 2003.

The workshop leader, Niyonu Spann, says, "Unlike many diversity workshops, which have a driving force toward guilt and blame, I seek to challenge participants to move to a higher level of responsibility, a more effective method of moving through difficulties related to difference. In a spirit of worship, we will engage an alternative model which Friends may find challenging and hopefully transformative."

Sessions will include:

1. understanding the dynamics of difference
2. understanding the effects of power and perceptions of power
3. how Quakers relate to power and how they have created racial exclusivity
4. moving from the oppressor/victim framework
5. improving skills in working on individual, group and systems levels
6. action planning toward transformation

Niyonu Spann is a member of Durham MM, New England YM. She has conducted diversity workshops for the FGC Central Committee and for clerks of FGC program committees and representatives from FGC-affiliated yearly meetings.

Cost: $160 adults, $80 children & teens (2-17), $40 infants. For information and registration go to http://www.powellhouse.org, or write to Powell House, 524 Pitt Hall Rd., Old Chatham NY 12136, or call 518-794-8811.

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Under the theme "Nurturing the Spirit Within Us," the Fellowship of Friends of African Descent gathered at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, Eighth Month, 7-10, 2003. This is our seventh Gathering since 1990, when we began meeting as the Fellowship; and the beginning of meeting annually, following a decade of biennial gatherings.

We numbered 54 participants, including 48 adults and 6 youth, representing 8 yearly meetings and associations, from 19 meetings.

Our activities in Atlanta were rich and nourishing to the spirit, with morning devotions opening each day. Worship experiences included both programmed and unprogrammed sessions.

In meeting for business, Friends were inspired by reports of expanded use of our web site, and email connecting members globally. Many references were made to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) programs and how we might support them.

We approved a minute which reaffirmed our support and nurture of our same-gender-loving brothers and sisters, and join with them against homophobia and violent acts in all forms:

In a challenging and provocative session, AFSC representatives presented a range of their program areas:

• SouthEast Regional Office: Valerie Barlow, regional director, described in broad terms the ongoing work of the region; Tejan Muata gave background and context for new program work undertaken through the new 3 year Africa initiative;
• Phillip Spencer-Linzie, director of the Criminal Justice Office in New Jersey, called for a redefinition of crime and called on society to address root causes;
• Darryl Jordan, Third World Coalition director, gave a detailed overview of the work and mission of the coalition, and sought the Fellowship's cooperation and commitment to this work.
      Earlier sessions on racism, and on Spirit-led leadership, reinforced the call to our being involved in the work Friends are called to do.
• Vanessa Julye offered slices of her learnings as she continues her research on the book she is co-authoring with Donna McDaniel; "Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship." The book explores the relationship between the Religious Society of Friends and African Americans.
• Gloria Thompson's presentation of Manhattan Monthly Meeting's workcamps in Kenya invited our attention and involvement.

The Fellowship pilgrimage to the Martin Luther King Jr. historic sites and memorial served as inspirational witness of the American civil rights struggle and reaffirmation of our testimonies of peace and nonviolence.

We were treated to a vibrant cultural program of rap, dance and African drumming, presented by Youth Against AIDS Unite (YAHU), a project of AFSC's Southeastern Regional Office.

Our closing meeting at Atlanta Friends Meeting included unprogrammed worship and a potluck luncheon.

The Fellowship looks forward to returning to Atlanta for its 8th Gathering in 2004, and is planning to gather in Africa in 2005.

Deborah Saunders, clerk

Editor's note: the above are excerpts from the Fellowship's epistle. For the complete epistle contact the Fellowship of Friends of African Descent, 1515 Cherry Street, Philadelphia PA 19102.

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After hearing reports from our prison worship groups and a summary of criminal justice issues we developed a Prisons Committee Action Plan. A major component of the plan focused on the need for more volunteers. We need volunteers who are willing to let their lives speak. These Friends are needed to talk to our prison worship groups about the role that Quakerism plays in their daily lives. Volunteers may participate on a one time only basis or more frequently as they are led and able. We also need Friends who are willing to help us start new prison worship groups, as well as Friends who are willing to become spiritual advisers for prisoners.

Another major component of our Action Plan is to develop a resource directory for the reintegration of prisoners into the community. This directory will provide information about what resources are available and where, particularly in the area of housing, jobs, education and transitional services

We also need to create a Prison Committee lending library which will include books, articles, and videos.

If you can volunteer for our prison ministry, have suggestions for our resource directory or committee library, please contact the clerk c/o New York Yearly Meeting at 15 Rutherford Place, New York NY 10003.

Helen Garay Toppins, clerk

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The first session was acknowledgment of the real history between Quakers and people of color, with a particular emphasis on the NYYM region. An overview discussed racism from the time of slavery, through the Civil War, and the segregation that followed in the meetinghouses and Quaker schools through the 1940s. Stories shared within NYYM included disownment of abolitionist activists, segregation in Friends schools (including Oakwood), and meetings that built separate meetinghouses specifically for African Americans (eventually some became AME churches). For many this history came as a stark revelation. In preparation for the next day we all left to ponder the query, What is your experience of racism in NYYM? White Friends were also given the subquery, Has your meeting been welcoming to people of color?"

The second session was the heart of our becoming aware of contemporary racism in NYYM. It took the form of pure dialogue to build trust and understanding plain and honest sharing without defensiveness. In the words of Cornel West, "We make ourselves better with continued dialogue. True dialogue is rare, and understanding which flows from dialogue is a rarer thing." This was a time for deep listening in the Quaker manner, and understanding of perspectives without judgment not a time for decisionmaking.

Individual experiences of racism were openly shared with the promise of confidentiality. They were given in the form of "I" statements, and we sat with the pain and woundedness that Friends have inflicted on other Friends.

Our last session was the initiation of forward movement to enhance racial and ethnic diversity and eradicate racism in NYYM.

1. Members of the Black Concerns Committee were present and dialogue with them continues.
2. Members of White Friends Working against Racism were also present and they will work with us and with the Black Concerns committee.
3. Antiracist and diversity materials for First Day schools will be organized and made available.
4. An outreach group will continue to pursue ideas for overcoming racism in NYYM.
5. Albany Monthly Meeting already has a committee dealing with racial concerns and we will keep up-to-date on their activity.
6. The following comes from the Coordinating Committee on Ministry and Counsel minutes of July 25, 2003. "Janet Carter brought a concern regarding the presence of racism within the YM family. She asked CC M&C to be aware and prayerful about this reality and to consider ways to effect change and healing" This is empowerment in the Spirit.

   Vince Buscemi, Morningside Meeting

   Note: In its sessions this year, New England Yearly Meeting approved a minute, affirming its commitment to becoming an open, affirming, antiracist Religious Society. Jonathan Vogel-Borne, field secretary of NEYM, gave his opinion that the sense of the gathering was that the time has come for NEYM to deal actively with racism.

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   A Bridge to Education: Indian Affairs Committee Stipend Program

   The Indian Affairs Committee has a long-standing stipend program that is quite different from a traditional scholarship program. Scholarships are often given through colleges or universities to help a student meet expenses at that institution, or are given directly to an institution of higher learning for a student's benefit. Our stipends are given directly to students for use as they see fit. The sums are modest no more than $500. The criteria determining the amount of the award are the demonstrated need of the student and the number of students applying. (The monies we have available are traditionally shared among all eligible applicants.) We trust that the students will make good use of any stipends they receive.

   In the past, some people have argued that awarding a scholarship directly to the school guarantees greater accountability. However, our stipend program fills an important niche that no scholarship can fill.

   Scholarships are applied only to tuition, while a student's expenses include books, supplies, and other materials. For many students, once a course is completed, they no longer have access to software or equipment and must purchase their own. In addition, students may need money for transportation, childcare, etc. A stipend can help meet these needs.

   We contacted three stipend recipients from varying backgrounds so they could share their perspectives on this program and its value to indigenous students.

   Diane Fraher (Osage), an artist and filmmaker, is the founder and artistic director of American Indian Artists Inc. (Amerinda). Amerinda has long-standing ties with the American Friends Service Committee, sharing space with them in Manhattan. Diane greatly believes in and appreciates our program, especially because one of Amerinda's primary goals is to break down barriers for Native artists. She states, "Scholarship programs are often managed by people who are invested in maintaining the status quo. This often translates into excluding certain people from receiving the benefits they genuinely need."

   Diane is the writer and director of The Reawakening, which was produced by American Indian Artists Inc. This is a milestone because it is the first feature film produced by Native people. (A previous film, Smoke Signals, was directed, but not produced, by Native Americans.) The Reawakening is a character-driven feature film about a Native man's struggle to choose between loyalty and tradition and personal ambition and opportunism within the context of modern society. Begun in 1990, its completion has been made possible by an extraordinary amount of support through donated goods and services, grants, and other contributions. We look forward to its release in the near future. Diane lives and works in Manhattan.

   Stephanie Waterman (Onondaga) is pursuing her doctoral degree in higher education administration at Syracuse University. She has been raising a family while working her way through her educational requirements. She is very close to completing her doctoral dissertation on the Native American college experience, analyzing the factors that contribute to and stand in the way of success for Native college students. Our stipend helped pay for necessary car repairs (Stephanie commutes), parking at the university, required books, copy cards, and a phone card to use during required travel.

   Stephanie is looking forward to becoming a college or university faculty member, a role model for other students and a face of color on a predominantly white campus. She says that it was hard to ask for assistance but that the stipend has made it possible for her to continue. Stephanie lives on the Onondaga Nation, and works and studies in Syracuse, N.Y.

   Jeffrey Aronowitz (Aleut) is pursuing his license in massage therapy. He had completed his course work and needed a financial boost to help with the licensing exam fees. The stipend allowed him to do just that. He wrote to us expressing his delight: "I received the stipend for my state exam! That financial assistance was more valuable than I expected. It's reassuring for goodness' sake, to witness this tangible giving from one to another as a reminder that there are people and organizations out there who appreciate helping others. Thank you." Jeffrey lives and works in Brooklyn.

   Susan Wolf, clerk

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   Book of Job

   Manhattan Meeting will present an evening of music and lyrics by Danny Ashkenasi with spoken text from the Book of Job and various news media publications. This will take place on December 14 at 2:30 P.M. at the 15th Street meetinghouse. Contributions will support schools and AIDS prevention in Kenya.

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   Purchase Quarter Peace Tax Escrow

   Purchase Quarterly Meeting maintains a peace tax escrow fund. Those interested in tax witness may wish to contact the Peace Tax Escrow Account Oversight Committee, c/o New York Yearly Meeting, 15 Rutherford Place, New York NY 10003.

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   Youth Delegation to Mexico

   The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition is sponsoring a youth delegation for February 2004. This is the coalition's 13th delegation. Participants will leave Sunday, Feb. 15, and return Friday, Feb. 20. This is the winter vacation week for many schools in New York State.

   Activities of special interest to young people families, religious or other youth groups, student organizations make this visit to the McAllen/Matamoros area especially valuable. Please complete an application early to assure a spot. A short form is available to print, fill out, and mail or fax. The cost of $1,300 includes round-trip airfare to the border, transportation to and within Mexico, meals, housing, translation, and preparatory materials. Partial scholarships are available.

   For information contact New York State Labor-Religion Coalition, 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd., Latham NY 12110-2455; 518-213-6000; fax 518-213-6414; www.labor-religion.org/internationaltop.htm. The application is online at www.labor-religion.org/ip_delegation_applic.htm.

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   Quakers Go to Court against IRS

   Threatened with a penalty of some $20,000 for refusing to garnish the wages of a Quaker employee, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) of the Religious Society of Friends plans to defend its position in court on all possible grounds, including constitutional and statutory religious freedom defenses.

   This particular employee has refused to pay taxes that support the military. PYM has a policy of supporting employees who, because of conscientious objection to war, resist payment of federal taxes that fund the military. At a special meeting of its governing body on September 18, 2003, PYM decided to answer a suit brought against it by the U.S. Department of Justice (acting on behalf of the IRS), and to defend itself in court. PYM is the central Quaker organization for a four-state area, serving 12,000 members and 104 monthly meetings (congregations).

   The Justice Department action stems from a continuing dispute between the IRS and PYM over the question of whether PYM should be required to act as a collection agent for the government when doing so will require it to violate key tenets of the Quaker faith. PYM's defense will rest on the constitutional right to freedom of religion generally, and particularly as upheld and restated in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1994.

   The members of PYM's board (called Interim Meeting) were particularly disturbed by the lawsuit's accusation that PYM acted "unreasonably," and would be subjected to a penalty of over $20,000 because it has adhered to its religious principles.

   While PYM regrets the need to resort to legal action, it looks forward to a full airing of the issues involved in a public forum where both the sound reasons and religious principles that guide this Quaker organization's actions may be upheld.

   Quakers have always believed and continue to believe, that freedom of religion and conscience are core principles and essential rights that are upheld and protected by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. In our answer to the IRS suit we seek nothing more nor less than the preservation of those rights for ourselves as a religious organization, and for our members and employees as citizens of faith.

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   NYYM Proposed 2004 Operating Budget

   NOTE: This is a PDF document, for which Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. You may download Acrobat Reader free by clicking here.

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   2004 Budget Presents a Challenge for Friends

   At Representative Meeting December 6 and 7, 2003, Friends will have an opportunity to discern God's will for our budget for 2004. This is our financial plan for the coming year for using the gifts God provides. Our responsibility as Friends is to be good stewards of those gifts, using them to do the work of NYYM as led by the Holy Spirit. As a faith community we look to the loving support of all our meetings.

   Back in April we started with the initial expense requests from the four coordinating committees. The first draft, pulling together all proposed expenses, was previewed at the summer sessions at Silver Bay in July. This included estimated proportional shares using the percentages from the 2003 budget. In early August this proposed budget was mailed to all monthly meetings. On September 20, 16 Friends gathered at the Albany meetinghouse for Budget Saturday, to review the revised expense requests that included the expenses for the new general secretary, to make further adjustments as led, and finally to discern the proportional shares for the donations from the quarters/regions. Five treasurers of the nine regions participated, supplemented by seven representatives of monthly meetings. All except two regions had a Friend participating at this vital meeting of the Financial Services Committee a very good turnout for this work.

   The biggest challenge for NYYM next year is the incremental expense required for finding, hiring, and paying a new general secretary for the second half of the year: $35,000 in salary, $7,000 for benefits, and $2,500 for job-related travel expenses. The estimate for the Search Committee expenses is $8,000. These are all responsible numbers, and, as good stewards, Friends will do their best to spend less and get good value at the same time. There is also an incremental $10,000 in the budget to pay to our interim staff supervisor for the first six months of the year. This important work for us has been on a volunteer basis for more than four years, paying only the expenses of a volunteer.

   The budget also has some savings from the prior year's budget:

   • Reduced by $5,000 the Opportunity Fund Provision that pays for released Friends working with monthly meetings and worship groups as needed. Meetings and individuals may donate directly to this fund to augment this amount.
   • Reduced the donation to Powell House by $5,000, trusting that the increases donated over the past two years to cover specific emergency needs will not be needed. Meetings and individuals may also donate directly to Powell House.
   • Eliminated for next year the provision for the Peace Initiatives Fund, a saving of $8,500. The balance in the fund is ample to cover its anticipated expenses.

   In total our expenses will be up 13.8%, a substantial increase in these or any other times. To help reduce the incremental donations from the meetings, we have increased the income expectation for registration fees by $5,000 for representative meetings and the summer sessions at Silver Bay.

   Once again this year we used "Friendly Discernment" at Budget Saturday for determining the proportional shares the donations that we anticipate and ask from meetings. In a worshipful session we reviewed the history of these donations, meeting by meeting, for the last two years. The result is our Proposed Budget 2004, as led by the Spirit, and we offer this to Friends for further discernment.

   Arlene Reduto & Tom Martin, coclerks
   Financial Services Committee

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   Notices

   This column is prepared from information about membership received from the local meeting recorders.

   New Members

   Robert Garber--Montclair
   Henry Romanowski --Montclair

   Deaths

   J. Courtney Dodge, member of Chappaqua, in September 2003.
   Margaret Rosser Kunz, member of Cornwall, on May 16, 2003.

   Transfers

   Bea and Herb Kimball, to Farmington from West Newton, Indiana Yearly Meeting.

   Marriages

   Justin E. Kimple, member of Cornwall, and Mary Agatha Rose Coyman, on August 2, 2003.
   Molly Soule, member of Farmington, and Adam Fenster, on July 19, 2003.
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