Contents

• Welcoming Our New General Secretary
• Transforming Hopelessness into Centered Peacemaking
  Silver Bay Sessions, July 25–31, 2004
  • Featured Speaker
  • Bible Study at Silver Bay
  • Financial Assistance Available for Silver Bay
  • Start Here if You Are Going to Silver Bay
  • NYYM Registration Fees
  • On Your Way to Silver Bay
  • Disability Concerns at Silver Bay
    • Housing
    • Worship and Meetings
  • Golf Carts
  • 12-Step Meetings at Silver Bay
  • Raise Your Voice in Song—Renewed Choir at Silver Bay
  • Building an Inclusive Community
  • Silver Bay Rules
  • NYYM Agreements
  • Contact these Friends if you have questions about YM Sessions
  • Yearly Meeting Schedule at a Glance¹
  • Study and Interest Groups
    • Study Groups
    • Interest Groups
  • About Silver Bay
  • Driving Directions
  • Public Transportation
  • Food Service at Silver Bay
  • Staying on Campus
  • Staying Off-Campus
  • Campsites
  • Nearby Motels
  • 2004 Silver Bay Room Descriptions and Rates¹
• J u n i o r Y e a r l y M e e t i n g
  • JYM Frequently Asked Questions
  • How to Register for JYM
  • What Do You Need?
  • Medical Forms
  • Attention Parents, Guardians, and Sponsors
  • Café Night
  • Volunteers Sought for Preschoolers
• Calling All White Elephants
• Free Books from Mosher Fund
• Clerk's Corner
• Madrid: Gifts That Emerge from Suffering
• Highlights of Representative Meeting Minutes
• From Testimony to Federal Prison
• Quaker Street Youth Participates in Mexico Workcamp
• Come Celebrate with Purchase
• Small Meetings Retreat Explores Spiritual Practices
• NYYM Events
• Victory Gardens for the War on HIV/AIDS
• "The Conversation of the World"—Quakers and Media Ministry
• Letter to the Editor
• Notices

Welcoming Our New General Secretary

Christopher has been serving as clerk of Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) for the past three years. Northern Yearly Meeting comprises meetings in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northern Michigan, and has no paid staff. Christopher has been active in NYM since 1990. He received a masters of divinity degree from United Theological Seminary in 2001 and has worked as an on-call chaplain at the Hazelden Treatment Center and as chaplain resident in a hospice program. For the past 15 years he has served as president of the Northern Light Construction Company, a design/build firm providing design, consultation, and project management in residential construction projects. At the 2003 FGC Gathering he was a plenary speaker on the topic Called to Faithfulness: Radical Community as Proactive Peacemaking. He has been serving in various capacities at FGC since 1989, when he began a 12-year service on the Long Range Conference Planning Committee, which provides ongoing governance and policymaking for the FGC Annual Gathering. For the past six years he has been particularly engaged in activities designed to eliminate racism among Friends. He currently resides in Minneapolis.

Christopher comes to us with deep spiritual motivation and wide experience. In his letter of application, he wrote, "I have spent the better part of my adult life building spiritual community amongst Friends, and feel that I have much to offer in this area. I am particularly drawn to serve NYYM because of your interest in conflict resolution and your need for someone conversant with working with spiritual diversity. Much of my tenure as clerk of Northern YM has been devoted to these same issues, and I am excited at the possibility of applying what I have learned to benefit NYYM. It has been my experience that spiritual diversity can be an enormous asset to a body of Friends when it is possible to speak our differences clearly and to receive each other without defensiveness.

"I am particularly moved by the prospect of serving both Christ-centered Friends and more Universalist Friends, and to strengthen the bonds of community between them. When I came to Friends I was a Universalist, and have moved across the continuum over the years to where I am now Christ-centered in my worship. I experience myself as carrying both these strands within me, and it would be a privilege to serve Friends in a capacity that welcomes me bringing forth and using all of who I am in service.

"For many years, I have been fascinated by the interface between organizational development and God. In both my business practices and in my work with Friends, I have been sensitive to whether our structures and relationships seemed rightly ordered. Even before becoming a Quaker I helped found a worker cooperative managed by consensus decisionmaking. For over twenty years I have sought to give supervision to employees, subcontractors, and junior colleagues that was clear, supportive, and in harmony with Friends testimony on equality. I continue to live from the question: How do we run an organization in a way that is truly Spirit-led?

"To work toward a community that goes beyond being nice to each other, that seeks to openly address and resolve conflict, that seeks to fully acknowledge and celebrate difference, is to create radical community. This is the work that I believe Friends are now being called to. It is proactive peace making—creating peace in the world."

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Transforming Hopelessness into Centered Peacemaking

Silver Bay Sessions, July 25-31, 2004

Our faithful Junior Yearly Meeting staff will provide a morning program for young people, infants through high school age, and cooperative afternoon and evening childcare. This is also a special time for young adult Friends.

The Sessions Committee encourages all members and attenders or our yearly meeting and members of other yearly meetings to attend. This year's theme, Transforming Hopelessness into Centered Peacemaking, reminds us that in spite of enormous violence in the world, there are encouraging signs of successful nonviolent resistance and vigorous, spirit-filled peacemaking. As the April 9 Worship and Action for Peace Letter says, "we need to tell each other how the Spirit is gathering and leading us in peace."

This issue of Spark has all the information you need for our annual sessions at Silver Bay. Don't miss them!

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Featured Speaker
Dan Snyder will be the plenary speaker Monday evening at Yearly Meeting sessions. Before joining Pendle Hill faculty, Dan was a pastoral counselor in private practice. As a therapist, he has worked with individuals, couples, families, adult psychiatric patients, and domestic violence offenders. He holds masters degrees in religious studies from Earlham School of Religion and Boston University School of Theology, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. His teaching focuses on the relationship between the inner and outer world and on the spiritual basis of nonviolence. He is currently working on a book project entitled Prayer and Peacemaking: Faith-Based Witness in an Age of Domination. Dan will be with us for the full week, meeting with young Friends and leading a spiritual study group on peacemaking and the life of the Spirit.

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Bible Study at Silver Bay
The Good News and the Extra Mile: Centering Our Witness in the Midst of Empire is the theme of this year's Bible study. From Jesus' triumphal procession into Jerusalem to the catastrophe of the cross and the mystery of the resurrection, the events of Passion Week reveal a radical, spirit-led, nonviolent politics of hope and resistance in the face of empire. In this year's Bible study, Steve Davison will use the drama of Passion Week as the narrative framework (with flashbacks to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, and other key passages). Now, as then, Jesus' teachings offer "good news" for those who struggle against economic, political, and military oppression. For us, as for his first followers, Jesus models a Way to stay centered in God while witnessing for peace and justice. We'll examine the planks in the platform for the commonwealth of God that Jesus proclaimed. We'll explore the centering spirituality of vision, prayer, and retreat that was its foundation. We'll ask how we might center our own hope and witness on Jesus' extraordinary model while living in the midst of empire.

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Financial Assistance Available for Silver Bay

Friends are asked to apply for amounts based upon the least expensive accommodations. Friends who need to stay in more expensive rooms because of physical disabilities have also received aid. Grants are usually limited to 1/3 of your expenses. Priority will be given to first-time attenders, those people with regular contact with monthly meetings, and those with special circumstances.

The total amount of funds is quite limited. Funds are not transferable.

To apply for aid, fill out the financial aid section on the Yearly Meeting Registration Form. There must be a separate Yearly Meeting Registration Form for each person (including children) who requests aid. A confirmation slip will be mailed to you by July 13 indicating the level of aid you will receive. This confirmation slip must be presented to the Silver Bay desk as part payment of your bill.

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NYYM Registration Fees

Early registration is critical to assist in JYM, NYYM, and Silver Bay planning. The YM office will forward your forms to Silver Bay in the order in which they are received until July 16. After that date, room reservations must be arranged directly with Silver Bay Association (518-543-8833).

Family groups pay a maximum of $75 until July 16. A "family group" is one or two adults and the dependents for whom they are responsible. All members of a family group must send their registrations in at the same time and must cluster together at Silver Bay.

If more than one person is on a registration form, your registration form will be returned. If you need more forms, photocopy them or download here.¹

 

	Until July 16	July 17–24	After July 24
Adults (out of high school)	$30	$60	$70
JYM Youth (ages 3-18)	$15	$30	$35
Per day fee*	$ 10	$15	$20
*Applies only to those attending less than half session.

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On Your Way to Silver Bay

Adirondack is the meeting closest to Silver Bay, making this a convenient place to break your journey. The meeting is located at 27 Saratoga Ave., South Glens Falls NY 12803. If you plan to attend, you can call Diana De Blois at 518-798-1806 for information.

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Disability Concerns at Silver Bay

There will also be opportunities for Friends to be Disability Concerns volunteers—at mealtime, driving a Friend to a meeting, or staffing our table. A checkbox for volunteers is on the registration form.

Housing
There are five mobility-accessible sleeping rooms, with bathrooms, on the first sleeping floor of the Inn that are reserved for those using wheelchairs (and their roommates). One-tenth of the rooms in the Inn will be reserved for people who, for any reason, find it physically difficult to room elsewhere. These rooms will be held ONLY UNTIL JULY 1, and then will be released for general availability.

Two shower/tub transfer benches have been donated to Silver Bay. This will make some less expensive rooms in the Inn available to those whose limitations fall in this category.

If you have a disability or illness that makes it hard for you to climb hills or steps, please make sure that you sign up early, and request one of the reserved rooms. Financial assistance is available from the Advancement Committee to help with additional expenses.

Friends who are unable to transfer themselves to and from wheelchair/bed, etc., and require special assistance with dressing, bathing, or other personal needs must arrange this personal assistance on their own and must have the person assisting stay in their room. The caregiver must be in attendance for the length of the stay of the person requiring this type of specialized help. Silver Bay will offer a special reduced rate for the person assisting.

Worship and Meetings

The people who set up the worship sharing groups need to know if you have hearing or physical problems so that note takers can be provided, or accessible locations allocated. Please indicate on your registration form if you will require such assistance.

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Golf Carts

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12-Step Meetings at Silver Bay

Nurture Coordinating Committee has oversight of this but needs to hear from people who would be willing to take responsibility for one or more of these meetings. To volunteer, please contact Boyce Benge. His contact information is in the Yearbook.

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Raise Your Voice in Song—Renewed Choir at Silver Bay

Music has always been a central part of my life, a way for me to express my deepest feelings. The music I have chosen for Yearly Meeting is particularly meaningful for me. We will be singing the joyous conclusion of the oratorio Ariel by Robert Starer.

Ariel was commissioned by the Interracial Fellowship Chorus, a large chorus in NYC, open to all without audition, under the direction of Harold Aks. It was a privilege and a joy for me to sing in the premiere performance at Town Hall in May of 1960.

Hal died in June of 2000, so in reviving this work I will be paying tribute to a wonderful man whom I consider to be among my teachers, of life as much as of music. I hope I will be able to offer a tribute which is worthy of his memory.

This very singable piece of music ends, "Let us walk in the light of the Lord." I hope that many of us will be moved to join in the choir and "make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

If you plan to be in the choir, please sign up for study group SG3. If you wish, I can send you a copy of the music to study. I am also looking for a good accompanist. Contact me at tomr@tnrmediate.com, or by ordinary mail through the Yearly Meeting office.

Tom Rothschild, Brooklyn Meeting

Building an Inclusive Community

Silver Bay Rules

1. To wear a badge on campus. You will be responsible for infractions by someone else wearing your badge.
2. To observe safety precautions, such as:
   • Swimming only at stated times and places;
   • Smoking only outdoors where permitted;
   • Wearing shoes where food is being served;
   • Refraining from use of alcohol and illegal drugs on campus;
   • Using only those sleeping rooms reserved for your use. Any changes after check-in MUST be cleared with Silver Bay.
   • Observing quiet time after 11 P.M.;
   • Not using sleeping bags or otherwise camping on the grounds or in the public facilities.
3. To observe regulations against:
   • Using cars as sleeping accommodations;
   • Bringing pets onto the Silver Bay campus;
   • Removing linens or furnishings from the rooms;
   • Parking in undesignated areas;
   • Bringing alcohol or illegal drugs on campus.

NYYM Agreements

1. All attenders are expected to:
   • observe safety precautions such as: maintaining contact between children and parent(s), guardians, or sponsors at regular intervals;
2. under 18 years old:
   • register with Junior Yearly Meeting in the company of the parent, legal guardian, or sponsor
   • cluster with (sleep in a room near) the parent(s), guardian, or sponsor
   • have a valid medical consent form signed by a parent or guardian (medical forms will be mailed to JYM registrants)
   • attend the activities of the JYM group to which assigned.
3. if parent(s), guardians, or sponsor for a child under 18 years old, assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of that person.
4. if responsible for a child or to an adult, agree and commit to a specific bedtime and daily check-ins
5. if 18 years or older, register yourself and dependents with Yearly Meeting

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Yearly Meeting Schedule at a Glance¹
July 25–31, 2004

Study and Interest Groups

Study Groups (Tuesday through Thursday)

SG1: Afghanistan Education Program
Alice Andrews
The people of Afghanistan are rebuilding after decades of war.  Come find out how you can help.  Would your meeting like to sponsor a school?  Support a teacher training course? Join with other meetings to do so? Alice will show slides and answer questions about AFSC work in Afghanistan.

SG2: Behind the Walls
Alison Coleman, Mary Eberhardt, Tom Martin
Inside of prisons our worship groups connect those living behind the walls with those living outside the walls. What is it like to enter a prison as a volunteer? What are some of the barriers to being involved in prison work, and how can they be overcome? What are some of the current criminal justice issues? What are the prisoners' concerns? What happens when prisoners come home?

SG3: Choir Rehearsal—Lift up Your Voice
Tom Rothschild
Music that would add to the life of the meeting, to the text "The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands . . . Let us walk in the light of the Lord." And music that's just fun to sing! When signing up for the choir please indicate voice.

SG4: Couple Enrichment
Mary Kay Glazer and Mark Moss
Couples who attend this workshop/interest group improve their communication skills, connect more deeply with each other, and learn how to deal creatively with conflict. Couples' work is peace work, as we live our vision for a more peaceful world in our most intimate relationships. For all couples in a committed relationship. Limited to eight couples.

SG5: Death, Dying and Bereavement
Paula M. Peterson
How do we prepare for the end of life, whether it is ours or the life of someone we love? What do we say internally and externally? What beliefs give us hope and what creates fear? Let's get Death and Dying out of the closet by learning and sharing together.

SG6: Immigration and Mobility
Amy Gottlieb, Anne Wright
This study group will explore how Friends can take the concern for migration and mobility back to the monthly meeting. AFSC Immigrant Rights Director Amy Gottlieb and others working with immigrants will examine treatment of immigrants in the U.S. (including those who are undocumented), asylum, detention, grassroots organizing by immigrant communities, legislation, and education with host communities. Presentations, discussions, and development of work plan anticipated.

SG7: Just for the Joy of It
Joyce Schroeder
With our crazy lives and the uncertain times in which we live, we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves and just have fun. This class will help people experience joy through performing musical numbers from Broadway shows. The class features guided meditation, stretching, singing, and easy choreography. The deliverable is a performance at Café Night! Any and all talent and age groups are welcome.
SG8: Making Inclusion Happen
Vince Buscemi
With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, monthly meetings can move toward realistic definitive actions to (1) become truly welcoming to People of Color, (2) become better informed about Friends of Color, (3) focus the meeting's resources on racial diversity, (4) find ways to participate with People of Color, and (5) find new ways to publicize events. Interactive sessions include worship.

SG9: Meet the Minimum Needs of All
Radh Achuthan 
Meeting the minimum needs of all is about the economic identity of being human. 2.9 billion people, approximately one half of the global population, live on less than $2 per day and 1.3 billion of that population live on less than $1 per day. What role does consumerism play? How do the 1.7 billion people from developed and developing nations participate in this and associated violence?

SG10: Peacemaking and the Life of the Spirit
Dan Snyder
As peacemakers we long to bring real hope to conditions of despair. Yet these very conditions are toxic to the soul and require the healing power of deeply authentic spiritual resources. Participants in this group will explore ways of sustaining a spiritual peace in the midst of injustice and conflict.

SG11: Peacemaking within Our Yearly Meeting

Joanna Komoska, Rick Townsend How can we create a spiritual process for resolving and transforming conflicts? What is the difference? How does our Peace Testimony inform this process? This study group will provide a dynamic introduction to these basic concepts, exploring ways to apply them to conflicts arising within and between meetings.

SG12: Quaker Witness in Honduras
Jonathan Hibbs and Portia Jones
Come learn about an exciting project of Honduras Yearly Meeting to train community health primary care workers in rural communities without healthcare. Attenders at Albany Friends Meeting will share about this work with Friends in Central America.

SG13: Reparations for American Slavery, Jim Crow Segregation & their Continuing Legacy
Coordinator: Jerry Leaphart
Study group facilitated by Black Concerns Committee on identifying and understanding the adverse effects of slavery in America and Jim Crow segregation. Study group queries on Quaker involvement in reparations and on the meaning and intent of reparations will be developed through presentation of information and dialogue among Friends in a safe space.

SG14: Violence in Children's Lives
Ron Peterson, Mary Rothschild
Mary will challenge us during the first two sessions: What do we observe? What does the research tell us about violent toys, television, and video/computer games in the lives of children? What are the concerns of conscience for us as Friends? What do we see that needs to be addressed? How will we address it? On day three Ron will present one possible response, the hows, whys, and how-tos of putting together a violent toy trade-in. Friends will leave with enough information to take the plan to their home meetings and create a violent toy trade-in for their community.

SG15: War and the U.S. 2004
Coordinator: Jim Hamilton
This group will explore the mythology and temptation of war and how it applies to America and Iraq today; consider the role of Peace Teams and the many ways Friends witness against the war machine; fashion a truth and reconciliation commission for America; and enact a liturgy of peace.

Interest Groups (Friday)

IG1: Holistic Health
Jean and Fred Doneit
Holistic health maximizes our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual condition. We can accept where we are and allow life to move us from risks through symptoms, disabilities, illnesses, to premature death; or we can choose to live intentionally and move from risks, through awareness, prevention, self-actualization, to total wellness.

IG2: Joys and Challenges of Multiracial Families
Maria Arias, Evelyn Kennenwood
In a safe and sacred space we will identify issues, concerns, and experiences within the Quaker community regarding our multiracial families. Using one or more queries adapted from Faith and Practice, we will explore our multiracial identity and acknowledge and examine how racism and privilege affect our families and spiritual lives.

IG3: Network of Counselors
Bill Galvin
How do we use the network of counselors in Yearly Meeting trained to help people dealing with issues of conscience and war? The administration's permanent war policy has raised increasing problems for people of conscience and the possibility of a return to an active draft looms. This interest group would explore how to best use this list of Friends to better serve Yearly Meeting and the community at large.

IG4: Quakers and Economics
Steven Davison
An economic history of Quakers – our contributions to capitalist culture and Industrialism (extremely significant and little known), our responses to its problems and their implications for our own economic witness. This extends the work of an Economics Consultation held 6/03 at Pendle Hill and comes from a book Steven is writing on the topic.

IG5: Quaker Earthcare Witness
Liseli Haines
You have heard of Friends Committee on Unity with Nature. We have a new name, a new witness and action statement and a new plan to finish our job and lay ourselves down by our 25th anniversary. Come and hear about Quaker Earthcare Witness and how you can help us reach our goals.

IG6: Setting up a Quaker TV/Radio Network
Bob Baldridge
We will explore establishing a Quaker television/radio network. All are welcome to discuss this project, which would consist of a series of programs intended to be educational for new and old Friends and those unfamiliar with Quakers. We welcome ideas for content and format. We will also explore the relationship between Friends and media. Programs would be broadcast on public-access channels in different regions and would be available for lending libraries on videotape or DVD.

IG7: White Friends Sharing Feelings about Racism
Robin Alpern, Irma Guthrie
White Friends have tried hard not to be agents of racism. Yet we hear that our Society and we ourselves are influenced by a racist culture. At this interest group for white Friends only, participants will be invited to share openly and to listen. Maximum of 8 attenders.

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About Silver Bay

87 Silver Bay Road
Silver Bay, NY 12874
518-543-8833

The Silver Bay Association, founded in 1902 as a YMCA Christian conference and training center, provides an inspirational setting and quality services for conferences and members, encourages spiritual, mental and physical growth, fosters a concern for the world in which we live, and nurtures the spirit of service and leadership among our constituencies while offering love and hospitality to all.

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Driving Directions

At exit 22: Take a left off exit onto Rt. 9. Go thru village of Lake George. At the north end of Lake George village take a right onto Rt. 9N. Go through Bolton Landing. From Bolton Landing go approximately 13 miles. At the Silver Bay Road, go 1/2 mile to the Inn.

At exit 23: Take a right off exit onto Bolton Road all the way to the end of road. Turn left onto Rt. 9N, through Bolton Landing and 13 miles towards Hague. At Silver Bay Road, go 1/2 mile to the Inn.

At exit 24: Take a right off exit. Go 4 miles east to Rt. 9N, then left (north) on 9N for 13 miles. At the Silver Bay Association Road, go 1/2 mile to the Inn.

If pulling a trailer take exit 25 and go toward Hague through Brant Lake. Then turn south on 9N in Hague Village. There are steep hills when using exits 22, 23 and 24 and going north on 9N.

Driving time is estimated at 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Albany; 4-5 hours from New York City; 6-7 hours from Buffalo. Those needing more explicit or alternate directions may contact the Silver Bay Association.

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Public Transportation

By train: Take Amtrak's Adirondack to Ticonderoga (800-523-8720 or 800-USA RAIL. Make arrangements for pickup by the Silver Bay van at least 48 hours in advance. A donation of $15 per van load is encouraged to cover the costs of being met.

By air: The Silver Bay van will meet passengers who have made arrangements at least 48 hours in advance at either the Albany, NY, or Burlington, VT, airports. A donation of $50 per van load is encouraged to cover the costs of being met.

To make arrangements for being met by the Silver Bay van, write directly to the Silver Bay Association, giving means of travel, time of arrival, flight number, and number of persons.

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Food Service at Silver Bay

Silver Bay will provide standard and vegetarian menu choices for each meal. Vegetarian meals will include eggs, milk, and cheese but no red meat or fish. Silver Bay cannot accommodate "specialty" diets. A full salad bar will be provided at both lunch and dinner. If you are a vegetarian, please indicate this on your registration form, so that Silver Bay can be prepared.

For those who have other special dietary needs, it is recommended that you bring your own food. Silver Bay will provide refrigeration. A refrigerator will be made available for baby food, etc. Cooking facilities for those with special dietary needs (though not for campers) will be available in Paine Hall – 1st floor off rotunda and in Spruce Mountain Lodge kitchen.

The Silver Bay cooks will not add salt to either the regular food or the vegetarian food. Salt will be available on the tables.

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Silver Bay Campus

Staying on Campus

Room Reservations

Preference for rooms is given to those who stay for the entire week. Rooms are assigned in the order in which requests are received. It is advisable to register early.

All rooms have double occupancy. Beds for children may be added to the larger rooms. If you require a single room we suggest you find accommodations off campus.

If no rooms are available at your price, you may be assigned to a room at a higher price. You will receive prior notice if this is necessary.

A few double beds are available in the highest-priced rooms in the Inn. If you would like one, please indicate that on your registration form. Room reservations will not be held after 6:00 P.M. unless the room is completely prepaid or you call Silver Bay to notify them of your late arrival. If you need to cancel, call Silver Bay (518-543-8833) directly, so your room can be assigned to someone else.

Silver Bay room check-in begins at 3 P.M. on Sunday, July 25. Checkout time is 11:00 A.M. daily. Luggage can be left in designated areas after checking out. Those not out of their rooms by 11:00 A.M. will be charged for an extra day. No refunds are issued for early departures, unless arrangements are made prior to check-in.

All rates are per person and do not include a gratuity. There is a box at the SBA desk for those who wish to show appreciation to the employees .

Suites in Bayview and the Inn have a surcharge of $25 per day, in addition to all other charges, if occupied by fewer than three persons. Inn suites are 116, 128, 130, 216, 228, and 230; Bayview suites are 1, 2, and 3.

People age 13 and older pay the adult rates and can room with another person of the same age or older.

The Half-Conference rate is for those attending from Sunday 7/25 to Wednesday 7/28 or Wednesday 7/28 to Saturday 7/31. The Extra Day rates are for those who wish to arrive on Saturday 7/24. Silver Bay does not guarantee that you will be assigned to the same room on the extra day.

Clustering (staying in rooms that are close together) is required of all parents/guardians/sponsors and the children they are supervising. Voluntary clustering is available for family groups or others who wish to be housed together. Send your registrations together in the same envelope.

No one should go to Silver Bay without an advance registration with New York Yearly Meeting and assurance from Silver Bay that there is room for you.

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Staying Off-Campus

Off-Campus and Day Registrants
Friends camping, commuting, or taking rooms off campus are asked to give their addresses for the week on the registration form. Otherwise, please supply this information when picking up the badges. Badges are required for all attenders. Replacement charge for lost badges is $2.50.

People staying on campus pay for the use of facilities through their lodging costs; those living off campus and daily commuters pay for the use of the facilities through an off-campus fee, paid when checking in at Silver Bay.

The fees for the use of facilities are as follows:
Individual	$14 for one day*
Individual	$60 for the week*
Family	$171 for the week*
*Please add $2/person for name badge

Meal tickets for the Silver Bay dining room can be purchased at the Inn front desk in advance of desired meals. The cost per meal is:

Breakfast	$6.00
Lunch	$8.00
Dinner	$12.00

A special rate may be obtained if meals are bought as a "package," though this can be done only on July 25, upon arrival. These package rates are:

Six breakfasts for	$30.00
Six lunches for	$45.00
Six dinners for	$66.00

If you intend to buy meal tickets when you arrive at Silver Bay, please indicate this on your registration form.

A name badge must be worn and a meal ticket purchased by anyone staying off campus who wants to eat in the dining room.

 

REMINDER: All Off-Campus Registrants Must Report to the Yearly Meeting Desk AND the Silver Bay Registration Desk upon Arrival.

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Campsites

Wintergreen Lake Campsite, Hague, NY 12836; 518-543-6751. Four miles west of Hague, off Route 8, about 8 miles from Silver Bay campus.

Green Acres Campsite, Hague, NY 12836; 518-543-6645. 1/2 mile west of Hague on Route 8, about 4 1/2 miles from Silver Bay.

Rogers Rock Forest Preserve State Campground, Ticonderoga, NY (for reservations, call 800-456-2267). Eight miles north of Silver Bay on Route 9N.

Brookwood RV Resort, Ticonderoga, NY; 518-585-4462; 518-585-7047. This is the old Brookwood Campground, which has been completely refurbished.

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Nearby Motels

Northern Lake George Resort (518-543-6528)
Trout House Resort (518-543-6088)
Hague Motel (518-543-6631)
Ruah Bed & Breakfast (518-543-8816)
The Locust Inn (518-543-6035)

Ticonderoga vicinity (14 miles north) (address: Ticonderoga, NY 12883):

Lord Howe Valley Motel (518-585-7454)
Green Acres Motel (518-585-2274)
Latchstring Motel (518-585-2875)
Circle Court Motel (518-585-7660)
Belfred Court Motel (518-585-7000)
Super 8 Motel (518-585-2617)

 

Early reservations for campsites and motels are advised. You may wish to notify managerment that you are attending the YM at Silver Bay so that you can be near other Friends.

2004 Silver Bay Room Descriptions and Rates

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J u n i o r Y e a r l y M e e t i n g

JYM Frequently Asked Questions

When you arrive at Silver Bay you must register first with the Yearly Meeting (if you haven't pre-registered), check in with Silver Bay and get room assignments, then proceed to the JYM Office in the basement of Morse Hall to register with JYM.

What do I do at JYM registration? For each of the children you are bringing to Yearly Meeting, you need to have your medical information ready, including your child's relevant medical history and a record of any allergies. You will receive a copy of the schedule for the week for each group and will have to sign permission forms, if necessary, for any trips out of JYM's time period for official group activities. You will also meet some of your child's group leaders.

Where does my child go? JYM goes by grade, not by age. Each of our groups is based on the grade the young Friend will be entering in the fall. The groups are grades K–1, grades 2–3, grades 4–5, grades 6–7, grades 8–9, and Senior High (grades 10–12). Each of the groups meets in the same location throughout the week. For the 0–4 years age group, Silver Bay offers childcare, which is supplemented by JYM staff and Friendly volunteers. All JYM staff will be wearing brightly colored name tags so they are easily recognized.

When does JYM meet? The JYM program meets Monday through Friday from 8:45 A.M. to 12:00 noon. Parents who are picking up young children from their groups are reminded to do so as close to noon as possible, please!

Are there other JYM-sponsored activities besides the group meetings in the morning? Sometimes official JYM group activities will take place after our morning hours. The parent/guardian/sponsor will have to sign a permission slip for each event scheduled outside of the regular group meeting time and location. The two exceptions are the Fun(d) Fair, which takes place on Wednesday afternoon from 1–2:30 P.M., and Cafe Night, which takes place on Thursday evening from 7:30–9:30 P.M. No permission slips are required for these two JYM affiliated events.

Is there childcare provided during committee meeting/study group/interest group times in the afternoon? Yes, in the afternoon there is cooperative childcare, for children up through the age of 10, with JYM staff and JYM parents every day from 2:15–5:30 P.M. and from 6:30–9:45 P.M. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Thursday, JYM childcare will be provided from 6:30–7:45 P.M. and on Friday, from immediately following the conclusion of the JYM closing celebration until 9:45 P.M.

How do I know where my child is during the day? During official JYM sessions they should be with their JYM groups.

Parents/guardians/sponsors are responsible for JYMers during non-JYM hours. We suggest that you have a regular check-in time and location for the young Friend and the parent/guardian/sponsor to connect each day.

Can my child be assigned to an older group? No. The JYM groups are organized by standard public school grades in an effort to build on the strengths and needs of our children. Experience has shown us that children placed into groups with attenders years older than they are do not work well for community building. Although it is tempting to ask that siblings, who are assigned to different groups, be placed together, we have found that this is usually a hindrance to both children as well as the JYM group.

Can the JYM staff provide for my child with special needs? Unfortunately, the JYM program does not have enough staff or volunteers with special training to provide for children with special needs. If your child wishes to attend JYM and needs special attention please plan to participate with them in the program. Please contact the coordinators before your arrival if you will be attending the JYM program with your child.

What about bedtimes? The young Friend and the parent/guardian/sponsor should work out a reasonable bedtime so that the JYM participant can actively take part in the JYM activities in the morning. It is up to the parent/guardian/sponsor to make sure that the young Friend is sufficiently well rested to participate fully in the morning JYM session. It's best if this arrangement is finalized at home—different families have different rules and there will always be someone who is allowed to stay up later.

Can my child go to Silver Bay without me? If your child is under 18, he/she may attend Silver Bay with a sponsor. The designated sponsor must be at least 10 years older than the young Friend they are sponsoring. When you register your child to attend Yearly Meeting, you will need to indicate who the sponsor is, and send your child's registration in with that person's, and indicate that they will be clustering (rooming near each other). You will need to send medical information with your child to be turned in at JYM registration.

Who do I talk to if I want to volunteer or if I have any questions? The JYM coordinators, Amy White and Martha Gurvich, are available to answer questions about JYM during our week at Silver Bay Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 12:00 noon in the JYM office in the basement of Morse Hall. You can also go to the clerk of the JYM committee, David Press; and to the JYM/MCCC support committee, or the NYYM conference office in the Inn. If you cannot find us and want to leave a note, there is a message board in the Inn for that purpose. We love volunteer parents!

Amy White, Martha Gurvich

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How to Register for JYM

• provide the name of your parent(s), guardian, or sponsor
• ask to be assigned to a room close to your parent(s), guardian, or sponsor (this is called clustering)
• indicate your grade in the fall and age
• mail your registration and that of your parent(s), guardian, or sponsor together in the same envelope

When you arrive at Silver Bay, register with JYM. Parent or guardian must accompany you to JYM registration. At that time, you will have the opportunity to meet the staff who will be working with your age group.

The NYYM office sends copies of JYM registrations (for all youth from infants through high school) to the JYM registrar as well as to the Silver Bay registrar. For JYM and Silver Bay to have activities ready and staffed, early registration is critical!

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What Do You Need?

1. beach towel or blanket
2. favorite book or two for quiet time
3. something warm to wear in the evening
4. flashlight, rain gear, fan, alarm clock
5. sense of humor

Also, Silver Bay has a little store where you can buy beverages and snacks. You might want to set aside some money to spend there.

In an effort to keep within our budget, we are asking each young Friend to bring a can/jar of juice or a healthy snack.

As a community-outreach project, we also ask that each family bring a nonperishable food item for a local food pantry.

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Medical Forms

Attention Parents, Guardians, and Sponsors

• Attend the Sunday evening Family Worship together.
• Decide on a time for bed before you leave home. What is necessary for your child to be well rested and prepared to participate in the JYM program?
• Remember, there will be many families with different parenting techniques. Only you can know how much sleep/rest your child needs.
• Decide on a meeting place and time for a daily check-in to see how your child is doing.
• Parents with young children will be permitted to enter the dining room 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled meal times.

Clustering allows parents and children, sponsors or guardians, and youth to room in proximity and be better able to check in and communicate responsibly.

All registrations in one cluster should be sent in the same envelope. Silver Bay staff is not able, with our large numbers, to reshuffle for clustering accommodations.

Youth registrations (under 18 years) must be sent in by the parent or sponsor—together with the adult's registration and as early as possible. Any youth registrations sent independent of their responsible adults will be returned. If you have any questions call Helen Garay Toppins at the NYYM office, 212-673-5750.

Sponsors must cluster—A child under 18 years of age who wishes to attend Yearly Meeting Sessions, but will have no parent or legal guardian present, is required to have a sponsor. The Yearly Meeting sponsor is a responsible adult who agrees to act in the role of parent during the child's stay at Yearly Meeting. The sponsor should be designated by the parent or legal guardian, must be at least 10 years older than the child, and must remain at Yearly Meeting during the time the child is there. All children under 18 must have a parent, legal guardian, or sponsor attending Yearly Meeting sessions. Please do not call Silver Bay to request otherwise.

The sponsor and the child should know each other reasonably well, and must request clustering near each other at the time of registration. The sponsor must name on his/her registration form the child for whom he/she is responsible. Parents, guardians, and sponsors are responsible for their junior and senior high schoolers, as well as younger children. If you have any questions, call Helen Garay Toppins at the NYYM office, 212-673-5750.

We look forward to seeing you at Silver Bay.

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Café Night

Come and share your talent

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Volunteers Sought for Preschoolers

Friends are asked to consider giving half a morning, during worship sharing or NYYM meeting for business, on as many days as they wish. A full morning of service would also be greatly appreciated.

Anyone who would like to volunteer some time to help with the preschool program is asked to contact martha Gurvich or Amy White, whose contact information is listed in the Yearbook.

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Calling All White Elephants

We also need Friends to work on the day of the sale. If you can volunteer your services, please contact me at sing2b@msn.com.

Anne Wright, Scarsdale Meeting

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Free Books from Mosher Fund

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Clerk's Corner

Teeming with Life

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a gift to spend the afternoon turning over the vegetable garden here in the backyard of our new home. A female turkey scouting about at the base of the bird feeder kept a watchful eye on me, finally deciding I posed no threat from within the confines of the garden fencing. It felt good to dig, moving muscles that had not been worked for some time. Robust earthworms wriggled their way back down into the earth as I turned over each shovelful. The voices of frogs and songbirds provided a lively background to the work.

As I dug, my thoughts traveled back to Representative Meeting at Chautauqua just one week ago. At first pass, the activities of that weekend and the preparation of the soil in the garden this weekend seemed miles apart. But no; as I continued to dig, the realization of a deeper connection began to emerge. The worship and the work that we did at Chautauqua were teeming with Life, just like in our backyard swale and the wetlands beyond. As we met together for worship and business, we were tilling the soil, exposing the richness of the earth, revealing the beauty and robust nature of Love and Truth.

We heard it in the voices of young Friends as they shared their experience at YouthQuake; in Shirley Way's talk about her leading to cross the line at the School of the Americas; the report on conscientious objection to military taxation; the endorsement of a moratorium on the death penalty; the approval of a new general secretary; a report from the Worship and Action Working Group; and our involvement in the New York State Community of Churches. Friends are encouraged to read prayerfully the minutes of Representative Meeting, taking note of the Spirit at work in our Yearly Meeting and Friends' faithfulness to the Light.

In what often feels like overwhelmingly dark times, we want to lift up and speak aloud the goodness of God, the triumph of the Light over darkness. I am encouraged and inspired by these words from Philippians 4:8–9:

And now, my friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable – fill all your thoughts with these things. The lessons I taught you, the tradition I have passed on, all that you heard me say or saw me do, put into practice; and the God of peace will be with you.

Linda Chidsey, clerk, NYYM
April 26, 2004

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Highlights of Representative Meeting Minutes

4. Paula McClure, clerk of General Services, brought forward the business of that section. . . .

5. . . . Friends approved the proposed 2004 Operating Budget. Friends approved the proportional shares section of the budget. Friends approved the creation of a new fund, the Released Friends Traveling in the Ministry Fund, to replace the Opportunity Account for Released Friends.

6. Paula then brought forth the name of Christopher Sammond for the general secretary position. . . . She read correspondence from Christopher, in which he expressed his feeling led to apply for this position and his joy at the prospect of working with the Yearly Meeting in spirit-led leadership. Paula read the following minute:

The General Services Coordinating Committee, having received and approved the recommendation of the Search Committee, recommends that the Yearly Meeting approve the appointment of Christopher Sammond to the position of General Secretary of New York Yearly Meeting . . . with the benefits and working conditions as per the Personnel Manual of the NYYM. The position will be reevaluated in three years.

Friends approved this minute.

15. For the Witness Coordinating Committee, Anita Paul introduced Rosa Packard to bring a report from the Subcommittee on Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation (COMT), under the care of the Peace Concerns Committee. The subcommittee has requested monthly meetings for information on their activities in this realm. . . .

16. Anita Paul introduced Thomas (Tom) Rothschild, who read to Friends a minute originating in Brooklyn Meeting, which calls on governors and legislatures for an immediate moratorium on the application of the death penalty. Friends endorsed the minute and directed the clerk to adapt it so that it becomes a statement by the Yearly Meeting, to notify New Yorkers against the Death Penalty of our action, and to send the minute to that organization to indicate our support for their call for moratorium.

17. Anita Paul announced the goal of the Sharing Fund for 2004 as $74,401 and asked Friends to increase their donations this year. Friends received her report.

18. . . . For the Worship and Action working group, Vicki Cooley reported the addition of Lucy (Lu) Harper to the group. The group is no longer writing and distributing updates or letters regularly. It feels led to observe, listen, and reflect back to the Yearly Meeting how it sees the Spirit at work among us. The group proposes to continue serving the Yearly Meeting by posing challenging questions and discerning the movement of the Spirit in local and regional meetings. Friends received the report and approved the continuation of the Worship and Action working group as stated there. It was approved that the group's relation to existing committees will be reviewed at Yearly Meeting in July.

19. As our named representative to the New York State Community of Churches Collegium, Linda Chidsey presented and spoke to a report on a trip to Washington, where she and others met with legislators. Friends were the only historic peace church represented. The delegates were both prophetic and practical. They found legislators surprisingly candid about the state of affairs in Washington. Linda called attention to an article in The Christian Century about the church's failure in Rwanda, and expressed her hope that the church must not fail in present crises. . . . NOTE: The complete set of minutes is posted on the NYYM Web site and will be published in the Yearbook.

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From Testimony to Federal Prison

For me, U.S. citizenship carries an obligation. I must become aware, as I am able and to the extent I am able, of the effects of my government's policies and those of my culture on the world, while maintaining an attitude of lovingkindness toward all parties. Particularly now. Particularly with this administration bent on hegemony. Particularly with this disposable culture that demands cheap fuel and a plethora of excesses, that are used as justification by my government for destroying lives. As I become aware and allow that awareness to gently sit in me, leadings emerge.

As I carefully consider and nurture each new leading with Friends, I am upheld and carried, protected and nurtured, given strength and courage beyond my means.

In 2000, I participated in a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation to Chiapas, Mexico. We worshiped in the church in Acteal, Chiapas, where 45 women, children, and men had been killed by paramilitaries in 1997 as they fasted and prayed for peace. We learned of the intertwining of paramilitary and Mexican army soldiers and officers—some of whom had been trained at the SOA/WHISC at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Later, in Guatemala, I learned of the U.S.-backed military overthrow in 1954 of the only democratically elected president Guatemalans have ever known and of the 36-year civil war that followed. I heard first-hand accounts and saw photographs of massacres of entire villages committed under the "scorched earth" campaign of recent dictators Fernando Romero Lucas García and General Efraín Ríos Montt. The numbers are staggering: 200,000 dead, 50,000 disappeared, 400,000 displaced (and more than 1 million internally displaced). Nearly 600 villages were annihilated. Ríos Montt's "work" was supported by the Reagan administration. Lucas García, Ríos Montt, and his top army general, Hector Gramajo, are graduates of the SOA/WHISC.

In 1996 the Pentagon was forced to release training manuals used at the SOA/WHISC that advocate torture, false imprisonment, extortion, execution, and the kidnapping of a target's family members.

The poor, the indigenous, children, human-rights workers, religious workers, student leaders, and union organizers are targets of the graduates of the SOA/WHISC.

In 2002, Amnesty International released a report, Unmatched Power, Unmet Principles: The Human Rights Dimensions of U.S. Training of Foreign Military and Police Forces, which details atrocities committed at the hands of many of SOA/WHISC's 60,000 graduates. The report calls the U.S. government to suspend all training at the SOA/WHISC, to establish an independent commission to investigate the past activities of the SOA and its graduates, and to make reparations including criminal prosecutions, redress for victims and their families, and a public apology. The U.S. government has not shown any intention of heeding the recommendations.

And so I am led to cross the line, to take a stand, to bear witness, to say "Not in my name. Not with my tax dollars."

In 1999 my uncle Dillwyn Otis (Poplar Ridge Monthly Meeting) and I, together with over 4,000 others, "crossed the line" onto Fort Benning in an act of civil disobedience during the annual vigil organized by SOA Watch. Due to our numbers we were simply put onto buses and dropped two miles from the base.

Since 9/11, a chainlink fence topped with barbed wire blocks the gate. Crossers are now typically sentenced to between three and six months in a minimum-security federal prison.

One day in February 2003, while cross-country skiing, I was given that this will be the year I will cross (again) and that it will be all right. My heart knew, but my head was not convinced. So I wrote to two SOA/WHISC prisoners of conscience. My leading found way forward. I learned that it will not be easy for me or for the people who love me, but that it is doable. And for me, the price is very small indeed in comparison with the costs my fellow human beings have to bear at the hands of graduates of the SOA/WHISC.

In October, a clearness committee composed of Friends from Central Finger Lakes and Poplar Ridge Monthly Meetings found me clear in my leading. At Farmington-Scipio Regional Meeting's Fall Gathering, Friends approved a minute that recognizes my leading. In lieu of a minute from Representative Meeting, which was canceled, Linda Chidsey wrote a letter of support.

On November 23rd, I, together with 27 others, intentionally crossed onto Fort Benning, sat or knelt, and sang. We were arrested.

The week of January 26, 2004, our trials began. One by one we rose to speak our Truth. Eight were sentenced to 6 months in minimum-security federal prison, fifteen to 3 months, three to 12 months' probation, and one to 24 months' probation. In addition, some received fines, ranging from $500 to $1,500. This form of civil disobedience continues to be the most severely prosecuted in the country at this time.

It is a gift to be able to bear witness, to speak Truth. I do not do this alone. Friends and family accompanied me in body and in spirit as far as the line, in spirit across the line and again in body as well as in spirit to the bond hearing, and to trial. I am clear that without a loving and supportive faith community, this leading would not have emerged. I am also clear that I follow this leading on behalf of many Friends and friends. I expect my prison witness to be a gift as well.

Please consider writing a letter to your congressional representative asking him or her to cosponsor HR 1258 to close the SOA/WHISC. To learn more, please visit www.soaw.org. Click on "Take Action."

Shirley Way, Central Finger Lakes

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Quaker Street Youth Participates in Mexico Workcamp

Desemboque is inhabited by about 150 indigenous Seri (Comca'ac, in their language). Approximately 600 of these people remain in Mexico. They were driven off their land and nearly wiped out by the Mexican government in the 19th century and were eventually forced into hiding on Isla Tiburón, the largest island in the Sea of Cortez. The Seri did not migrate back to the mainland until the 1950s. Until the 1960s, outsiders thought the Seri were extinct.

Desemboque is a fairly isolated community; we traveled over dirt roads in the desert to get to their village, where there was no running water or electricity. Our bathrooms consisted of holes in the sand.

We spent the week doing various projects for the Seri, including some general maintenance, painting a building, and picking up trash. In Desemboque they have no way to dispose of their trash properly, and so it is set out in an arroyo to wash into the sea. This is one issue that the leader of our trip, Mike Gray, hopes to be able to address at some point. This is an especially important issue because many of the villagers are diabetic (originally nomadic, they are not physiologically able to cope as well with a consistent source of food or with the large amounts of refined sugars in the food available), and insulin needles make their way into the trash—not to mention the rusty cans and glass bottles, of which there are many.

We did a lot of trading—these folks make beautiful art, including intricate baskets made out of wood fibers, which are very strong as a consequence. They also make carvings out of ironwood to sell. One man, Armando, who was crippled from polio a long time ago, sits in his tent all day and produces the smoothest carvings of sea turtles, dolphins, quail, and rattlesnakes. When we first got there we were descended upon by the women, who held up strings of shell necklaces in front of our faces: we were supposed to buy them. They were made from baby conch shells, shark bones, seeds, and rattlesnake vertebrae. Some shells they had tinted with color. It was a fantastic thing to be among these people and to get to know them and hear stories about them. I wasn't able to do this as much, not being able to speak very much Spanish or Comca'ac, but the group dynamics during our large get-togethers with the Seri reminded me a lot of when we have had extended family come to visit. All the men stand together conversing, all the little kids race around and play together, girls would go around in pairs with their arms around each other, older people would be sitting around chatting. We had a chance to be part of the traditional dancing they do every night after sunset, and to eat crab salad from crabs they caught. It was a beautiful environment, right where the desert meets the ocean. It never rained, and the only time it was below 80° F. was at night.

This was only one of many work projects that Mike does; he also leads other workcamps in Mexico, working with Mexican ranchers, and in the States working with the Oglala Lakota. People of all ages participate. Generally the trips to Mexico take place in the spring and fall, and working with the Lakota on their reservation occurs in the spring.

Rebecca White
Quaker Street Monthly Meeting

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Come Celebrate with Purchase

Friends under the leadership of John Harrison migrated from Flushing in 1695, and settled on a tract of land purchased from the Indians, known as Harrison's Purchase. The first meetinghouse was built in 1727. We have survived two devastating fires, and our present structure is a composite of 1830s, 1950s, and 1970s elements, along with an addition just completed. We are now wheelchair accessible!

Judith Inskeep, Purchase Meeting

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Small Meetings Retreat Explores Spiritual Practices

Focusing on ways to strengthen our relationship with God and deepen meeting for worship, Michael sent each of us off alone to sit in expectant waiting for a message from God—the Divine, the Spirit, the Seed, or whatever term individual Friends use to refer to God. Journal pages came back full. Another exercise helped us to become more aware of the many different ways in which God speaks to us. Friends also considered how daily spiritual practices and spiritual friendships contribute to deeper meetings for worship.

Friends appreciated the sense of relaxation, renewal, and closeness to the Divine this weekend brought. Michael Wajda is a member of Goshen Friends Meeting in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Chel Avery, a member of the Goshen Meeting committee that anchors Michael's ministry, accompanied him on the retreat.

The 2005 Powell House retreat for small meetings and worship groups will be held March 18–20. Rubye Braye, a North Carolina Friend and the plenary speaker at Yearly Meeting in 2003, will facilitate.

Alyce Branum, Piseco Worship Group

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NYYM Events

We need your help! Please send information on your Quaker events, for inclusion in the calendar and the Events section, to Paul Busby at the NYYM office, paul@nyym.org.

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Victory Gardens for the War on HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is a new enemy with a far more powerful war machine than we faced in World War II. To date, it has killed in excess of 40,000,000 people. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence rate is 11.9% of the population. In Kenya, 15% of the adult population is reported to be HIV positive. In western Kenya, where many Friends live, the infection rate among girls 15–19 is 30%. Those infected generally die in two to five years.

What can Friends do? Where do we start? Manhattan Monthly Meeting, with the support of the World Ministries Committee, has begun by sponsoring a victory garden at Shidodo Friends Church. Funds were supplied for seeds, fertilizer, tools, and security. The food will go to the feeding program for AIDS orphans. Poverty and hunger breed prostitution, hence the female adolescent infection rate. In sub-Saharan Africa, prostitution is a death sentence from the ravages of AIDS.

How can your meeting start a garden? Meetings in Kenya who are willing to identify land, and provide oversight for gardens, could be matched with meetings here. This self-help initiative could provide food for the orphans and their surviving caretakers (generally grandmothers). The start-up cost for a garden is approximately five hundred dollars, depending on the area to be planted.

Many Friends have been disappointed when funds given for worthwhile purposes in Africa did not end up serving those purposes. We are encouraged by recent government anticorruption drives which seem to be resolving this problem. Taking on small projects, noting their successes or failures and then sharing this information with other Friends seems the best approach. Manhattan Monthly Meeting's experience makes it clear that funds should not be sent to individuals, no matter their position in a meeting/church. Funds should be sent to the meeting/church and the clerk and/or pastor must be identified as well as the committee with oversight over the distribution of supplies for the garden or gardens.

Winning the war on AIDS will require food, education, changing behaviors, and antiviral drugs. Food is one weapon in this war that we can begin to provide.

S. Jean Smith, Manhattan Meeting

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"The Conversation of the World"—Quakers and Media Ministry

In choosing to stay behind our hedges, protecting ourselves from the influences of popular culture, we inevitably abdicate any sense of responsibility for, far less transformation of, that culture. This was by no means the intent of the Society's founders; here is William Penn, who was certainly in a position to know something of the world's snares:

"The christian convent and monastery are within, where the soul is encloistered from sin. And this religious house the true followers of Christ carry about with them, who exempt not themselves from the conversation of the world, though they keep themselves from the evil of the world in their conversation. That is a lazy, rusty, unprofitable self-denial ... patience per force; self-denial against their will, rather ignorant than virtuous; and out of the way of temptation rather than constant in it."(2) 

As a Quaker, I believe that we are called to bring our good news into the "conversation of the world"—called to preach, in public, by any means necessary. The gospels were not written in Hebrew or in Aramaic, but in Greek so that they could be read by the widest possible audience. By contrast, we have allowed ourselves to become illiterate and invisible in the means of communications used by the vast majority of the world's people. We are called to "walk faithfully in our own time and place,"(3)  and it is long past time for us to examine our peculiar pride about disengagement with mass culture, whether it is an "empty form" and "silly poor gospel" at that. Lloyd Lee Wilson writes, "If we are to be the Lord's hands and feet in bringing about the Kingdom of God, we have to leave the spot we are now and do new things in strange places."4  In short, Friends must take on the charge of developing ministry in the theology, craft and analysis of media that leads to epiphany and social transformation, a "Quaker televangelism," as it were. Pamela Calvert, Strawberry Creek Meeting, Berkeley, CA. Adapted from previously published articles.

Editor's note: The Arts Committee of 15th Street Monthly Meeting is working on plans for a Quaker television/radio project. For information see April 2004 InfoShare or contact QuakerTelevision, 48-18 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City NY. 11101; 212-388-7999; quakertelevision@yahoo.com.

 

1. Journal, cited in Britain YM F&P 19.32  
2. No Cross, No Crown (1897 ed.), 60  
3. Jim Corbett, Leadings (SEYM 1994), 12  
4. Essays on the Quaker Vision of Gospel Order, 74

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Letter to the Editor

NOTE: Letters to the editor are presented when space is available. Letters raise and explore topics of concern to NYYM Friends. As in any Quaker forum, views here are uncensored, should be expressed briefly and gently, and may discomfort some Friends. The Publications Committee welcomes unsolicited manuscripts of opinion or reporting and will publish material that seems provocative and timely.

In November, I was invited to give a talk to the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Meeting, on the topic of white people working against racism. About 40 people attended; perhaps three-fourths were white. Following is a brief summary of my talk.

Racism is a scary subject. But all people participate in racism, and we all have a part in ending it. The gift is, the more we work against racism, the more we are all liberated!

I outlined steps white people must take. First, we have to recognize racism is real. Even when there are no overt actions like cross burnings, racism persists as white privilege (institutional advantages based on skin color) and internalized dominance (the unconscious attitude of superiority instilled in whites by our culture). Prisons are modern-day slave plantations populated primarily by Blacks and Hispanics.

Second, whites must view antiracism as our work. Too often, we think racism is a problem only for people of color. But we need to take responsibility for our conscious or unconscious complicity, and stop it. People of color already are forced to resist racism; if racism still exists, maybe it's because white people are stuck!

Third, white people need to shift passive nonracism, the attitude that "we never owned slaves," to an active, conscious, committed, moment-by-moment antiracism.

Fourth, we need to see that racism wounds us, too. Wounding others numbs us. Viewing ourselves as the center of the universe prevents our realizing and enjoying our true place. It robs us of authentic relationship with each other as well as with people of color. We can neither fully receive from nor contribute to people of color. Recovery from racism brings love, power, energy, and fresh life! I know experimentally!

Fifth, white people need to work together. Again, too often we view antiracism as the province of people of color, so we turn to them for partnership, support, and expertise. We also need to practice lifting each other out of racism, teaching each other how to identify and stop racism. We get to fall back in love with ourselves and each other.

Whites must learn the true history of white Quakers and people of color. Along with our accomplishments are many tragedies: denial of membership to people of color, relegation to back benches of the meetinghouse, refusal to intermarry, disownment of abolitionist Friends, segregation of Friends' schools. Today we are often unconsciously insular. We ignore or excuse the overwhelming whiteness of meetings. We try to be "colorblind," not realizing that skin color has hugely influenced people's life experience. We have accidentally greeted visitors of color as cleaning staff or as someone who must be lost.

The good news is that we can end racism and free humanity! We can do this together. And along with the pain comes so much joy!

Resources: Learning to Be White, Thandeka; Lifting the White Veil, Jeff Hitchcock (exploration of white culture); Fit for Freedom, Not for Friends, Julye & McDaniels (due spring 2004); White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training, Judith H. Katz.

Robin Alpern, Scarsdale Meeting

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Notices

NEW MEMBERS
Beth Bentley – Elmira
Mark Brennan – Morningside
Norma Fay Christie – Rockland
Sherrylee Dickinson – Wilton
Mary Anne Edwards – Poughkeepsie
Richard Edwards – Poughkeepsie
Julianna FreeHand – Buffalo
Patricia Kenschaft – Montclair
Jon Miller– Brooklyn
Doris L. Munger– Wilton
Lady Jaine Ross – Jericho
Michael T. Schlegel – Fifteenth Street
Paul vanLindental – Brooklyn
Renalda Walker – Poughkeepsie

DEATHS
Evelyn Dane, member of Old Chatham, on April 7, 2004.
Barbara S. Olmsted, member of Schenectady, on March 18, 2004.
Margaret Palmer, member of Rockland, on December 19, 2003.
Florence Sampert, member of Syracuse, on November 18, 2003.

TRANSFERS
Susan Baker to Buffalo from Charleston Meeting (SEYM)
Nathaniel Sellick Corwin to Old Chatham from Housatonic
Elizabeth Crownfield to Fifteenth Street from Midcoast Meeting (NEYM)

MARRIAGES/COVENANT RELATIONSHIPS
Louis V. Coulombe and Alice H. Allen, members of Rockland Meeting, on October 25, 2003.
Thadeus Dziekonski and Elaine Chamberlain, members of Buffalo Meeting, on February 25, 2004.

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