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ContentsShare Your Info!In these times it is more important than ever that we relate to one another as a community. Friends need to know what is going on within NYYM and the wider body of Friends. Spark, InfoShare, and the NYYM Web site exist to fill this need. In addition, when your meeting holds an event, the Yearly Meeting office needs to know so that we can post it on the calendar and the Events section of the Web site. After you hold your event, please be sure that someone writes a report for publication in Spark or InfoShare.Workshop on the Friends Peace TestimonyChuck Fager, director of Quaker House in Fayetteville, N.C., will facilitate a free workshop on the Friends Peace Testimony April 11-13, 2003, at the Rochester Friends Meetinghouse.How should Quakers respond to threats of violence or to powerful, oppressive systems? What can pacifism mean to a Quaker today? With recent events, many Friends find themselves seeking a deeper understanding of the Peace Testimony, both for themselves and in order to speak to others. The workshop will reexamine the original intent and context of the Peace Testimony and will look at how it has been lived and challenged by Quakers, particularly in the U.S. People of all faiths are welcome to attend, though the seminar is designed primarily for Quakers. Freshly prepared vegetarian meals are available on Saturday for a modest fee (advance reservation required). So that we can prepare, we ask people to sign up for their session(s) of choice as soon as possible. Free parking is available at the East End garage on Scio Street. Please sign up by Friday April 4. (Limited spaces may be available after that.) For more information, please contact Kate Kressmann-Kehoe, 585-244-8629 or ksk@netacc.net. A Quaker Party in the CemeteryPlease let your members know that on April 12 they are invited to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the historic burial ground in Philadelphia where Lucretia Mott and other Quaker feminists and abolitionists are buried. For a good time, Quakers head to a cemetery! Despite the dour sound, this should be a great day for young and old.Over a decade ago, the burial ground's neighbors appealed to Friends for help as the site, in the Badlands section of North Philadelphia, was overrun by drug dealers and trash. We pitched in and slowly, slowly took back the property from the nonprescription-drug trade. After raising nearly $600,000, we've completed landscaping, fencing, and other capital work and the grounds are now safe and beautiful. We'll be having carriage rides, tours of the site pointing out where many famous foremothers and -fathers are buried, food, and a historical skit written by Margaret Bacon, Lucretia Mott's biographer. We have a work day from 10-noon and a brief ceremony at noon with activities until 1 P.M. For information, please call 215-635-7152 or e-mail barbk105@aol.com. Thanks. Signe Wilkinson, Chestnut Hill Meeting, Philadelphia YM Couple Enrichment One-Day Retreat at RochesterApril 26, 2003, from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M., Mary Kay Glazer & Mark Moss will lead this retreat at the Rochester Friends Meetinghouse, 84 Scio Street, Rochester. Couples are invited to participate in this retreat to nurture and support their relationships. In a gentle, safe environment, couples will learn new ways to communicate and affirm their commitment to each other. Couples will have the chance to build on their strengths as a couple, improve their communication skills, connect more deeply with each other and learn how to deal creatively with conflict.The cost is $65 per couple, lunch and dinner included. Registration limited to ten couples. For further information go to http://www.nyym.org/events/cer26apr03.html or contact Mary Kay Glazer & Mark Moss, 1019 Genesee Park Blvd., Rochester NY 14619; 585-527-9895; mkglazer@frontiernet.net. Racial and Economic Justice WeekendOn Saturday, May 4, 2003, NYYM Black Concerns Committee members, Jeff Hitchcock, Jerry Leaphart, Mahesh Thomas, and Helen Garay Toppins will facilitate workshops at a weekend featuring Cornel West at the Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia. For further information contact Pendle Hill at 800-742-3150 or visit www.pendlehill.org. Farmington-Scipio Spring GatheringThe 31st Spring Gathering of Farmington-Scipio Regional Meeting will take place May 16 18, 2003, with the theme Quaker Roots of Peace: Personal Leadings, Religious Community, and Corporate Action.Friday evening's program includes the movie Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam ("Oasis of Peace") and a discussion with Deb and Ted First. Saturday morning Deb and Ted will lead Bible study on the relationship between spiritual life and a corporate path. Also Saturday morning, Gay Howard will lead a discussion on Nurturing Community and Practices of Corporate Witness. Mike Clark and Chris DeRoller, youth coordinators from Powell House, will assist in facilitating youth activities during the weekend. Further information will be available in May Spark and on the NYYM Web site, http://www.nyym.org. Friends Conference on Religion and PsychologyThe Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology is a small conference dedicated to the study of the nature and laws of the Spiritual Life. The Conference meets each Memorial Day weekend at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. Members seek ways to strengthen the inner life of the Spirit through the insights of early Friends and depth psychology. Particular emphasis is on the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung.As part of a spiritual community that meets annually, we seek
In a world seeking answers, we first search for the right questions. Participants attend four plenary sessions with the main speaker who helps develop the theme. They also meet four times in small working groups to explore the theme more personally. A period of silent worship is included in each day's schedule. Information: Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology, 7927 Orchid St NW, Washington DC 20012-1133; fcrp@quaker.org; http://fcrp.quaker.org. "Barn Raising" and Timber Framing with QIVPThe Quaker Intentional Village Project (QIVP) is planning an old-fashioned "barn raising" this summer as part of the construction of the Common House for our Columbia County intentional community. But first we need to cut the timbers! So if you want to learn to design and build timber-framed buildings, join our six-day timber-framing workshop held on-site in East Chatham, NY, June 16 through 21. Cost is $725After all the timbers are cut and partially assembled, the raising party will be July 5th. Everyone is invited to this big event--no experience necessary! For more information on the workshop or the raising party, contact QIVP at info@qivp.org or 518-781-0465. Our Web site is www.qivp.org. More about Fox Maple's workshops: www.foxmaple.com. Ellen Key Harris-Braun, Quaker Intentional Village Project http://www.qivp.org; info@qivp.org FGC 2003 Gathering of FriendsFriends General Conference will hold the 2003 Gathering of Friends at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Pa., June 28-July 5, 2003. The theme is Coming to Peace.South African Friend Duduzile Mtshazo, former clerk of the Africa Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation, will offer a keynote address on Sunday night, June 29. Monday evening, Vanessa Julye and Christopher Sammond will model responses to queries on personal peace within, and Gathering attenders will be asked to consider each query for him- or herself. In Junior Gathering, children entering grades 1 to 7 will choose among theme groups appropriate to their age. Younger children (including infants) will have a warm and supportive environment. Scholarships and workgrants are available to help make Gathering affordable. Detailed information about the Gathering is available from Friends General Conference, 1216 Arch St. #2B, Philadelphia PA 19107; 215-561-1700; gathering@fgcquaker.org. More information about the Gathering and FGC is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.fgcquaker.org/gathering/. Access to the World Wide Web is often available at your local library. Farmington-Scipio Young Friends OrganizeYoung Friends in Farmington-Scipio Region are getting together! On January 18-19, 18 of us met at the Rochester Meetinghouse. With great food to nourish us, we began getting to know one another.A variety of activities helped to build community games, ice skating, peace vigil, meals, and clean up. In solidarity with Washington demonstrators, we held a peace vigil at a busy downtown intersection, complete with signs and a peace flag. It was heartening to see how many passersby responded positively and even joined us. Hidden Wars of the Middle East, a video on the U.S.'s long-standing bombing of Iraq and our use of depleted uranium ammunition, inspired some of us to volunteer for CO counselor training. One participant observed that the best part of the weekend was meeting new friends and the way people were expected to treat each other well. On February 7-8, 29 of us gathered at the Perry City Meetinghouse. Friday evening, with adults, we spoke out of the silence about personal experiences with protests against war. The adults then had a Worship and Action for Peace meeting. The preteens went with Mike Clark and Chris DeRoller for a Powell-House-on-the-Road, Gather Strength, Create Actions, Share Support: a youth gathering on working for peace. Eighteen teens wrote personal statements of conscientious objection to war. Later the teens each responded to the question If war is not the answer or response to problems in the world, what is? Then on February 21-23, we took off for Philadelphia for the Friends School Day of Peace. On Saturday, Barbara Hirshkowitz organized a service project at Books through Bars, a program to send books to federal prisoners. A van of students from Olney Friends School in Barnesville Ohio joined us for the book packing and dinner. Young people from nine meetings and worship groups have participated. We are organizing an AVP Basic workshops for teens and community members in Alfred, N.Y.. April 25-27. The Farmington-Scipio Spring Gathering will be held May 16-18, and on May 30-31, we are going to join Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting's annual trip to New York City to volunteer with the Youth Service Opportunities Project. For further information please contact Nadine Hoover, 90 W. University Street, Alfred, NY, 607-587-9111; hoover@infoblvd.net. Nadine was released at Fall Gathering 2002 to nurture young Friends in the Farmington-Scipio Region. Nadine Hoover, Alfred Monthly Meeting Promoting Quakers with Quakerfinder.orgFriends General Conference (FGC) maintains an exciting Web site geared to those unfamiliar with Friends www.quakerfinder.org. The site provides basic information about Quakers and helps seekers find a nearby meeting or worship group. Type in a place name or a ZIP code. Quakerfinder quickly produces a list of the half dozen nearest FGC meetings in the United States or Canada. Listings give the time and place of meeting for worship. Contact information is included for meetings without a regular place of worship.To help New York Yearly Meeting Friends increase their visibility, the NYYM Advancement Committee will be distributing free bumperstickers promoting www.quakerfinder.org at April Representative Meeting and at Silver Bay. The Advancement Committee encourages Friends to find other ways to promote Quakerfinder. Meetings and their members can refer to Quakerfinder in newspaper listings, press releases, interviews with reporters, business cards, pamphlets, flyers, radio announcements, and conversations with friends and acquaintances. Promoting Quakerfinder is a simple way to let our Light shine. Jane Berger, clerk, Advancement Committee Witness Activities Fund Supports Yearly Meeting ActivitiesThe Witness Coordinating Committee is again making funding available from the Witness Activities Fund to support witness activities at the monthly and regional meeting levels. Last year we were able to support Children's Peace Week, a Violent Toy Trade-In and Peaceable Play Day, a public showing of A Force More Powerful, and an annual anti-death penalty vigil, among other projects. Applications will be mailed next week to clerks of monthly and regional meetings and worship groups. They are due by May 30. Current available funds total about $6,000. We invite further contributions to the Sharing Fund to augment the amount. Judith Inskeep, clerk, Witness Coordinating Committee Casa de los Amigos seeks Volunteer House Manager(s)Casa de los Amigos is a Quaker service center and guest house in the heart of Mexico City. Overseen by members of the Mexico City Friends Meeting, it provides short-term hospitality and an atmosphere of social concern and international understanding to guests from all parts of the world. The work of the Casa Guest House (45 beds) is for the most part undertaken by volunteers.Volunteering at the Casa has been a rewarding experience for many people. At the same time, this position is quite demanding. The Casa's communal living arrangements inevitably involve personal stress, including a lack of privacy affecting both volunteers and manager(s). Additionally, the Casa maintains strict policies on alcohol, drugs, and smoking. Pressures of living in a different culture and language, and urban congestion and pollution are other stress factors. Please reflect upon these concerns as you consider this volunteer opportunity. Do not hesitate to contact us with questions: Casa de los Amigos, Ignacio Mariscal 132, México D.F. 06030; tel (52-55) 5705-0521; amigos@casadelosamigos.org. Peace Concerns Committee Wants to Hear from YouOpposed to war for reasons of conscience? The NYYM Peace Concerns Committee would like to hear from you. We would like to hear what you are doing so that we can share the news with others. If you have questions or needs, please contact us and we will respond as best we can. If anyone in the Yearly Meeting is asked about conscientious objection, they should feel free to forward those queries to our committee. If you counsel others about conscientious objection, please make sure that you are on the list of counselors maintained by the Peace Concerns Committee.Contact John Randall, clerk, NYYM Peace Concerns Committee, 13 Glenbrook Ave., Yonkers NY 10705; 914-963-8725; john@cpti.ws. Conscientious Objector RegistryBulls Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting invites conscientious objectors to war (COs) to become part of a formal registry to be maintained by the meeting.According to the Selective Service Web site, http://www.sss.gov, a conscientious objector is "one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles." If you believe that you are a CO then it is good to document this in a signed and dated written statement so that, among other things, your beliefs are well established before any possible draft. In addition to signing the registry of COs, we strongly encourage COs to write a detailed statement of their beliefs. Counseling on this matter is available for those who desire it. All are welcome to become part of the registry: men and women, Quaker and non-Quaker. Call or e-mail Greta Mickey at 845-246-8327 or gem50@ulsfedcu.net for further information NYYM Friend at Peace Vigils in BotswanaAnita Paul e-mails from Africa, "Wanted you to know that the small Botswana Monthly Meeting here in Gaborone has held two silent vigils, the first on March 1 in front of the British High Commission for half an hour, then on to the American Embassy. This past Saturday, March 15, we met again on the main gathering place in the center of the city for an hour and a half, with 30 or so folks." < align="right">Anita Paul, Schenectady MM , visiting member of Botswana MMCivil Disobedience Training on Long IslandOn Saturday, March 8, 18 people gathered for training in Civil Disobedience by a member of the War Resisters League. We came from many different faiths and from Southampton to Flushing. In a combination of discussions and roleplays, we experienced responding nonviolently to provocation, the feelings of being arrested, and how to make quick decisions in the Quaker model. We realized that not all would need to be arrested to participate in a civil disobedience event. Some may act as support and observers. At the conclusion, we decided to become an affinity group to conduct nonviolent direction in the event of U.S. war on Iraq. For a full report on the training or information on the Long Island Friends Peace Group, contact Gretchen Haynes.Gretchen Haynes, Westbury Monthly Meeting Ongoing Peace Vigils in NYYMMany meetings in NYYM are holding vigils for peace. Here are the ones we know about at this time. If your meeting is participating in vigils but isn't listed, please let us know so we may share the information.
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