New York Yearly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
InfoShare
Volume 3 February 2004 Number 1
Editor: Paul Busby, paul@nyym.org

Contents

Worship and Action for Peace Working Group

 The Worship and Action Working Group has shifted from sending out weekly updates to sending "letters," less often than weekly. As they said in their report:

"Friends' life together has shifted, as have the times, since New York Yearly Meeting Worship and Action Updates began appearing weekly, in August of 2002. There seems now to be a need more for exploration of deeply challenging questions, for reflection on our grounding in truth and love, and less need for weekly 'news.' The Worship and Action Working Group sees a continuing need for Friends' communication related to worship, resting in God, and action for peace; we hope this can be served by publishing Worship & Action letters . . . about twice a month. Lu Harper (Rochester Monthly Meeting) has joined our editorial team for this work. We ask for contributions in writing, suggestions, or ideas for other forms of Friends' communication." Contributions, may be sent via e-mail to office@nyym.org or by postal mail to NYYM, 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003.

Linda Chidsey, Vicki Cooley, Fred Dettmer, Lu Harper
NYYM Worship and Action Working Group

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Farmington-Scipio to Host Representative Meeting

 Representative Meeting will be held April 17–18, 2004, at Chautauqua Institution in the Farmington-Scipio Region. This is a "residential" Representative Meeting—that is, those who attend may stay overnight Friday and/or Saturday at the Chautauqua Institution.

Those who attended the April 2000 Representative Meeting at Chautauqua will remember the sense of community we experienced in this beautiful setting.

March Spark will have information on the agenda, registration, costs, etc.

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Rockland Meeting Support for Ex-prisoners

 Rockland Friends Meeting had raised $15,000 several years ago to use as seed money to start a halfway house for released female prisoners. We applied for two grants but did not get them. Instead, these efforts inspired Open Arms, a drug and alcohol program, to obtain funding for a number of beds in their sober housing program for women who have been incarcerated or would otherwise be incarcerated. Many of these women come from the family-treatment team of drug court, and this housing is part of a comprehensive treatment program to keep them out of jail. We have given them $3,000 to further their program.At the moment, we are changing our direction and have begun negotiations with a local agency that runs parenting groups in the Rockland County jail. We hope to begin a mentoring program for released prisoners that would supplement and augment postrelease case-management services, which we will also help fund. We are excited about this collaboration, and we feel very positive about the potential for a meaningful mentoring program.

If you would like to help, contact Rockland Monthly Meeting, 60 Leber Rd., Blauvelt NY 10913; 845-735-4214.

Rockland Monthly Meeting

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GI Rights Hotline Needs LI Volunteers

 The GI Rights Hotline needs volunteers on Long Island. They answer calls from military personnel and/or their families about various issues, providing information about their rights concerning discharges, hazing, discrimination, and similar issues. Information they give includes current military regulations, procedures, and what they expect based on past experience. To learn more, contact Arlene Reduto, 631-358-2231; arlene.reduto@verizon.net.

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New Pastor for Adirondack Meeting

 Adirondack Friends Meeting of South Glens Falls, N.Y., has called Regina Baird Haag of Wilmington, Ohio, as their new pastor. Wilmington Yearly Meeting recorded Regina Baird Haag as a minister of the gospel in 1996. She has worked in ministry among Friends in Ohio since 1989, serving as pastor at Martinsville Friends Meeting and as youth and associate pastor at Wilmington Friends Meeting. Most recently, she concluded 11 months as interim pastor at Wilmington Friends. Regina, her husband, Dennis, and their son, Andy, will be moving to South Glens Falls, and she will start her pastorship on March 11, 2004.

Friends are invited to worship with us on March 11, to welcome Regina. Adirondack Friends Meeting looks forward to having Regina and her family with us.

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Bicentennial Commemoration of Slavery Abolition in N.J.

 The 200th anniversary of the state law that marked the beginning of the end of slavery in New Jersey will be commemorated on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at 1:30 P.M., at the 1758 Randolph Friends meetinghouse. The public is invited to attend.

Randolph Mayor Edward Tamm will present a township council proclamation recognizing the involvement of early local Quakers in the movement to abolish slavery.

At the commemoration, Hal Haydock, coclerk of Dover-Randolph Friends Meeting, will accept the proclamation from Tamm. There will be a reenactment of Friends receiving word of the legislature's action and a reading of the 1804 act. An African-American chorus has been invited to perform.

New Jersey's 1804 law did not emancipate New Jersey's slaves. It provided that a child born of slaves after July 4, 1804, would be considered "free" while remaining a "servant" of the mother's owner until emancipated at the age of 21 for females and 25 for males.

It appears that the last Mendham Quaker to hold slaves freed them before 1776. Later, Sussex County Quaker Benjamin Lundy used his newspaper to argue the national necessity of slavery's gradual abolition. In the 1840s, another area Quaker, Dr. Jacob Lundy Brotherton, held community meetings in Morris and Warren counties for the New Jersey Anti-Slavery Society, many of which were disrupted by opponents of emancipation. Not until 1846 did New Jersey abolish slavery altogether.

The little Randolph meetinghouse, on the National Register of Historic Places, is Morris County's oldest place of worship in continuous use. It is one block east of N.J. Rt. 10, on Quaker Church Rd. between Center Grove Rd. and Millbrook Ave. There is on-street parking along Quaker Ave., with additional parking available at nearby Center Grove Elementary School.

Information on N.J. slavery and abolition laws is at http://intranet.rutgers.edu/~clemens/slaverypage.html.

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The Underground Railroad: Quests for Freedom

 The Underground Railroad: Quests for Freedom will take place Feb. 28, 2004, from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., at the College of Saint Rose, 432 Western Ave. in Albany. The conference will draw together a wide audience to learn about, share, and support research on the Underground Railroad in eastern New York. Bringing this information to public awareness will contribute to celebrating and preserving this information while acknowledging that all citizens contribute to our region's history. A theatrical performance, recitation of a fugitive litany, and the singing of historic songs will complement the lectures. The focus will be on antislavery alliances and the many varieties of resistance employed by freedom seekers, community members, and communities.

For information contact Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Box 1085, Albany NY 12201; 518-432-4432; www.ugrworkshop.com.

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366 Days for Racial Justice

 The MLK Committee of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) presents Stories of Liberation: The 19th Annual Celebration of the Life and Work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and 366 Days for Racial Justice: A 2004 Western Massachusetts Undoing Racism Calendar.

For 19 years a volunteer committee of western Massachusetts community members, working with AFSC, has come together to plan a celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King and continue to push forward the gains of the civil rights movement.

The 2004 program, Stories of Liberation, features a series of community members committed to social justice who read to young people from their favorite children's books. The chosen stories have a common theme of social justice and peace and feature young people as agents of social change.

Also in honor of Dr. King, 3,000 copies of the MLK Committee's 2004 calendar, 366 Days for Racial Justice, are available for free (donations, of course, welcome). Information: 413-584-8975; afsc@crocker.com.

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Help Iran Recover from the Earthquake

 Emergency Appeal: AFSC is earmarking proceeds from its Crisis Fund to help the tens of thousands affected by the Dec. 26 earthquake in Iran. With more than 28,000 dead in the city of Bam and tens of thousands left homeless and without basic services, AFSC is working with the Middle East Council of Churches to assess the situation and provide immediate relief to survivors.

AFSC is seeking funds from supporters to buy supplies in the region to meet immediate needs. Emergency funds collected to date are likely to fall far short of projected needs.

For information on how to contribute, write to AFSC Development, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102; http://www.afsc.org/emap/iran.htm, or call 888-588-2372.

AFSC is not accepting donations of materials for earthquake victims in Iran.

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New Yorkers against the Death Penalty
Moratorium Leadership Training Day

 Come to Albany Monday, March 1, 2004, to hear from state and national leaders: State Senate minority leader David Paterson, NYADP executive director David Kaczynski, Equal Justice USA's Jane Henderson, and others. Learn about NYADP's strategy for achieving a moratorium in New York State v. Gather. Meet with legislators to discuss concerns about New York's death penalty law and collect tips on local moratorium organizing.

The training day will be held in the Legislative Office Building, room 711A, from 11:00 A.M.–3:00 P.M. Lunch will be available. This event is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted to cover costs.

For travel directions, registration form, or further information, contact the NYADP office at 518-453-6797.

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Tragedy on the Border

 From Oct. 28 to Nov. 3, 2003, Paul Busby of Fifteenth Street Meeting went to El Paso, Tex., and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on a delegation with the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition. The delegation was a journey toward understanding the peril of migrants and their families in search of a better life, the causes of economic injustice on both sides of the border, and the religious spirit that demands of us concern for the stranger in our midst and for humane treatment of all workers.

Three areas of focus were the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the 2,600 people who have died in recent years trying to cross the border into the U.S., and the nearly 400 women who have been murdered in Ciudad Juárez during the past few years. Information on NAFTA can be found at http://www.citizen.org/trade/nafta/index.cfm, among other sites. The Women of Juárez are the subject of Amnesty International reports, including "Mexico, Intolerable Killings."

The Witness Activities Fund, the World Ministries Committee, the Latin American Concerns Committee, and Fifteenth Street Meeting financed the trip. A full report will appear in the March Spark.

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition also sponsors a 40-hour fast each year, based on the idea of justice for workers. This year the ninth annual fast will begin on Tue., Mar. 2, 2004 at 8 P.M. and end on Thur., Mar. 4, at noon. The theme is Remembering Our Betrayed Workers, and participants are asked to pray, fast, and work for justice; work to raise the minimum raise; and help someone register to vote. Details will be at http://www.labor-religion.org/fast_2003_top.htm.

Paul Busby, Fifteenth Street Meeting

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AFSC Summer Project in Mexico

 The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) seeks motivated young people to join Sowing Futures (Semilleros de Futuros), the 2004 Mexico Youth Summer Project. Sowing Futures offers a wonderful opportunity for youths from countries of the Americas, Europe, and the indigenous communities of Mexico to work together, sharing from their diverse cultures and experiences. The project is run in collaboration with Servicio, Desarollo y Paz, A.C. (SEDEPAC), a prominent Mexican nongovernmental organization.

This year, youth project teams will work in Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in the central high plateau. The program runs for approximately seven weeks beginning June 27, 2004. Participants must be between 18 and 26 years of age and able to converse comfortably in Spanish.

This is an intensive, challenging experience for mature young persons. The application deadline is March 12, 2004.

Information: Jamie Wick, Mexico Youth Summer Project, AFSC, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102; mexsummer@afsc.org. A downloadable application is available at www.afsc.org/mexicosummer.htm.

NOTE: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting sponsors a China Workcamp. Information: China Workcamp, 1515 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102; 215-241-7236; ChinaWorkcamp@pym.org; http://www.pym.org/workcamp/China/china.htm.

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FCNL Seeks Peace and Justice Interns

 Internships are available at Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). As an intern, you have the opportunity to use your skills and knowledge to further FCNL's legislative goals. Your specific duties will depend on the issues you cover and the lobbyist you work with. You might encourage constituents and members of Congress to take action by providing them with information; attend committee hearings and coalition meetings; analyze documents and reports; draft action alerts, letters, and background reports to keep constituents informed and to express FCNL's views to Congress and the administration; support and communicate with grassroots advocates.

FCNL's internship is a great way to learn about the issues FCNL works on and the legislative process. Experience what it's like working for an organization based on Quaker principles.

Interns work as full-time members of FCNL's staff for 11 months, from early September through the end of July. Generally, intern applicants have college degrees, but FCNL will consider applicants with equivalent experience. Salary is at a subsistence level for the Washington area. Benefits include fully paid health coverage, paid vacation, a Metrorail stipend, and paid sick leave. Interns are responsible for making their own housing arrangements.

Applications are accepted from Jan. 1–Mar. 1. To apply: Pat Powers, FCNL, 245 Second St. NE, Washington DC 20002-5795; 202-547-6000 x116; 800-630-1330; fax: 202-547-6019; fcnl@fcnl.org; http://www.fcnl.org/intern.htm.

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FCNL Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend

 FCNL Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend 2004, which will take place March 6–8 in Washington, D.C., promises to furnish young people with tools they need to bring a message of peace and social justice and give them an opportunity to bring that message to members of Congress.

The weekend costs $50, not including transportation and some meals. Participants will stay at William Penn House, a Quaker conference and hospitality center on Capitol Hill, which is cosponsoring the event.

For more information or to register, e-mail FCNL's Young Adult Program coordinator, Jennifer Chapin Harris, jennifer@fcnl.org, or call 202-547-6000 x140 (toll-free 800-630-1330 x140). Meetings, churches, schools, and colleges should consider sponsoring young adults who would benefit from attending. Others might consider making a donation to FCNL to fund a young person who cannot attend without a scholarship.

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Activities at William Penn House

 Teens and Young Adults
William Penn House has a special ministry to youth--each year we host hundreds of young people as they journey to D.C. to explore the nation's capitol, get their hands dirty in service projects, or attend rallies, seminars, and gatherings. Many of the youths are traveling with their youth groups or other organizations. Each year, however, the William Penn House offers programs open to youth of various ages. In addition to the Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend, described above, other programs include:

Quaker Youth Seminar—The Truth Testimony: Held each February during the President's Day weekend (in 2004, Feb. 13–16), the seminar explores one of the five testimonies of the Quaker faith—Simplicity, Equality, Peace, Truth, and Community. This year the topic will be the Truth Testimony. You've heard the phrase "speaking truth to power." Find out why it particularly resonates with young people and why it may be the most powerful of the testimonies.

Meet several historical and current tellers of truth, explore truth telling in your life, explore truth telling through movies, attend meeting for worship at Friends Meeting of Washington, sight-see in Washington, D.C., and have a great time!

Washington Quaker Work Camps—Teens to Young Adults: One weekend a month and for a several weeks in the summer we organize work camps in the D.C. area for youths from area schools and from across the nation to get involved in service projects. We have renovated homes for the elderly, worked in soup kitchens, and gotten involved in activity programs for disadvantaged kids, immigrants, and convalescent and nursing homes. We have helped to beautify parks and playgrounds, painted homeless shelters and temporary housing for battered women. In the evenings we play games, learn more about the underlying issues behind homelessness, hunger, and poverty, and get to know each other.

Adults
In addition to the youth projects, William Penn House hosts Engaging All Friends: FCNL Lobby Weekend April 23–26, 2004. The Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend has been such a popular event that the rest of us have requested the same opportunity. This is a chance to meet other "active pacifists," explore the issues in depth to prepare for your role as lobbyist, learn how to lobby, and visit your congressional representatives to lobby for your perspective. The cost is $150, meals and accommodations included.

Family DC Adventure--July 18–24, 2004: Ever considered bringing the family to the District of Columbia for a summer vacation? Here is an opportunity that might make it more fun (and affordable) for the whole family. You'll attend an age-appropriate FCNL lobbying seminar, participate in a family oriented AFSC workshop, spend one morning working in a soup kitchen or an evening at the food bank, visit the Capitol and the Holocaust Museum and/or the Smithsonian, picnic in the park, listen to an outdoor (free) concert, and go to the (free) performance at the Kennedy Center.

Information on any of these projects: William Penn House, 515 E. Capitol St. SE, Washington DC 20003; 202-543-5560; info@wmpennhouse.org; www.wmpennhouse.org.

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Ecumenical Advocacy Days

 The 2004 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice will take place March 5–8, 2004, in Washington, D.C., with the theme I Will Feed Them with Justice. Sponsored by a broad range of denominations and coalitions, including the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the gathering will focus on Africa, Korea, Colombia, Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Jubilee and economic justice, and nuclear disarmament.

Additional information about the program and conference and hotel reservations are found at www.advocacydays.org or by contracting Leon Spencer, 202-547-7503, or Anna Rhee, advocacydays@earthlink.net.

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FLGBTQ Gathering: Inward Work, Outward Mission

 The Midwinter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns will be held Feb. 13–16, 2004, at the Burlington Meetinghouse in Burlington, N.J., with the theme Inward Work, Outward Mission.

If they say to you, "Where do you come from?" say to them, "We have come from the light, the place where the light came into the existence of its own accord and revealed itself in their image." If they say to you, "Who are you?" say to them,"We are his children and we are the chosen of the living one." (Gospel of Thomas, 50)

The keynote speaker will be Trayce Petersen of Earlham College. The conference includes Bible study each morning, daily worship, workshops, and worship sharing.

To obtain registration materials call Grace Moses, grace.moses@verizon.net; 215-233-5225 or e-mail Kevin-Douglas Olive at kdolive@hotmail.com.

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FGC Religious Educators Institute

 Illuminating Our Divine Connections is the theme of Friends General Conference Religious Educators Institute, to be held Aug. 19–22, 2004, at Camp Asbury, Silver Lake, N.Y. Silver Lake is near Letchworth State Park, southeast of Buffalo and southwest of Rochester.

How can we as Quaker educators nurture the spiritual growth of Friends young and old so they may have meaningful experiences of God in their lives? Join us for a weekend of motivating speakers, workshops, interest groups, worship, and fun as we explore a variety of ways to illuminate our Divine connections.

Niyonu Spann and Marlou Carlson will be the plenary speakers. Workshops will cover a variety of topics. Among the workshops that may be of special interest to NYYM Friends are Creating an Anti-Racist Meeting Community, with Ernie and Vince Buscemi of Morningside Meeting, and Teaching Peace, with Mary Lord. There will be a children's program for infants–12 years, stimulating evening programs, daily worship-sharing clusters, daily Bible study, and books/curricula to preview and purchase.

Registration materials will be available in May. For additional information contact Michael Gibson, religious education coordinator, FGC, 1215 Arch St. #2B, Philadelphia PA 19107; 215-561-1700; michaelg@fgcquaker.org.

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Education Funds Available

 The purpose of the Sue Thomas Turner Quaker Education Fund of Baltimore Yearly Meeting is to support the understanding and practice of Quaker faith in schools and to support the growth of a life lived in the Spirit by members of the school communities. The fund is intended for Friends schools under the care of a Friends meeting but is available to any school community. The funds are limited to uses that are in addition to those already funded by a school or school committee budget, or to augment existing school budget funds to enable a use that exceeds ordinary funding.

The deadline for applications is February 15. Awards are limited, with grants normally between $100 and $500.

Please send inquiries and letters to Sue Thomas Turner Quaker Education Fund Committee, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, 17100 Quaker Ln, Sandy Spring MD 20860.

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An Invitation to Read (and Write for) What Canst Thou Say?

 What Canst Thou Say? is a newsletter on Quakers, mysticism, and contemplative living—a worship-sharing group in print, with each writer contributing his or her experience in response to a central theme. Themes for upcoming issues include: May 2004, Guidance, editor Kathy Tapp; August 2004, Precognition, editor Mariellen Gilpin.

WCTS depends on its readers to write for the publication. Articles can be from 350 to 1,500 words long. Don't worry about writing perfectly. Just get your story on paper and send it to us. You can send it directly to m-gilpin@uiuc.edu. Sometimes it helps to talk through an article idea before you start writing; give me a call at 217-352-2082, or e-mail me. Articles should be in electronic form, if at all possible, but we're happy to accept a handwritten story, if necessary.

When you write for WCTS, here are some things to keep in mind: Articles that best communicate to our readers generally focus on specific events and are written in the first person. There is a special richness when the writer goes beyond describing the experience and tells how it has changed her/his attitude and/or behavior.

WCTS is $8 for four issues a year, $15 for two years. Subscriptions can be sent to WCTS, c/o Margaret Willits, Box 5082, Sonora CA 95370

Mariellen Gilpin, Urbana-Champaign Meeting, Illinois Yearly Meeting

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A Friendly Letter Returns

 From 1981 to 1993 A Friendly Letter was an independent Quaker newsletter published by Chuck Fager. Many of its 134 issues are archived on its Web site. Chuck Fager is resurrecting it, in the form of a weblog, or "blog."

It is at the same site: www.afriendlyletter.com. Among the features are articles and commentary on issues of concern to Quakers and like-minded persons, quotations to help illuminate our times, photographs from an ongoing series called "This Is a Sign from God," and before long, feedback from readers.

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Employment Opportunities

 The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) Pastoral Care Newsletter is searching for an editor to produce four issues per year, approximately 25 hours per issue. Editor reports to an experienced working group overseen by the Worship and Care Standing Committee of PYM. The Pastoral Care Newsletter is a resource for committees and others who provide pastoral care in unprogrammed Friends meetings. The editor will be a Friend (not necessarily in PYM) experienced in the Quaker work of pastoral care, with editing and layout skills and the ability to inspire novice writers. Editor can work from home and must have access to computer and be able to work via e-mail and phone. Send résumé and editing samples to Search Committee-PCN, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1515 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102; or steveg@pym.org. Applications are desired by March 1. Complete job description available on request.

Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) USA's New York office seeks a highly energetic writer/editor to join their small communications team as publications manager. The publications manager is primarily responsible for writing, editing, and coordinating production of key publications of the organization in the U.S.

To apply: No calls, please. Send résumé and cover letter to: Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Publications Manager Recruitment, 333 7th Ave., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001-5004; fax: 212-679-7016; Employment-USA@newyork.msf.org; http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

YKASEC-Empowering The Korean American Community (YKASEC) in Flushing, N.Y., is seeking candidates to fill its program associate position as soon as possible. YKASEC is a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1984 to empower Korean American community through programs in education, social services, culture, advocacy, and organizing. To apply, mail, e-mail, or fax résumé, cover letter, writing sample, and two references to Yu Soung Mun, executive director, YKASEC, 136-19 41st Ave. 3rd fl., Flushing NY 11355; fax: 718-445-0032; ysm@ykasec.org; http://www.ykasec.org.

Major Donor Development Officer for Nonviolent Peaceforce: The mission of the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to facilitate the creation of a trained, international civilian nonviolent peaceforce. The peaceforce will be sent to conflict areas to prevent death and destruction and protect human rights, thus creating the space for local groups to struggle nonviolently, enter into dialogue, and seek peaceful resolution.

Currently they are seeking a major donor development officer—"someone who can help take us to the next level of funding required to field a large- scale, well-trained Peaceforce," to work in the St. Paul, Minn., office. A full job description is posted at http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/help/helpemploy.asp. Please send your résumé to across@nonviolentpeaceforce.org.

Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) seeks a program director with experience in philanthropy and nonprofit management for our New York City office. The director will have regional and national responsibilities for HIP programs and services. To apply send résumé and cover letter to Christa Roth, Hispanics in Philanthropy, 88 Kearny St. #1850, San Francisco CA 94118; christa@hiponline.org; http://www.hiponline.org.

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