STATE OF THE SOCIETY REPORT
Summary of Monthly Meeting Reports

The fifty-two Monthly Meeting reports were received this year with a sense of joy. They reflected a quality of careful deliberation and sharing. Meetings found the queries to be helpful and challenging. Almost every report conveyed a sense of spiritual seeking and earnest insight. Among all, the reports from the Prison Worship Groups stood out in humility of spirit and forthrightness of expression. There is much to learn from their insight and sensitivity. The reports, overall, provided an awesome and compelling profile of the spiritual and corporal life of the Monthly Meetings. Preparing them was clearly a nurturing experience for them and reading them carefully a rewarding experience for us. All the reports were gratefully acknowledged, studied and reflected upon. Their overall tone spoke strongly of a concerned, loving and, for the most part, vigorous group of Monthly Meetings. There were about six Meetings which invited specific follow-up by Ministry and Counsel. Reading the individual reports is recommended to all to appreciate the great range in their richness of depth and quality of seeking.

Query #1 - Sources of Joy

Brooklyn reports, "Many meetings feel 'blessed by a richness of the spirit.'" Albany asserts, "Worship is central to all that we experience." Collins speaks of "the meeting community supporting, nurturing, sustaining, grounding and accepting. This gathering being for many of us, the embodiment of love." The message from Attica says, "It's a joy to worship with people dissimilar in views. Diversity enriches our gathering and makes our Meeting a learning experience." Croton Valley speaks of "a deep concern for one another . . . intimacy in the midst of diversity." Vitality with many joys was quoted by Bulls Head-Oswego.

Having acquired a meeting house, improved facilities or otherwise refreshed physical surroundings brought special joy to several Meetings. Perry City delights in their newly acquired ecology-oriented property. Schenectady reports pleasure in their new meeting house. Flushing feels enriched by the heritage of their "old traditional meeting house." Amawalk experiences joy "in getting [their] meeting house put back together, working together and worshipping together." Mohawk Valley feels "like a bud just opening to a new day as [they] joyfully began using [their] new meeting house." Although physical surroundings are not the sole basis of a healthy Meeting, they are important.

Joy from children, youth, and young families is strongly expressed by many Meetings, large and small, whether in the cities, suburbs or country side. Sharing family worship, benefiting from insights of the young and beginning new efforts by young families, brings a "sense of continuity, vitality, persistence and growth" to Catskill Meeting. For Farmington, "The beautiful ministry of music provided by our choirs, including two services a year, is widely shared." Hamilton conveys, "one of our greatest joys has been the presence of families with young children and "the importance to the Meeting of encouraging their participation in every way to its continuing revitalization." Wilton reinforces this refrain, "The young people of our Meeting, with their spirit, love, energy and enthusiasms, bring us consistent joy."

Scarsdale shares the heartening message, "In spite of our challenges, there is a feeling among us that we have turned a corner into better times." Shrewsbury reports, "Our meetings are rarely without speaking by our youngest Friends." Adirondack "rejoices in the renewed life that new families and their children bring to the Meeting. Our children continue to be a treasure to us in their Meeting involvement." The children of Housatonic "provide a source of joy every week when they enter the gathering room for Worship." Poughkeepsie observes, "The increased number of preschool age children in First Day School brings smiles to all. Their laughter and smiles are infectious." From Orchard Park comes the following from a 4-year-old girl: "God brought her joy because she wants everyone to be nice."

Friends lead busy lives but find time to support and participate in many outreach programs. Some Meetings report major benefits from a variety of special study programs and activities. Regional, inter-Meeting and Monthly Meeting Quaker study gatherings on Quaker programs, process, testimonies, practice and tradition are widely beneficial. For example, Albany conducted two programs based on Gil Baile's Violence Unveiled and on the Book of Isaiah. Other favored subjects included John Woolman's Journal, Sterling Olmsted's Motions of Love, and his Non-Violence and Social Change Source Book. A number of Meetings report special called meetings in resistance to the death penalty, School of the Americas, and on Alternatives to Violence.

Query #2 - Barriers to God's Presence

Responses to this query ranged broadly from those stemming from spiritual or emotional concerns to those associated with problems arising from procedures or surroundings. Brooklyn and others speak of "the unwelcome intrusion by [their] busy personal and professional lives into [their] spiritual space." Several give witness to the need to explicitly structure the working week to provide quiet opportunities for personal reflection. Ithaca queries, "Is responding constantly to deadlines easier than listening to the voice of God? Have our labor-saving devices undermined our concept of true simplicity?" Scarsdale reflects, "These are troubled times . . . our lives are spread thin. . . . There is a reluctance to commit when our lives are already overcommitted." Albany reports that it continues to heal wounds stemming from years of dispute on same-gender marriage. In contrast, New Paltz has found nurture in exploring ways to accommodate access to same-gender marriage. Other meetings as well are successfully coping with this concern.

It's not surprising that smallness can be an impediment to vocal ministry. For Staten Island, "worship with but one or two can be lonely." Manhasset points out that larger size alone does not always insure an inspired vocal ministry. New Brunswick expresses concern about decreasing attendance at Meetings for Worship and asks: "Does this relate to limitations of time and overcommitment?" Adirondack observes similarly, "Many of our members live busy, overcommitted lives and feel scattered, each going his/her separate ways, making it difficult to discern common goals."

Bulls Head-Oswego queries, "Is it that we've simply gotten out of the habit of vocal ministry?" Alfred seeks a balance between either completely silent or overly vocal meetings for worship. They yearn for more participation of children. Wilton observes that engendering a truly spiritually inspired vocal ministry poses a serious challenge. Shrewsbury reminds us, "We must be mindful of the power of silence and the need to hold our fellow worshippers in the Light." Summit's view is similar, "Our own egos may be our greatest barriers. We are concerned that we sometimes wear our Quakerism as a mark of distinction." Collins points out, "We find barriers to realizing God's presence when there are personality conflicts." Old Chatham shares the thought, "Major barriers which we still confront are the inhibiting forces some people feel which prevent them from sharing the leadings of the Holy Spirit." Amawalk is concerned with "decisions being made without involving everyone, thus leading to a feeling of isolation from the larger Quaker fellowship."

Binghamton deals with the burden of having too few members and attenders to run committees and interact with the community effectively. A similar problem for Catskill stems from the stress intrinsic to a scattered and distant membership. In contrast, Westbury finds itself with the welcome challenge of dealing with problems of growth and transition. A deeply felt concern by Ithaca stems from its lack of a single adequate physical home. A humorous message from Perry City shares their efforts to engender a note of spiritual harmony into worship with the unavoidable presence of its cluster flies.

Query #3 - Covenant with God's Creation

The response to this query was mixed due to some lack of clarity in its presentation. Whereas many Meetings are in the early stages of involvement with environmental concerns, the response from Attica poses the challenge more broadly on "the need for more concern for people as part of God's creation." Bulls Head-Oswego's resonates, "God's creation surely encompasses mankind and how we care for each other." Schenectady likewise interprets the query to include the witnessing in full of Quaker testimonies. They feel inadequate in coping, for example, with the challenge of urban social problems. Wilton reports, "We face an ongoing impediment from living in a materialistic world; in a neighborhood with an unreasonable concentration of material possessions. This offers us the opportunity to demonstrate simplicity to many having little experience with this concept." Catskill states it clearly, "The testimonies of simplicity and humility are key to living within God's covenant." Other Meetings responded with more direct references to nature and the environment. For example, many Meetings sponsor Friends Committee in Unity with Nature (FCUN) or similar programs. Others cite specific efforts focused on environmental consciousness, recycling practices and conservation efforts. Farmington, as a community of farmers, remind us of "the need to strike a good balance between the needs of farm production and of conservation." From a more personal aspect, Croton Valley is content to share its meeting house with a number of God's little creatures. An example of Flushing's contribution to God's creation is their loving retirement of their fifteen-year-old "birthright-member" cat to the home of a Friend!

Query #4 - Religious Education Program

Many Meetings report on the importance of their enriched religious education programs. The message from Shrewsbury voices the general conclusions that children and youth provide joy to all. It is widely recognized that the care and nurture of youth is critically important to all Meetings. In the specific words of Morningside, "It's a blessing to hear the sounds of infants and children again." Flushing recognizes "young families attracted by good first day programs often evolve into vital contributors to the life flow of the meeting." Old Chatham and others are seriously concerned by a lack of a well-articulated children's program or just too few young children. Lack of adult teachers prompted Summit to hire an instructor to supplement, but not supplant, adult participation. Meetings, like Staten Island, in coping with the absence of First Day School, have evolved a modified form of family worship. This concept of a family-centered worship is also being used at other Meetings who do have vigorous First Day schools, such as Westbury. Scarsdale deals with the untypical problem of a "perceived division between [their] thriving upstairs Meeting for Worship and [their] equally thriving downstairs First Day school." Housatonic's strong First Day school does not necessarily imply a strong adult education effort. Wilton and others note that a good weekly newsletter and a well organized library are vital tools in the education of a wide circle of Friends. Morningside emphasizes the importance of fun, humor and laughter in their educational programs.

A trend exists towards increased inclusion of young Friends in teaching younger children in First Day school (Catskill), participating in oversight of the Meeting (Adirondack), serving on standing committees (New Paltz) and contributing to the State-of-the-Meeting report (Ithaca). Meetings which exude a spiritual richness of experience tend to be equally strong in adult religious education as well as First Day school. Adult education efforts center around Bible Study, Gospel Order, Quaker Journeys, Quaker Basics, and Quakerism 101. Several Meetings benefit from after-Meeting events with the support of New York Yearly Meeting staff members. Albany mentions very positive experiences in introducing Quakerism to newcomers by studying John Woolman, Thomas Kelly, Wilmer Cooper, Jan de Hartog, John Punshon and others. Central Finger Lakes and others find inspiration in sharing joint study retreats. Music plays an important role in Farmington and New Paltz First Day programs. Schenectady reports biweekly Quaker conversations on many subjects. Hamilton, and several other Meetings, mention benefits from the study of Gospel Order and from the Youth Pilgrimage Program. Nurturing young children and youth is a major concern, which thrives through the outpouring of a great many different expressions of insight as well as innovation among the monthly meetings.

Query #5 - Goals for 1998

Responses to this query are generally characterized by a sense of deep thought and self-reflection. Many center on the concern for better witnessing a life of integrity and daily experiencing the pursuit of Quaker principles in every day living (Flushing). Many Meetings reflect the concern posed by Ithaca, "Are our busy lives a choice rather than a forced part of modern living? . . . How may we make an explicit, conscious priority to bring a spiritual quality to everyday life?" Brooklyn and Somerset Hills seek to broaden their Quaker witness by wider involvement in community-building both locally and globally. A variety of Meetings such as Staten Island consider how to renew themselves to attract new members and attenders.

Housatonic expresses a generally felt priority in offering "an attractive children's program to the community." Adirondack strives to support an active youth group. Bulls Head-Oswego articulates a widely shared concern for advancement, e.g., "to create more ways to becoming a closer community." Peconic Bay looks forward to its continuing work in bringing three worship groups together. Central Finger Lakes seeks the same objective by promoting their ecumenical outreach, Hamilton by enriching Quaker process, Farmington and Croton Valley by becoming more prayerful, Cornwall by developing an understanding of Gospel Order, Mohawk Valley by building a Meeting community, Stamford-Greenwich by continuing as a small but mutually devoted Meeting, Saranac Lake by becoming more visible in the community, and Summit and Easton by achieving a greater sense of openness.

Development of a "web page" was chosen by Schenectady and Alfred to broaden their Quaker witness. Albany and New Paltz voiced the need to strengthen the spiritual base for their actions and to learn from John Woolman, "to follow their leadings, regardless of the likelihood of immediate success." A similar thought was captured by the combined words of Wilton and Flushing, "May each one of us each day become a little better in walking in the Light and see the workings of the Spirit in our daily lives." Wilton poses the Quaker challenge, "Live up to the Light thou hast and more will be given to thee," and the message from Rahway and Plainfield, "For if we walk in the Light, as God is the Light, we have at once fellowship with each other and with God" (1 John 1:7). Schenectady sums it up simply and succinctly, "We seek to follow the Light and proceed as the way opens." Similarly, Poughkeepsie counsels, "God accepts us all as individuals and as a gathering without condition."

The overall tone of the reports strongly presents a picture of a concerned, loving, and for the most part, vigorous group of Monthly Meetings in our Yearly Meeting.