ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
of the Religious Society of Friends
NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2016
SIXTH MONTH
520 Meetinghouse Road • Jenkintown • Pennsylvania • 19046
JUNE MEETING ACTIVITIES
ST
WEDNESDAY 1
7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY 5TH
9:00 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
WEDNESDAY 8TH
7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY 12TH
9:00 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 15TH
7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY 19TH
8:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
WEDNESDAY 22ND
7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY 26TH
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
MID-WEEK MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Short Stable—All welcome!
Music Committee Meeting, Short Stable
BACCALAUREATE MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL
MID-WEEK MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Short Stable—All welcome!
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP TO ATTEND TO BUSINESS—Reports: Adult
Class, Religious Education, Audit, Youth
MEETING FOR WORSHIP
Coffee Hour, hosted by Worship & Ministry send-off, John Barnes Room
MID-WEEK MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Short Stable—All welcome!
Happy Fathers’ Day!
Inreach/Outreach Committee Meeting, Short Stable
Nominating Committee Meeting, Library
MEETING FOR WORSHIP – Outdoor, behind Meeting House
MEETING FOR WORSHIP – Indoor, in Meeting House
MID-WEEK MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Short Stable—All welcome!
MEETING FOR WORSHIP – Outdoor, behind Meeting House
Sandwich Making for the Needy, Short Stable (see page 4)
Peace & Social Concerns Committee Meeting, Classroom 1
Attenders Committee Meeting, Library
MEETING FOR WORSHIP – Indoor, in Meeting House
Abington Monthly Meeting
www.abingtonmeeting.org
Abington Quarterly Meeting
www.abingtonquarter.org
Continued on page 2
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
www.pym.org
Meeting Secretary: Loretta Fox, phone: 215-884-2865, fax: 215-884-3264, [email protected]
Office hours vary.
Deadline for July/August NEWSLETTER is June 8th. Please give information to Loretta Fox.
Clerk : George Schaefer,
Contributions may be sent to: Abington Monthly Meeting, c/o Assistant Treasurers Tom & Carolyn Spencer,
520 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046
JUNE 2016
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
WEDNESDAY 29TH
7:00 p.m.
PAGE 2
MID-WEEK MEETING FOR WORSHIP, Short Stable—All welcome!
Summer Meetings for Worship
9:30 a.m. Outdoor Meeting and 11:15 a.m. Indoor Meeting
We ask that you not bring dogs to outdoor Meeting for Worship. Service dogs are always welcome.
Regardless of weather, both Meetings are held every Sunday.
If it rains, the outdoor announcer may choose to begin the "outdoor" Meeting in the John Barnes Room.
We thank these Friends for serving as Convener of Worship:
June 5th
June 12th
June 19th
June 26th
Baccalaureate with Abington Friends School
Mat Clark
Bob Sloan
John Brady
We thank these Friends for providing flowers for our Worship:
Entire month of June!
Kay Fitzgerald
The Worship & Ministry Committee invites Homebound Friends to let us know if you wish
to have a small group of Friends come to your home for a Meeting for Worship. You may
contact John Brady for more information or to arrange a meeting.
Abington Friends Pool Club
The pool opens on June 25th
Membership Forms & Rules/Regulations will be available on the table in the foyer of the
Meeting House in June. These forms are available for Meeting members and active attenders.
Forms should be returned to the AFS Camp Office, NOT to the Meeting House office.
See you at the pool!
POOLSIDE PICNICS FOR MEMBERS AND ATTENDERS!
Picnics by the poolside are encouraged every Sunday during the summer between 5 p.m. and
7 p.m. This is an effort of our Inreach/Outreach Committee, but individuals and families can
host the picnics. On summer Sundays, during Announcements following Meeting for Worship,
Friends might state that they are going to host, and encourage others to join them. Everyone
is invited to bring their own supper and beverage. There are tables near the pool. The pool
closes at 7 p.m., so come earlier if you want to swim. All you need to do is show up with your
own food. Please be sure to fill out a Pool Membership Form before attending, and note that
there is a fee for guests who are not Meeting members, if they wish to use the pool. Contact
Carl Hemenway to volunteer to be there to welcome other Friends! It is a great way to meet
others at Meeting.
Save the Date!
Abington Monthly Meeting's Worship & Ministry Committee is hosting a
PYM Extended Worship on September 10th, 2016
More info will be available as it approaches.
JUNE 2016
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
PAGE 3
Looking for an activity that the whole family can do together this summer?
Prepare a Casserole for Face to Face!
Casseroles may be prepared at home and placed in the Meeting’s freezer. Your casserole will
be delivered to Face to Face to be served to our sisters and brothers in need. Pans with
instructions and recipes are available in the Meeting House kitchen and vestibule, or see
Kenan Sayers. Thank you so much to all the cooks who have already made casseroles, and
please continue to make more!
Sandwich Making for the Needy
Sandwich Making for the Needy will take place on June 26th and July 31st in the
Short Stable at the Rise of outdoor Meeting. During the summer months, we do not
receive the monthly donation of sandwich-making supplies, and so we rely more
heavily on donations from our Meeting community. Helping hands are also needed,
but we especially request donations of bread, luncheon meats and cheese.
Supplies may be dropped off in the Short Stable on the Sunday mornings of Sandwich
Making, before or after outdoor Meeting. (Our Mission Day trips to Face to Face will
resume in the fall.)
As Friends may have noticed, the benches in the rear of our Meeting House, which are on the
raised platforms, have been cordoned off as a temporary measure for reasons of safety. This
temporary measure was taken by three groups working jointly - our Property Committee, our
Worship & Ministry Committee and our newly formed Accessibility Committee. These
committees are trying to address the concerns that have been arising in recent months, after
several incidents, including one very serious injury. We have also received several phone
calls in recent months from Friends and newcomers who would like to attend our Meetings for
Worship, but only if the way is accessible, because they use wheelchairs. These committees
have a great deal to consider, and as always our Quaker tradition includes continuing
revelation, even regarding our Meeting House itself. Please hold these committees in the Light
as they continue to look at ways to make our Meeting House safer. We ask that you bear with
us through this ongoing process, and we ask your patience as these committees discern the way
forward.
Library Corner
Have you taken out any Pendle Hill Pamphlets recently? Because they are short and well written, they
offer superb spiritual reading. Some recent suggestions: Paul Lacey's Nourishing the Spirit, Pat Loring's
Spiritual Discernment, Rex Ambler's The Light Within. These, with many others, are all on the rack
downstairs. Upstairs, of course, are so many others written over a number of years by outstanding
Quakers.
You might be interested in Warren's Journey Through Skepticism.
Also, answering your request, there are some videos that have been donated to us available on the
downstairs shelves.
JUNE 2016
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
PAGE 4
Giant Gift Cards
Our Financial Stewardship Working Group is selling gift cards for Giant food markets. The
cards are sold at face value, in various amounts. Members who buy their groceries at Giant
are encouraged to buy Giant cards at AMM. You then use the gift card (just as you would use
cash) when you shop at Giant. Giant will contribute 5% of what you spend on groceries to the
Meeting. See Sarah Lippincott to purchase Giant cards.
A special message from Penny Colgan-Davis,
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting:
I invite you to join many, many other Friends from four states and 105 monthly meetings at
PYM Annual Sessions this summer, July 27th to the 31st, at Muhlenberg College. Annual
Sessions also always holds great promise for me. It’s when I see old Friends, some dating back
to my days growing up in Wilmington Meeting (DE), as well as a time for making new friends.
It also affords me, and hopefully you, an opportunity to worship surrounded by others who
share the same deep commitment to peace, equality, justice and love of the earth. The power
of sitting in that large room with so many Friends never ceases to amaze me!
The Interim Sessions Development Committee has been hard at work, creating a schedule that
includes not only worship and fellowship, but plenty of time for fun, learning about what’s
happening across our yearly meeting and beyond, all kinds of recreation and, of course,
relaxation. We will meet as a body for business; our corporate witness in addressing racism
will continue; the children and young people will have their own age-specific space and
program and we'll all have multigenerational opportunities; and then there will be Work and
Witness Programs in the afternoon for all of us to pursue our interests and leadings. Saturday
evening we will have a keynote presentation by tonya thames taylor. In other words, there will
be something for everyone, and I hope you will come!
I hope you enjoy your days weeding, hiking, relaxing in the gentle sun, whatever calls you in
Spring. If you have questions or want more details there is information at PYM.org. Please
contact Tricia Coscia, the Sessions Coordinator at [email protected] or 215-241-7238. I look
forward to being with you in July.
The costs of Sessions are covered by the yearly meeting. Sessions attenders only need
to pay for meals and housing (and housing is subsidized for children!)
Financial assistance is available – we want people to come, so we make assistance available
and we expect Friends to use it as needed.
Friends of every age can come – there are programs for children, middle schoolers and high
schoolers. Young Adult Friends (YAFS) can opt in to rooming in the YAF neighborhood. Golf
carts and speech-to-text transcription help make it accessible.
Donations Gratefully Accepted
This is a friendly reminder that although we do not pass a collection plate, we rely on
your financial support as well as your love and hard work. If you feel moved to
make a donation, you can leave it in the wooden donation box on the wall in the
foyer, or in the box on the rear windowsill of the Meeting House. Checks can be made
out to Abington Monthly Meeting. No amount is too small. Additional ways to donate
can be found on our website, www.abingtonmeeting.org.
JUNE 2016
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
PAGE 5
Committee List
An updated list of our Abington Meeting committees, including all the current
committee members and their current terms, was distributed in May. Committees are
strongly encouraged to review the list carefully and notify the Nominating Committee if
you have changes to your committee. Please keep in mind that each committee has the
responsibility of appointing its own clerk yearly, so committee discussions are vital to
discern whether or not your current will continue to serve in that role or if another
committee member is led to serve as clerk. The committee list will be updated and
distributed periodically. If you require a printed copy of the committee list, please
contact Loretta Fox in the office at [email protected] or 215-884-2865.
Abington Monthly Meeting Handbook
Our newly updated Handbook was distributed in April via email. The entire Handbook
is also available on our website at www.abingtonmeeting.org. This revised Handbook
contains committee descriptions, and it also includes updated information on the
workings of our Meeting in general. It is a wonderful resource, and everyone in our
Meeting community should read it thoroughly. If you require a printed copy, please
contact Loretta Fox in the office at [email protected] or 215-884-2865. Please
note that this Handbook is a “living document” which means that it will continually be
updated through our Meetings for Business. Please continue to attend our Monthly
Meetings for Business so that you will have a voice in our Quaker process.
Upcoming at
Abington Friends School
June 5 – Baccalaureate Meeting for Worship,
11:15 a.m. at the Abington Meeting House
June 10 – Commencement, 5 p.m.
For more information on AFS events, go to
the AFS website at www.abingtonfriends.net
PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) is a Quaker
faith community, an association of over 100
Quaker meetings and thousands of Friends in a
four-state region, and an organization - all
working together to nurture Quaker faith and
practice in today’s world. Members come
together in annual or special sessions for
assessment of the life of the Society, the conduct
of business, spiritual refreshment and
commitment, and the renewal of the bonds of
friendship. Abington Monthly Meeting is part of
PYM.
PYM Annual Sessions 2016
July 27- 31, 2016, Muhlenberg College,
Allentown, PA
"Do not be conformed to this world, but Be
Transformed so that you may discern what is the
will of God - what is good and acceptable
and perfect."
Registration is now
open: www.pym.org/annual-sessions
Friends of all ages will gather from throughout
our yearly meeting for worship, Spirit-led
discernment and sharing of our work and
witness, fellowship, creativity, and community.
Join us for the whole event, or just a day or two.
Friends pay only for the cost of food and dorm
housing, and financial aid is available so that
anyone can attend.
Children, Middle Schoolers and Young Friends
(high school age) will actively participate in
worship and business with their peers while also
having time to share these experiences with the
whole community. There are fun plans in the
works for age-specific and multigenerational
activities. Young Adult Friends (YAF - age 1835-ish) are immersed an all aspects of Annual
JUNE 2016
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
Sessions - from business sessions, to leading
youth programs to facilitating worship sharing
groups.
Information: www.pym.org/annual-sessions or
Tricia Coscia, [email protected], 215 2417238.
Extended Meeting for Worship, June 4, 9:15
am - 3:15 pm, Medford Friends Meeting
Would you like to deepen your experience of
Worship? Have you wished that Worship didn't
end when the clock struck the hour? The
Worship and Care Standing Committee and the
Meeting on Worship and Ministry invite you to
experience Extended Worship. Attend just a
portion of the day or the full day. And remember
to bring your lunch. If you will need childcare,
email by Monday, May 23.
Information: www.pym.org/event/2016extended-meeting-for-worship-at-medfordmeeting or Lola Georg, [email protected]
Quakerism in a Nutshell
This workshop is for Friends, attenders and
seekers to explore the life of Quakerism and
being Quaker today.
The workshop will be led by Melanie Douty
Snipes. Join us on Saturday April 30th, from 10
am to 2 pm at the Makefield Meetinghouse, 877
Dolington Road, Newtown, PA 18940. Lunch is
provided.To register and for more information,
contact Holly
Olson, [email protected] or 215-453-7358.
The workshop is free though donations will be
greatly appreciated.
Registration is necessary for planning lunch.
Resource for PYM First Day School Teachers
A personal, easily accessible resource is now
available for First Day School teachers who need
ideas for lessons, curricula to use, tips for
teaching diverse ages, and how to keep students'
attention. Marty Smith, former Director of
Religious Education for PYM, retired teacher, is
eager to answer questions and give guidance to
teachers of Religious Education.
Contact:
Marty Smith, Volunteer FDS Consultant, 609760-9182 [email protected].
PAGE 6
T. Wistar Brown Teachers' Fund
The Fund provides financial grants supporting
members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting who
are over the age of 21 and who request assistance
for professional development in preparing
themselves to teach at the primary or secondary
school level. Deadlines are: March 10 for
summer. June 10 for fall/winter. November 1 for
spring. Visit: www.twbfund.org for information.
Grants Application Deadlines
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting makes over 500
grants every year to individuals, Meetings, and
non-profit organizations. Grants are made from
income from restricted bequests and Trusts given
to our Yearly Meeting by generous donors since
1795. All granting deadlines are listed by month
atwww.pym.org/grants/grants-resources/grantsapplication-deadlines
Information: Carol Walz,[email protected], 215241-7201
Employment Opportunity
Interim Children's Religious Life
Coordinator (Part-Time - 21 Hours/Week)
The Interim Children's Religious Life
Coordinator is responsible for creating space for
experiencing the movement of Spirit within and
among the community of k-5th graders. The
Interim Coordinator stewards the sense of
community and meaningful relationships among
Quaker children and their integration into the life
of the wider Yearly Meeting.
Position
Descripton: www.pym.org/employment/home/op
portunities/interim-childrens-religious-lifecoordinator-part-time-21-hoursweek
For more information about our Yearly
Meeting, please check the Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting website:
www.pym.org
ABINGTON MONTHLY MEETING
of the Religious Society of Friends
520 Meetinghouse Road
Jenkintown, PA 19046-2934
The FIRST QUERY on MEETING FOR WORSHIP will be read and considered at Monthly Meeting for
Business on JUNE 12TH, 9:00 A.M.
ARE OUR MEETINGS FOR WORSHIP held in stilled, expectant waiting upon God?
As we worship is there a living silence in which we are drawn together by the power of God
in our midst?
Is the spirit of our worship together one that nurtures all worshipers?
How does our Meeting respond when the vocal ministry seems inappropriate,
or when the meeting for worship is consistently not gathered?
DO I FAITHFULLY ATTEND MEETING with heart and mind prepared for worship, clear of any
predetermination to speak or not to speak, and expecting that worship will be a source of strength
and guidance?
Does worship deepen my relationship with God, increase my faithfulness, and refresh and
renew my daily life, both inwardly and in my relationship with others?
Have I experienced in worship that direct leading to listen or to speak, and have I been faithful
to my own experience?