State of Society, 2000
Westport Monthly Meeting’s Committee on Ministry and Counsel decided to generate this year’s State of Society Report directly from written responses by members and attenders. Over a period of three weeks, Friends of all ages were encouraged to write directly onto large sheets of poster board or on separate sheets of paper, reflecting on three of the following broad categories: Witnessing, Outreach, Service; Opportunities for Spiritual Growth and Nurture; and Worship and Spiritual Nurture.
In a break from the textual formats used in previous years and with a desire to create a working tool that can be used throughout the year ahead, we decided to simply state, in list form, areas that reflect the spiritual condition of Westport Friends Meeting. Over the coming year we intend to prayerfully hold up what has been stated, and not stated, as we attend to the ongoing spiritual needs of our meeting.
Witness, Outreach and Service:
§ No visible “peace” work other than feeding the poor.
§ Many of our members and attenders are involved in social issues either in their work places as part of their professions or in their lives outside of work. Meeting might be a place of education and nurture for us to go out and do God’s work.
§ How do we address social issues? Which have been identified? And how does one find out? There is little in the newsletter that indicates activity in this area.
§ We now have a small seed of a Peace and Social Concerns Committee. How can we nurture this budding energy and help it to produce as a whole meeting?
§ Our meeting’s young people plan to sponsor a public spaghetti supper.
§ We don’t really address some of our “principles” as a whole meeting.
§ Facilitate more group discussions.
§ Wish we could find ways to reach out to nearby university students.
§ From our Junior and senior high young people:
¨ Coping with meeting’s “red tape” is time consuming and difficult, and would like to see this process made easier.
¨ Also said that this method was a positive one for identifying possible projects in the future.
¨ Haven’t seen any stands taken on Friends principles.
¨ We welcome visitors, especially kids.
¨ Stating that they have experienced good relationships with young people from other meetings, yet desire more connection with youth of other religious traditions.
¨ Concerns expressed for “negative things” going on in the “outside world,” yet have not addressed any of them as a group.
§ How about putting on a public supper followed by discussion on a social justice topic?
§ Consider potluck suppers, Saturday night socials, contra dances, anything that brings people together.
§ Our First Day students are raising money to help migrant workers and Oxfam.
§ What are our peace concerns? Our social concerns? I hear very little about this.
§ A positive thing that our Peace and Social Concerns Committee has regrouped.
§ We strive to call out and support persons in meeting who have sustained gifts in ministry, even before they themselves are aware of it. Still more needs to be done here.
§ Support committees are needed for those among us who “have fallen through the cracks. There are “silent sufferers” among us.”
Worship and Spiritual Ministry:
§ Some Friends wander…. Speak to more than one topic in one message.
§ Worship is quiet but deep.
§ Quality of worship and vocal testimony varies.
§ Meeting for worship for the purpose of business is a “difficult mix [that] requires much discipline.”
§ Vacant testimony sometimes. Verges on prepared messages [which is] okay, but let’s see it for what it is.
§ Music before worship is a great addition.
§ What is music ministry? The hymn singing is nice. Is that what is meant by ministry…? Perhaps there could be the occasional planned meeting which incorporates music.
§ Our once monthly family worship is important.
§ Regarding intergenerational worship: “Kids rebel – but as a parent of young adults living away from home they tell me they miss sitting in meeting. It remains a part of them, we must preserver in spite of the children’s protests.
§ My children have decided not to be involved in meeting as much this year, which saddens me. But it’s their choice.
§ From our young people:
¨ Worship is beneficial, but some people don’t leave enough time before speaking so others can process what has been said.
¨ Music is a great way to express vocal ministry.
¨ Intergenerational worship is good, but we still need time to meet and discuss with our peers.
§ Music ministry… yeah!
§ Some discomfort with vocal ministry that seems to address or respond to an earlier spoken message.
Opportunities for Spiritual Growth and Nurture:
§ Keep “Second Sunday” discussions going.
§ Have a “movie Sunday” again.
§ A regular attender with membership in another meeting, mentions the following in a “helpful spirit.” “Although I feel comfortable in meeting and have always been made to feel welcome, there has been virtually no outreach to me as far as outreach in the life of the larger meeting. No one has ever approached me to discuss or ask about my involvement with Friends, my past experiences, nor do I have the slightest idea about committee makeup, when and how to indicate interest in serving on a committee. Is there an “Outreach Committee? I stopped coming to meeting for almost five months and no one seemed to notice.” The Friend goes on to mention that this is indicative of many meetings and that [we need] “to be mindful of nurturing new seeds.”
§ We need to be careful of the word “family.” Some of us are sensitive to not being in a traditional family.
§ The revival of Second Sunday discussions and the new “seekers” group are welcome.
§ Time constraints and busy lives limit how much we can do here.
§ In religious Ed, age differences sometimes pose difficulty in class “set-up.”
§ Pastoral care seems to be better as we address now every Sunday following meeting during announcements.
§ “I am personally bad at outreach to visitors and hope to do better in [the] future.”
§ From our young people:
¨ Like having pre-meeting singing.
¨ The annual Christmas time play and Christmas Eve instrumental performance nurtures our gifts.
¨ Perhaps make the pastoral care easier to remember, that it’s available, and offer it as a service.
¨ Our monthly family worship helps us to grow spiritually.
¨ Like being able to stay in meeting if we want to instead of attending First Day School.
¨ Like having the newsletter.
¨ Would like us to be able to discuss in FDS messages that were spoken in meeting.
¨ Would welcome more FDS focus on Quaker history and testimonies, Bible.
¨ Wish the Peace Garden construction could be speeded up.
¨ Suggest that we play intergenerational kickball.
¨ We need “new, up-to-date food,” like pizza, that we can eat when the adults are in committee meetings.
¨ Our First Day School class needs markers.
¨ I think the Quakers here are spiffy! Two thumbs up.
§ Monthly adult classes help me to grow spiritually.
§ Religious Ed. seems very strong—always a good-sized group of kids, always busy.
§ Our Religious Education Committee’s rotating clerk is confusing, but we’re working on it.
§ Our meeting’s potluck and celebration of the new addition, Christmas carol singing, etc. all nurtured us.
§ Never quite satisfied that we attend fully or meet the needs for ongoing pastoral care to our eldest members.