QUAKER NEWSLETTER
GAINESVILLE MONTHLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
702 NW 38th Street, Gainesville, FL 32607; (352) 372-1070 www.gainesvillequakers.org
Annie McPherson, clerk
Hold in the Light: Hap Taylor.
Calendar of Events: (online at www.gainesvillequakers.org)
Every Sunday: 11:00 am Meeting for Worship; 11:15 am First Day School
Every Monday: 6 pm Yoga with Gary
Sunday, March 2
9:30 am Library committee
9:30 am Meetinghouse committee
1:00 pm Earthcare Witness Coalition Meeting
Tuesday, March 4
11:30 am Friendly Lunch - at the Meeting House
Saturday, March 8
6:00 pm Quaker Dinner at the Meetinghouse
Sunday, March 9
12:45 pm Meeting for Worship for Business
Sunday, March 16 – Happy Birthday Gainesville Meeting
9:30 am Singing from Friends Hymnal
11:00 am Meeting for Worship (outside)
12:00 pm Potluck
Wednesday, March 19
Deadline for newsletter items. Email to Bonnie Zimmer at
Friday, March 21
7:00 pm Film Night at the Meetinghouse. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Sunday, March 23
9:30 am Peace and Social Concerns committee
1:00 pm Bible Study
The Peace and Social Concerns Committee is responsible for organizing set-up and clean-up of food after Meeting for Worship. The list for committees responsible for set-up and clean-up is located on the bulletin board in the social room.
Valentine's Dinner and Bella Luna Concert
On February 8, Gainesville Meeting hosted Bella Luna as a fundraising activity for Solidarity / Sojourners. The concert was after the Valentine's Quaker dinner and was attended by a number of folks from the public as well as those from our community. Over $400 was raised to support the work in Nicaragua.
New Members
On February 2 new members David Crawford, Ted Jones and Bonnie Zimmer were welcomed during the social time at the rise of Meeting. They were presented with copies of the new SEYM Faith and Practice.
March 2: Earthcare Witness 1 pm
Earthcare Witness will host an organizational meeting in the Worship Room at 1 pm with the intention of forming a coalition among various environmental groups in the Gainesville area to increase cooperative efforts. Everyone is invited and various members of outside groups are expected to attend.
March 8: Quaker Dinner 6:00 pm
It is time to greet that Irish Elf once again! Time to outwit that prankster with his jokes and Blessings! Ya, and it’s time to get your fill of corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots and cabbage, then top it off with delicious bread pudding with its wonderful “whiskey” sauce. Come promptly at 6 pm in order to get your elbow on the table! Note the date~~This year we will get a head start on the festivities and you will will be privileged to be “wearin’ of your green” a whole week before others.
March 21: Film Night 7:00 pm
The film for March will be The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Few stories written by man could be as real as this extraordinary work of fiction, which has earned nine Emmys, including one for best picture and two for Cicely Tyson's performance in the lead role, one for best actress and one for actress of the year. According to reviewer Reginald D. Garrard, she is "magnificent as both the young and the aged Miss Pittman." Based on the epic novel by Ernest J. Gaines, "Miss Jane Pittman" presents the life of a woman born during the Civil War who experiences the brief liberty of Reconstruction, followed by the brutal onset of the Jim Crow/Ku Klux Klan era, and finally the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. Viewers who demand historical precision must be content with this extraordinary individual who gives her age as 110, but does not know the year she was born.
This film portrays the saga of African-Americans during a turbulent period in our nation's history. Given the name "Ticey" at birth, she accepts the change to "Jane" when a Union soldier from Ohio tells her that "Ticey" is a "slave name" and "Pittman" from a common law relationship with a man who breaks horses until he is killed by one. Miss Jane Pittman is an uneducated but very wise woman to whom others continue to look for leadership. She somehow survives when many others die during an era that is exceedingly violent toward African-Americans in our evolving nation.
For additional information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071175/?ref_=nv_sr_3.
Peace and Social Concerns
Voting rights
On February 9, the Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business adopted minutes regarding Restoration of Rights and Friends Peace Teams, as proposed by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. The Restoration minute endorsed the immediate restoration of rights to persons who have completed their sentences to prison or periods of probation for felonies. The editorial board of the New York Times published an editorial calling for a restoration of voting rights for ex-felons who have been released on February 11, 2014. The text of the editorial can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/opinion/6-million-americans-without-a-voice.html. A further article was included in the NY Times Learning Network on February 18, 2014. It can be found here: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/should-convicted-felons-be-allowed-to-vote-after-theyve-served-their-time/.
Friends Peace Teams
The Friends Peace Teams minute provided for a contribution from the budget for the work being done by the East Asia Team, led by Nadine Hoover, to be matched by members who are led to provide support.
Film Night
As a consequence of moving the Quaker Dinners to the second Saturday, Film Night will move to the third Friday night during the months of January, February, March, and April. Tim Ray is looking for films for film night. If you have DVDs that might be of interest, see Tim.
Meeting History
Connie Ray is assembling a Meeting history as part of a SEYM project on the history of SEYM. If you have materials and/or information related to the history of Gainesville Meeting, please contact Connie.
SEYM – Register for Annual Sessions by April 1
The SEYM annual meeting is scheduled for April 16-20 at the United Methodist Life Enrichment Center in Fruitland Park, FL. This years theme is “Quakers in the 21st Century: How do we address our traditional testimonies in our modern, electronically-driven world? Registration information is available on the SEYM website at: http://www.seym.org/.
Friends General Conference Gathering
The summer FGC Gathering will be held at California University of Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) June 29 through July 5, 2014. Registration opens April 2, 2014. More information is available at http://www.fgcquaker.org/connect/gathering.
Michener Lecture
The Michener Lecture, "Nurturing the Blessed Community,"was presented by Deborah Fisch on January 19, 2014. The following summary is based on notes provided by Connie Ray. For more details, see Connie.
Be faithful to the gifts you are given. What we learn experientially we can share with each. This is love. Practice discernment. Take the time to prepare yourself for what you are called to do. We need to share our spiritual journeys with each other. We must share our spiritual gifts and find the gifts for ourselves. Encourage each other to develop his or her own gifts. The ministry of service is part of Truth in our meetings. Ministry is giving the gifts that we have in the bringing of us closer to the Divine Spirit. Be present where you are. Embrace God's love and allow yourself room to grow and move on. Love meets us where we are and brings us back when we miss the mark. Live it and take it to the world. Be your authentic self, so that you can live love into the world. Risk living that all the time.
New from QuakerBooks
Growing Up Muslim
Understanding The Beliefs And Practices Of Islam by Sumbul Ali-Karamali
Sumbul Ali-Karamali offers her personal account of being Muslim, discussing the many and varied questions she fielded from curious friends and schoolmates while growing up in Southern California--from diet, to dress, to prayer and holidays and everything in between. She also provides an academically reliable introduction to Islam, addressing its inception, development and current demographics.Through this engaging work, readers will gain a better understanding of the everyday aspects of Muslim American life, to dispel many of the misconceptions that still remain and open a dialogue for tolerance and acceptance.
A Walk in the Quaker Woods
by Jean Larson with photographs from Bill Mitchell
February 16, 2014
Today I was in early for singing and noticed the water in the birdbath was quite full from a recent rain. It was chilly when I came to meeting, but by the time singing was over, I took my jacket back to the car and smiled at the sun and the increasing warmth to the day. As I returned for meeting for worship, David M hailed me from the slope and pointed out that it was time to refresh the plants at the top of the slope for beauty and erosion control and offered to help. I expect we will do some planting now and some later, after the Florida Native Plant Society holds its Spring Native Plant sale at Morningside Nature Center on April 4-5, 2014.
Bill alerted me to the poppy mallows (Callirhoe involucrata) sprouting in the children's yard. Their foliage is distinctive with bluish gray leaves in an interesting shape. It has a lovely flower I am looking forward to seeing again.
After meeting we walked down the drive, noting the effects of the frost on the oakleaf hydrangeas, and at the end of the drive, noting that the native plum there is just budding, so flowers are around the corner. We have three native plums on the property, this one and the one at the south end of the front rentention pond bloom earlier, and the one by the split rail fence blooms later. The early bloomers are flatwoods plums (Prunus umbellata) and the one by the end of the split rail fence is the chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia).
In the grassy area at the end of the drive, the Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata) have started blooming. The last two years we have let the meadow grow up in wild flowers and the many lyreleaf sage plants there can grow nearly as tall as a two year old.
We meandered through the woods, listening to a burbling section of the creek, seeing lots of pink flowers on the (non-native) wood sorrel (Oxalis debils), and enjoying the light during the time following leaf drop. We went to the pond area since Sandy had commented on the beauty of the red maples at this time of year. In one spot the floor of the woods was covered with red maple fruits, also called samaras.
Sandy spoke today of Beacon College in Leesburg as a beacon of hope for those with learning disabilities. The reappearance of blooming plants in the spring always is a beacon of hope to me. What wells of renewal do you draw upon?
Queries for the Third Month:
Are love and unity maintained among us? ● When differences arise, do we settle them in a spirit of love and humility? ● Are we careful not to hold an idea too firmly, knowing that another may bring us closer to the truth? ● Are we patient and considerate towards those we find difficult to understand or like? ● Do we demonstrate a forgiving spirit? ● Do we have concern and respect for the reputation of others? ● When people are hurt, do we take care to hold them up with a tender heart? ● Do we respect that of God in each person, though it may be expressed in unfamiliar ways or may be difficult for us to discern?
Advices for the Third Month
Maintain love and unity by avoiding talebearing and detraction. ● Settle differences promptly, in a manner free from resentment. ● When we have a difference with another person, speak to them in private “in the love and wisdom that is gentle and pure.” ● Be aware that verbal violence can be as destructive as physical violence. ● Be careful that our language does not incorporate violence, consciously or unconsciously. ● Listen patiently, and seek the truth another person’s expressions may contain for us. ● Be willing to seek and willing to receive counsel and help from one another. ● In our daily lives, seek to know one another in the things that are eternal and to enter with ready empathy and sensitive discretion into the joys, sorrows, and needs of each other. ● Be mindful that everyone is included in the life and activities of the meeting.
Gainesville Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
702 NW 38th Street
Gainesville, FL 32607