Announcements for September 2008

Reading and Discussion sessions in September will continue focusing on Friends’ involvement in Ramallah and other parts of the West Bank. On September 14, the video “Investment in Hope: The Story of the Friends International Center in Ramallah” will be shown. Plans are still being made for September 28; possibly Sol Metz will report on his recent visit to the region, or there may be a guest speaker. 10:05 – 10:55, in Quaker House Living Room. All are welcome.

Are political issues arising for you as a Friend during this pre-election time? Do you feel a need to share these issues with others? What is the spiritual essence of these issues?
The Committee on Ministry and Counsel will facilitate the following opportunities to share and discuss political/spiritual issues: On first and third Sundays in September and October, a worshipful discussion will follow rise of 11:00 meeting in the New Room. In October, Reading and Discussion will explore “Faith and Practice in a Political World” on second Sunday and “Politics and our Testimonies” on fourth Sunday (10:05am in Quaker House Living Room).

All Friends are encouraged to help with outdoor painting and yard work at a Property Work Party on Saturday, September 6, starting at 9am.


First Day School Resumes on September 7! On the first Sunday of this new School year, young Friends will gather with the class coordinators and teachers in the back yard (Fellowship Room in case of rain) as one big group at 11:00.  Parents are welcome too!  After a couple of big group activities, we will divide into our classroom groups.  

A list of the classes, class locations, and coordinators for fall 2008 will be posted on the Meeting bulletin board.

The children customarily join the Meeting at 11:00 am for worship and leave at 11:20 to attend classes that run until the rise of meeting.  The Nursery is open from 11:00 for babies and toddlers.


Attender to Member: Why & How. Membership and Outreach Committee will host an informal discussion on membership on Sunday, September 21, at rise of 11:00 meeting for worship, in the Living Room. This will be an opportunity for attenders to talk to members about how they came to join the Religious Society of Friends. Most of us are Quakers “by convincement” rather than “birthright” Quakers, and some of us decided to take the formal step to membership. Why? What’s involved? Is there a secret handshake? Come find out.

The Committee on Ministry and Counsel will host Worship Sharing on our Query on Education (see under “Readings,” at left) on Wednesday, September 24, at 7:30pm, in the New Room.  All are welcome.

Save the dates: The fall Understanding Quakerism Series will be held at rise of 11:00 meeting for worship on October 19 and 26 and November 2. These meetings are opportunities to learn more about Quaker history, worship, and practices, and to ask questions about Quakers and Quakerism. More details will appear next month.

PIAG (the Palestine-Israel Action Group, a Sub-Committee of Peace and Social Concerns) will meet at 12:30 on Wednesdays September 3 and 17 at the Zweifler home. Park in the driveway, not on the street. Bring you own lunch; drinks provided.
PIAG maintains its own website and a blog.
PIAG is distributing Palestinian Olive Oil from AFSC.  This delicious olive oil is virgin, organic, and free-trade.  The suggested donation is $18 for 25.4 fl. oz. Please check the lobby table on Sundays or phone Anne Ogren at 741-9450.

Bible Study meets at 8:30am every Wednesday in the New Room. All are welcome.

The Scribblers Writing Circle meets first Thursdays (September 4 and October 2) at 6pm in Quaker House Living Room. Writers, poets, graphic artists, and listeners are invited. Pizza and beverages are provided; other comestibles are welcome.

A group of women connected with the AAFM meet monthly to share about their spirituality and their daily lives on first Sundays (September 7 and October 5) from 3:00 to 4:30 in the New Room. All women are welcome.

The Breakfast Club, a program for children during Meeting for Worship for Business, will continue in autumn. While parents attend Business Meeting, the group in the Fellowship Room will prepare and share a simple grain and fruit breakfast, rest, work, and play. Children up through age 12 are welcome; teens are invited to help.


Quakerism 201: a course in four sessions on Leadings: Individual & Community Discernment: What Friends Learned from the Life of James Nayler (c. 1618 - 1660), led by Thomas Taylor.

Since the seventeenth century, Friends have struggled with the problem of how best to discern the authenticity of leadings which seem to be laid upon us by God. The process of “testing concerns” has been both an individual spiritual discipline and a matter carried out with aid and guidance, serious questioning and encouragement from the Quaker community. This course traces the development of the delicate balance between individual and community discernment during the first decades of Quakerism, and relates it to our present time. Arising from the challenge of a crisis and interpersonal conflict, the events of late 1656 resulted in a new self-awareness, a clearer sense of the Quaker movement as an evolving community led by the Spirit.

Classes will be held October 2, 16, and 30, and November 13 (alternate Thursday evenings), from 7:30 to 9:30pm, at Ann Arbor Friends Meetinghouse.

Reading and Discussion format – a booklet will be provided which contains all the readings to be studied in session.

Extra optional readings suggested. You may wish to order one or more of the books listed below. Some are costly, so try a used book service. They are listed below in descending order of number of pages you’ll find pertinent to our main topic:

    Leo Damrosch, The Sorrows of the Quaker Jesus, James Nayler, and the Puritan
        Crackdown on the Free Spirit
    John Nickalls, The Journal of George Fox
    Brian Drayton, Unity, Disunity, Diversity, etc. Letter to NEYM
    William Braithwaite, The Beginnings of Quakerism
    Britain or Philadelphia YM, Faith & PracticeI
    John Punshon, Portrait in Gray

Sign up by September 15 by putting a note for Quakerism 201 in the Ministry and Counsel box in the Meetinghouse lobby, or by emailing Thomas at tftaylor@tds.net


The Quaker House Residential Community seeks applications for a new resident, starting in fall 2008. Male and/or international students are strongly encouraged to apply. Residents share meal costs, weekly cooking and cleaning responsibilities, and regular attendance at house and community meetings; a monthly financial contribution is expected. To apply, please phone or email Yes (David Carter), Resident Host, at (734) 846-6545 or qhrc_apply@umich.edu. The application form and a flier with more information are available as pdf files on this website (see under “Quaker House Residential Community” at left).

Copies of the Meeting Handbook are available in the lobby. A contribution of $4 to cover printing costs is requested.

The Meeting’s wheelchair is stored in the outer lobby for the lift. Friends may borrow it for use between the parking lot and the lift or inside the Meetinghouse and Quaker House.

The Chelsea Worship Group has Meeting for Worship at Michigan Friends Center on most second Sundays (September 14) at 10am. The contact is John Deikis (475-0942); check with him before attending to be sure that worship is taking place that day.

The Fall Gathering of Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting takes place at Friends School in Detroit on Saturday, September 20. Ruah Swennerfelt and Louis Cox, of Quaker Earthcare Witness, will present “Walking Journey for Love of the Earth,” reflecting on their “Peace for Earth Walk” from Vancouver to San Diego (described in our June Newsletter). The business meeting agenda includes approval of new officers. Registration will start at 9:00; if past practice continues, lunch will be provided. Friends School is at 1100 St. Aubin St (at its intersection with Lafayette). During their visit Ruah and Louis will also speak to students at Friends School.

Friends are encouraged to walk in the 34th Annual Washtenaw/Ann Arbor CROP Walk, on Sunday afternoon, October 12, at First United Methodist Church. Registration starts at 1.15, the Walk at 2:15. There are 2km and 10km circular routes with stops at other local churches. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty, and the CROP Hunger Walk is an opportunity to help fight hunger and poverty, aid refugees, and support the vital self-help developmental programs for which Church World Service has been known for over 60 years. The Walk also helps to remind the community of the ever-present need for hunger relief. Church World Service is working in some 80 countries around the world, but 25% of what we raise by walking will help local agencies in Washtenaw County.
Individual walkers find sponsors who contribute typically $10 - $30 each, and you should expect to be asked by the younger Friends during September. Please sign up to walk, or sponsor a walker. You can also "Walk on the Web": The website www.icpj.net/task-forces/hunger/washanncrop08 allows you to register and make pledges via e-mail.
Many small gifts add up and make a big difference!

MICHIGAN FRIENDS CENTER FALL PROGRAMS
What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life? A Retreat on Conscious Aging, Saturday, September 27, 10am-5pm
Reconstructing Life Stories as Outreach Programs for Older Adults, Friday, October 10, 9am-5pm
Embodying Peace - An Introduction to Continuum Movement, Friday, November 14, 6:30-9:30 pm
Living Lightly: A Gathering to Inspire and Celebrate Delighted "Enoughness," Saturday, November 22, 9am-4pm
To learn more about these workshops, visit www.michiganfriendscenter.org, phone 734 475-1892, or email manager@michiganfriendscenter.org.