Business (or lack thereof)

I haven't commented on the business sessions, of which there were many.

Business has been very routine. The only issue raised from the floor was whether we were adequately supporting Quaker Haven Camp. It was approve to increase the budgeted amounts.

Perhaps there was a desire to keep things peaceful for the anniversary, or maybe people are burned out on business and didn't want to deal with anything.

Bill

Saturday Morning Bible Study

Max Carter began with Ecclesiastes 7:18

It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The one who fears God will avoid all extremes .

and considered the question: How did Allen Jay find the middle path between the hedges of Tradition and revivalism?

Allen Jay lived through the separations of the 1870s and regretted them. He had been part of the revival movement but he was concerned that too many evangelists condemned those who opposed the new views. They were pressing these new ways too fast and were walking over people. He called for Friends leaders who lived Christ before people and asked whether a separation ever caused people to exclaim "behold how these Christians love each other."

Max led us into open worship with these questions:
-What would a middle path for Western Yearly Meeting look like?
-What would it look like to take seriously the tradition while seriously accommodating ourselves to new conditions.

(In the Picture -- brothers Dan Carter and Max Carter)

Bill

Friday Morning Bible Study

On Friday morning, Max Carter presented more insights drawn from the life of Allen Jay, tying them to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:22 - "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

The latter half of the nineteenth century was a time of dramatic change. Expansion of roads, railroads, schools and colleges made it harder for Quakers to remain isolated. The Civil War and religious revival touched Quakers in the midwest.

Allen Jay lived through and was affected by all of this. In 1868 he was sent to North Carolina to superintend Friends' rebuilding efforts in the South. He faced a situation where he needed to stop the outmigration of Quakers, rebuild the economy, rebuild schools and rebuild and restore Friends Meetings.

Max Carter described the ways Allen Jay had to accomodate himself the this new world he was in.

Max left us with some questions:

-What does it mean to "become all things to all people?"

-What are the possibilities of remaining true to the best of Quaker tradition while accomodating ourselves to the new realities?

-What would it take to save our children to the Friends Church?

-What are the new conditions that challenge our hedged community?


Bill

"Tales of Luminous Friends"

Tom Hamm delivered the Quaker Lecture on Thursday evening.

He surveyed Western Yearly Meeting history by touching on the lives of 5 Friends who had significant impact in Western Yearly Meeting and in the larger circle of Friends.

They were:
Priscilla Funt Cadwallader
Barnabas Coffin Hobbs
Eliza Armstrong Cox
Samuel Edgar Nicholson
Elbert Russell


Tom Hamm's Quaker lecture is available in print form from Western Yearly Meeting and will be available online shortly after the Yearly Meeting sessions are over.