TheFarmington

Friend

Margaret Webb, Pastor

VOLUME 69 NUMBER 4 FARMINGTON, NY 14425 April 2014

Surrendering the Stone

What happens when we stop forcing the stone of our burdens up the unending hill of disillusionment? We realize the stone has already been rolled away. That moment, full of hope and grace, is miraculous.

This miracle is ever-available within the tabernacle of our heart. We need only go within, to sink down to the seed and find true repose; to find New Life.

Life is filled with little deaths and resurrection: addictions become recoveries, resentment turns to forgiveness, closed minds open, ignorance turns to understanding, wariness to welcome, and fear to faith. These miracles happen among us every day, in the simple act of surrender. Let us, then, each surrender our stone and instead be at peace. Let us rejoice. Let us be light and free, let us be a miracle-minded people. For, there is One Who Goes Before Us, who has rolled the stone away! Truly, Christ's gift to us is an eternally available Easter of our own. The Stone that the builder's rejected, The Rock in whom we trust, Teaching us to fly.

Happy Easter! Every Day!

Melissa Moore

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One of the hardest thing that I have ever written was when I sat down and wrote up a ‘statement of faith,’ as part of my candidating process. One of the churches that I was interviewing at wanted me to write up a statement about my personal theology and the belief system that guided my life. It was such a challenge, but when I was done it felt like I knew myself better and it has helped me ever since when I have needed to publicly articulate my faith.

I have been privileged to be part of the committee at Farmington Friends that is building our new website. If you have not yet gotten a chance to see our new website please check it out at:

https://www.fgcquaker.org/cloud/farmington-friends-church

The website is still under construction in places and we are still working to figure out all of the exciting features, but I am feeling so proud of what we have accomplished so far! One of the most satisfying (and really beautiful) parts of our new website is the statement of what we believe as a Meeting. It was a challenge to come up with a statement that we could all agree upon but I think the work was worth it. I think it is wonderful that we have a way to introduce ourselves to the world and that we have a statement that we can turn and return to when we need to publicly articulate our life together.

I also love the statement from our talented youth. Carol Nicholson and I worked with the youth group for a number of weeks to help them discuss what they felt that our Meeting is, ‘all about.’ The statement on our website captures their words and also reflects our discussions.

Our Meeting is so alive with life and love and our website is a way for us to show the world what kind of a community we are! The website is also a tool for the Meeting to use when we are planning events, when we are doing work together and when we are away from the Meeting but we would like to stay in touch. I am so excited that we working on this wonderful new project and I hope that you will go check out the work that is happening on the website!

Happy Birthday!

MAY1 Kathleen Raulli4 Ruth Wolf5 Carol Rourke6 Jacob Lloyd7 Kenneth Walton10 Anna DiDomenico10 Ruth Kinsey10 William Kipp11 Brendon Travis12 Martin Bontrager13 Jeremy Parker14 Jeanette Bay14 Annabeth Lee16 Edna Aldrich21 Anthony Ceddia21 Marion Cole23 Anton Richmond28 Karen Baker29 Noah Melendy30 John Ceddia

February Treasurer’s Report

Income: $5,269.17

Expenses: $8,064.07

Cash Flow: $2,794.90

FARMINGTON FRIEND STAFFEditor: Keith EgnorCo-editor Jeff ParkerFront Page: Kathy DudarchikSociety Editors: Margaret Baker, Jeanette BayTreasurer: Scott ParkerAddress Labels: Susan SharpMailing Staff: Gerry McClurg (co-clerk), Dick McClurg (co-clerk), Pat Ford (copying), Evelyn Sadler, Margaret Hartsough, Lloyd Hartsough, Margaret Baker, Linda Doyen

Leave articles in Meetinghouse folders or mail to the editor by the 2nd Sunday of the month.Mail: 193 Howell Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424 Email: egnork@yahoo.com Telephone: 585-396-7298

Margaret’s Musings

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3 Church Spring Clean-Up May 3rd

The spring clean-up will be held at the meetinghouse on Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 AM. The Sunday School kids are welcome to come help with the clean-up. Bring your gloves, rakes, cleaning supplies, etc.

Training Retreat: Nourish Farmington Pastoral Care with ARCH May 16th - 18th

Many Friends feel over extended: "I can't take on any more right now." Other Friends feel disconnected: "I haven't even been to meeting for a while." Consider joining Anita Paul and Barbara Spring for a weekend training retreat at Powell House May 16-18, 2014. Past participants have found that the training and support that ARCH provides actually enhances and supports the work they already do, rather than finding that they are taking on more. Others have found a way to become more integrated into their meeting in a way that they hadn't before. Everyone will find the opportunity to understand better their own aging, or the aging issues faced by those they care for spiritually and materially. If you know someone in your meeting who you think would benefit from a weekend with ARCH, please encourage them to come to this FREE retreat at Powell House. It is a gift to them and to your meeting! For more information contact Barbara Spring at bkspring70@gmail.com or 518-441-6405.

A TRIPLE HEADER June 1st

Please join us on Sunday, June 1 for a three part day of music, food, and fellowship. At 11:00 AM the Bell Choir and Senior Choir will be leading worship in a “Mostly Music” Sunday. Immediately after that please join us down stairs as our Missions Committee oversees a quarter a dip carry in dinner. Following that Ann Davidson will be presenting pictures and a talk about her trip to visit Irish Quakers and the Ireland Yearly Meeting. It will be a day filled with worship, music, good food, fellowship, and information about fellow Quakers an ocean away from Farmington. We hope you will be able to join us.

SocietyThanks to Dear Friends Thanks you so much for the use of the meetinghouse to celebrate Mom’s 85th birthday! We were so grateful to have so many f/Friends and family join us. And it was especially wonderful to gather and celebrate at the meetinghouse which will always mean so much to our family. Thanks to all who attended, shared stories and kindly helped with the preparation and clean-up! We are so truly blessed. With love and gratitude, Anne (Ceddia) and Carol (Nicholson)

Thank You and Easter Wishes Just a note to wish you, your Pastor & members of the Farmington Friends Church a Blessed Easter as you worship Jesus Christ who died on the Cross for you and me, by the Grace of God, our Father, and in thanks to the Holy Spirit who keeps us in the faith. Your newsletter keeps me abreast of what is going on in your Parish. I knew so many of the families. It is so good to keep in touch with my friends in the Friends Church through your newsletter. Thank you, in His name, Lila G. Kuehnert

Upcoming EventsEASTER PROGRAMS:

Easter Sunrise Service 6:30 AM April 20thThe service will be held outdoors, so please dress appropriately. Following the service there will be a continental breakfast. Sunday School Easter Egg Hunt 10:00 AM Regular Easter Worship Service 11:00 AM

Business Meeting April 27th

The April Business Meeting will be after the end of worship on April 27. We will be exclusively discussing the two models of incorporating silent worship into our community life. If you have an opinion about incorporating silent worship please attend Business Meeting. It is important that all perspectives are represented during our discussion!

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4Committee Minutes & NotesFarmington Friends Monthly Meeting Minutes –

March 23, 2014

Farmington Friends met for Monthly Meeting at the rise of Meeting for Worship on March 23, 2014 with 20 present. Clerk, Marion Cole, opened the meeting by reading from NYYM Faith and Practice. “There should be a willingness to speak or be silent as led. Friends should rely on the power of the spirit of truth and seek to keep their speech simple and straightforward. If the meeting is to reach a group decision, participants need considerable personal discipline and an allowance for humble or tentative conclusions. Such a method is not without tensions, but these can be creative if partisanship and self-interest are subordinated to the authority of God's Spirit. What may seem to be minority positions at first, if taken into account with humility and loving patience, often lead to completely unforeseen conclusions. Friends may differ in their judgement of the suitability of an action, some favoring caution, others wishing to move forward more adventurously, but with perseverance a decision satisfactory to the entire group will be arrived at.” (Part Two: Practice and Procedure; A. General Business Procedures) This was followed by a time of silence and prayer.

Health of the Meeting: • Nance Simkin continues to have medical issues.

Prayers for Nance and Don as well as cards are appreciated.

• Ann Ledgerwood is being monitored for the possibility of glaucoma.

Please hold these Friends in the light and in your prayers.

Pastor’s Report for Monthly Meeting March 2014: Pastoral Care: I have continued my regular visiting with the older members of our Meeting and I also have continued to have regularly schedule pastoral counseling sessions with some members of the Meeting. I have continued to regularly visit Nance while she is in the hospital and I have had the

opportunity to be pastorally available to members by phone, email and text. I often make as many as four or five pastoral care type phone calls in a week. I feel that I am settling into a good rhythm of making visits and that every week I make 3-4 visits but never fewer than 2—which feels like the right number. My pastoral visits often include discussions about issues and struggles that the person might be experiencing and often include prayer and discussions around scripture and theology. I feel that I also have a better feel for the pastoral needs of the meeting and I am hearing about things more quickly—but I continue to very much welcome and rely on input from others in the Meeting. If you hear that something is going on or if you feel that someone could use a visit I very much welcome that information. Worship Leadership: I am learning how best to serve the Meeting during this part of the liturgical year. When I was working as an associate at a Presbyterian church there were very specific requirements for worship and spiritual leadership during the season of Lent and into Holy Week. The Quaker Meeting that I grew up in did not celebrate holidays at all—so I am still finding my way between those two extremes in how best to serve Farmington Friends. I hope that we are able to make use of Lent (if we want) but also not cling too tightly to ceremonies and traditions that are not useful for our context. I try to be mindful of the liturgical calendar as I plan worship but not stick too tightly to it. During Lent, as during Advent, I am primarily preaching from the New Testament. As always, I welcome feedback about prayers, music selection, and sermons. Some of you may notice that I am experimenting with preaching from notes or just a partial manuscript, instead of preaching strictly from my manuscript. I like how natural and organic this allows my ministry to be—but the downside is that I am less able to be cohesive and I have a struggle a little more with staying right on topic. Committee Work and Other Commitments: I continue to be active on the RE committee, M&C and Peace and Social Justice, and I check in regularly with the people on House and Grounds and Missions. I have tried a few new ideas when working on my segment for the Friend and some of my musings recently have had a little different tone—I am still

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5working to find the right way to use that space and how best I can use to speak to all of the folks who get the Friend (many of whom may not come to worship regularly). My work with the teen group is a continual blessing—I feel that we have a strong core group of kids who enjoy coming each week and who enjoy doing events and other things with the church. Carol and I helped the youth reflect on the Meeting and we wrote up a statement that will hopefully go up on the website. It is so hopeful and refreshing to the Meeting through the eyes of the youth. The website has also taken some of my time—we are in the final stages of drafting some significant content for the website (although not all of the content, that work is on-going) and we hope to have a draft ready to present to MM this weekend. This month I attended USFW and helped provide the program. I also have been corresponding with the ecumenical clergy council about the Easter service and other business—although our meeting for March (which I had made plans to attend) was canceled because of the snow storm.

Treasurer’s Report: February 2014• Income $5,269.17• Expenses $8,064.07 * • Checking Account Balance as of 1/31/14 $16,450.45 Checking Account Balance as of 02/28/14 $13,655.55 * This includes the second and final payment on the new furnace. Also some discussion occurred regarding the Teen Sunday School Class’s earnings and how they could be kept. Annie Bontrager volunteered keep track of the money for this group.

Ministry and Counsel: Farmington Friends Ministry and Counsel-March 18, 2014 Farmington Friends Ministry and Counsel met March 18, 2014 at 6:30PM at Marion Coles. Present: Willie Bontrager, Pat Ford, Sue Sharp, Marion Cole, Linda Doyan, Ann Ledgerwood, Margaret Webb, Annaliese Parker, Ed Golem, Carol Nicholson. Sue opened the meeting with a reading by Claude Peters from a meeting Lenten Booklet followed by a time for meditation.

Health of the Meeting: Nance Simkin continues to have health concerns and will be transferred to Monroe Community Hospital-Margaret shared with us her recent visit with her. We will hold our older members up in prayer. Margaret also sees these folks regularly. Ann Ledgerwood is being followed for a potential glaucoma eye problem. Jeanette Bay will be having surgery on April 9. Old Business: A Clerking Workshop at Farmington is still under consideration-Margaret will follow-up on this at the upcoming Pastor and Elders Retreat at Powell House, perhaps expanding it to broader topics discussed later in the meeting. The Easter Sunrise which is under the care of the Palmyra-Macedon-Farmington Clergy Council will be April 20 at 6:30AM at the meeting. The continental breakfast plans which is done by Farmington Meeting are in place. We discussed a time to welcome Melissa Moore and children Sam, Mary and Eliza into membership-Margaret will coordinate this perhaps on an "Un-Coffee" Hour Sunday. Margaret will attend the NYYM-NEYM Pastors and Elders Retreat at Powell House March 24-26,2014 accompanied by Acadia Parker. Linda Doyen is also considering going. The Web Design committee has some content ready to go which will be presented to Monthly Meeting March 23,2014. New Business: Ed Golem asked M&C to consider the possibility of a soup kitchen at the meetinghouse utilizing the kitchen, dining room areas. Ed volunteers at similar program in Rochester and sees our meetinghouse as a good location, perhaps a once-a-month meal. There was a willingness to explore this further, the meeting would need much more information which Ed could help us with, and the idea will be taken to Month Meeting. The committee discussed Margaret's 6 month review which was e-mailed to M&C members following last month's meeting. Comments were very positive, Margaret contributes to many committees, is very involved with our young people, makes special efforts to visit among our members unable to attend meeting for worship as well as hospital visits. She emphasizes that she is very happy in Farmington. A request from Kathy Dudarchik for funding to attend Spring Gathering rather than than Yearly

6Meeting will be taken to Monthly Meeting. Margaret brings to M&C a request from a non-member/non-attender for use of the meetinghouse for a September 13, 2014 wedding. M&C will take the request to Monthly Meeting; Margaret will provide information to the couple re. cost for the use of our facilities. She will not be available to officiate and the couple will need to find their own person to do that. We discussed several items brought to our attention by Darleen Farley: that M&C recommend to MM a line item be created in the budget to provide financial assistance to adults of the meeting who may wish to attend a Powell House Week-end, Spring Gathering, NYYM Summer Sessions or some other event of spiritual significance which may make these events more accessible to more people. Margaret will clarify these ideas with Darleen and M&C will discuss it further in April. In considering the up-coming discussion at the April MM of silent worship, it was suggested that M&C bring a recommendation to MM and allow for discussion and/or discussing the future of silent worship in April but postpone a decision until the May MM. After discussion M&C declined to make a recommendation to MM, and will carry forth the stated plan to have the discussion at the April MM and if necessary carry it over to May. We were open to the idea of having a workshop/retreat centered on training in Quaker Business Practices, i.e., threshing sessions, meetings for discernment, clearness committees and similar topics. These will part of Margaret's discussions with Ann Davidson and other NYYM attenders at Powell House and will be brought to the April M&C members following last month's meeting. Comments were very positive, Margaret contributes to many committees, is very involved with our young people, makes special efforts to visit among our members unable to attend meeting for worship as well as hospital visits. She emphasizes that she is very happy in Farmington. Pastor's Report: Margaret brings a very complete look into her work on behalf of the meeting. Pastor Care: Regular visits with our older members and new-comers, hospital visits, pastor counseling. Worship leadership: She looks to chose elements according to the season, is experimenting with using an off-manuscript and note delivery and, as always,

welcomes feed-back. Committee Work: meeting with most of the standing committees of the meeting, the Youth Group, Web Site Committee as well as the Clergy Council. We encouraged her to talk with these groups about about her participation. She agains stresses how happy she is to be in Farmington. The next Ministry and Council meeting will be April 15, 2014 at 6:30PM at Pat Ford's. Ann Ledgerwood will bring the opening meditation. Willie Bontrager, Clerk• The request to use our Meetinghouse on September

13, 2013 for a wedding was approved.• Requests from Linda Doyen and Kathy Dudarchik

for financial help were approved.• A committee was formed to look into the possibility

of a soup kitchen. This committee will include Ed Golem, Cyndi Marvin, Darleen Farley, Margaret Webb and Kristina Braell.

•Peace and Social Concerns: Meeting, March 20, 2014 Peace and Social Concerns met at the parsonage on Thursday, March 20, 2014. Polly Nicholson, Judy Bovet-Egnor, Gardie and Sally Soule, Eric Masters, Willie and Annie Bontrager, and Margaret Webb were present for the meeting. Margaret’s Mother, Amy, and Chris and Teddy also joined us for the meal. Karen and Acadia Parker joined us for the meal and to talk about their upcoming trip to Kenya. Our first topic of discussion was the program in Kenya. We were particularly interested in the part Acadia plans to play in the empowerment of girls at the school and in encouraging them to stay in school. She is hoping to discern which girls are leaders and would be able to help the rest of the students with the petal project – with their health and education. In our discussion we decided to donate $100. to support Acadia for the trip, and also encouraged individual members to give support through our gifts and prayers. We discussed the Intergenerational Peace Workshop that we sponsored in January and February. This is a topic we want to pursue with further gatherings in support of peace in all areas of our personal, church, and community life. Willie proposed a meeting on Sunday, April 13 which would

7follow a potluck after meeting for worship. Lela Zand, a Muslim peacemaker, who is from Iran and now living in Albany, NY and Camilla Reyes, a young woman from Columbia, who has been in Rochester working with the Gandhi Institute, would speak about their ideas on peace. We decided this would be a good way to continue the peace discussion. Lela and Camille will be participating in the Restorative Justice Conference sponsored by PiRI, and the Circles training by Kay Pranis between April 8 and 16. Thirdly we addressed the Appreciation Dinner which will be held on April 5, 2014 starting at 5:30 PM at the Meeting House with Don Bay and Helen Kirker being honored. Preparation schedule:Sign up sheet for those who wish to attend...AnnieComputer styled Certificates...Polly to ask CyndiTable cloth etc....Sally and AnnieBasket collection for Blankets....Annie or Jenni W.Photos Steve W....Annie will callCanandaigua Messenger coverage...Annie Food supplies:Chicken and Biscuits....Polly will askSalad...Sally and GardieCider - Coffee, Tea and Water...Jenni or Annie, and JudyCake...Willie, Polly, Annie will ask othersFlowers for tables (prim roses)...SallyPhoto show and introductions....Gardie We should have a good idea of the number of those attending after Meeting this Sunday, the 23rd of March. All members should be on site before 5:00 PM on April 5th to set up for the celebration. The next Peace and Social Concerns Meeting will take place on April 17, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the home of Willie and Annie Bontrager. Submitted by Annie Bontrager • The carry-in dinner for March 13, 2014 to be

organized by Peace and Social Concerns was approved.

Missions Committee: No report

House and Grounds: • Spring clean-up has been scheduled for May 3rd

2014.

• Troy Bennett has offered to mow the Meetinghouse lawn for the same price as last year. This was approved by the Monthly Meeting.

• Christopher and Margaret have requested permission to pursue the possibility of fencing in part of the back yard so that Teddy can safely play outside. The request was approved with a recommendation that zoning laws are looked into.

Religious Education Committee: March 5, 2014• Movie – The “Lego Movie” we saw on Feb. 16

after Meeting at the Canaltown Cinema included 9 children and 9 adults. We all had a great time. The pizza and cookies we had before were very good. Next time we will do more work at setting a better time for High School kids to join in too.

• The un-coffee hour we hosted March 2 was a success.

• Easter – (3rd Sunday in April) We will have the children decorate bags (Gail will make sure we have them) We have plastic eggs in the closet. Gail will bring candy and the eggs to the next meeting and we will all help fill them. Some of us will help hide the eggs either inside or out depending on the weather. Perhaps we can start an Easter video while the kids are decorating their bags and then continue it after the hunt for eggs.

• Spring cleanup has no date yet.• April vacation – April 12-20 Anne is going to

check with Canandaigua and Newark about bowling for the kids on April 13. We need to check with the parents to see how many children will be around.

• Kenya – On May 15 through May 29, Cadi and Karen Parker are leaving for Kenya. One of the main supporters for the project that Karen has been involved in is not going to be able to go because of health reasons and Karen is asking for moral support. Their flight leaves from JFK, goes to Istanbul and then Nairobi for a cost of $1134 per person which comes out of their own pockets. There are 10 people planning to go, 3 from Texas and 7 from NY. This group is going to be in charge of purchasing the sewing machines they need from “Nakunatt”, their form of Wal-Mart, and delivering them to where they need to go. This project has the money for the machines but is in great need of money for the clinics they will visit. There are

8health issues of the communities to be taken care of first and then the project can continue with the lessons in running a treadle sewing machine.

The great need for money for the clinics is for medicine, health maintenance and to help the people with the amount of money they are charged for using the clinic. The children are in the most need. This project is not supported by St. John Fisher. Karen feels strongly about keeping this project going. It is something that needs to be done and she feels a commitment and connection to this community. Karen is interested in the sustainability of this community and has a vision for their future with helping them to have a trade for the future and being able to help themselves. • RE is interested in setting a time to visit the goat

farm where the soap that was made came from. We’d like to have a family field trip. Karen will contact the people who own the farm.

• Our next meeting will be April 2 at 6:15 at the Meetinghouse.

Respectfully submitted, Dianne AldrichLibrary Committee: No report Music Committee: No report

Old Business: Website: The website for our Meeting is up and running at: https://www.quakercloud.org/cloud/farmington-friends-church The Monthly Meeting was presented with several pieces of information ready to go on the website with the approval of the Meeting. There was some discussion on each of the sections ready for uploading. Some changes were made and the final products as approved by the Monthly Meeting are as follows: The Home Page Statement:

Neighbors and FriendsWe are Farmington Friends, Quakers, your neighbors for more than 200 years!

We are not the picture on your grandmother’s oatmeal,nor your father’s oil change,

nor a famous university’s mascot!

We are a worshiping community where all are welcomed.We are called to listen to one another and to God’s still, small voice

leading us tosimplicity and peace-making,

stewardship and community-building,service, equality and integrity.

About Us: We are a community that celebrates diversity. As Quakers, we do not have a creed or a doctrine, so there are many beliefs, backgrounds and experiences represented at Farmington Friends. This diversity is part of what makes us strong. Most of the members of Farmington Friends consider themselves Christian. As Quakers, most of us believe in simplicity, equality, peace and integrity which are traditional Quaker “Testimonies.” We have a different interpretation of the word “sacrament” and do not practice water baptism or traditional communion. Worship is conducted without liturgy or fixed ritual. During our programmed worship service we pray and sing together, there is a scripture reading, a sermon, and a period of silent worship. We are a welcoming community. We are called to strive for peace and justice in our world and to work against forms of oppression such as: racism, sexism and homophobia. We also take seriously our responsibility to care for one another and feed the hungry and shelter the abandoned. We affirm the power of God’s Love and we try to live in such a way that we are representations of that Love. We believe that everyone has equal access to God and that no one person can be the arbiter of God’s Grace. Although we have a pastor, we believe that all are ministers of God. We believe that every human being has “That of God Within” and we are all guided by this “Inner Light.” Each person is connected to the Divine. We are a people with a simple but powerful faith.

What to Expect When you Attend Worship: Worship Details: We have two worship services on Sundays. Unprogrammed (silent) worship is from 10:10 to 10:40am on Sundays. The programmed worship service is from 11am to 12pm. In the summer (July and August) worship is held from 10am to 11am. Programmed worship includes hymns, a time for sharing prayer concerns, a musical offering from the choir or the hand-bell choir, a sermon, a children’s message, a scripture reading and a period of silent worship. Children in Worship: Children are welcome in worship for the whole hour and we have quiet games and toys in the front of our worship space to help keep our youngest attenders occupied. Please know that we are not bothered by the noise of our youngest members. We have many young children and we are used to the noise of children talking, playing, and singing and the sound of babies crying. There is an unstaffed nursery located downstairs in the education wing if you wish to take your child there during worship. Nursing mothers are welcome to nurse in church. If you would be more comfortable elsewhere, our nursery downstairs has comfortable places to sit.

9 Sunday School for pre-school through 6th grade is offered the first and third Sundays from 10-11am. The middle school and high school youth group meets every Sunday from 10-11am. Adult Bible Study is every Sunday also from 10-11am. Sunday School does not meet during the summer. What to Expect Sunday Morning: Worship at Farmington Friends is relaxed and friendly. Some people in our Meeting dress up for worship and others come in ‘business casual’ or jeans. There are front and back parking lots, both of which are accessed from Sheldon Road. The front entrance is handicapped accessible and leads directly into the worship space. The rear entrance leads into our education wing which is connected to our worship space by a stairway. As you enter our worship space you will be welcomed by our greeters who will provide a bulletin to help guide you through worship. We love welcoming newcomers to our Meeting. However, you do not have to get up during worship and introduce yourself. We ask that newcomers sign our guest book so that we can send you a welcome note. Above all else, please know that you are welcome at Farmington Friends!

Youth Statement: We asked the middle school/ high school youth group what they thought should go on our website and here is some of what they said: “Farmington Friends is an open, welcoming, inclusive community where we welcome all kinds of people and appreciate diversity. Many of us are Christian, but you don’t have to be a Christian to be part of our community—actually you don’t have to be sure about what you believe. We welcome people who are still seeking and trying to figure out what they believe and where they stand. We are a family—in the best possible way! We really care about one another and everyone is honestly interested in your life. When you come to Farmington Friends, be ready for a BIG welcome! Everyone loves to talk and greet one another and everyone is really friendly. We don’t care what you look like or what you are wearing (go ahead and come in jeans!)—we will love you just as you are. We are Quakers so we believe that everyone has a direct connection to God, everyone has a voice and everyone is equally able to interpret scripture. Most of us don’t read the Bible literally—we look for what it might be teaching us about morals and God and life. We don’t believe in judging anyone. Our faith is really relevant to our personal lives. We come to church because we want to be at church and we feel like that is true for everyone. Everyone is at church on Sunday because they really want to be there and be part of the community. We laugh a lot in church and we aren’t uptight. When you come to Farmington Friends be ready for things to be a little different. We don’t have any crosses or stained glass windows in our worship space and we don’t clap after the choir sings and we don’t do communion. We have a lot of silence in our worship so that we can all get a chance to pray and connect directly with God. All of the children of the Meeting stay in worship for the whole service. Really, the most important thing that we want to say about Farmington Friends is that we are welcoming and accepting!”

If the clerks of the various meetings comprising our Monthly Meeting would like to have their minutes posted to the website please let Margaret Webb, Carol Nicholson or Gardie Soule know.

Spring Sessions: No word yet on the final housing arrangements for the Spring Sessions.

New Business:• Mostly Music Sunday will be June 1st 2014. The

Meeting approved the request from Ann Davidson to show slides and present a talk about her trip to the Friends’ Meetings in Ireland following the $.50-a-Dip Dinner.

• A reminder that the deadline for the Spark “Let Your Light Shine” articles is April 1st 2014.

• The request from Helen Kirker for the use of the Meetinghouse for Open House events on behalf of the 1816 Meetinghouse was approved. The dates are as follows: June 21st or 28th, August 14th and November 1st or November 8th.

Correspondence: All correspondence will be posted, displayed or distributed to the appropriate committees.

The next Monthly Meeting will be April 27, 2014 at the rise of Meeting for Worship.

Attendees: Gardie Soule, Bea Kimball, Helen Kirker, Linda Doyen, Susan Sharp, Norm Cole, Anne Gilson, Margaret Webb, Kristina Braell, Carol Nicholson, Polly Nicholson, Ann Ledgerwood, Barbara Popenhusen, Annie Bontrager, Willie Bontrager, Darleen Farley, Cynthia Marvin, Marion Cole, Dianne Aldrich and Kathy Dudarchik.

Marion Cole, Clerk Kathy Dudarchik, Recording Clerk

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A Report from NYYM Spring Sessions (Saturday morning, April 05, 2014)

Meeting for Worship deeply moved each of us. As Meeting for Worship continued with a concern for business, we were so impressed with the report from the Priorities Working Group that we feel compelled to share the part of that report, which presents a Statement of Leadings and Priorities followed by steps that can be undertaken over the course of the next twelve months to begin implementing those priorities. The full report is on the NYYM website—www.NYYM.org. Today, the Priorities Working Group offers Friends the accompanying proposed Statement of Leadings and Priorities for ultimate approval at Summer Sessions 2014. Friends are invited to sit with this proposed Statement, to test the leadings and priorities for truthfulness, to share them with our meetings in worship and in business sessions, and to reflect back the ways in which the Statement succeeds and falls short in expressing our hopes and dreams for a beloved community.

STATEMENT OF LEADINGS AND PRIORITIES

We Envision A Yearly Meeting Deeply Grounded in the Practice of Our Faith We hear a clear sense from Friends that the core of all they do centers in their Meeting for Worship and their life as a community. In support of this, their primary focus, Friends seek help in spiritual deepening, in developing clerking skills, in understanding principles of meetings for business, in understanding the role of vocal ministry and afterthoughts, in practicing pastoral care and conflict transformation, in participation in first day school and adult religious education programs. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting the development of programs to teach and share our spiritual skills with each other, and to help meetings to revitalize themselves. We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• The Spiritual Nurture Working Group will complete its vetted list of Friends offering workshops which

nurture the life of our monthly meetings and will have it added to the Yearly Meeting web site for monthly meetings to use.

• Nurture Coordinating Committee will offer at least two half-day clerking workshops in diverse locations for all clerks and other interested Friends.

• The General Secretary will offer programs on spiritual deepening to at least five monthly meetings.

We Envision A Yearly Meeting Made Up of Strong, Vital Monthly Meetings Meetings and Friends seek information and assistance with the necessities of operating a meeting, such as insurance, cemetery maintenance, fund-raising and advancement. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting the development of programs to help sustain our monthly meetings financially and to increase membership We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• The Associate Secretary will make herself particularly available to support monthly meeting Advancement

and Outreach committees and to promote Quaker Quest.• General Services Coordinating Committee will appoint a group to determine the need for monthly meeting

assistance with insurance cost and coverage and to assess potential savings through creating an insurance pool.

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• Development Committee will offer consultation on fund raising to all monthly meetings which request it.• The Communications Director will set up a list-serve on cemetery maintenance as a pilot and will assess how

helpful Friends find this to be.• Advancement Committee will sponsor “Bring a Friend to Meeting” campaign.

We Envision A Yearly Meeting Gathered Together into One Body Friends express a deep yearning for increased contact and connection with each other. Regular interaction among Friends throughout New York Yearly Meeting helps sustain and deepen our Society. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting the pursuit of greater contact and spiritual relationship among Friends.We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• Friends will make at least 100 visits to monthly meetings and worship groups.• The Spiritual Nurture Working Group will sponsor a pilot program for a regionally-based spiritual formation

program in one region.• We will maintain our current practice of making staff visits to monthly meetings a high priority.

We Envision A Yearly Meeting that Nurtures Our Children, Youth, and Young AdultsWe hear Friends’ call to focus attention on integrating our children, youth and young adults into the fabric of our community and on passing on to them the substance of our faith and practice. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting assisting Meetings with developing First Day School curricula, building skills for working with our teens, helping rejuvenate First Day Schools, and providing support for parents of young children. We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• Nurture Coordinating Committee and Youth Committee will appoint a group to collect and develop first day

school materials and to distribute them to monthly meetings as requested.• This same group will collect suggestions for a one-time First Day School program for children who show up

unexpectedly at a monthly meeting and will publish these on the YM website.• The Communications Director will create a list-serve for First Day School leaders so Friends can seek help

from other Friends with expertise.• Personnel Committee will work with interested Friends to develop a job description and funding strategy for a

part-time staff position to support monthly meetings in their nurture of children and youth.• Sessions and Junior Yearly Meeting will continue to work with regional planning committees to ensure

programs for children and youth at Spring and Fall Sessions which integrate these Friends into our community and our common work.

We Envision A Yearly Meeting that Witnesses to the World on Our Behalf Meetings and Friends look to the Yearly Meeting to be an active presence in the broader society for Friends’ faith, values, ministry and witness. Through the Yearly Meeting, Friends can magnify our impact on our communities, nation and the world. The Yearly Meeting can and should speak loudly, yet faithfully, for all Friends. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting the responsibility to be an active voice for Friends’ faith, values, ministry and witness in the world.

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12 We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• We will clarify the authority of the YM Clerk and General Secretary to speak and act in our name between

YM Sessions.• We will make 3 public advocacy visits to governmental officials in Albany regarding issues of concern to

Friends.• We will actively participate in inter-faith organizations that work to influence public policy, such as state

Councils of Churches, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.• The General Secretary and other Friends chosen by the Prisons Committee will meet with NYS Department

of Correctional Services to advocate for the right of full religious expression for incarcerated Friends.

We Envision A Yearly Meeting that Is Accountable and Transparent Meetings and Friends express concern that the Yearly Meeting organization has not been fully accountable and transparent in its operations. We envision a yearly meeting whose structure and operations are well understood by all Friends, and which is a faithful expression of the leadings of those Friends that make up the Yearly Meeting. In approving this Statement to guide our activities in the immediate future, we also bear a duty to assure that these Leadings and Priorities are faithfully implemented. Priority: We, the Body of Friends gathered through our New York Yearly Meeting, recognize as a Priority for the Yearly Meeting the responsibility to hold itself accountable to the above priorities, ensuring their faithful fruition. We will begin to implement this Priority by undertaking the following actions during the next 12 months:• The Yearly Meeting body will authorize a committee named to shepherd the implementation of the Leadings

and Priorities and to provide ongoing assessments of progress in realizing our vision.• Our Communications Director will ensure that meetings and Friends are regularly provided with detailed

information about the work of the Yearly Meeting and the implementation of the Leadings and Priorities through Spark, InfoShare, the Yearbook, the YM website and social media.

• Financial Services Committee will publish a consolidated financial statement that makes more transparent the income and expenses of the entire Yearly Meeting will be published.

• Financial Services Committee will work with Liaison Committee to finalize a schedule and process for developing YM budgets that affords meetings and Friends abundant and meaningful opportunity to participate in discerning how monies will be allocated.

• YM representatives to Friends organizations will make it a priority to report to meetings and Friends about the ongoing work and concerns of those organizations.

• The YM clerk will publish and distribute, at least two months in advance, information about substantive items to be considered at the upcoming yearly meeting session, whenever possible.

Submitted by Kathy Dudarchik, Darleen Farley, and Cyndi Marvin

Table of Contents

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

Farmington FriendMay 2014

1 25:30 Pastor’s Monthly Open House/ Potluck

38:00 Church Spring Clean-Up at Meetinghouse

410:00 Sunday School All Age Groups10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship11:00 WorshipCoffee Hour after Worship

56:30 Spiritual Nurture Group

6Noon AA

76:15 RE Meeting7:00 Senior Choir

8 9 10

119:00 Handbell practice10:00 Sunday School Youth Group10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship11:00 WorshipFriend Notes Due

126:30 Spiritual Nurture Group

13Noon AA

147:00 Senior Choir

156:00 Peace & Social Concerns

16 17

1810:00 Sunday School All Age Groups10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship11:00 Worship

196:30 Spiritual Nurture Group

20Noon AA6:30 Ministry & Counsel

217:00 Senior Choir

22 23 24

259:00 Handbell practice10:00 Sunday School Youth Group10:15-10:45 Unprogrammed Worship11:00 WorshipMonthly Meeting on Rise from Worship

266:30 Spiritual Nurture Group

27Noon AA

287:00 Senior Choir

29 30 31

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Table of Contents

Front Page Surrendering the Stone Page 2 Margaret’s Musings/Birthdays/Treasurer’s ReportPage 3 Society/Upcoming EventsPage 4-9 Committee Minutes & NotesPage 10-12 A Report from NYYM Spring Sessions (Saturday morning, April 05, 2014)Page 13 Calendar

FARMINGTON FRIENDS CHURCH140 Church Ave.

Farmington, NY 14425

Sonnenberg Park, the End of the Blizzard Night