2008 Visitation Reports

Canadian Yearly Meeting Visit 2008

Many of the Earthcare issues that are currently of concern to Quaker Earthcare Witness can only be fully understood if they are considered in a global -- or at least a continental -- context. My second visit to Canadian Yearly Meeting, as an ambassador from Quaker Earthcare Witness, renewed and strengthened my belief that maintaining a working relationship between these two entities is vitally important. This cooperation contributes to a holistic understanding of these issues. From both sides of the border, we must work to keep this relationship vigorously healthy and clear.

As examples, I briefly describe below five selected Earthcare issues in Canada that have continental/global impact, and include a few sources for further research.

1. Tar sands

With the inclusion of the tar sands resource in northern Alberta, Canada’s petroleum reserves now rival those of Saudi Arabia. If fully developed, this project would become the largest industrial complex in the world. Hard as it is to imagine, a consortium of Canadian and U.S. energy companies are proposing the installation of 2-4 nuclear reactors, solely to provide the energy to extract and process oil from the tar sands. This oil is not needed to meet Canada’s present demand. All of it would be exported to the United States.

Apparently, the decision to move forward on this development has been firmly made, but the rate at which development occurs is still being debated. The decision to develop the tar sands resource is clearly in direct opposition to the urgent need to stop using fossil fuels, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, as the debate continues about the rate of development, pollutants already are leaching into the Athabasca River drainage. One obstacle that may delay or hinder development is a campaign mounted by Greenpeace to stop the Tar Sands Project.

Resource materials related to this topic—available from me upon request—include:

• A recent article from a Canadian newspaper discussing threats to water quantity and quality in the Athabasca River watershed
  
• A draft “Minute on Peaceful Energy,” prepared for CYM but not considered in 2008
  

2. Uranium mining / expansion of reliance upon nuclear energy

Saskatchewan may be the world’s largest producer of uranium. In this sense, it is located at the very hub of the world’s global nuclear system. While we in the United States are still dithering over Yucca Mountain, Canadians are assuming that radioactive waste can be safely stored under stable, pre-Cambrian strata in the Labrador Shield. This has been a popular notion, but the problem of heat build-up exists. This is the reason why this seemingly innocuous method of storage has not been attempted in Canada, nor, for that matter, anywhere in the US either. (See Gordon Edwards on You-tube as mentioned below.)

Attenders at Canadian Yearly Meeting had an opportunity to view a documentary film that focuses upon the link between enriched uranium and nuclear weapons production. The film is available upon request from Jane McKay Wright. A book that deals with this topic is: Canada’s Deadly Secret: Saskatchewan, Uranium and the Global Nuclear System by Jim Harding. It is very comprehensive in recounting the history of Uranium, but less thorough on the science of this element, for those who might want more depth.

Some important websites to scan are as follows:

Gordon Edwards <ccnr@web.ca> The entire video of this talk given in January, 2008, at the University of Alberta (Edmonton), entitled "Nuclear Power – Hope or Hoax?" is now available in 9 episodes on YouTube, at: <http://youtube.com/user/RainbowBridgeTV>

Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility <http://www.ccnr.org>

Physicians for Global Survival <http://www.pgs.ca>

Campaign for Nuclear Phase-out <http://www.cnp.ca>

World Information Service on Energy (WISE) <http://www.antenna.nl/wise/>

Inter-Church Uranium Committee, in Saskatchewan http://www.icucec.org

Resource materials related to this topic—available from me upon request—include:

• A “Nuclear Map of Canada”
  
• A recent article in the Casper (WY) Star-Tribune, describing the largest in-situ leach uranium in the U.S.
  
• A recent article in The Christian Science Monitor, describing the controversy over renewed uranium mining proposed in the vicinity of Grand Canyon

3. The regulation of bio-technology

Two very significant issues within this category are: (a) the genetic modification of plant and animal species, and( b) nanotechnology.

A bill has been introduced into the Canadian Parliament that would require the application of a “green screen” – analogous, perhaps, to an Environmental Impact Statement – before the development of any new biotechnology moves forward.

A book that deals with the subject of biotechnology policy is: The Real Board of Directors: The Construction of Biotechnology Policy in Canada, 1980-2002. The publisher is: The Ram’s Horn, S-6, C-27, RR#1, Sorrento, British Columbia VOE 2WO, Canada.

Organizations that support this concern include the Canadian Council of Churches and Kairos, sponsored by the Quaker Institute for the Future.

Resource materials related to this topic—available from me upon request—include:

• “Friends Testimonies and Biotechnology: Can We Speak for the Commonwealth of Life?” (4 pages) Quaker Institute for the Future
  
• “Biotechnology as Seen by Quakers: Moral Vision, Ethical Assessment,
  and Action” (4 pages) Quaker Institute for the Future
  
• “Nanotechnology: a quickly emerging field promising benefits and significant risks” (2 pages) Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy
  
• Two articles that raise questions about the safety of sewage-based fertilizers

4. Climate change

Among climate scientists, it is widely believed that the imposition of a carbon tax would be much more effective in reducing carbon dioxide emissions than would a system based upon “cap-and-trade.” British Columbia has recently enacted a law that effectively substitutes a carbon tax for a sales tax. No other province in Canada, nor state in the United States, has been this forward-looking, as yet. This is an important precedent to monitor, especially now, as the U. S. Senate considers adopting a cap-and-trade system for the United States.

5. The Moral Economy Project (http://moraleconomy.org)

This team effort co-ordinated by Peter Brown and Geoff Garver of Montreal MM, MEP is an international collaboration of Friends economists and ecologists under the auspices of Quaker Institute for the Future, inspired by the spiritually-grounded eco-economics of Keith Helmuth (see his "Revisioning the Peace Testimony" in http://cympeace.wikidot.com), Ken Boulding, Aldo Leopold, Albert Schweitzer, the FTE group, and J.M.Keynes, among others. The economy must serve society (not the other way round) and treat all life as sacred. Representing the MEP team at QEW and CYM meetings is David Millar. Five years after its founding meeting at Pendle Hill (among which were many QEW members) it has written a book Right Relationship: Building a Whole Earth Economy, whose publication by Berrett-Koehler is planned in early 2009 together with a QIF symposium and online international forum. A one-page flyer on the book and its main ideas is available from (http://moraleconomy.org)

These five issues are complex and broad in their implications geographically and ethically. Let us, therefore, value highly this relationship between Canadian Yearly Meeting and Quaker Earthcare Witness, and nurture it carefully. By working together, much can be accomplished.

—Donn Kesselheim, ambassador to Canadian Yearly Meeting from Quaker Earthcare Witness

France Yearly Meeting and UN meeting in France

David Millar

With Mary Gilbert of QEW I attended France Yearly Meeting at a pilgrimage center in Pontmain, a striking first time introduction to traditional French life, and afterwards met with MAN (Mouvement pour une Alternative Nonviolente) and attended the UN-DPI-NGO conference focusing on human rights, at UNESCO in Paris.

France Yearly Meeting was an eye opener on the possibilities of international Quaker exchanges, using the Internet to advance discernment on peace environment and social justice concerns. Existing sites include the trilingual blog Towards a Moral Economy (http://mecteam.blogspot.com)

the wiki Building a Culture of Peace (http://cympeace.wikidot.com), started by Canadian Friends, whose content is similar to the printed catalog Cultivons la Paix created by Quakers and others in the 2008 Salon d'initiatives pour la paix
< http://www.salon-initiatives.depaix.org,) the multilingual environmental group for Young Friends TMEE
<http://groups.takingitglobal.org/tmee> and the group PaixQuébecPeace <http://groups.takingitglobal.org/pqpp> to which we invited French friends to contribute.

Friends Julia Ryberg (Suède, juliaryberg@yahoo.se),
Friedrich Huth (Allemagne, friedrich.huth@web.de), Alan & Virginia Allport (Living Witness UK) announced other projects such as an Internet course on Quakerism 101 from Woodbrooke, a German interchurch report proposing a civilian nonviolent service (Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.v. ou forumZFD), and environmental actions. Huth urged us to take part in an international exchange next year in celebration of the 350th anniversary of George Fox's Peace Testimony. I suggested we follow up on this with discussion on the wiki and TMEE, with participants from the Woodbrooke network, to prepare a virtual conference of Quakers worldwide.

Mary Gilbert and I reported on a number of English language publications . by QEW (<http://www.quakerearthcare.org/>), FTE (<http://www.quakerearthcare.org/Projects/FTE/FTE.htm>), the book Right Relationship to appear in January 2009 from MEP
(<http://moraleconomy.org/index.html>); the book is briefly described in the blog (<http://mecteam.blogspot.com/2008/08/right-relationship-building-whole-earth.html>); and by Living Witness (<http://www.livingwitness.org.uk/>). Inviting French translation or exchange of similar documents. In addition, Kate de la Mare has offered to translate part of my compilation of environmental queries by QEW and other Quaker bodies.

MAN shares the building, of the Quaker Center at 114, rue Vaugirard, Paris 5e, there I met national organizer Lore Bolliet et Ile de France to discuss possible exchanges between French and Québec nonviolence movements. This looks very promising and may produce some materials from which English-speaking pacifists could benefit.

Finally, the NGO conference at UNESCO Paris, held for the first time in 50 years outside New York City, had 2000 delegates from 74 countries. There are videos online at http://everyhumanhasrights.org/ with Mandela, Tutu, Mary Robinson, etc http://www.dreamprojectun.com/story.html—video interviews with people at UN-DPI conference will soon to be posted.

In addition to the official conference (see http://un.org/webcast/dpingo/archive.asp?go=080903 official speeches & written summaries) there were several jampacked breakout sessions on culture for peace in which delegates called for NGO to NGO meetings next year, and staff/resources from UNESCO to put into effect its already existing plan for Culture of Peace. EMES (FWCC for Europe and Middle East), QCEA (Quaker office at EU Brussels) and ECEN (the European Christian network) are eager to participate. Mary and I will develop these contacts. At the same time, New Zealand friend Robert Howell has created a Quaker action group to follow up on the FWCC 2007 triennial minutes on the environment -- you may participate in this network on Google group IQAA by sending a message to fdmillar@gmail.com.

I cannot finish without thanking Libby Perkins, Jeanne-Henriette Louis and all the others who helped organize these meetings.

Mary Gilbert adds:

Visiting France Yearly Meeting felt to me like being welcomed into a warm family where people know each other well and accept each other with love. 'Living Witness' seems to be the UK version of our North American 'Quaker Earthcare Witness.' We are speaking the same message about love for and care of this intricately balanced planet. I think it is time for Quakers around the world to work together toward a Living Witness that speaks with one, strong voice about how we can live on Earth in synch with the processes of nature, and to conduct our lives in accordance with our deeply felt beliefs. Participating in France YM was a good step in that direction, and I will be alert to what we might do together next.

2008 FUM Triennial

“Hope and Future”

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

—Jeremiah 29: 11

I represented QEW at the 2008 FUM Triennial, held in High Point, N.C., at the High Point Friends Church. There were somewhere between 400 and 500 people attending. Friends from the High Point area joined us for evening programs. The highlight of the Triennial was the Friday evening session when John Punshon spoke. Punshon is the author of a number of books including Encounter with Silence and Portrait in Gray.

The scheduled workshop leader for “Global Warming” canceled a few days before the beginning of the Triennial and I led the workshop in her place. In keeping with the theme of the Triennial, I focused on what communities of faith will do in the future when we have to face the impacts of global warming. There wasn’t much “hope” in the workshop attendees, even the college professors in the group. Older Friends, who attended the workshop, seemed to be over whelmed with what the future will bring.

I attended the worship and business sessions and learned a lot about the programs that FUM supports. The workshops and interest groups were very interesting. Considering the number of people who had to be fed, meals were outstanding. The weather was excellent and I ate outside at every meal. About a fourth of the attendees had to eat outside since the church multi-purpose room wouldn’t hold everyone.

The schedule was so full that meals were the only times when people had an opportunity to talk. I made a point of eating with a different group of people at every meal. This gave me the opportunity to introduce myself as representing QEW. People were interested in what we are doing and share our concern for the environment.

The next Triennial will be in 2011 and will be hosted by Wilmington Yearly Meeting. Wilmington includes southern Ohio and eastern Tennessee. We know that eastern Kentucky comes between Ohio and Tennessee but apparently doesn’t have any FUM Friends.

I traveled to High Point by train (every seat, including Business Class, was taken) and, on the way home, I wondered “How will Friends face the future?”

—Barbara Williamson

Visit to Great Plains Yearly Meeting—2008

Great Plains Yearly Meeting celebrated their 100th year in Central City, Nebraska in early June. The setting was a former Friends college with nearby cornfields glistening from the somewhat excessive rain. Whistling trains were often heard, most carrying coal from Wyoming, some stopping at the local ethanol plant. One can feel historical and spiritual currents not present in most of our nation. While nostalgia for the past predominated, the Sessions theme from 2John about seeing each other face to face in the love necessary to bring forth the Kingdom was also palpable.

GPYM certainly seems the most theologically and ethnically diverse for its size. Bringing together the 5 main Meetings from almost 1000 miles of prairie seems an unlikely venue for the top leaders of FUM, FGC, FCNL and AFSC, b ut there they were. The efforts of Steve McConnell, their QEW rep, and 7 years of visitation showed in little ways such as consciously having a simple banquet without plastic. Our reports focused on QEW’s efforts to collaborate with other groups by keeping a focus on valuing Creation in its own right when creating a theology and action plan for peace. When asked what GPYM could do to stand against the degradation of the natural world such items as carbon neutral meetings were mentioned... However, later I realized what was really on my heart was why do we not sit down and thresh Richard Heinberg’s proposal for 50 Million Farmers because this group represents many who would have to participate in the de-industrialization of agriculture. The yearning for community that is sorely missed might be fulfilled with such a spiritual redesigning of our food and social networks. If time is taken to keep a clear, common vocabulary, Friends have much to add about putting a thankful appreciation of Creation into action.

QEW can play an important role in supporting leadership, both young and old, to find new approaches that bring forth spiritual understanding of the unprecedented challenges that the Epistle sent out from this Session mentions. Perhaps, those of us who make visitations need to share more about getting beyond the observer role, coordinating with YM reps and presentation of talking points.

—Rod Zwirner

Intermountain Yearly Meeting visit 2008

I attended Intermountain Yearly Meeting, June 11- 15 in Ghost Ranch, N.M. Intermountain Yearly Meeting is comprised of unprogrammed Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, South Dakota and northwest Texas. The gathering was well attended with over 350 participants, the largest group that Ghost Ranch serves. Ruah Swennerfelt, QEWgeneral secretary, and I had hoped that this would be the year that IMYM affiliates with QEW. I presented a workshop using the expressive arts to hone our commitment to environmental earth healing. We had 15 at the workshop and many more expressing interest in QEW. In fact, most people said, "I can't believe we aren't already affiliated with QEW." I felt the workshop went very well and all enjoyed dancing and singing their environmental visions. I have several who signed up for BeFriending Creation. Tucson Meeting invited me to come do a workshop for their meeting.

At the last meeting for business, the IMYM clerk was not able to give me time on the agenda to tell the gathering about QEW. I was, of course, disappointed but not defeated. It was most uplifting to see that most people from the workshop showed up at the meeting for business to support the affiliation. Dawn Howard of the Mountain View Friends Meeting, Denver, Colo., volunteered to attend the QEW gatherings and take information back to her meeting.

I am so glad that I went to IMYM and find the people very committed to regional issues like border relations. Most of our pamphlets were picked up from the display table. Next year the group from my workshop wants to have a "Green Team" for the conference.

—Ruth Hamilton, QEW Ambassador

QEW representation at North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM

This past August I represented QEW at the 2008 annual sessions of North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM at a YMCA conference center near Asheville, N.C. Alan Baker, NCYM-FUM’s appointed representative to the QEW Steering Committee, was able to be there for part of the sessions, and he was helpful in setting up the QEW display.

For this yearly meeting I prepared a somewhat different table-top display that framed QEW’s basic message with more biblical references and language. I was given a very visible location in the main meeting hall for the QEW literature table, and many of the QEW pamphlets and publications catalogs were picked up during the sessions. There seemed to be a lot of interest in our Earthcare for Children curriculum, the new Walking Gently on the Earth checklist, and the new Human-induced Climate Change pamphlet.

Although no arrangement had been made this year to hold an Earthcare interest group, I set up an “Ask Me About Quaker Earthcare Witness” sign at the table whenever I ate in the dining room, and this led to many interesting and productive discussions with Yearly Meeting attenders. It was good to meet and talk with others whom I already knew from other Quaker gatherings or QEW events. With my own North Carolina roots, I felt quite at home with the regional accents and the Southern-style cooking in the dining room. I also engaged in a number of impromptu exchanges as well. One memorable conversation, during a break period, was with an elderly Quaker farmer who expressed views on climate change, peak oil, and other ecological issues that were almost diametrically opposed to those held by most QEW supporters. I felt I did a good job of explaining QEW’s positions in a factual, respectful way, and I tried to stay on common ground by talking about how these concerns relate to the kind of world or children and grandchildren’s future.

But this experience highlighted my overall impression that most Friends attending this Yearly Meeting are so oriented to conservative “sin and salvation” issues that few are inclined to see Earthcare is a spiritual concern, much less a Friends concern. They are also more likely to receive their information from conservative news media that are either dismissive of many ecological concerns or emphasize technological “supply side” solutions over regulations and lifestyle changes. Some may be concerned about various environmental issues, but they tend to understand them in a more secular sense, with emphasis on relatively painless remedies such a recycling, rather than as a reason to reexamine our fundamental role within the earth community.

Another indication that the Yearly Meeting leadership was still somewhat tentative in its relationship with QEW was the fact that I was not invited to be part of a 50-minute panel presentation of representatives of other “affiliated organizations.” I probably could have spoken up and gotten myself included in the lineup at the last minute, but too little time was allotted for the number of speakers as it was.

In all, I felt that I had done a fairly good job of keeping QEW and its ministry visible at this Yearly Meeting, but I left with reservations about whether the time and money we invested in sending a representative all the way from Vermont could have been put to better use elsewhere. It would certainly be better if a representative from QEW could come from that region and to be able to build more of a personal connection through successive visits, as Kim and Susan Carlyle and Alice Wald did in the past.

—Louis Cox

Report on Visit to Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends

August 11 to 16, 2008

These are Conservative Friends, some of whom refer to themselves as Wilburites, maintain plan dress and say “thee” and “thou.” There is much language about Christ, and Jesus as Lord. I was initially welcomed warmly by some and cautiously by others.

At opening sessions, letters of introduction were read for three visitors, including myself and Leroy Curtis. Leroy serves as representative to Ohio Yearly Meeting from LEYM, where he is a member of the Earthcare Committee. He has visited OYM for at least five years, faithfully bringing materials from QEW, FCNL, and AFSC.

After the clerk read my letter (which mentioned my becoming a vegan as a matter of conscience), I was given a short time to speak. I shared that I was there as part of my leading to care for God’s Creation and to learn about and listen to Conservative Friends, then read QEW’s Vision and Witness statement. One Friend stood up and spoke of being “offended by these groups who want to save the world,” but who criticize farmers for being unsustainable. It was not clear to me what part of my letter or our statement or something else he’d read about QEW had so upset him, but, instead of feeling defensive, I felt led to find him at the rise of business meeting and ask if he would have a meal with me so that I could hear more about his concerns. Before I had that opportunity, several OYM Friends spoke to me—apologizing for his words, checking to see if I was okay, explaining to me some of his history. One thought he might have been threatened by my veganism, another that it was not me or QEW but his longstanding difficulties with “tree huggers” interfering with what he believes is good forest management. Another spoke to me, in a kindly way, about how some members of OYM have a distrust for what they traditionally call “Fast Friends from Philadelphia” – because our fast paced speech and our more advanced education levels have made these Ohio farmers feel looked down upon.

During our meal, he was defensive about the term “factory farms” and said that small farms (like the CSA’s that QEW advocates) are not financially feasible in his part of Ohio, and that even though he had a dairy farm with many hundreds of cows, they were not mistreated. Also, he maintained that the large lagoons of manure could all be utilized for restoring the land and that they were no more damaging in cases of flood than human sewer plants. I admitted that I have only heard horror stories about “factory farms” and that perhaps I, and other non farmers like me, would benefit from some information from him. Explaining that QEW had two farmers on its Steering Committee (Al Connor and Steve McConnell, although I know Steve now teaches), I suggested that perhaps he would be willing to write something in conjunction with Al and possibly Steve, that could be a discussion piece for QEW. It is my hope that those who are more knowledgeable than I would be willing to engage him further in a tender way.

My second challenge came on the second day, just before the sharing time for FCNL, FWCC, and QEW, when another Friend took issue with our words “human aspirations for peace and justice,” saying that we were being humanists. Initially confused by his heated statements, I eventually understood that he believes that we can only act in terms of what God commands us to do, and that we should be speaking in those terms. At that point the clerk intervened, asking that we sit in silence in preparation for the meeting, and that Friend left.

It took me longer to feel ready to invite this Friend to share a meal with me so that I might listen further, but when I was ready to do so in the spirit of love, he accepted gladly. When asked to say more about his concerns, he took issue with the beginning of our V&W statement, “We are called…,” asking me “Who calls you? Why don’t you say God calls you?” When I replied that the words imply “called by God,” and that we say “manifestation of God” in the same sentence, he said that wasn’t enough, that we need to proclaim God’s call clearly. I chose not to defend, but to listen. After I asked him to share his spiritual journeys and had some discussion about the differences in language used by Conservative Friends vs Liberal Friends, he was also ready to be friendly.

The amazing thing is that people apparently saw me eating with the first Friend and were impressed. Then again, with the second Friend. Further, as the week progressed, a number of us participated in a “Sharing on Charity” that focused on 1st Corinthians and Paul’s admonitions about love (led by Thomas Swain, clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and an affiliate member of one of OYM’s monthly meetings). Through a deep and wonderful sharing, we came to know one another, and more and more, as I spoke to Friends at meals and during breaks, they opened their hearts to me.

I didn’t ask to give a workshop, nor did I speak about QEW a great deal. It felt right this time just to get to know them and to hear their concerns.

I did put up the QEW/EWG of PYM display and the Ecological Footprint display.
A few Friends remembered that Bill and Alice Howenstine had visited for QEW some years ago and asked about them.
Several, not many, signed up to receive e-versions of the ecological and carbon footprint quizzes. One took a QEW brochure and said she would like to subscribe again.
One asked if I might work with them and their youth because she felt that the youth cared about Earth-related issues and that maybe if I taught the youth about ecological footprinting, that they might, in turn teach the adults. This Friend also knew Bill and Alice from years at Cleveland Meeting and had been deeply touched by Alice’s kindness and caring of her at a difficult time.
One Friend, from North Carolina Conservative YM (Virginia Beach MM) expressed her appreciation of a visit to her MM from Roy Taylor, who had worked with them on ecological footprint and given some valued advice about their school’s planned renovations.
An especially strong connection was made with one amazing couple, who had moved to Bolivia to farm and were back visiting, The wife told me that she knew right away that I was her sister. I asked if I might make a donation to QEW so that she would receive BFC electronically. One of the plain dress women, a former clerk of OYM, asked me to come again and said they had been blessed by my visit
For me this was an important beginning in reaching out to Friends who may speak differently from some of us in QEW. I learned that there are many opportunities for connection and for increased understanding.

—Respectfully submitted, Hollister Knowlton

South Central Yearly Meeting Visitation Report

March 20 - 23, 2008

South Central Yearly Meeting was held Easter weekend in central Texas. As usual, the Yearly meeting was very much like a family reunion—with a very large extended family.

Among the reports from representatives to numerous other organizations, the representative to Texas Impact, an environmental organization, remarked that she frequently takes QEW materials with her to share at the Texas Impact meetings. The representative to FWCC reported that there is a concern about the environmental impact of plane travel to FWCC meetings and that changes will be implemented. Sally, SCYM representative to QEW, made an excellent presentation to the MWCB. She talked about the 20th anniversary, Men4Men and the QEW grants available for MM projects.

At an earlier interim meeting SCYM decided not to take a position on the Mexico/U.S. border wall. This is a major leading for Sally.

Many MMs are making Green renovations to their meeting houses. Austin MM had just installed solar panels. One of the meetings in Houston is planning a major expansion and hopes to receive LEED certification once the expansion and remodeling project is complete.

Several MMs have or are establishing Earthcare committees.

A guest from FGC, Elaine Crawderueff, gave a presentation on Quaker Quest. It was an interesting workshop but seems to require a fairly large number of people in a MM to keep from overwhelming the MM.

Paul Lacey was the key note speaker. He spoke on the topic of “Finding the Joy in Others and Yourself.”

At the worship sharing on Saturday morning the query was “What does Sustainability mean to me?” There were many responses about farm land and the environment.

A chilly Easter morning found a small group of us waiting for the sunrise in a large field overlooking the rolling farm land around us.

—Barbara Williamson, Ambassador