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SUMMER
1999Phil Anthony
COORDINATOR Phil Anthony TELEPHONE (856) 769-0066 FAX (856) 769-1416 salemqtr@verizon.net Within the past year, two of Salem Quarter’s meetings established a Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
The one at Woodstown, clerked by Linda Jeffrey, has already held a number of events, including potluck suppers to examine school violence and peacemaking among children, and donations for the Salem homeless shelter. Under way are plans for a presentation next fall on parenting and peace by Harriet Heath, to which the Quarter will be invited.
While Woodstown has never been a stranger to peace and social concerns work—how many pennies did the First-day School collect for the Pennies to Copper program?—the new committee provides a focus for its activity.
I was privileged to be at the birth of the newest such committee in the Quarter, at Woodbury. There, Sandy Boone, who has been an attender for just a little over a year, was moved to convene a group to see how much interest there was in testimonies and concerns. Before that convening meeting was over, the group had packed several dozen Kits for Kosovo and decided it wanted to continue its work. The following week at meeting for business, the new committee was officially established with Sandy as its clerk.
Peace and concerns is nothing new for Salem Quarter, either. Mickleton’s minutes on nuclear armaments were approved by Quarterly Meeting last year. So was joining with the Unplug Salem! movement, an initiative introduced by Seaville. Melissa Medford of Salem heads up the Tooth Fairy project for Salem County, monitoring radiation levels. Roshan Dinshah of Mullica Hill and Bill Geary of Seaville have carried on their prison ministry at Southern State for years, and Mullica Hill’s Lois Dinshah edits PYM’s Friendly Justice Newsletter. This spring Greenwich examined the roots of the peace testimony in the Quakerism 101 class they kindly opened up to the whole Quarter.
In the midst of all the activity, the Coordinator wonders how the monthly meetings can keep in touch. An e-mail chain, with a contact person at each meeting, is one possibility; other ideas will be welcome.
While all this has been going on, plans are set for Quarterly Meeting at Mickleton on Sunday, 13 June. We’ll gather at 9:30 AM, with worship at 10:00 and program by Cookie Caldwell, staff for PYM’s Young Friends program, at 11:00. At noon we’ll break for lunch, and business meeting starts at 1:00 PM.
A month after Quarterly Meeting, 20–25 July, PYM’s annual sessions will be held in Allentown once again. This Residential Yearly Meeting focuses on the Standing Committees’ first year of work, and on speaking (and listening to) faith language.
And we’re working on our third annual Salem Quarter Retreat. Details aren’t set yet, but it’ll be held at the Burlington Meeting House Friday through Sunday, 20–22 August. Mark your calendars, and watch for announcements as more information is available.
By the way, take a look at the box above. Much of South Jersey will have new area codes starting 12 June, including the Coordinator. And we have a new e-mail address, too, hoping to serve you better.
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Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 09:25 AM
