FALL 2002The planning subcommittee of Salem Quarter Worship & Ministry
he evening was warm but pleasant and still light, so we took our chairs outside to plan for the forthcoming Quarterly Meeting session.
Quarterly Meeting would be on September 8th, so there was no ignoring the anniversary of the attacks. As we met seeking guidance, we recalled other such meetings, at monthly, quarterly and yearly levels. We reflected on what we heard in session, in conversation, and in our hearts. We told stories: a Quaker who slipped away in the night to enlist in the Union Army; a Mohawk who grew to manhood in the warrior caste but sought a peaceful way when conflict came; a conscientious objector who wanted to become a policeman.
We talked long past the point where we were surprised at our need to talk. And as the evening deepened, a few things seemed worth carrying forward.
- The Peace Testimony and the need for it in this world have been with us long before last September, and many of us have grown in its service.
- Nonetheless, the Peace Testimony is now being tested in us in depths and dimensions that many of us have not experienced before.
- We each experience this testing—and hold the Peace Testimony—uniquely.
- It is all too common and unfortunate that we endure these experiences alone.
We resolved not to invite a guest speaker for our September session. We do not need a lecture. Rather, we need to listen. To hear our concerns, our regrets, our hopes, our learnings and hurts, our progress and disappointments. And to seek guidance, wisdom, consolation, and challenge.
We offer the Quarter the opportunity to minister to one another. We will set the stage, and we will invite you to focus, not on a range of detailed queries, but on one basic question.
How does peace sit with thee?
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