Annapolis

• Interchange, Spring 2010
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2009
• Interchange, Winter 2010
• Interchange, Fall 2009
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2008
• Interchange, Spring 2009
• Interchange, Winter 2009
• Interchange, Fall 2008
• Interchange, Summer 2008
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2007
• Interchange, Spring 2008
• Peace Call, 2007
• Interchange, Fall 2007
• Interchange, Summer 2007
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2006
• Interchange, Spring 2007
• Interchange, Fall 2006
• Interchange, Summer 2006
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2005
• Minute for Tom Fox
• Interchange, Fall 2005
   
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2004
• Interchange, May 2004
• Spiritual State of Our Meeting - 2003

Annapolis Friends hosted Chesapeake Quarterly Meeting on March 14. The Peace and Justice Center continues to take the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) into the local community. After discussion about privacy and minutes on the AFM Web site, we have decided to include the minutes but without last names. For many years, our children have worshiped with the adults the first 15 minutes. We are experimenting with having them come in for the last few minutes.

On Easter, Friends gathered at 7:00 a.m. for worship, followed by a walk around the ravine on our property. Then Friends returned for a pancake breakfast. A new Bible study group is using the Quaker Bible Study model. Sharing is deep and new understandings are emerging.

As Quakers, we find great joy in our basic belief that we all have direct access to the Divine. Silent worship is the heart of our meeting and we find strength in the richness of the silence: strength to be spirit and strength to be in the world. We cherish the Quaker tradition that marries spirit and action, as our spiritual roots grow into diverse activities and leadings.

Meeting offers a place where being an individual is deeply entwined with being truly a member of the community. Meeting calls forth our gifts and nourishes, seasons and confirms our leadings. We feel a sense of joy as Annapolis Friends following leadings toward peace and justice are beginning to have a positive impact on our community.

Of course, there are times when we encounter "rough spots", but it is precisely at these points where we are being called to grow into something deeper. We struggle to resolve conflicts and question whether we do this as well as we could. Currently, we face challenges in discerning Spirit’s guidance when Friends are drawn to very different visions of committee work. In embracing our leadings, we also learn when to lay them down. We are a healthy, growing community, but we must remember the wounded and the overwhelmed among us and ask Spirit for guidance in bringing health back to them. Is committee work overwhelming? In sharing our whole selves, do we sometimes inadvertently hurt others? We must remember to speak from that of God in us to find that of God in others and to allow Spirit to prosper among us. We must not forget the healing blessing of laughter.

We celebrate the growing numbers of young children in our community, and we are grateful for all that life has to offer. We are striving to learn, to be led, and to embrace joy.

Ministry and Worship Committee: The Ministry and Worship Committee is focused on the heart of our Meeting: our spiritual connection to the divine and to each other. From that center, we strive to nurture growth in worship, education and community. We are undertaking a long term project to document the practices and history of our Meeting and, this year, we clarified the meaning and process of membership. We have continued a varied program of adult education, with regular sessions on vocal ministry, eldering, and "Exploring Quakerism". In addition, we are encouraging opportunities for individuals to offer sessions from their leadings, such as sacred singing, which contribute to the richness of our Meeting. The Ministry and Worship Committee has been challenged this year by our calling to nurture the spiritual life and transformation of both individual Friends and the community as a whole. We sponsored a series of Circle dialogs, a modified form of community conferencing, to address an issue of conflict in the Meeting and we are striving to become more aware that seeking that point of synergy where the individual and the community flourish together in spirit is an ongoing challenge moving forward..

Pastoral Care Committee: In the past year, we sponsored several very healthy programs that support our community and the spiritual growth of individuals: a spiritual friendship group based on BYM’s spiritual formation program, Friendly 8’s dinner groups, and "Quaker Dudes". We experimented with, but suspended, a phone list to provide daily contact for isolated folks with health concerns. We oversaw the good order of the memorial service for Lloyd Jones. We sponsored weekly meetings for healing, and have conducted training sessions for the committee on clearness committees for grieving, based on the Stephens Ministry. We have done a good job as a committee facilitating the care of folks in need, and the announce list has enabled us to become one big Pastoral Care committee. Many people are very generous with their time in this Meeting, yet we need to do a better job of reaching out to folks we haven't seen in a while. Our committee function in and of itself seems healthy right now. We do a good job of being present with each other. We stay on task. We begin meetings in silent worship. We hold people in the Light and conduct mini healing circles at each meeting. A good job has been done not only by the committee but by the whole meeting in attending to the pastoral care of the community, and we consider ourselves to be the catalyst that sparks the whole meeting to help with Pastoral Care.

Stewardship and Finance Committee: The Stewardship and Finance Committee meets monthly to prayerfully consider Meeting’s immediate financial needs and long term well being, with Spirit’s guidance.

Peace and Social Concerns Committee: During 2009, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee was active, and the number of committee members increased. In the early months of the year, committee meetings attracted few Friends, typically 2 – 4 people. Nevertheless, the committee carried out its responsibility, for the Meeting, to investigate and recommend "Quaker Causes" for donations. In addition, the committee: (1) hosted a simple meal, donations from which went to the Right Sharing of World Resources; (2) approved donations from the Meeting’s Emergent Social concerns Fund to an organization providing solar-cooking stoves in Darfur, an organization providing textbooks to students in Central America, and to Friends House in Sandy Spring, Maryland; and (3) took on oversight responsibilities for the Meeting’s Peace and Justice Center. During the nominating process in the latter part of the year, many Friends discerned a leading to join P&SCC, and the membership increased threefold. Peace and Justice Center: For many years, Annapolis Friends dreamed of creating a "peace and justice center" within the Meeting. In 2008, way opened to realize this dream and, during 2009, the center created an "AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) in Annapolis Initiative. Through this initiative, in 2009, Annapolis Friends: (1) formed violence-prevention partnerships with six local faith communities, public agencies and private non-profit organizations; (2) provided AVP Basic training to 25 members of the greater Annapolis community; and (3) set the stage for a rapid expansion of AVP offerings in Annapolis in 2010. Annapolis Friends also continued their longstanding work with Annapolis Area Ministries and support of the Lighthouse Shelter for the homeless.

Children’s Religious Education Committee: Our committee works to provide a program that educates our children about Quakerism, Christianity and other religions, deepens the connections between our children and the rest of the Annapolis Friends Meeting community, and provides service opportunities for our children and the whole community. Many within our community volunteer regularly to teach First Day School or provide nursery care, benefiting both the children and the volunteers. In 2008/2009, our FDS program focused on the Bible. This year, our program has focused on historical Quakerism. We have continued our partnership with an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia, now working with the entire 4th grade, sending needed school supplies, enrichment materials, and hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, and expanding our pen pal program. Our annual spring classroom visit was fun and educational as we enjoyed brain gym activities together, shared a potluck lunch and spent time with our pen pals. Two additional events facilitated by CREC were the annual child welcoming in the fall, where we welcomed four new children into the community, and the Young Friends’ Christmas program, written by the YFs and including participants ranging in age from nursery to grandparent.

Meetinghouse and Land Committee: The Meetinghouse and Land Committee and its two subcommittees (Building Use coordinator and Hospitality) maintain the functionality and appearance of Annapolis Friends Meeting’s physical property through the efforts of its individual members and by contracting for professional services. The concerns of the Meeting are integrated into the deliberations of the committee, always with spiritual mindfulness toward fiscal matters and conservation of nature.

Outreach Committee: The Outreach Committee had a very good year in 2009. We added a few new "inreach" activities to our work, and we continued with ongoing projects and responsibilities of the committee. Thanks to each member’s willingness to manage at least one activity, we continued a steady commitment to AFM outreach into the community with our cleverly designed Quaker tee shirts, as well as kept our member/attender "picture board", AFM directory and two e-mail lists up to date, and kept our Newcomer Information supplies available. We continued to help as "greeters" at the Meetingroom door on First Days. Our new focus was including some new opportunities for increasing connectedness with new attenders. We continued with Newcomers’ Month by supplying sandwich-makings for potlucks each First Day in March, in addition to our usual potluck following Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. Many of our new attenders, and others, came to a worship sharing which was especially focused on that time of "newness" to Meeting. Another new commitment was in regular monthly note-writing to welcome newcomers and encourage them to attend upcoming activities. Quaker Quest: AFM held two full rounds of Quaker Quest meetings in the last year. These were an educational experience aimed primarily , of course, at newcomers. Within our Meeting, however, Quaker Quest drew members and attenders closer together as we discussed three central topics: Peace, Simplicity, and God/the Divine. Because of the emphasis we placed on through training, we heard many expressions of confidence from within our Meeting that if seekers asked tough questions about Quakerism, we could at least make a start at answering them honestly and truthfully, with a sense that we were informed by the long tradition of Quaker thought.

Library Committee: The Library committee continues to try to meet the book needs of our Meeting community. In 2010, we feel there may be a renewed energy in attempting to do this.

Our family camping weekend was held at Catoctin in September. In spite of the rain, we hiked and canoed, cooked s’mores at the fireplace, and had a great time building community.

The Annapolis Friends Meeting Peace and Justice Center has offered two sessions of the basic Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), one session of the advanced program, and one of the training for trainers program, which will qualify graduates to apprentice as leaders. Participants represented the Meeting, the board of education, the city and county human relations commissions, and a local African American church. We hope to offer the training throughout the community and we are lining up opportunities to give presentations on the program to community leaders.

A visioning session was held in October to consider the future of the meeting. Sixteen Friends identified and prioritized their spiritual leadings for two, six, and twelve years into the future. Each First Day in October, Outreach Committee provided sandwich materials and invited newer attenders to share a meal and get to know one another better.

In November we welcomed four new children into the meeting community. Kind words were spoken, certificates were signed, and a potluck was enjoyed by all present. Many tasks were completed at our fall project day, including an extension to the parking lot. The adult education program offered the Exploring Quakerism program over several sessions. Pastoral Care Committee has created a buddy system for Friends who live alone and would have no one to help them if they had an emergency. Individuals can sign up to have someone check on them each morning. We are offering a spiritual friendship group based on the BYM Spiritual Formation Program.

We continue our relationship with an inner city school in Philadelphia. We have established a program of pen pals between Friends and the children there. We have provided school supplies and mittens and gloves.

Three quarters of the proceeds from our annual Christmas Market on December 5 will be used for scholarships to AVP workshops. The other 25% will go to our Growing and Greening working group to pay a consultant to advise us on greening issues. We celebrated Christmas late—January 3 (!) at our regular potluck with a children’s program and caroling, due to the 20 inches of snow that made it impossible to reach the meetinghouse the Sunday before Christmas.

We have temporarily stopped posting the minutes of our business meetings on our Web page as we seek unity on how to balance desires for confidentiality with the desire to let our light shine into the digital world. We would be interested in other Friends’ thinking and practice.

Our sojourning member Ann Riggs has gone to Kenya to serve as principle (president) of the Friends Theological College. She will be there for about a year.

The proceeds of our spring Quaker Market were divided between support for Ann Riggs’ ministry to Kenya, William Penn House, and the greening of our Meeting House.

In June a group traveled from AFM to visit our third-grade partner children at their school in Philadelphia. We collected school supplies for them prior to their return to school.

The Meeting participated in an Annapolis Area Interfaith Earth Day Celebration held at a nearby church in June.

In June, instead of the usual potluck, Friends were treated to a simple meal followed by a talk about Right Sharing of the World Resources from Ted Hawkins. Friends then had the opportunity to contribute to the organization.

Our Spiritual State of the Meeting, 2008, concerns the formation of a divinely led, compassionate, effective community. How we process our leadings as individuals and how we come together as members of this Religious Society of Friends, was considered throughout this past year and continues to be the focus of our work as a Meeting, this coming year. There's a difference between respecting personhood and recognizing individuality. Socially, we are encouraged to be independent, empowered individuals. As a religious community, we are reminded to be tender shepherds of divine leadings. To be in harmony with the community, we need soft, not rugged individualism. These concerns are not new to the Religious Society of Friends; George Fox wrote in his Journal: "each individual is precious, unique and loved by God." Personhood is not separate from, but grows within, the community.

The work of our community is accomplished by individuals, through committees; the problem remains that so few are on committees and that many stay with the same committee work for years. Participation and accomplishments are impressive, however. Our Peace and Justice Center, formed in 2007, facilitated a water rights conference for Israeli and Palestinian negotiators through the Geneva Initiative. Our center began an ‘Alternatives to Violence’ program, working in a local prison, and is enabling the Boys and Girls Club to maintain a computer lab for the residents of a Section 8 housing community. Also, through the Boys and Girls Club, we have brought the ‘Help Increase the Peace Program’ to Annapolis. The homeless shelter is regularly supported by our small Meeting. In this, and many other ways, we are attempting to live the Testimonies, bringing new members and attenders into our spiritual community. As our Meeting grows, the concern about becoming too large was expressed; we seek ways both to know what others in Meeting are accomplishing and to remain a close-knit community.

As a Meeting, our energy flows through us; in embracing all people, from diverse backgrounds, with varied interests, we grow and expand. Challenges remain in effectively resolving conflict; Friends are reminded that clearness committees are offered for anyone facing difficulties, conflicts or concerns. This process of clearness is individualized to address the needs of the one with the awareness of the many in Meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Children’s Religious Education Committee (CREC) focuses on the spiritual needs and growth of our children from nursery age to young adulthood. We have had the largest group of young Friends and this expansion has been a joy to our Meeting. The Religious Education focus has been on the Bible and Quaker history. The many activities offered have advanced and expanded our community. From Child Welcoming, Holiday events, Intergenerational events, fundraisers, story sharing, and camping activities, to reaching out to our sister school in Philadelphia, CREC has magnified our vision of Quakers in the World. The gift of our youth cannot be overstated. We see and feel inner lights growing.

The Library Committee is seeking new members and considering ways to reorganize our collection and to make it more accessible and useful to Friends. Consideration is ongoing for digitalizing and expanding our written material.

The Ministry and Worship Committee attempted to provide leadership to Annapolis Friends Meeting on issues related to spiritual activities and actions in the Meeting. Specifically, our committee was involved in the oversight for clearness committees of new members and released Friends, re-writing the Manual of Procedures and Faith and Practice, providing reading material, facilitating discussions and worship sharings, and assisting the Clerk of the meeting to improve the spirituality of Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. In joining with the Historical sub-Committee, we are documenting our Quaker History and supporting the Quaker Burial Ground in Galesville, MD. With direct attention to inreach and outreach, we are in the process of creating a Quaker Quest and have conducted several meetings-for-learning to prepare for this series, now scheduled for this spring.

The Outreach Committee has been greeting and conversing with our new attenders. Brochures are available, contact information is sought, meals are shared and newcomers are introduced to members, all in attempt to build connections with those interested in doing so. Worship Sharings are scheduled so that we may hear the divine through those new and seasoned voices among us. Distribution of our Quaker Friends tee shirts, involvement with the Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network and improvements to our website all increase our exposure, drawing more new attenders to our small Meeting. Our committee is deeply involved with Quaker Quest and is also overseeing the budget for this series of events. We are excited by the ever increasing numbers of new attenders, including the many new children, who seem to be searching for a spiritual home and have found our Meeting.

The Stewardship and Finance Committee shares the guidance of Meeting’s finances with the Trustees and Treasurer through the invitation of Divine leadings. The budgetary needs of the Meeting have been responsibly met and huge leadings have been accomplished due largely to the abundance we have enjoyed, but also because of the careful, transparent oversight administered. The Water-Rights Conference was fully funded, the Peace & Justice Center was formulated and many local and international peace issues, addressed. Internal communication and conflict resolutions were very successful; every effort was made to involve the entire Meeting community in determining priorities, limits and directions.

The Pastoral Care Committee continues to hold each and every one of us within our Meeting, in God’s healing light. The Fund for Suffering is appropriated for those in special need; meals, flowers, conversation and practical help are lovingly offered, a well. Dinner groups and Spiritual Formation groups are organized; our committee is involved with Ministry & Worship to assist with the membership and eldering processes.

The Meeting House and Land Committee strives to carry out its responsibilities for the material assets of Annapolis Friends Meeting in an environmentally mindful manner. We are weaving the testimonies with love and Quaker process, so that the tapestry of our physical space exudes Divine light and welcome for all.

Our sojourning member Ann Riggs has been invited to be interim principal of the Friends Theological College in Kaimosi, Kenya. Annapolis Friends are supporting her call. She must raise funds for her position, and contributions from BYM Friends can be made either to her directly or to Annapolis Friends Meeting. A support committee is meeting with her to provide spiritual support.

At this writing, the meeting is about to offer its first two series of Quaker Quest meetings. The three topics selected are peace, simplicity, and God/the divine. We are publicizing with newspaper articles, yard signs, posters, Google access, and mention on radio station WAMU following the weekly broadcast of Speaking of Faith. Details of the program can be found on our Web site.

On Easter we had a 7:00 a.m. (almost sunrise!) worship followed by a ravine walk on our property and a pancake breakfast.

Business meeting has minuted its discernment in support of marriage equality in the state of Maryland. The local newspaper published our letter to the editor, which included the minute.

In April, the Friendly FolkDancers performed for us after a potluck supper. Soon we were all dancing, the reluctant teen-agers, the adults who came only to set up, our friend in a wheelchair, the husbands who had wanted to leave early to watch basketball. The evening ended in a meditative walking dance with sacred singing in which we offered up a prayer for peace within ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.

The next day Gaston Hector Shyaka, a dancer from Rwanda, told us about his work at the Friends Peace House in Kigali. Our own peace pole has Kinyarwanda as one of its six languages, inspired by the peace garden at Friends Peace House.

We have a bench in our lobby, a gift from the Quaker family of the teacher of the class in Philadelphia that our First Day School supports with school supplies and winter wear.

We continue to provide a meal each month for the local homeless shelter and collect nonperishable food items for their pantry. A collage art workshop at the Meeting House in February raised money for the shelter.

The annual silent retreat for Annapolis Friends was held at Dayspring in February.

In January, the Children’s Religious Education Committee hosted an intergenerational event with BYM Young Friends focusing on substance abuse policies and policy making. We appreciated the opportunity for dialogue, deep listening, and increased understanding of each other and of our substance abuse policies.

Center has made a commitment to work in a local low-income community. We are still investigating ways we might do that. One possibility is a listening project. In addition, two members of the Meeting are supporting inmate leaders of Alternatives to Violence workshops at the Maryland Correctional Institution at Jessup.

We are preparing to offer the Quaker Quest outreach program with three sessions in March, to be repeated in April, on the topics God/the Divine, Simplicity, and Peace.

A small group of Friends is meeting regularly to respond to the current draft of the new Faith and Practice.

Our First Day School curriculum for the year is focusing on Old Testament covenants and journeys, complemented by a recent intergenerational event where some of our Young Adult Friends shared their spiritual journeys, and we discussed possible journeys with respect to the military and conscientious objection. Young Friends enjoyed our Meeting’s fall camping trip to Catoctin and two events they organized: a Halloween party/sleepover and their Christmas play, A Modern Christmas Carol (beautifully adapted by two of our Young Friends and skillfully performed by all of our children).

The First Day School has supported a variety of intergenerational community service activities. At the local level, we provided families and seniors with holiday meals and presents, and caroled at a rehabilitation center. At the regional level, we have an ongoing partnership with an inner-city public school in Philadelphia, for which we have collected school supplies, outerwear, and educational enhancement materials for the classroom, and have established a pen pal program. AFM is also supporting a small homeschooling program this year.

Meetings for Learning over the summer highlighted personal Spiritual Journeys. Those presenting found the challenge of considering and sharing their journeys personally enlightening; those listening met others on a deep spiritual level.

Our Children’s Religious Ed. Committee (CREC) continues to partner with an inner-city Philadelphia school, welcoming the teacher and her family to our Meeting in late August and treating the visitors to a swim party. CREC has also been able to lead our Meeting to unity around a Youth Safety Policy that has been a couple of years in the making.

FGC gave a Quaker Quest inreach workshop at our Meeting House in June and Annapolis Friends plan to use this rich program as outreach in the spring with three themes: Quakers and (i) God/the Divine, (ii) Peace/Alternatives to Violence, and (iii) Simplicity. Participating Friends will spend the fall and winter discovering more about their faith and practice as we prepare to share our unique experience of worship.

Our Growing and Greening Committee held a Dept. of Natural Resources workshop on how individuals can lower their carbon footprint. The DNR did an audit of our Meeting House and gave it a high "green" score. We continue to explore how to simplify our current impact as we consider when and how to grow.

The Annapolis Friends Peace and Justice Center has had a huge summer agenda with two especially successful undertakings.

1. We provided Help Increase the Peace (HIP) training to both staff and youth at the Boys and Girls Club and plan a train-the-trainer for October through AFSC.
2. The Palestinian-Israeli Geneva Initiative Water Dialogue surpassed our expectations with agreement on about 95% of the issues concerning shared water resources at the close of the sessions and ongoing final tweaking now in progress. Ten delegates (five from Palestine and five from Israel) joined five neutral advisors and two facilitators at Bon Secours Spiritual Center for three days of intensive dialogue with many Friends and supporters holding us all in the Light.

Our thanks to so many BYM and Annapolis Friends and interfaith networks for their financial support, prayers, and transportation services. For updates, see www.quaker.org/annapolis.

Annapolis Friends continue to meet regularly to develop a peace and justice center. A group met with the local Boys and Girls Club and we hope to bring the Help Increase the Peace Program to them next summer with the help of a Young Friend who has been trained as a leader. We are exploring sister city relationships between Annapolis and both Ramallah (West Bank, Palestine), and Teverya (on the Israeli coast). We are learning about water rights issues, which are a major issue between Israel and Palestine, and we are exploring bringing Palestinian and Israeli youth to Annapolis this summer.

Our Young Friend Martin Krafft traveled to Paraguay last year as part of Amigos dc las Americas program, He has made a number of slide presentations to Friends about his experiences and hopes to travel to either Panama or Mexico in the future.

We held a contra and square dance with live music and caller in March to benefit construction of a new facility for a local homeless shelter.

We hosted Chesapeake Quarterly Meeting on Sunday, March 9. Several Friends talked about how we have gotten our Peace and Justice Center started. Friend Will Candler reviewed his new book, Global Warming, The Answer, and Ted Weber discussed Maryland state initiatives and action options on environmental concerns.

Adult education sessions have examined Quaker history, what we believe and our way of worship, the testimonies, and Quaker organizations.

We set aside every fifth First Day before worship for an informal gathering around the concern of membership, aimed especially at people who might be considering membership. With many members excited about the upcoming presidential elections, we have been reviewing the law with regard to ministers (all of us) touching on political issues at Meeting and its implication for our tax-exempt status.

This year, Outreach Committee is sponsoring two Visitors' Sundays. These are opportunities to invite family and friends to learn about Quakers prior to attending a meeting for worship.

Outreach has begun a "Friendly Connections" program, matching newcomers with more seasoned Friends who can guide them through the maze of acronyms, committees, and Quaker ways.

On Easter, we held a Sunrise service at 7:00 a.m. followed by a walking meditation on our property and breakfast.

On the third First Day, Second Month of 2008, we met to consider the Spiritual State of our Meeting. Waiting initially in silence for the guidance of the Spirit, we moved into the I-centric focus of Worship Sharing to verbally reflect and prayerfully comment on the following queries:

• How Does Truth Prosper Among You?
• How do we stand with each other in Love and Conviction?
• How can we take Reflections about the Spiritual State of the Meeting and put them into action?

Friends spoke of the growth and vibrancy that Meeting has experienced in the past year. But mingled with the joy and astonishment of growth were concerns for the community. One friend noted, "I have a concern that is pulling us apart. It is an ongoing challenge to pass on, to introduce, and to show others our customs." How do we pass on and educate newcomers but also long-term attenders about our unprogrammed worship? "What is proper for Meeting for Worship? Is it okay to be late? We meet for an hour, is anytime okay to enter? Should we be working in the kitchen during Meeting for Worship? Should we drink a cup of coffee or a glass of water; or eat a muffin? How do we successfully transmit norms, our everyday actions to those who are here?" A friend noted that, perhaps, we should abandon the term "eldering," like we have abandoned the past customs of plain dress, plain speech, and facing benches as traditions that no longer speak to today's world. We need to develop a proper way of teaching, of coaching. We should all be open to teaching, both newcomers and grizzled veterans, so that the fundamental ways of our community traditions are not completely lost in the harshness of the language used. Another friend spoke, "with a heavy heart," of instances where newcomers were "squashed like bugs" and left never to return, noting that we, "need to be sensitive to each other, with an open spirit, and remember that newcomers often come in with open nerve endings."

"We seem to have forgotten that we are called first to worship," a Friend said. "Meeting often seems more interested in the latest social concern, forgetting that we are a religious community, called first to worship, and from that worship to go out into the world." Committees using the meeting hall and other spaces a, Friend suggested, are often disrespectful of Meeting time and run late; common guidelines adopted by the community are ignored, adding to the noise and confusion at the start of Meeting for Worship. One Friend also noted that, "It is true that our conservative ways are scary to newcomers." Quietness, the Friend said, can be difficult to understand, so information is necessary to show how we live and to express our warmth through our testimonies.

One Friend spoke of "Joy and Light and Trust," and was joined by others who rejoiced in the many actions that our Meeting has taken on in the previous year. "Gathered friends... we can all be peacemakers as a corporate body. We've taken baby steps and in some instances giant ones, some with great risk, but with love, conviction, and trust. If God means it to happen, way will open, but we must take the steps." Questions were: "How we live our life is expressed through our testimonies but how is God leading us to express the testimonies? What are we being called to? What are we being called from?" Friends observed: "We are a Spiritual Community that exists to help each other be open to the Divine. It is the power of our convictions that leads us to action. Love is the first choice for each of us, to each of us."

Others spoke with joy of our Meetings traditions, expressing a deep feeling of coming home. "No one asked me to 'fit-in'; there were no conditions, no inspections, nothing to sign. There always seems to be room for anyone who wants to be here. There is an audience, a space with listening and cherishing. There are all kinds of wonderful examples of how to be a Quaker, 'Let your life speak.' Whatever we do, wherever we go, I am never disappointed. There are times maybe when I am scared, but our faith is deep. We are all evolving, and really have nothing to worry about; we just need to work harder." This thought was echoed by other Friends, "I knew this was what I wanted, but I was not sure how it would fit into my life. I felt that the parts of my life - professional, spiritual and personal - were all separate, but in the last two years these have merged into a single gestalt - that is me." Another Friend spoke of the joy of working with the larger Quaker community through Friends World Conference on Consultation. "This is my spiritual home. It is important that God has blessed us in many ways. I know we carry out the testimonies in a corporate way, but it feels wonderful to hear many of us also do this in an individual way."

Friends celebrated the depth of our Quaker tradition." I made a commitment to be at meeting every Sunday when I am in town." "I appreciate the lack of structure within structure, of being who I am within Meeting. I deeply appreciate the Vocal Ministry. It makes me stand deep within my self, not only on that day, but within the week." "Ours is a multi-dimensional silence. Not many religions give the opportunity for silence." Friends also spoke of the formation of an Early Morning Meeting for Worship, "I deeply appreciate our Early Meeting , and like little groups, it is very intense." "The 8am Meeting, it's nurturing, welcoming, and healing and helps to contain the stress; it's more of an extended family."

Many spoke of the challenges and concerns of growing ever larger and of our growing maturity as a worshipping society." I feel that Annapolis Friends is coming of age, growing into our vision we had for this monthly meeting, years ago. We are finding our voice in the community, but we are still in late adolescence, still coming of age. Who we are and who do we want to be? How do we maintain the intimacy of small, with the joy and benefit of welcoming newcomers?" "How we grow: It is one of our biggest successes and one of our biggest challenge." "There is a sense of new maturity. It has been 15 years since we built this building. We have developed roots to grow and now let us grow wings to fly." "Retaining intimacy and sharing will be a challenge as we grow larger. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business is vital to keeping that happening. As long as we keep participating, we can grow and keep a tight community." "I particularly love Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business. I like the way Quakers do Business, it is very different from the ways of the world, but I feel we can do better in remembering to practice tenderness. It is good to speak of different views, but important to say them with tenderness and receive them with tenderness for one another."

A Friend spoke of the joys and concerns of working with our Youth. "Youth are a part of how we grow and this is a challenging area for us." First Day School curriculum is focusing on "Quakers in the World," providing examples and lessons of Quaker testimonies in action. But we face the challenges of developing a responsive and responsible Youth Safety Policy that respects Quaker Process, legal requirements, and our Meeting's liability. "How do we help our youths keep a Quaker center?"

In December we sent hats, scarves, and mittens or gloves to the third-grade class our First Day School has adopted in Philadelphia.

In January we held an intergenerational potluck and educational evening on the topic of teens, drugs, and alcohol.

Carol Hitchings and Bill Kinzer were married at the Meeting House on December 8 with many happy children, grandchildren, and F/friends present.

Our Young Friends are studying "Quakers in the World," both past and present, this year.

A Friends Poetry Gathering is held once a month after worship.

The Growing and Greening Working Group is meeting regularly to consider whether to add to our building and how it might be done in an environmentally friendly way. They are sponsoring visits to green buildings in the area.

When the Quaker Dudes, the men’s group of Annapolis Friends Meeting, learned there was to be an international peace conference on Israel and Palestine in Annapolis in November, they suggested that the Meeting bring over peace activists from both countries who could speak on their promotion of the Geneva Accord, an unofficial accord reached by official negotiators who refused to stop work after the last negotiations were deemed a failure.

Nadil Faqaha from Palestine and Mossi Raz from Israel spoke to a large crowd at a downtown church on the eve of the official conference. The transcript can be read on our Web site at http://annapolis.quaker.org. Nadil, a Muslim, and Mossi, a Jew, stayed together for several days at a Friend’s home, sat together at Meeting for Worship, and together visited Congressional staff to educate them about the Geneva Accord.

Annapolis Friends Meeting is forming a Peace and Justice Center and the events above could be considered its first activity. We are hoping to sponsor some Israeli and Palestinian students for a semester and to form sister city relationships between Annapolis and Israeli and Palestinian cities. We also are looking at how we might bring conflict resolution skills to our community. American Friends Service Committee-Middle Atlantic Region staff have been meeting with us as we develop our ideas for the Center.

In September we sponsored a program called "Get to Know Your Muslim Neighbors." The Imam and members of the local Mosque showed a movie and answered questions on Islam. This program attracted one of the largest crowds that had ever been in our Meeting House. After the program, numerous people asked the Imam to speak to their groups or to let them borrow the movie, including the FBI agents who had attended!

Also in September was the dedication of a peace pole, with members of various religious groups participating. It was held on the International Day of Peace, and visitors joined Friends in a silent vigil for peace.

In October, we participated in a Celebration of Faith Communities and Good Works, where we highlighted our peace pole, generating many requests for information on how to order one.

Annapolis Friends are having a series of adult education programs featuring individual members sharing their spiritual journeys. These presentations and the discussion afterward have been very rich and varied.

John Salzberg, a member of Bethesda Friends Meeting and of the Steering Committee of Friends International Center in Ramallah, made a presentation to the meeting in June. He showed a DVD entitled "Investment in Hope."

We recently cleared out a wooded area with lots of invasive vegetation and planted numerous native trees and bushes to make a grassy play area. This will allow us to use the former play area for much-needed parking.

Our Spring Quaker Market once again earned a nice profit for a worthy cause, in this case for Chesapeake Climate Action Network and for our own new Earth Care Interest Group.

On March 17, Annapolis Friends Meeting was invited to meet with the Islamic Society of Annapolis for prayers and their regular study group. About 15 Friends attended. We were most graciously received, learned more about Islam, and joined the members in prayer. A social hour followed. This invitation came after members of the Islamic Society spoke with our First Day School.

The annual Silent Retreat was held at Dayspring near Germantown, MD in February.

On March 10 and 11, the Meeting hosted a BYM Junior Young Friends weekend workshop. Eighteen JYF students from many Meetings joined together for learning, fun, and service. They conducted a business meeting with skill and good humor. They gave service by providing meeting member Phil Caroom with maintenance assistance for the Meeting’s nature trail.

On Easter some Friends worshiped at 7:00 a.m., then moved into a walking meditation down into the ravine along the path that borders our property. A light breakfast was served when they returned. Then, between the two Meetings for Worship, Friends held a worship sharing on the meaning of Easter.

Our spring Quaker Market was held May 5 at the Meeting House with proceeds to go to a statewide environmental group and to our own new environmental interest group.

All rooms used for First Day School now have glass in the doors, in keeping with the youth safety concern.

A peace pole is being prepared to be placed on the Meeting House land, made of wood from the home of the late Caroline Martin, the founder of our Meeting. In the late 1960s, First Day worship was held in her home.

Friends have shown different preferences regarding the Meeting’s e-mail list, with some wanting to receive only news about Meeting events and people needing to be held in the Light, and others wanting to receive anything of common interest to Friends. The solution was two lists, one serving each function. The majority of Friends have chosen to be on both lists.

On the third First Day, Second month of 2007, we met to consider the Spiritual State of our Meeting. Waiting initially in silence for the guidance of the Spirit, we moved into the I-centric focus of Worship Sharing to verbally reflect and prayerfully comment on the following queries:
 
How Does Truth Prosper Among You?
How do we stand with each other in love and Conviction?
Do we wait in prayerful reflection for the leading of the Spirit before we speak at Meeting for Worship?

Our reflections affirmed our deep need for space and silence. "The Meeting gives me space to seek God’s Will. A place where I have the time and opportunity to find God’s leading for truth for me." "Truth seems always to come most clearly in the face of silence." "The pursuit of truth and love are tightly connected. The Meeting gives the opportunity to understand how others experience the Lord’s light and allows me to better understand the Lord’s light and love." "Truth does prosper within us. Truth is a call from God’s spirit to answer the needs of our neighbors, our brothers and sisters. Messages reflect we hear the call. Messages also recognize that we are lacking in Meeting all the needs that we hear."

Friends noted the joy and challenge of vocal ministry. "Messages for me come quietly ... but Words meant to be shared come not quietly, come in a shove, arrive unbidden, and congregate in my head. My heart pounds so hard, that I am propelled to share the Words. I often think that I have forgotten something, but realize that I have only begun the message, the Words are taken by others, their hearts, their understandings, and that’s where they find their ending." Others felt that we were lacking in providing information and guidance on vocal ministry, "...attenders and visitors have no idea of what we expect out of vocal ministry under current protocol and they ‘break the rules’." Friends observed that pamphlets, Greeters, informal sessions prior to and after Meeting for Worship, in addition to scheduled Meetings for Learning were available, but wondered if there were not other ways to inform those newly come to our unprogrammed worship.

Echoing Penn’s message, "Well done, not well professed..." many spoke of the need to be actively present in the world. One Friend reflected on watching the Meeting grow from a precious few, to a growing, diverse and vibrant community, but also sounded a message of warning. "We get too comfortable in our place of worship. We forget the larger purpose of being here is to do the work of the world, for peace, for social justice, for those at risk, at war, those who face violence every day. There is a world out there that doesn’t know we exist – a world out there that needs us." A Friend commented that, "... part of the truth must be to keep striving to answer the calls of needs, not only corporately as Annapolis Friends Meeting, but also as individuals. As individuals we are active, when we permit ourselves to be recognized as Friends." "The Quaker community offers more than the general idea for thinking about spiritual questions, it offers active participation."

A strong sense of unity was echoed by several Friends. "We stand together in love, for one another, for our convictions, for our spiritual lives, for the connections in our lives. I wish, we were always unified, but sometimes, this is just not so ... but we come together at Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business – we do come together, eventually – if not immediately." Another Friend noted that we try to accomplish business in a worship centered fashion, seeking divine guidance and reaching unity in how to go forward, but questions whether our need to seek guidance on every issue isn’t paralyzing our efforts. Others commented on the small number of Friends present for Business Meeting, "I’m not sure we are making it clear that being a Friend means taking some responsibility for the mundane side of things as well as spiritual."

Friends spoke of the vibrancy of our community, one Friend noting the contrast between Annapolis Friends Meeting and a very small rural Meeting visited a few weeks previously. "I got a sense of appreciation for what Annapolis Friends Meeting is: a variety of people - senior citizens to children. We have an alive and vibrant community, our newsletter, the range of committees – this visit gave me a better appreciation for the experience of our Meeting," but with the vibrancy and growth comes other challenges. "As we grow bigger it is more difficult to get to, really get to, know people no matter how long you stay after Meeting for worship. In order to create community, we need to trust one another and that requires knowing each other." We have been struggling with the need for expansion. Do we build? What do we build? How do we do we follow the Light’s leading for us here, meeting in Annapolis?

Many observed that they were led to Meeting by the example and suggestions of friends. Others echoed the statement, with wonder and quiet thanksgiving, "I felt I came home." "We follow a third way, not my or your way, not our or their truth, but an opening up to be Spirit led, which is greater then anything that I could have found by myself." "This Meeting has become my anchor, I draw a lot from it. Be still and listen and – hear God’s voice. He does hear and care for us. I am glad to be among you." "As a newcomer – I have never spoken. But my heart is pounding. I have known of the Quakers for many years. A conversation regarding unprogrammed Meetings led me to search, and I found one 10 minutes from my house. It is very different to practice in silence alone, another matter to practice silence with others. I find it comforting to find my own spirit-led path, to be unencumbered by a lot of ritual or expectations, to hear people to talk to what is essential in the moment. This is a step on my journey, it is very helpful to take an hour to be in silence with people who are in silence, struggling to feel the heart and human connection." "Since the first day, I felt a welcoming presence. After every meeting there have been people to talk with and get to know. What takes place before and after the Meeting is very important. I felt immediately enveloped."

One Friend, drawing from his vocation as a coach, put his desires for us in "a typical, grouchy coaching fashion." A simple rule of discipline to help improve what have become poor habits, such as cell phones ringing, arriving late and leaving early, and not coming to Meeting with a prepared heart and mind. "Friends, the Meeting can go deeper, truth prosper even more fuller – if we could put into practice, showing up on time and worshipping like hell." Another commented, "In preparation for the Meeting, I heard the call of many electronic devices. It shows that we have a way to go to prepare. Messages come from within us, not from our cell phones." A Friend remarked that the electronic disturbances were symbolic of today’s materialistic culture, a life of consumerism and wondered how that testified to our call as Children of the Light?

Ministry and Worship Committee has been struggling with the introduction of basic Quaker principles and nurturing Quaker vocal ministry within our Meeting. In so doing, we are looking for ways to encourage attenders to consider membership, by learning more about their spiritual journey and by offering Meetings for Learning about the rich heritage of our Religious Society of Friends. Members have facilitated "Quakerism 101" Adult Meetings for Learning concerning Basic Testimonies, instituted an open forum on every fifth Sunday for newcomers and attenders to pose questions or discuss Quaker tradition, provided pamphlets and printed articles in the Meeting newsletter. We sponsored a well-received workshop led by Friend Marge Larrabee on Spirit-led Eldering that brought together members, long-time attenders and newcomers in a spirit-full weekend of knowledge and growth. During our summer retreat, we sought to deepen our understanding of our responsibilities to the Meeting, the conduct of our weekly worship and providing adult educational opportunities. Under our care, Meeting joyfully affirmed the convincement and accepted requests for membership from new Friends.

Stewardship and Finance. We continue to recognize that we are in a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Stewardship and Finance. Accordingly we start with silence and end with a short silence, and when appropriate stop for silent reflection mid-meeting. We are very well pleased with the "truth" (at least in the sense of accuracy and transparency) of the work of our Treasurer, Wes Jordan. We also believe that the recent presentation on restricted funds has given the Meeting a clearer picture of what we have and how we are currently led to use these resources. We struggle with the problem of presenting to Meeting for Business concrete proposals or alternatives for the use of our Meeting’s resources without giving a sense of fait accompli. We have a somewhat "iterative" approach by which a proposal may surface and be discussed in several meetings before we come to unity. This allows all to be heard and can result in significant changes of perceptions as additional considerations are brought into focus. On balance, we are trying to deal with such long-standing agenda items in a more timely fashion. While some feel led to speak more freely than others, we are happy with balance contributed by those who speak infrequently. We feel we work well together.

Peace and Social Concerns. Striving to be true to our charge to ensure that Annapolis Friends Meeting makes suitable contributions in the areas of peace and social concern, we have in the year 2006, supported state legislation for healthy air and against capital punishment, we have disseminated information regarding military recruitment in schools, we supported the Madison Quakers’ peace and reconciliation projects in Vietnam, held weekly vigils for Tom Fox and his fellow-prisoners during their captivity in Iraq, provided information to Meeting on various AFSC campaigns, labored to build a good relationship with our local Muslim community, and worked on many projects to try to help stop the genocide in Darfur.

We found it a very challenging year and have a deep appreciation for the mutual support of Friends wrestling to discern where to focus our energy among so many competing and urgent issues. We value, and have a desire to know, what others in our Meeting are doing for causes reflecting truth. We believe that it is vital that our committee grow in fellowship, trust, and careful listening, with each one comfortable in our shared decisions, aware that the Spiritual path is at the core of everything we do.

The Meeting House and Land Committee strives to carry out its responsibilities of caring for the material assets of Annapolis Friends Meeting in a manner that is mindful of the environment and stands with love with each other in approaching the physical needs of the Meeting on controversial issues in ways that can lead to unity and are consistent with Quaker testimony and process.

Outreach Committee has now been in existence for three years, and it continues to be a vibrant, active committee. We welcome visitors and talk with them after worship, we take responsibility for the front foyer literature, we advertise Meeting activities in the local paper, and we sponsor a variety of evening programs that attract both Friends and the public. We have sold our t-shirts at BYM and FGC. We have put up a photo board so people can better get to know one another. We have redesigned our Web site. Each year we host a Visitor’s Sunday and a reception for new attenders. We held a committee retreat in January that Deborah Haines led for us. There we set some new goals. Among those goals are to hold a series of worship sharing sessions that we hope will be of particular interest to newer attenders and to arrange some social activities for young adults in the hope of attracting more people in that age group. We attempt to be open to the Spirit in our deliberations. The committee members are very committed to our mission and willing to work.

Children’s Religious Education Committee (CREC) focuses on the spiritual needs and growth of our children from nursery age to young adulthood. Each time we put ourselves in their shoes to grapple with issues of safety, learning, play and behavior, we challenge ourselves to grow spiritually accordingly. We see and feel inner lights growing and "way opening." The past year has been spirit-filled for both CREC and our Young Friends of all ages. Many of us were able to make a trip to Philadelphia to meet our friends at an inner-city school there. After years of writing letters back and forth and sending needed school supplies and hats, scarves, and mittens, we were finally able to visit our friends in Philadelphia. I think all of us returned from our visit moved by the dangers and hardships these children face every day, as well as the realization that these children in an inner city school are like us in so many ways.

During the summer we took a much-needed break from the normal school-year routine. Most of our children attend the BYM summer camps, where they have the chance to leave behind their heavily scheduled lives and just be. A time to grow, to enjoy nature, to bond with friends. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity available for our children, and we are grateful to Annapolis Friends Meeting for providing the financial aid that helps make it possible for our Young Friends to attend these wonderful programs.

Starting in the fall of 2006, our first day school activities have centered on world religions, with great classes, field trips, and guest speakers. We have all learned so much. CREC and the Young Friends have benefited greatly by the outpouring of volunteer support from the Meeting community, in the form of volunteers to help teach classes, set up guest speakers, staff the nursery, and even join CREC! Young Friends have had a busy and spirit-filled year, writing letters to Philadelphia, raising money for the CROP walk to end world hunger and trick-or-treat for UNICEF, and organizing their own Halloween party and Christmas program for the Meeting. They are currently making worry doll pins to raise money for Darfur. If the future of the world is in their hands, we should be in good shape.

During this year CREC members participated on an ad hoc committee to devise a Youth Safety Policy to protect our Young Friends as well as the adults who work with them. Annapolis Friends Meeting has modified its building to better provide a safe environment for all those involved in our First Day School and nursery programs, as well as the BYM Junior Young Friends and Young Friends conferences we enjoy hosting. We have also modified our standard practices regarding the number of staff per classroom, a feat we have been able to accomplish only with the support of the AFM community.

The Children’s Religious Education Committee continues to focus on providing safe healthy opportunities for our children to grow healthy minds, spirits, and bodies.

Pastoral Care Committee (PCC) Clerk begins our meeting with silence followed by a community building exercise in which a member poses a question, reads a poem, or offers words to which each of us respond in a worship sharing process. In keeping with our mission we attend to the agenda as follows. We discuss the concerns and needs of members and attendees who have come to our attention so that we can respond by telephone calls, offers for assistance, or making visits to attend to their needs. When contacted we send an email notice to AFM Meeting about an illness or death. In the case of an illness or death the clerk or members visit and often take a plant or flowers. We call members or attendees from the AFM directory that we haven’t seen at Meeting for a while to give them a friendly greeting. Clearness Committees are formed for those in AFM who indicate a need e.g., marriage, family issues, loss of job etc. Other areas which PCC is involved with are: working with Outreach committee to bring new attendees into a Friendly Presence relationship with a member to assist them in becoming familiar and feel comfortable with AFM; developing an opportunity for Meeting to share Spiritual Journeys; studying Circles of Trust and attending a Retreat to learn how to facilitate group experience; working with Ministry and Worship to clarify Holding in the Light process at the rise of Meeting; assisting members and attendees with their needs for/use of Memorial Garden.

The adult education program at Annapolis Friends Meeting is focusing this year on the question, "Who is Jesus?" In addition, an ongoing series is examining the Quaker Testimonies. Fifth First Days are set aside for informal discussion regarding membership. A group of Friends is meeting monthly in a private home to discuss our work for peace from a spiritual perspective.

After an experimental period of holding people in the Light after worship, we have changed our practice to allowing Friends, during introductions after worship, to share joys and sorrows, including people we would like to have held in the Light.

Peace and Social Concerns Committee has made the genocide in Darfur a major focus of their work. They presented an evening movie on Darfur in October, and at their initiative, the Meeting has joined the Save Darfur Coalition. They are preparing to place a peace pole on the meeting property. The pole has special significance because it is made of wood from the home of the beloved founder of our Meeting, the late Caroline Martin. Finally, Peace and Social Concerns has offered a donation of $100.00 to the Islamic Society of Annapolis for their new mosque.

Friends held a surprise potluck in January to honor Schuyler and Nan Elsbree for their many contributions to the Meeting. Friends noticed that it was common to find them during the week fixing, checking, and cleaning things at the Meeting House. They were lured to the Meeting House by a little bit of "Friendly persuasion. A highlight of the evening was a skit based on the assumption that the Elsbrees took a lengthy vacation and Nominating Ccommittee had to find people to fill in until their return.

Youth at AFM had a busy fall. In addition to studying world religions, they participated in several service opportunities, such as the CROP walk to end world hunger, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, and our partnership with an inner-city class in Philadelphia, where each year we send school supplies, hats, scarves, and mittens, and the children write letters back and forth. This year, the project culminated with a trip to Philadelphia so the penpals could finally meet.

A new Unity with Nature interest group recently held its organizational meeting.