2004 WILMINGTON YEARLY MEETING EPISTLE
Greetings to Friends Everywhere:
Friends from Southwest Ohio and Eastern Tennessee, who comprise Wilmington
Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, met July 14-18 in
Wilmington, Ohio for their 113th annual meeting. Most meetings were at
Wilmington College but the pre-yearly meeting retreat and the Sunday worship
and dinner were at Quaker Knoll Camp nearby. The United Society of Friends
Women/Quaker Men Banquet was held at the Senior Citizen's Center. Renovation
of Boyd Auditorium necessitated these various locations. We look forward to
the completion of Boyd Cultural Center and the Quaker Heritage Center now
under construction on the Wilmington College campus.
The Yearly Meeting continued to use the two year theme, "Workers Together
with Him" 2 Corinthians 6:1. Our resident creative lyricist, Mary Elizabeth
Stanfield, wrote new words to a traditional American melody which emphasized
this theme. As we sang this repeatedly, we were reminded to be workers with
God - preserving fields and forests, clean air and water, saving resources
instead of rushing pell-mell to war. Our faith and hope is in a gracious God
who works to these ends and guides us as well.
Michael Snarr of Wilmington College faculty, urged us to think outside the
box, challenging our sense of identity as a people of God and our resulting
world view through Bible Meditations. Worship sharing groups followed. He
also gave the message at Sunday worship. The Quaker Knoll Camp Board served
a delicious picnic lunch following worship.
We were blessed by visitors - Andy and Lisa Stout, now serving in Jamaica
at Happy Grove School as Friends United Meeting representatives; Chuck Fager,
of the Quaker House at Fayetteville, North Carolina; (Chuck gave the Peace
Memorial Lecture); Jeanne Herrick-Stare of Friends Committee on National
Legislation; Patricia Edwards-Konic, editor of Quaker Life; Josh Medlin,
Earlham student from Indiana Yearly Meeting and intern of Friends World
Committee on Consultation; Peggy Hollingsworth, Historian of United Society
of Friends Women International; and Keith Kendall, executive secretary of
Associated Committee of Friends on Indian Affairs.
Many Friends from local meetings were honored for their work with God at
local Meetings, and Mary Cochran was honored for her over 50 years of
service as a pastor and caregiver of Westboro Friends Meeting. We were
pleased that Young Friends and Junior Yearly Meeting sessions were held
also.
In Christian Love,
Lois Hall Hackney, Presiding Clerk