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MidYear Meeting 2000
By Cathy Gardner
On fourth month, first and second day, 2000, Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) held their Midyear
Meeting at Bear Creek Meetinghouse, rustically set in the rolling hills near Earlham, Iowa. The topic this year was
"Spirituality in Commitments—How do we follow the leadings of Spirit as we make commitments in our lives."
Session one began from silence, and Ed Clopton offered thoughts about commitment: "Commitment depends upon three
things that endure: Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith is the belief that an ideal exists without proof. Hope is the belief that something
good is coming: Charity is wanting and seeking good to come to others. Sometimes all we have to go on is Hope, but Faith
and Charity can grow from what follows. Faith, Hope and Charity are gifts of the Spirit. Relationships require sensitivity,
patience, humility and openness. Our commitment to spirituality makes it possible for commitment to play an important
role in our relationships."
"In all things be thankful. We can't be thankful for all things that happen, but we can be thankful for something that comes f
rom each experience. We attract people to Quakerism, not by recruitment, but by showing them a light so lovely they can't
wait to see more." A Friend, upon return from Philadelphia's 320 Yearly Meeting, expressed being moved by the experience of
seeing "run joyfully into the arms of God" demonstrated by some young Friends, then returning to Bear Creek and appreciating
the silence, with God, of Iowa Yearly Meeting.
The Junior Yearly Meeting held its Midyear Meeting, and the committees of Discipline Revision, Interim, and Peace and
Social Concerns met. We hope that participants from each group will share their experiences with us at a later time. The annual
AFSC sale to benefit the efforts of the Des Moines and Kansas City offices was fun for all and should provide needed assistance.
Session two gave an opportunity for everyone to divide into six groups to discuss particular areas of interest within the topic of
Spirituality in Commitments. The evening was rounded out with joyful singing in the meetinghouse.
The following morning, Session three included the sharing of reflections of the first day from worshipful silence. . . "the
introduction of spirituality into a commitment often starts with a commitment to spirituality. . .we find a similarity between our
commitment to the Divine and commitment to earthly relationships. . .a commitment to ourselves may precede other
relationships. . .commitment has a cost, and that's okay. . .respect, patience, listening and daily practice are all
important in relationships...for a marriage to last, it must come first," and other insights from the weekend
were voiced.
Meeting for worship followed, and the meeting ended with our appreciation of one more delicious meal
before beginning the trip home. Penn Valley participants included John and Reva Griffith; Jim and Ginger
Kenney; Kent, Marcie and Mary Pat Luetke-StahIman; Kevin Chafin, Donnie, Lee and Samuel Morehouse;
Genia Simmons; Rachel and Matthew MacNair; and Cathy Gardner. |