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State of the Meeting Report - 2000In many ways, there is a sense that Penn Valley Meeting has continued to grow in spiritual health during the past year. The Meeting has welcomed eight attenders into membership and enjoys the richness and enthusiasm of several new attenders in verbal ministry and the life of the meeting. We have welcomed another new baby into our fellowship, and we remember with loving appreciation the life of long time member Mildred (Milly) Clapp who died in Autumn. We have grappled with the format of the Meetings for Worship with Attention to Business and have settled on one which we feel is more in keeping with Quaker tradition yet retains a certain lightheartedness. We have appreciated the time for worship, the improved reports, and the increased opportunities to stand, speak and be heard with this "new" arrangement. We are especially grateful for the grace and sensitivity the clerks have shown in meeting this challenge.Our committees continued to be active and have contributed greatly to the overall well being of the Meeting. We enjoyed the participation of more youth on these committees and again commend the dedication of those Friends involved in our First Day School Program. Our House Upkeep Committee has renewed vigor, and we often voice appreciation for our clean and bright meetinghouse. Our child care area has been improved with greater attention to safety. Our Peace & Social Concerns Committee has done much to keep us involved especially in our neighborhood and community, and our FCNL representative has still kept us well informed. Our Program Committee has continued to provide meaningful afterworship activities with a fine mix of thought provoking, informative programs and those of a more casual and fun nature. Ministry and Oversight persists in its struggle with how to achieve the best spiritual atmosphere of the meeting while encouraging a diversity of beliefs, the nurturing of individuals and the sharing of differences with affection. In addition, We have added a position of Archivist to that of Recorder. Meeting for worship and potluck convenes on a week night twice-a month, and a newly formed Crones Group meets once a month. Several Friends have participated in Midyear and Yearly Meetings and this spring helped nearby Oread Meeting celebrate its 50th anniversary. Several also attended a weekend retceat at the meetinghouse where Friends studied and discussed "Quaker Process and Decision Making." We appreciated the help of Bill Deutsch of the Yearly Meeting with this endeavor. Outreach remains a puzzle. Ministry and Oversight members mention it now and then, but they are unclear about finding appropriate outreach which would fit the Quaker way. Perhaps, there is a recognition thatwe do model Quakerism in our daily lives. This group also perseveres in its struggle with how to build community and provide ministry in an urban meeting with attenders from such a diverse area. As we enter into another year together, may we find comfort and strength in one another. |