Friendships, spiritual and otherwise, have continued to expand and deepen at Patapsco Meeting this year. Our sense of the Divine has been stretched and enlivened through our corporate worship with all ages and through our earnest searching for the truth within each member of this spiritual community. The Meeting has begun to realize the value of the honored Quaker tradition of the threshing session.

Once freed from the expectation that all views on a subject must be considered at monthly Meeting for Business, we immersed ourselves in sharing and listening to each individual’s beliefs and concerns on such matters as same gender marriage (and marriage in general), having children in the Meeting for Worship, and considering a proposal to buy, build or rent a full-time meetinghouse facility. The result in all cases has been to increase our tender regard for one another, even when our views conflict.

The Meetings for Worship are well balanced in terms of spoken messages and silent worshipping. Messages often focus on personal experiences Friends have had, and may then be related to the speakers’ spiritual journey, Quaker thought, or Biblical passages. Often, the Meeting ends with people feeling that they have experienced a gathered Meeting for Worship. Differing individuals speak on any particular Sunday, but some people speak more than others, and some almost never speak. The Meeting needs to find ways to encourage non-speakers to feel comfortable speaking if they have messages to share.

The year has seen changes in some of our regular gatherings. The monthly book discussion group was laid down, but with an eye toward re-forming it in another way in the future, so as to sustain interest over a long period of time. The monthly Meeting for Healing experienced a period of declining attendance, so leaders Elizabeth Saria and Phyllis Keenan responded by developing a theme for each session, announced well in advance. Thus far, the themes have included dealing with loss and dealing with life changes. This has renewed interest in this second-Sunday group where Friends are sharing their personal struggles and providing spiritual support. Finally, the bi-monthly Bible study group was laid down.

The Meeting provided support and discernment to several individuals within the Meeting this year through the use of clearness committees. Composed of three to six members each, the committees addressed such varied issues as spiritual leadings, healthcare decisions for family members, and personal support for life changes. Friendly Bunches have continued to re-form and meet under the continued organization of Elizabeth Saria and Special Friendships between adults and assigned children have continued to flourish. Spiritual friendship groups and pairs have also continued to meet, drawing more of the membership into spiritual community through journaling.

The establishment of an Advancement and Outreach committee has made a significant impact on the welcoming of newcomers and their introduction to Quakerism. This inaugural group has provided a display rack filled with literature, organized the greeting of visitors, purchased portable Quaker Meeting signs for use on Sunday mornings and focused our attention on the need to effectively teach attenders about Quakerism.

The Ad Hoc Peace and Social Justice Committee initiated a plan for the Meeting to prepare and deliver a meal for 12 men at a local homeless shelter on a monthly basis. After an initial 6-month commitment, the Meeting agreed to continue this work. Typically, a group of three to four households meets on a Sunday afternoon at someone’s home and jointly prepares the meal, including the participation of any children present. The meal is then delivered to the shelter in time for Sunday evening dinner. Identifying a sustainable, local, intergenerational project for the Meeting has been a process of several years and it is with great appreciation and joy that participants meet together to do this work.

Longtime peace activist, Emma Byrne, nominated by the Meeting, was selected as Howard County’s Volunteer of the Year for her work in numerous organizations. Jean Leslie tirelessly compiled the requisite documentation and Emma was recognized both at the county and state level, culminating in a recognition dinner in Annapolis.

Late August brought members of Patapsco to Centennial Park, the site of the third annual summer picnic, to share a meal, games and good weather. The children especially enjoyed whiffle ball, relying on the devoted pitching of Tom Byrne, and a twilight hike, led by John Buck. The month also brought a week-long Vacation Bible School sponsored by the Ad Hoc School Committee, which earlier had determined that it was not led to establish a Quaker school. Searching for a curriculum that would speak to all Quaker families was a challenge that resulted in the committee developing its own program for the 14 children who attended. Following this event, the committee was laid down, having resolved a major question and provided a useful service.

On a warm September weekend the Meeting held a retreat at Mt. Hebron House. Participants found themselves enriched and renewed through a deepening of our connections with each other, the natural world and the Divine. The gathering was launched on Friday evening with spiritual journal sharing and ice cream sundaes. The following day included sessions on simple living, blessed community, leadings and meditation, as well as an all-ages nature walk. The children baked five varieties of bread which was then used in a hands-on hunger exercise wherein groups were formed representing the continents of the world and the relative food supply. A catered lunch served to satisfy even those representing the poorest areas of the globe. The evening ended with live Celtic music, followed by line dancing. We appreciated the support of several Friends from nearby Meetings who assisted our efforts. The Sandy Spring Young Friends’ facilitation of the children’s program was especially appreciated. Overall there was a sense of sharing and helpfulness as Friends pitched in to help each other supporting the work of the planning committee and group leaders.

The Quaker Heron, our Meeting newsletter which is published quarterly and edited by Diane Reynolds, has become a vehicle for members to share their spiritual beliefs and questions, with articles on a specific theme solicited for each issue. This has been a wonderful way for members to clarify their own attitudes and thoughts, to share within our community and to reach out to occasional attenders. To date, topics have included community, peace, simplicity and equality.

Christmas was recognized by First Day Students with the production of a play in December, written by Ramona Buck, “The Children’s Meeting.” The energetic performance of the king’s soldiers was most impressive, as was the quiet line, “God is love,” from two-year-old Scully Wilhelm. Christmas Eve provided a half-hour of silent worship at the end of a busy weekend, followed by carol singing and too many cookies.

The Meeting welcomed Sam Stayton as a new member, and joyfully celebrated the Girbach family’s transfer of membership. The number of attenders has also increased, so that extra chairs are increasingly needed to accomodate the worshippers on First Day. First Day School has grown with the addition of several new families. Like many Quaker Meetings, we struggle with how to “teach” Quakerism to children and how to incorporate them into worship while preserving the silence necessary for a deep connection with God. Adults are finding that they are challenged to examine how their own behavior affects the worshipful silence. Newcomers are finding Patapsco on the internet, from other area Meetings and some are returning who attended the Columbia worship group two decades ago.

Overall, this has been a period for the Meeting to develop our use of committees, to sort out what our Meeting does well and what activities we can sustain on a regular basis, and incorporating a steady trickle of newcomers. As the new year dawns, the Meeting is planning to host Quarterly Meeting for the first time and is looking for ways to increase our understanding of Quaker process and our experience of the Divine.

The Patapsco Preparative Meeting, under the care of the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting, concluded its third year of worship in November, 1999. This year, the official status of the group changed from worship group to a preparative meeting, an important milestone. The Meeting continues to meet at Mt. Hebron House in Ellicott City with a usual attendance of about 20 adults in Meeting for Worship and from 5 to 15 children, as well as 3 to 6 teachers in the First Day School.

Over the past year, we have noted a growing and deepening sense of community within our meeting. Since the Meeting is small, connections between people are very possible and very important. We are aware of each other’s situations to some extent, and we try to hold each other in the light in times of sorrow or gladness. We struggle to learn how to give appropriate help and support to each other. Many members feel drawn to attend Meeting for Worship each Sunday and feel that their spiritual growth is positively affected by the life of the Meeting. Others feel less spiritually connected to the group. Some attend our Meeting for a few times and then don’t return and we wonder how to make more of a connection with such attenders. At the end of 1999, as the nominating committee considered nominations for the coming year, several members noted the many positions which have been filled and felt this to be a sign of the Meeting’s healthy development.

There were some changes in our membership, this year. At the beginning of the year, the Meeting said good by to the Alison Picher/Chris Allan family who moved to Colorado. During the year 1999, two of the Meeting’s attenders died. One was Harry Brown who died on May 12, 1999 and whose memorial service was held under the care of the Patapsco Meeting on May 30th. This was the first memorial service held under our care and it was a labor of love as well as being a gathered Meeting for Worship for many. Later in the year, one of our founding members, Martin Lennig, died June 27, 1999.. His optimistic outlook, friendly manner, and familiar presence at Meeting for Worship are greatly missed. The Meeting gained several new regular attenders as well as two who officially joined the Meeting at the end of the year: Elena Manzanera, and Elizabeth Saria. We are mindful that each person who attends the Meeting, either for one Sunday, or regularly, is part of the spiritual life of the Meeting. We attempt to treasure each person’s unique opportunity to share the light as it is manifested through him or her.

The First Day School classes have continued to thrive. We particularly appreciate the great gift that the First Day School teachers offer to the children and to the Meeting as a whole. There is a nursery class, a class for 4 year olds and kindergarten age, a class for 1st and 2nd graders, and a class far those who are 8 and up. The children in the First Day School seem to enjoy their class work as well as getting to know each other. Following another Meeting tradition, the children participated in a play which was given for the adults at the end of Meeting one Sunday near Thanksgiving. This year, the play was: “Elizabeth Fry Visits Newgate Prison.” It has been pointed out that there are really two Meetings for Worship meeting simultaneously. There is the Meeting for Worship downstairs, and there is the group of parents, teachers and children upstairs who, in between the pieces of the First Day School lesson, share the triumphs and tribulations of their week with each other. The two groups connect at the simple meal which is brought by people in turn and which is served at the rise of Meeting. Children who are older than the age groupings in the First Day School participate in the Meeting for Worship. Providing an appropriate program for middle school students and teens has not been achieved by the Meeting, as yet, and is one of the challenges we face.

The Meeting held a number of events this year. On April 24, 1999, there was a workshop on committee development with guest presenter, Katherine Smith from the Maury River Meeting in Virginia. We held our annual mid-summer Meeting picnic on August 18th in Patapsco State Park. The Meeting held its first weekend retreat in September at the New Windsor Retreat Center in New Windsor, Maryland. Led by our own Susan Rose and by George Sinnot from the Sandy Spring Meeting, the retreat allowed us to know each other more deeply and to focus on our goals for the Meeting. The children heartily enjoyed two days of crafts, games, stories and snacks, supervised by several youth counselors, including Nathan Harringnon, from the Sandy Spring Meeting.

The Meeting has engaged in ongoing activities, in addition to the Meeting for Worship. The Friendly Bunches Groups began in early 1999; met for a time, and now the groups, reassigned by Elizabeth Saria, are in their second incarnation. The Meeting for Healing on the third Sunday of each month has continued, as has the book discussion group which meets on the second Sunday of each month. In addition, a group embarked on a four pamphlet discussion series this year, on the general topic of being spiritually centered. Some of the adults have volunteered to be “Special Friends” for the individual children of the Meeting, which allows for a more in depth relationship between each child and an adult in the Meeting. There is a Bible study group which is currently focusing on the Book of James and meets two Sundays per month. There are also two or three small spiritual friendship groups which have sprung up somewhat spontaneously. One interesting indicator of the vitality of the Meeting is that on any particular Sunday morning, it is not unusual to find people meeting in small groups (spiritual friendships, clearness committees, Bible study, conversation) in many of the rooms of Mt. Hebron House prior to the Meeting for Worship.

Since the Meeting is small, a number of people feel a strong responsibility for making sure that the housekeeping details are completed, such as opening the building, setting up and taking down the chairs, cleaning up after Meeting, or signing up for simple meal. The focus may, at times, be ministering to the Meeting rather than focusing on the inner spiritual lives of individuals.

As we begin our fourth year together, we are mindful of the need for balance: balance between worship and other planned activities; development of self versus development of the group; and nurturing the Meeting community versus reaching out in social action. Social action and community outreach are areas we will be addressing with more attention, due to two committees. One is the newly formed ad hoc peace and social justice committee. The other is our expanded advancement and outreach committee. In addition, an ad hoc school committee has begun tentatively exploring educational issues and possibilities.

Even as we struggle with these and the other challenges before us, we note that our very awareness of areas which are lacking is a measure of the level of community which has been achieved, and which we now expect. We will be holding our Meeting community and our efforts to the light in the coming year.

The past year has presented several crucial issues in the life of our Meeting and has also been a period of expanded social sharing and community-building. We completed the process of becoming a full-fledged Preparative Meeting under the care of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting. Eager as we were to move forward, the slow pace of Quaker deliberation allowed us to fully appreciate the significance of our request to formally organize as a Quaker community. Following our common leading, we did not wait for formalization to embrace the spiritual tasks necessary to building a spiritual community.

Activities that deepened our knowledge and appreciation of each other included a hayride, a summer picnic, “Friendly Bunches” gatherings and singing Christmas carols. We celebrated a wedding at Mt. Hebron House, celebrated the birth of two babies, formally welcomed two members and held a farewell for one family. Our outward witness was expressed through individual actions and by our preparation of AFSC kits. The monthly book discussion group continued meeting regularly. In June, Phyllis Keenan followed a leading and began holding monthly Meetings for Worship for Healing, with the support and approval of the Meeting. Several new attenders were drawn to our Meeting through this ministry.

Meeting for worship continued to regularly attract fifteen to twenty adult attenders. The Meeting was enriched throughout the year by visits from seekers and other Quakers, particularly from Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting. While we have found that the presence of visitors tended to enhance the quality of silent worship, we are aware that a significant number of visitors have not returned after an initial visit or two. First Day School continued to grow this year with the appointment of new teachers and an RE Committee. From 5 to 16 children attended First Day School weekly in three classes. The children enjoyed a spring egg hunt, presented an original Thanksgiving play, sang in an “Angel Chorus” at Christmas time and helped assemble AFSC kits. Young friendships began to bud.

In Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business we struggled throughout the year with questions regarding the structure of this new Meeting: How many committees do we need? How will the work of the Meeting be accomplished? What is the rightful work of the Meeting? How can members and attenders continue to take personal responsibility for our common endeavors once a committee is appointed to attend to certain matters? Our progress on these issues was halting and slow, resulting in some painful misunderstandings, a deeper searching for unity and an increased sensitivity to one another.

We enter 1999 with quiet joy at any occasion where the phrase “Patapsco Friends Preparative Meeting” is uttered. Ahead of us lies the work of knitting ourselves more closely to the larger Quaker community and expressing a corporate Quaker witness to the world. Supporting our growing ministries and nurturing the Light Within each member and attender remain our constant aims.

REPORT ON SPIRITUAL STATE OF
HOWARD COUNTY FRIENDS WORSHIP GROUP
December 1997

In 1997, the Group grew in the Light. Outward signs of this growth included meeting in Mt. Hebron House, a new home; establishing First Day School sessions for very young children, pre-schoolers, and a teen; starting a library; holding two series of Seeker sessions; initiating a monthly adult education program; cultivating berries to raise funds; holding a threshing session on outward witness; doing outreach and outward witness as individuals and in small groups; and successfully ending the first year’s committee terms and appointing persons to new committees and roles. In the fall of 1997 the group experienced a deepening of its spiritual community as it searched for and found unity around its decision to apply for status as a preparative meeting.

Meetings for worship continue to attract up to 20 adults, and as many as 12 children attend First Day School. The messages in Meeting frequently touch on the joy of worship. Moving business meeting from the morning hour before meeting for worship to a less constrained evening hour allows Friends more time to hold matters in the Light. Business meetings are well attended; although, no one time seems feasible for every member of the community.

As it looks forward to becoming the Patapsco Preparative Friends Meeting, the Group faces several challenges. These include sustaining the spiritual life of the Meeting; developing and refining business processes; and developing a vision for outward witness.

Approved at Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, February 1, 1998