PEI Quakers
50 Mount Edward Road C1A 5S3 Charlottetown, PE, Canada

This quote in Randy's posting is so inspiring it needs to be widely shared:

With the CRA tax filing deadline behind us now, I happened to run across this photograph of an 1861 painting by George Bernard O'Neill, titled "The Quaker and the Tax Collector." The painting references a famous act of civil disobedience that was enacted by Henry David Thoreau who, along with many Quakers of that era, refused to pay the poll taxes that went to supporting the US war with Mexico in the 1840s. Thoreau went to jail rather than pay the tax, but a friend paid the ...tax for him to enable his release from prison. His frustration at having his protest truncated resulted in inspiring him to write his famous essay, "Resistance to Civil Government." Thoreau had Quaker ancestry, but he was not a member of The Religious Society of Friends; he had many friends who were Friends, though, and shared support with them for other social justice causes, such as abolition. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia that mentions the specific incident that may have inspired the painting below--although I should point out that the Quaker depicted is not Thoreau: "On July 24 or July 25, 1846, Thoreau ran into the local tax collector, Sam Staples, who asked him to pay six years of delinquent poll taxes. Thoreau refused because of his opposition to the MexicanAmerican War and slavery, and he spent a night in jail because of this refusal. The next day Thoreau was freed when someone, likely to have been his aunt, paid the tax, against his wishes. The experience had a strong impact on Thoreau. In January and February 1848, he delivered lectures on "The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government", explaining his tax resistance at the Concord Lyceum. Bronson Alcott attended the lecture, writing in his journal on January 26: `Heard Thoreau's lecture before the Lyceum on the relation of the individual to the Statean admirable statement of the rights of the individual to self-government, and an attentive audience. His allusions to the Mexican War, to Mr. Hoar's expulsion from Carolina, his own imprisonment in Concord Jail for refusal to pay his tax, Mr. Hoar's payment of mine when taken to prison for a similar refusal, were all pertinent, well considered, and reasoned. I took great pleasure in this deed of Thoreau's.' Bronson Alcott, Journals Thoreau revised the lecture into an essay titled "Resistance to Civil Government" (also known as "Civil Disobedience"). It was published by Elizabeth Peabody in the Aesthetic Papers in May 1849. Thoreau had taken up a version of Percy Shelley's principle in the political poem "The Mask of Anarchy" (1819), which begins with the powerful images of the unjust forms of authority of his time and then imagines the stirrings of a radically new form of social action."

This book review in the April 2021 issue of Friends Journal may be of interest to you:

This Friend gives a wonderful description of a "gathered Meeting." Like many Friends, this woman came to a Quaker Meeting after growing up with experiences from a different religious tradition, but she found that silent worship called her to a new spiritual home.

A thank you to Daphne for sharing this quote: "Conversation was never begun at once, nor in a hurried manner. No one was quick with a question, no matter how important, and no one was pressed for an answer. A pause giving time for thought was the truly courteous way of beginning and conducting a conversation. Silence was meaningful with Lokota, and his granting a space of silence to the speech-maker and his own moment of silence to the speech-maker and his own moment of silen...ce before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regard for the rule that, 'thought comes before speech.' ~~Luther Standing Bear (1868-1939), Oglala Sioux Chief"

The map is not the territory, the word is not the thing it describes. Whenever the map is confused with the territory, a ‘semantic disturbance’ is set up in the organism. The disturbance continues until the limitation of the map is recognized. Alfred Korzybski People unfamiliar with the Quaker spiritual path are often surprised to learn that Friends have a wide tolerance for acknowledging and accepting the value of the spiritual teachings of other religious faiths.... It is less a matter of "anything goes" and more a matter that Friends recognize that there is "that of God" in each of us, and that we share with other Truth Seekers the same desire to work towards greater unity with the Divine. Below is a post from one of many Quaker blogs on the internet that presents an interesting perspective on the ways in which some Friends have sometimes discovered, in other spiritual traditions, a similar approach to living out one's faith. https://laquaker.blogspot.com/2021/04/quakers-and-tao.html

A lovely blog post from Brent Bill, a writer, Quaker minister, and photographer from the American Mid-west. The posting is from September 2020, but it is timeless in its message. As the imposed isolation from this global pandemic continues, we have more time for reflection than in the past, perhaps, and so I share this with Friends in the tradition of Quaker Advices and Queries. https://holyordinary.blogspot.com//the-presence-in-our-mid

A Quaker Speak video that addresses some of the questions that people encounter in dealing with an unjust world.

https://youtu.be/tE7Pbd1S4AI "A Quaker Take on Liberation Theology" April 30, 2020 Transcript of A Quaker Take on Liberation Theology video...Continue reading

Now, Friends, deal plainly with yourselves, and let the eternal Light search you, and try you, for the good of your souls. For this will deal plainly with you. It will rip you up, and lay you open, and make all manifest which lodges in you; the secret subtlety of the enemy of your souls, this eternal searcher and trier will make manifest. Therefore all to this come, and by this be searched, and judged, and led and guided. For to this you must stand or fall. -- Margaret Fell

This notice just received from Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC): CFSC is pleased to share with you that, in honour of our 90th Anniversary, we will be running a webinar series throughout the year called Get to Know Thee, Friend. We invite Friends to brew some tea and join Canadian Friends Service Committee on the last Thursday of every month of this year for an online evening of discussion, sharing, and Friendship. It is a chance to meet Friends from across Canada and learn about their experience with Friends and with service work.

AN INVITATION FROM THE CLERK OF OUR NEW BRUNSWICK MONTHLY MEETING: Dear Friends, Last week a group of around 10 Friends from across our Monthly Meeting gathered by computer and telephone for a time of sharing about our spiritual journeys. How did we eventually wind up in a Quaker Meeting? The purpose was to help build Friendship in our geographically scattered meeting. We must have noticed at some time or other that the leading to attend Friends meetings is something that int...erests a minority of seekers, rather than the broader swath of religious/spiritual people. Given we are few and somewhat scattered across the map (and separated by many borders that pose COVID restrictions), we thought it might be a good way to get to know one another. It's a simple approach; we just log on to Zoom, and meet briefly in silence until someone feels free to share. Others listened, and when the person's sharing was done (after around 5-10 minutes), we posed some light questions to the presenter. We agreed at the outset to end the meeting after 75 minutes, but we ended up going for about 85. It was a very pleasant and informative time, so we intend to do it again on Friday at 7:00 Atlantic Time, and weekly at that hour for the time being, until our interest in meeting this way is used up. Please feel free to attend as many or as few of these sessions as you'd like, and to just listen, or to listen and share. This Meeting would be great for any newcomers to Quakers who have questions or would like to meet other Friends. I hope to see or hear many of you there! Peace. ************************************************* If you would like to participate, contact the NBMM clerk, Vince Zelazny or Pat Craig, who manages our PEI Quaker Facebook page, to get the zoom link for the session.

After a couple of discussions regarding updating and setting up a new time for our yearly group discussion sessions, we agreed that "study" group didn't really describe our meetings. So the name has now been changed to PEI Friends' Discussion Group, as we retire the previous one of PEI Quaker Study Group. We have set the time and place for our first 2020/2021 session for Wednesday, November 11, 2020. We'll meet at 5:00 PM at 50 Mount Edward Road. Food and refreshment will be available, followed by the evening's discussion topic: "Why do we think that God is good?" If you have any written materials or links to background material that you would to have me post (or that you wish to post yourself), please share them with other discussion participants either on this FB page or by email.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualitieshis eternal power and divine naturehave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made

A reminder that Meeting for Worship will take place Sunday, Nov. 1 @ 11:00 AM, at 50 Mount Edward Road, Charlottetown. A note to remind you that a Daylight Savings Time change takes place on Saturday night, but if you should forget and show up an hour early, no worries. You're welcome to settle in with a cup of coffee or tea and read a book from our Quaker library collection till Meeting time.

September 21st is International Peace Day. How will you observe it this year? For some ideas, you may wish to explore the many articles in the link below: https://www.consciencecanada.ca///2020/09/CC_NL_202009.pdf

"To empty ourselves of our false divinity, to deny ourselves, to give up being the center of the world in imagination, to discern that all points in the world are equally centers and that the true center is outside the world, this is to consent to the rule of mechanical necessity in matter and of free choice at the center of each soul. Such consent is love. The face of this love, which is turned toward thinking persons, is the love of our neighbor." ~~Simone Weil, from "Waiting for God"

A beautiful musical reflection and prayer for peace. [Note: The composer Karl Jenkins is the most performed living composer in the world. According to Jenkins, The Peacemakers is a work extolling peace. It is dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives during armed conflict: in particular, innocent civilians.]

Such a busy day for announcements to share on this page! This posting is in regards to things we can personally do to support the Quaker testimony for stewardship and earth care. Here's an interesting business article I ran across this morning that features a young Canadian business that got its start trying to respond the the issue of all the plastics ending up in our oceans and environment.... This summer I actually bought a package of this company's TruEarth eco-strips detergent at Jewell's Greenhouses outside Charlottetown. I was curious about it and wanted to try it. It worked just fine, although it is likely more expensive than your average bottle of detergent. Each detergent strip works out to cost about $2 a load. The strips come packaged in an envelope that holds 32 loads worth of laundry strips. Unfortunately, Jewell's is only open seasonally, but this product may be available at other eco-friendly store businesses on PEI. There is a link in the linked article below that you can use for a trial sample, if you are interested. https://www.tru.earth/Tru-Earth-Declared-Canadas-2nd-Fastes

The human interest story below, that ran in todays Washington Post, raises many unexpected moral questions, so I thought others might also find it interesting to read and ponder. How often do we decide to take an action without fully considering the possible ways that the consequences of it might impact our future or the future of those around us? What responsibility do we have when we undertake an action, with a good and helpful purpose in mind, only to discover that its un...intended consequences can irreparably change lives? Can or should we avoid taking actions because they might cause unexpected future difficulties for ourself and/or others? From the perspective of Quaker values and testimonies, how would you navigate a path forward in a situation such as this one?

Sad news received today. Some of our newer Friends or Attenders likely do not know or have never met Anne Thomas, as she has had numerous health problems over the past ten years, and she has rarely been well enough to attend Monthly Meeting. Anne and her husband Barry Thomas have been long-time members of the Eastern Shore Allowed Meeting and of the New Brunswick Monthly Meeting. Anne led a short series of Bible study sessions for Friends recently, and she has led a very co...mmitted Quaker life for decades. Ellen Helmuth circulated the following in an email today: "...Anne Thomas died yesterday with her family by her side. A sad loss for us all. She leaves a legacy we will want to honour in her Memorial Minute. The Memorial Minute is traditionally composed by Ministry & Counsel. John Calder is clerk of M&C. Please hold the family in the Light as they go through this time of sorrow and loss. There have been no details provided for funeral arrangements or a Memorial Service. They will be available at a later date..." If you would like to send words of sympathy to the family, the addresses for Barry Thomas and Helen Zebedee can be had by contacting Ellen Helmuth. *************************************************************** The following words of William Penn come to mind: "This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal."

Shaping up to be a day of interesting announcements regarding upcoming educational opportunities for Friends: The Canadian Friends Service Committee will be hosting a webinar series regarding the impacts of the current criminal justice system and explore alternative methods and steps that might be taken. If you are interested in exploring justice system reform from a Quakerly perspective, this should be a rich experience.... https://quakerservice.ca/news/the-only-way-forward/

Of possible interest to some F/friends: The Martha Spirituality Centre is offering a women's reflection group led by Lynn DeLong on Zoom. DeLong has been engaged with the Martha Centre for a number of years leading women's reflection groups and retreats. This Zoom course will consist of three presentations on Mondays (Nov. 2, 16 and 30), 6:30-8:00PM, based on the article, "Hope, Gratitude and Solidarity: A Message to Canadians from Religious Leaders in Canada in response to the COVID Pandemic." The fee is $20. Pre-register by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. The size of the group is limited. [Taken from page B1 of the Thursday, 29 October 2020 issue of The Guardian.]

"We pray for those in positions of power. We call on them, as public servants, to work with all of good faith to build the world we seek. There can be no peace without justice; no love without trust; and no unity without equality. We pray for the courage and steadfastness that will be needed as we uphold our testimony of equality, justice, peace, sustainability and truth. For us, prayer is inseparable from action." Meeting for Sufferings 2017 [from Britain Yearly Meeting]

This blog writer asks very basic questions about what it means to her to live a Quaker lifestyle. She ends the essay with the following query: How are you doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God? http://www.meetinghouse.xyz//2020/7/27/a-reflection-on-mic

A very interesting story about what happens when a Quaker school (which actually has very few Quaker students enrolled) meets up with democracy as practiced in the larger world. https://www.nytimes.com//brooklyn-friends-quaker-union.htm

https://vimeo.com/32974513

Those who have attended Meeting for Worship (and the Meeting for Business that follows silent worship) with our New Brunswick Monthly Meeting F/friends, will undoubtedly have met Ellen and Keith Helmuth. Ellen served as New Brunswick Monthly Meeting clerk for many years. Both Helmuths have served on numerous Quaker committees over the years and are also active in Canadian Yearly Meeting. The attached link will take you to an announcement of a Lifetime Service Award that was... bestowed on them by the the 1955 class of the Eastern Mennonite School in Pennsylvania. Lets add our voices to the choir of affirmations on their long history of ministering to community and the environment. https://www.easternmennonite.org//keith-and-ellen-helmuth/

A moving reflection on how the coronavirus has impacted many of our rituals of grieving the loss of loved ones.

A recent posting from Friend Randy's page refers to one of the well-known parables that Jesus told to his disciples. It's a parable that sits hard with many people, for the reasons Randy mentions, and that seems to make it that much more worthwhile that we spend time with it, in silent reflection, to see where that might lead us in our understanding. "I was recently reminded of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. You’ll remember the vineyard owner (who supposedly rep...resents God) paid the labourers the same whether they worked all day or just showed up at the last hour. There is something that gnaws at us about this story, which is what makes it such a wonderful parable. It offends our sense of justice. It’s unfair. It insults our cultural expectation that if we work harder we get more. That is what offends us; we may look at our neighbour as undeserving, or at least more undeserving than us, and equal treatment strikes us as unjust generously by the Giver. It bothers us that the Giver chooses to treat all equally and is free to do so, and we resent such freedom. We want something special for OUR good work we don’t want what everybody gets we want MORE! It’s an outrage - what kind of a deal IS this anyway?" See more

I wonder what local F/friends will think of this rather startling blog posting on and about Quakers. Its posted in the hope of stirring some thought and discussion in our own Meeting. Which of the many comments that follow the posting resonate with you? How would you answer the question, Who is a Quaker? https://lambswar.blogspot.com/2012/02/who-is-quaker.html

This QuakerSpeak video speaks to the human need to be part of something larger than ourselves, and gives testimony to the ways in which our own spiritual growth is furthered by connecting to community.

"Go Ahead, Throw Your Love Away--Or Why Love is Greater Than Ideology" This mornings scripture reading provides a glimpse into Jesus world right before everything falls apart. A moment of peace before the storm. This is right before the beginning of Passover. A couple of days before the last supper. Before Jesus desperate prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before his trial and crucifixion. In this tender, pregnant moment, Jesus is at Bethany, in the house of Simon the lep...Continue reading

Friends may find a recent C.Wess Daniels blog posting interesting reading material. http://newsletter.remixingfaith.com//becoming-apprentices-

Every day offers the opportunity to begin afresh and to aspire to the light within you. Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh

"Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity; but, for that reason, it should be most our care to learn it." --William Penn

A reminder that Sunday Meeting for Worship will be out at Randys in Springbrook, at 11 AM--rain or shine. Hope to see you there!

Inner Light Books announces a book launch of a new title by Marty Grundy, a Quaker writer. A summary review follows, along with a listing of some of this bookstores other titles. *********************************************************** INNER LIGHT BOOKS I am pleased to announce the release of the twentieth publication from Inner Light Books, A Call to Friends: Faithful Living in Desperate Times by Marty Grundy. In this work, Marty Grundy argues that we need to envision a...Continue reading

Seeking peace? Heres a great essay to serve as a map: https://postmodernquaker.wordpress.com//the-first-step-of/

And some more short video clips that may interest the Quaker-curious: https://quakersthefilm.com/quaker-principles/

Found on the internet and of possible interest to F/friends who frequent our Facebook page.

An absolutely beautiful session of silent worship at the home of Maurice and Philip. We sat in a circle beneath the shade of the companionable, old apple, maple, black locust and pine trees, while the wind rustled through their leaves, accompanied by the buzzing of bees, and the nattering chatter of squirrels joining in a soft and gentle symphony of sounds. Occasionally the wafting scent of apples and loamy earth drifted through the air. Could there be a more perfect way to... worship together and share in the glory of Gods world? So heres a poem to share to complete the day: THE WAKING by Theodore Roethke I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Of those so close beside me, which are you? God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go. Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me; so take the lively air, And, lovely, learn by going where to go. This shaking keeps me steady. I should know. What falls away is always. And is near. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I have to go. [Theodore Roethke, "The Waking" from Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. Copyright 1953 by Theodore Roethke. Used by permission of Doubleday, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.] Source: The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke (Doubleday, 1961)

The essay below will give you a taste of the newsblog and writings of C. Wess Daniels, a Quaker writer, educator and theologian. (A short bio of him follows below.) Daniels writings are not what you usually think of when you conjure up the image of a quiet, peace-loving Friend. He almost seems on fire, but then, George Fox and the early Quakers were also viewed as radical rabble-rousers. You may find this a very interesting read, if you follow through the link. The link ...below connects you to Issue #8 of Daniels blog series, Jesus Against the Empire. This essay depicts why the teachings that Jesus preached were viewed as so radical by both Jews and Gentiles of His time. His teachings remain as radical today as they were in His own century, and Daniels asks us to consider whether the message of Jesus has been tempered and corrupted by subsequent generations of church and secular authorities to suit "worldly" purposes. http://newsletter.remixingfaith.com//jesus-against-empire- [C. Wess Daniels is the William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies at Guilford College where he has worked since July 2015. His work there includes teaching the Quaker studies classes, directing the Friends Center which is responsible for Multifaith work on campus as well as developing a strong Quaker ethos on campus, he is in the Presidents Cabinet, and supports the work of developing young adult Quaker leaders in the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program. Prior to his work at Guilford, Wess was the released minister at Camas Friends Church (May 2009-June 2015) where he enjoyed the work of pastoral care, preaching, and developing spiritual leadership within his Quaker meeting and the broader Quaker world.]

"Compassion is largely a quality of the imagination: it consists of the ability to imagine what we would feel if we were suffering the same situation." ~~Hctor Abad

PEI Quaker F/friends will already know of the family tragedy that occurred in Briannes family this past July. This posting is just to remind us all to keep Brianne, Luke, and their larger families in our thoughts and prayers as they journey through this difficult time. F/riends who would like to donate to this worthy cause in memory of Briannes brother Michael can follow the links provided in her post. If F/friends would like to consider making a donation as a worship group, ask our clerk of the meeting to list this as an agenda item at our next business meeting.

In preparing for the 5th session of the online workshop Are We Done Fighting? I came across this little tidbit in the assigned reading material that I thought F/friends might find interesting: Well, imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost. Sound too good to be true? After three days of backpacking in a national park, people performed 50% better on problem-solving tasks. Research sho...ws that living close to green space is associated with lower levels of mental distress as well as 15 different serious ailments from depression to heart disease. Even just having a view of greenery means well recover faster when in hospital, and be less likely to engage in violence! ...Nature decreases brain activity associated with worrying and increases activity associated with empathy and altruism. Legge, Matthew. Are We Done Fighting? . New Society Publishers. Kindle Edition.

This morning, on CBCs Island Morning program, I heard a modern recording of "The Camptown Races" played. It surprised me, as in this time of growing awareness of the ways in which racist expression has embedded itself in our society, I never expected to hear this song played on the radio. When I was growing up in the US, this song was clearly intended to mock Black people. I realize that the programming staff at CBC is likely unaware of the racist nature of this Stephen Fo...ster song, and so I do not bring this up to censure them, but hearing it today, in the current atmosphere, did get me to look up the history of the song and its link to racist roots. Turns out that there are other well-known childrens songs that share in this shameful part of Americas past. I thought F/friends might be interested in reading the article, as it illustrates how subtle forms of racism can be passed along from generation to generation and woven through our culture. https://www.vox.com//the-racist-childrens-songs-you-might-

On the subject of insidious racism, this video from SW England tells it all. https://www.facebook.com/bbcspotlight/videos/2711973399024749

This is posted only as a FYI. Please note that any questions about the position or applications for it need to be addressed through the appropriate links provided within the post. The administrator for this Facebook page is not able to handle such requests.

https://app.cyberimpact.com/newsletter-view-online

This news story highlights how members of privileged groups of a society can use that status to advance human rights for others, less privileged. Friends may remember how Alice Paul, a social-activist Quaker, approached the task of winning suffrage for American women. She used many of the principles of public protest outlined in this article. Pauls approach was a radical one in the early 1900s, as her suffrage workers put themselves on the frontlines of protest in ways that... "refined" white women were not expected to behave. It particularly shocked Edwardian era people to see wealthy women from prominent families out there protesting alongside working and minority women. Pauls strategy helped to turn the tide of the American publics opinion on women suffrage, and within 17 years, her National Womans Party managed to push through a constitutional amendment that others (for nearly 200 years) before her time had struggled to achieve. Kudos to the mothers in Portland, Oregon for recognizing the important contribution that they could make to the civil rights protests taking place in their community. https://www.nytimes.com//am/protest-moms-power-police.html

ON TELEVISION TONIGHT: If you havent seen this documentary, its a very interesting and thought-provoking film on First Nation/settler disputes in Ontario "cottage country." The filmmaker is a member of the local First Nation in that area and he examines how the differing cultural sensitivities and resource use of the land and waters has brought members of the two communities into conflict.