We are a very close knit community and, although we are small, we have a solid core of
Friends who deeply care for each other. Many of our activities outside of worship foster
this closeness. We have many recurring significant events that have become traditions
and create a kind of liturgical calendar, framing the year and binding not only
individuals but generations together. In February we joined together for Soup, Song
and Worship and in March we gathered for Bread Day and enjoyed community and the
spiritual lessons that come from preparing dough and baking bread. In April we
enjoyed our first ever indoor Easter Egg hunt and we look forward to our annual Book
Fair in July. In September we celebrate together the successes of the Book Fair and our
Looking for Light families returning from the summer. Finally, in December we gather
together once again for our Advent Sunday with a potluck and much singing. There is
so much palpable joy that radiates out at this meeting nurtured by the sense of
community derived from these deep, rich gatherings.

Ministry and Counsel has organized a number of gatherings that deepen members and
attenders understanding of our Quaker practices. These gatherings provide a much
needed factual foundation for our community but also strengthens our bonds with each
other and allows us to hold each other up. We learned together during our Quakerism
101-Discernement, how this Quaker process of deep listening to each other and for
how the spirit guides us shapes our decision making as Quakers. We are planning
more of these Quakerism 101 gatherings. Other activities such as our Soup, Singing
and Worship allow us to connect with other meetings in the area. We look to continue
this outreach. Seekers group remains a way for some of us to gather once a month to
share our spiritual conditions and experiences.

Looking For Light, which meets on the first First Sunday of the month, nurtures spiritual
formation in children and is for the families of the children. This group is often
multigenerational. We seek to meet busy Friends where they are, as our families have
to balance many family demands and are appreciative of being welcomed in even with
occasional attendance. The Looking For Light participants have created their own
connections via group texts in which they share portions of their lives in between First
Sundays. This group has become a vibrant branch of our community.

We wonder if we can reach out to the wider community better to let them know what
our faith is all about. There were questions raised regarding attracting new and younger
members to our meeting. We wonder how to proceed given that as Quakers we aren’t
comfortable with proselytizing. Our Peace and Social Justice involvement in the wider
community is one way our faith is visible in the outside community as is the Book Fair.
The Quaker table at the Book Fair offers another chance for us to share our faith and
practices with the community. We have welcomed a number of new attenders and we
invited them to hospitality, answered questions while allowing space for them to
experience our community at their own pace. We are friendly without being pushy. We
wonder what we can do to ensure that the meeting continues to thrive.

We have concerns over our aging membership and what our meeting may look like in
years down the road. We are not gaining many young attenders and members at a
pace to keep up with those who age. We deeply miss members who have passed
away or have illnesses that reduce their attendance. We are in need of tender
discernment on how to raise up the next generation of elders. In our society today,
children often leave the area when they become adults so we are hopefully raising the
next Quakers rather than the next local meeting members.
Overall we are grateful for the deep and connected social life
of the meeting that extends far beyond the hour of worship.

Approved at Monthly Meeting for Business, June 14, 2026