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Responses
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Friends respond to the General Queries each year, on a schedule which extends from one Yearly Meeting to the next. The General Queries are listed just below. Click on the links following them to navigate to the responses formulated by Ohio Yearly Meeting (OYM), Stillwater Quarterly Meeting (SQM), and Crossroads Friends Meeting (CFWG). At the end of each response is a link which will return you to the next General Query. |
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Ohio Yearly Meeting General Queries First Query: Are meetings for worship well and punctually attended? Is our behavior conducive to meditation and communion with God? Do we maintain a waiting spiritual worship and a free gospel ministry? Do we welcome others to share this fellowship with us? [OYM] [CFWG] Second Query: Do we cherish a forgiving spirit, and strive to “walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us”? Is each one of us careful for the reputation of others? Are we ever mindful to love our neighbor as ourselves? If differences threaten to disrupt the Christian harmony between the members, is prompt action taken? [OYM] [CFWG] Third Query: Are our homes places of peace, joy, and contentment? Are they an influence for good in the neighborhood, community and country? Do we set a good Christian example for our children to follow? Are Friends careful that their children realize that our loving Savior will faithfully guide them through life, as they are willing to accept and obey Him? Do we help our children to read and appreciate the Bible? [OYM] [CFWG] Fourth Query: Believing our bodies to be the temple of God, are we concerned to attain a high level of physical and mental health? To this end are our lives examples of temperance in all things? Do we avoid and discourage the use and handling of intoxicants, tobacco, and improper use of drugs? [OYM] [CFWG] Fifth Query: Are we sensitive to the needs of those around us who may be in less fortunate circumstances? Do we prayerfully consider how we can share one another's burdens when the need arises? Do we counsel lovingly and prayerfully with those members whose actions in any phase of life give us grounds for concern? [OYM] [CFWG] Sixth Query: Do we live in the life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars? Do we, on Christian principles, refuse to participate in or to cooperate with the military effort? Do we work actively for peace and the removal of the causes of war? Do we endeavor to cultivate good will, mutual understanding, and equal opportunities for all people? [OYM] [CFWG] Seventh Query: Do we observe simplicity in our manner of living, sincerity in speech, and modesty in apparel? Do we guard against involving ourselves in temporal affairs to the hindrance of spiritual growth? Are we just in our dealings and careful to fulfill our promises? Do we seek to make our Christian faith a part of our daily work? [OYM] [CFWG] Eighth Query: Are we faithful to Christ's command to avoid swearing oaths? Are we watchful for and faithful to Christ's promptings to share with others our testimony against the use of oaths? Do we avoid gambling and speculation based on the principles of chance? [OYM] [CFWG] Ninth Query: Are we sensitive to the problems of family living? Do we offer counseling to couples both before and after marriage? How are we helping individuals, married couples and family units to strengthen and enrich their lives? [OYM] [CFWG] |
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Ohio Yearly Meeting Responses
2009 First Query: Our meetings for worship are faithfully and punctually attended by most resident members, some of whom feel especially committed to attend because of the small size of their meetings. However, for many meetings the majority of people listed in membership do not regularly attend any Friends meeting. in our meetings for worship we customarily wait for the Lord's spirit to minister to us and are usually ready to respond to Christ's immediate motion. One meeting reports being glad to have young children among them during worship, other meetings miss their presence. Some affiliate members engage in personal First Day worship at the same time as their meeting is worshipping. Although some meetings know the blessing of many visitors and others have only a few, we all welcome those who come, encourage them in fellowship, and trust that visitors unfamiliar with our waiting worship "learn in the silence to bow to the power of God." (Advice 16) [return to General Queries] 2009 Second Query: We have allowed critical and judgmental attitudes, the spirit of fear, public media intrusions, impatience, carelessness with others' reputations, and words we regret to hinder the harmony among us. We have sometimes failed in forgiveness. However, even when there are differences among us, our love for the Lord and for each other is precious to us, and our goal is to love others as Christ loves us. Reaching that goal has been possible only when we have yielded to the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior. With many of us engaging in electronic communication across great distances, we realize that labor, time and openness to Christ's love enable us to walk in love even with those neighnors we may never see. [return to General Queries] 2009 Third Query: By eating meals together, putting aside difference, and enjoying being together, we help our homes become places of support and refuge from the stresses of secular living. However, we have sometimes become too busy with worldly tasks, even "good" ones, and have thus lost our sense of the Lord's presence. we find that our homes reflect Christ's joy, peace and contentment when we invite Jesus to live with us and when we then abide with Him in meekness, patience and love. Whether we live alone or with family, we are grateful for Christ's covering and for the peace that comes from following Him. Our children, our grandchildren, and the guests who come into our homes experience saying grace before meals, Bible reading, and praying to a loving Savior. In fact, our children have sometimes become examples for us, revealing what we have taught them. We hold in prayer our children who have yet to exemplify our faith, having patience and faith that seeds planted will give forth to blossoms. We feel that community members with whom we are involved beyond our meetings often sense our peace with and dependence on God. [return to General Queries] 2008 Fourth Query: Having been created in God’s image, Friends take responsibility to maintain our bodies for the purposes which God has for us and treat them in a way that honors Him. In order thereto, Friends are concerned to exercise temperance in our sleeping, the eating of nutritious foods and exercising both our bodies and our minds to promote the functioning of our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional beings as a unit. In the past year, individual Friends have affirmed that Jesus Christ, the Source of our strength and our nurturer, helps us overcome the mental and emotional challenges we face in our daily lives. All meetings oppose the improper use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Some Friends have cautioned others about the dangers of these habit-forming substances which contribute to the breakdown of family and community. We each have different temptations, which one may pass by with little effort, but another may feel a strong compulsion to indulge. [return to General Queries] 2008 Fifth Query: Friends express their mindfulness of the needs of those around us through timely prayer, visitations, and assistance with money, food, or goods. This is not always simple because we sometimes neglect to share our burdens with one another or become reluctant to “intrude” in others’ affairs. Identifying how to share another’s burden is sometimes a delicate matter, particularly when we are considering requests from organizations operated by others. Some Friends express discomfort with the phrase “those in less fortunate circumstances” to refer to someone facing physical, financial, or spiritual difficulties. Indeed, our situations may leave us doubly blessed as we receive strength from our Lord, experience the caring support of Friends and family, and become mindful of the beneficial power of prayer under the guidance of our Lord. Neither Quarterly Meeting mentioned loving and prayerful counsel or members during the past year, though it has taken place. [return to General Queries] 2008 Sixth Query: Our endeavor to live in the life and power that takes away the occasion of all war is not always successful. We have experienced that Christ’s sacrifice and power is the foundation for peaceful lives and our successful efforts to reduce conflict around us. We do not totally refuse to participate in or support the military effort. Some Friends make conscious economic and lifestyle choices to minimize their contributions to war, including purchasing fair trade goods and reducing our consumption. One Quarter mentioned Friends have sought to be clearer in stating our opposition to war as growing out of a deeper place where we know our love for and obedience to Christ. A portion of our taxes support military spending, but no meeting mentioned any Friend choosing not to pay that portion of their taxes. Friends are active in peace groups, FCNL, AFSC, and the Heifer Project, and some have experienced conflict resolution and mediation of disagreements at school and at home. The Lord helps us to live peacefully with thos around us, to reflect and cultivate goodwill, mutual understanding, and equal opportunity. “And as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly so to them.” (Luke 6:31) [return to General Queries]
2008 Seventh Query:
We feel we can answer this
query in the affirmative. Observing a simple manner of living,
sincerity of speech, and doing a kindness for someone, no matter how
small, lets our light shine on others even through the darkness. We
each choose our clothing to be consistent with our individual
callings and role in the Kingdom. Most Friends make time for prayer
and spiritual reading / contemplation, both for our own spiritual
growth and as a witness to others. Friends have known some of the
excesses of ownership of unnecessary possession and the distractions
arising from spending too much time on the computer or watching
television. Friends have taught their children to make our speech
reflect our true intentions and to commit ourselves only to projects
and tasks we can fulfill. For many, a handshake is an acceptable
promise of responsibility and just dealing. Our example of living
the Christian faith, of trusting the Lord in all we do, is our daily
work. 2008 Eighth Query: Friends were renewedly challenged in the past, as some of us have been asked to swear or profess an oath in legal situations. All were able to decline - some being asked to give an explanation of the difference. We have been careful to witness to Christ’s command to be honest at all times and in all things. Some Friends have discovered that forms of common greetings are most correctly answered in ways such as, “The Lord has blessed me with good health.”
We do not involved ourselves
directly in gambling. Some give donations to worthwhile
money-making events without purchasing lottery or raffle tickets.
It has pained our hearts to see some individuals not connected with
Friends play games of chance when the funds were needed for family
necessities.
2008 Ninth Query: Friends take family living seriously. The times of family trials and brokenness, joys and healings each of us has experienced have helped Friends empathize with family problems faced by others. We are concerned for our children and grandchildren and how they are living their lives. Our families today are being challenged by choices in rearing children, illness of members, and living with and/or caring for elderly parents. We listen prayerfully and carefully to discern the problem and suggest solutions when reeds are made known or become apparent to us, whether the challenge is physical, spiritual, or financial. Both Quarterly Meetings admitted a reticence to make our needs known, even though we have experienced the strengthening that often results from seeking assistance. Friends have also regretted not being as sensitive to the trials of fellow members as they feel He expects of us, even when the Lord prompts us to action. Some counseling of married couples took place during the past year. It has been conducted through notes of encouragement and sharing reading materials. Clearness committees, Ministry and Oversight members, and prayer groups have offered support and guidance to members in need. Friends in one Quarter felt a need to state that clearness committees should not pas by tough questions due to discomfort. As always, Friends pray for our families and members. Other ways of strengthening and enriching the lives of others include small fellowship groups, meeting or visiting in homes, providing assistance to travelling families, and communication with distant members. Greeting others with a positive attitude and showing a desire to know hoe they are doing was recommended as one means of showing our love for others. The Lord strengthens us and is patient in guiding us, and we remind each other to reach the place where all can hear and follow His perfect help and reflect His love for us. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” [Philippians 4:13] [return to General Queries] |
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Crossroads Friends Meeting Responses 2009 First Query: Meetings for worship are well attended by our resident Friends and attenders. We have improved our punctuality, and Friends are typically on time or even early now. The expansion of Bible Study before meeting to one hour has virtually eliminated this problem; occasionally a Friends may be late for Bible Study, but is thus on time for worship. A number of us travel for an hour or more to attend. We maintain good order during meetings for worship, and our behavior is conducive to meditation and deep, inward communion with God. The several children among us likewise maintain good order, and children as young as four now remain in meeting for the entire hour. Our meetings for worship are often largely silent; at other times we are richly blessed with messages from the Holy Spirit and by vocal prayer. We are uplifted and encouraged by meetings for worship in either case, and are blessed by a deep sense of inner peace during and after worship. We maintain a waiting spiritual worship and a free gospel ministry, and we encourage one another to be faithful in delivering messages we may receive from the Holy Spirit, and in offering vocal prayer as we are led. Friends report striving to discern which messages are true and should be delivered, and which are for the individual, or are our own thoughts rather than true messages. We believe most of the vocal ministry in our meetings is true and inspired. We welcome others to join us in fellowship and worship. We respond promptly and with welcome to personal, telephone, mail and thee-mail contacts, and readily add inquirers to our mailing list or thee-mail list. We maintain a website which is still growing and developing, and which some users have found helpful. We are under a concern to engage in intervisitation, and at times, our entire group visits another body of Friends for worship. [return to General Queries] 2009 Second Query: We cherish a forgiving spirit, and strive to be forgiving in our daily lives, with family, friends and coworkers, as well as those at greater remove from our lives. At times it seems easier to be forgiving to those close to us, though at other times that closeness makes forgiveness more difficult, because of our higher expectations for those we love. We hope to “walk in love as Christ also hath loved us,” though His perfect and all-encompassing love is on a scale difficult for our created minds to grasp, far less to emulate. We are careful of the reputations of others, avoiding gossip and careless discussion of others. In this age of electronic communication, we are troubled by the ease with which false and distorted communications are disseminated, and the damage which may result to others’ reputations. We attempt to be discerning in passing on such communications to others, lest we find ourselves engaged in an electronic form of gossip. We try to love our neighbors as ourselves. At times, we are overwhelmed by the concept of our neighbors, understanding that this concept embraces the world and all humankind. We are acutely aware of the voices of hatred which are so pervasive in the political dialogue and in the culture of the world, and we strive to filter news and reports to discern truth and cast away untruth and disinformation. We recall differences which have arisen within our meeting in past times. We rejoice that two attenders who left us because of differences over the Peace Testimony and related matters have recently returned to worship with us. A third whom we had not seen or heard from in several years has also returned to worship with us. We have attempted, without compromising Friends’ Testimonies, to resolve such differences as arise, and have some success with smaller differences. In all matters, we strive to remain ever open to our Inner Guide, and to maintain Christian harmony within the meeting. [return to General Queries] 2009 Third Query: Our homes are usually places of peace, joy and contentment. We have times of stress and difficulty, but we are generally free of significant conflicts within our homes and families, and this degree of unity supports an atmosphere of peace, joy and contentment. We believe our homes are an influence for good. However, we are sadly aware of the comparative isolation of urban dwellers in our culture, and realize that not many in our communities visit or have knowledge of our homes and our witness. We strive to set a good Christian example for our children and grandchildren, and to assist their awakening to Christ as Savior and Guide. Some of our children are now adults, and our influence on them may be diminished. We are aware that they have made both good choices and poor choices in their lives, with varied results so far. We attempt to give Christian counsel when an opening presents, and we hope that our own lives continue to serve as examples. We cherish our grandchildren and work to assist in their upbringing in the faith and love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Though the appeal of the world is strong for them, we have done our best to assure that they know our Lord and trust in His guidance. We have assured that our children know the Bible and have ready access to it. We guided them in younger years in the reading and study of the Bible, and we have from time to time given them Bibles as gifts to renew their interest and to suit their tastes. We continue this process with our young children and our grandchildren, through Bible stories and videos suited to their ages and abilities. One Friend has led his children to discuss the Sermon on the Mount in a book club group context. [return to General Queries] 2008 Fourth Query: We believe our bodies to be the temple of God. We are concerned to attain a high level of physical and mental health, but we often find that we have fallen short of this goal. We find that we experience a range of chronic and lifestyle health problems, and we have undertaken plans involving nutritional practices, exercise, and stress reduction in the effort to ameliorate these problems. We attempt to maintain right balance in all things, but note that especially with regard to food, we are still intemperate at times. We avoid and discourage the use and handling of tobacco, and the improper use of drugs, while acknowledging our need for properly used prescription drugs and supplements in our attempts to attain a high level of physical and mental health. With regard to intoxicants, we are clear of the handling of such things, but some among us use alcohol in moderation, though we are unaware of any of our number using alcohol to excess. We hold one another (and ourselves) in prayer, seeking guidance and strength in addressing these matters. [return to General Queries] 2009 Fifth Query: We are sensitive to the needs of those in less fortunate circumstances. Ironically, modern communications often assure that we are more aware of the needs of people on the other side of the world than of those quite nearby. We support charities near at hand and with global reach. One of us serves on the board of a Christian community center which provides many programs and assistance to those in need. One of us serves on the board of the Walton Home. We support charities like the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, the Heifer Project, the Salvation Army, the Walton Home and others. This year, some of us have been led to focus our efforts on charities nearby, to help alleviate the suffering produced by high unemployment and poor economic conditions in the Flint area. We do what we can to share the known burdens of those close to us, including neighbors, friends, and relatives who may be in varying degrees of need, We seek guidance through prayer on how best to assist those in need, how we may counsel with those near to us whose actions give cause for concern, and how we may support their return to the Way - the love of Christ Jesus - which opens before us all. [return to General Queries] 2009 Sixth Query: We live in the life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars. We are clear of direct participation in the war system; one of us present is a conscientious objector and performed alternative, civilian service. None of us has served in the military. However, we are troubled by friends and relatives who have participated directly in the military, and by those who participate at one remove, working in defense related industry. We are also painfully aware that in paying our taxes, we all passively participate in the war system (about half of federal income taxes go for current and past military expenditures). With this in mind, the group has united in supporting the Peace Tax Fund bill, which would provide for conscientious objection to payment of war taxes. We have placed links to the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (www.peacetaxfund.org) on our website. None of us are currently actively involved in peace work per se, but we are all involved in work which seeks to remove the causes of war, and which contributes to the effort to cultivate good will, mutual understanding, and equal opportunities. One attender serves with great energy in nonprofits for little compensation; another, a retiree, serves long hours without compensation for community nonprofits. Some Friends have participated in peaceful demonstrations against war and in support of peace. We have made Friends aware of the need to make a record of their peace convictions and opposition to war, and have placed the suggested form on our website. We are beginning to participate in FCNL’s priorities process this year, with an emphasis on peace issues. Friends have for several years contributed to the Heifer Project, individually and collectively, and this year Friends have given particular support to the Food Bank for Eastern Michigan, attempting to help meet the needs of those among our neighbors who suffer as a result of the depressed economy and lack of jobs in this area. We seek thereby to cultivate good will, mutual understanding, and equal opportunities for all people. [return to General Queries] 2009 Seventh Query: We are acutely aware that by the standards of most of the world, we live in great luxury. By the standards of early Twenty-First Century middle America, we have made some modest progress toward simplicity in our manner of living. We are sincere in our speech, striving to speak truth at all times, and let our yea be yea, and our nay be nay in all cases. We are modest in apparel; about half our group are plain in dress, and the others dress modestly. We guard against involvement in temporal affairs to the detriment of spiritual growth, but we recognize that we may not always be successful. Work, family, community, and political and legislative matters all make demands on our time and attention, and the presence of telephones, radios, televisions, and computers in our homes and lives creates many interruptions and distractions, consuming time which would be far better spent on study of scripture and Friends’ writings, and on the Lord’s work. At the same time, we are mindful of Thomas Kelly’s observation, “We are not called to die on every cross.” Many admirable and worthy causes beckon, and seek our time, energy and resources. We practice discernment, individually and corporately, to identify the causes and projects to which we are truly led by our Inner Guide, and the degree of involvement to which we are led. We are just in our dealings and careful to fulfill our promises, in personal and in business matters. We seek to make our Christian faith a part of our daily work, and have found varying opportunities to do so. One of our number, a retiree, devotes significant portions of his time and energy to a Christian center in his community. Others find occasion to witness to and counsel with coworkers, and to work toward the greater good of the community in cooperation with coworkers. [return to General Queries] 2009 Eighth Query: We are free of the use of the oath, and when we rarely have occasion, we use the affirmation. We have been less careful regarding signatures on forms and legal documents which utilize other turns of phrase such as “under penalty of perjury.” We note that the increasing use of electronic filing limits the ability to manually modify the words or phrases chosen in the fine print of tax and similar documents. We give witness to Christ’s command that we swear not at all, and that we speak truth at all times. We avoid gambling and speculation based on chance. Some of our number formerly engaged in sports pools and raffles, to support good causes or for the sake of good fellowship with coworkers, but we are now clear of such activities. Those of our number who have investments avoid speculation based on chance, and also avoid investments which support the war system or are otherwise morally objectionable. [return to General Queries] 2009 Ninth Query: We try to be sensitive to the problems of family living. We now have two young families in our group, but several of our regular attenders are at a stage in life wherein we have adult children and grandchildren of varying ages, from infants to teenagers. The problems of family living in our homes range from child-rearing and home schooling to issues of health and the necessity of balancing employment with family life and spiritual life. We strive to offer good counsel to parents of young children and to our adult children, when opportunity and need coincide, and to be supportive to them in dealing with the problems of their family lives. We have begun a First Day School to support the Christian education of the young children. As a worship group, we do not take marriages under the care of the group. We thus do not offer formal counseling before marriage, but do counsel informally with friends, coworkers, and adult children with regard to marriage and the problems of family living. Our attempts to help individuals, married couples and family units strengthen and enrich their lives have been limited largely to our Bible study in preparation and to meeting for worship, though in our fellowship times we often discuss books, films, and matters in the news in spiritual perspective. Our adult (and young adult) children and grandchildren have sometimes made choices in their lives which we might prefer had been otherwise, and most are not active as Friends. We support them in their own spiritual journeys (even when these depart from Friends’ practices, and involve sacraments such as baptism) and hold them in prayer, sharing our beliefs and practices as way opens, and often giving as gifts Bibles and Christian Friends’ writings which we have found deeply meaningful. |