2017 Dover MM State of Society

STATE OF THE MEETING 2017 [1]

Dover Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quaker)

During the year, the instruction by Jesus, “Love thy neighbor” (Matthew 5:43 [2], 19:19 [3], and 22:39 [4], and Mark 12:31 [5] and 12:33 [6]), as well as by Moses (Leviticus 19:18 [7]), became more than a banner displayed on the front of our meetinghouse.

Revisiting a hope voiced in our previous State of the Meeting reflections, asking whether we would have the courage to act on our convictions in the face of oppression rising around us, we were opened to an awareness of the threat of deportation facing a large, longstanding community of resident refugees in our corner of New Hampshire and Maine, and to stand in witness to their plight and their abiding faith.  We united to host such a family requiring Sanctuary and find ourselves blessed by the active engagement of members of other denominations in moving forward on this resolve.  As we make overdue repairs to our meetinghouse and discern the daily obligations before us in this venture, we are grateful we're not alone in this leading.

Loving our neighbor demands, too, that we seek ways to address deep roots of violence and to build peaceful dialog with those who are not like-minded in the world we inhabit.  Timidly, too often we hesitate to attentively listen to our right, our left, and our center and then let the Light shine through all.  We are reminded Quakers have boldly had a unique ability and responsibility in leading for this search.

Preparing for Sanctuary also suggests new ways for the work of our faith community to be accomplished and hints at ways we might more effectively organize ourselves.  While our peace and social concerns committee has fallen inactive at this time, we have seen a vibrant willingness of Friends to follow a call to work for a common goal, despite their reluctance to take up a commitment to a yearlong committee.  The tasks in preparing the meetinghouse for Sanctuary, for instance, were delineated by a coordinator and then taken up by individuals dedicated to this cause.

Our saying yes to Sanctuary comes as a turning point.  When we met in deliberation, we knew in our hearts the answer before us.  Now we sense a need for Friends in our midst to better understand the rationale that defines why we are who we are.  First-time attenders often sense our life as a community before they perceive our experience of shared divine spiritual communion.  A last-minute judicial ruling has given us more time to make ready our welcome for a refugee family when the opportunity calls.  As always, the work of establishing God’s commonwealth on earth as in heaven continues.

Approved, March 18, 2018