tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post8475992383365690928..comments2024-02-26T13:34:55.746-06:00Comments on Comrade Kevin's Chrestomathy: Truth in Short Supply: Baltimore Yearly MeetingComrade Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393718048145784837noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post-81032641124655233032010-08-11T14:53:20.142-05:002010-08-11T14:53:20.142-05:00My Friend, I feel for you and for your experience....My Friend, I feel for you and for your experience. My own beginning of the week did not start out so well. I think it had a lot to do with my expectations. I wanted the theme of the week, and the business, and my own expectations, to all fit well, and they did not. I had the expectation of that, and when it did not, I was let down. I had to do my own spiritual preparing, and then amazingly, things began to get better. I do not think it was BYM that lacked the Spirit. I do not think there is an evilness to the BYM, or to any Meeting. I think that God is Present with us all, should we choose to wait on that Great Mystery. Often we are too impatient,or we do not choose to wait, or to listen. The more I listened this week, the more I heard God speak. By the end of the week, I realized that the problem was more that alot of the people present did not want to hear what was being spoken.Linda J Wilkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04307531394723506106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post-17852442911325404782010-08-10T19:21:59.032-05:002010-08-10T19:21:59.032-05:00I was active in BYM for many years, but that is qu...I was active in BYM for many years, but that is quite some time ago now. There are a variety of issues and a variety of reasons that most youth drift away.<br /><br />I came to the conclusion after many years that there was an evil spirit in BYM. Maybe that's too strong a term, but I'm not sure that it is.<br /><br />Now I see this in the context of the spirit of the churches as used in Revelation, and as particularly opened in the works of Walter Wink. Such a spirit becomes resident in the institution, and is not dependent upon the current individuals in it.<br /><br />I served for a year on Supervisory Committee (hasn't existed at least by that name for a very long time). It exhibited certain negative characteristics although no one on the Committee was that way. This spirit dominated in such a way that I decided not to so serve again, which was a bit surprising to Friends since most people served longer than a year.<br /><br />I do not know how this spirit developed. I suspect that things which happened around the consolidation of the 2 Baltimore YMs may have at least contributed to it. I wasn't around for most of that, but it became evident that the consolidation only occurred through some means which lacked integrity.<br /><br />Probably there were at least some roots of the spirit evident for a much longer time in at least one of the YMs, but I came into YM activity too late to know much about that.<br /><br />Such a spirit is <b>extremely</b> difficult to change, and it would require a lot which I suspect BYM Friends are nowhere near ready to undertake.<br /><br />Of course, I could be wrong.Bill Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752443575410023776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post-62956682728307783362010-08-10T17:54:17.243-05:002010-08-10T17:54:17.243-05:00I have contended for a while that Quaker Instituti...I have contended for a while that Quaker Institution is an oxymoron. It seems whenever we establish an institution that we are trying to maintain, much of the Friendly nature disappears. With regard to Baltimore YM specifically, I suspect that some of the lack of transparency (glass likeness?) may be related to those that live in glass houses dare not throw stones. Some of the issues within BYM are of such magnitude and institutionalization that throwing any stones, that is - raising the big issues that are kept just below the surface, might just shatter the institution, or from another story find that the institution (Emperor) has no clothes.Tom Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12194918323559385371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post-13168291509699904942010-08-10T17:42:39.037-05:002010-08-10T17:42:39.037-05:00AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! I see this problem most poignan...AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! I see this problem most poignantly in my own meeting of Evangelical Friends. My particular meeting has a number of newcomers and unchurched folks coming, many of whom are young and I constantly cringe at the things that we take for granted like giving simple directions to rooms in the building or details about how certain things work. I hate cliques and yet we come off as cliquish when newcomers can't seem to find entry. We must practice the habit of thinking like those who are new or outside of our fellowship if we are ever going to attract and/or retain them. I also have seen how some react against change and it sends the wrong message to the young. We're not setting good examples for how to work through conflict and then we expect them to forgive and forbear with people. Not many young people have the patience for that particularly if they've come out backgrounds in which they have not been taught these type of principles. Increasingly young people want to be where there is vitality and life, not a bunch of old folks dying on the vine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12310464.post-31416096915170571732010-08-10T10:51:57.403-05:002010-08-10T10:51:57.403-05:00And I complained about my Yearly meeting (laughing...And I complained about my Yearly meeting (laughing). I feel for you... and you are right -- there needs to be an agenda and contact information. If no one knows the issues, then there is no openness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com