Simply Speaking Jamestown Friends Meeting – 509 Guilford Rd – PO Box 2163 – Jamestown NC 27282

February 2019

Here I am, sitting by the fire, just having placed new logs (fuel) on the fire; in the early morn-ing darkness, all is quiet; occasionally, I see the bright red taillights of cars as they go past; yet here I sit and wait. Waiting for what? Waiting for the qui-et, for peace - the peace that passeth all understand-ing (Philippians 4:7 (ESV)).

There has been so much going on these past days, past weeks that one simply has not had the time to stop and breathe. Not only in our own personal world, but the world around us. Sometimes we get so caught up in “my” issues, “my” concerns, “my” life that we have little thought for others. So sometimes we just need to stop to allow the worries to flow off our shoulders, to allow the anxiety, the tightness to lessen, to just be, be in the peace of God.

Consider this teaching of Jesus: “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Luke 12:27 (ESV)) How to be like that? To place our lives in the hands of God, knowing, and trusting, that God is ever pre-sent. Maybe Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master and teacher, says it best, “Someone asked me, ‘Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?’ I allowed myself to breathe and then I said, ‘What is most im-portant is not to allow your anxiety about what hap-pens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.’”

Yes, our anxious lives can make us sick. It certainly can make us lose sight of the world and the needs and cares of the world— not just our world, but our neighbor’s. Our anxiety shrinks our world, narrows our vision, makes us blind to how we can serve, how we can give, how we can make God pre-sent in the world. I like this very simple and short quote from John Woolman (18th Century Quaker), “To Turn all the treasures we possess into the chan-

Light Workers

nel of universal love becomes the business of our lives.”

Our anxiety, our worries separate us not only from ourselves, but from our neighbors, and there-fore from God. Separation breeds fear; fear breeds violence. Love overcomes!

As we enter this new month, this month when we continue our journey through the cold and dark days of winter, may we know that we are moving toward the newness of spring when all things are made new, and love prevails. Breathe!

In the Spirit, Frank Massey pastoral minister 336.454.3813

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory

was not arrayed like one of these.” (Luke 12:27 (ESV))

DID YOU KNOW?

By Martha Mattocks

There is a lot of exciting news to share this month! Christmas was extra-special for Rebekah Car-michael as she said, "Yes"! She is now officially en-gaged to J. Robert Rains, so Mom Jan has a wedding to help plan. No date has been announced yet, but as plans progress we'll pass them on. Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple. Frank Barefoot retired from his long-time Greensboro Public Library position at the end of De-cember, but he is still a busy man. Frank is assisting folks with their taxes during tax season - so get in line if you have a tax question that needs answering. He has the tools to research and get the correct answer for you. After a long flight, Abby Farlow arrived safe and sound in Florence, Italy for her Semester Abroad. Martha reports that she has settled in and is soaking in the sights and culture. Abby has classes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which leaves her with four days to explore, experience Italy, and get some studying done. How nice! At last report, Leanna Kantt, a Senior at Guilford College, has been accepted at two gradu-ate schools - NC State and one in Colorado. Hopeful-ly she will choose NC State since it is a bit closer to Jamestown Friends. Plans are in full swing for the 55th anniver-sary celebration of Jamestown Friends Meeting. You will want to participate in all the festivities so be sure to mark your calendars now for June 30th. In addi-tion, the choir is planning a special event the week before, June 23rd. Thanks to all who are helping to plan the upcoming birthday celebration. It is going to be special, indeed! And now you know!

Treasurer’s Report

(As of December)

Compiled by Ronnie Hicks, Treasurer

Contributions (actual) $105,277

Contributions (budget) $95,130

Total Expenses (actual) $93,917

Total Expenses (budget) $95,130

February Message Schedule

February 3 Frank Massey

February 10 Frank Massey

February 17 Frank Massey

February 24 TBA

According to Susan...Bulla, that is

Quotable Quotes

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.

Debbie Macomber

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you

will save a thousand days of sorrow.

Chinese Proverb

Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.

USFW FEBRUARY PROJECTS **PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS

USFWI 2019 1. Cuba - Quaker Institute of Peace 2. Right Sharing of World Resources: Samson Ababu support 3. East Africa: Friends Church Peace Team: Gentry Agizah support 4. Belize: Director of Friends Center ** FEMAP (Friends Emergency Materials Assis-

tance Program)

If you would like to support these projects, make your

check payable to Jamestown Friends Meeting, mark it for

USFW projects, and place in the offering plate.

Our worship time

was blessed by spe-

cial music provided

by Abigail Farlow.

Name That Quaker

By Linda Willard

If you have this lovely spring flower in your yard, you should thank these two Quakers. Who were we and what flower are we responsible for?

Informational Session on Yoga

On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Angie Rec-tor will share information on the physical and spiritu-al benefits of yoga. The session will be held at Jame-stown Friends Meeting from 10 AM until noon. This session is for everyone: children, beginners, advanced yoga practitioners, and those requiring chair yoga are all welcome!

Music Notes By Beth Massey

Music Query #3: How do we write our songs? Attempted answer: There are as many ways to write a song as there are songwriters! And no songwriter uses just one method. Even the master composers—Mozart, Beethoven, John Williams, Bruce Springsteen -- wrote/write their songs in many ways. From written accounts, from “Creating Origi-nal Opera” study, from Performance Today inter-views and NPR and Public Television interviews, from Rolling Stone magazine...my minimal under-standing of the composition process tells me that it knows few limits. Mozart was young and fast and flirtatious, and his brilliant music ran the gamut from comical to powerful and profound, sometimes all at the same time. Beethoven labored with such passion of pain and ecstasy that he could barely get along with other humans; his music reaches us across time and culture to touch our souls and lift us beyond our-selves. John Williams analyzes his characters and his stories and gets to know them intimately -- intellectu-ally and emotionally -- before he writes a score for a movie. Bruce Springsteen sometimes starts with a ti-tle he senses, sometimes with an idea that moves him, then the song follows; sometimes he collaborates with others, sometimes he borrows from others, sometimes he works alone from inspiration. Most of us know stories of the backgrounds of beloved hymns that are varied and inspiring. My personal inspiration from this small pool of examples, and others too numerous to list here, is that God moves us to do God’s work in unlimited ways. Sometimes the work falls into place easily. Sometimes we must work and live and struggle and revise and then do it all over again before the inspira-tion bears fruit. Challenges and stumbling blocks in the path to following a leading are not necessarily there for the purpose of telling us we were mistaken in the message of inspiration we re-ceived. Sometimes they just mean we have more work to do. Sometimes they just mean, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face,” and we have to live through more time to see or understand more of the message. (I Corinth. 13:12a, RSV) The creation process for all powerful musical work seems to involve varied measures of inspiration and perspiration. Even the order is not always the same: sometimes inspiration is followed by perspira-tion that tests the inspiration; sometimes perspiration that we do not understand is followed by inspiration

that helps us see clearly the fruit of the labor.

The ever-present element in composition of inspired work, be it musical or other, seems to be lis-tening. Each of us can and must do that in our own way, our own medium. We must carve out of our busy lives ways to listen for the voice of God speak-ing to us directly, and through others. And then we must be ready to work to carry out the messages we are given. P.S. Don’t forget to note on your February calendar an extra opportunity to listen together as we meet for worship and singing and fellowship at Friends Homes - Guilford on Saturday afternoon, February 16 at 3:30 pm. The music queries that I wrote in the November “Music Notes” were:

1. Why do we sing our songs? (See December 2018 Simply Speaking.) 2. How do our songs shape us? (See January 2019 Simply Speaking.) 3. How do we write our songs? 4. Why do we write our songs? (Still to come.)

Visit with Pamela Davis and Brittany Wells

On Sunday, January 27, 2019, Pamela Davis, school counselor, and Brittany Wells, school social work-er, both of Jamestown Middle School, visited Adult Fo-rum. They thanked our congregation for the generous Christmas gifts to a JMS family and offered suggestions as to how we might continue to support the school communi-ty. They stated that the two middle school recipients of the gifts were grateful for their “great Christmas” and that both of them have exhibited improved school performance after they returned to school from winter break. Pam and Brittany offered this description of the school: • The school has approximately 1100 students. • 63% of JMS qualify for free/reduced school lunches. • JMS is the 7th most diverse middle school in NC. • Students at JMS speak at least 23 different native lan-

guages. Here are some of the ways that they suggested that our congregation might continue to support the school community: • Proctoring for End-of-Grade tests. • Providing school supplies for individual students. • Providing snacks for students who need them, • Collecting funds for students who need music/sports

equipment. • Collecting funds for individual students to go on field

trips. • Participating in a backpack program for students who

need extra nutrition on weekends. Please continue to watch the newsletter for ways that you can help!

Dear JFM family,

Words cannot adequately express the grati-tude and appreciation I feel for your loving support these past 9 months since Dad’s accident and through his transition. Some of you knew him long-er than I did; some of you knew him only through his visits to JFM when it was time for special music programs, barbecue chicken, or homemade ice cream; some of you knew him only through me. Regardless, we have felt your love, your pray-ers and your support, and are blessed by them. Thank you!

I also ask that you continue to hold Anne and me and our families in your hearts as we work to-gether to deal with family transitions.

With much love and gratitude ~ Beth Massey

1/28/2019

Hello Friends,

My name is Cassandra Israel and I am writing to

you on behalf of the Social Justice Working Group, a

newly formed entity associated with the North Carolina

Fellowship of Friends (NCFF). At the November 10th,

2018 Fall Gathering of the NCFF, the Working Group

met to discuss various areas of concern to member meet-

ings and explored how member meetings were working

on these issues. Out of the conversation, there arose

three main themes:

• Racism

• Environmental and Climate Change Concerns

• Homelessness/ Hunger /Tiny Houses

The Working Group discovered that there are

meetings actively engaged in or planning some type

of social justice project and that timely communication

among all meetings could enhance those projects.

In order to facilitate the dissemination of infor-

mation and the sharing of ideas, the Working Group pro-

posed that the NCFF create a quarterly newsletter to

which each individual meeting of the NCFF may contrib-

ute. A Minute describing the intent of the Working

Group to establish a newsletter was submitted to the

NCFF body and was approved.

Each meeting is asked to provide contact infor-

mation for a person who will work with this group.

With Light,

Cassandra Israel

February Birthdays

February 2 Preston Troncale

February 2 Susan Harris

February 2 Susan Haworth

February 4 Susan Samuelson

February 4 Veronica Workman

February 7 Rebekah Carmichael

February 7 Jason Charles

February 17 Virginia Sills

February 27 Lucas Hicks

February 28 Frank Barefoot

February 28 Sarah Miller

Simply Speaking is published monthly for

Jamestown Friends Meeting

509 Guilford Road, PO Box 2163

Jamestown NC 27282

Phone: (336) 454 3813

E-mail: JamestownFriends@aol.com

Editor: Kathy Adams; Managing Editor: Wallace Sills

Columnists: Frank Massey, pastor; Beth Massey;

Answer to “Name That Quaker”

We are John Bartram, an American Quaker

botanist and Peter Collison, a British Quaker bota-

nist and farmer. We are responsible for the importa-

tion to England of the American native azaleas, R.

canescens, R. periclymenoides, and R. viscosum in

1734 and R. maximum in 1736.

Monthly Meeting for Business—February 3

• 2018 financial review

• Treasurer’s report

• Committee reports

Please Join US!

Update from the House and Grounds Committee

Rita Roberts says that she is delighted to re-

port that removal of the bats and their droppings

from the meetinghouse has been completed.

Measures to prevent their return have also been

completed. Painting of the exterior of the building

has been completed and looks exceptionally

nice. The railing has been repaired as well.