Letter from Pima MM Clerk concerning Fall Query Response
This letter addresses the concerns of Pima Friends on matters of peace and justice.
Dear Members of InterMountain Yearly Meeting's Continuing Committee,
Pima Monthly Meeting considered the queries sent from InterMountain
Yearly Meeting at our December Meeting for Worship with a Concern for
Business. I am attaching the relevant excerpt from the meeting's
minutes to this email. We did not have an opportunity to discuss our
response to the queries regarding our concerns about peace and
justice; however, Pima Meeting has entrusted me to convey our actions
to this end. We hope to consider the question of whether the Annual
Gathering pays enough attention to peace and justice concerns at our
January Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business.
Concern over the Iraq War continues to weigh heavily upon Pima
Meeting. But we found that we could not adequately attend to our
concerns in the midst of the other business that occupied our business
meeting agendas. Consequently, in October, we convened the first of a
series of called Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Business with
an Attention to the Iraq War. Through these Meetings for
Worship--which continue as a monthly "Meeting for Worship with a
Concern for Business with an Attention to Peace"--we seek the guidance
of the Spirit as we discern how Pima Monthly Meeting will give witness
to our Peace Testimony. While we do have unity that we will witness,
the method of this witness is not yet clear. We may find that we will
participate in some form of corporate witness or we may find that we
will find ways to support the individual witnesses of our members and
attenders. At this time, we do not have clarity.
Pima Monthly Meeting now holds two business meetings per month; our
regular business meeting and the second with an attention to peace.
Certainly, this is demanding of our members and attenders. However,
we are clear that regardless of the form that our witness takes, we
seek a strong sense of unity within our Meeting. To achieve this
strong sense of unity takes time and thoughtful attention to the
promptings of the Spirit. We have faith that the Spirit will open a
path before us.
One product of these meetings with an attention to peace is the
production of a newsletter: "Peace Notes." Peace Notes seeks to
document the various ways in which the members and attenders of Pima
Monthly Meeting are individually witnessing for peace. Through Peace
Notes, we wish to recognize and support one another as we individually
work for peace. We also hope that the production of Peace Notes will
assist with our corporate discernment. To date, we have published one
issue of Peace Notes and plan to publish another during the coming
months. A copy of our inaugural issue of Peace Notes accompanies this
letter.
Thank you for your concern for our yearly meeting. We hope that our
responses to your queries will help in your discernment. Please note
that two attachments, both in PDF format accompany this email.
In the Light,
Claude Rubinson
Clerk, Pima Monthly Meeting
Pima Monthly Meeting considered the queries sent from InterMountain
Yearly Meeting at our December Meeting for Worship with a Concern for
Business. I am attaching the relevant excerpt from the meeting's
minutes to this email. We did not have an opportunity to discuss our
response to the queries regarding our concerns about peace and
justice; however, Pima Meeting has entrusted me to convey our actions
to this end. We hope to consider the question of whether the Annual
Gathering pays enough attention to peace and justice concerns at our
January Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business.
Concern over the Iraq War continues to weigh heavily upon Pima
Meeting. But we found that we could not adequately attend to our
concerns in the midst of the other business that occupied our business
meeting agendas. Consequently, in October, we convened the first of a
series of called Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Business with
an Attention to the Iraq War. Through these Meetings for
Worship--which continue as a monthly "Meeting for Worship with a
Concern for Business with an Attention to Peace"--we seek the guidance
of the Spirit as we discern how Pima Monthly Meeting will give witness
to our Peace Testimony. While we do have unity that we will witness,
the method of this witness is not yet clear. We may find that we will
participate in some form of corporate witness or we may find that we
will find ways to support the individual witnesses of our members and
attenders. At this time, we do not have clarity.
Pima Monthly Meeting now holds two business meetings per month; our
regular business meeting and the second with an attention to peace.
Certainly, this is demanding of our members and attenders. However,
we are clear that regardless of the form that our witness takes, we
seek a strong sense of unity within our Meeting. To achieve this
strong sense of unity takes time and thoughtful attention to the
promptings of the Spirit. We have faith that the Spirit will open a
path before us.
One product of these meetings with an attention to peace is the
production of a newsletter: "Peace Notes." Peace Notes seeks to
document the various ways in which the members and attenders of Pima
Monthly Meeting are individually witnessing for peace. Through Peace
Notes, we wish to recognize and support one another as we individually
work for peace. We also hope that the production of Peace Notes will
assist with our corporate discernment. To date, we have published one
issue of Peace Notes and plan to publish another during the coming
months. A copy of our inaugural issue of Peace Notes accompanies this
letter.
Thank you for your concern for our yearly meeting. We hope that our
responses to your queries will help in your discernment. Please note
that two attachments, both in PDF format accompany this email.
In the Light,
Claude Rubinson
Clerk, Pima Monthly Meeting
