Conservative Friend

Friends, I was recently in the Festival Foods Grocery Store No. 2714 in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and discovered a new product using the name of the Society of Friends. William Penn Colonial Style Lager is a beer produced for GJS Sales, Inc. (brewed under contract by the Commonwealth Brewery of La Crosse, Wisconsin).

The aged-parchment styled cardboard six-pack has the name "William Penn" emblazoned across the front, and a portrait of the famous Friend above a banner that reads "Society of Friends." On each bottle is a short paragraph describing the beer, and explaining that it is "a true American Champion of purity and character, to be enjoyed honestly and responsibly amongst Friends." Underneath is a short motto that reads "An Individual's Conscience is the Ultimate Authority."

I spoke to the store manager, and explained to him that I , in fact, actually was a Friend, a member of the Society of Friends, like William Penn, but that I was still alive and kicking today. I also explained that I was displeased to see the name of my church on a six pack of beer sold in his store. He was quite surprised to discover that the Society still existed, and that it wasn't a social club or a drinking society, as the name "Friends" might imply. This is a common discovery among the general public, and one that the name of our Society doesn't help in this century of lower Scriptural knowledge.

To remind us all, the name "Friends" is derived from the Gospel of John:

John 15:14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15:15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

When I explained to the Festival Foods store manager that I had a problem with the brewery using the name of my church to market its beer, I pointed out that the Society of Friends has been on record for two hundred years as a public opponent of alcohol consumption in the United States. I explained that the Society of Friends began as a branch of Christianity, like the Roman Catholic Church, with a history that included hundreds of years of responsible social activism. Using the name "Society of Friends" on a label implied that first, the beer was in some way associated with my church. Second, it also implied that my religion was some sort of social club, like the Elks or a Moose lodge, in which "Friends" enjoyed beer "honestly and responsibly."

What was especially troubling to me was the motto that read "An Individual's Conscience is the Ultimate Authority." As Conservative Friends, we believe in the Inward Light of Jesus Christ as our ultimate authority, and that it informs our consciences. As our guide, we identify the Inward Light to be Jesus Christ himself. I explained that to followers of my tradition, the use of "Society of Friends" and a distorted version of a fundamental point of our theology to market a product that the Society discourages was frankly beyond both common courtesy and religious respect. This point of view won't necessarily be shared by non-Christian branches of the Society of Friends, but the testimony against abuse of alcohol is more or less universal.

Our own Book of Discipline of Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends explains it this way:

http://www.ohioyearlymeeting.org/discipline.htm#Advices

Advice 11: In view of the evils arising from the use of tobacco and intoxicating drinks, we urge all to abstain from using them, from offering them to others, and from having any part in their production, manufacture, or sale. Do not let the claims of "good fellowship" or the fear of seeming peculiar prevent you from standing by principles which you have conscientiously adopted.

And later, under "Temperance:"

http://www.ohioyearlymeeting.org/discipline.htm#Temperance

It is well known that the use of alcoholic drinks affects the mind and body harmfully and is a factor in a great number of crimes. We urge total abstinence from the use or handling of any intoxicants, not only on the ground that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, but also on the principle set forth by the Apostle, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend" (1 Cor. 8:13).

We wish to stress also that this applies not only to the use of alcoholic beverages but to narcotics, tobacco, or anything that is harmful to the individual.

It's important to note that William Penn himself was an occasional brewer, at a time when beer was commonly drunk instead of water. Beer in the 17th century was an acceptable substitute for the often contaminated drinking water of the time, and was served either full strength or diluted. So the association with William Penn and beer is a true one. Of lesser truth value is the association of William Penn--a loyal Englishman--with notions of American independence and liberty. The packaging also prominently features another motto that reads "Virtue, Liberty, & Independence," wrapped around the Liberty Bell that wasn't cast until 50 years after Penn's colony was founded.

But whether or not GJS Sales, Inc. is justified in associating Penn with its beer, it seems very clear that the association of the beer with the Society of Friends is similar to associating the Roman Catholic Church with the marketing of birth control. Alcohol and the historic testimonies of the Society of Friends are in opposition, and to use the name of the church to market a product the church opposes is not only incorrect but is frankly offensive. The confusion of the ordinary noun "friend," meaning congenial companion, with "Friend,"meaning a member of our church, is encouraged by the use of the capitaized term under Penn's portrait and in the blurb where drinking the lager is recommended "among Friends."

I eventually was able to contact GJS Sales, Inc., of La Crosse, Wisconsin, the group actually in charge of producing William Penn Colonial Style Lager. I spoke to Jim Sorensen, who was quite courteous and explained that he hadn't known that the Society of Friends was actually a religious organization. Jim explained that his understanding of the Society of Friends was that it was not so much a church as it was a social organization, one in which Sunday worship might accompany day-long community activities in which drinking might be included.

Jim explained that he in no way intended to offend anyone's religious beliefs, and that he would revisit the packaging and evaluate it after I was able to send him background information about the Society of Friends and our corporate testimony against alcohol. I've recently done that, and am waiting to hear from him. Jim explained that currently there was sufficient packaging material for about a year of production.

If you would like to see the name of the Society of Friends removed from the six pack and bottle labels, it is never too early to express your opinion. Contact the organizations involved in marketing William Penn Colonial Style Lager at these addresses:

GJS Sales, Inc. rjnbeveragegroup@yahoo.com  (This group is responsible for the beer, and contracts its production to various breweries.)

Festival Foods, http://www.festfoods.com/index.php/ Marshfield, WI Store No. 2714. (There is a "Contact Us" page on their navbar.)

Bill and Kimberly Makela have been in the news lately . . .

Kimberly is a member of Stillwater Monthly Meeting, in Barnesville, Ohio, USA. She and her husband Bill maintain a meeting in Harrisville, Michigan, USA: Friends in Christ. Look it over.

A spotlight was shown on Alcona County last week when Animal Planet came and spent more than 12 hours capturing the lifestyle and breeding philosophy of a local farm on film.

Animal Planet, a cable television network that focuses on animals and the human/animal bond, visited Quaker Hill Farm. Animal Planet's parent company is Discovery Communications, Inc.

Quaker Hill Farm owners, William and Kimberly, who don't have cable television, didn't know what to think when they received a call from one of Animal Planet's representatives wanting to schedule a filming date. "I thought they were trying to sell me advertising." Kimberly said. "I almost hung up on them."

The representative explained that Animal Planet was interested in including their work with breeding and training collies as part of a new series about dogs. In less than a week, the crew was on their doorstep. They showed up at 7:15 a.m. They filmed until dark and, after packing up all of their gear and equipment, left around 11 p.m.

"Things happened very fast," Kimberly said. "We knew very little about what would happen...We walked into this with an open heart and it was a rewarding, although tiring experience."

Rather than attempt to re-invent the wheel, we're going to let them speak for themselves, and link to their story:

Click thy mouse button here.

• Mike Conover, from Evanston, Illinois (near Chicago) presents his impressions of Yearly Meeting. Mike attends Friends Gathered in Jesus Christ worship group in Evanston. Mike is an Affiliate Member of Stillwater Monthly Meeting.
  
  
• Grant and Neva Kaufman are well known among Friends in OYM, having lived in Ohio before emigrating to Bolivia. Grant provided an account of a dream, and of a vision he had. Both are instructive.
  
  
• Lily Rockwell already attends Stillwater Monthly Meeting in Barnesville, so she didn't have to pay for anyplace new to sleep. She provides a fresh perspective.
  
  
• Nan Dodge from New Jersey, USA,exposes the American pre-occupation with Pink-Jell-O. Luckily, she missed out on the Splenda.
  

I have been wanting to attend Ohio Yearly Meeting annual session for the past three years. It was only in the spring of last year that I first was in Barnesville, at the structured sojourn sponsored by the Friends Center. I came to two Friend Center weekends this spring, structured sojourn (which was largely attended by my Friends Gathered in Jesus Christ worship group that meets near Chicago), and Brian Drayton�s workshop on Speaking About Christ in Liberal meetings. I also participated in a portion of the QuakerCamp week earlier this summer.

I arrived at Barnesville on Wednesday afternoon, 8/13, with a sense of knowing many Stillwater Friends (where I am a very recent Affiliate Member), some other Yearly Meeting Friends (Susan Smith participated deeply in the structured sojourn and QuakerCamp), and my living arrangements (I was staying in my 1985 van conversion, as I had during QuakerCamp).

I was looking forward to meeting more of the Friends I knew only by e-mail, experience Wilburite Meetings for Business for the first time, and learn if the Spirit, culture, depth, and flexibility I experience in the Stillwater community are representative of the Yearly Meeting. I was not disappointed.

I feel at home on the Olney-Stillwater campus. The large red brick meeting house sits high on a hill near the entrance to the campus. Behind it is a newer low building which houses the recreational center--where the youngest Friends play and do projects, and the bathrooms for campers are located. Behind that is the grove of trees where most of the camping Friends were spread. I parked a little nearer the recreation building. David Eley�s car and tent were at the base of the hill. There is a covered porch 40 to 50-feet long on the side of the meeting house, with benches along the building side and the outer railing side--the same benches as inside the meeting house. This is where Friends often gathered and talked informally before and after business sessions, which took place morning and afternoon.

Down the hill: at the end of both the drive, and a brick sidewalk with grass growing in the cracks that dips and then rises past the Friends Center and two other houses, with a football field-sized grassed meadow between drive and sidewalk, sits Olney Friends School. Long and tall, each of the bricks were dug and fired on-site and carefully examined before being used. It was said to be the finest brickwork in the county in the 1870s. Our meals were held at 6 to 8-person tables on its lower level. Evening programs and presentations, as well as early morning Bible and prayer sessions, were held on the main level above. The boy's and girl's dorm buildings sit close by, where many attenders stayed.

The large pond, with bridged island, is down an incline running along the side of the drive opposite from the expansive lawn. That lovely setting is overlooked by an oft-used porch swing. Ken Jacobsen was one of the few who were swimming in it that week.

The number of attenders started out modestly, and never swelled greatly--probably 50 to 100 people. It was easy to feel well known, and to get to know a good percentage of attenders. The Clerk and Reading Clerk sat at the top of the facing benches near a small table. Two Elders, rotating from session to session, sat a little lower and to the right on the facing benches. The Elders picked the time, as the Spirit led them, and announced the transition from Meeting for Worship to the beginning of a Business Session. The Clerk, Seth Hinshaw, then stood, glanced at his papers, minuted the beginning of the business session, and read a bible passage. Business items were then presented, with written reports, epistles, and the like read by Robert Wilber in his deep, rich voice as they came up. Friends stood and participated between silences at a gentle pace, the Clerk minuted at the conclusion of an item for business, and then introduced the next item. The Spirit within these sessions was palatable, and few items required extensive effort to come to unity. One item that perhaps the most time and attention was extended on was in unity from beginning to end. It concerned the outreach of the YM.

There are many reasons I felt at home and very nurtured by my time at Yearly Meeting. Early in my stay I met privately with Ken and Katherine Jacobsen for some much-needed Eldering. I was gotten involved with the planning of a construction project for the Friends Center. (We will be looking for volunteers to work on it before Jacky Spiecher's weekend workshop on simplicity this fall). Many, many people spent time getting to know me and me, them, with little effort or small talk involved. I ate with different people and had different discussions at each meal. The need for attenders to be known, understood, and appreciated was satisfied early and often, with little need for self-serving talk, in and out of Worship and Business sessions.

What I find in my home FGC Meeting, spiritual and gathered as my experience of it is, is that we spend more concern and focus on the inappropriate messages--those that seem to come from ego--than on the messages that gather and inspire us. My experience of weekends in Barnesville, among a mix of Wiburites and FGC Friends, is that it often starts with visitor's egos needing to be acknowledged. Soon, a deepening of the level at which we are encountering each other dissolves that need, and the Spirit gathers everyone.  That gathered Spirit, with little jangling of egos, is my underlying experience among Wiburites generally, and at Yearly Meeting specifically.

Messages: Rather than being concerned with too many, too frequent, and inappropriate messages, there were calls from deep within the connection with Christ to not hold a message back. The language of the Bible and of Christ seems very conducive to messages that gather and lead.  The nurturing, listening, and appreciation of those messages, in whatever form they take, and whoever rises to their feet, has created a community in which the messages of love, humility, faithfulness to one�s experience of the living Christ, leadership of the motion of the Spirit of Christ, and the joy of those experiences blossom forth.

I do not want to suggest a present-day Garden of Eden. Myrtle got sick early in the week, had to be driven the long way home, and went into the hospital. I was not in harmonious accord with all the messages and all the conversations of the week. Those things and others did not detract from my experience. They made this community real and accessible for me. And all was not serious. There was ice cream after the evening programs. Kids and dogs ran and made noise. Alongside and within the Spirit of the Lord, joy, laughter, and reunion were present.  

It was and is a real, present day community. Imperfect but good. Enclosed but inviting. Steeped in tradition and history, but teachable. In touch with its present, and looking more forward than back. Something I feel a part of. Steeped in the power, presence, and leadership of Christ.    

Grant Kaufmann lives in tarija, Bolivia, and is a member of Rockingham Monthly Meeting of Harrisonbburg, Virginia, USA. He shared these messages during the OYM Meetings for Ministry and Oversight. Faye Chapman, also of Rockingham Monthly Meeting, has kindly forwarded them to us.

 A Dream

I dreamed this dream in Seventh Month 2008 and spoke of it in the Meeting of Ohio Yearly Meeting of Ministry and Oversight, Eighth Month, 12th of that same year.

I dreamed I saw a Friend, and this Friend felt a concern to visit the City of God.

 After duly obtaining a minute from his meeting, he set out on his journey.

 When he had traveled some distance, he saw a turn-off to the right and felt this was the way he should go, so he turned into this side-road and continued on it for some distance.

Soon, however, the road became narrow, woodsy, and dark, and he heard strange noises from the forest. He no longer felt easy in his mind about his course, so he returned to the main road and continued forward.

 After traveling most of the day he came to a high hill where the road forked in two, with one road passing to the right of the hill, and the other to the left. There was no clear indication of which was the main track, but he felt perhaps that the left fork would lead him to the City of God. However, as it was now late in the day and not wanting to forge ahead without clear guidance, he decided to sleep along the roadside and, in the morning, wait upon the Lord for clearness.

Accordingly, he lay down and slept, and in the morning devoted himself to seek God's guidance, but now he felt that the right fork was in fact the way to the City of God.

Since this so clearly contradicted what he had felt the evening before, he was troubled in his mind and determined to spend the day there in prayer, and waiting on the Lord, until he should receive a clear sense of how to proceed.

By evening he still did not feel clearness, so he again lay down and slept by the roadside.

That night, in the early hours of the morning the Friend died. The sun rose and his bones bleached there at that crossroads, but his spirit rose to be with God, for he was a man who loved the Lord.

As his spirit rose, my vantage point in the dream seemed to rise with it, until I was looking down on the scene from above as God sees it. And then the reason for the Friend's dilemma became clear: the two reads passed one to the right and the other to the left, and then came together again behind the high hill, where they joined with the third road, which had emerged from the wood, and the three roads came together there just in front of the gate to the city of God.

And so I saw that our Friend, doing all the right things, for all the right reasons had made the only wrong choice which was possible within the scenario of the dream.

When I awoke, I sought the Lord for the meaning of this dream and he showed me that much too often we, like the Friend in the dream, are held back from doing what we should by our own reticence and fear of misstep. We are all flesh and blood and as long as we are in this life, we will see "through a glass, darkly." There will always be doubts and uncertainty. But our God is a loving father who forgives his children their errors, so long as we diligently seek to do His will. While it is indeed an error to forge ahead where we are not led, it is equally an error to hold back from doubt or fear when the times demand boldness. When God has given us His direction, we must press forward. None of us lives forever. This world will not continue forever. We must "work while it is called today."

At the same time I also mentioned the account from the life of (I think) Ann Branson, when she felt called to stand on the main street of Barnesville and preach against war. For one reason and another she delayed to fulfill this mission, and then the civil war broke out, The people were swept up in the "war-fever" and she knew they would no longer be open to her message. Ever after this she felt the weight of all the men of Barnesville who died in that terrible war weighing on her conscience.

Vision

I saw in my mind this image or vision during the opening worship of Ohio Yearly Meeting, Eighth Month, 11th, 2008, and spoke of it in the Meeting of Ministry and Oversight, 8/14/2008.

As I sat in worship, I was overcome with a sense of what a beautiful, peaceful place we were meeting in and I saw in my mind the beautiful old meeting house, the red-brown of its bricks glowing in the evening light, surrounded by the soft green grass of its lawn, and in my mind I saw the hilltop surrounded by a dense screen of tall fir trees, adding their stately beauty to the peaceful scene.

And then I saw that outside that hedge of fir trees the world was on fire. It was burning with hatred, greed, lust, pride and vain-glory, and filled with all the toxic fruits which these things bear: war and oppression, rebellion, adultery and homosexuality, arrogance, inhumanity, and spiritual emptiness.

And I cried out, "Lord, how can a place of such  peace and beauty exist in the midst of a world on fire?"

And the Lord showed me that this place of peace does not exist by accident, but it is the fruit of the labors of generation after generation who have lived and worshipped here, building a culture and a community of peace. I saw that just as there is a blessing to the peacemaker there is a blessing to those who create a place of peace. And I saw God's covering, like a clear transparent bell-jar resting over the scene and the only ones who were able to pass through from the outside were those who God specifically allowed or called, and I thanked God, for I am one of those who, fleeing the flames, found peace in this place.

As I sat in the Meeting of Ministry and Oversight, the Lord gave the following two-part message:

I saw that there was a line dividing two generations, (the older and the younger) but it was not given to see exactly where that line falls, only the words: "You do not have to be very young to be "young" in Ohio Yearly Meeting."

To the older generation, I said:

"Over the next few years most of you seated here will be going to be with the Lord and will receive the reward of your labors. No further work will be required of you. You have sown in peace and it is yours to reap the harvest of peace. The blessing of the peacemakers rests upon you"

Then I said to the younger generation, feeling to repeat again that it is not given to see just where the line falls between older and younger:

"In the years of your lifetimes the fire which burns in the world has flamed up hotter and hotter (and I saw the fire leaping up against the outside of the fir trees, like a forest fire running up a slope, and a few hot embers beginning to fly through the air and land within the circle of trees).

And I felt to say, "Prepare yourselves, drink deeply of the peace of God which is in this place, and soak it in through your bones, because sometime soon, when the last of the older generation is laid to rest out there on the hill, God is going to lift that covering of protection which covers this place, and when it happens, that wall of fire is going to come crashing in upon you, and neither ancient bricks, nor ancient traditions will be able to hold it back any longer.

When that day comes, it will be your work to give of the peace of Christ, from inside yourselves as one offers a cup of cool water to a person who is suffering. You must share God's peace, sweat it out of your very pores for the sake of the burned and desperate people who will be thrown in upon you. Your ability and willingness to do this will be the only thing standing between a last few precious souls and the fire which burns for all eternity."

Two actions on my part but led, directed, and enabled by the Lord before Ohio Yearly Meeting started impacted the time I was with Friends at OYM. I had the privilege of gathering with a couple of other people and anointing the Stillwater Meeting House with oil and praying over it. I also went to the Lord and in the power, name, and blood of the Lamb, cast off and broke the entanglements of Stillwater and OYM and the powers of the Enemy upon me and my life. Having walked in obedience of completing these actions, I was able to enter into the 2008 session of OYM with a peace, freedom, and lack of control that I had never had.  I knew the Lord was in control, that this was His show, and I was content to just be. I attended a few of the Young Friends sessions, since I am still young enough to do so. However, I felt more comfortable and even a desire to attend some of the business sessions. Visiting and praying with people was a special joy and blessing. 
 
My sister and I were at an afternoon tea with other Friends one afternoon.  She was eating a piece of cake with icing and sprinkles. She liked one particular color of sprinkle that was on the cake and commented to someone about the color. Somehow the color of the sprinkle was questioned and a poll was started. What color is the sprinkle? All of the ladies that were asked answered hot pink and all the men answered red. After asking about five people, the situation dissolved. What a fun time.
 
Lily

This was my first opportunity in the six years I've been visiting Barnesville to attend sessions of the Ohio Yearly Meeting. I chose afternoon sessions, mainly, and one or two night-time programs, in addition to an afternoon tea, and the rehearsal for the "Meet Our Quaker Ancestors" theatrical presentation.
 
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions, and found the process of business interesting, what I took away from the experience was the memories of the people I met, and the conversations I had throughout the week.
 
I met David Male, and he's as much of a unique individual in person as he seems in writing. His dog is pretty cool, too. I had a riveting conversation with Catherine, Karen's daughter, about the imminent start of Kindergarten, "in only TWO DAYS!", and I joined the small throng clustered around Isabel and her new and very adorable baby daughter. I had conversations with people from Salem, and Rockingham, and points beyond. I saw Neva Kaufmann's pictures of their ranch in Bolivia, and sat in on part of a fascinating discussion on the male and female aspects of God. (I ate some pink stuff, made with Jell-O, because I was in the Midwest and felt I should.)
 
I learned important things about people, because I put myself in a position to listen. I was taught compassion at one point, and how important it is not to pre-judge our brothers and sisters.
 
I watched kids run wild, while being thoroughly supervised, picked up "No War!" bumper stickers for all of the cars in my family, and participated in silent worship three times. I knitted in public, and found myself sitting next to a very nice crocheter (hooker!) from Salem Meeting. We formed a bond based on creating items with our hands in the very back row, and she gave me the most wonderful little purple crocheted heart, which I have in my Bible. (I made socks for baby Tabitha, but unfortunately did not find her parents the final day, and so they were never delivered!)
 
I was told, no fewer than three times, that I should seriously consider  getting to Keystone Meeting, which is approximately two hours (a little more) from my home. The night of one of the presentations, I walked down the long Olney main building hallway directly after, stopping only to browse the books and tracts a little. For some reason, which only God knows, I turned around and walked back into the throng, (which is very unlike me). I met Dave, from South Plainfield, New Jersey, who occasionally goes to  Keystone, and arranged to go with him at some point!
 
All in all, it was a wonderful, uplifting week. The Stillwater Meeting grounds seemed strangely empty after Yearly Meeting was over and people had packed up their kids and tents and campers to go home, but the excitement and uplifted energy still remains. I am hoping it remains throughout the year, and I look very much forward to attending again next year.
 
 Nan

The 2008  Ohio Yearly Meeting Gathering of Conservative Friends was held in Barnesville, Ohio, USA from 20 June through 22 June 2008.  The Gathering is sponsored by Ohio Yearly Meeting, and has recently been held alternately in Barnesville and at other locations where Conservative Friends have been able to gather. This year the event was hosted by the Wider Fellowship of Conservative Friends, a standing committee of OYM entrusted with managing the event in even-numbered years.

Here are the photographs from the 2008 Ohio Yearly Meeting Gathering of Conservative Friends:

Click here!