The President of the United States has the State of the Union Report, the Governor has the State of the State Report and Quakers have The State of Society Report. This report is written by each Meeting every year and submitted to New England Yearly Meeting. It is to be a summary of the past year's spiritual condition of the Meeting. Following is the State of Society Report for Allen's Neck Meeting for the year 2006.
Allen's Neck Monthly Meeting
2006 STATE OF SOCIETY
Every Quaker is called to be a minister. Our ministry has grown in numerous ways in 2006:
Sunday worship attendance is increasing with many new faces, including several new members. Often our slient worship is blessed.
New attenders are increasingly interested in becoming members. How do they experience Quakerism fully enough in a relatively short time? How do we encourage these seekers to find the way? How do we balance the energy between being a Quaker Meeting and a community church as we lovingly address the concerns of long-time members and attenders about changes taking place? Growth can be difficult for some.
Our Peace and social Concerns Committee continues the once-a-month Round Table discussions attended by many visitors. These discussions are a follow-up to our Summer Conversations which often drew a hundred people to hear speakers discuss the situation in the Middle East.
The Fairloom project - a craft cooperative for indigenous Brazilians is helped by our contributions. A member recently went to Brazil to see this project in action.
Many of us visit those who are ill and those suffering from the loss of loved ones.
First Day School grows, challenging the creativity of members and attenders. (The one room school house format we follow mixes children from two years old to pre-teenagers.) Our children have developed a caring concern for each other and have a comfort level about their place in the Meeting. They feel cherished and have a sense of belonging.