6th Month 2008 Calendar
1st Singing 10:15 AM
Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM
Fellowship and Fireworks
July 4th Buckingham Meeting burial grounds has a
great view of the fireworks.
Before the fireworks start [around 9pm] there will be a
music event and BYO picnic.
8th Singing 10:15 AM
Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM
Meeting for Business and Annual
Corporate Meeting for Business
15th Singing 10:15 AM
Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM
Meeting for Business
22nd Singing 10:15 AM
Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM
29th Singing 10:15 AM
Meeting for Worship 10:30 AM
Committee meeting schedule:
Overseers and Worship and Ministry 1st first
day 9:15 am.
Trustees and finance 3rd first day Noon
Property Committee 4th first day noon
Dates to remember:
-September 20th Peace Fair (we still need volunteers)
- October 2nd First date for the peace + social justice
film series
- October 5th Buckingham Community Worship
(formally “All School”).
- Historic Halloween
Will take place in the meeting's graveyard.
October 23, 2008
- Nov. 1st Buckingham School and Meeting Fall Frolic.
Margaret Riche Visit
Friends were delighted to have Margret Richie enjoy
the fellowship of many old friends and visit the
Meetinghouse she so loves. She was in town traveling
with family. She wants to say a big hello to all those
how could not attend.
Buckingham Friendly Notes
June is our annual Meeting for Business
Your attendance is much needed on the 8th.
Photo by Mason Loika
She blessed the gathering with a wonderful poem she
recited from memory. Here it is:
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and
swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew
—And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr
Thanks to Joan Maclatchie and others for making her visit
so special.
Buckingham Friends School News
From The Head of School
(Excerpted from “Keeping Posted”)
The grass growing on the upper field is emblematic of
so much about Buckingham Friends School. The
hope that we share that the grass will grow full and
strong and endure the wear and tear to come mirrors
the hope we have for our children, that they will grow
strong and resilient and able to navigate the
challenges that lie ahead. The sense of rejuvenation
that the grass brings to what had been a dry and
barren hardpack is akin to the work we do every day to
bring a spirit of creativity and joyfulness to our school.
The potential for new possibility presented by a green
field reminds us what can be done when a community
comes together for a common purpose.
For my part, I am reminded of the spirit of community
that infuses all that we do at BFS.
Your contributions of time, labor, money, ideas, and
care are what has enabled a small school in the
woods to be the extraordinary shaper of lives that it is.
In less than a week we will see the fruits of that effort.
Our eighth graders will gather in the meeting house,
and they will participate in a graduation ceremony
shared by generations of their predecessors. I hope
that you will consider attending even if you do not
have a graduate or sibling so that you can experience
this moving event that reminds us all of why we have
made the commitment we have to Buckingham
Friends School.
We strive to honor the past and hold firm to practices
we feel are essential to the healthy growth of children
while we embrace new ideas that respond to the
needs of today's families. It's a delicate balancing act
that requires focus, patience, and careful thought, but,
consistent with Quaker practice, this measured
reflective process ultimately produces a stronger end
result, as the experiences of our alumni attest.
As we close the year I am filled with gratitude for all
you have done to support our school and to contribute
to the education of your children. I wish you all a
happy, healthy, and joyful summer filled with new
discoveries.
In Peace,
Scott
Buckingham Friends Meeting
Welcomes all
Worship is at 10:30 am every Sunday
Co-Clerks:
Joy Rivas
215 297 5516
joycerivas@comcast.net
Keila Gilbert
215 348 8586
kgilbert@alpharesourcecenter.com
Treasurer:
Tim Cunningham
76 Woodland Ave Elkins Park PA 19027
www.buckinghamfriendsmeeting.org
Newsletter Editor:
John Bailey
86 Rocktown Rd. Ringoes NJ 08551
jbailey@crusoe.net
Suggestions are welcome
Bucks Quarterly News
BUCKS QUARTER GATHERING
Did you miss the Quarter’s Gathering for Play
on April 28th? We missed you!!
Approximately 80 of Friends gathered in joy on
April 28th at Buckingham Friends School. We relaxed
and talked, had “Peace Cake,” sang, laughed, created
and ate some more. We also painted a giant canvas
mural, juggled, blew bubbles, played basketball,
soccer and crab ball and made a fairy house. We
made new friends!! “It was a perfect day. I could relax
and talk and my kids could play.” said one Friend.
“Can I come again next year?”asked a younger Friend.
Go to www.quakersbucks.org for pictures!
PEACE VIGILS & MEDITATIONS
Doylestown: Tuesdays at State & Main 6-7pm
Newtown: Mondays, 5-6pm Routes 332 & 413
Southampton Meeting: Mondays, 7:15pm
Federal Rebates
Friends, please consider how you might use your
Federal rebate to support peace.
SEEKING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The Al Azawee family arrived in Philadelphia late on
Tues., March 11.
Mr. Al Azawee is looking for employment.
If you have any leads or ideas or questions on
employment, please get in touch with me 215-2975799 or efdaylily@comcast.net.
Local events
PEACE VIGILS & MEDITATIONS
Doylestown: Tuesdays at State & Main 6-7pm
Newtown: Mondays, 5-6pm Routes 332 & 413
Southampton Meeting: Mondays, 7:15pm
Philadelphia Yearly News
RESIDENTIAL YEARLY MEETING
Theme: “Dwelling in God: Living Our Faith
Out Loud”. We will be gathering from July 26
to 30 at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ,
for fun, fellowship, learning, worship, discernment,
service and manifesting the Glory of God.
All are welcome! Registration and more program
information has been sent to each household that
receives mailings from Philadelphia Yearly
Meeting. Details and online registration are available
at www.pym.org/annualsessions. Contact: Lauren
Baumann, Sessions Coordinator
at: 215-241-7075; laurenb@pym.org for information or
for paper materials to be mailed.
Children’s Sessions at Residential Yearly
Meeting. Excitement is building for the Children’s
Sessions at PYM. Children’s and adult Sessions will
meet during at the same time. The
afternoons will be left free for Friendly community,
relaxation and workshops for all ages. All children’s
activities will be led by gifted, enthusiastic adults who
will follow your child’s
age-defined group throughout the Sessions. Programs
will be based upon this year’s theme.
When your children attend RYM sessions, they
will learn about God, their Quaker faith, grow
spiritually, and have fun at the same time!
For more info on the children’s activities contact,
Elizabeth Piersol Schmidt at 215-241-7236 or
ChildrensSessions@pym.org. To volunteer to be
one of those enthusiastic adults working with the
children, contact Edy Nolan at 732-940-6546 or
edynolan@comcast.net
Friends Committee on National Legislation works to
change the equation by persuading Congress to fund
Diplomacy, Development assistance, and International
organizations that can prevent war.
Quaker Speak - Meeting For Business
Sense of the meeting not consensus
"Sense of the meeting works because we turn our
decision making over to a higher power. Consensus is
the product of an intellectual process. Sense of the
meeting is a commitment to faith"
"Consensus is an outward process in which a vote is
taken without saying either yea or nay. It involves
listening to all concerns, and then, through a
negotiation process, finding the best solution. Sense of
the meeting hears all of the concerns, then moves
beyond the verbal expressions to hear the spirit of the
concern in order to discern what is 'right' for the group"
ready to proceed.
“…in seeking the sense of the meeting we open
ourselves to being guided to perfect resolution in Light,
to
a place where we sit in unity in the collective inward
Presence. Through consensus we decide it; through
sense of the meeting we turn it over, allowing it to be
decided."
Barry Morley, Beyond Consensus
Buckingham Friends Burial Ground
Spring 2008
Some Facts About The Burial Ground
The Buckingham Friends burial ground has been in
continuous use since before the first Meeting House
was built in 1705. Stone walls were constructed
around all but the north side in 1752, and in 1805 the
graveyard was extended somewhat toward the north.
When the Meeting House was requisitioned as an
army hospital during the Revolutionary War, soldiers
were buried either in the graveyard or nearby, and an
area in the graveyard was set aside for the burial of
African
Americans in the early 19th century. There are also
several Native American graves in the burial grounds.
The earliest gravestones are dated in the 1790’s, for
Quakers did not use grave markers at first.
(Buckingham Meeting noted in 1706 that “it is
altogether wrong and of evil tendency for to have any
gravestones or any other sort of monument over or
about the graves.”) Today there are about 2500
gravestones, although some have sunk in the
ground, some have tilted from frost heaves, and some
have fallen over completely and need to be reset.
The burial ground is about seven acres in size, there
are some 1850 feet of interior drives, and there are
approximately 1900 feet of perimeter wall, three sides
of which are capped by cypress boards. It takes
approximately 30- hours to mow and trim the
graveyard, which is done every 1-3 weeks from early
May until about mid-October, depending on
the weather. A number of projects have
been undertaken this year: The five largest maples
have been professionally
pruned and fertilized; a large dead sycamore was
removed from near the main drive; the “dump” was
relocated to an area outside the west wall; the lower
graveyard was cleared of brush and the trees were
thinned out; and grass has been planted all the way to
the walls. Finally, more than 100 graves that had
sunken 2-6 inches below the turf were filled in with
topsoil and grass was planted.
Improvements
Several improvements to the burial ground are in the
planning process or already underway, from
landscaping to repairing the wall cap and resetting
fallen gravestones.
Last Year’s Annual Minutes
Annual Meeting of the Corporation
Buckingham Monthly Meeting of Friends
June 10, 2007
Draft
The meeting began at 12:45 pm.
1. Minutes: Judy Kashoff read the 2006 minutes
aloud. The following changes were made: The
decision on the specific title of Assistant
Treasurer was added to the previous minutes’
changes and the title was updated; and the
punctuation in the list of committees was
corrected. The minutes were approved with
these changes.
2. Bylaw changes: Committee report dates were
discussed and approved. The Property
Committee will report in February and August,
as well as any other time something needs to be
brought before the meeting. The Bylaw draft
was read aloud by Judy Kashoff. Beth Taylor
is looking into what Quarterly Meeting has
approved with regard to Plumstead’s
responsibility for the Meetinghouse and
grounds. If necessary, we can make a change
to this in October at the next meeting of the
Corporation. The meeting approved the Bylaw.
3. Nominating: Bethann Morgan.
The committee thanked everyone who agreed
to serve or recommitted to another term.
Everyone was very open and willing to
consider new positions. A list of officers and
committee members was distributed. The
meeting approved the slate of officers as it was
put forward. Some updates to the printed list of
committee members were given, and the list
was approved, with a few spots open.
Additions will come before the meeting at the
next meeting of the corporation. The
committee then asked the Meeting to fill the
two positions on the Nominating Committee.
Members of Nominating have to be members of
the Meeting. Meeting asked Nominating to
come up with some names of people who
would be willing. Suggestions for the other
pending slots can be given to a member of
Nominating. There will be a newsletter and
email request for anyone who might be
interested in Nominating to contact the Clerk
(Judy). Bethann was thanked for her hard
work.
4. Budget: Judy Kashoff for Tim Cunningham.
Proposed 2007/08 budget was reviewed at
May’s meeting prior to being presented here.
The group read the narrative portion of the
report. Money will be taken from the principle
of the Major Repair fund to do needed work on
the cottages.
A concern was raised about communication
between Trustees & Finance and the
Scholarship Committee. Discussion is planned
this year with the committees and the meeting
as a whole. Perhaps the Scholarship
Committee should be defined as a
subcommittee for Trustees & Finance. It was
noted that we have been supplementing the
scholarship funds with money from the general
budget; we are trying to transition away from
that. The budget was approved.
5. Other business:
This has been Katherine Kay’s last official
Meeting for Business as Clerk of the Meeting.
The Meeting approved a Minute of thanks for
Katherine Kay for her dedication, working so
hard getting business meetings running well
and supporting our community. It has been a
challenging few years.
The meeting closed at 1:28 pm with a period of silent
worship.
Respectfully submitted by Carla Davis Cunningham,
Recording Clerk
Buckingham Friends Meeting minutes our appreciation
to Bethann for her many years of service on Worship
and Ministry as she steps off the committee.
Overseers:
Deferred until next month.
Nominating Committee: Tim Cunningham for Bethann
Morgan
Tim distributed a written draft of committee members
for the 2008/2009 year. All of the officer positions are
filled. A few vacancies yet exist on standing
committees. Several additions and changes were
made. The full slate will be presented at the Corporate
Meeting in June.
Other business:


Last Month’s Minutes
Buckingham Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Business
May 18, 2008
Draft
Meeting began at 12:04 pm with a period of silent
worship. There were 12 members and 2 attenders
present.
Grace Scott read from Rudyard Kipling and Wang
Chen (in support of the plight of the Chinese due to the
recent earthquakes).
Minutes from April’s Meeting for Business were
approved.
Worship & Ministry: Tim Cunningham for Bethann
Morgan
The committee met to review worship, adult programs,
and other matters. Attendance at worship has been
good and vocal ministry is not frequent but is shared
from a deep place and well received. The adult forum
Quaker Conversations will continue with another
discussion of Quaker terminology. The committee’s
joint project with Overseers on the membership
application process is moving forward. Buckingham
will be responsible for leading Sunday services at
Chandler Hall during the month of June. There is a
sign-up sheet in the kiosk if you would like to help out.
The committee will be transitioning to a new convener
in July.
The Fall Frolic is scheduled for November 1st.
Buckingham Friends Community Worship
(Meeting and School) is scheduled for October
5th. A second community worship was
proposed for January.
Stan Lichtman reported on a film series project that he
is organizing. There was a discussion about how and
where to hang a screen in the meetinghouse.
Our historical marker from the National Park Service
comes with a ceremony. Joyce Rivas asked the
meeting for approval of verbiage for the sign. There
was a discussion about where the sign should be
placed. Friends agreed that it would be preferable to
get the sign into our possession as soon as possible.
The meeting wishes to thank Peter Ray for the
wonderful cleanup of the Graveyard and for the box
installed by the entrance.
Joyce Rivas asked for feedback from the new proposed
Master Plan for the Campus. Scott Baytosh, Head of
Buckingham Friends School, reported that the
architectural service has been donated by a school
family. The firm arrived prepared to learn of our
perspective for the comprehensive planning and to base
their ideas on our dreams. The firm is “green.” What
are things we would like to remove? What are things
we would like to add? What are things we wish to
hold onto? Jean Perantoni of SSP Architecture
presented her inputs received to date.
Respectfully submitted by Grover Stults, Assistant
Recording Clerk
From Barbara Wharton:
Jim and I attended Solbury Friends
Festival.
All was sylvan, old fashioned and silent.
There we met John Mathieu.
He and Jim had a conversation about
farming, bees and Phoebe Taylor’s art.
There was a little girl dressed in Quaker
attire.
I saw her running by the table of homebaked pies, and again standing beneath a
tall tree with an old fashioned swing
hanging from it.
When my daughter heard the story of the
little girl,
She said “Was she really there?”
Barbara
Buckingham Friends Newsletter
c/o John Bailey
86 Rocktown Rd
Ringoes NJ 08551