Eighth month in the life of our little meeting found us learning more about each other during an intergenerational activity, excitedly gearing up for Arkansas Peace Week, finally problem-solving the barrier that was stalling the next batch of Little Rock Quaker tee shirts, and continuing our journey of learning Compassionate Communication. Concerns included the state of the Care Committee and health challenges experienced by a number of friends. Joys included news that work is now complete on the formerly severely listing pier under the kitchen and the commencement of work on the house's front gable and fascia.

First Sunday, led by co-clerk Amanda, we continued our study of Thomas Kelly's classic Quaker text, Testament of Devotion, which can be downloaded here. We have made our way through this book one month at a time, and are now on the chapter entitled The Blessed Community. Reading Kelly's thoughts and about his experience on this topic is helping us as a spiritual community to stay close to the Friendly values we hold so dear, commuity being central among them. And speaking of community, we joyfully received news from a former LRFM member and longtime Carillon subscriber, Barbara Leutke, who is now devoting much love and energy to the following project, which we happily amplify here on this platform:

Second Sunday, Young Friends led us all in an activity meant to help us get to know one another better. Hey, look at that, another community-building endeavor! We did indeed learn more about each other, and we had fun doing it. Some of the things we learned were: who has learned an additional language to fluency; who has attended another Quaker meeting; who has attended a programmed Friends' meeting; who has ever followed a plant-based way of eating; and who has attended school in this city. After worship hour was our monthly potluck, always thoroughly enjoyed.

Third Sunday we held our meeting for worship with attention to business, and one item weighing on the heart of a Friend is the fact that our Care of the Meeting Committee, born of a need to perhaps check on stalled or under-functioning meetings, has drifted in focus and function in such a way that it is now doing the business that a House and Grounds Committee, for instance, would do were one currently functional while drifting away from monitoring and addressing the spiritual needs of our meeting. Another Friend voiced appreciation for the fact that the care committee, meeting one day ahead of the spirit-led business meeting, gives Friends a chance to vet agenda items before bringing them forward. There is a nascent project that could bring solutions and new energy to our meeting: we are working on convening a nominating committee and plan to question the current committee structure to see if it is the best way to keep all aspects of our meeting functioning well given our small numbers.

On the fourth Sunday we continued our course, led by Friend David, in Compassionate Communication, which is actually NVC when led by a non-certified facilitator. During this first hour, we explored some key differentiations Marshall Rosenberg considers important, such as:

• "Being Giraffe" vs. "doing Giraffe"
• Empathy vs. sympathy and other forms of response (fixing, reassuring, storytelling, etc.)
• Protective vs. punitive use of force
• Power with vs. power over
• Appreciation vs. approval, compliments or praise
• Choice vs. submission or rebellion
• Stimulus vs. cause
• Value judgment vs. moralistic judgment
• Persisting vs. demanding
• Self-discipline vs. obedience
• Vulnerability vs. weakness
• Love as an action vs. love as a need and a feeling
• Empathic sensing vs. intellectual guessing

One of the labors of love in our LRFM community has been the ongoing effort to create our own series of t-shirts, eliminating the need to hire a professional printer. Not only does in-house design and production save money, but homemade creations feel a bit closer to the Quaker way. This month, we celebrated a major breakthrough thanks to the moral support Kelly received from one young Friend to help her overcome an emotional block. Kelly had been hesitant to attempt a print run using Young Friends' latest linocut block, as she was worried about ruining blank t-shirts due to past challenges in transferring fabric paint from the block prints onto the fabric. However, a visit to Art Outfitters—where they generously offer a printing press for customers to use free of charge—changed everything. With this newfound resource, we can now produce as many t-shirts as we want. The sky’s the limit!

The month of July in the life of our meeting held many events and endeavors that might well have received a nod of approval from the founder of the Religious Society of Friends, whose 400th birthday is being celebrated this year--and especially this month--across the wide Quaker world.

Elise got us started on the first Sunday with a very well researched, well organized, and engaging slide show presentation to help us learn more about the Quapaw, Osage, and Caddo, their history, culture, and forcible removal from this area. Elise managed, in 50 minutes, to bring home the most important pieces without oversimplifying. Through YouTube clips, she allowed the people about whom we were learning to speak to us directly about the traditions, art, skills and languages they are trying to preserve. This presentation was part of our process of crafting and adopting an Indigenous Land acknowledgement statement. Recognizing that a land acknowledgment statement alone is insufficient, we are committed to accompanying it with ongoing self-education and meaningful acts of reparation, such as adding a Native American organization to the roster of groups that we support monetarily.

On the eleventh, we started our peace and social justice film series by showing Raamro Aakha Ma (In the Eyes of the Good), a documentary that tells the story of former Maoist combatants, conflict victims, and government officials engaging in a restorative dialogue, following the aftermath of the 10-years armed conflict in Nepal. It shows what can happen when people are able to connect with one another across divides, beyond fear, stereotypes, and enemy images. The goal was to offer those involved with the transitional justice process in Nepal an opportunity to experience a restorative dialogue firsthand and to raise awareness about Nonviolent Communication and restorative dialogue as tools for healing, reconciliation, and justice. NVC, or its non-certified-facilitator sister Compassionate Communication, is one of Little Rock Friends Meeting's central ministries. Movie night was successful; there were many members and one visitor in attendance.

More Compassionate Communication took place at Iris House in Conway on the tenth when David taught us how to use Grok cards to facilitate empathetic listening. ​

On the second Sunday, Friend Tina led us through looking at chapter two of Douglas V. Steere's work Prayer and Worship. That discussion, worship hour, and the monthly potluck were enjoyed by all who attended. Steere (1901-1995) was an American Quaker ecumenist. From Wikipedia: Steere organized Quaker post-war relief work in Finland, Norway and Poland, was invited to participate as an ecumenical observer in the Second Vatican Council and co-founded the Ecumenical Institute of Spirituality. He authored, edited, translated and wrote introductions for many books on Quakerism, as well as other religions and philosophy.

Some of the month's business, worshipfully considered, included concerns around the fact that the focus and work of the Care Committee seem to be drifting and the need to get the nominating committee's work rolling, With Arkansas Peace Week right around the corner, there were many 'save the date' type of announcements to ensure nobody misses out on the eight days of events coordinated collaboratively by World Beyond War, Arkansas Coalition for Peace & Justice (ACPJ), and our Meeting--with due gratitude to Friend John for all his peacemaker field work.

Fourth Sunday was once again devoted to our ongoing course on Compassionate Communication. We did a check-in with one another, sharing how we are each doing in our respective journeys as we attempt to incorporate this empathetic way of relating into our lives. Many Friends had success stories to share, and we were happy to greet a previous fourth Sunday visitor who has a great interest in this subject.

In July, four centuries after the birth of our movement’s founder, our gathering was spiritually vibrant and deeply engaged with the themes of peace and social justice. Though we did not officially mark the anniversary of Fox's birth, we took this time to reflect on how our meeting’s life embodies and extends his message of simplicity, non-violence, equality, community, and environmental stewardship to every newcomer and member.

The month of June opened with study of a classic Quaker text and closed with singing. In between, we took care of the annual budget, worshipfully conducted business, welcomed visitors, planned our first movie night, and continued learning how to honor our own and others' needs and feelings through our ongoing course on compassionate communication.

On the first Sunday of the month, both co-clerks and many Friends were away, many of them at the AR-OK spring quarterly meeting, and we appreciate that our Young Friends program director, Sister, was able and willing to open the meetinghouse and boot up Zoom for those who wished to discuss Thomas Kelly's A Testament of Devotion, worship, and have fellowship. 

Speaking of fellowship, many members and visitors stayed to talk after worship on the day we take care of business in a spirit-led way on third Sunday. We were pleased to welcome new faces, Friends who don't often make it to town, and newish attenders from Hot Springs. During the meeting for worship with attention to business, our communications, outreach and web (COW) committee announced our first movie night, which is to take place on July 11. Friend Kelly passed out flyers for us to post around the community.

Friend David was not feeling one hundred percent on the fourth Sunday but was still able to lead us through a compassionate communication exercise from home thanks to our Zoom set-up. Young Friends continued their fourth Sunday sewing sessions using a donated machine and sewing area that receives lots of natural light through the many back room windows.

Check back next month to find out how our first movie night went!

On the twelfth, we made great progress on our 2024-2025 budget. We welcomed a visitor from Hot Springs and the husband of an attender; a potluck followed.

After we reported on the number of visitors and regular attenders that day, we received this teaching from Terry van Hooser:
​
"I grew up as a member of the Wyandotte (Oklahoma) Friends Meeting. I remember our Pastor telling the entire congregation that when someone attends our Meeting once, they are a welcomed visitor. If they come to our Meeting a second time, they are a valued member of our family. He also said everyone is welcome to attend, no matter what they wear, because God looks on the inside to your heart, not the clothing on the outside. I miss Bob Williams and his wife Edith. They were our beloved Pastors more than 50 years ago, and truly showed what walking in God's love was all about!"​

We closed out the month with another welcomed installment of Compassionate Communication as led by Friend David. The extended session (they are now offered one Saturday per month at Iris House in Conway) was well attended on the eleventh. One attendee later reported how relaxing the setting was with flowers, candles, a variety of teas on offer, and opera music playing very softly in the background.

Arkansas is in the path of a total eclipse of the sun only about once every 90 to 100 years, so it should not have been much of a surprise to see the Meetinghouse fill up with visitors to the area on the seventh. That started the month with a welcome burst of energy.

Later that afternoon, Friends John and Elise participated in the Pilgrimage for Peace. We as a meeting help sponsor this annual ceremony that commemorates all the people in central Arkansas who lost their lives to violence in the preceding year.

Spring is fully upon us, and some attenders have taken to cycling to meeting. Around the Capitol View Stifft Station neighborhood, yards are brightened by mounds of cream and butter-colored honeysuckle, coral, pink, and red azalea bushes, and tiny bluets in the grass.

This was also the day of our monthly potluck. Breaking bread together is a great way to build community, don't you think?

Third Sunday was, as usual, our Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business starting at 9:30. Ahead of that, co-clerk Amanda had sent out two announcements. The first announcement was to alert us all to an episode of the "On Our Watch" podcast that features the work of Friend Dean Wilson, the Atchafalaya Basin's Basinkeeper. Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin is the largest hardwood alluvial swamp in the United States.

By the 24th, our wisteria vines that snake along the old rock wall and up a tree were in their full purplish splendor. David led us through a compassionate communication activity. We are happy to report that there is enough interest in expanding our ongoing course in compassionate communication that an extra two hours per month have been added; those interested will gather at Iris House in Conway each second Saturday.

On Easter Sunday, Friends John and Tina were away in Texas for South Central Yearly Meeting's annual gathering at Greene Family Camp near Waco. We hope to get a report in April on how that went. All Friends were encouraged to join online or in person, as this is an excellent opportunity for us to get to know Friends from all the meetings represented on the lovely quilt that currently hangs in our worship space. Those who stayed in central Arkansas came together that day for an open discussion. The topic meandered from that of centering prayer to how each Friend directly experiences Spirit and beyond.

It was a short month, but a lot happened in Febuary in the life of our Meeting. News of completed meetinghouse repairs continues to roll in, our co-clerk Amanda has been away some Sundays to fulfill her chaplaincy residency at a nearby hospital's trauma unit, and on the last Sunday of the month, our Zoom screen and little circle of chairs swelled to accommodate seventeen members, attenders, and visitors.

On the fourth, we had our first of two or three first-hour discussions devoted to gathering input for our annual State of the Meeting report to South Central Yearly Meeting (SCYM). Although many could not be there that morning, there were enough of us present to put together some preliminary responses to the following queries:

Worship: How does the spirit illuminate your Meeting's worship? How do you encourage ministry and seek to deepen the spiritual life of the Meeting and of individual Friends?

Meeting Community: How does your Meeting's community reflect its spiritual strivings? How do Friends care for one another in times of spiritual or material need? What role do children play in the Meeting community?

Religious Education: How has study deepened your faith and your understanding of what it means to be a Quaker? How have you explored issues of faith with newcomers, seasoned Friends, and children?

Decision Making: How is the good order of Friends used among you? How does the Light illuminate your meetings for worship with attention to business?

Membership Changes: How has your membership changed? How has this affected the life of your meeting?
​
Concerns: Does your meeting have concerns that have not been adequately explored in answering the queries above? How have these concerns affected your meeting's spiritual and community life?

Although our Peace & Justice Committee is not currently convening formal meetings, we as a meeting and many of us individually are involved in local social justice initiatives. John Coffin attended the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice's annual meeting on the 10th, which he later reported was well attended. We appreciate his longstanding work in the community as a peacemaker, including his work at Tucker Prison and on-air presentations on KABF.

At our Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, we got the good news that the deck has now been power washed and made safe for our tenant. Sealing will take place after the weather warms up a bit more. Other items receiving attention were: the adoption of an Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Statement, booking a site for Winter Quarter 2025, the continued weeding of the library so as to make room for books about Quakerism and topics that are directly related to Quakerism in a strict sense, the archiving of the Carillon, and the upcoming Yearly Meeting (end of March).

During First Hour on the last Sunday in February, David led us in another activity designed to help us become more compassionate communicators. We watched a video of Marshall Rosenberg and participated in an exercise. With First Hour, Worship Hour, and Young Friends program all considered, we had seventeen members, attenders, or visitors participate in some way that day. The exciting achievement in the Young Friends room was the mending of a hoodie. One less item will be headed to the landfill now.

The larger monthly meetings in our Arkansas-Oklahoma region take turns hosting fall, winter, and spring quarterly meetings, while the other "quarter" is yielded to a yearly meeting. Each host meeting strives to find a place, such as a state park or lodge, that is within driving distance for Oklahoma and Arkansas Friends. In years past, we have met at such beautiful places as Robbers' Cave and Dwight Mission in Oklahoma. Little Rock Friends lost our go-to hosting spot when Dwight Mission near Stillwater, OK, was acquired in 2021 by the Cherokee Nation. We hold out hope that the Cherokee Nation might return to running it as a camp, retreat, and conference center. Meanwhile, finding a place that isn't booked years in advance has been a challenge that resulted this year in our plan to gather at Subiaco Abbey's Coury Guesthouse in Western Arkansas, a place that has served many in this area as an oasis of spiritual renewal and silent retreats for decades. Our decision was bolstered by how well Sister Cecilia Brickell's presentation was received during Winter Quarter 2023. Yet this was not an easy decision. It came about through a long process of spirit-led discernment by our Meeting and the ad hoc committee, the reworking of the contract by Subiaco's legal team, the gathering of input from LGBTQIA+ Friends across the quarter, and a series of first-hour activities meant to improve our capacity for good allyship and awareness of religious trauma.

With AR-OK Friends being accustomed to paying roughly $25 to $45 for an entire weekend where we share the jobs of food preparation and dishwashing, the cost of lodging and meals at this guesthouse would be more than triple that. On the positive side, we imagined the older Friends' appreciation for a bed with a real mattress and bathrooms/showers that can be accessed without a trip through the cold of night, as is the case at lovely Lake Wister State Park. On the other hand, we did not want even one Friend to stay home due to cost. Thus fundraising began. Thanks to the generosity of several donors, including Stillwater Meeting, we were able to lower the cost of the weekend to around $80 for two nights' lodging and six meals if a Friend shared a room. A private room was a bit more.

Those Friends who made it in time for Friday supper were greeted by Abigail, who has toasty warm accommodations right outside the guesthouse door. She loves skritches and coming on walks, but chooses not to come into the guesthouse. Also there to greet us was Fr. Patrick, whose assignment at the abbey includes taking care of the Coury House guests. He was a charming host full of funny stories, including that the other monks find it ironic, given his portliness, that he wants to put Abigail on a diet and exercise regimen.

By the end of breakfast Saturday morning, we had all pretty much learned our way from Coury House across to the main building and under the red awning to go either up to the chapel where one could follow along with the monks at Vespers and other services using an electronic tablet or down to the basement to the guest dining room where kitchen staff hiding away in an enormous kitchen and pantry that ran the length of the building prepared meals for three sets of people three times a day: students, monks, and guests.

After breakfast and worship sharing, Fr. Jerome Kodell joined us for a dialogue in which we learned about each other's traditions. He learned about the SPICES, and we learned about the Rule of Benedict, in particular mutual or reciprocal obedience. Fr. Jerome also told us about how monks receive assignments, and how that can change over time. He had never worked in a wood shop before, and now he makes all the coffins, allowing the abbey to have less expensive and at the same time more beautiful coffins.

After lunch, some of us took the tour of the abbey with Fr. Francis. We left Coury Guest House at 1:00 and didn't get back until 3:00, very tuckered out and ready for snacks. We spent an hour just in the museum. Some highlights were: the hundreds of relics that made their way to Arkansas from Switzerland at a time when they were at risk of being seized by the government; decades' worth of farm implements, kitchen utensils, chasubles, habits, gifts, clocks, newspaper clippings; and an impressive collection of salt and pepper shakers. We also saw the altar in the church, which was vandalized in an incident that went viral globally.  The original altar was made with a piece of imported marble lowered in by a crane before the roof was put on, but the abbey opted for a less costly and cumbersome method of replacing it.

After the tour, those who went had about half an hour to refuel and get settled in for the workshops: Les Brelsford got us all up to speed on AFSC and other national Quaker organizations. Then Ruth led us in worship sharing around the Israel-Palestine situation. That was a heavy topic, so we chose to chant right after, which proved to be just the right transition activity before the sharing of favorite poems.

Sunday morning at sunrise, some could be seen taking a walk--led by Abigail. At 8:00 a.m., we trekked back over to the guest dining hall for another delicious vegetarian meal and thanked the head of the kitchen team for making an exception for us to their usual "we do not accommodate special diets" rule. Worship was at 9:30, after which Jack clerked the Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, giving all meetings a chance to report on the health and state of their meeting.

Living alongside Benedictine monks for a weekend was an experience we won't soon forget.

Little Rock Friends started the year on the first day of January with a special New Year's pot luck of black-eyed peas, two kinds of cornbread, several side dishes and desserts. It was a month of many joys and some losses, as well. We held our dear co-clerk and her husband, our treasurer, in the Light as they walked the hospice journey with their beloved Muffin, a teacher and Zen master disguised as a dog. While not everyone could attend, many of us closed out the month in joyful reunion with our Arkansas-Oklahoma Quarterly Meeting in a unique setting--a Benedictine Abbey!

On the seventh we had a surprise visit from occasional attender and Swarthmore alumna Dr. Karama Neal, one of thirteen who joined us for a discussion of  two sections of the Holy Obedience chapter in Thomas Kelly's A Testament of Devotion. Sadly, Amanda and Tommy lost Muffin that evening.

On the fourteenth nine Friends braved the cold for worship sharing followed by a potluck. We continued to announce the upcoming Friends General Conference "Changing Times" workshops--many of them focused on anti-racism--as well as our ever nearer Arkansas-Oklahoma Quarterly Meeting.

Third Sunday was, as usual, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. One of the standout topics was the need to craft an Indigenous Peoples land acknowledgement statement for our meeting. We incorporated a simple, short statement into that day's meeting but will begin to gather ideas on Indigenous land acknowledgements and the reparative actions that we as a Meeting might undertake to underscore the adoption of the opening statement.