"Y" is for Yearly Meeting . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

 

Western Yearly Meeting, USA

Since I have quite a few ‘non-Quakers’ who read my blog postings I’m going to begin this post with a short definition or description of what Yearly Meeting is:

 

Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, Quakers, that refers to the annual gathering of members of the Monthly Meetings (the smaller/individual Meetings/Churches) within a geographical area. Friends gather together to conduct their annual business meeting during Yearly Meeting sessions. Members of a Yearly Meeting are members of the same branch (or flavor) of Friends.

 

The Yearly Meeting business sessions are conducted by the Yearly Meeting Clerk (chairperson). Friends don’t ‘vote’ they reach consensus. It’s the job of the Clerk to listen and discern the sense of the Meeting and ask for approval.

 

Meal time

Yearly Meeting sessions aren’t all business . . . and business sessions aren’t all business. That is to say that business is conducted during the Yearly Meeting sessions, but . . . at my Yearly Meeting (Western) the first three days begin with morning devotions followed by small group discussions and the business sessions are opened with a period of quite worship. Lunch and dinner are available in the Plainfield dinning room and are prepared by various groups as fundraisers.

 



Board reports
can be interesting!

Business sessions include reports from the Superintendent, Christian Education Director, treasurer, approval of the minutes from the previous Yearly Meeting session, Executive Committee, Sundesmos Task Force, Property Trustees, Nominating Committee, and the following Yearly Meeting Boards: Christian Ministries and Evangelism (which includes the State of Society report), Meeting Development and Nurture, Christian Outreach, Peace and Social Concerns, Finance and Christian Education. Other reports given include: Statistical, Financial Trustees, benevolence Treasurer, the next year’s budget and audit committee.



Displays

Reports are also given by members of several affiliated bodies: Friends United Meeting (FUM), Quaker Haven Camp, Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion, Friends Apartment Homes, United Society of Friends Women International (USFWI), Quaker Men and Friends Disaster Service.



A digest of Epistles or the greetings sent out from other Yearly Meetings, from around the world, that include a bit about their last Yearly Meeting session is read. Several Friends will work on writing an ‘Outgoing Epistle’ which will summarize our annual gathering and will be sent out to other Yearly Meetings.

 

Indian Table 

Thursday through Saturday Friends have time to shop for handmade/homemade items at the Indian Table(s) proceeds support our Indian Missions as well as the Bookstore – which has books for all ages, many of these are on the USFWI reading list.

 

Saturday is full of workshops with the morning workshops being presented by several of the affiliate organizations and the afternoon workshops presented by or sponsored by Yearly Meeting Boards on a variety of topics.

 

Each evening has its own specific programing:



Singing

Thursday evening is time for the Quaker Lecture. This begins with a prelude of amazing music provided by Joe and Tom Roberts (father and son) on the organ and piano which is followed by all joining in signing several hymns. The Quaker Lecture is given; printed copies are always available afterwards for purchase. Following the lecture, Friends are invited to gather in the basement to meet the lecturer, refreshments and conversation.

 

Youth Cabinet

Friday evenings have become a time for a Multi-generational Service. This is presented by members of the Western Yearly Meeting Youth Cabinet. Each year they choose a theme around a topic that they feel the members of the Yearly Meeting need to hear. They then prepare a program around that theme, including personal testimonies, several songs and a crazy game. An offering is taken to help support the Young Friends and help with Youth Cabinet expenses.

 

The Youth Cabinet is made up of some very talented Young Friends who are in High School. During the year these Young Friends travel around to various Meetings, who invite them, within the Yearly Meeting and present their Road Show. I am proud to say that both of my daughters have been members of the Youth Cabinet and the Road Show.

 

Saturday evenings begin with various groups splitting up and going their separate ways for dinner – Pastors & spouses and Quaker Men head off Yearly Meeting grounds for their respective banquets at area restaurants, the Young Friends usually head out for dinner and an evening of fun and the members of the ladies stay and enjoy the USFW Tea (dinner).



After dinner, the ladies head upstairs to the Plainfield Meetingroom for a short USFW meeting and installation of officers for the coming year. Then the USFW and Quaker Men gather together in the Yearly Meetingroom for a joint Mission Service. This time begins with more amazing organ and piano music from Joe & Tom. The speaker is from one of the missions that we support. An offering is taken to support that mission.



Sunday morning includes Sunday School time for all ages followed by Meeting for Worship in the manor of Programmed Friends and includes the Young Friends report, Concluding Minute and the final reading of our Outgoing Epistle. Meeting for Worship is followed by lunch which is prepared and served by the Young Friends.



Along with conducting the business of the Yearly Meeting, Friends come together to share and support each other, for fellowship and to worship. Yearly Meeting is a time to catch-up with old Friends and an opportunity to meet new Friends.

 

My Yearly Meeting is very blessed with talented and gifted Friends of all ages. I especially enjoy our Young Friends taking such an active roll.



Tea Time
Cork Meetinghouse
Ireland Yearly Meeting

In July of 2013 I left at the conclusion of the Western Yearly Meeting sessions and flew to Dublin Ireland to take part in a Pilgrimage with and among Friends for two weeks. Most of our first week was spent in Cork, attending and participating in Ireland Yearly Meeting sessions. This was my first experience at a Yearly Meeting other than my own . . . and I can’t think of anything I didn’t do! Devotions, worship, epilogs by candlelight, business sessions, tea time (with biscuits and sweets), public Quaker Lecture, field trip (I felt led to go to Blarney Castle!), workshops, talent show, folk dancing, and the bat walk with Conner out in the cemetery behind Cork Meeting House. I donated several craft items I made to their Market Place, where one could find books to purchase and a variety of homemade/homegrown items for sale – a fund-raiser to support Irish Quaker Faith in Action ministry. This was an amazing experience for me. I have commented that I never felt like an outsider or visitor, I felt like I was at home . . . and I was, I was home among Friends.

 



Talent Show
Singing in English & Irish
Ireland Yearly Meeting

 

Do you attend your Yearly Meeting sessions? Or, do you just attend Meeting for Worship on Sunday? If you don’t attended, what prevents you from going? Have you ever attended/participated in another Yearly Meeting? Why did you go? Did you go because of a specific concern? Or to make a presentation?

 



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 And on to my choices for "Y" recipes! Yes, more family recipes for you - first Yorkshire Pudding - one of my all-time favorites! The second best part of this one is the seeing the big bubble as it's baking in the oven . . . and then seeing it flop after it's come out. I know that this is in my mom's recipe box, but I copied it from the recipe card I found in my Grandma Meller's recipe box, her mother, and added Grandma's notes. I’ve also included (Rich) Yellow Cake and Luxury Chocolate Frosting – I know this doesn’t begin with a ‘y’ but chocolate frosting on a yellow cake is awesome!

 

Yorkshire Pudding

Grandma Meller’s Recipe Box

Marked as “Pam’s – very good”

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup meat drippings

 

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Beat eggs well and beat in milk. Add to flour and beat until smooth.

 

Pour ½ cup meat drippings into 9x9 inch baking pan (metal). Heat in oven till hot. Add batter and bake in hot (400 F) oven for 30 minutes.

 

Cut into squares and serve.

 

It rises very high in a bubble.

 

Pudding should puff and become crusty. Serve with gravy made from dripping left in pan.

 

Serve with Rolled Rib Roast: select a boned & rolled rib roast. Season with salt & pepper. Place fat side up on rack in open roasting pan. If roast does not have a generous amount of fat covering, place suet or salt port over top. Do not cover & do not add water. Roast @350 F allowing 28-30 minutes per pound for rare, 32-35 minutes for medium and 37-40 minutes for well-done roast.

 

(Rich) Yellow Cake

3 cups cake flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup Crisco shortening

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

 

Grease 9x13x2 inch baking dish and line bottom with waxed paper (you only need the waxed paper if you’re going to remove the cake from the pan before frosting). Sift flour and measure; ad baking powder and salt; sift again. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually and continue to cream until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour in four portions alternating with milk. Beat only enough to make smooth after each addition. Pour into pan; spread evenly.

 

Bake at 350°F (glass or 375°F metal pan) for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on cake rack 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan, peel off paper; cool on rack.

 

This recipe is easily halved. Bake in an 8 inch square metal pan at 350°F.

 

Luxury Chocolate Frosting

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate piece

½ cup butter or margarine

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3 large eggs, unbeaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Melt semi-sweet chocolate pieces over hot water; cool completely at room temperatures. Cream butter or margarine; gradually add sifted confectioners’ sugar. Add unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating with rotary beater. Blend in vanilla and cooled chocolate; beat until smooth. Decorate cake with Brazil nut slivers.