"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.

 

 

 

 

"U" is for Ukulele . . .

"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

"U" is for Ukulele . . . now give me a chance here before you all think I've gone a bit off my rocker here.



My Ukulele

One of my Scouting Friends posted on Friends Committee on Scouting's Facebook page, back in February, that she had started a 'Quaker Ukulele Collective' at her Meeting for the Tweens and Teens Group. Now doesn't that sound like loads of fun???? I thought so! Part of what she posted was a flier, as they were seeking more Ukuleles so that there would be enough for each of the tween/teens to take home to practice on during the week. I so wanted one!!!

I went back and found her original post for some of the details: they meet on Sunday's or First Day, eat donuts, talk about Quakerly topics (queries & testimonies) and about life. The tweens & teens are teaching themselves to play . . . and the adults or "Friendly Adult Visitors" are there as a resource that the tweens & teens can choose to engage with (or not). There are no "teachers" - just ukuleles, a stack of songbooks and a few pictures showing the cords. I liked the one comment "Learning is experiential, with the tweens & teens figuring out cords, trying out different ways to strum, and teaching one another new skills as they figure them out themselves."

OK, seriously now . . . I was sold, I so wanted to get myself a Ukulele and learn to play! I've NEVER played a stringed instrument before - spent a couple of years (in Elementary School) learning to play the piano - I enjoyed it, but my teacher was a High School student and not so good; in 4th or 5th grade we played recorders in music class; in college I was a member of the 'Johnson Complex Marching Kazoo Band' yep,  I played the Kazoo for four years  . . . and I still have that Kazoo - I won't tell you how long ago that was; and I've been a member of the Mooresville Friends Meetings Bell Choir, also referred to as the 'Ding-A-Lings' for about four years now. So, I can read music  . . .

While I was thinking about buying a Ukulele my thought was that maybe I'd be able to play some short little song during the talent show up at Quaker Haven Camp when I was up at Adventure Camp, the week of July 6th. BUT could I teach myself how to play something that would be appropriate in time??

So in early May I just couldn't resist any longer . . . I broke down and went online and purchased a Ukulele! It arrived on my front porch a few days later. I decided to order a 'kit' that included the soprano Ukulele, a gig bag and a tuner. I was all set to go!

I figured out how to use the tuner, to tune it, really quickly and spent the first few days trying to figure out some of the cords and this has been the hardest part for me - my fingers just don't want to get in those twisted configurations! Once I had played around with it for a few days I started to look for some music. I had looked at one of the music stores, but I didn't find any books that I 'liked' enough songs in or that had enough songs in it that I thought I'd be able to play, so I became a bit discouraged. Then I was told that I could find lots of free sheet music for Ukulele's online . . . so I went searching, and it was true! I've downloaded way too many songs, most of which I've found that I can't get my fingers to do the chords, yet. And yes, there were a couple that I would consider playing up at Quaker Haven, in front of the 5th & 6th grade campers.

I practiced, and practiced, and practiced . . . the fingertips of my middle three fingers on my left hand became really sore and I became discouraged when they were so sore that I couldn't practice. I was getting pretty good with one song, so I added a second song in . . . just a couple of weeks before camp! YIKES!!!!!!! What was I thinking?????

I took my Ukulele and music up to camp with me and spent a bit of time practicing in my cabin, during 'Free Time' when my campers were out and about in camp. Tuesday afternoon I got caught by a couple of girls when they came back to the cabin. They sat down and encouraged me to continue practicing a bit longer. They asked if I was going to play in the Talent Show Wednesday night, and I said I was thinking about it . . . they said "Do it!" So, I signed up. How could I resist that???

Wednesday night the eight girls in my cabin and our CIT (Counselor In Training) did a really cute skit that they had made up and practiced. And I got my turn to show off my new talent, too. After I had been introduced I told them that I was "Coming out of the closet." There were a lot of strange looks and gasps . . . then I explained that this was the first time I had played my Ukulele in front of anyone, except for a couple of the girls in my cabin that caught me trying to practice. Laughter rang throughout the Chapel!

 

I played the two songs I had been practicing . . . "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art." Being as both of these are really short, I played them each twice. They applauded and my girls cheered for me! I was glad that I had been able to get through both songs without making any mistakes.



A 'selfie'

My next performance . . . well, it was exactly two months later and believe it or not . . . it was also in the Chapel up at Quaker Haven Camp! This time the Talent Show during the USFW (United Society of Friends Women) Fall Retreat. I had figured out how to play several other songs by then, but just before I went up to play I felt strongly lead to play "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art," again . . . so I did.

 

I now have at least nine different chords that I can play, which allows me to play about fifteen or so short songs. I haven't played in any more Talent Shows since last month, although I have been asked to play something at one of our Weekday Religious Education Board Meetings. Hummmmm, maybe I could take it an play a couple of the songs I know while riding on the WRE (Weekday Religious Education) float tomorrow afternoon in the Fall Foliage Festival Parade . . .

 

Kim - see you at FCS (Friends Committee on Scouting) Annual Meeting in March 2015 . . . Ukulele in hand!

 

So . . . does this mean I've joined music ministry now????

 





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Recipes for "U" are not so easy to come by . . . so Upside Down Cake comes your way with a couple of variations for those that might not care for pineapple. The second one is a variation on one of my favorite cakes, Sugar Cream Cake, but the variation has a name that begins with the letter "U" Ugly Cake!

Upside Down Cake

3 Tablespoons margarine

3 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple

1 small box yellow cake mix (Jiffy - single layer size)

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease 9 inch round cake tin.

Melt margarine and brown sugar in pan, add pineapple. Cover with cake mix.

Bake 45 minutes. Let stand 1 minute upside down to drain before removing pan.

Variation: use peaches or cherries instead of pineapple.

Ugly Cake

(also known as 'Sugar Cream Cake')

1 box yellow cake mix + ingredients needed to make cake

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup margarine
1 pound powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Grease 9x13 inch  glass baking dish (no flour).
 
Mix cake mix according to package directions. Pour into greased baking dish.

Mix cream cheese, margarine and powdered sugar together. Spoon over cake batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Turn out while hot and spread scrapings over cake.

Original Sugar Cream Cake - Mix cake mix with 1/2 cup melted margarine and 2 large eggs together well. Press in bottom of greased baking dish. Mix cream cheese, 2 large eggs and powdered sugar together until smooth. Pour over bottom layer. Bake at 325˚ F for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

This is super rich, but extremely yummy!!!