'M' is for Mission Statement . . .

"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

 

‘M’ is for Mission Statement . . . I had been working on three totally different ideas for my “M” post when a fourth idea came to me during Meeting for Worship while visiting another Meeting recently when a member of that Meeting got up and spoke. This Friend talked about the need of having a Mission Statement. I got a scrap of paper out of my pocket and made a couple of quick notes for later as it hit me that this might be a better option for my “M” blog post. So here goes . . .

 

Most, if not all, businesses and organizations have a mission or purpose statement. That is a statement that lets others (the public) know who they are and what their purpose is in a nutshell, or brief statement, if you will. The mission/purpose statement will appear on printed materials, websites and the like. A mission or purpose statement can, and should be used, by a business or organization to keep themselves in check – something that they can refer to, as needed, to make sure they ARE doing what they say they will.

 

As the Clerk of Friends Committee on Scouting I’ve been asked several times over the years what our mission statement is. During our Annual Meeting in March of 2012 we reviewed and updated our committees’ Bylaws and while doing so renamed it Operations and Procedures. This included updating our Purpose Statement, which now reads:

 

Friends Committee on Scouting serves to encourage and promote the faith, history, and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) through religious education programs for Quaker Scouts/Guides and other similar youth organizations. It does this through the development and promotion of:

 

·     Quaker Religious Awards for young Friends involved with Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts USA, Camp Fire USA, and other applicable American youth organizations, as the Committee may determine.

 

·     The Quaker Religion in Life Award for young Friends involved with Girl Guides of Canada and Scouts Canada.

 

·     Quaker resource material for faith-related badges for youth members of other Scout and Guide organizations throughout the world.

  

FCS also seeks to:

 

·     Inform Friends about Quaker Scouting/Guiding.
 

·     Represent the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) to the various national and international Scout/Guide organizations throughout the world.
 

·    Serve as a networking opportunity for Friends involved in Quaker Scouting/Guiding Recognize adult volunteers with the various national Scout/Guide organizations throughout the world with the “Friends Emblem”.

 



A little closer look . . .

There are three more Quaker Mission/Purpose Statements that are part of my Quaker faith that I will also share here:

First from my Meeting, Mooresville Friends Mission Statement, as found on our monthly newsletter:

 

“Our Mission:  As members of the Religious Society of Friends, we believe that Jesus Christ can speak to the conditions of all people.  Mooresville Friends Church seeks to become a place of renewal, healing, comfort, and love in the community.   We exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, by reaching out and sharing the love of Christ with the wider community, equipping Christians to minister as members of God’s Kingdom, and encouraging Christians to live a victorious, spirit-filled life.”

 

Second from my Yearly Meeting, Western Yearly Meeting of the Friends Church Purpose Statement:

 

“Seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Western Yearly Meeting equips Friends Meetings in the Gospel of Jesus Christ by exercising mutual care and extending cooperative ministries. Through various expressions of our Christian faith, we strive to inspire ministry and the release of gifts of leadership.”

 

And Third from Western Yearly Meeting Outreach Board, of which I am a member, I found the following mission/purposes listed in the 2016 Resource & Minute Book:

 

“This Board has two main duties. The first is to promote outreach projects throughout the yearly meeting. The second is to be good stewards of the assets we receive from our trust fund distributions.”

 

The Friend who spoke in Meeting for Worship went further than having a Mission/Purpose Statement for the corporate group and talked about having a Personal Mission Statement. An interesting thought to ponder.

 

We all have a mission in our lives, a purpose if you will, but I’m wondering how many of us, Friends or not, have ever sat down and really thought about what our mission or purpose in life is. How many of us have sat down, like a business or organization and put that mission or purpose down in writing? Sad to say that I’ve not done that . . . something to consider doing.

 

A Squirrel!

This last Wednesday when we returned to the Meeting House after lunch to continue sewing and quilting I looked up and saw something on the top of the Meeting House. What was it? We had recently had the roof replace, could the high winds have knocked some shingles loose? Looking a bit longer I realized that it was a squirrel! OK, not uncommon for squirrels to be up on the roof, but this one didn't appear to be moving. Was he/she stuck? Scarred? I had plenty of time to go into the Friendship House across the parking lot to grab my camera and take quite a few pictures. An hour or so later when I looked out the window this little squirrel was gone. But as I got ready to publish this post I was looking for pictures, and these came to my mind as they seemed to fit. As I said above, we all have a mission in our lives . . . so did/does this squirrel! If nothing more than to make us pause for a bit Wednesday to wonder 'What is that up there?' and then to wonder 'Is he/she stuck/scared?'

 

Think about it. What is your mission or purpose in life? Is it to make others pause for a bit and wonder 'What's up?' OR 'Am I stuck/scared?'  God knows what it is, but do you?

 

Writing this has reminded me of a song that we taught the students in Weekday Religious Education classes (third and fourth graders) “God Has a Plan”:

 

“God has a plan for you and me:

Only He knows what we can be

Follow His teachings and learn to trust

God has a plan for us.”



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2012 'Monkey

Wench' block

‘M’ is for Monkey Wrench . . . same name – different look. Monkey Wrench is another one of those quilt blocks that isn’t just one block – that is our quilting group at Mooresville Friends Meeting has made Monkey Wrench quilt blocks twice but they have totally different looks to them.



2016 'Monkey
Wrench' block

Monkey Wrench is one of the quilt blocks that is said to have been used in quilts used along the Underground Railroad here in the United States. Either alone or in a quilt with blocks of many patterns, it was a sign to the slaves to gather the tools they would need for their journey to freedom. Tools that could be used to build shelters, help determine direction, used as weapons to defend themselves (such as a Monkey Wrench), etc.


Who would have thought that I could talk about squirrels and monkeys in the same blog post and have it make some sense????



 

 

 

 

'E' is for Equality . . .

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

 

‘E’ is for Equality . . . a Quaker belief that all people are equal in the eyes of God. That no one person is above anyone else – no one is better than anyone else. Among Friends everyone has an equal voice or say in the decision making process. Friends believe that we’ve all been created equal by God and that there is ‘that of God in everyone.’

Friends don't tend to use ‘titles,' such as Mr., Mrs. and such when addressing one another – Friends address everyone by their first name or first & last name only. I’ve even known Friends to just address another simply as ‘Friend.’ I found that this was based on their understanding that there is no hierarchy, based on one’s standing – whether that is age, position or wealth. I expect that my parents and grandparents are all rolling over in their graves over this - they brought me up to respect my elders. Imagine the fits they're having over my children and granddaughter calling everyone by their first names!

There are other ways that Friends expressed their belief in equality, one is  ‘hat honor,’ the practice of taking one’s hat off or bowing to another person. This particular practice isn’t practiced now like it once was.

Men & women are equals – both can be found in various ministry roles among Friends. Friends played important roles in the anti-slavery movement, many freeing their slaves and supporting the ‘Underground Railroad’ – becoming conductors and turning their homes in to ‘safe houses.’ Friends worked for prison reform, and are still very active in this ministry. Treating all people equally and with dignity – regardless of race, gender, age, orientation, religion, job or rank, etc.. I suppose that one could, in some cases, substitute the word inclusive in place of equality.

What other ways do Friends practice equality? Is it easy? Are there other ways that that we can practice equality as Friends? As individuals? As a Meeting?

 

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‘E’ is for Echo quilting and Embroidery . . . a couple of different quilting ideas to share with you in this post – echo quilting and embroidery. Both can be used to actually ‘quilt’ the quilt, hold the layers together, and both add some ‘decoration’ to the finished quilt.

Echo quilting is when your quilting lines follow the shape of the applique or design. It can be done with a regular presser foot, a free motion foot or a walking foot – this depends on what you’re quilting and personal preference. Echo quilting can be done any distance from the design – from 1/4–inch to 1-inch distance, the distance would be depend on the design you’re quilting around and the look you’re wanting to achieve. It’s like the ripple effect when you toss a pebble into a pond or lake.



'Echo' quilting

The example I have is a pillow that I helped my youngest daughter make this last Christmas as a gift. She sent me a picture that she found online and asked me to help her make it. I created the pattern, grabbed fabrics from my stash for her to choose from and helped guide her in piecing it. The echo quilting just sorta happened - the photo she sent me was quilted with 'stippling,' which I haven't done. To keep the stitching as straight as possible, I marked stitching lines with a disappearing marker on the fabric. The echo quilting is done around the tree. She picked a simple wave stitch to do the quilting.



'Crazy Quilt' stitching

And then there are quilts that contain embroidery like the Crazy Quilts I talked about in my ‘C’ post. Back when I was in college I purchased a package of quilt squares to embroider with some animals on it – the plan was to embroider them and sew them together to make a baby quilt for one of the girls on my floor that was pregnant, I didn’t get it done in time for her but I did finish it and was able to dig it out and use it with all four of my kids several years later. Disappointed that I couldn’t find it to share with you all here . . . my first quilt.

Embroidery can be a part of quilting stitches or designs stitched in the blocks OR the embroidery can be the quilt. It can be done by machine or by hand. I have a couple more ‘quilts’ to share with you that are embroidered . . . actually they are quilt patterns that I have done in ‘counted cross-stitch.’ I have a counted cross-stitch computer program now that creates the patterns for me - from a photo if need be.



'Wedding Ring' quilt
in Counted
Cross Stitch

The first embroidered quilt I made was a Wedding Ring and I believe I made that for one  my cousins. I had a pattern that was two rings by two rings and was for used on the front of a wedding photo album. I liked it, but it was way too small for what I wanted. So, I made several copies of the chart cut a few of those up and taped them together until I had created a new pattern that was big enough. I then decided to add a border to it and some ‘binding’ to create the illusion of a quilt. The finished cross-stitched quilt is then matted and framed. I made quite a few of these over the years, choosing floss to match the wedding colors. One was black, grey and white with red binding and another was peach, mint green and white. The one I have here was done with dark orange spice, light tangerine, very dark avocado green and ultra-dark coffee brown with dark garnet for the binding. This ended up being one of those 'addictions,' that is the first one was so much fun and turned out so well that I made quite a few of them as wedding gifts for family members.



'Single Irish Chain'
quilt in Counted
Cross Stitch

Second is an Irish Chain quilt pattern that I did using pastel variegated and white embroidery floss. A Single Irish Chain quilt is made up of alternating Nine-Patch blocks solid blocks. I experimented a bit using the variegated floss instead of a solid color when I made this one. Stitching a row of white and two rows of variegated around the edge is like putting borders on a fabric quilt.



'B' is for Bibles . . .

"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 



Meetingroom

‘B’ is for Bibles  . . . As a Third Grade I received a King James Bible from my Church, Zion United Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana. I still have that Bible . . . or should I say Bibles – the original with my name spelled wrong and the replacement with my name spelled correctly, my mom noticed the misspelling and made me go ask Pastor Brueseke for a new one with my name spelled right, which he did. Several years later one of the Sunday School teachers handed me my Bible . . . the one with my name misspelled and insisted I take it, I was taught to obey my elders, so I did.

 

I went to Church camp for four years; I'm thinking it was like 5^th-8^th grade. One year at Junior High camp, one of my counselors had a Good News for Modern Man Bible and shortly after I got home from camp I purchased one. Can't explain why, at the time I suppose that it was the wording of the scriptures we were reading that just made more sense to me.



Adult Sunday
School Bibles

During my four years at Ball State University I acquired quite a few Gideon New Testaments walking across the Quad – the Gideon’s won’t let you get past them without taking one of their Testaments, even when you tell them you already have a Bible in your room or that they have already given you 3 or 4 Testaments that day. Over the years I’ve also purchased several more Bibles for myself, including a King James and New International Version.



Bibles are also in abundance at Mooresville Friends Meeting. There’s a Bible on the table in the front of the Meetingroom, opened to Psalms 33:12-35:25, not sure that there’s any significance to any scripture here or not. We have NIV Bibles in the pews, a mix of regular and large print, along with our hymnals and a selection of Bibles in our Library. The bookshelf in our adult Sunday School classroom has an assortment of Bibles including King James, New International, American Standard, The Living Bible, The Children’s Living Bible, and a variety of Devotional Bibles. A variety of Children’s Bibles can be found in the Noah’s Ark Sunday School classroom and even more Children & Teen Bibles in the basement where we have our Kid’s Club program.



Some of the Bibles
for older youth

Our Christian Education Committee has given Bibles to our Young Friends for years, traditionally at the end of Third Grade, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific age or time now. As a member of CE, I remember buying Bibles, usually New International versions, but the last several years I’ve noticed that they’ve been giving various Children’s Bibles. Bibles have also been given to many of the youth who attend our Wednesday evening Kid’s Club program, when one asks for one or a need is seen by one of our adults.

 

During a Christian Education Committee meeting, about 14 years ago, we talked about gifts for our youth members that would be given to them at our Salad Supper – a pitch-in dinner held before Christmas. After I volunteered to go out and purchase the gifts, another member of the committee said that whatever the gift was, it had to tell the real story of Christmas AND it had to be the exact same thing for ALL the children. WOW, what did I just get myself into???

 

Not coming up with any ideas, I went up to the Christian Bookstore. As I entered, a display by the door caught my eye . . . and although it did tell the real story of Christmas, but it just didn’t seem to fit the huge age range I was buying for – from just a few months of age up to like 17 years old! I walked around for quite a while and just wasn’t finding anything that spoke to me. I went back to the table by the front door . . . well, it did tell the real story of Christmas, and there were two colors (black and red) – so for most families it would work, except for mine (I have four children) and the price was right. OK, why not! So I picked-up what I needed plus a few extras – half black and half red.

 

I didn’t tell anyone what I had gotten; I just wrapped them up and took them to the Salad Supper. Before I passed them out to the children, I shared the task that was given to me, the same gift for all the children and it had to tell the real story of Christmas – there were some puzzled looks. I then passed the gifts out to all the children and had them open them at the same time. Amazingly, the Bibles were well received by all. The two youngest children belonged to our Pastor, he and his wife loved the Bibles, and told me later that even though their children were so young, these Bibles would be something that they would have to remember their Church family.

 

Bibles have also been given to several adult members and attenders of the Meeting, some receiving large print Bibles while others received Study Bibles. Some asked, while others received them when a need was seen or heard.

 

Camp Bible

During the Junior Camp Session, at Quaker Haven Camp in June 2009, each of the campers received a paperback Bible Sunday evening, assuring all had a Bible to use during the week for devotion and Chapel time. I found that neither of the Bibles that I had taken to camp were the same version, which made it a bit difficult during cabin devotion time. I asked the Director if there was an extra one that I could use, so that we would all be reading the same version. I was given one, which I still take up to camp every summer, along with at least two or three others – sometimes the different versions come in handy and create some interesting conversations. I just love the funky brown paper bag looking cover on this one.

 

In July 2013 as I was preparing to go on a Pilgrimage with and among Friends, to Ireland/Northern Ireland, I received a small, soft covered Study Bible from my Pastor, after one of our conversations. Interesting as I had been trying to figure out which of my Bibles I would take with me on the Pilgrimage . . . I ended up taking my new Study Bible.

 

One morning during Ireland Yearly Meeting I felt so lost during devotions, I had forgotten to grab my Bible that morning. I noticed several Friends on their phones reading the scriptures and I thought, hey I can get online and pull up the scriptures!

 

So what version/versions of the Bible do you have? Why? If you have more than one version like me, which one is your favorite, OR the one that you use most often? Why? What is it that you like? Do you carry your Bible to Meeting with you? Does your Meeting have Bibles in the pews or on the benches that you can use?

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‘B’ is for Bow Tie. According to Wikipedia “The bow tie is a type of necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops.” Ah, yes, this reminds me of my oldest son, Charles, and the red bow tie that he often wore to Meeting for Worship when he was a toddler. And one week reading all about one of those Sundays in ‘Becky’s Bits,’ a small article in the local Mooresville Times (hometown newspaper) written by a member of our Meeting, in which she talked about sitting behind us during Worship that Sunday morning and Charles’ red bow tie. Oh, wait, that’s not right . . . this part is supposed to be about quilts and quilt patterns.

 

‘B’ is for Bow Tie quilts and quilt blocks. Bow Tie quilts/quilt blocks are believed to have been used along the Underground Railroad here in the United States during the 1840’s and 1850’s. History of the Bow Tie pattern used for the Underground Railroad tells us that it was used to let the runaway slaves know that it was time to change out of their tattered clothing into clothing worn by those of higher status, making it easier to blend in with those around them. I have three samples of the Bow Ties to share with all of you. 



Underground Railroad
Bow Tie Quilt Block

First, I whipped up this version of the Bow Tie pattern, found in Quilt in a Day Underground Railroad Sampler book, by Eleanor Burns & Sue Bouchard, today. This Bow Tie quilt is made up of four equally sized triangles, sewn together in what I know as the Hourglass pattern. According to the book, the four pieces indicated morning, midday, evening and night. This pattern was also known as Broken Dishes and when arranged on a grave site is a superstition among Southern African Americans. Turned on its side the Hourglass pattern can be seen – symbolizing time well managed, implying that one was among friends. Hummmm, one pattern, three different names . . . Bow Tie, Hourglass and Broken Dishes.



I purchased the Quilt in a Day book, in the fall of 2007, planning to make a small Underground Railroad quilt to use during Girl Scout Day Camp in June of 2008 – we were going with an Underground Railroad theme for our session and I thought we could work something like this into our decorations. This book was perfect, as it had some history of the Underground Railroad and each of the quilt blocks. I purchased fabrics to use for this project, but never got it started.





Aunt Sylvia's
Bow Tie Quilt

Second, a tattered antique Bow Tie quilt that was found in my husbands' Great Aunt Sylvia’s house after she died in October 2010, two months shy of 102 years of age. I don’t remember if it was known that Aunt Sylvia made this quilt, or if it had been made by her sister Beryl (my mother-in-laws mother) or their mother. I’m not sure the photo shows it very well, but this quilt is very well worn . . . VERY WELL LOVED. Notice that one end had been covered, on both sides, with a piece of light blue fabric – an attempt to add a few more years of life to this beloved quilt.

 

After finding this Bow Tie quilt my mother-in-law talked about making my two daughters each a vest from this quilt, but she couldn’t find enough ‘good fabric’ to cut just two front panels to make one vest for the girls to share. It was tossed on the floor in the family room and my son’s little dog, Harley, found it a nice place to curl up and take a nap. Next thing I knew, a few days later it was out in the garage - in the trash.

 

Aunt Sylvia's
Bow Tie Quilt
Close -up

Something told me that I couldn’t let that happen, so I rescued this old quilt from the trash and took it home with me. An early thought, which I’m still hoping to turn into a reality, was to make some angel ornaments out of it as keepsakes . . . I’ve got the vision in my head, but just haven’t been able to find the right design/pattern to use. Last fall, I had a thought of framing pieces of the quilt as keepsakes, haven’t gotten that done yet either. Maybe now, that I’ve laid it out and taken pictures of it and shared it here, I can cut those pieces and put them in shadow box frames and I’ll finally find the right angel pattern and can get those made.



Third, is this small (20x20-inch) Bow Tie wall hanging OR table topper, created from Bow Tie blocks I made about two years ago during one of our quilting sessions at my Meeting. One of the fun things we do in our quilting group at my Meeting is to take turns picking out quilt patterns and then teaching each other how to make different quilts OR quilt blocks and sharing techniques to each other. One Friend taught us how to make the Bow Tie block and then showed us how four Bow Tie blocks could be put together to create a wreath.

 

Bow Tie Wreath

Well, I created a wreath and just never finished it, until this last week when I dugout it out along with the fabrics I had used. I cut strips for the border and binding. After attaching the border I cut the batting and unbleached muslin for the backing and made a quilt ‘sandwich’ – (the backing, batting and quilt top together) and simply quilted it by stitching a quarter-inch away from seam lines. I trimmed it down to size and added the binding.

 

After reading about Bow Tie quilts, I looked at the antique quilt from Aunt Sylvia, my wreath and the one shown in my book – and noticed that they were all totally different! Three examples of the same quilt block and representing three different time periods – the first one from the 1840’s – 1850’s, the second around 1930’s and the third made 2012-13. Amazing to see how this block has evolved over the last 170+ years.

 

Interesting that I found another source that said: “The bow-tie arrived in the 1890’s and was also a part of the underground railroad blocks . . .” How interesting, as the Underground Railroad was during the 1840’s to 1850’s. Wondering if the writer of this particular piece (sorry I lost the reference information on this) got her date from one of the variations of this pattern.

 

Do you have a well-worn antique family quilt in your life? Have you ever made a bow tie block or quilt?