Simply Speaking Jamestown Friends Meeting – 509 Guilford Rd – PO Box 2163 – Jamestown NC 27282

August 2020

Silence. We say that silence is God’s first language, but how does one find silence? The clam-or in today’s society is deafening. The news is al-ways blaring, even when we have the television turned off, because if you are like me, your mind is asking what is going on in the world. And when we are listening to or reading the news there are so many choices, so many stations, so many publications to choose from to obtain the news. When I’m out and about, cars, trucks, and motorcycles come roaring by, many with their favorite music blasting out through their open windows, oftentimes vibrating so that even my vehicle picks up those vibrations. Our lives, our bodies, our spirits need silence. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1) Yes, we long for the silence where we find our God and our Savior. For in times of trouble, in dark times when all hope seems lost, we turn, we race, we pant toward the security of our relationship, our friend-ship with the Living God. I search high and low to find that place, that time where I can quiet my body, my mind, my spirit and be alone with God, to sit in

Light Workers

courage and endurance, to live the life of the spirit, true to the teachings of Jesus and guidance from our tradition. May we all find the time and place where we can still the turmoil, and in silence gather ourselves into the Living God. In the Spirit, Frank Massey pastoral minister 336.454.3813

Proverbs 21:23

[The one] who guards [their] mouth and [their] tongue, Guards [their] soul from troubles. Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/How-Silence-Is-Wise

“The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace.” ~ Proverb

“Silence is sometimes the best answer.” ~ Dalai Lama

Psalm 07282020

In this dark morning hour

I rise early

To meet Thee, my Lord

My Savior in times of trial.

In these dark times

I turn to You

For strength And Light.

You are my fortress

You are my Lighthouse

My refuge

In this dark hour.

Go before me, open the way

Guide my steps

That I may

Survive this dark night.

Music Notes By Beth Massey

The pandemic rages on, and it seems to come closer to home every day! The time when we en-joyed safely singing together in spaces close enough to actually hear one another seem farther and farther in the past. Videos of group singing with live audi-ences interacting with performers bring nostalgia, and apprehension, and grief . . . How long before we can do this again?

For now we must live in the question, in so many questions . . . One wisdom we might glean from this time on Earth is that we don’t know every-thing! In fact, the more we know, the more we learn that we don’t know! When we must make decisions with incomplete information, we realize that part of that decision-making process by necessity relies on processes that are not totally intellectual, and not total-ly emotional. We must integrate our whole being to move forward in faith, trusting that we have done the best we can, and the rest is beyond our control! We must trust that a Higher Power of Love and Light is working in us, and in others, in ways we cannot know. We can only pray and trust.

The reason this is part of a “Music Notes” arti-cle is because singing helps us human beings integrate our whole being—our mind, our body, our emotions, our spirit. This is a very important reason to keep singing through this time of crisis. Especially when the crisis is exacerbating emotions swirling around so many other issues that have been subdued for so long. When we sing together, we improve our own holistic well-being. When we sing together, we im-prove the holistic well-being of our communi-ty. When we sing together, we improve the holistic well-being of our neighbors. When we sing together, we improve our understanding of people and situa-tions different from our own—we improve our ability to empathize. All these are so important to our ability to problem-solve and deal creatively and constructive-ly with new and challenging situations. I encourage you to do an internet search for the “health benefits of singing” and be prepared to get lost in links to TED talks, scientific journals, . . . Rise up and Sing (the writings of Annie Patterson and Peter Blood)* . . . So many reasons to COME SING WITH US! -- not to 509 Guilford Road just yet, but each week to our ZOOM gatherings. Our choir has been enjoying our Wednesday night ZOOM meetings for singing so much that we decided to continue them through the summer. We’ve even decided to share the joy by inviting all our meeting community to join us once a month for mid-week singing.

Financial Statement

Reported by Ronnie Hicks

(Through June 2020)

Contributions/Revenues (actual) $31,302

Contributions/Revenues (budget) $37,302

Expenses (actual) $33,821

Expenses (budget) $34,243

So, on the third Wednesday of August (19th) look in your morning email for an invita-tion to that evening’s choir ZOOM, from 6-7:00 pm. We usually open the ZOOM at 5:45, and close by 7:15 to give time for catch up and follow up with each other. We look forward to increasing our joy as we share an evening of singing with you!

*Remember, hymnals are available for check-out from the meeting house. Just let us know when you want to pick up a set to use at home until we return to singing together in the meeting room.

**Three of the MANY resources available online to learn about the health benefits of singing:

• From Annie Patterson and Peter Blood: https://www.riseupandsing.org/singing/health-benefits

• From the University of Oxford:

“Choir singing improves health, happiness -- and is the perfect icebreaker.”

https://theconversation.com/choir-singing-improves-health-happiness-and-is-the-perfect-icebreaker-47619

• From Lifehack.com: 21 Incredible Benefits of Singing That Will Impress You:

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/21-incredible-benefits-singing-that-will-impress-you.html

Did You Know? By Kathy Adams

During these days of physical isolation, it is chal-

lenging to enjoy travel. However, Mark and Virginia Sills

have found a way! They purchased a small, pop-up camp-

er designed to be pulled by a motorcycle. It is easily

pulled by their car. They have enjoyed a camping trip to a

NC beach and they are currently visiting their daughter in

Michigan. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Chester

and Brenda Haworth enjoyed their annual family vacation

to Kiawah Island, SC. Frank and Beth Massey are plan-

ning a family beach trip in August.

Ron and Pam Hicks were excited to welcome

Lora home from South Africa. Lora returned July 18th

after a 23-hour reparation flight. She had to go through

Frankfurt, Germany and Atlanta., Georgia. She is doing

well, although she’s still a little jet lagged.

We offer our sincere sympathy to Wallace Sills

on the deaths of his aunt Marceil Sills and his brother

Wardell Sills. Please remember to hold Wallace in the

Light. We also offer our sincere sympathy to the family

of Bob Medford who died on July 27, 2020. Bob was a

resident of Friends Homes Guilford. He was proud of his

role in encouraging the establishment of Jamestown

Friends Meeting. Bob was chairperson of the NC Yearly

Meeting Church Extension Committee during that era.

Rudy and Carla Padron have had a difficult few

weeks as both have been battling the symptoms of

COVID-19. Carla spent a week in the hospital while

Rudy stayed at the office to avoid spreading the virus to

other family members. Dee Dee Cortinas took care of the

family in their absence. Let’s continue to hold them in the

Light.

And now you know!

Allow

By Danna Faulds

There is no controlling life.

Try corralling a lightning bolt,

containing a tornado. Dam a

stream and it will create a new

channel. Resist, and the tide

will sweep you off your feet.

Allow, and grace will carry

you to higher ground. The only

safety lies in letting it all in –

the wild and the weak; fear,

fantasies, failures and success.

When loss rips off the doors of

the heart, or sadness veils your

vision with despair, practice

becomes simply bearing the truth.

In the choice to let go of your

known way of being, the whole

world is revealed to your new eyes.

Retrieved from: https://www.oceanrobbins.com/allow-a-poem-by-danna-faulds/

NC Fellowship of Friends

Annual Gathering

NCFF will have its annual gathering on Au-

gust 15 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Zoom. Con-

tact Frank Massey at jamestownfriendsmeet-

ing@gmail.com for more information.

Name That Quaker

By Linda Willard

In 1893, we traded in our horses and buggies for a more modern mode of transportation. Who were we and what was the more modern mode of

transportation?

(Answer on a different page.)

USFW Annual Gathering Offering

Friends Center: Guilford College

Special project (Campus Ministry)

If you would like to contribute, mark your check for

USFW.

Quaker Lake Update

From Heather Varner

This spring, due to COVID-19, Quaker Lake

Camp missed out on the opportunity to hold Spring Camp

or the Flashlight Egg Hunt, plus the camp lost thousands

of dollars in rental revenue from numerous cancelled

events. Summer camp was also cancelled. Quaker Lake is

counting on you and others who love QLC to help sustain

it through this difficult time. Staff have worked hard to

pare down the budget to the minimum needed to maintain

facilities and sustain operations through the end of the

year. Contributions are needed to help minimize the reve-

nue shortfall and ensure there are funds available to pro-

vide ministry opportunities when it is safe to do so.

Gifts can be made by mail (payable to QLC Foun-

dation and mailed to 1503 N.C. Highway 62 East, Climax,

NC 27233) or online at www.quakerlakecamp.org/qlc-

foundation.

You are invited to a

Virtual Baby Shower!

Join us on Zoom for a virtual baby shower for

Olivia Tibbs on Sunday, August 16 at 1:30 PM. Olivia

will be at the meetinghouse to open gifts while Friends

and family watch on Zoom in order to keep Olivia and

little Zayden Takoda Hunter Tibbs safe from the corona-

virus. Look for a Zoom link in your email so that you can

join the virtual shower. Olivia is registered at Target.

Opportunities for Service

Lynne Gray will pick up nonperishable food

items at the meetinghouse on Friday, August 14 by noon.

Please place items in the yellow classroom or in the crate

under the drive-through. Thanks, Lynne, for your faithful

service in helping to keep folks in Guilford County fed!

JFM will prepare a meal for the Open Door Shel-

ter on August 22. If you would like to help, contact Frank

Massey. These items are needed: turkey, roast beef, or

pimiento cheese sandwiches, Cole slaw, green beans,

oatmeal cookies, canned/bottled sodas or water, and

homemade desserts.

August Birthdays

August 1 Seth Huffstetler

August 3 Eliza Huffstetler

August 3 Luke Huffstetler

August 4 Jesse Harris

August 6 Bobby Yount

August 9 Keith Charles

August 9 Linda Willard

August 12 Antonella Padron

August 14 Courtney Hazen

August 17 Heather Harris

August 27 Robbie Patterson

August 31

Simply Speaking is published monthly for

Jamestown Friends Meeting

509 Guilford Road, PO Box 2163

Jamestown NC 27282

Phone: (336) 454 3813

E-mail: jamestownfriendsmeeting@gmail.org

Editor: Kathy Adams; Managing Editor: Wallace Sills

Columnists: Frank Massey, pastor; Beth Massey

According to Susan...Bulla, that is

Points to Ponder...

• Why do we say something is out of whack ? What's a

whack?

• Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

• Why if we are not supposed to have midnight

snacks, is there a light in the refrigerator?

• Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitos?

Answer to “Name That Quaker”

We were Dr. D.A. Stanton and Dr. J.J. Cox. We traded our horses and buggies for bicy-

cles.