Access to Monkstown

Plans for modifying the access to Monkstown Meeting House are currently on display in the foyer. There are two proposed changes:

1.) to make a permanent ramp up to the front door. This would replace our current system of temporary wooden ramps with something rather more attractive and permanent. The suggested plan looks like this, with the ramp rising in two stages against the left hand side of the porch.

And here's an impression of what the completed ramp would look like, with a toughened glass screen running along its outside edge. The ramp and new steps would be made from anti-slip white concrete with stainless steel railings.

2) to add a sign over the door so people will know what the building is actually used for, (and perhaps feel interested enough to come and visit us?). The planned sign consists of 200mm high stainless steel lettering which would lit 'warmly but not excessively' by new lighting which will be provided for the whole new ramp and stairs entrance.

20.06.10. Monthly Meeting Report

We don't have too many details about the latest Monthly Meeting, attendance was low and much of the meeting was taken up by the day-to-day business of nominations and applications for membership.

We did hear one illuminating story relating to nine-year-old Anna, a member of Churchtown Meeting. Anna applied for membership at the same time that her classmates began preparations for making their first communions. That sounded like a good way for everyone in the class to feel included in a significant rite of passage, and maybe in sharing their different experiences it will help to broaden the future spiritual lives of all.

The Meeting received a draft letter from the Peace Committee addressed to the Minster for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, requesting that he continue his endeavours to have the building material from the 'Rachel Corrie', (the ship recently involved in an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza's ports), transported to Gaza, where it is desperately needed. The material is currently impounded by Israel in Ashdod.

The letter also asked the Minister to seek Israel’s recognition and implementation of the international definition of humanitarian relief, rather than the limited definition which Israel has currently chosen to adopt.

The meeting approved the letter, with a few ammendments, and this will now be forwarded to the Minister on behalf of Monthly Meeting.

Meeting for Worship 20.06.10.

Today's reading:
20.06.10 1 Samuel, 3: 1-20; The Lord calls Samuel
1sa:3:1: And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; [there was] no open vision.
2: And it came to pass at that time, when Eli [was] laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, [that] he could not see;
3: And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down [to sleep];
4: That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here [am] I.
5: And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6: And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7: Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9: Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10: And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11: And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12: In that day I will perform against Eli all [things] which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13: For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14: And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15: And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
16: Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here [am] I.
17: And he said, What [is] the thing that [the LORD] hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide [any] thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
18: And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
19: And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20: And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel [was] established [to be] a prophet of the LORD.

Apart from our scheduled reading today, we also heard a piece of writing called 'The Cathar Creed' - several people were interested in studying this text further, so I'm adding it to today's update:

The Cathar Creed
It has no membership, save those who know they belong.
It has no rivals because it is non competitive.
It has no ambition - it seeks only to serve.
It knows no boundaries, for nationalisms are unloving.
It is not of itself because it seeks to enrich all groups and religions.
It acknowledges all great teachers of all the ages who have shown the truth of love.
Those who participate, practice the truth of love in all their being.
There is no walk of life or nationality that is a barrier.
Those who are, know.
It seeks not to teach, but to be, and by being, enriched.
It recognizes that the way we are may be the way of those around us because we are that way.
It recognizes the whole planet as a being of which we are a part.
It recognizes that the time has come for the supreme transmutation, the ultimate alchemical act of conscious change of the ego in to a voluntary return to the whole.
It does not proclaim itself with a loud voice, but in the subtle realms of loving.
It salutes all those in the past who have blazoned the path, but have paid the price.
It admits no hierarchy or structure, for no one is greater than another.
Its members shall know each other by their deeds and being, and by their eyes and by no other outward sign, save the fraternal embrace.
Each one will dedicate their life to the silent loving of their neighbour and environment, and the planet, will carry out their task, however exalted or humble.
It recognizes the supremacy of the great idea, which may only be accomplished if the human race practices the supremacy of love.
It has no reward to offer, either here or in the hereafter, save that of the ineffable joy of being and loving.
Each shall seek to advance the cause of understanding, doing good by stealth and teaching only by example.
They shall heal their neighbour, their community, our planet and living beings in whatever form they take.
They shall know no fear and feel no shame and their witness shall prevail over all odds.
It has no secret, no arcanum, no initiation, save that of true understanding of the power of love and that, if we want it to be so, the world will change, but only if we change.
All who belong, belong; they belong to the Church of Love.

Next Week's reading:
Sr Stanislaus Kennedy: Now is the Time

Much of our capacity to heal another depends on our state of mind. Being able to listen is one of the greatest gifts that we can offer another. To listen and hear, we have to be aware of the chattering that goes on in our heads, judging, thinking, evaluating, leaping in, taking things personally, being bored, being distracted, reacting – these are all part of everybody’s life. Sometimes we are so scattered that we are not even aware that we are not present, that we are using our minds to try and solve some other problem, that we are only half listening.

CHALLENGING THE GAZA BLOCKADE

On Sunday 13th June Churchtown Friend hosted a fascinating talk, "CHALLENGING THE GAZA BLOCKADE - DENIS HALLIDAY SPEAKS FROM HIS EXPERIENCE" which was attended by an audience of nearly 80, including Friends, and representatives of the Jewish and Islamic communities. The Dublin Monthly Meeting Peace Committee recorded Denis' talk and hope to have the transcription available for all those who are interested shortly - we'll post a link to it here when it is published online.

Mapping the Pathway for Inter-Faith Dialogue/Chakra Study

Friends might be interested in the following lecture and study programmes held at The Lantern Centre:

Mapping the Pathway for Inter-Faith Dialogue - Contours of the journey towards deeper faith encounter
Third Lecture
Thursday June 17th 2010
7.30 p.m. in the Lantern Centre, Synge Street.
“The Universe Story – A New Cosmology”  - Anthony Mark McDonnell
All cultures and religious traditions are situated in the context of an overarching cosmology. Any meaningful cosmology endeavours to provide answers to the fundamental questions about life that people inevitably ask, questions such as:
    Where has our Universe come from?
    Did the Universe have a beginning or was it always there?
    Where has life come from?
    Where have humans being come from?
    Where is the Universe headed for?
The third lecture in the series will present the story of the New Cosmology, the cosmology emerging from the discoveries of modern science. This story will reveal the underlying unity in all of creation. We are all derived from star dust; we are all descendents from the same primeval life form that first emerged upon the Earth.
“The natural world is both the primary source of religious understanding and the primary religious community.”
Evening Thoughts: Thomas Berry

 -ALSO-

EXPLORING THE 7 CHAKRA ENERGIES

Presented by Senan D’Souza
Through inputs using printed handouts and audio-visual recordings,personal reflection questions and journaling, simple tai chi movements,meditational exercises with chakra chants and colours.
At the Lantern Centre Tuesdays at 7:30 pm
     June 15th Overview – the 7 energy centers
     June 22nd 1st Chakra- Root Chakra of Family
     June 29th 2nd Chakra- Sexual Chakra of Relating
     July 06th 3rd Chakra- Gut Chakra of Identity
     July 13th 4th Chakra- Heart Chakra of Feeling
     July 20th 5th Chakra- Throat Chakra of Speaking
     July 27th 6th Chakra- Mind Chakra of Intelligence
     Aug 03rd 7th Chakra- Crown Chakra of Faith

Historical Lecture 2010

At 8.00 pm on Thursday 17th June Michael Ahern will speak on
The Quakers of County Tipperary
At Quaker House Dublin.
The Library will be open from 7.30 onwards.
For details of how to get to Quaker house, please click HERE.

Meeting for Worship 13.06.10

Today's reading:
Love - by George Herbert

Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.
“A guest,” I answer’d, “worthy to be here:”
Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.”
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
“Who made the eyes but I?”
“Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not,” says Love, “Who bore the blame?”
“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down,” says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat.

Today's collection was on behalf of Irish Quaker Faith in Action (IQFA) - In the introduction to this cause I wanted to emphasize that IQFA is not just an opportunity to fund a range of worthwhile concerns, it is also an opportunity to bring our concerns towards a potential source of funding. Here are some details of concerns which have already been helped by IQFA:

HAITI: The start of the rainy season is likely to bring the danger of disease and a fresh wave of misery to those made homeless by the earthquake in Haiti. Several groups of Friends have sent shipments of tents in containers and the American Friends Service Committee has funded enough plastic sheeting to provide emergency shelter for at least 1,300 families and for those involved in the feeding programmes implemented by Swiss Interchurch Aid, AFSC’s main partner in this particular crisis.

AFSC senior staff Geri Sicola and Jorge Lafitte made an assessment visit to Haiti soon after the earthquake, as did Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region Area Superintendent Wayne Evans and Anthony Bruno of the pastoral staff of Morningside Friends Church, Florida (a Haitian congregation.) Volunteers who want to help in practical ways should register via CauseUp. Masonry and medical skills are particularly needed. It has also been reported that up to 90% of the country’s schools were destroyed

Community Work aided by IQFA
Community Mediation Works was established in July 2002 to deliver a non-profit Community Mediation Service to people in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, County Dublin and Bray, County Wicklow areas. The unemployed, low income or marginalized groups (elderly, disabled, or the Travelling Community). Community Mediation and Community Restorative Justice are practical responses to conflict, low-level crime and anti social behaviour. local volunteers engage with and working through the issues causing the conflict or difficulty. Mediation is seen to be an important response where ongoing relationships are important.

IQFA Projects Assisted in 2009
Childrens Centre (South Africa) €2,000.
Debt and Development Coalition (Ireland) €300.
Adapt Social Housing (Limerick), €2,000.00.
Travel Expenses (Mlu Dwili, South Africa) €372.
Quaker Council for European Affairs (Belgium) €5,000.
Quaker Womens Development (Uganda) €7,518.
Relebohile Day Centre (South Africa) €5,144.
Restorative Justice Programme (Ireland) €3,000.
Irish Medical Aid (Palestine) €5,000.
St. Raphael’s School (Zambia) €500.
Alternatives to Violence Programme (Democratic Republic of Congo), €4,494.
kfm Productions (Ireland) €1,000.
Quaker Eco-Committee (Ireland) €1,000.
Sohagpur Girls School (India) €1,306.
‘Why Violence’ Campaign (Ireland), €2,500.
Christian Aid (Haiti) €4,500.
La Source School (Madagascar) €1,586.
Jonathan Morton(Mexico) €833.
Quaker Bolivian Link (Bolivia) €188.
Flood damage (Philippines) €1,017.
Food Aid (Zimbabwe) €2,024.

Next week's reading:
20.06.10 1 Samuel, 3: 1-20; The Lord calls Samuel

1sa:3:1: And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; [there was] no open vision.
2: And it came to pass at that time, when Eli [was] laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, [that] he could not see;
3: And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down [to sleep];
4: That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here [am] I.
5: And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6: And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7: Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9: Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10: And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11: And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12: In that day I will perform against Eli all [things] which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13: For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14: And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15: And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
16: Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here [am] I.
17: And he said, What [is] the thing that [the LORD] hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide [any] thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
18: And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
19: And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20: And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel [was] established [to be] a prophet of the LORD.

Meeting for Worship 6.06.2010

Today's reading:

First Query for Serious Consideration: Are you convinced of the reality of God and do you respond to His Spirit at work within you? Have you individually, through repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, experienced true conversion of heart? Do you depend on the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit and do you show this by your devotion to God and by your love to all people?


NOTICES:

Fundraising: During today's Meeting we were informed of the results of three recent fundraising efforts, these were:

The Hungry Lunch in aid of GOAL: €530.00

 

 (for more information on GOAL's work, click HERE.)

Ramallah Friends Schools Project: €336.00

(for more information, click HERE)




The Elderly Friends Bursary Fund: €240.00


Last week newer friends and attenders were asked to provide examples of the sorts of questions they had when arriving for their first meeting. The Elders had a great response to this appeal with many useful examples, and would like to convey their thanks to everyone who contributed.

Next Week's Reading:
Love - by George Herbert
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.
“A guest,” I answer’d, “worthy to be here:”
Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.”
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
“Who made the eyes but I?”
“Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not,” says Love, “Who bore the blame?”
“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down,” says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat.