Calendar of Events:

Feb. 13            2^nd Hour Discussion: The Peace Testimony

Feb. 20            Miami Quarterly Meeting at Community Friends

Feb. 27            Monthly Meeting for Business

Mar. 6                        Miami Center Quarterly Meeting at TBA

Mar. 13            2^nd Hour Discussion:  Quaker Quest

Additional Information:

• Religious Education needs teachers for the younger age group for March, April and May. Please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board in the meetinghouse.

• A workshop entitled Worship Groups and Other Alternatives to “Traditional Church”: A Conversation about the Revitalization of the Quaker Message in America and facilitated by Brent Bill will be held Jan. 28-29 at Quaker Hill in Richmond, IN. See http://www.qhcc.org/events.html for more information.

• As part of Miami Quarterly Meeting on Feb. 20^th, we will be putting up the middle youth at the meetinghouse on the evening of the 19^th. Contact Henrietta Ballinger if you would like to help with food.

• On Sunday, March 6, 12:30-1:30 pm, Karen Light, Development Associate for the AFSC Great Lakes Regional Office in Chicago, and Migwe Kimemia, Director of the Dayton, OH, AFSC Office, will attend Cincinnati Friends Meeting. They will give us an overview of AFSC and describe their Dayton Immigrant Justice Program. Attenders from other meetings are welcome, and a meal will be provided.

• On July 27-31 2011, the FUM Triennial will meet in Wilmington. There is need for a variety of volunteers including ushers, flower providers, luggage carriers, greeters at the campus and at airports. Also, we need to decide if we would we like to host visitors at our meeting on the Sunday morning. To help, contact Libbie Curry (937-382-4608) or Lois Hachney (937-382-5053). 

• If you have interest and/or input on transforming our field into a “forest garden,” please contact Martha Viehmann.

• OVYM wants to know what you think! Please go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/easterhillsovym/ to take part.

Spiritual Practice - from Eastern Hills Ministry and Counsel

We Eastern Hills Quakers value our time of expectant waiting during Meeting for Worship. We “wait” upon the Spirit for insight and leadings regarding God’s will for us. It is “expectant” because we believe that God will speak to us now just as surely as the Divine Spirit spoke to Abraham or Paul, if only we will listen.

As we listen, we might feel prompted to express vocally what we think we have heard. We are careful to assure ourselves that we have a genuine leading of the Spirit rather than an urge to share our own active thoughts. We are careful to avoid speaking only from personal insight or for personal guidance. George Fox warned us about “notions,” that is, words based on intellectual speculation rather than the Inner Christ.

All of this is an important part of our worship tradition.

But consider another perspective on worship and meditate on what it adds to meetings for worship. Recall that the word “worship” means the feeling or expression of reverence or adoration for a deity; devotion to or praise of God. Our hearty singing at the opening of meeting for worship certainly feels like worship in this sense.

How else might we engage in such worship? Could such worship grow from our expectant waiting? If you don’t already, what would it feel like if you engaged in this sort of worship? What would your vocal ministry be like?