Pictures of the church

Here are some pictures of the church we have been looking at for a possible meeting house.

These pictures are of the outside. There is ample parking on the side and in the back.

There is a large worship room. At the front is a small stage area and behind that is a large tub they used for baptisms. The tub is entered through the bathroom on the left.

Down the side hall are 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms.

On the other side of the entry hall is another small room with a solid glass window looking into the worship room.

Minute Concerning War in Israel/Palestine

Informed in part by the experiences of two of our Meeting’s early members, who worked in the region aiding Palestinian refugees in 1947, Port Townsend Friends Meeting has long carried a strong concern for the well-being of Israel/Palestine. We are stricken with horror, grief, and dismay at the recent renewed eruption of violence there.

As Quakers, we believe in religious freedom, human equality, and the total unacceptability of violence as a means of settling conflict. Both the October attack of Hamas upon Israelis and the ongoing response by Israel, which has left tens of thousands dead or wounded and triggered a horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza, are repugnant.

We call for an immediate ceasefire and the prompt release of all hostages and uncharged prisoners on both sides. We demand urgent action to relieve the tremendous suffering that has been created in Gaza with the immediate provision of food, shelter, and medicine. We demand that the United States no longer provide weapons that are used to kill innocent civilians indiscriminately, and support the United Nations’ call for a ceasefire rather than continue to obstruct it.

We further call for the warring parties to embark upon a meaningful dialogue. International powers must use every available resource to support a diplomatic rather than military resolution to the conflict, one which accords equal respect and rights to all.

Approved January 14, 2024

Minute in Support of a Truth and Healing Commission for native Peoples

It is long overdue for the US to acknowledge the historic trauma of the Indian boarding
school era. Port Townsend Monthly Meeting supports the “Truth and Healing
Commission on Indian Boarding School Policy Act” (HR 8420) that was considered by
the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019-2020. Although HR 8420 did not become
law at that time, Senator Elizabeth Warren has recently introduced amended legislation
as Senate Bill 2907. She consulted with the National Native American Boarding School
Healing Coalition for the revisions of the bill.

The bill’s purpose is to set up a Truth and Healing Commission to address the historical
trauma experienced by Native American and Alaska Native children who were forcibly
removed from their homes between 1869 and the 1960’s and placed in Indian Boarding
schools. The children were taught to reject their Native languages, cultures, and
spiritual practices and adopt Euro-American culture. Native Americans continue to
suffer multigenerational trauma caused by this policy of forced assimilation and cultural
genocide. Quakers were among the strongest supporters of the Indian boarding school
policy and operated some 30 Indian schools (some in collaboration with the federal
government) for varying periods of time. Now we must work with tribal nations to
advance congressional efforts to establish a federal commission to formally investigate
boarding school policy and develop recommendations for the government to take further
action. Although the wrongs committed at these institutions can never be made right, we
can start the truth, healing, and reconciliation process for the families and communities
affected as we work to right relationship with tribal nations.

Port Townsend Monthly Meeting urges individual Friends and monthly meetings to
watch for this bill and to urge their congressional representatives to co-sponsor and
support it. PTFM further urges Friends to learn the history of the Quaker Indian schools
and consider ways to support Native-managed healing processes, in our own
communities, and nationally. These programs could include Quaker initiatives such as
Toward Right Relationships with Native Peoples, Decolonizing Quakers, FCNL’s Native
American program, as well as many other programs that support Native peoples,
preserve Native traditions, teach Native languages, recognize the ongoing trauma of
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and prevent youth suicide.

Resources for Further Information and Reflection
1) The website for the National Native American Boarding School Healing
Coalition. https://boardingschoolhealing.org
2) Paula Palmer’s video “The Quaker Boarding Schools: Facing our History and
Ourselves.” https://vimeo.com/192219802/376f2f1ddb
3) Paula Palmer’s article “Quaker Indian Boarding Schools, Facing Our History and
Ourselves,” Friends Journal, October 1, 2016.
https://www.friendsjournal.org/quaker-indian-boarding-schools/
4) Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples
website, https://friendspeaceteams.org/trr
5) HR 8420 link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8420/text
6) Decolonizing Quakers website, www.decolonizingquakers.org
7) Interior Secretary Haaland’s article, “My grandparents were stolen from their families
as children”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/11/deb-haaland-indigenous-boarding-schools/

Advices and Queries Revised 2019 for Port Townsend Friends Meeting

It is not opinion, or speculation, or notions of what is true, or assent to or the subscription of articles and propositions, though never so soundly worded, that …makes a man a true believer or true Christian. But it is a conformity of mind and practice to the will of God, in all holiness of conversation, according to the dictates of this Divine principle of Light and Life in the soul which denotes a person truly a child of God.

William Penn, 1692

FRIENDS BEGAN TO USE QUERIES to ascertain the state of Society only a few years after its founding in England. The first set of such questions to be asked of monthly meetings read as follows: Which Friends in service to the Society, in their respective regions, departed this life since the last Yearly Meeting?
Which Friends, imprisoned on account of their testimony, died in prison since the last Yearly Meeting?
How among Friends did Truth advance since last Yearly Meeting and how do they fare in relation to peace and unity?

By 1700 the practice of answering in writing had begun. The list of queries soon was enlarged to make inquiries concerning the conduct of meetings. In 1791 the first general advices were adopted. Periodic revisions occurred in various Yearly Meetings; queries and advices were developed on discipline, evangelical soundness, moral and spiritual instruction,social responsibility, and ministry. Thus the queries and advices represent a continuing exploration of our common faith and practice.

The advices and queries are a reminder of the basic faith and principles held to be essential to the life and witness of the Religious Society of Friends. Each of us is therefore asked to consider how far the advices and queries affect us personally, and where our service lies. We may be disheartened at times because the ideal of Christian discipleship seems impossibly demanding. However, we should all remember that we are to seek it, not with our own strength, but with the strength of the Guide whom we follow.

The advices and queries are intended for use in Monthly Meetings as well as for personal devotions. Their use varies in Meetings according to the needs of the members. Many Meetings read and consider one or several of the queries, with appropriate advices or other material, once a month during business meetings or in other meetings. Meeting committees may find certain queries helpful in evaluating their activities. Meetings often publish the queries regularly in their newsletters. They offer a basis for Monthly Meeting’s annual report on the state of the Society.

While the advices and queries are divided into categories for convenience of consideration, Friends are reminded that the sections are part of a whole, as life itself is a unity. All aspects of life are holy; distinct lines cannot be drawn between secular and religious

  1. January: Vocal Ministry, Silence, Prayer
  2. February: Discernment, Ministry
  3. March: Participation in the Life of the Meeting
  4. April: Community, Unity and Mutual Care
  5. May: Family and Sexuality
  6. June: Religion, Study and Creativity
  7. July: Peace, Be Not Afraid
  8. August: Equality
  9. September: Witness, Integrity
  10. October: Civic Responsibility
  11. November: Stewardship
  12. December: Simplicity

Port Townsend Friends Meeting State of the Meeting Report for 2018

The State of our Meeting is as rich as tapestry . Friends responded to a set of Queries offered
by NPYM. They did this from a variety of perspectives which clearly illustrate the diversity of
gifts, generosity of heart and openness of Spirit which characterize our Meeting. Each Friend
described an underlying experience of Meeting which contributes to and undergirds the many
accomplishments of the Meeting as a whole during 2018.
We are faithful when we come with open hearts to Meeting each First Day, or sit attentively and
patiently in Meeting for Worship for Business. We are faithful when we participate with Friends
in social action for peace or social justice, or other service in the community. We are faithful in
our responsibilities as committee members or in caring for one another. Our commitment to the
Meeting and to one another grows our faith in the workings of the Spirit and helps us develop “a
rhythm in our Meeting”. Our Meetinghouse and our rich schedule of activities “ground us in a
predictable and active Life together”.
We engage one another in seeking at ever new depths through listening deeply to another’s
Ministry in Worship, or in worship sharing as we respond to the Queries on the first Sunday of
each month. We know “God speaks to us in so many different ways”. We engage and challenge
as we patiently seek unity in our Meetings for Business or in our committee meetings. We
engage one another in Spiritual Nurture Groups, and Book Groups, during meals at potlucks or
Friendly Eights, in Clearness or Care Committees. We open ourselves in telling our Spiritual
Journeys and help others explore new depths. Some of us deepen our seeking in programs like
Way of the Spirit. It’s in that awareness of the sacred that we keep engaging with one another,
keep searching for our own truth and helping others find theirs.
Sacred space is everywhere we are . We don’t create it so much as become aware that it is
all around us. “Sacred space is ourselves,” “we live in Holy Silence”. So in our Meeting for
Worship, in our Worship sharing, in committees or spiritual nurture groups, or in a time when we
listen deeply to one another, or even in the stillness of our own hearts, that same sacred space
is there. And it’s available to whomever seeks it out. It requires only intention and attention
because it is of the Spirit.
Truth “speaks from the heart” in the movement of Love which connects each one of us to the
Spirit and through the Spirit to each other and to all of life. It is nurtured in the sacred space
which is always available. “We have a duty to speak the truth no matter where we are.” Truth
reaches out through us to all who suffer, and even to those who cause suffering, to bring about
good. Through the Meeting Truth speaks in right action in the community and in the world
through our participation in Friends Committee on National Legislation and its Washington State
counterpart, in lobby days, in letter writing campaigns and in direct action.
How was Spirit made evident? There is “no right way or wrong way to find Spirit.” But in our
time together in Worship, in the depth of the silence, “that is when God speaks” in our vocal
ministry and in our own hearts. In our listening deeply there is an ever-deepening connection to
Spirit among us. “We are interwoven,” having “a family sense”. Nominating Committee has
based its work this year on “gifts of the spirit” inviting each member to a service which arises out
of their own particular spiritual giftedness. This heightened awareness of our gifts and the
increased sense of connection through the Spirit has led to well attended activities, and active
peace and social concern effort and a greater weight of presence in the wider community.
Remembering Woolman’s advice to “turn all we possess into the channel of God’s love” we
have shared our Meetinghouse with the wider community: musicians, storytellers, our
elementary school, a children’s therapy program and various educational workshops have all
used space in the Meetinghouse or in its grounds. Eleven percent of our income is allocated to
finance the work of Peace and Social Concerns.
With the cooperation of neighboring tribe members we sponsored a Social Justice Camp for
elementary school age children to learn about Native American history and culture. Once again
this year we participated in the welcome for pullers and their families in the Canoe Journey. The
meeting continued its work on a Carbon Tithing program as a form of witness regarding Global
Climate Change, applying the funds raised to carbon sequestration. This winter we joined again
with other members of our faith community in providing food and care for homeless persons. In
resistance to military expansion in the area we held a Meeting for Worship outside the gates of
our nearest military installation.
Many Friends spoke not only of the openness and connectedness they feel in Meeting but of a
sense of psychological and spiritual safety. “a safe inclusive space”, “safety, support, and
energy to expand”, “a place which feels safe”. This year Ministry and Counsel addressed the felt
need for physical safety in our Meetinghouse. We explored in depth the development of a
Safety Plan which might provide some reassurance of a coordinated non-violent response to
any physically dangerous or threatening situation which might arise out of the fraught nature of
today’s world.
Images of our Meeting were many and varied: a guest who lays her head on the shoulder of
her host; a woven shawl; drawing water from a well; a forest of interdependent trees, plants and
creatures, including a little mouse that is paying good attention and listening. Each one speaks
eloquently to the State of our Meeting in 2018

Port Townsend Friends Meeting State of the Meeting Report for 2017

This year we decided to respond to the following queries for our State of the Meeting Report rather than a chronology of activities.

What has it meant to be faithful in our Meeting this year?
What do you consider to be the spiritual infra-structure of our Meeting?
How do we engage friends in the deeper aspects of seeking?
How does Truth fare with our Meeting?
Think of an image that represents the spirit of our Meeting this past year.

Our report consists of unedited responses to the queries.

“An image of a teeter-totter springing up and down between regular life with all its negativity, fear and anger and living in and spreading the Light – living life on two levels as Thomas Kelly has described.”
“An image of the Meeting as a peony unfolding because of our spiritual practice which is both collective and individual.”
“I see our Meeting as a big bus that is slowly moving along familiar streets. The bus makes no stops but the door is always open. You jump on when you’re ready. Find your seat. Sit in the front and help steer. Sit in the back and enjoy the view. Our destination is not known or concerning. Some people get off. The bus goes on. Big circles. Not too far in any direction. Safe.”
“An image from a trip we took to England many years ago when a Cotswold man, standing in middle of a bridge, turned to us and said, ‘be still and know that I am God’. We are at a bridge point in life of Meeting. We can see where we’ve come from and have some sense of what lies ahead.”
“An image of an eco-system, a living body that we need to nurture. Nourishing ourselves regularly is a deliberate process. We are interrelated and depend on one another. We support one another when one is lost or compromised We are exploring and learning how to be a source of deep connection with the Spirit and one another. There are lots of layers to the Meeting just as there are in an eco-system.”
“An image of the Meeting as a tangerine with a protective layer of skin. Some parts of the tangerine are really juicy, some are hard and brown. What are those hard pieces? They’re seeds and they grow to new fruit if they can go into the world and sprout.”
“There are more than just tangerines in our fruit basket; there are coconuts, apples, and other fruits.”
“An image of bees, pollinating the world with social, political, economic, racial and environmental justice.”

“The Meeting is a spiritual practice, the Light under my life, sometimes beyond words. Religion is kindness. There are so many Friends who have brought generosity of spirit into my life. I’ve learned that humans can be kind to each other and give of themselves without the obligation of immediate reciprocation.”
“To me, being faithful to the Meeting this year has been informed by our Spiritual Gifts retreat and what has flowed from it: how our gifts fit with the occasions of the meeting; how we fit with the life of the meeting.”
“There are gifts in diminishment, loss and aging, giving us an opportunity to say no, to be grateful for what we’ve experienced.”
“I would like to note that our work with the Gifts of the Spirit is guiding me in self-understanding, and has become a language for all of us to use to further the direction, maintenance and health of the Meeting.”
“Our individual gifts work together, contributing to Oneness in the Meeting.”
“We give our gifts of the Spirit to one another, the Meeting, the community and the world.”
“Our meeting has been blessed by having many participants in Way of the Spirit. That and the Gifts of the Spirit retreat have born a lot of fruit.”
“In past years Way of the Spirit has provided opportunities for the deeper aspects of spiritual seeking. Our Spiritual Nurture groups and book groups do that now, but the basic way to engage Friends in seeking is to encourage them to do some kind of active spiritual practice at home—reading, a daily time of silence—every day.”
“The Meeting is important to me; it’s a spiritual path and songs often come through me. I’ve learned how important it is to be kind because everyone is carrying a heavy load.”

“In this difficult year the Meeting has been a life ring helping me continue. I’ve spent a lot of time on the Safety Plan. A lot has been expressed on how we get along, not just ‘I wish we could get along’ but real brass tacks addressing the issue. I’ve been spiritually tested this year AND the safety plan has required a lot of discussion and planning.”
“The Meeting has gone through a long and careful discernment process about safety and how we want to respond to unsafe scenarios.”
“Our work on the safety plan has incorporated the gifts and talents within our Meeting and in the greater community, in an exciting and deep appraisal and study of issues that are certainly rising in the world.  This is an exciting time to look beyond the mechanics of just our own Meeting and see how we can pragmatically prepare to interact with people who have no knowledge about Quaker comportment and who may come with issues and potential violence.”

“What does it mean to be faithful? It’s not about perfection or goals; it is simply risking and being faithful in the process. It’s important to remember that the spiritual journey is to love and be loved.”
“My word for the Meeting is “genuine”. I’ve been in spiritual communities all my life and I never found such genuineness until coming to the Friends. Friends trust enough to share what’s deeply in their soul and spirit.”
“I sense that the spiritual life of our Meeting has slowed down which is a good thing in that it allows the Light to surround us. “
“In these troubled times the Meeting has offered a surprising structure for my anger, dismay, and despair.  That the strength of each individual and the manner of their own responses has helped me deal with negative reactive and un-Quakerly thoughts and impulses. I have been buoyed by our community, faith and hope.  For me, as always, it is the shared perspective that has carried me spiritually.”

“When we come together in worship, we are whole.”
“Silence is so important so that we can listen both to each other and to the Spirit.”
“Quakers may be silent but they are hardly quiet!”
“I am of two minds. First, how could I have skipped all those years since having been introduced to Friends at college? Second, I’m having a wonderful time with all that you’ve given to me. I look forward to meeting for worship all week. What is going on? I don’t know but I’m loving it.”

Port Townsend Friends Meeting State of the Society Report for 2016

“Our Meeting is . . . rich and vigorous. We are small in number but we are a welcoming community and our committees and other members are tireless in trying to broaden and expand and deepen our own commitment to the life of Meeting as well as invite others to join us.” (Quotation from a member survey conducted early in the year)

This year saw a strengthening in attendance especially in meeting for worship with attention to business. The presence of an appointed elder has ensured that we are more spirit-led and conscious of discernment during our proceedings. The same deliberate process was evident in restructuring our committees with new members thanks to the efforts of the Nominating Committee.

Through guidance by Ministry and Counsel (M & C) we have better teamwork among the major committees and there has been a spiritual deepening of our worship practices. Members of M & C continued to lead monthly worship-sharing sessions on the Advices and Queries. In January a special effort was made to introduce both newcomers and returning Quakers to customary ways in meeting for worship with such topics as “Sitting in Silence” and “The Gathered Meeting”. M & C and the Nominating Committee took a lead role in firming up the structure of our committees by approving job descriptions for each position.

The Meetinghouse Committee strengthened our sense of community through work parties and by planning our exterior spaces. The Port Townsend Public School District started negotiations with the Meetinghouse Committee and the Clerk of the Meeting to enable the use of our parking lot by the nearby elementary school.

Outreach Committee produced a series of Meetinghouse Concerts. We invited the community and charged a donation admission (no one turned away). Purchase of a better piano has given us additional concert options.
The Finance Committee has helped the Meeting understand and face the budgetary challenges of moving into a new facility, building a kitchen, and paying down our mortgage. This has been accomplished through Meetinghouse Concerts and the increased rental use of our building.

Meeting reconstituted the Peace and Social Concerns Committee (P & SC). The committee has provided dynamic leadership and has rekindled enthusiasm in social service and witness, led by our Testimonies. Several official Minutes, shepherded by P & SC were approved: a Gender Identity Minute on inclusiveness of LGBT Friends, a Minute on our intention of developing a Carbon Tithe Program, a Minute in support of Standing Rock, and a Quaker Earthcare Witness Minute. We hosted a post-election gathering of parents and children to allow a space for people to express emotions and concerns about the election

We are delighted that a few children are attending our First Day School. We are still working on how to encourage more attendance for our developing vibrant program.

Our oldest member Margaret (Peg) Stark died at the age of 99. Her memorial meeting was well attended by members, family and friends, who traveled from near and far to honor her, and a Memorial Minute for her was entered into our newly created Book of Memorial Minutes. Finally, we joyously added a new member, Tom Butts, to our Meeting.

Gender Identity Minute

Port Townsend Monthly Meeting minutes our commitment to be an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to be.  We believe gender identity exists on a continuum.  We extend our loving care to people of all genders, their families, and their friends. – Approved August 2016

Quaker Earthcare Witness Minute

The Port Townsend Friends Meeting supports Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) through membership and through living its vision, witness, and testimony. As Friends, we are called to live in right relationship with all Creation, recognizing that the entire world is interconnected and is a manifestation of God.

As Friends, we work to integrate into the life of the Meeting the principles that creation is to be respected, protected, and held in reverence in its own right, and that human aspirations for peace and justice depend upon restoring the Earth’s ecological integrity.

As Friends, we strive to promote these principles by being patterns and examples, by communicating our message, and by providing spiritual and material support to those engaged in the compelling task of transforming our relationship with the Earth. We commit to be guided by and help others be guided by the Light within us to participate in the healing of the earth.