Advance Report 2000
Greetings from the Presiding ClerkWe are about to hold the 180th session of Indiana Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends! 180 years of Friends work in Eastern Indiana, Western Ohio, Michigan, and even Canada! Would it not have been exciting to be part of those early years? As monthly meetings grew and preparative meetings were established, would it not have been a thrill to see the membership grow? Would we not have been deeply moved to see the spiritual vitality of the yearly meeting increase as Friends sought the Lord's leading for each meeting involved?
Yet this 180th session is being held in a different time and different place. Our society and cultural influences are much different than in those early years. You might remember a drawing that depicts a scene from Indiana Yearly Meeting Sessions in 1844. Featured in that illustration are Elijah Coffin and Jeremiah Hubbard—men of faith and strong convictions.
The grounds around them show horse-drawn wagons and carriages and small groups of Friends congregating, perhaps to welcome each other. One is touched by the simplicity of the illustration. The world in which Coffin and Hubbard brought their faith and devotion to God truly was another time and place!
If the world in which we live has changed, then has the work of the yearly meeting changed? I think not. It still remains— living in such a way that our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives is evident in all that we do. As it was 180 years ago, the work of the yearly meeting must be about proclaiming God's transforming power in our lives.
Yes, our yearly meeting is different than that 1844 illustration. Life seems more complicated with more and more intrusions on our time. It seems much more difficult to stay focused on the work given us. There seems to be so much more to draw our minds and hearts away from God and His presence in our lives. As we come together for these sessions, let us
draw strength from a constant abiding faith in God, a promise that we can trust our God, and a pledge that He will not fail. As we face the work of Indiana Yearly Meeting in this time and place, let us be all that God would have us be. Let us be ever mindful of His amazing grace to each of us and His undying faithfulness to us.
Susan Kirkpatrick, Presiding Clerk
