Outgoing Epistle of Indiana Yearly Meeting, 2007
To Friends Everywhere,
IYM gathered for the 187th sessions at Quaker Haven Camp in the lake country of northern Indiana July 26-29, 2007. The varieties of a Midwestern summer — sunshine, humidity, heat, showers, and thunderstorms – all passed over us. What unpleasantness the weather held, however, was offset by the warmth of our faith and fellowship together.
Our yearly meeting theme came from John 4:24, Christ’s admonition to “worship in spirit and in truth.” We tried to apply this to all of our sessions, seeking a seamless melding of our deliberations and business in a spirit of worship. We were aided by the presence of an unusual number of Friends from other yearly meetings and affiliated organizations. John Hinshaw of Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting, who led our evening worship.
The grace of God revealed itself in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise for His many kindnesses to us. In the past year, we have been in an intentional process of prayer for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We have seen encouraging signs of it yielding fruit, and decided to continue another year. We were heartened by the statistical report, which showed for the second straight year an increase in attendance as well as other signs of growth and health in our meetings and churches. Our affiliated organizations – Quaker Haven Camp, White’s Residential and Family Services, Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion, Friends Fellowship Community, among others – all reported impressive accomplishments. With thanks, we endorsed a traveling certificate for our Friends Ben and Jody Richmond, who will spend the next year at Friends Theological College in Kenya and a traveling certificate for Erick Fleck for ministry in the 10/40 window countries. And in our worship, Friends felt led to share accounts of how God had touched them, their neighbors, and their families with His healing power.
We are conscious that we in Indiana Yearly Meeting are fewer than we once were, even in a world torn by hate and war and evil that cries out for more of the Quaker understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet we know that God makes all things work for good, and we are confident that he can turn even our apparent decline towork His will. Our prayer is that Friends everywhere will be instruments of that Holy will.
Yours in the spirit of friendship,
Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends