Category Archives: Newsletter articles

When I was a boy, Memorial Day marked the beginning of summer. At the end of May, people were still putting their gardens in, evenings were still cool, spring peepers were calling from the ponds, and farmers were getting in … Continue reading →

Last spring when I came to Springfield to interview, the Transition Committee told me they had done a meeting-wide survey. Everyone in the meeting, the committee said, agreed on three things: 1. We want to be non-judgmental2. We want to … Continue reading →

Everything in Christian life, thought and culture has its roots in Easter. It all starts here. Bach and Handel and Michelangelo. All of the hymns we sing. All of Christian art and literature. All of our history – every separate … Continue reading →

This is the time of year when garden catalogs have been arriving in our mailboxes for weeks. The worst of the winter is past. A few early flowers are poking green shoots above the ground. When I visit with people, … Continue reading →

Once there was a man who went back to school in middle age, where he signed up for an English course. During the first class, the teacher explained the difference between prose and poetry. At the end of the class, … Continue reading →

When a new person shows up at our meeting, YOU are the person who makes that person stay – or never return! • Introduce yourself to anyone you see who you don’t recognize or know very well. Try to learn … Continue reading →

You’ve heard the old saying that numbers aren’t everything. That’s true – numbers don’t always reflect love and commitment, prayer and spiritual strength. But numbers can help us to focus and re-direct our effort sometimes. It’s a commonplace observation that … Continue reading →

We’ve been talking about growth here at Springfield for a while. It’s one of the top three priorities we identified during the transition year, and our future depends on it. Growing a Quaker meeting used to be pretty simple. 50 … Continue reading →

It’s a simple question. Do we really want Springfield Friends Meeting to grow? If the answer is yes, what are we doing about it? From the very first phone call I received almost a year ago, I was told that … Continue reading →

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Christmas season has started! “Advent” means the coming or arrival of something special. It means getting ready or preparing the way. Most of us think we know the story of Christmas pretty well by … Continue reading →