An important event for our Meeting was our move from Floris School to the American College of Radiology in Reston in April. The beautiful new space with carpeting and rooms for four First Day School classes allowed us a quality of silence and the quantity of learning that was pleasing to everyone, though we did have a sense of loss about leaving a location where the meeting had prospered. (from the Religious State of the Meeting, 1990)

"Work Continues at 606 Spring Street--it’s so close to being done we can almost taste it. At the Business meeting on 3/10/96, Harry Tunis reported that the carpett was installed, the outside doors and windows were completed, Gretel Von Pischke donated a piano--in tune!--the Town of Herndon has granted an easement for use of the sidewalk, and Herndon Friends Meeting has transferred ownership of the Locust Street extension--the street that leads from Spring Street to the Parking lot--to the Town of Herndon for $10.00."

Do you make time for meditation, prayer, and worship? Do you read the Bible, the writings of Friends, and other inspirational works, seeking new light? Do you regularly seek God’s guidance: Are you open to guidance & support and do you give thanks for them? Do you share your spiritual thoughts and insights with others and willingly receive from them in turn?

Clerk Ting Yi Oei called meeting for business to order directly from meeting for worship at 11:15 for a presentation by Evan Lippincott, the architect who has drawn up plans for expansion of the meeting house. Evan gave an lively presentation and answered questions for about 45 minutes. Meeting took a brief recess and then reconvened at 12:15 for another 30 minutes of questions with the architect, followed by a 45 minute discussion of the issues raised. Evan estimated that a two story addition of the meetinghouse would cost in the neighborhood of $400,000. A mortgage of that size would entail a yearly payment of about $28,000, effectively doubling the meeting's yearly budget.

Friends discussed whether any such expansion was feasible given our current financial state, whether it would be wiser to try and purchase another property all together, if we could somehow work with the proposed local Friends School, and the possibility of purchasing the house next door. After this discussion, Friends were able to unite with this minute:

Cathy Tunis presented the balance sheet and net worth report. We don't have $400,000. The meeting's net worth is $140,000. The meeting received $5140 of the projected $5145 in contributions expected for this time. This is the kind of budgeting precision the CBO can only dream of.

Dennis Jones reported that M&O continues to host a Quakerism 101 session for adults at 9:15 on the 3^rd Sunday of the month.

The hospitality and M&O committees presented guidelines on kitchen use, and food and beverages in the meetinghouse.

They include:

For potluck, no food or drink is consumed before circle time.

Harry Tunis presented a written report on the work of the house and grounds committee. A firm has been contracted to remove the large tree at the southwest corner of the lot. The cost will be $1500, which does not include hauling the wood away. Friends are encouraged to haul what wood they can use .

A spring clean up day has been scheduled for the day before Easter, Saturday April 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All Friends are encouraged to come and help with mulching, edging, and general clean up.

Debbie Kirkman reported for the religious education committee. The big kids raised $65.70 in their bake sale during meeting for business.

For the summer, Religious Education will provide two classes. The Pre-K class will focus on an environment based curriculum. The Elementary I & II classes will be combined.

My daughter Anna was recently reading a little book for children, " The Quaker Way". It tries to answer the question " Why aren’t hymns used in Quaker Meeting?" "But Mom," she said, "We do sing in Meeting, don’t we?"

Well, we really don’t sing in Meeting for Worship. We are singing before Meeting—as a gathering activity.

At least that’s how I look at it. It sometimes looks a little like we are having a church service because everyone is sitting down singing from a hymnal. But I don’t think that is how it started out.

Thirteen years ago when Terence and I started bringing Sam to Reston Friends Meeting we were meeting at rented space in Old Floris School at Frying Pan Park. There was a truly awful old upright piano in another room, and we stood around and sang from a little blue spiral bound songbook called "Songs of the Spirit". It was quite informal, and I started playing for the singing when whoever had been doing it wasn’t there. We often sang " George Fox" then too; I particularly remember Robin Kirkman requesting it frequently during those years. I’ve continued playing because I appreciate--or at least tolerate--getting up there and trying to play something I don’t know and that most of us don't know and maybe dooesn't sound so good the first couple of times. Sometimes you can tell that it's an old favorite that someone grew up with, or it's a song with a special history and meaning for the requester.

I think the singing means different things to different people in and out of the meeting room.

First of all, I think some attenders don’t go for it. They are the ones who always come just after we’ve finished. Some time their arrival at the meetinghouse that way, (I’m just sure of it), but I’ve caught others just hanging out in the next room until we are ready to be silent. I can understand where they are coming from; some mornings I feel the same. I tried hanging out last week, but Cathy Tunis offered to take over my First Day School organizational duties so I could go in and play.

I think the children must enjoy the pleasant familiarity of a tune they know, and the humor of a song like "All God’s Critters". I suspect there are some children who might pick a difficult tune just to hear the grownups stumble over it.

I enjoy a slightly tonal folk melody or something with beautiful harmony that is a bit of a challenge to play. I pay very little attention to the words or the titles, and often can’t remember the name of a tune that I really enjoy. It makes it hard to look it up in the index. I’m fond of the new hymnal we are using. It is the result of years of FGC Quakers gathering songs for many occasions and commissioning some new ones when they weren’t satisfied with what was already written. I am grateful for the very nice piano that was a gift to the new Meetinghouse from Gretel Von Pischke. Gretel, who is a Suzuki method piano teacher, has also contributed to the musicality of the meeting in several other ways. She has taught piano to several of our young people including my son Sam, and for many years hosted the annual Christmas sing at her home in Reston.

We’ve had some interesting messages that seemed to get their start from the singing. I will never forget Kenneth Boulding’s thoughts about the words at the end of the chorus of "Morning Has Broken". "Is God recreating the new day or enjoying recreational activity?" he asked. Also one morning several people had thoughts to share about " How Can I Keep From Singing".

As for me, I keep following along, trying not to hit too many wrong notes, and trying to decide whether to read the music or go with the group, which sometimes decides it just "isn’t going to sing it the way it's written." I think it would be lots of fun if some other attenders would pony-up to the job and bring in their guitars, violins, or flutes to play , too. I like to play, but I also really enjoy the weeks when Gretel or Laura or Cathy play because I like to sing, too.

We have some really great voices in the Meeting. I would be happy if you (the really great and loud singers) would stand up beside me to offer musical help to the group when it’s feeling its way around a new tune or a round, or just to help me remember what verse we are on.

For many reasons we keep singing even though Quaker singing is a slight oddity still. My wish is that it remains a joyful time and that you keep calling out tunes you really would like to sing. I’ll give it a try.