To Friends Everywhere,

The Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting met at Wilmington College in Ohio for our 184th sessions. This year we have challenged ourselves with the theme, "Telling Our Stories of Faith."

There is risk in sharing stories of faith. In doing so, some among us have had the courage to strip themselves of all pretence. Their words testify to ongoing, divine revelation. Through careful listening, we have come to better understand the diverse ways in which we experience God. Our spirits are quickened by these bold words.

Our stories included descriptions of life-long spiritual growth and of sudden moments of radical transformation. We were humbled by examples of the courage that faithful living can require and strengthened by reports of God's gifts showering down.

These stories remind us that faithful living is possible.

It is tempting to rest easy in the stories of our past, but we cannot allow ourselves that comfort. This year's business meetings have challenged us to apply these lessons to our present and our future together. We are seriously considering how to pay for the work of the yearly meeting in an equitable and spiritually-based manner. We are in the midst of re-writing our book of discipline. Perhaps most difficult, we are beginning to address the incongruity of monthly meetings that lack the vitality to gather weekly for worship. These have not been easy issues for us to confront and we still have much to do.

The wider society of which we are a part also challenges us. We cannot pretend that we are a people apart. As citizens of the United States, we share responsibility for the violence done in our name. Adopting minutes does not relieve us of that responsibility. We are called to live out new stories of faith, witnessing to our beliefs and modeling a society that does justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with our God.