Lehigh Valley Friends Have Reasons to Celebrate
As Bucks Quarter Coordinator, I am charged with visiting each of the fourteen meetings in the Quarter on a regular basis. At my most recent visit to Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting – the northernmost meeting in the Quarter – I heard and experienced why Friends there have cause celebrate.
It was a happy coincidence that my visit fell on the same day Friends planned to gather to discern their legislative priorities for the 119th Congress, a request made every two years by Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) to help guide their work as a Quaker lobbying organization. After a period of silent worship, we divided into four small groups – with one on Zoom – and discussed legislative priorities, using as reference points “The World We Seek” and “Legislative Priorities for the 118th Congress.” The groups then came together and began the discernment process, where everyone was able to express their thoughts and be heard. From this discernment came four priorities that will be sent to FCNL:
· We seek a world free of war and the threat of war.
· We seek an earth restored.
· We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled.
· We seek a society with equity and justice for all.
Lehigh Valley’s 63-year-old midcentury meetinghouse and its 1997 addition have certainly experienced some challenges with their outdated HVAC system. It has caused extremes in interior temperature, resulting in two outbreaks of mold in the last 15 years, and there were two years of keeping the meeting room windows open year-round, with Friends wearing coats in the winter and suffering through excessive heat in the summer. So, in 2023, they developed a plan to add electric heat pumps to heat, cool, and dehumidify the air they breathe, giving the meetinghouse regular air changes for better building and human well-being.
The initial funding for the nearly-quarter-million-dollar project came from multiple sources: investment fund rebalancing, generous gifts from Friends (attenders and members alike), and transfers of required minimum distributions from retirement funds. To close a funding shortfall there was a “Warm & Cozy Campaign” in early 2024 (watch the YouTube promotional video here). By working together, Friends got the meeting to its goal.
The new systems are all-electric, controllable remotely by Building and Grounds committee members, and run on a regular schedule which can be modified for additional events. The building will soon have all sensors – carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, legacy thermostats for the gas boiler, and the seasonal parking lot camera – connected to a Google Home-based automation system. Renewable energy powering the system comes from a supplier for PPL, the power company serving Bethlehem, PA.
One last improvement, a long-scheduled replacement of the original 1961 single-pane windows in the meeting room, will be completed in May 2024. The new windows will provide additional thermal insulation and block traffic noise from nearby Bath Pike.
At the end of this heartfelt process of deliberation and subsequent construction is a party! A celebration is being planned (tentatively for June 1st) for Lehigh Valley Meeting’s 75th anniversary of its recognition as a monthly meeting within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Contributing to the celebration is the discovery of the original membership book, which was found in a locked cabinet. Special thanks to Lehigh Valley recorder of membership Lois Sunflower for locating it.
By attending to both our spiritual and physical well-being, we can be sure that Lehigh Valley Friends will be around to celebrate another 75 years as a vibrant and forward-thinking Quaker community.
Thanks to Lehigh Valley Friend John Marquette for his contributions to this story.