Third Day Morning

Several Friends ministers are here in Barnesville. This morning, many of them are visiting with various Friends - some who are ill and some who are going through hard times financially or otherwise. I visited with the woman who keeps the Heritage Room, a small Quaker museum in the former men's committee room at Stillwater. Her husband served in World War II. He has had health problems recently, and the VA has been cutting back on its funding of the local VA hospital - which has had to cut back on its services. He took a van from the county seat (Clairsville) to Pittsburgh, leaving home at 5:00 a.m., and he is scheduled to return home around 3:00 this afternoon.

Friends ministers in Ohio Yearly Meeting continue in the ancient Quaker tradition which operated before the divisions and in the Hicksite and Gurneyite world until the beginning of the twentieth century. They are not paid financially for their labors. During the worship, they speak as they are immediately led by the Lord, without the use of notes or outlines. I am staying with a woman who is a minister; here in Ohio the Lord's anointing appears to have been accepted by a few more men than women. The ministers, elders, and overseers meet together as the meeting for ministry and oversight; this body was historically called the meeting of ministers and elders (unofficially as the select meeting).

My devoirs right now are to print out the quarterly meeting answers to the queries with the proposed yearly meeting summaries and get copies made for handing out.

The price of gas here in Barnesville is a little less than where I live. The highest price here is $3.05, and the lowest is $2.95. Where I live, the price is in the $3.15 range.