Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,
The first STRC Board of Directors and regular club meetings of the 99th Rotary year were held on July 11, 2024 at Broad Street Grind. It was a memorable evening, with a lot of discussion prompted by a request to the Board of Directors to standardize the opening of meetings.
The first STRC Board of Directors and regular club meetings of the 99th Rotary year were held on July 11, 2024 at Broad Street Grind. It was a memorable evening, with a lot of discussion prompted by a request to the Board of Directors to standardize the opening of meetings.
There have been varying practices over the past several years with the openings including singing, prayer, moments of silence, the pledge of allegiance, the recitation of the 4-way test, and many combinations of these practices.
I was unsure how that discussion at the Board of Directors would go and entered the evening with a recommendation to leave it up to a vote by members. I thought I would follow the STRC bylaws strictly until such a vote could be held. There were two elements requested in the initial recommendation for standardization that did not appear in the bylaws and did not align with my core beliefs, inclusion of a prayer and recitation of the pledge of allegiance. The Board of Directors voted not to standardize the opening of meetings, preferring instead to continue the practice of allowing each STRC President to open in a way in which they felt most comfortable.
I very greatly appreciate our religious freedom in the United States and believe that Rotary offers our community a unique opportunity to bring people together from many different backgrounds and beliefs to work side by side in service to others. I did not include a prayer in the opening of the Club meeting out of respect for the varying beliefs of each individual member. There are limitless opportunities for each member to pray if they would like to individually and in groups at home or in any of the many churches in our area. I thought it most appropriate for that to occur outside of our meeting to allow each person to choose what they prefer.
Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance conflicts with my pacifist beliefs. Peace among people and nations is so important to me that I cannot pledge allegiance to any single country. I have such deep respect for the equality of all living beings and pledge instead to dedicate my entire self to saving and improving as many lives as possible throughout the world, regardless of political borders.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Board’s decision to allow each STRC President to open meetings as they choose but recognized that there may be dissension within the Club regarding the decision. I had planned to open the meeting in a way that was consistent with my beliefs, summarize the Board of Directors discussion and decision, and look ahead to what we might accomplish together in the coming year. That is ultimately what happened, but there was also a heated discussion about the recitation of the pledge of allegiance.
As a person whose number one core value in life is peace, it was a really tough way to start the Rotary year. I believe it is important though for us all to be able to raise concerns to each other and work to resolve them as best as possible. I have carefully considered how best to proceed in the best interests of the Souderton-Telford Rotary Club and believe implementation of a moment of silence in the opening of each meeting would allow each member to honor their own beliefs in celebration of our time together.
Thank you to all who have shared their perspectives with me. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting and continuing to work alongside you in service to our community and the world.