CMM 2019-03-10 Possible Items for Agenda

Here are some possible agenda items for Third Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business, which will be on the 10^th (the second First Day) of Third Month.  Some of the items from Second Month may have been carried forward.  Some of the proposed items may need further seasoning.  They are in no particular order at the moment.  [See also http://quakerspeak.com/quaker-decision-making-consensus/ [1]]

During worship, please hold in your heart the following from the “Advices on Corporate Discernment” in the 2014 Interim Faith & Practice of NEYM [2].  Friends are also asked to consider the “Queries on Corporate Discernment [3]”.

5.  On entering the meeting, avoid falling into conversation.  Take your seat quietly, entering into a receptive silence.  As the meeting moves forward, listen carefully to what others say, that you do not burden the meeting by repetition.  Allow time for quiet reflection after each speaker so that their words may sink in and receive due consideration.  Should you disagree with what has been said, show respect or those who have spoken by offering another viewpoint in a humble spirit.

• Minutes of Second Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business [4].
• Budget Committee report
  • “How does our Meeting engage its members in the support of the Meeting’s work, its ministry, and the upkeep of its property?” ¹
• Property Committee report
  • “Does our Meeting serve social and economic justice in its uses of property and money?” ¹
• Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) report
  • “We do not own the world, and its riches are not ours to dispose of at will.  Show a loving consideration for all creatures, and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world.  Work to ensure that our increasing power over nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.  Rejoice in the splendour of God’s continuing creation.” ²
  • AFSC’s Sanctuary Everywhere [5]
  • FCNL’s #LoveThyNeighbor (No Exceptions) [6]
  • AFSC-NH’s, GSOP’s, and NH Council of Churches’ Immigrant Solidarity Network [7]
• Youth Religious Education Committee report
  • Children and young people need love and stability.  Are we doing all we can to uphold and sustain parents and others who carry the responsibility for providing this care? ³
• Outreach Committee report
  • “Are you patterns, examples; do your lives preach among all sorts of people, and to them?  Do you walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one?” - NEYM 1985 Faith and Practice, Queries 5.4 and 5.5 [8].
• Ministry & Counsel Committee report
  • Query 2. “b) Are we aware of the roles we fill as heirs of the meetings of ministers and elders?  What do we do to support each other in the use of our gifts for God’s work?  Do we actively seek to identify and nurture these gifts in each other?”  NEYM Minute of Exercise, 2015-09-15 [9]
  • NEYM is developing a data protection and information security policy.  Concord Monthly Meeting may wish to revisit its policy as stated at https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/ContactInformationForm [10], which is based on CMM Minute 2009-05-10#5.4 [11] and CMM Minute 2009-06-14#06.8 [12].  Draft versions of a possible data privacy policy [13] and data consent form [14] are available for perusal and consideration.

Announcements & Events:

Feb 17 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.  Greeting: Jennifer ;  1^st Day School: Jonah, Mark ; Closing: Pat, Faith ; Boiler Cleaning: Jonah.

Feb 24 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by potluck and 4^th Sunday Program on the State of Society report.   Greeting: Kathy U ; 1^st Day School: Jone, Pat ; Closing: Greg, Ruth ; Boiler Cleaning: Greg.

Feb 25 (Mon)   5:45 p.m.  Outreach Committee at the Meetinghouse

Feb 26 (Tue)    6:30 p.m.  Adult Education discussion at the Meetinghouse for an organizing meeting to plan activities into the spring.  If you have an interest but cannot come this Tuesday, please be in touch with Sara Smith.  You can reach her at SaraSmith [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org.

Mar   2 (Sat)    7:00 p.m.  The Song Circle resumes at the Meetinghouse.  Please come and bring a snack to share and bring a friend!

Mar   3 (Sun)   8:45 a.m.  Youth Religious Education Committee at the Meetinghouse

Mar   3 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.   Greeting: Mark ;  1^st Day School: Chris, Heidi ; Closing: Rob Y., Kathy M. ; Boiler Cleaning: Rob Y.

Mar 10 (Sun)  10:00 a.m. (NB. Daylight Savings Time)  Worship, followed by potluck and Meeting for Worship with attention to Business.   Greeting: Kathy M. ;  1^st Day School: Pat, Greg ; Closing: Dave, Penny ; Boiler Cleaning: Dave.

Mar 17 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.   Greeting: Jennifer ;  1^st Day School  Jonah, Dave ; Closing: Jennifer, Sara ; Boiler Cleaning: Jennifer.

Mar 24 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by potluck and 4^th Sunday Program.   Greeting: Kathy U. ;  1^st Day School: JJ, Mark ; Closing:  ; Boiler Cleaning: .

Mar 31 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.   Greeting: Greg? ;  1^st Day School: Greg, Faith ; Closing:  ; Boiler Cleaning: .

Mar 31 (Sun)  12:30 p.m.  Dover Quarterly Meeting at Concord Friends Meetinghouse with the Souhegan Friends providing a program.

Apr  4 (Thu)    6:30 – 8:30 p.m.  Robert Azzi, “Ask a Muslim Anything” [15] at the Meetinghouse

Apr 13 (Sat)  10:00 a.me – 1:00 p.m.  Spring ‘Make and Take’ event at the Meetinghouse

First Day School Help:  If you would like to be a helper in the children’s program, and have not yet filled out the Youth Worker Screening Form [16].  Please download and print one out, fill it in, and pass it to Kathy Urie.  You can find it at Youth Worker Screening Form [16].  We need one helper each week.  Look for a sign-up sheet on the left bulletin board this Sunday.  And thank you!  The children thank you too!

Volunteers to be ready to support Manchester Unitarian Universalist Church as a Level 1 physical sanctuary in the New Hampshire Immigrant Solidarity Network.  Contact MarkBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Volunteering%20for%20sanctuary%20support%20at%20U-U%20Church%20in%20Manchester) .  Here’s a list of the support roles needed.

• Day Citizen Companions
• Provide Food
• Provide Transportation
• Offer Entertainment (games or movies)
• Provide Emotional Support
• Provide Language Translation
• Provide Legal Support
• Provide Medical Support
• Raise Funds
• Provide a Gift Card
• Organize other Volunteers
• Laundry
• Other support you could offer

In August 2017, we published a statement in response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia [17].  Please also see “Such a Time as This: A Response to Hate and Violence [18]” as well as the “2017 Epistle of New England Yearly Meeting [19]”, Ruby Sales’ Plenary Message [20] on NEYM’s Youtube channel, and the audio recordings of the 2017 Annual Sessions Bible Half-Hours by Marty Grundy [21] focusing (exegeting [22]) on Romans 12:2 [23].  Draft booklet of Bible Half Hour texts [24].

^1. See https://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/guidelines-and-procedures/general-queries/nurturing-our-community/ [25]

^2. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [26] № 42

^3. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [26] № 24