New of Friends

Charlie Friou has been in touch to say that he is recovering from some health set backs, but is doing better now and is planning to move into the lodge at Havenwood. He believes he will enjoy the increased social opportunities there and looks forward to seeing us when possible.

Chris Booth, son of Don and Lois, passed away earlier this month. Chris’s obituary is posted here: https://chrisboothmemorial.wordpress.com/ [1]. You can also leave comments or remembrances about Chris on that site. The family is organizing a memorial service for Chris, held over Zoom on February 5 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. For Zoom link, email Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CChris%20Booth%20Memorial%20Service%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

Thomas Hedberg is in the hospital in Boston and is hoping to be back home in Canterbury this coming week.

Update Advent Calendar Fundraiser

To date we have received donations of $599. We have only one quarter of our goal of $800 to go. See below for lots of detailed information about Christine and Friends of Kenya Rising, and how to give. Thank you!

Dover Quarter

Jeremiah Dickenson, Clerk of Dover Quarter writes,

Hello Friends,

We gather as a Quarter again in a week, 12:30 pm on Sunday, January 30. For Zoom link, email Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CDover%20Quarterly%20Meeting%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

The minutes from our last meeting are here [2]. Much gratitude to our recording clerk, Marian Baker, who was in Africa when taking these minutes.

Please send me any items you would like to put on the agenda for us to consider.

Looking forward to being together again.

—Jeremiah

The following items have appeared previously in emailed announcements.

COVID Notice Posted at the Meetinghouse.

Welcome to Concord Friends Meeting House!

Thank you for helping us ensure the safety and health of our Meeting by following the guidelines below.

Updated 1-6-22

Please DO NOT enter the building if any of the following apply:

• You are not fully vaccinated and appropriately boosted against COVID-19.
• You have had contact with an infected person in the past 10 days.
• You have traveled to a high risk area in the past 10 days.
• You have a fever, cough, or other viral symptoms.

While in the Meetinghouse please DO the following:

• Wear a mask over your mouth and and nose at ALL TIMES while inside the building.
• Maintain a 6 foot distance from persons not in your household.
• Avoid unnecessary touching of surfaces.
• Use hand sanitizer and/or wash your hands frequently.
• Gloves and N-95 type masks are available for your protection.

Thank you for your cooperation now and in the future as we adapt our policy to changing conditions over time.

Relative to the above, this means...

Additionally, to underscore, this means no eating or drinking indoors. Programs such as adult ed., Fourth Sunday, and Meeting for Business will be online only until further notice. Worship on Thursday evenings and Sunday Morning are continuing as usual for now.

Advent Calendar Fundraiser

Have you tallied up your 'abundance' in the Advent Calendar? Based on that (strictly or loosely) it's time to send your donation to Concord Friends Meeting with "Christine" in the memo line. (See below for ways to donate.) Thanks to those of you who have already sent donations.

Some more background: A year ago, Friends of Kakamega merged with another Kakamega social support organization, Crossroads Springs Africa, to become Friends of Kenya Rising. They shared the same mission and realized they could be more effective as one organization. The boarding program was replaced by supporting the children in their homes. In the past several years they had moved toward this model with gifts of solar lights, less polluting cookstoves, and fruit trees to each child's family (you may recall our extra donations toward these efforts).

I encourage you to go to the "Friends of Kenya Rising" website [3] where they state: "Our mission is to assist Kenyan students and their families as they rise out of poverty. Our FAMILY CARE MODEL [4] is our holistic approach to assisting families as they rise out of poverty. Our five guiding stars which symbolize this approach represent Education and Scholarships, Basic Needs, Health, Agriculture and Livelihoods."

Christine's whole family is now being supported by this program and our $800 annual donation. On the bulletin board in the Meetinghouse the children made a display of "before and after" pictures showing the improvements done to her family home 2 years ago, including a hygenic outhouse, attached outdoor kitchen (greatly improving air indoor quality) and new roof. Christine is happy to be living with her family in this much improved home, and she is now in high school! She has 4 siblings. Read her March 2021 letter to us here [5] written just before she took (and passed) her KCPE entrance-to-high school exams. Click here [6] for picture of her and her family in 2020 and here [7] for Christine (in black) and her sister outside their home.

As she says in one letter "My family [greets] you and they are so happy to sponsor us (sic)! They thank you for everything you have done for us." Thank you for your support of Christine!

Youth Religious Ed Committee

Closing the Meetinghouse on Sundays

We sure could use some more help with this weekly work. Presently a rotation of folks have volunteered to do this work over the next two months. If you are able to join them in the rotation toward the end of winter and into the spring, please let JJ know. The current list appears below: Cleaning the boiler is a separate job and help is needed there too. Formerly there were about 8 of us in this rotation.

Ministry and Counsel Announcements

Ongoing programs:

• We continue to offer two book groups that meet online. Currently reading:
  • The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous- Settler relations - 2nd and 4th Monday
  • Enrique’s Journey: the story of a boy’s dangerous odyssey to reunite with his mother - Thursdays
• Care groups Tuesday and Wednesday- Join a group to support each other and share our daily lives.
• Quaker Basics - learn the basics of Quakerism. By arrangement with Mark Barker
• Friends Committee on National Legislation: Join NH’s advocacy team to lobby our Congressional Reps on issues of peace and justice. (Sara Smith)

If interested in joining these - check with any member of Ministry and Counsel for details.

Are you wanting information from past announcements?

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements [8]

Are you wanting to donate to Concord Monthly Meeting?

Visit this page on our web site for more information: Donations [9]