Book Group Starting Tuesdays, 7:30

Hoping to make a book group more accessible to people busy during the day, we are moving the Thursday book group to Tuesdays at 7:30 pm on Zoom. We will be starting on Feb. 15 with "belonging" by bell hooks, available at online used bookstores and on ebook. In this book, bell hooks discusses how where we live affects our feelings about belonging to a community. It is a mixture of story telling or personal memoir of her own life experiences and also the social/sociological aspects of home. Let Sara know if you are interested or have questions.

Strong Concerns About AFSC by Kathi Connors

Please don’t let “I was not aware” be the reason for a future where AFSC and Quakers have no connection. Let us individually choose action or inaction after hearing the struggle.

Why consider becoming involved? It’s sensible to donate money to organizations and have our representatives make sure it is used as we wish. We trust experts to organize and spend, and that our direct involvement in decision-making is not appropriate. But when strong signals, then evidence, becomes available to us that things are going off the rails, that our intentions are not being fulfilled and the opposite becomes reality, we must lend our individual voices to the outcry rather than think it is enough that someone else is our voice.

After trying all internal channels to stop AFSC from evolving into a top-down power structure, trusted individuals have reached out to us in alarm, saying they need our help. A slow creep has now accelerated, and squelching “whistleblowers” has become legitimized.

A letter [1] exposing issues to concerned Friends was signed by a group including Arnie Alpert and was made public. The one AFSC employee who dared to sign it was fired, proving that the fear of retaliation is valid. That this person represented the tie between AFSC and Friends is most telling. See the Friends Journal article AFSC fires Director of Friends Relations following public criticism of restructuring plan [2]. Beth has also shared the contents of a letter she has sent to AFSC board members summarizing her observations, concerns, and requested response (able to be read here [3]).

A sacrifice has been made to warn us that our trust is being betrayed, that our money is not going where we expect, that power is not being used judiciously. This call for attention is not to further a rift or to tear things apart. Instead, as I think AFSC founder Rufus Jones would strive for, the goal is to allow all voices to contribute to moving forward with a shared vision. This is expressed in “AFSC at the Crossroads: A Call to Seek a New Unity [4]”, a statement written by Beth Collea of Dover Friends Meeting, and Paul Kerr of Exeter Friends Meeting.

Within the last two days, NEYM of Friends' Facebook page shared the link to Beth’s letter to AFSC board members, joining Friends Journal and Western Friend in broadening awareness across the Friends community.

Please read the DQM meeting notes [5] from last week’s Dover Quarterly Meeting where this was a topic for over an hour, with Friends familiar with the history offered their insight. Below is the recorded minute and its intended distribution.

Dover Minutes concerning AFSC

“Dover Quarterly Meeting expresses its deep concern over the current situation in AFSC. It seems work at reorganizing is proceeding without fully acknowledging ongoing lack of unity as to its purpose or the process being followed. Harm is being done to staff at different levels, and to stakeholders. We need to speak the truth and halt until there is participation by Quakers.

We urge the AFSC board to stop further movement toward structural change and to reengage with all stake holders, local as well as national until unity grounded in the movement of the Spirit can be found.”

The clerk was directed to send this minute to our NEYM AFSC reps. (Scott Rhodewalt, Peter Woodrow, and Becky Steele). Also it should be sent to Sara Hubner to go into this week’s NEYM newsletter, sharing this is what Dover is working on and to ask others in NEYM to help on the issue.

Chris Booth Memorial

Chris Booth, son of Don and Lois, passed away last month. Chris’s obituary is posted here: https://chrisboothmemorial.wordpress.com/ [6]. 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) .

The following items have appeared previously in emailed announcements.

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
  • New - "belonging" by bell hooks - Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. starting Feb 15
• 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.

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.

Are you wanting information from past announcements?

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements [7]

Are you wanting to donate to Concord Monthly Meeting?

Visit this page on our web site for more information: Donations [8]