News of Friends

We have learned that Faith Sillars' daughter, Carin (of Plymouth) is awaiting surgery for a brain tumor that the neurologist thinks look like cancer. Faith will be making Carin her prime responsibility, so we may not see her for a while. Please hold Carin and her two sons and friend Ed (and Faith) in the Light.

Facing Our History

Paula Palmer (Friends Peace Teams), Gail Melix (Sandwich, MA, Friends Meeting), and Andrew Grant (Mt. Toby, MA, Friends Meeting) will present findings of Paula’s research into Quaker support for Indigenous boarding schools. The presentation will include readings directly from the Quaker teachers themselves and the Native students and other Native people who wrote about their experiences in these schools, followed by an opportunity to explore these queries in facilitated small groups: What does the Quaker history of running Indigenous boarding schools and the ongoing impact on Native communities mean for Friends today? How can Friends contribute toward healing?

Register here for this hybrid event.

Halloween

Hearing of a hotel full of families facing housing insecurity needing a fun and up lifting activity for Halloween, (Kids need to be kids! ) several of us have agreed to help gather costumes and candy so they can have a hotel parking lot trick or treating event. We will be collecting new or gently used costumes ( see below for details) and even candy. If you want to offer a cash donation, we will use it to purchase suitable costumes.

About the kids: Halloween costumes needed for 1 year old girl / young toddlers 1 boy, 5 girls / preschool age toddlers 1 boy, 3 girls / kindergarten-aged 5 boys, 2 girls / elementary-aged 2 boys, 5 girls / 4 teenagers- girls

( from our co conspirator who knows these families) The younger toddlers are the ones who are still quite literally "toddling" about while their counterparts are a bit more agile though still young. All approximately 4 years old or younger. The kindergarten group appear to be around 5 or 6. I considered the children in the 7 to 12 year age range as elementary-aged children. Of the four teenagers, two are on the younger end of that (13 and 14) while the other two are possibly 16ish. I know it's a bit old for traditional trick-or-treating but they are still children and deserve to feel special too.

We are hoping we can make some happy memories here- not sad ones! We will be setting up a collection spot soon so they can have them by the week of Oct 23rd. Questions- email Sara Smith.

AFSC Annual Gathering - Food/Helpers/Performers Needed

Note Corrected Link. Volunteers seem to have had trouble signing up. See the corrected link at the bottom of this section. Also we need contributions of food. See that sign up info at the bottom of the article.

If you haven't already reserved the evening of Oct. 22 for the wonderful AFSC-NH dinner and celebration at the Concord UU Church, get it on your calendar so you don't miss this unique opportunity!

For this event, we will come together both online and in person to share our special talents and gifts, whether that's as a musician, dancer, stand-up comedian, storyteller or group skit. We're especially encouraging our youngest Quakers to consider performing.

The link here provides opportunities to volunteer in various capacities but scroll down past the initial list to see the link to volunteer as a performer. Concord Friends are once again volunteering to do break-down and clean-up, and Sara Smith will help coordinate volunteers from our meeting. A call to contribute a potluck dish may also be forthcoming, and we will provide more information on what's needed soon.

But please take a moment to think about what you have to share with our AFSC community and follow this link to sign up. https://forms.gle/AF4z6Y5DyC53n6w77

NH AFSC is counting on Concord Meeting to be of substantial help with contributions of food for this event. Please follow this link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10qtsNDU_NKiaDB3bS2kw-57uqW_IPmsG/edit?usp=sharing_eil_m&rtpof=true&sd=true&ts=63496765

After you fill in form tap the check mark then the save button. Then your answer will be in the Google drive.

NH Philharmonic Tickets

Sara would like to offer two complimentary tickets to a concert she is playing in with the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. The concerts are October 16, 2022 2:00 PM & October 22, 2022 7:30 PM - two different weekends - "Nature and Myth". Sibelius Symphony No. 1, Overture - Beethoven. Lyric for Strings - Walker. The complimentary tickets are for October 16 at 2:00 only. The concert is at the Salem High School Seifert Performance Center. This is a good opportunity for a car pool too. See Sara

Conversations Across Differences

JJ writes: Here's a link to a workshop series called Unleashing the Power. Others might find this one of interest that I will be attending 11/7 via Zoom. It is Having Conversations Across Differences. It's part of a series that can be found here.

NH Interfaith Power and Light - seeking help

We are organizing an Energy Advisory committee to provide practical information for communities of faith to reduce their carbon footprints. Faith communities can play an important role in avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. They have the potential not only to make a positive impact through changes in their own buildings, but can assist their members to reduce individual and family carbon footprints. Also important is the potential for communities of faith to serve as examples for practical climate action in their towns and cities.

You may have heard recently about the Inflation Reduction Act that passed Congress. An important feature of the act is that nonprofit organizations including communities of faith, can receive financial support for projects reducing carbon footprints. This legislation offers NH faith communities the ability to undertake projects that previously may not have been financially feasible.

Since the first church in New Hampshire installed solar panels in 2015, there have been only seven other communities of faith that have gone solar. Given that there are about 708 NH faith communities, on average less than 0.2% convert to solar each year. We can and should do much better.

As you may know, NHIPL organized last April's conference "Greening Our Faith Communities- Nuts and Bolts". The newly-formed Energy Advisory Committee extends NHIPL's efforts in this area. Here’s the draft mission statement of the committee:

The Energy Advisory Committee will provide New Hampshire faith communities and their members with practical information on the most effective technical, financial, legal, and organizational means of reducing their carbon footprints.

Do you want to help NH communities of faith go green by participating in the NHIPL Energy Advisory committee? If so, please get in touch by emailing mfzenith [at] gmail [dot] com. This is a great opportunity to make a difference. Climate change is not waiting for us to act.

Best wishes, Michael Fleming

editor's note: Greg and Ruth are both involved with this group.

NH Peace Action Annual Event 2022:

October 14 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm ONLINE EVENT $10-$30/ticket

To commemorate 40 years of waging peace, we will be joined by former staff as they share important highlights from each of the past 4 decades.

Come see:

• Kurt Ehrenberg (Director, NH Freeze Campaign/NH Freeze Voter 1983-85)
• Patty Bass (Office Manager mid to late ’80’s)
• Seán O’Donoghue (on staff from 1996-2003 first as Coordinator then as Co-Director)
• Jessica Ellis-Hopkins (Administrative Assistant 2004-2007)
• Susi Nord (Office Manager 2007-2011

Virtual Cocktails at 5:30. Once you join the meeting, you’ll enter one of the sponsored breakout rooms with other activists from around the state. Get to know someone new. Do a little networking! Want to sponsor a breakout room? doreen [at] nhpeaceaction [dot] org (Email Doreen) or purchase below.

You can also purchase an event sponsorship. Either option comes with a free ticket and you (or your organization) will be listed here on the event page.

YOU CAN HELP: Krisan Evenson is working on a timeline full of peace-progress events for our 40th anniversary year. Please consider filling in some of that timeline with your own stories! CLICK HERE to access the Google doc and add your story in the right hand column. The left-hand column is the corresponding national Peace Action event list to jog your memories.

Also, if you have some great photos, please email them to Doreen.

Please RSVP HERE.

Immigration Action Updates from Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP)

Mark has shared these important updates.

1. We learned that ICE is indeed open again and we saw several families checking in. Therefore, we will resume our monthly vigils, beginning with Tuesday November 1st at 9am. Please plan to join this important faith witness on every first Tuesday of the month at 9 am at the Norris Cotton Federal Building at 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.
2. We are holding a rapid response vigil at the State house on Friday (October 7th) at noon. The purpose is to decry the deployment of more than 1000 NH National Guard troops to the border. Please Click-On the link for a draft of the letter we will present to the governor's office. I hope you can join us on Friday at noon for our Vigil for Dignity and Human Rights!
   • Draft Letter to Governor Chris Sununu
3. None of our NH Delegation has signed on to the "renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929" bill which would support more than 8 million immigrants in their quest for documentation. Here is a fact sheet on this important proposal.
   • CHIRLA one-pager about registry

GSOP will be setting up meetings with the congressional office to discuss this lack of support.

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