To request log-in information for Zoom Worship: Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

What you do makes a difference, and

You have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

~ Jane Goodall

The Meeting Calendar

Day	Date	Time	Event
Sunday	August 25th	10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m.	Meeting for Worship For Zoom link, email Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) . Potluck followed by “Insights from 2024 Annual Sessions” With Children:  Juliet & TBD; Closing: Sue L. & TBD.
Tuesday	August 27th	6:30 p.m.	Midweek Worship at the Meeting House.  All are welcome.  If possible, please let Rich know you will be joining us. klnschmdt [at] gmail [dot] com (subject: Mid-week%20Worship) (603-899-7574)
Sunday	September 1st	10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m.	Meeting for Worship For Zoom link, email Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) . Fellowship With Children:  Faith & TBD; Closing: TBD.

Members who attended New England Yearly Meeting Sessions at Castleton will be reporting back to us after Potluck.  Several members attended the annual sessions of New England Yearly Meeting.  Sessions is not only a time of fellowship and spiritual renewal, but doing the business of the Yearly Meeting.  That often involves grappling with issues that challenge us to listen deeply for God's Will.  And that often means coming back to local Meetings and grappling with them there, to send our Light back to the next Yearly Meeting.  Our representatives will be reporting to us this Sunday at our Fourth Sunday program.  Come listen for the Light and the Love they experienced there.

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1pm at the corner of Main and Center Street.  Make your own sign, use one provided, or just stand in silent witness besides others. This is done in coordination with NH Peace Action.  We suggest that people make signs that convey something about justice for Israel and Palestine.  Also please avoid the word genocide, ethnic cleansing, and similar terms.

September 1^st, 2024: After the rise of Meeting on September 1^st, everyone is welcome to join our fun float down the Merrimack in kayak or canoe.  Bring a lunch, snack, water and be ready to swim (if you would like to) at the lovely beaches along the way.

Put in is at Boscawen town park; takeout at the Penacook boat launch just past the Hannah Dustin monument.  If you would like to come but do not have a boat OR if you have space in your own canoe or have an extra kayak or canoe to lend, please let us know.  The trip should take about 3 hours not counting transporting, unloading, and loading up.  Contact Ruth & Greg (603-724-4343)

Quakers for Peace in Palestine & Israel invite you to join us on Zoom to hear about experiences with systemic oppression, paths of nonviolent resistance, and a vision for a just and peaceful future from two Palestinian Quakers.  Discussion will follow.  To RSVP, register via Zoom.

A little over a year ago, I wrote an article about how embracing discomfort helps us grow.  You can read it in full here.  I have been thinking about it recently for a few reasons:

For one, we have been having difficult conversations as a community over the last few months about the ongoing war in Gaza and how we might be led to act.  Some of those moments have been hard and left us feeling raw and unsettled and uncomfortable.

This week, we had Steve Chase, former interim director of BHFH, as a Friend in Residence.  We held two “threshing sessions,” one run by Regina McCarthy and the other by Steve, on Israel/Palestine.  These are places to dig deeper into the issues without trying to decide.  And we dug deep — these sessions lasted well into the night, and created a space for folks to share their feelings, beliefs, and life experiences, and keep doing the important work to, as Steve puts it, “come to moral clarity.” The air is beginning to clear, and we are moving through our discomfort and into healing and possibility.

Also this past week, BHFH began the process of getting ready for construction on our deck.  We moved out of the kitchen, and we are operating in a make-shift kitchen in the dining room.  It has not been as difficult cooking in that space as you might imagine.  But it does involve a significant amount of discomfort we have to learn to live with for a few months as we renovate the rear ell roof and decking.  In the piece I wrote just a little over a year ago, these parts still feel so true:

“I’ve spent a lot of my time here at BHFH learning to step outside of my comfort zone.  Learning how to live and work in community, learning about Friends, and even just learning how to be a reasonable human being after a decade in a commercial kitchen were not always easy, but were all important and rewarding things to experience.

As I settle into the role of Associate Director, I expect that there will be days where I feel way out of my depth and not sure if I am doing the right thing.  I expect that there will be days when everything is hard and I will upset someone, despite my best efforts.  There will also be days where I end the day with my cheeks hurting from laughing or smiling so much.  There will also be days where we all show up for one another in beautiful ways.  There will also be days when both negative and positive are true, or days where the discomfort shows us the path to growth, to better understanding of our world and of each other, and to a tighter and even more vibrant community.”

I think moving through discomfort in such a pursuit is certainly worth it.  And I can feel it today.