2025-02-02 Newsletter of

Concord Friends Meeting

A Monthly Meeting in Dover Quarter of

New England Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends

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

Big D (from Dreamstime.com)

“Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen,

But give us the determination to make the right things happen.”



Horace Mann (1796–1859)

An American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and

Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education.

Day Date Time Event
Sunday February 2nd 9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.



11:30 a.m.

 		 Program: Deepening our Quaker Experience

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:  TBD;

Closing:  Ruth & Greg H.
Monday February 3rd 4:00 p.m. In-Person Worship at Lucy's House. Contact RichK [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: CFM%20Monday%20Afternoon%20Worship) (Rich) to confirm.
Thursday February 6th Noon Peace Vigil, State House Plaza.
Sunday February 9th 10:00 a.m.



11:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

 		 Meeting for Worship

For Zoom link, email Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

Fellowship & Potluck

Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

With Children:  TBD;

Closing:  Rich & Sue.
Sunday March 30th 12:30 p.m. Dover Quarterly Meeting re: NEYM Visioning (at CFM)

In this Edition:

Friendly Eights Returns!

Drive the winter doldrums away with an evening meal (or luncheon) with 6-8 other Meeting attenders sometime in February.  We'll create the groups and let the hosts know who is attending.  (Let RuthH [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Friendly%20Eights) (Ruth H) or HeidiB [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Friendly%20Eights) (Heidi B) know if you can host.)

With gratitude,

Ruth 603-724-4343 and Heidi 603-340-2281

Our next “Deepening Our Quaker Experience” Sunday, February 2nd, 9 a.m.

World Family Of Friends Tapestry

Earlier this month we launched our new program, “Deepening our Quaker Experience” with a look at some early Friends.  We’ll continue going deeper into this on February 2nd — and expanding our view to more modern and even current Friends.  If you are so moved, please bring a favorite Quaker story or quotation.  If you don’t already have a favorite, here are some on-line resources you may appreciate:

Perhaps your favorite quote or story is recent and unpublished.  I’m thinking of the many stories I’ve heard about Friends like the Booths and the Chynoweths.  And I’m thinking of the beauty I witness every Sunday.

Remember, these are stand-alone events so you don’t need to have attended the first session to participate.  No homework required! Hope you can join us for coffee, tea, and inspiration.

*Draft* Minutes for First Month 2025

Barclay Press Logo

The draft minutes for the January 2025 meeting for worship with attention to business are available at 2025-01-12_CMM_Minutes or via Minutes_of_ConcordMonthlyMeeting.

For corrections, missing documents, and/or clarifications of the minutes, please reply to web clerk, Concord Friends Meeting <WebClerk [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: CMM%20Draft%20Minutes%20for%20January%202025) >.

March 4th and 5th Sundays: NEYM Annual Sessions Visioning

We have a special opportunity coming up in March and Ministry and Counsel hopes you'll set aside time in your calendar now.  We will not be holding a program on 4th Sunday in March.  Instead, a very special program is set for 5th Sunday and we are hoping for a strong turnout.  Friends will be coming from all over our Quarter.  The Meetings in our Quarterly Meeting include Weare/Henniker, Dover, West Epping Preparative Meeting, North Sandwich, River Woods Worship Group (Exeter), and Gonic.  Such an opportunity!  And the program is especially important. 

New England Yearly Meeting is going through changes and needs to hear from Friends far and wide regarding the summer sessions and various alternatives to the current model.  Whether you have ever attended a NEYM summer session does not matter.  How the YM will meet the needs of individuals and Meetings in our changing times matters to all of us.  We hope you will make time to be present on 5th Sunday in March.  Stay tuned for more information as the weeks pass.

Quakers in the News

Read the articles below by clicking on them:

NBC NEWS: Quaker groups file suit

Friends Journal: Quakers sue DHS

NEYM: Suit Filed by Quaker Meetings Against Trump Administration’s New ICE Policy

NH Voices of Faith: Visibility on Immigration

NH Voices of Faith Visibility

At a legislative hearing in New Hampshire, AFSC staff and other immigrant rights advocates spoke out against a bill that would require local police to act as immigration enforcement agents. Photo: AFSC/New Hampshire

Thank you to the thousands of people who contacted Congress to oppose the Trump administration's plans for mass deportations this week!  Immigrants are a vital part of who we are as a community—friends, family members, neighbors, and leaders.  Together, we make our communities stronger.  As a Quaker organization, AFSC believes everyone should be treated with respect and human dignity.  If you haven’t already, please help us urge lawmakers to uphold our values.  Tell Congress to stop deportations today!

Friends Journal: “An Experiment in Holy Abundance”

Concord (NH) Friends Meetinghous + Playground

Friends will also enjoy reading about the gift that was used in our solar project and seeing a picture of our Meetinghouse in the lead.

Click on the Picture to read "An Experiment in Holy Abundance"

NEYM Legacy Gift Funds Report

Friends may be interested in reading Dave W's final report about the "NEYM Legacy Gift Funds Grant Program".  A web-version of the report is at NEYMLegacyGiftFundsGrantProgramReport-2025.

Pendle Hill Conference: “Publishers of the Truth”, May 2nd-5th, 2025

Pendle Hill logo

Dear Concord Friends Meeting,

Pendle Hill is excited to share that registration is now open for Publishers of the Truth, a collaboration of Pendle Hill's Quaker Institute and Earlham’s Quaker Leadership Conference exploring how Friends witness and publish the truth with integrity in an age of fractured political realities, disinformation, and artificial intelligence.

The conference will be from May 2-5 on Pendle Hill’s campus, and it is open to all those in Friends communities (not just literal publishers of media). Here are some useful links regarding this program:

In Fellowship,

Lucas Meyer-Lee

Education Associate: Pendle Hill

338 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA 19086

610-566-4507 x120  |  Fax: 610-566-3679

 www.pendlehill.org |  @pendlehillusa 

P.S. Knowing that finances may be a barrier for some Friends to attend Pendle Hill’s programs, we offer financial assistance to ensure our programs are accessible.

United Society of Friends Women International—Northeast Region: Saturday, 22nd February 2025, 9:30 a.m. to Noon

USFW Int'l logo

Celebrate the Vital & Varied Ministries of Younger Quaker women!

Winter Zoom Gathering of

United Society of Friends Women International—Northeast Region

22nd of February, 2025

9:30am to 12 noon Eastern Time

Join us for a panel of younger Quaker women with ministries, as we explore "Lifting Up Younger Quaker Women as They Live Into Their Sense of Call".

A Panel Moderated by Emily Provance of NYYM, with:

  • Briana Hallowell from New England YM,
  • Nicole Bennett Fite from New York YM, and
  • Sussie Ingosi Ndanyi from Nairobi YM.

They will share the ways they have felt led by the Spirit to do an amazing variety of ministries, how they experienced their call, how they were supported to follow their leading, and ways older Friends can help lift up younger Quaker women.

Schedule
Time (Eastern) Program
9:30am Zoom opens for informal sharing/greetings
9:40am Devotions led by Pastor Janice Ninan of NYYM and translated into Swahili by Pastor Joyce Machaha of Nairobi YM
10:00am Introductions led by Marian Baker-NEYM
10:05am Panel - moderated by Emily Provance-NYYM
11:05am Small breakout groups sharing what arose during the panel
11:40am Singing in multiple languages led by Congolese Women
11:50am Announcements and closing prayer
12noon End of event

Marian Baker 

REGISTER

Justice Fair: Saturday, February 8th, 12 p.m.–3 p.m. at Concordia Lutheran Church

Concordia Lutheran Church

211 N Main St

Concord, NH 03301

concordialc [at] fairpoint [dot] net

(603) 224-0277

Interfaith Peace Service: Wednesday, 12th February, 10:40 a.m. at Bishop Brady H.S.

BishopBradyHighSchoolInterfaithService

Solemn Vigil for a Cease Fire in Gaza

Ceasfire Vigil

Thursdays at Noon

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1 p.m.  The vigil meets at (the northwest corner of) North Main Street and Park Street in Concord on the plaza in front of the State House.  Make your own sign, use one provided, or just stand in silent witness beside 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.

PSECC Committee

 

 

News of NH Statehouse Happenings

If you would like more info on what is happening at the NH Statehouse, here are some resources.

KSC Happenings is a weekly, action-based newsletter focusing on State House advocacy.  To join go to the website  kentstreetcoalition.org.

We aim to provide the tools and information necessary for people to take action on issues and bills of particular importance and concern. Priorities and positions are made in consultation with KSC working groups and coalition partners.  However, we acknowledge and expect that not everyone will agree with every position listed here and we respect and value the right of individuals to make their own informed decisions.

Many organizations are doing critically important work and our goal is to be an added value, without being duplicative or reinventing the wheel.  We highly recommend the following excellent resources for action alerts, reporting, analysis, and commentary:

Please Remember

Please remember to keep a pair of slippers or indoor shoes on the shoe rack to limit damage to our floors.

Plastic Bags can be put inside the box by the entrance of the Meetinghouse.

Questions, comments, etc.

Questions, comments, suggestions?  Email us at: ConcordFriendsNewsletter [at] gmail [dot] com

From Past Issues

Midweek Worship Opportunities

There are other online Meetings for Worship that are generally available to Quakers, unlimited by geography, if that would be of interest. Some of those are listed here.

Submissions

Dear Friends,

If you have information or personal news to share via this Newsletter please email your submission to  ConcordFriendsMeeting [at] GMail [dot] com (subject: Newsletter) by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.

  • Items should begin with a headline followed by text that can be copied and pasted without editing.
  • Please remove any formatting if you are able.
  • Please keep postings directly related to the Meeting or activities and groups supported by the Meeting, or personal news to share.
  • Please send submissions by Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
  • Typically, the announcements will go out by Saturday.  It is our intention to acknowledge receipt of all submissions.  If you don't receive an acknowledgment, we probably have not seen your message, and it would be helpful if you followed up with us.
  • The Newsletter Gmail account is used by Juliet.  Look for the signature to be clear who the actual sender is.
  • Finally, it's best to keep your Zoom links in a handy place in case the announcements are not sent in a given week.

Juliet C, Newsletter Editor

 

Are you wanting information from past announcements? 

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements

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