2025-03-09 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) .
94.3 The Point
REMINDER
REMEMBER to change your clocks to
one hour later
before going to bed this Saturday.
It's time to SPRING FORWARD
Day | Date | Time | Event |
---|---|---|---|
Sunday | March 9th | 2:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. |
SPRING FORWARD 1 HOUR 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: Chris H & Dave W. |
Monday | March 10th | 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 | March 13th | Noon | Peace Vigil, State House Plaza. |
Sunday | March 16th | 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: TBD; Closing: Sharon & Kathy |
Sunday | March 30th | 12:30 p.m. | Dover Quarterly Meeting re: NEYM Visioning (at CFM) |
In this Edition:
- Documents in Advance of Meeting for Business - Sunday, March 9th, 12:30 p.m.
- Meeting For Healing - Sunday, March 16th, 9:30-10:00 a.m.
- Vigil for a Cease Fire - Thursdays, Noon-1:00 p.m. at State House Plaza
- March 5th Sunday/Dover Quarter - Sunday, March 30th, 12:30 p.m. : NEYM Visioning
- Guess Who?
- Ways to Help Ramallah Friends School & Lugulu Friends Hospital
- NH Peace Action - March 2025 Events
- “Countering Christian Nationalism” - Sunday, March 16th, 4-6 p.m. via Zoom
- Franciscan Action Network - Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
- “NEYM Discernment Discovery Day” – Saturday, March 15th, Moses Brown School
- NEYM Annual Sessions – August 1-6, 2025 at UMass, Amherst, MA
- NEYM Children And Family Newsletter for Spring 2025
- CMM Minutes for Second Month 2025
- Midweek Worship Opportunities
Documents in Advance of Meeting for Business - 2nd Sunday, March 9th, 12:30 p.m.
Please review for this Sunday's Business Meeting:
- *Draft* minutes for the 2nd Month 2025 meeting for worship with attention to business are available at 2025-02-09_CMM_Minutes.
- M&C March Report for March 9th: Click Here
- PSECC report for March 9th: PSECC_3_2025_Minutes_Report
- Finance Committee Report on Government Funding: Report_on_Government_Funding_March_9th 2025
- Finance Committee Notes of 2025-02-19 Meeting: 2025_02_19-CMMFinanceCommitteeMeetingNotes-v.2.docx
- Operations Report as of 2025-02-28 for March 2025: CMM-OperationsFY2025asof2025-02-28forMarch2025.pdf
- *Draft* copy of our “2024 State of Society Report”: CMM StateOfSociety2024
- Proposed minute on support for the Trans Community: Click Here to review the Minute
Meeting for Healing: 3rd Sunday, March 16th, 9:30 - 10:00 am
The last few months have been trying times indeed. It’s not easy to maintain equanimity in the face of current events, health challenges, and life transitions. It's times like this that we most need to turn to our Quaker faith community for support.
Please join us March 16th for a hybrid gathering (using the worship link) to promote peace, renewal, and healing. We’ll create a safe container for sharing what is on our hearts and lifting up our concerns so that we might more forward with a greater feeling of peace and sense of shared community.
Ministry and Counsel
Solemn Vigil for a Cease Fire in Gaza
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
March 5th-Sunday Program, March 30th - Visioning NEYM Annual Sessions
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.
Guess Who?
Guess who?
Reply to this newsletter or bring your guess to the next meeting! Send in your own old photos so that we can have some fun with it.
Juliet C.
Sacred Witness: Thursday, March 13th, 12 noon via Webinar
Ways to Help Ramallah Friends School & Lugulu Friends Hospital
In recent weeks, the FUM E-news has reported on the impact the suspension of US foreign aid is having on ministries under the care of Friends United Meeting. (Read more here.) As part of our burden of concern for Lugulu Friends Mission Hospital and Ramallah Friends School, we are encouraging members of the Quaker community, RFS alumni, and people of goodwill to consider making meaningful contributions to these ministries.
In Ramallah (Palestine), we are pivoting the leading focus of our Foundation for Tomorrow Campaign to include the completion of the construction project. Click here to learn more about this initiative. Donations for the campaign are received online: https://bit.ly/RFS_foundation-for-tomorrow. Additionally, Kelly Kellum would be happy to visit with you about a donation you might want to make on behalf of the campaign.
For Lugulu (Kenya), donations for the hospital can be made through the FUM website. https://www.friendsunitedmeeting.org/giving/donate. Please use the Global Ministries Form and designate Lugulu Hospital. Your generous support at this time is greatly appreciated.
Read more about how to support advocacy work on behalf of FUM by clicking on the following link:
Advocacy Tips from FUM
NH Peace Action - March 2025 Events
Countering Christian Nationalism: Sunday, March 16th, 4-6 p.m. via Zoom
“Countering Christian Nationalism” Community Conversation, hybrid event
South Church, Concord, NH March 16, 2025, 4:00pm-6:00pm, Zoom
This hybrid event welcomes all Granite Staters! The first in a three-part series, seeks to explain the origins, tenets, and impacts of Christian nationalism, particularly in the context of New Hampshire. Co-hosted by the Countering Christian Nationalism Coalition, the event will provide attendees with knowledge to understand and address this issue in NH.
Panelists include leaders from the racial justice community, the LGBTQ community, and representatives from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths, as well as a policy expert monitoring this issue in NH. Event co-sponsors include (at time of publishing): NH Council of Churches, American Friends Service Committee, Engage, Outright New Hampshire, Temple Beth Jacob, 603 Equality, NH Peace Action, Open Democracy & more.
Please register HERE for your secure Zoom link or to attend in-person.
The 2nd in this series will be held in May!
Franciscan Action Network: “Using Our Power--Nonviolence & Noncooperation In History & Today” Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, 4:00–5:00 p.m. EDT
Using Our Power--Nonviolence & Noncooperation In History & Today
Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, 4:00 PM EDT - 5:00 PM EDT
Sign Up!
Link Accessible for Screen Reader
NEYM Discernment Discovery Day – Saturday, March 15th, Moses Brown School
NEYM-Annual Sessions – August 1-6, 2026 at UMass, Amherst, MA
Sessions Location for 2025
We are pleased to announce the 2025 Annual Sessions will be held at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in August.
Each year, hundreds of Quakers from across New England and beyond join together for Annual Sessions. Having first gathered in 1661, Friends continue to gather annually for:
- opportunities to connect
- vibrant youth programs
- seeking how God will guide us in meeting for business
- adult small groups and spiritual enrichment
- worship and spiritual exploration, and
- discernment of how we are led by the Spirit to act and serve
There will be more exciting announcements about this year's theme and speakers coming soon. If you are not already getting the Yearly Meeting monthly newsletter consider signing up so you don't miss updates.
We all come together to make Annual Sessions happen. Will you join in? If you are curious about volunteer opportunities at Sessions please fill out the volunteer interest form.
NEYM Children And Family Newsletter - Spring 2025
Click below for the Children and Family Ministries Spring 2025 Newsletter
Spring_2025_Family_Newsletter
Ben Lomond Quaker Center News
Winter news and programs from Ben Lomond Quaker Center, click here
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
CMM Minutes for Second Month 2025
The draft minutes for the February 2025 meeting for worship with attention to business are available at 2025-02-09_CMM_Minutes or via Minutes_of_ConcordMonthlyMeeting.
For corrections, missing documents, and/or clarifications of the minutes, please reply to WebClerk [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: CMM%20Minutes%20for%202nd%20Month) .
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.
- In New England, there is a new Monthly Meeting that is currently entirely online. It meets via Zoom link on every other Thursday. Here is their "about" page: https://www.ThreeRiversMeeting.org/about
- While it is not a usual Meeting for Worship, there is a weekly Taizé worship offered Thursday evenings online by a member of Mt. Toby Meeting in Western Massachusetts. See https://neym.org/events-calendar/weekly-taize-service-online
- Pendle Hill, the Quaker study and retreat center near Philadelphia, has Worship available every morning. This can also be accessed online. Go to https://pendlehill.org/explore/worship/online-daily-worship/
- Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) has a webpage with online worship opportunities around the world, a few of which are midweek. got to https://fwcc.world/find/online-worship/
- The Ben Lomond Quaker Center offers a daily online meeting for worship from 7:30-8:00 a.m. (Pacific)/10:30-11:00 a.m. (Eastern). You can join them from anyplace in the world. Online meeting for worship. NB. Connection is NOT SECURE
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