2025-03-16 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) .

Marie White, Cmusician

“There is beauty in the journey, regardless of the outcome.

Let’s grieve and hope, and fight together.”

Marie White

Singer, 23 years young who enjoys making music, drinking coffee and

writing about herself in the third person. 


Day Date Time Event
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
Monday March 17th 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 20th Noon Peace Vigil, State House Plaza.
Friday March 21st 7:00–9:00 p.m. Sing Your Heart Out (at CFM)
Sunday March 23rd 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 (4th-Sunday Program next week)

With Children:  TBD;

Closing:  Sara & Jennifer S.
Sunday March 30th 10:00 a.m.



11:30 a.m.

1:00–3:00 p.m.
Meeting for Worship

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

Potluck

Dover Quarterly Meeting re: NEYM Listening & Visioning (Hybrid)  Online and in-person at Concord Friends Meetinghouse)

In this Edition:


Meeting for Healing - Sunday, March 16th, 9:30-10:00 a.m.

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


“Sing Your Heart Out” Song Circle - Friday, March 21st, 7:00–9:00 p.m.

Sing Your Heart Out -  Friday March 21st - 7-9pm

This month's Song Circle is coming up next Friday!  Come to  Sing Your Heart Out for hope and justice and peace and spring on the Solstice!  We had a great group in February.  Bring Rise Up Singing  and Rise Again or borrow ours. And some snack to share - and a friend - and a song to request or to teach.    

Ruth and Greg 


NEYM Listening & Visioning Session - 5th Sunday, March 30th, 12:30 p.m.

This month we are foregoing our regular schedule on 4th Sunday to encourage everyone to participate in our potluck lunch and program as we host Quarterly Meeting on March 30th. Friends will be coming from all over our Quarter including Weare/Henniker, Dover, West Epping Preparative, North Sandwich, and Gonic Meetings and River Woods Worship Group in Exeter.  Some will join us for our worship and others will attend worship first at their own meetings. We will have an extended time for potluck lunch in order to give Friends time to arrive.

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 Meetings and individuals in our changing times matters to all of us.  We hope you will make time to be present on 5th Sunday.

Greg will be moderating this program which is outside the context of a formal Quarterly Meeting with Attention to Business.  The Quarter has its own Clerk, Sandy H. David E (Weare/Henniker) will be the Recording Clerk for the program which begins at 1:00 and will conclude by 3:00. Zoom participation is welcomed on our regular worship link.


CMM Minutes for Third Month 2025

The draft minutes for the March 2025 meeting for worship with attention to business are available at 2025-03-09_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) .


Sacred Witness: Thursday, March 13th, 12 noon via Webinar

Sacred Witness Poster for 2025-03-13T12noon


GCIC Lenten Luncheon Series: Thursdays, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.

2025 Greater Concord Interfaith Council Lenten Luncheon Series

Good food, good company, and inspiring presentations

Thursdays from 12:00 noon -1:00 pm, Cost $7

  • March 13, Bow Mills United Methodist Church, Rev. Suzanne Rude, an Interfaith Minister and member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Concord, NH, will present on the historic and contemporary connections between religious faith, our spiritual values, and the foods we eat in this country.
  • March 20, Christ the King Parish Activity Center, Avery Sahr, student at Bishop Brady, will share her experience of volunteering at the Christ the King Food Pantry (St. Vincent Depaul Society) and how this has impacted her life.
  • March 27, Christ the King Parish Activity Center, Valerie Guy, Executive Director at The Friendly Kitchen in Concord, NH, will provide an update on services provided by The Friendly Kitchen, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide meals for the hungry in a warm, caring, and non-discriminating environment through coordination of community volunteer resources.
  • April 3, Christ the King Parish Center, Rabbi Robin Nafshi, leader of the Jewish community at Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, NH, will speak about the history and significance of the Passover seder, a ceremonial meal and storytelling service held at home as part of the Passover celebration
  • April 10, Bow Mills United Methodist Church, Cy Sherman, a member of South Congregational Church, UCC in Concord, NH will share her experience of missionary work in India.

GCIC-LentenLuncheonSchedule


“Vocal Ministry Workshop” by Betsy M - Sunday, March 16th, 1:00 p.m.

PalmBeachMeeting-VocalMinistryWorkshop

Palm Beach Monthly Meeting, Sun, Mar 16, 1:00 pm ET, in person & online

Palm Beach Monthly Meeting is hosting a Vocal Ministry Workshop presented by Betsy Meyer, member of Concord, NH, Monthly Meeting  and Treasure Coast Worship Group, on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. There is no charge and all are welcome.

  • How do we receive the vocal ministry of others?
  • How do we discern whether we are led to speak?
  • Practical advice for vocal ministry.

Come in person for worship beginning at 10:30 a.m., at the Palm Beach Quaker Meetinghouse, 823 North A Street, Lake Worth FL 33460, and stay for potluck lunch, or just come AT 1:00 p.m. for the workshop. 

Traffic too much? Join via Zoom for worship and/or the workshop.

For more information about Palm Beach Monthly Meeting, visit PalmBeachQuakers.org


Quote from Rainer Maria Rilke, “Letters to a Young Poet” – [“Love Casts Out Fear”]

We must always trust in the difficult, then what appears to us as the most frightening will become our most intimate and trusted experience. How could we forget those ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses? Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something that needs our love.

— Rainer Maria Rilke, “Letters to a Young Poet”

(Contributed by Heidi)

“...[N]o fear in love, ... love casts out fear” [1st John 4:18]


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

 

 


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

Franciscan Action Network logo

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


BHFH - “Taking Reparative Actions”

BHFH-TakingReparativeActions-IndigenousBoardingSchools

Dear Friends,

Continuing Revelation is a core part of Quaker spirituality.  It’s the belief that truth is not frozen in the past, but alive, unfolding, and available to us right now. When we listen deeply, new insights come to us. In 1660, George Fox urged Friends to live in a way that reflects the power of love and truth, removing the need for war. It was an early expression of the Quaker peace testimony, but history shows us that good intentions alone are not enough. Real advocacy requires wisdom, humility, and cultural awareness.

For generations, Quakers were involved in the forced removal and assimilation of Native children through boarding schools, stripping them of their language, culture, and connection to their people. These schools weren’t just places of learning, but of erasure, meant to reshape Native children into something more acceptable to white Christian society. Today, Native communities are carrying the generational trauma of these policies while also reclaiming their languages, stories, and heritage.

In a few weeks, on April 11, non-Native speakers from three yearly meetings—New England, Baltimore, and Alaska—will share how they have discerned and carried out actions to build new relationships with Native communities based on truth, respect, and justice.  Gail Melix (Greenwater) will close the evening with some thoughts and queries.  Gail is a member of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe of Plymouth and of Sandwich Monthly Meeting. 

The question before us is not just what Friends did but what we do now.  What does acknowledgment, apology, and reparation look like in the face of this history?  The work of repair is not about condemning our spiritual ancestors but about an ongoing commitment to truth and justice.  Just as truth continues to unfold, so must our response.

Join us for this conversation. 

Let’s listen, learn, and step forward together,

Brent Walsh

BHFH Program & Engagement Manager


Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) News

Recent articles in their "Timeline" section.

From Mark


*Draft* of our “2024 State of Society Report”

https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/CMMStateOfSociety2024. Click or tap to follow the link.">CMM StateOfSociety2024


NEYM-Annual Sessions – August 1-6, 2026 at UMass, Amherst, MA

NEYM-AnnualSessionsAnnouncement with bullhorn

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

NEYM-logo-

Click below for the Children and Family Ministries Spring 2025 Newsletter

Spring_2025_Family_Newsletter


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