2017 Gonic MM State of Society

State of Society 2017 [1]

Gonic Monthly Meeting of Friends

Gonic, NH

In 2017 F(f)riends in Gonic continued with the resolve and fellowship among us as a small, but faithful meeting that welcomes, supports, and embraces our members, visitors, and attendees with a warm and cheerful joy.  Our vision of being the hands of God continues to encourage action.

Some actions include considering our tole in the support of a nearby meeting in becoming a place of sanctuary, providing regular presence in support of immigrants required to show up in Manchester, NH each week, and providing joyful support and comfort to so many with faithfulness and compassion.

A generous monetary gift given in care to Gonic Monthly Meeting was used locally for the support of two immigrant populations.  Funds were released to American Friends Service Committee – NH to assist immigrants in need for legal support while detained at Strafford County Jail in Dover, NH, a southeast New England holding facility for I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Another portion of our immigrant population had been peacefully and faithfully living among us for years as friends, neighbors, and as a part of our greater interfaith community.  Suddenly, they were instructed to prepare themselves to purchase costly air fare upon notice that they are to leave this country and the community where they had made their homes.  Providing funds for their expenses seemed well placed to ease some portion of this desperate situation.

In reaching the greater Friends community, Gonic Friends are represented at Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meetings.  Additionally, Gonic Friends were able to finally respond to a kind invitation from Dover MM to join them, as another Friend’s presence, by sharing their booth at a local annual event held in Dover, NH in October called The Apple Harvest Day.  Gonic Friends happily joined them in 2017 and were gratefully encouraged to offer support in speaking with an impressive number of visitors who visited the booth and asked questions about Friends, Quakers, churches, faith, religion, history, and perhaps to simply become familiar with another local faith community.

Children and adults were invited to choose a positive message sticker to wear, which was made available from the NEYM Children’s programs.  Dover Meeting also provided Chinese fortune cookies for humans and bowls of fresh water for the many dogs that accompanied their families.  Gonic Meeting looks forward to attending again, with the hope that.

Gonic Friends have mentioned, with appreciation, the effort of NEYM to increase opportunities to engage with social media and spread news, events, messages, and stories coming from, about, and for Friends and the wider community.  Additionally, our lending library has expanded and includes a variety of offerings such as books written by Friends, books and pamphlets about Friends, copies of the magazine, Friends Journal, and CDs of Quaker Speaks.  Although, there has been interest in a wealth of older books in our collection, for those looking for historic publications.  However, one Friend remarked recently after hearing a message of faithfulness written by a NEYM clerk, that she appreciated it was from this year, not 100 years ago.

A new form of outreach is developing. One Friend shared that Gonic Friends Meeting continues to be a place of Spiritual space.  Another Friend spoke of being grateful that Gonic Meeting serves as a refuge even when F(f)riends are not able to be present.

During time spent preparing for worship for business by considering the spiritual state of meeting, F(f)riends spoke of feeling love and care.  Another time a friend spoke to the Query “Do we share each other’s joys and burdens?” by expressing “sincere gratitude for the few but dedicated members who do the work of the meeting.”

Another time, the lighthearted query, “Why do we worship in silence?” came with the answer, “Because of the passage from Jeremiah 31:31, ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant...I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts.’” And so, we listen and share.

Gonic Friends have been developing outreach with an upgraded and enlarged message board to greet those who enter our meeting, while also keeping some things that have been in place for some time.

We have enjoyed many newcomers this past year that came with children.  This helped us organize our resources and material for young attenders.  We also increased our offerings for religious education.

A seasonal attender whom we looked forward to seeing when the warmer months arrived and sadly said good bye to when fall arrived, passed away suddenly.  His gentle ways and willing, thoughtful, and timely help had become a blessing to us.

Another time the message was “Stop striving, let it be, do less not more.”

Where have you seen others being the hands of God?

Being the “hands of God” sounds impossible.  After all, God created heaven and earth, light and dark, and every creature that dwells beside us, swims beneath us, or soars above us.  And yet each of us daily performs some act that borders on the miraculous.

Following are some of the ways members of Gonic Monthly Meeting of Friends demonstrate the concept of being the hands of God in their lives.

• When we note one Friend is missing or delayed, we have come to recognize that our friend has been called to lend a hand to another who is in need.
• A concern about the divisiveness during the election process was a call to one Friend to action and commitment for “regular direct constructive individual action.”
• A gentle attender often appeared at meeting to assist when things needed fixing, or challenging demands called for moral support, or events away needed attendance and visitation.
• Regularly the joyful warmth of friendship is extended to new attenders when worship is over and we share refreshments and conversation.
• Arrangements are made for study groups to help expand understanding of faith, practice, and community.
• The message board outside the meeting house offers a thoughtful or inspiriting perspective of life, love, faith, healing, encouragement, and caring.
• Friends and attenders have chosen career fields that reflect a calling to serve and to also extend that caring into their communities during their free time.
• Gonic MM has a Facebook page which is creating interest.
• We increased the number of children who attended meeting and gathered material to support them.

State of Society Report 2017

Gonic Friends Meeting

Rough Draft: GMM State of Society Report 2017 - 5/5/18

and “Do we live in faith?”