Jackie to attend via Zoom

Jackie Stillwell tells us that she has been exposed to COVID and will be attending tomorrow via Zoom (see 4th Sunday details below).

Abundance in Advent Calendars

If you haven't been able to pick up an "Abundance in Advent Calendar" in person at the Meetinghouse (decorated by the children), please download this document [1] and print it. (If you have trouble doing this, email ruthmheath [at] comcast [dot] net to get one emailed to you as an attachment.) The funds raised from this will enable us to sponsor Christine Imbiti (and her family) in Kakamega, Kenya, as she attends high school this year. Each day will remind us of some aspect of our lives that we may take for granted, and prompts us to make a donation based on our abundance. For example, 'give a dollar is you have been or are in school' or "give 25 cents for each bedroom in your home". Our abundance is put into perspective. By getting to know Christine over the years our children have come to know that many of the objects noted in the calendar are not necessarily a part of her daily life.

The following items have appeared previously in emailed announcements

Thank you! Fall Cleanup, Nov 21

Much good work was done and just in time given the two to three inches of snow we are seeing in Canterbury this morning. Thank you to those who were able help last Sunday and at other times.

Fourth Sunday Program Tomorrow

Jackie Stillwell, Right Sharing of World Resources General Secretary and Monadnock Friend, will visit Concord Friends in November for our Fourth Sunday conversation. Jackie will show slides and reflect on the mission of RSWR: "God calls us to the right sharing of world resources, from the burdens of materialism and poverty into the abundance of God's love, to work for equity through partnerships with our sisters and brothers throughout the world.” Together we will reflect on: “What is essential? What does right relationship and generosity mean for me personally and for the planet?"

Please plan to change out of winter footwear when entering the building.

Winter is here in all but name. Friends are reminded that changing into indoor shoes or slippers is strongly encouraged. That way we won't be leaving puddles of melted snow and tracks of abrasive grit under our chairs in the Meeting Room. Cleanup is so much easier!

Faithful Lives.

The memory of departed Friends was invoked last Sunday at meeting. From Britain Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice: "Our church government would be an empty shell without the living expression of our faith provided by generations of individual Friends. Our custom of writing testimonies to the grace of God as shown in the lives of Friends provides us with a wealth of material showing ordinary Friends living out their faith from day to day. These testimonies show us that, whatever our circumstances, God can be present with us, and they encourage us each to be faithful to our own calling."

Visit this page of our web site (https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/FaithfulLives [2]) to find the memorial minutes, the "testimonies to the grace of God" referred to above, for Don Booth, Lois Booth, Susan Chambers , Graham Chynoweth, Marjorie Gordon, Adelaide Nichols, Robert Nichols, Roberta Nichols. When you click on the departed Friend's name a hyperlink will take you to their memorial minute.

Cleaning out the Foyer Closets

Ruth has taken on the project of getting clothing left in the foyer closets returned to their owners or passed on to others who could use them. We all have two weeks to claim what we have left there. December 1 is the day they can be considered useful for others. Please contact her if you have any special needs or thoughts on the matter.

Quaker Basics Course Offering

Dear Friends,

It’s about that time to offer our semi-regular “Quaker Basics” course. Everyone is welcome, even those of us with many years ‘on the benches’. The plan is to meet via Zoom for an hour each week or every other week for six weeks at whatever times are best for participants. We can meet during the day or early evening.

The course materials are available on the Concord Friends Meeting website via https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/Library#QuakerBasics [3]

Quaker Basics (‘Quakerism 101’): An Introductory Course in Quaker Faith & Practice [4] by Peter Blood-Patterson

• Glossary of Quakerisms [5] [See also “Quaker Manual of Style and Glossary” [6].]
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 1 [7], The Beginnings of Quakerism
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 2 [8], “The Inward Light”
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 3 [9], Meeting for Worship
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 4 [10], Meeting for Business
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 5 [11], The Testimonies
• Readings for Quaker Basics, Week 6 [12], The Meeting Community

During the course, we prepare for each get-together by reading selections on each theme. I like reading and marking up a printed copy of the selections, but others prefer reading them on their cell phone. For those who have access to a computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader and printer that will do double-sided printing, you can print the booklets yourselves. Otherwise, I’ll try to print copies for those who can’t do so as long as my printing setup works.

When we get together on Zoom, we discuss what in the readings ‘spoke to you’.

For those who are interested, please send me an email at MarkWBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Quaker%20Basics) with your name, email address, days-of-the-week and times which are most convenient for you. Once I have that information for the group, I’ll set up a Doodle Poll to see if we can agree on one or more convenient times.

In the hope that this offering ‘speaks to you’, I wish you Love, and Peace, and Tenderness,

Mark Barker, co-clerk to Concord Monthly Meeting of Friends

Draft Meeting Minutes

The draft minutes of last Sunday's Minutes of our Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business are available at https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2021-11-14_CMM_Minutes [13]

A Deep Presence by Robert Goodby

Robert Goodby will be at the Boscawen town library on Nov. 30. Here's the link to learn more: https://www.boscawenpubliclibrary.org/ [14]

The Plight of People in Afghanistan

One of our members writes:

"I don't know about you or anyone else, but the plight of the Afghanistan people and the threat of hunger in their country this winter has really been bothering me. So, I researched and found out that Catholic Relief Services has been established there for some time. I gave then a call and was told that if you donate to Catholic Relief Services and put "Afghanistan" in the memo line or on a note, the money will go to Afghanistan and could help people survive this winter. I was surprised that the Catholics were in there and relieved that my money can go to a huge need for survival. Just passing along the information. Blessings"

Are you wanting information from past announcements?

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements [15]

Are you wanting to donate to Concord Monthly Meeting?

Visit this page on our web site for more information: Donations [16]