Advent Calendar Fundraiser

Have you tallied up your 'abundance' in the Advent Calendar? Based on that (strictly or loosely) it's time to send your donation to Concord Friends Meeting with "Christine" in the memo line. (See below for ways to donate.) Thanks to those of you who have already sent donations.

Some more background: A year ago, Friends of Kakamega merged with another Kakamega social support organization, Crossroads Springs Africa, to become Friends of Kenya Rising. They shared the same mission and realized they could be more effective as one organization. The boarding program was replaced by supporting the children in their homes. In the past several years they had moved toward this model with gifts of solar lights, less polluting cookstoves, and fruit trees to each child's family (you may recall our extra donations toward these efforts).

I encourage you to go to the "Friends of Kenya Rising" website [1] where they state: "Our mission is to assist Kenyan students and their families as they rise out of poverty. Our FAMILY CARE MODEL [2] is our holistic approach to assisting families as they rise out of poverty. Our five guiding stars which symbolize this approach represent Education and Scholarships, Basic Needs, Health, Agriculture and Livelihoods."

Christine's whole family is now being supported by this program and our $800 annual donation. On the bulletin board in the Meetinghouse the children made a display of "before and after" pictures showing the improvements done to her family home 2 years ago, including a hygenic outhouse, attached outdoor kitchen (greatly improving air indoor quality) and new roof. Christine is happy to be living with her family in this much improved home, and she is now in high school! She has 4 siblings. Read her March 2021 letter to us here [3] written just before she took (and passed) her KCPE entrance-to-high school exams. Click here [4] for picture of her and her family in 2020 and here [5] for Christine (in black) and her sister outside their home.

As she says in one letter "My family [greets] you and they are so happy to sponsor us (sic)! They thank you for everything you have done for us." Thank you for your support of Christine!

Youth Religious Ed Committee

NEYM Program Coming Right Up!

Dear All,

New England Yearly Meeting is excited to announce our upcoming annual sessions! On January 7-8 we'll be hosting two panels and invite you to join us! Register here [6]!

January 7(Panel 1): Quaker Approaches to Understanding the Holy Spirit [7] (8am PST/11am EST - 10am PST/1pm EST)

January 8 (Panel 2): Decolonizing the Quaker Peace Testimony [8] (8am PST/11am EST - 10am PST/1pm EST)

Panel 1: Quaker Approaches to Understanding the Holy Spirit: Pneumatologies in Global Perspective

Panelists (Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Stephen Angell) and respondent Laurel Kearns explore a Quaker understanding of the Holy Spirit for the 21st century, a pneumatology (theology of the Holy Spirit) that can transform us into a community that can enact climate justice and draw on deep spiritual connection to do the work of repair and reconciliation this time will require.

Panel 2: Decolonizing the Quaker Peace Testimony

Panelists (Cristina J. Montiel, Sa'ed Atshan, tom kunesh, and Trayce N. Peterson) will dialogue about the peace testimony in light of colonialism. Topics will include repercussions of slavery and Indigenous land theft on Turtle Island (North America), imperialism in the Philippines, and Quaker approaches to peace in the occupied Palestinian territories. When Friends benefit from others’ use of force, what does equitable conflict resolution look like in practice? How can Friends live in solidarity with those being marginalized, and what repairs need to be made for the actions of past Friends?

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Christy Randazzo, PhD

Writer - Quaker - Theologian

Pronouns: They/Them

Resident of the Delaware River Watershed, on the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation

Co-Editor, Politics of Scripture [9] on the Political Theology Network

Author of Liberal Quaker Reconciliation Theology: A Constructive Approach [10] (Brill, 2020)

Closing the Meetinghouse on Sundays

We sure could use some more help with this weekly work. Presently a rotation of folks have volunteered to do this work over the next two months. If you are able to join them in the rotation toward the end of winter and into the spring, please let JJ know. The current list appears below: Cleaning the boiler is a separate job and help is needed there too. Formerly there were about 8 of us in this rotation.

The following items have appeared previously in emailed announcements.

Draft minutes from the December meeting for business can be found here [11]

Are you wanting information from past announcements?

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements [12]

Are you wanting to donate to Concord Monthly Meeting?

Visit this page on our web site for more information: Donations [13]