On 4^th Sunday this month we will be working on landscaping the area disturbed by the geothermal installation and the area in front of the Meeting Room.  For those who are unable to work outside there will be clean up from our potluck lunch and other indoor cleaning projects available.

The landscaping is mostly physical work digging, loading and pushing wheelbarrows, and moving landscape timbers.  Lighter work will be weeding of the area in front of the Meeting Room and picking up sticks and leaf-raking around the back of the building.  Please bring sunscreen, work gloves, and bug repellent.

Hand trowels for weeders would be appreciated.  Spade shovels and wheelbarrows would be great to have if it is easy for you to bring them.  We do have 4 long-handled spades, several flat-ended shovels, and two wheelbarrows so bringing tools is not required.

Should there be just a light rain or drizzle we'll hope to carry on.  We'll cancel if there's a heavy rain.

Our next meeting will be June 2^nd at 9am in the Meetinghouse.

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1pm at the corner of Main and Center Street.  Make your own sign, use one provided, or just stand in silent witness besides 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.

Join us for a gathering of Friends in New England caring for the nurture of spiritual life and ministry in our local faith communities.  It will be a full-day, hybrid gathering where Friends can gather in different ways: on site at Concord (NH) Meeting, in local clusters connected via Zoom, or individually via Zoom.

Registration is now open. Whether you plan to participate via Zoom or gather with others, you can register for this free-of-charge event at neym.org/Meeting-for-Listening [15].  If you plan to attend on site in Concord, please register by May 26^th.  This will help us comfortably accommodate everyone.

Getry is the Program Coordinator for FUM’s Africa Ministries Office in Kisumu. She coordinates the work of the Friends Church Peace Team, as well as overseeing the Girl Child Education Program, and guiding the formation of the new Shepherd Boy Scholarship program. She also manages FUM’s relationships with Turkana Friends Mission and Samburu Friends Mission.  Her ministry has been financially supported by the Falmouth Quarter for many years.

Getry came into peace work in the aftermath of the 2007 election in Kenya which became extremely violent. She and other Friends found ways to listen to hostile parties and even help them listen to each other in groups hosted in prisons. They helped folks displaced from their homes to make a safe return as violence began to recede.

Getry has spent the past fifteen years working for peace, both in and outside Kenya in countries like Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, China, South Africa, Guatemala, and Ireland. She has also traveled within the U.S.A. to raise support for Friends Church Peace Teams, visiting Quaker churches and Meetings in many of the States.

In addition, Getry has also worked with Friends Peace Teams and taught Alternatives to Violence and trauma healing workshops.  Friends implemented some of the learnings from the 2007 election to make a subsequent election much calmer.  Her ministry and testimony can illuminate our path in the US as we prepare for what may be fraught times around the 2024 election.

Here is a bio for Getry [17] from Friends United Meeting, her current employer.