Concord Friends Meeting [1]

A Monthly Meeting in Dover Quarter of New England Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends

At this time masks are not required but are still recommended

COVID GUIDANCE [2] for In-Person Worship.

To request log-in information for Zoom Worship: Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

Spring is when you feel like whistling

Even with a shoe full of slush

~ Doug Larson (1926-2017), Columnist and editor

The Meeting Calendar

Day	Date	Time	Event
Sunday	March 31^st	9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.	Book Group Meeting for Worship First Day School: TBD Helper: Greg Closing: Sharon & Juliet
Tuesday	April 2^nd	6:30 p.m.	Midweek Worship at the Meeting House. All are welcome. If possible, please let Rich know you will be joining us. klnschmdt [at] gmail [dot] com (subject: Mid-week%20Worship) (603-899-7574)
Sunday	April 7^th	10:00 a.m. Rise of Meeting	Meeting for Worship & Fellowship. First Day School: TBD; Helper: Dave; Closing: Kathy U and Elaine PSECC Discernment (Soup provided!)

An Altar in the World

Book Group

First meeting is Sunday, March 31^st at 9 a.m. at the Meetinghouse. Please be prompt so we can have a whole hour before singing! We'll share our impressions of the Introduction and Chapter 1 "The Practice of Waking up to God". The book is available via Hoopla (online library service) in audiobook or E-book, and in paperback at Gibson's in Concord.

CFM WALKERS

A walk has been scheduled for Thursday, April 4^th at 10:30 a.m. The trail name is the Marjorie Swope Park trail.

The trailhead is on Long Pond Road which is off Pleasant Street. Pleasant Street becomes Hopkinton Road.

DIRECTIONS

Take Pleasant Street westerly, away from downtown. You will be passing Concord Hospital complex on your right and then St Paul’s School on your left. Continue on Pleasant Street and watch for Long Pond Road on your right, which may be a mile, more or less, after St Paul’s School. After turning right on Long Pond Road, the Swope trailhead will be on your left.

Questions? Call:

Faith Sillars 603-435-3171

Kathy Urie 603-296-5659

In a gentle way, you can shake the world

Mahatma Gandhi

Newsletter of Concord Friends Meeting

A Monthly Meeting in Concord, NH of the Dover Quarter of

New England Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends

website [3]

At this time masks are not required but are still recommended

COVID GUIDANCE for In-Person Worship [4].

Calendar - March 3rd, 2024

Sunday,

March 3rd 10:00 AM Meeting for Worship & Fellowship

  First Day School: Rich

  Helper: Sharon

  Closing: Faith S. & Chris H.

Mid-Week Worship    TBD If interested please contact Rich

at klnschmdt [at] gmail [dot] com

Sunday,

March 10th 10:00 AM Meeting for Worship

11:30 AM Potluck

12:30 PM Meeting for Worship with

Attention to Business

First Day School: Elaine

Helper: Greg

Closing: Greg & Ruth H.

First Friday Fun

March 1st, 7-9pm

This month our First Friday Fun will be a game night. Bring a game (or not), bring food to share (or not), bring yourself and friends (most certainly!). Contact us if you plan to attend. We will be a small group, so we'll gather at our house. Let us know if you need directions and/or decide to come at the last minute.

We've gotten some feedback that the first Friday of the month doesn't work well for some so we are hoping to settle on a new time for April.

Stay tuned,

Ruth and Greg Heath

Please reply to this brief survey:

The Retreat Planning Committeeis querying Friends' interest in a Fall retreat. Presently we have only 5 responses. It would sure be nice to know whether to put energy into this project or to assume there is not much interest. Please reply (whether interested or not) by March 3rd at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqIh8Ed82uhH7-VZJYtGI1zLhcCx2i... [5]. Click or tap to follow the link.">this link.

CFM WALKERS

At last! A walk has been scheduled for Thursday, March 7th at 10:30 am. The trail is part of the Winant Park Trails in Concord (Trail map 21), a short drive from downtown.

The trailhead is on Fisk Road which is off Pleasant Street. There are several trails from this point. We will choose a trail together before beginning the walk.

DIRECTIONS

Take Pleasant Street westerly, away from downtown. You will be passing Concord Hospital complex on your right and then St Paul’s School on your left. Soon turn right on Fisk Road. You will immediately see a trailhead on your right.

Questions? Call:

Faith Sillars 603-435-3171

Kathy Urie 603-296-5659

News from Heidi B.

Dear Friends,

There is an old joke: “How do you make God laugh? Tell her your plans.” Well, I think God is having a good giggle, because I’m heading back to Webster, NH from NY at the end of March. I’m not sure why all this happened. I had no doubt in my mind that I had a calling to move to NY to take this job. I worked very hard, I developed and ran some very successful retreats and events and I enjoyed living here in this beautiful place, reconnecting with old friends, and cultivating some new friendships as well. I had some amazing experiences and some deep healing. I still believe it was important for me to do this, and I’m grateful that I’m now released and open to whatever comes next. To begin with, I’ll be staying with my former neighbor in Webster and helping with her sheep, chickens, and garden. I think that will be great for both of us.

I can’t express how much I’ve missed Quaker worship and all of you and despite the annoyance of having to move AGAIN, I’m really looking forward to coming back home and joining you all in worship and community. I appreciate your prayers as I navigate the ongoing changes.

With love,

Heidi Babb

Hannah Dustin and Concord Meeting

By Greg Heath

Maybe you knew Bob and Adelaide Nichols and their daughter Roberta. If you didn’t, I’d love to introduce you. Bob and Adelaide were of my parents’ generation. During the 1950s they were important to the formation of Concord Monthly Meeting. They lived in an old farm house in Contoocook where many a Meeting social gathering was hosted. When Ruth and I came to Concord Meeting in the early 1980s Roberta was a teacher at Merrimack Valley Day Care Center. And that is where the Meeting held its meetings. We came to know the Nichols well and the Day Care Center too.

Roberta was foster mother and later adoptive mother to a little girl who had both physical and emotional difficulties. We learned a lot about Quakers by watching the Meeting as a whole and members as individuals relate to the challenges presented by Roberta’s daughter. The nonjudgmental, quiet patience and persistent demonstration of love was quite something to behold and to be a part of.

Click here to read more [6]

(You must save and open after clicking on this link)

Protecting against severe COVID and long COVID

So many Friends in our Meeting are over 65 and the threat remains high enough to be worth getting jabbed again this Spring. See this article for details:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/health/covid-boosters-spring-older.ht... [7]. Click or tap to follow the link.">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/health/covid-boosters-spring-older.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE0.nE2s.RU_2mvuClH6Z&smid=url-share

Jennifer

CMM *Draft* Minutes for Second Month 2024

Dear Friends,

The draft minutes for the February 2024 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business are available at https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2024-02-11_CMM_Minutes [8]. Click or tap to follow the link.">https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2024-02-11_CMM_Minutes or via https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/Minutes_of_ConcordMonthlyMeeting [9]

For corrections, missing documents, and/or clarifications of the minutes, please reply to web clerk, Concord Friends Meeting webclerk [at] concordfriendsmeeting [dot] org (<webclerk [at] concordfriendsmeeting [dot] org>).

With love, and peace, and tenderness,

Mark

Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce that https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [10]. Click or tap to follow the link.">registration is now open for the upcoming Living Faith gathering, which will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Friends Academy in North Dartmouth Massachusetts.

Whether this is your first chance to attend or you’re a returning Living Faith participant, we hope you’ll consider being part of this latest experiment with Living Faith. Your presence will enrich us all.

The Living Faith gathering is an opportunity for Friends new and old (and the Quaker-curious) to get to know one another, hold multigenerational worship together, participate in interactive workshops, eat tasty food, share the different ways we experience and live our faith, and build community. Childcare will be available on site and some of the workshops are designed to be especially welcoming to Friends of all ages.

Again this year a https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [11]. Click or tap to follow the link.">weekend retreat for teens is built around participating in Living Faith. The retreat, serving ages 13 to 18, will be held April 5–7 at Westport Meeting. As part of the retreat, teens will visit Friends Academy for Living Faith on Saturday giving them the opportunity to join the wider Yearly Meeting in workshops, worship, and community.

https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [12]. Click or tap to follow the link.">More information on Living Faith is available on the Yearly Meeting website.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER [13]

Sending all best and with hopes of seeing you in April,

The Living Faith Planning Team!

FGC Spiritual Deepening Program

Online Weekend Retreat Opportunity

The Spiritual Deepening Program of Friends General Conference is excited to invite Quakers and newcomers to participate in an online weekend retreat, Encountering Spirit [14],from April 12-14, 2024. Friends are invited to Build-Your-Own retreat schedule of workshops, plenaries, and opportunities for creative and spontaneous connections, all exploring the Quaker experience of encounter with the Divine. It will be a playful, deep, and joy-filled weekend! Full retreat details can be found here [15]. Must register by April 10.

News from Quaker Center

Winter 2024

Dear Friends,

After each storm, comes the sun.

Warm greetings from Quaker Center, here at 1000 Hubbard Gulch Road. The Center has kicked off its 75th year as you would hope: misty mornings, beautiful downpours and winter sun. Meanwhile, we're holding and hosting in-person and online programs, Meetings for Worship, groups and organizations, and Friends and seekers from far and wide.

It's only mid-February, and already we're well into our 2024 calendar. The two programs we've held here, The Life Cycles of Quaker Meetings and Climate Grief and Empowerment for young adults, were deep, gathered events. The online program on The Gospel of Mary was amazing (keep your eyes out for a possible in-person version in the future).

More is right on the way -- see below about our upcoming online and in-person programs in March, as well as a monthly book group we're beginning next month as well.

Sign up for a Quaker Center program today!

This is more than just another new year here at Quaker Center. We have so much to reflect on and to celebrate, after 75 years of Friends' presence here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And we have much more to look forward to in the seasons and years ahead - thank you for being part of this community.

Gratefully,

-the Quaker Center team

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

"The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction"

An online reading and discussion group of Ben Pink Dandelion's book with Bob Runyan and Jim Anderson

Five online 90-minute sessions

Mondays: March 4, 11, 18 and 25, and April 1, 2024

at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time

New to Friends? Want a refresher? Just curious? Read along among friends, and discuss and reflect on this short classic by Ben Pink Dandelion. Jim and Bob will lead the group through the book's chapters using small group queries and worshipful exchange.

https://quakercenter.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f9db1b00035303521... [16]. Click or tap to follow the link.">Click here for more information and to register. [17]

"Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody: The Making of a Black Theologian"

An online book club on James H. Cone's memoir

Third Tuesday of each month starting Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. Pacific Time

This book group is free of cost and open to all.

https://quakercenter.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f9db1b00035303521... [18]. Click or tap to follow the link.">Click here to learn more and sign up.

Silent Vigil for a Cease Fire in Gaza

Thursdays at Noon

In front of the arch at the Concord State House

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1pm at the plaza in front of the State House. 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.

If you wish to attend, please contact Ruth (or just come, but if we know you're coming it will be helpful) .

Sara Smith and Ruth Heath

Snow and Mud Season

Please remember to keep a pair of slippers or indoor shoes on the shoe racks in the lobby closet so that we can limit the damage and inconvenience to our carpets and floors.

Plastic Bags

Bring and put them in the box inside and by the entrance of the Meeting-

house. If you have any questions, contact Sheryl Ingraham at 410-972-1222.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us at:

concordfriendsnewsletter [at] gmail [dot] com

From Past Issues:

Daily Online Meeting for Worship from any place in the World

The Ben Lomond Quaker Center

Offers a daily online meeting for worship from 7:30-8:00 AM Pacific Time. You can join them from anyplace in the world. online meeting for worship [19]

Living Faith Gathering

https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [20]. Click or tap to follow the link.">Registration is now open for the upcoming Living Faith gathering, which will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Friends Academy in North Dartmouth Massachusetts.

https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [21]. Click or tap to follow the link.">More information on Living Faith is available on the Yearly Meeting website.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER [22]

Northeast USFW Plans for Spring Gathering with “Blessed are the Peacemakers” Theme

May 24 - 26, USFWI - Northeast Region - Spring Gathering, Poughkeepsie, NY. (in-person).

https://friendsunitedmeeting.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77b72b10... [23]. Click or tap to follow the link.">Download Registration form here.

Program highlights will include:

Friday, May 24 Gather for supper and an evening of open worship and introductions.
Saturday, May 25 Early devotion led by one of our women Friends pastors.

Keynote speaker: Getry Agizah, from Kenya.

Reminders

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, suggestions?

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us at: ConcordFriendsNewsletter [at] gmail [dot] com (subject: Concord%20Friends%20Newsletter%20%E2%80%93%20Questions%20Comments%20Suggestions)

From Past Issues:

Ben Lomand Quaker Center

Offers a daily online meeting for worship from 7:30-8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (10:30–11:00 a.m. Eastern Time). You can join them from anyplace in the world! online meeting for worship [24]

Submission for this Newsletter