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

“A sense of the Universe, a sense of the All,

the nostalgia which seizes us when confronted by

Nature, beauty, music -

these seem to be an expectation and awareness of a Great Presence.”

~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)

A French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist,

Paleontologist, theologian, philosopher, and teacher.

Experience Inter-generational First Day School after our potluck!  Heidi and Ruth are leading this program where you will get a feel for the First Day program, and take home a craft you have made.

Juliet C. is recovering from shoulder surgery, and her dominant arm will be in a sling for 6 weeks. Please keep her in your prayers for a swift recovery!

Sarah, Rich's daughter, was involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on Thanksgiving evening.  She has been in ICU in Dartmouth Hitchcock until recently when she moved to a step-down unit as she awaits a Rehab placement.  They anticipate her recovery will take one year. She did not have head trauma but sustained life-threatening internal injuries (which she thankfully survived) and had multiple leg and arm fractures.  Please keep her in your prayers.  She has been practicing medicine herself as an ER doctor in Western Massachusetts for the past five years.

Beginning in January we’ll be meeting at 9:00 a.m. on first Sundays (hybrid) to explore our Quaker history, culture, and practices.  Heidi B is organizing the program, but we hope that friends of all levels of experience will come to share questions, answers, doubts, struggles, joys and inspiration and we strive together to find greater meaning and appreciation of our shared experience in the Religious Society of Friends.  Each month will offer a “free-standing” program, so you don’t have to commit to attending all.  Coffee, tea, and the nourishment of community will be provided.

On Saturday, 21^st December, join us for an evening of fellowship, song, good food and “wassail” (hot cider or cocoa).  The two new families in our neighborhood are delighted to have us come carol to them.  If you wish to carol outside, come at 6:30 p.m. prepared to walk across the road and then down the road a tenth of a mile.  If you just want to come for the indoor party, come at 7 p.m.  Snacks are welcome, but we'll provide the beverages.  An RSVP would be helpful  603-724-4343 to RuthHeath [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Carol%20Singing%20at%20the%20Heaths) (Ruth).

We will continue our Christmas Eve tradition of caroling through the nursing home area of Havenwood, 33 Christian Ave, Concord.  They have asked me to tell them how many will be coming, so please let me know by email RuthHeath [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Christmas%20Eve%20Carol%20Singing%20at%20Havenwood) or text 603-724-4343 if you will be coming.  Afterward there will be a short, programmed worship at the Meetinghouse at 6 p.m., followed by a potluck.  Again, please let me know if you plan to attend that.  (You can attend any or all parts.)

Let's ring in the New Year together (or perhaps Western Greenland New Year together at 9 p.m.?).  Gather at the Meetinghouse on New Year's Eve for a non-traditional (non-alcoholic) family friendly Game Night on New Year's Eve.  We'll begin 6:00-6:30 p.m. with potluck snacks and beverages, bringing our favorite games (card, or board, or parlor).  Bring friends!  Toasts to the New Year will be offered hourly so you can leave when you need to.  Contact RuthHeath [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: New%20Years%20Eve%20at%20Meetinghouse) (Ruth) or GregoryHeath [at] concordfriendsmeeting [dot] org (subject: New%20Year%E2%80%99s%20Eve%20at%20the%20Meetinghouse) (Greg) for questions.  This will be open to the public (an outreach opportunity) and we've had people join us.

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The draft minutes for the December 2024 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business are available at 2024-12-08_CMM_Minutes [4] or via MinutesOfConcordMonthlyMeeting [5].

For corrections, missing documents, and/or clarifications of the minutes, please reply to web clerk, Concord Friends Meeting webclerk [at] concordfriendsmeeting [dot] org (subject: CMM%20Minutes%20for%202024-12-08) .

Ruth and Greg are reviving the First Friday Singing with a focus on singing songs of hope, resilience, justice, and peace from the Rise Up Singing songbooks (and Rise Again songbooks).  This is open to the public, so bring along your singing friends on Friday, January 3^rd at the Quaker Meetinghouse from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m.   Bring a small snack or some non-alcoholic beverage to share.  Contact RuthHeath [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Songs%20of%20Hope%2C%20Justice%2C%20Peace%2C%20and%20Resilience) (Ruth) or GregoryHeath [at] concordfriendsmeeting [dot] org (subject: Songs%20of%20Hope%2C%20Justice%2C%20Peace%2C%20and%20Resilience) (Greg) H. with questions or if you can bring an instrument and accompany songs.  11 Oxbow Pond Rd, Canterbury, 2 minutes from I-93 Exit 17.

Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) requested the presiding clerk to sign the following letter to Governor-Elect Kelly Ayotte in response to her expressed willingness to support "mass deportations" in New Hampshire.  This letter was sent to us from Maggie Fogarty of AFSC.  Because a decision was required before our next business meeting, Ministry and Counsel (M&C) was requested to approve the request in accordance with our policy on time sensitive issues: Click here for information on CFM's Time-Sensitive Public Statements [7].

Ministry and Counsel was not able to meet, however the clerk of M&C reached out to the counsel and four of its members approved this action on behalf of Concord Friends Meeting.  We were all strongly in favor of signing this letter on behalf of the Meeting.  We look forward to hearing reports from both M&C and PSECC at our January business meeting.

     The Meeting has heard back from the Canterbury Cemetery trustees regarding burials in the town cemetery.  They were willing to think outside the box regarding the burial of non-resident Quakers but in the end, they decided they could not recommend moving forward to the Select Board or the Town Meeting with such a proposal.  Friends may remember that the town invited our interest in this topic.  Kathy U. surveyed members and we provided that data to the cemetery trustees.

I just returned from the USFW [9] Conference in Uganda which was a joy to help at, so joyful and free of the confusion and conflicts that were in Tanzania.

I leave tomorrow to start my journey back to the USA.  I will finish the message and report about Uganda [10] and other Friends visited on my way back to the USA, and send it out as soon as I arrive back in the USA.

You are invited to register for our annual Midwinter Retreat.  But don't delay, registration closes on January 10^th, shortly after the new year.

The theme will be "Spirit-led Activism: Discerning Our Roles in Changemaking"

From the beginnings of the Quaker movement, Friends have sought to embody and act upon their awareness of "that of God in each person" through advocating for a more just and equitable social order based on their vision of a world renewed.  Early Friends built robust communities of care to persevere in the face of trying circumstances and utilized spiritual practices to support each other in discerning their individual leadings.

Today, many Friends wrestle with similar questions of how to act upon our spiritual and ethical values in the political realm.  How can we balance self-care, community care, and activism when we feel stretched thin?  How can we be thoughtful and intentional about decisions in how we participate in each of those domains?  How can we tune in to the wisdom of our mind, body, and spiritual community to discern our next steps in this collective journey.

Join Young Friends as we explore these queries and themes and over MLK weekend at Woolman Hill.  For more information and to register click here [12].

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1 p.m.  The vigil meets at the (Northwest corner of) North Main Street and Park Street in Concord [13] on 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.

I hope this email finds you well and cared for at the beginning of this wintry season.  My name is Collee Williams, and it’s with great joy that I get to tell you that our Midwinter YAF retreat will be February 14^th-17^th [14] (President’s Day weekend) at Woolman Hill Retreat Center in Deerfield, MA.  Please save the date - we'd love to be with you there.

The theme of this retreat is:

"A Gift to Be Received: Covenant Community"

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This retreat is for young adult Quakers and Quaker-curious individuals (ages 18-35) who want to center spiritual growth, build community and explore Quakerism. Young Adult Friends (YAF) retreats are an opportunity to "try on" Quaker spiritual practices, connect with peers in a similar life phase and/or in a similar stage in their spiritual journey, enjoy time spent in joy & worshipful togetherness, bring a spiritual lens to the decisions in our lives, and cultivate our friendships and spiritual connections with one another.

Throughout the retreat we will hold questions like:

• Who/What am I living my life for?
• How can leaning into community nurture me spiritually?
• What are the costs and benefits we experience in the parts of our lives where we have a choice between individualism and a community orientation?
• How is community-based Quaker tradition in dialogue with the individual-based society we live in today?

As always, there will also be space at the retreat for resting, hiking, playing, eating, singing, worshiping, and enjoying the peaceful beauty of February at Woolman Hill. Participants should show up ready to (mostly) unplug and contribute to making the retreat wonderful for us all.

We'll email you again when registration opens. When we send out that registration email, we will provide a little more information around the content of the retreat and attendance options. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to email collee [at] neym [dot] org. So looking forward to the connections we'll share the new year!