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“You pray in your distress and in your need;

Would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.”

Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)

A Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist;

He was also considered a philosopher,

although he himself rejected the title.

Singing together is about the best way I know to lift my spirits and give me hope.  Join me this Friday evening March 21^st at 7:00 p.m. at the Quaker Meetinghouse (11 Oxbow Pond Rd) in an evening of singing songs that celebrate the ways we work together to bring hope, joy, resilience, and change to ourselves and the world. 

As always, bring your Rise Again and Rise Up Singing songbooks (or borrow ours), and a request for a song that helps you make it through these chaotic and painful times.  Or teach us one!  A little treat to share and a friend will round out an evening where we leave feeling lighter and more hopeful than when we arrived.

What you need to know about NEYM Listening Session, 5^th Sunday, March 30th:

 

Here is a repeat of our previous announcement.

This month we are foregoing our regular schedule on 4th Sunday to encourage everyone to participate in our potluck lunch and program as we host Quarterly Meeting on March 30th. Friends will be coming from all over our Quarter including Weare/Henniker, Dover, West Epping Preparative, North Sandwich, and Gonic Meetings and River Woods Worship Group in Exeter.  Some will join us for our worship and others will attend worship first at their own meetings.  We will have an extended time for potluck lunch to give Friends time to arrive.

New England Yearly Meeting is going through changes and needs to hear from Friends far and wide regarding the summer sessions and various alternatives to the current model.  Whether you have ever attended a NEYM summer session does not matter.  How the YM will meet the needs of Meetings and individuals in our changing times matters to all of us.  The guide for the program linked here [3] is fascinating reading.  Much of it quite skimmable, so don't be put off by its size.  Please make the time to page through it and read what you can.

Greg will be moderating this program which is outside the context of a formal Quarterly Meeting with Attention to Business.  The Quarter has its own Clerk, Sandy H.   David E. (Weare/Henniker) will be the Recording Clerk for the program which begins at 1:00 and will conclude by 3:00.  Zoom participation is welcomed on our regular worship link.

2025 Greater Concord Interfaith Council Lenten Luncheon Series

Good food, good company, and inspiring presentations

Thursdays from 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm, Ticket Price: $7.00 per luncheon (proceeds will be donated to area nonprofit organizations).

The Greater Concord Interfaith Council invites you to attend its 66th Lenten Luncheon series.  This series offers an opportunity to share a meal, fellowship, and to hear a different speaker each week.  Speakers share how faith has impacted their work, volunteer activities or other aspects of their lives.

• March 20, Christ the King Parish Activity Center, Avery Sahr, student at Bishop Brady, will share her experience of volunteering at the Christ the King Food Pantry (St. Vincent Depaul Society) and how this has impacted her life.
• March 27, Christ the King Parish Activity Center, Valerie Guy, Executive Director at The Friendly Kitchen in Concord, NH, will provide an update on services provided by The Friendly Kitchen, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide meals for the hungry in a warm, caring, and non-discriminating environment through coordination of community volunteer resources.
• April 3, Christ the King Parish Center, Rabbi Robin Nafshi, leader of the Jewish community at Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, NH, will speak about the history and significance of the Passover seder, a ceremonial meal and storytelling service held at home as part of the Passover celebration
• April 10, Bow Mills United Methodist Church, Cy Sherman, a member of South Congregational Church, UCC in Concord, NH will share her experience of missionary work in India.

The UU Church in Manchester has been a Sanctuary Church for many years, and other organizations and faith-based groups have agreed to support this justice work as needs arise.  Concord Friends Meeting is one of those faith groups, which is supporting this endeavor.  Please read the 2 attached documents from the UU Church for more detailed information.  A pressing need is for people to sign up for "Premise Volunteer" training.

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 [7] on the plaza in front of the State House.  Make your own sign, use one provided, or just stand in silent witness beside 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.

Continuing Revelation is a core part of Quaker spirituality.  It’s the belief that truth is not frozen in the past, but alive, unfolding, and available to us right now. When we listen deeply, new insights come to us. In 1660, George Fox urged Friends to live in a way that reflects the power of love and truth, removing the need for war. It was an early expression of the Quaker peace testimony, but history shows us that good intentions alone are not enough. Real advocacy requires wisdom, humility, and cultural awareness.

For generations, Quakers were involved in the forced removal and assimilation of Native children through boarding schools [8], stripping them of their language, culture, and connection to their people. These schools weren’t just places of learning, but of erasure, meant to reshape Native children into something more acceptable to white Christian society. Today, Native communities are carrying the generational trauma of these policies while also reclaiming their languages, stories, and heritage.

In a few weeks, on April 11, non-Native speakers from three yearly meetings—New England, Baltimore, and Alaska—will share how they have discerned and carried out actions to build new relationships with Native communities based on truth, respect, and justice.  Gail Melix (Greenwater) will close the evening with some thoughts and queries.  Gail is a member of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe of Plymouth and of Sandwich Monthly Meeting. 

The question before us is not just what Friends did but what we do now.  What does acknowledgment, apology, and reparation look like in the face of this history?  The work of repair is not about condemning our spiritual ancestors but about an ongoing commitment to truth and justice.  Just as truth continues to unfold, so must our response.

Join us for this conversation. 

Let’s listen, learn, and step forward together,

The draft minutes for the March 2025 meeting for worship with attention to business are available at 2025-03-09_CMM_Minutes [9] or via Minutes_of_ConcordMonthlyMeeting [10].

For corrections, missing documents, and/or clarifications of the minutes, please reply to WebClerk [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: CMM%20Minutes%20for%202nd%20Month) .

CMM StateOfSociety2024 [11]

We are pleased to announce the 2025 Annual Sessions will be held at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in August.

Each year, hundreds of Quakers from across New England and beyond join together for Annual Sessions. Having first gathered in 1661, Friends continue to gather annually for:

• opportunities to connect 
• vibrant youth programs
• seeking how God will guide us in meeting for business
• adult small groups and spiritual enrichment
• worship and spiritual exploration, and
• discernment of how we are led by the Spirit to act and serve

There will be more exciting announcements about this year's theme and speakers coming soon.  If you are not already getting the Yearly Meeting monthly newsletter consider signing up [12] so you don't miss updates.

We all come together to make Annual Sessions happen. Will you join in? If you are curious about volunteer opportunities at Sessions please fill out the volunteer interest form [13].

There are other online Meetings for Worship that are generally available to Quakers, unlimited by geography, if that would be of interest. Some of those are listed here.