2021-08-12 Announcements for

Concord Friends Meeting

[1]

The Meeting Calendar

Please mask for indoor events.

Update on our Neighbor "River Dave"

who was forced off the land and whose house burned. This story provides more background and a moving short video interview. Click here for the AP story [2]. The other day we learned that one of our meetinghouse construction subcontractors, a neighbor of the Heaths, met Dave at the site and they worked together to build the closet in the lobby.

Paddle Down the Merrimack - Aug 29 12:30pm

This annual kayak/canoe ride down the Merrimack is happening Sunday, Aug 29 at 12:30pm. We'll start at the Boscawen boat launch at Jamie Welch Memorial Field and take out just south of the Hannah Dustin Monument. This is usually is a 3-4 hour trip, since we stop along the way to swim a couple times and eat lunch. If you are interested in this fun fellowship event and haven't already contacted Ruth Heath, please do so at ruthmheath [at] comcast [dot] net (subject: Paddle%20Down%20the%20Merrimack) . Also reach out if you'd like to come but need a boat.

News of Friends.

Anne Saunders is now in Montana. Ruth has been reading her blog and commends it to you! Find it here [3]. Kathy Mercer reports that she and Jim have been traveling a lot this summer and will be going back to Virginia soon to see and help Jim's brother, Bill, who is "hospitalized, intubated and on dialysis, but is expected to recover enough to regain consciousness and begin to gain enough strength to return home. We'll be going to Richmond after he's conscious." Please hold Bill and Kathy and Jim in the Light.

Exploring Spiritual Practice

[This course is a mini version of the year-long seminar Ruth experienced 2019-2020 and she highly recommends it. Sara has already registered.]

Registration is open for a Fall 2021 online course starting Tuesday Sept. 7th,

Exploring Spiritual Practices [4], led by Marcelle Martin. During the ten week course, participants will experiment with numerous approaches to meditation, prayer, and presence. We'll seek to know more fully the nature of consciousness, our true self, and our connection to the Spirit. We’ll explore how mindfulness, awareness, and communion with the Divine affects not only our inner and outer lives, but radiates beyond us into the world. We will learn which spiritual practices are most suited to each of us at this time and explore how to make them a more integrated part of our daily lives. Online class time will include brief presentations, experiencing different spiritual practices, sharing in pairs and groups, and class discussion. No particular beliefs in God or prayer are required, only a willingness to earnestly try different practices, notice what we experience, and listen respectfully to the experiences and beliefs shared by others. Using Zoom and a private online platform for communication, we will be forming a vibrant community to go deeper together in our spiritual experience and explore the awesome mystery of our relationship to the divine.

TWO SECTIONS OF THE COURSE ARE OFFERED:

Morning: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm (Eastern Time).

Evening: 7 - 9 pm (Eastern Time).

Intrigued? Go HERE [5] to read details and register for Exploring Spiritual Practices.

Curious but not ready to commit just yet? Watch this 3-minute introductory video [6]. Or Sign up here [7] for a free introductory webinar where you can sample the course on Sept 7th. Co-sponsored by New England Quakers in partnership with the Beacon Hill Friends House, this course is open to people of diverse faiths.

The following items are repeated from prior announcements.

Obadiah Brown Benevolent Fund

Special Focus Grants

Quakers all over New England are working on social justice issues, and the Obadiah Brown Benevolent Fund intends to support that work by setting aside a substantial amount of our grant making funds for Special Focus grants.

The purpose of these Special Focus grants is to support work in New England on issues that New England Friends are passionate about -- issues that reflect our Quaker values of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Sustainability.

The Obadiah Brown Benevolent Fund is seeking grant applications for the 2021-2022 fiscal year that focus on issues of racial justice and immigration. These Special Focus grants can be applied for and implemented in cooperation with non-Quaker groups as long a New England Monthly Meeting, a New England Friend(s) or a New England Quaker organization is willing to make a meaningful contribution of human and/or financial resources to add to the implementation of these special projects.

More information about how to apply for a grant, as well as the grant application, can be found at:

https://neym.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/OBBF%20Application%20%26%20Guidelines%2010.23.15.pdf [8]

or by searching for “Obadiah Brown Benevolent Fund” on the internet. Grant applications are accepted three times per year on; September 15, January 15 and April 15.

FCNL Advocacy Team

is happy to announce that the repeal of the 2002 Iraq War Authorization has passed through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with bipartisan support and will now go to the floor of the Senate where it is likely to pass and be signed by Biden. This historic taking up of war powers was driven by the national network of FCNL advocacy teams. This is a huge achievement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/08/04/iraq-war-military-authorizations/ [9]

Epsom Lunch - Solidarity Walkers for Immigrant Justice

Hello friends!

Please see the below information and all-call for volunteers to help host the 9/23 lunch in Epsom for the Solidarity Walkers for Immigrant Justice! Reply to this email to request more information or confirm that you are able be part of this fun volunteer team! Feel free to specify how you'd like to be involved and please forward the email to anyone else who might be interested! A follow-up email with additional details we will then be sent to the group of volunteers soon!

--with gratitude,

Kim

Solidarity Walk for Immigrant Justice

--HELP is NEEDED with 9/23 Lunch Preparation!

Each year activists for immigrant justice complete a 3-day walk to the ICE detention facility in Dover to bring awareness to the need for greater justice in our state system. The Epsom Democrats are hosting lunch on day-2 of this year’s Solidarity Walk for Immigrant Justice. We'll offer bagged lunches on Thursday, September 23rd for 30-50 Immigrant Solidarity walkers. We hope to set up at the Epsom Library but are waiting for final confirmation of the location.

Volunteers are needed to donate funds to purchase food & paper goods, shop for supplies, and prepare lunch items. The lunches will include a choice of wraps and sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies and canned/bottled beverages. Help is needed with advanced sandwich/wrap preparation and cookie baking, both of which can be done in your own home. There will also be a group prep event at the home of Kim Gillis in Epsom, on the morning of 9/23. Support for set-up and clean-up at the at the lunch are needed too! Please contact Kim Gillis at kgillis [at] live [dot] com or (603) 892-4271 for more information or to pitch-in on this worthy cause! All aspects of hosting the lunch offer fun opportunities to be of service in community and support immigrant justice, so please join us in whatever way you can!