CMM 2018-02-11 Possible Items for Agenda

Here are some possible agenda items for Second Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business, which will be on the 11^th of Second Month.  Some of the items from First Month may have been carried forward.  Some of the proposed items may need further seasoning. They are in no particular order at the moment.  [See also http://quakerspeak.com/quaker-decision-making-consensus/ [1]]

During worship, please hold in your heart the following from Eden Grace’s paper “An Introduction to Quaker Business Practice” [2].

Quakers profess a theocratic understanding of authority. “The primary authority is that of God, as the God whose will is sought, as Christ who presides, and as the Holy Spirit who inspires and empowers. Thus the task of the meeting is to listen in worship, putting itself under that authority, to discern the right way forward on any piece of business.” ^* All human leadership is subordinated to the authority of Christ, the true shepherd of any gathering of Christians. All participants in the Meeting are equally capable of being used by the Holy Spirit, and those who moderate the Meeting are seen as servants of the gathering discernment process.

* Scott, Janet “Business Meetings”, manuscript submitted for inclusion in the forthcoming Dictionary of the Religious Society of Friends, 1999.

• Minutes of First Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business [3].
• Budget Committee report
  • “How does our Meeting engage its members in the support of the Meeting’s work, its ministry, and the upkeep of its property?” ¹ [4]
• Property Committee report
  • “Does our Meeting serve social and economic justice in its uses of property and money?” ¹ [4]
  • “[Dave Woolpert] talked with AMTP’s creator and former Executive Director Donna San Antonio ... and she has requested there be a commemorative event re: the transfer of the land to honor and acknowledge the role that the Booths played in making this gift possible.  She didn’t think it needed to happen close to the property closing date but we agreed it would be good to have it soon enough to have Lois Booth attend.  Can ... Ruth or Sara ... look into this and come up with some suggested dates?”
• Solar Committee report
  • “We do not own the world, and its riches are not ours to dispose of at will. Show a loving consideration for all creatures, and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life. Rejoice in the splendour of God’s continuing creation.” ² [5]
• Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee report
  • AFSC’s Sanctuary Everywhere [6]
  • FCNL’s #LoveThyNeighbor (No Exceptions) [7]
  • AFSC-NH’s, GSOP’s, and NH Council of Churches’ Immigrant Solidarity Network [8]
• Youth Religious Education Committee report
  • “Children and young people need love and stability. Are we doing all we can to uphold and sustain parents and others who carry the responsibility for providing this care?” ³ [9]
• Outreach Committee report
  • “Are you patterns, examples; do your lives preach among all sorts of people, and to them?  Do you walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one?” - https://neym.org/faith-practice/part-3/queries [10]
• Ministry & Counsel Committee report
  • Query 2. “b) Are we aware of the roles we fill as heirs of the meetings of ministers and elders? What do we do to support each other in the use of our gifts for God’s work? Do we actively seek to identify and nurture these gifts in each other?” https://neym.org/sites/default/files/2015-09-15Minute%20of%20Exercise%20... [11]

Announcements & Events:

2018 Concord Cold Weather Shelter Mon Dec 18, 2017 – Sat Mar 31, 2018 You can volunteer for the 2018 Concord Cold Weather Shelter at https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2132470/false#/invitation [12].  The shelter is located at St. Peter's Church, 135 North State Street, Concord, NH  03301.  Your participation is critical to the success of this year's effort.  For new volunteers, training on the various shift duties and responsibilities will be provided.

Next Year’s Budget for the Meeting.  Committees are asked to consider their budget request for the coming year that begins June first.  Committees and individuals are encouraged to be in touch with the Budget Committee in February with any input or questions they may have.  The Meeting will get it’s first look at a proposed budget at the Meeting for Business in March. Members of the Budget Committee are Chris Haigh, Jonah Sutton-Morse, and Greg Heath.

Jan 14 (Sun)  7:00 p.m. Taizé [13]:  The Concord Unitarian Universalist Church holds a Taizé Service of Meditative Singing [14] on the second Sunday of each month through April 2018 at 7 p.m., 274 Pleasant Street, Concord.  Ruth attended the November sing and will be going to the coming ones.  Join her.

Jan 25 (Thu)   6:00 – 7:00 p.m.  2017 NEYM Bible Half Hour [15] discussion.  Day 5: “the good and perfect will of God”.  [Audio file [16]]   Printed booklets of the talks for all five sessions are available from MarkBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org.  At the end of each session, we will agree the date and time that is most convenient for the next session, when we will be restarting Quaker Testimonies (‘Quakerism 201’): “This is Our Testimony to the World” [17] by Peter Blood.

Feb   1 (Thu)   6:00 – 7:00 p.m.  ‘Quakerism 201, Week 1’ [18]:  “What Is A Testimony?” discussion.  Printed booklets for each session are available from MarkBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org.  At the end of each session, we will agree the date and time that is most convenient for the next session.

Feb   3 (Sat)   7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Song Circle - Please come and invite others - Meeting outreach.

Feb   4 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship; Closing: Mark & Gini; Boiler Cleaning: Mark.

Feb   5 (Mon)  10:00 a.m.  Kickoff Press Conference for the New Poor People's Campaign [19] in the Legislative Office Building lobby, 33 North State Street, Concord, NH.  New Hampshire will join with over 30 states around the country and Washington DC to announce our participation in 40 days of moral action to launch the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival this Spring.

Feb   6 (Tue)   8:30 – 10:00 a.m.  Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice [20] for those reporting to ICE for deportation that day at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.  This will be followed by the Sanctuary Support Network [21] meeting at Blessed-Sacrament Church, 14 Elm St, Manchester where there will be refreshments.  We have signed the pledge to stand with our immigrant neighbors.  If you have not seen a copy of the revised solidarity statement, it can be found here [22].

Feb   6 (Tue)   7:00 p.m.  Immigrant Solidarity Network at Concordia Lutheran Church, 211 North Main St, Concord, NH:  Come and learn what is happening across the state and in Concord to provide sanctuary and accompaniment; to stand in solidarity with our immigrant community!

Feb   8 (Thu)   9:15 – 10:15 a.m.  NH Voices of Faith will witness in support of HB 628 [23] at the State House.  We will meet in the Hall of Flags (the lobby of the State House) at 9:15 then move upstairs to witness at the doors of Representatives Hall on the second floor.  HB 628 would establish family and medical leave insurance and will be up for a vote of the full House that day.  There is further analysis in the AFSC-NH Program's State House Watch newsletter for February 2, 2018 [24].

Feb 11 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by pot luck lunch and Meeting for Business.  Closing: JJ & Sara; Boiler Cleaning: JJ.

Feb 11 (Sun)  7:00 p.m. Taizé [13]:  The Concord Unitarian Universalist Church holds a Taizé Service of Meditative Singing [14] on the second Sunday of each month through April 2018 at 7 p.m., 274 Pleasant Street, Concord.  Ruth attended the November sing and will be going to the coming ones.  Join her.

Feb 13 (Tue)  8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Faith in Action: Legislative Advocacy Day 2018 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 21 Centre Street, Concord, NH.  Join us for a morning of strategizing how to put Faith into Action!  A day for prayer, training, inspiration, and education to be effective advocates for social and economic justice.  All faiths, spiritual practices, and anyone looking to effect change is WELCOME.  Topics could include:

• Death Penalty and Criminal Justice,
• Democracy and Voting Rights,
• Education and Public Schools,
• Energy and Climate,
• Family Friendly Policies,
• Guns,
• Health Care,
• Labor Rights and Worker Protections,
• LGBT Rights. 

The session will be followed by witnessing or advocacy at the State House or Legislative Office Building (just across the street!)  Register online here [25].

Feb 14 (Wed)  7:30 – 8:30 a.m.  Ecumenical Ash Wednesday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 21 Centre Street, Concord, NH.  The NH Council of Churches will sponsor a Service of the Word with Distribution of Ashes for our state Senators and Representatives who will be in the neighborhood of the State House that day.  Bishops and senior clergy from many denominations will participate as well.  This event is sponsored by Senator Jeb Bradley and Senator Jeff Woodburn.  Our hope is to pray together in a spirit that crosses both church and party boundaries.  See the Facebook event page here [26].

Feb 15 (Thu)   6:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Quakerism 201, Week 2 [27]: “The Testimony on Integrity” discussion.  Printed booklets for each session are available from MarkBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org.  At the end of each session, we will agree the date and time that is most convenient for the next session.

Feb 18 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship; Closing: Greg & Ruth; Boiler Cleaning: Greg.

Feb 18 (Sun)    3:00 – 5:00 p.m.  Keeping the Dream Alive in Concord [28]: Let’s Talk About Racial Issues panel discussion with Dawn Berry, Ken Barnes, and James McKim at South Congregational Church, 27 Pleasant St., Concord, NH.  Read or download A Framework for Anti-racism and racial Reconciliation Training in the Episcopal Church [29].  “So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.  Sponsored by the Greater Concord Interfaith Council [30] (GCIC).

Feb 20 (Tue)   8:30 – 10:00 a.m.  Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice [20] for those reporting to ICE for deportation that day at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.

Feb 25 (Sun)   10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by pot luck and 4^th Sunday Program.  Brian Drayton [31] will lead us in a program of “Faith and Action: Spiritual grounding in this era of engagement”.  The topic applies to all of us whether or no we think of ourselves as ‘activists’ or ‘quietists’.  Closing: Pat & Faith; Boiler Cleaning: Jon.

Feb 25 (Sun)   All Day  National Reparations Awareness Day [32] sponsored by N'COBRA [33] Northeast Region.  Useful action information is available for download at http://www.ncobraonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HR40-Primer-1.pdf [34].

Mar   2-4 (Fri-Sun)  Woolman Hill Retreat, HANDS TO WORK, HEARTS TO GOD [35]: Handwork, Fiber and Knitting Retreat with Gini Barker and Friends at Woolman Hill Quaker Retreat Center, 107 Keets Road, Deerfield, MA 01342 phone: 413-774-3431

Mar   6 (Tue)   8:30 – 10:00 a.m.  Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice [20] for those reporting to ICE for deportation that day at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.  This will be followed by the Sanctuary Support Network [21] meeting at Blessed-Sacrament Church, 14 Elm St, Manchester where there will be refreshments.  We have signed the pledge to stand with our immigrant neighbors.  If you have not seen a copy of the revised solidarity statement, it can be found here [22].

Mar   9-11 (Fri-Sun)  Woolman Hill Retreat, PARENTING THROUGH THE LENS OF QUAKER FAITH AND PRACTICE: Exploring the Mission and Work of the Quaker Parenting Initiative [35] with QPI facilitators Harriet Heath, Melinda Wenner Bradley, Emma Richter and Martha Smith.  How does parenting fit into one’s spiritual journey?  How can a meeting help support children and families and the children’s spiritual journeys?  This weekend is designed to reflect on what we offer Quaker parents.  We will spend time sharing experiences of raising Quaker children, discussing the needs of parents in our meetings, reviewing current programs and envisioning next steps.  Come with curiosity, leave with new ideas, skills and F/friends!  Woolman Hill Quaker Retreat Center, 107 Keets Road, Deerfield, MA 01342 phone: 413-774-3431

Mar 18 (Sun)  1:30 p.m.  Maranatha Indonesian United Church of Christ 14^th anniversary celebration will be held at 20 Town Hall Rd., Madbury, NH 03823.  A celebration, filled with Indonesian music, dance and food.  It will be a good day to learn about our culture.  I hope you will come.  Thanks and blessings, Sandra Pontoh, Pastor.

Mar 31 (Sat)  9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.  Money & Spirit: Taxes, Contributions & the Life of Our Meetings [36] at Mt. Toby Meeting, 194 Long Plain Rd., Leverett, MA  01054.  United in Spirit & Finances ... A consultation for monthly and quarterly meeting finance committees, treasurers, and clerks.  All others with an interest in finance are also invited.  For additional information, contact Bob Murray, FC Clerk, Finance [at] NEYM [dot] org

Apr   7 (Sat)  8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  New England Youth Environmental Justice Summit [37] at Brookside Congregational Church, Manchester, NH.  This summit is open to all middle school, high school, and college students, as well as teachers, mentors, pastors, lay leaders and advisors, and anyone interested in acquiring tools for facing the pressing moral issue of climate change.

Apr 14 (Sat)  NEYM - Living Faith Gathering [38] in Portland, ME.

Apr 27-29 (Fri-Sun)  Woolman Hill Retreat, LOVE IS ALL AROUND [35]: A Singing Weekend with Peter & Annie Blood-Patterson.  Celebrate & rejuvenate with song!  A music weekend with Annie & Peter is like no other.  They weave magic into the fabric of their workshops, teaching and leading songs out of their songbooks, Rise Up Singing and Rise Again.  This is a time to sing songs that inspire and renew, songs that open up the hearts of those present as well as songs that are just plain fun!  The pace is easy-going with space for relaxing and sharing.  Woolman Hill Quaker Retreat Center, 107 Keets Road, Deerfield, MA 01342 phone: 413-774-3431.

Apr 27-29 (Fri-Sun)  Tending the Flock [39]:  A weekend to encourage Friends called to pastoral ministry, at Powell House Retreat and Conference Center [40], Old Chatham, NY.

First Day School Help:  If you would like to be a helper in the children’s program, and have not yet filled out the Youth Worker Screening Form [41].  Please download and print one out, fill it in, and pass it to Kathy Urie.  You can find it at Youth Worker Screening Form [42].  We need one helper each week.  Look for a sign-up sheet on the left bulletin board this Sunday.  And thank you!  The children thank you too!

In August 2017, we published a statement in response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia [43].  Please also see “Such a Time as This: A Response to Hate and Violence [44]” as well as the “2017 Epistle of New England Yearly Meeting [45]”, Ruby Sales’ Plenary Message [46] on NEYM’s Youtube channel, and the audio recordings of the 2017 Annual Sessions Bible Half-Hours by Marty Grundy [47] focusing (exegeting [48]) on Romans 12:2 [49].  Draft booklet of Bible Half Hour texts [50].

^1. See http://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/queries/11-stewardship-of-resources/ [51]

^2. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [52] № 42

^3. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [52] № 24