CMM 2019-08-11 Possible Items for Agenda

Here are some possible agenda items for Eighth Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business, which will be on the 11^th (the second First Day) of Fifth Month.  Some of the items from Fourth 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 the “Advices on Corporate Discernment” in the 2014 Interim Faith & Practice of NEYM [2].  Friends are also asked to consider the “Queries on Corporate Discernment [3]”.

6.  Address the clerk rather than another individual and speak only to the matter under consideration.  Do not attempt to speak for Friends who are absent as they are not present to sense the movement of the Spirit in the gathered group.

• Minutes of Seventh Month’s Meeting for Worship with attention to Business [4].
• 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
• Nominating Committee [5] report
  • “The faithfulness of our Society consists in the faithfulness of each and all of us.  And none of us can expect 'the Society' to be more faithful, more committed, more loving, than we ourselves are prepared to be.”
  • Nominations List for 2019-06-01 to 2020-05-31 [6].
• Property Committee report
  • “Does our Meeting serve social and economic justice in its uses of property and money?” ¹
• Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) 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
  • AFSC’s Sanctuary Everywhere [7]
  • FCNL’s #LoveThyNeighbor (No Exceptions) [8]
  • AFSC-NH’s, GSOP’s, and NH Council of Churches’ Immigrant Solidarity Network [9]
• 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
• 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?” - NEYM 1985 Faith and Practice, Queries 5.4 and 5.5 [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?”  NEYM Minute of Exercise, 2015-09-15 [11]
  • NEYM is developing a data protection and information security policy.  Concord Monthly Meeting may wish to revisit its policy as stated at https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/ContactInformationForm [12], which is based on CMM Minute 2009-05-10#5.4 [13] and CMM Minute 2009-06-14#06.8 [14].  Draft versions of a possible data privacy policy [15] and data consent form [16] are available for perusal and consideration.

Announcements & Events:

Jul 16 (Tue)   9:00 – 10:30 a.m.  (3^rd Tuesday) Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice [17] [Joshua 6:1-27 [18]] for those reporting to ICE [19] for deportation that day at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.  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 [20].  [Also, see resources at the website [9] of the NH Council of Churches.]

Jul 17 (Wed)  11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Peace Vigil, Concord State House Plaza

Jul 21 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship    Greeting: Jennifer ;  Child Care: Mark, JJ ; Closing: Rich, Jonah.

Jul 24 (Wed)  11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Peace Vigil, Concord State House Plaza.

Jul 26 (Fri)   All Day.  Immigrant Justice Walk Planning Retreat at the Meetinghouse.

Jul 27 (Sat)   9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Canterbury Fair booth in Canterbury Center.  For details, see the plan and schedule [21].

Jul 28 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by potluck and ‘structured sharing’.   Greeting: Kathy U ;  Child Care: Sara, Mark ; Closing: Dave, Penny.

Jul 31 (Wed)   11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Peace Vigil, Concord State House Plaza

Aug 3–8 (Sat–Thu) All Day  359th Annual Sessions of New England Yearly Meeting [22] at Castleton University, Castleton, Vermont

Aug   3 (Sat)   7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  No Song Circle this month

Aug   4 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.   Greeting: Mark (at NEYM Sessions) ;  Child Care: Kathy M, Sheryl ; Closing: Heidi, Pat.

Aug   6 (Tue)   9:00 – 10:30 a.m.  (1^st Tuesday) Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice [17] [Joshua 6:1-27 [18]] for those reporting to ICE [19] for deportation that day at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street in Manchester.  This will be followed by the Sanctuary Support Network [23] meeting at Blessed Sacrament Church, 14 Elm Street, 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 [20].  [Also, see resources at the website [9] of the NH Council of Churches.]

Aug   9 (Fri)   5:30 p.m.  Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance. Concord State House Plaza.  A Remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki plus Action for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.  Join the group at 5:30 for speakers and songs followed by the walk to the river for a laying of flowers and reading of the names of some of the bombing victims.

Aug 11 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by potluck but No Meeting for Business unless specially called.   Greeting: Kathy M ;  Childcare: Mark, Faith ; Closing: Mark, Faithi.

Aug 18 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship.   Greeting: Jennifer ;  Childcare: Greg, Chris ; Closing: Jennifer, Sara.

Aug 21–24 (Wed–Sat)   Immigrant Solidarity Walk [24] from Concord to Strafford County Jail in Dover.  Details to come.

Aug 25 (Sun)  10:00 a.m.  Worship followed by potluck and Fourth Sunday Program  Greeting: Jennifer ;  Childcare: Sara, Faith ; Closing: Dave, Penny ; Boiler Cleaning (if needed): Dave.

Vigils are held, in front of the State House, every Wed, from 11-1, to encourage citizens to be aware of the looming danger of war against Iran, and to advocate for the repeal of the Authorization of Military Force, which allows the president to declare war, which power was assigned to Congress, by the Constitution. AUMF was passed to allow for the Iraq war and there has been constant undeclared war, by the US, since that time. The vigils are a project of Peace Social and Earth Care Concerns Committee, joined by NH Peace Action, Veterans for Peace, and AFSC.

The Canterbury Fair, always on the last Saturday in July, is a low key, fun country fair.  As we have for the past several years, the Meeting is hosting a booth for folks to sit a spell, get come fresh cold water, and complete a small art project.  This year folks can make a peace flag.   Activities at the Fair include a chicken barbecue, a huge book sale, live music, Morris Dancing, antiques and crafts for sale, children's games, country living skills demonstrations, a huge "What-Not" sale, and more. Many thanks to our volunteer helpers who presently include Sara, JJ, Mark, Rich, Thomas, Wendy, Lynda, Jonah, Pat, and Laurie.  Come to the fair and be sure to stop by the booth and say "Hi!"

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 [25].  Please download and print one out, fill it in, and pass it to Kathy Urie.  You can find it at Youth Worker Screening Form [25].  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!

Volunteers to be ready to support Manchester Unitarian Universalist Church as a Level 1 physical sanctuary in the New Hampshire Immigrant Solidarity Network.  Contact MarkBarker [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Volunteering%20for%20sanctuary%20support%20at%20U-U%20Church%20in%20Manchester) .  Here’s a list of the support roles needed.

• Day Citizen Companions
• Provide Food
• Provide Transportation
• Offer Entertainment (games or movies)
• Provide Emotional Support
• Provide Language Translation
• Provide Legal Support
• Provide Medical Support
• Raise Funds
• Provide a Gift Card
• Organize other Volunteers
• Laundry
• Other support you could offer

In August 2017, we published a statement in response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia [26].  Please also see “Such a Time as This: A Response to Hate and Violence [27]” as well as the “2017 Epistle of New England Yearly Meeting [28]”, Ruby Sales’ Plenary Message [29] on NEYM’s Youtube channel, and the audio recordings of the 2017 Annual Sessions Bible Half-Hours by Marty Grundy [30] focusing (exegeting [31]) on Romans 12:2 [32].  Draft booklet of Bible Half Hour texts [33].

^1. See https://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/guidelines-and-procedures/general-queries/nurturing-our-community/ [34]

^2. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [35] № 42

^3. See http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/ [35] № 24