2020 Concord (NH) MM State of Society

Concord Monthly Meeting of Friends

State of Society, 2020

[1]In this year of global pandemic, our meeting community has been a lifeline for us.  We are grateful for modern technology, especially Zoom, which has enabled us to meet virtually while maintaining the physical isolation necessary to slow the spread of disease.

Worship over Zoom has been a blessing and a challenge.  Though it is a joy to see the beloved faces of our community members, many find it difficult to center into the Divine Presence while viewing screen images in little boxes.  The slight time lag caused by technology makes it impossible to sing in unison, and we miss our tradition of singing for 15 minutes before settling into worship.  Yet we know that God is present in our virtual midst.  We always have access to the infinite love of God, present communally when two or more are gathered, even virtually.

We miss being greeted at the Meetinghouse door and informal chatting later.  Sometimes worship feels dry because we cannot be together physically.  For a few Friends who access Spirit through face-to-face and earth-centered energies, connecting through Zoom doesn’t work.  For other Friends, technology itself is a barrier to participate in worship.  We miss them and hope they will rejoin us in the future.  Pastoral care is difficult over Zoom.  However, virtual worship has made the meeting more accessible for some with hearing and mobility difficulties, and it has enabled participation from members and attenders who reside at a distance or who are traveling.  While we miss the energy the physical presence of children brings, we have provided a monthly Zoom First Day School experience for our youngest Friends.

Our meeting community has grown stronger as we have worked to keep connected outside of worship.  Since March more than half of us have been regular attenders of small groups that still are going strong, a particularly rich source of fellowship.  Another key source of fellowship has been the well-attended biweekly Zoom story hour, where many Friends have shared adventures from their lives.  In January 2021, we began another set of small-group, virtual meetings for book discussion, Scripture study, spiritual practice encouragement, and walking.  We even held virtual Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gatherings.  Our committees have been strengthened by the flexibility that meeting virtually enables, with meetings better attended than in-person meetings.

Though our prison ministry has ceased for now, our Peace, Social, & Earth-Care Concerns Committee held a Zoom session on prison reform.  We brought in James McKim [2] as an outside facilitator to conduct two workshops to learn some concepts (implicit bias and microaggressions) to use on the journey toward racial reconciliation. One was in February and the second session was via Zoom, both of which were very well attended.  Our long-running Quaker Basics study group has evolved into a “Living Quaker Principles” group and felt a calling to take on some practical work to address homelessness in the wider community.  Our AFSC ‘Arnie Alpert Action Fund’ fundraiser in early March was a wonderful success and a community-building experience.  We have begun work on building a right relationship with Native Americans, in order to prepare for an apology proposed by New England Yearly Meeting [3].

We met monthly for worship with attention to business, seeking Divine guidance for our community.  Though virtual, business meetings have been faithful to Quaker process.  Friends have continued to financially support the Meeting, and some faithful Friends have lovingly cared for our Meetinghouse while it has stood empty these many months.

Although we are keenly aware of the hardship and sorrow brought by the pandemic worldwide, we find there are some silver linings for us.  We have been blessed with a new member who only worshipped once with us before the Meetinghouse closed.  We are pleased to welcome several new attenders into our fellowship.  Our sharings after worship have been particularly rich as we share afterthoughts, joys, and sorrows.  Because we draw on a large geographical area, the ability to be virtual has increased participation of members and attenders in programs and on committees.

We eagerly await the day when we may worship together physically in our Meetinghouse.  It will feel magical as the light streams through the windows, illuminating the simple surroundings and the faces of Friends in our beloved community.  Yet we have grown through the experience of the pandemic.  We have acquired new technological skills, which will keep us connected as we go forward.  And we have discovered how our faith in God sustains us in difficult times.