2021-07-02 Announcements for

Prepare for Meeting for Business, July 11:

Committee Clerks should get reports from their committees to Rich, Mark, and Heidi in advance for distribution. Attendees: Please bring a brown bag lunch if you are staying at the meetinghouse for business meeting. We plan on eating outside and will continue our current hybrid meeting plan (masks etc. except when eating or drinking, which should be done outside).

Minutes from June

Draft minutes for Sixth Month 2021 are on the website https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2021-06-13_CMM_Minutes [1] or via https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/Minutes_of_ConcordMonthlyMeeting [2]

Watch for other materials coming separately.

Annual Spring (early Summer) Party!

What a wonderful success!  Thank you to Kathi and Roland for hosting.  Kathi writes:

"Someone left extra clothing at the party. If it’s yours, let Kathi Connors know and she can deliver it to you. email: kathi [dot] connors [at] gmail [dot] com"  Thank you also, Aurora, for making the many beautiful baskets and the YRE committee for the planning.

The Triple Trunk Oak is Down and Stacked.

With thanks to Greg, JJ, Rich, Ruth,and Thomas the tree has been limbed and stacked.  Most of the brush has been cleared.  One day of work was super hot and another was super rainy, but good cheer and camaraderie prevailed.  Sadly, many ants have been seeking a new home. 

Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples (a workshop for New England Yearly Meeting)

In this 2-hour participatory workshop — Saturday, July 17, 4-6 PM — we will hear the story of the colonization of this land in the words of Indigenous leaders, Euro-American leaders, and Western historians. We will take part in the story through experiential exercises, and share our responses and reflections in small groups. Together, we will explore steps that we can take to build relationships with Native peoples based on truth, respect, and justice.

This Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change event will help us prepare to acknowledge past harm and offer a sincere apology when we assemble (virtually) for sessions in August and move on a Letter of Apology to Native Americans.

The workshop is appropriate for high school students and adults. It will be co-facilitated by Paula Palmer and Gail Melix.

Pay as led. Choose the amount (sliding scale) that is right for you, including $0. When discerning the right amount to pay, we offer the following guidance:

• $30 covers direct costs (suggested fee)
• $60 covers your direct costs plus those of a Friend who cannot pay
• $15 makes a helpful contribution if budgets are tight

The last day to register is July 11, 2021.

OUR TEAM

• Paula Palmer co-directs Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, a program of Friends Peace Teams. She is a member of Boulder Meeting, Intermountain Yearly Meeting, and lives on Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute land.
• Gail is a Manomet Wampanoag and a Quaker. She lives in Cotuit, Ma., the ancestral homeland of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. She is a board member of Native Land Conservancy in Mashpee, Mass., co-clerk of New England Yearly Meeting’s Earthcare Ministry Committee, and clerk of Sandwich Monthly Meeting Ministry and Counsel. She carries concerns for climate crisis and environmental justice, racism, and right relationship with indigenous peoples.
• Annette Brickley and Gretchen Reinhardt will be technical hosts for the workshop.
• Andy Grant, a member of Mt Toby MM, serves on the NEYM Right Relationship Resource Group and is the local organizer of this event.

Films of Interest.

The film Indian Horse should be of interest and will be an opportunity to meet Denise and Paul Pouliot in person. More info in the link.

JULY 24: Join us for a screening of Indian Horse and welcome our guest speakers, Denise L. Pouliot, Sag8moskwa and artist, and Paul W. Pouliot, Sag8mo and THPO Cowasuck Band of the Pennacock-Abenaki People.

AUGUST 28: Join us for a screening of Urban Roots and stay after the film for discussion with our guest speaker Lila Kohrman-Glaser, Executive Director of 350NH.

This event will take place in the barn at Saltonstall Farm. Chairs will be placed 6ft apart and barn doors will remain open for maximum air flow. Please no eating during the event to ensure masks remain on. You are welcome to bring your own beverage.

Donations are encouraged and greatly appreciated. We will accept donations at the door or visit our website [3] to become a Friend of Robinwood Center.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/racial-and-climate-justice-film-series-tickets-151126285789 [4] 

Blended Meetings Have Begun – Windows may Remain Closed

We are delighted to welcome Friends back to the meetinghouse for worship in person.  The Pandemic Group reports that we may leave windows closed.  Zooming in continues to be an option.  There are some restrictions noted below so, please read carefully. Bear with us as we work out the technological kinks and work to minimize their impact on worship space.  Your feedback to Ministry and Counsel about the worship experience and the Tech Committee about how tech solutions are implemented is most welcomed.

Guidelines from the Pandemic Response Group

(expect updates, sometimes without notice)

1. Only people who are fully vaccinated should be in the meetinghouse.  That is to say, everyone who attends in person should be willing to affirm they are vaccinated.  
2. The fellowship room and kitchen will not be used except for access through the space to bathrooms, storage spaces, etc.  No lingering.
3. Masks will be worn at all times indoors and also when outdoors if closer than 6 feet to people not from the same household.
4. Eating was not discussed but JJ believes that means eating needs to be outside.