To request log-in information for Zoom Worship: Zoom [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: %E2%80%9CWorship%E2%80%9D%20Zoom%20Link%20Request) .

“Snowflakes are the butterflies of winter.”



Anonymous

Click on the links below:

• *Draft* minutes for the January 2025 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business: 2025-01-12_CMM_Minutes [2]  OR Minutes_of_Concord Monthly Meeting [3].
• Concord Monthly Meeting Balance Sheet February 1^st, 2025 [4]
• Concord Monthly Meeting Operations February 1^st, 2025 [5]

Since the "Witness for Religious Freedom" email [6] update was sent to Friends on Wednesday, there have been many emails and calls to the Yearly Meeting’s Accompaniment Group seeking resources and clarifications about planning and precautions that meetings might consider.

Accompaniment Group is inviting leaders in monthly and quarterly meetings to an informational Zoom call at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 8. The Zoom link is included below.

The call will be a conversational space to ask questions, share approaches and become better informed on two specific areas of concern:

1. What if people concerned about the impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s new policy on themselves and/or their families come to our meetings seeking assistance?  What are the best approaches here?  What is and is not allowed/legal?
2. What if ICE (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) agents come to our meetings?  What do we do?  What must we do?  What should we not do?

We will also share a non-overwhelming list of resources that respond to those questions briefly, clearly and accurately. The meeting will be recorded.

If guidance is needed before that call, please reach out to accompaniment [at] neym [dot] org.  If there is an emergency and a need for immediate response, please contact Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary at ymsec [at] neym [dot] org or at 617-615-6396 [7].

If you are not able to join the call on Saturday, key resources will be posted on neym.org [8] and shared on the February 12^th call for Friends serving their local meetings (details here [9]).

I am deeply grateful for your care of and faithful service to your meetings. You are not alone!

[14]Come "Sing Your Heart Out" on Friday, February 21^st from 7-9 p.m. at Quaker Meetinghouse at 11 Oxbow Pond Rd, Canterbury (near Exit 17).

Here's our chance to gather together on a cold, dark night to add some light and song to our lives.  We'll focus on songs of hope, peace, justice, and resilience.  Bring your 'Rise Up Singing' and 'Rise Again' songbooks (or borrow ours - we have lots!) and a finger food snack to share in our break for fellowship and food.

Everyone gets a chance to choose a song, and we'll all leave with lifted hearts.  Bring a friend, it's open to all. Contact Ruth H. (RuthH [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: CFM%3A%20Sing%20Your%20Heart%20Out) or 603-724-4343 [15]) if you have questions or if you can bring an instrument and accompany songs.

This event will occur every 3^rd Friday of the month.  Save the dates!  We moved it to avoid a conflict with the First Friday High Street Coffeehouse at Boscawen Congregational Church (which is a great event also).  Their February 7^th feature is Tom Smith.  Find out more at: Tom Smith at High St Coffee House [16]

Last week a crew of four installed 18 acoustic panels against the ceiling in the Worship Room.  Many thanks go to Jennifer, Rich K (not pictured), Chris, and Greg.  A thank you also goes to Steve Booth for lending his staging for the job and especially to Elaine B for the architectural advice.

We can tell that the sound is much improved now that there is less echoing going on in the room.  There are about 2 or more gallons of ceiling tile adhesive left over from the job.  Speak to the PropertyCommittee [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Ceiling-tile%20Adhesive) (Property Committee) if you have a use for it.

Drive the winter doldrums away with an evening meal (or luncheon) with 6-8 other Meeting attenders sometime in February.  We'll create the groups and let the hosts know who is attending.  (Let RuthH [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Friendly%20Eights) (Ruth H) or HeidiB [at] ConcordFriendsMeeting [dot] org (subject: Friendly%20Eights) (Heidi B) know if you can host.)

By now, many of you may be aware that on Monday, January 27, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends joined with Philadelphia and Baltimore Yearly Meetings in a lawsuit [18] challenging last week's rescinding of the longstanding immigration enforcement policy prohibiting Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) from conducting enforcement operations in or near houses of worship. This unnecessary change to the nation's fundamental and constitutionally established protections of religious freedom means that ICE agents may now enter meetings, churches, and other worship gatherings at any time they might choose.

The claims of this lawsuit are grounded in the heart of Friends' communal experience of the Spirit which gathers us, and in our commitment that our meetings should be open to all who seek the solace, healing, and guidance available in waiting worship. With keen awareness of Friends' historic role in the establishment of religious freedom in what would become the United States, it seemed this was a moment when Friends' testimony could be of some small help in these troubled times.

The necessity for swift action, simply, is that ICE raids on worshipping communities have already begun, and that even the threat of such actions creates fear and has a chilling effect, not only on people who may be undocumented immigrants who are part of our communities, but on many of our members and neighbors who are not undocumented, yet might be especially targeted in these raids.

The assertion Friends are making together, as living witness to our faith, is that creating conditions that intimidate or prevent Friends—and all people—from gathering with members of their faith communities to share in worship together is a fundamental violation of the freedoms of religion and association guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. More information, including the press release and the complaint itself, are available here [19].

After prayerful discernment, and consistent with New England Yearly Meeting's policy on time-sensitive public statements [20], including consultation with the Coordinating & Advisory committee and other Friends engaged in long-term witness supporting our immigrant and refugee members and neighbors, NEYM Presiding Clerk Rebecca L. and Yearly Meeting Secretary Noah M. found unity to approve New England Yearly Meeting participating in this lawsuit.

Legal support for this filing is being provided by Democracy Forward [21], a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to legal challenges, if necessary, to policies and actions they believe undermine core freedoms and democracy in our country.

New England Yearly Meeting was joined by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and Baltimore Yearly Meetings, which include Friends meetings in much of the mid-Atlantic states, as well as two monthly meetings affiliated with Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Friends in several other yearly meetings have expressed their support, and discernment continues on how Friends across the country may be involved going forward.

In this message, we hope to share important information that may be of use to you or your meeting in the days and months to come:

• If your meeting experiences intimidation or other hostile behavior related to their care for immigrant Friends or neighbors, or due to awareness of Friends' involvement in this suit which has gained national attention, or any other concerning activities, please communicate immediately with Yearly Meeting Secretary Noah M. at 617-615-6396 [7] or at YMSec [at] neym [dot] org. 
• If Friends caring for your meeting would like particular support or help considering how you might take precautions, or how to speak about these matters in your meeting, please contact Sarah G., clerk of the Yearly Meeting Accompaniment Group at Accompaniment [at] neym [dot] org.
• We are sharing links to two resources that Friends and meetings may find useful.
  • The first is an article reporting on guidance [22] from the State of Massachusetts to religious leaders on preparations that may be helpful.
  • The second is a resource on "doxxing" [23]—that is, online harassment intended to discourage expression that can also lead to physical harm—and how to navigate these situations if they arise. If any participant in your community is the target of doxxing, please contact the Yearly Meeting immediately. 
• If you or your meeting receive media inquiries, please also forward them to the Yearly Meeting Secretary, who is serving as a liaison with the legal team that is assisting us and our sibling yearly meetings. They will help guide us in how to provide an appropriate response. It is imperative to the prospects of this lawsuit that our responses as a Yearly Meeting to media enquiries are consistent, accurate, and clear. 
• The Yearly Meeting is welcoming financial contributions to support these ongoing efforts.
  • Friends desiring to directly support the legal work of filing and pursuing this case in federal court may consider contributing directly to Democracy Forward [21].
  • We also welcome contributions to the Fund for Sufferings, a resource within the Yearly Meeting created to support expenses arising from hardship because of Friends' witness to Truth.
  • Finally, if you are interested in offering support for the staff time and other expenses associated with our Yearly Meeting's witness in this way, and supporting our ongoing work to nurture and amplify the worship and witness of Friends across our region, you may consider an unrestricted contribution to the wider ministries of the Yearly Meeting.
    
    This is a season of significant financial challenges for the Yearly Meeting, and a gift in any amount would make a difference. Learn more at neym.org/support [24], or contact accountsmanager [at] neym [dot] org (Accounts Manager Frederick M). to discuss ways to give. 

If you or your meeting have questions or concerns relating to the discernment of this action, or wish to share your encouragement or hopes as this witness unfolds, please contact Presiding Clerk Rebecca L. at  clerk [at] neym [dot] org.

We are committed to keeping Friends and meetings informed of developments in this case, and sharing what resources and guidance we can as this process unfolds. Please share with us your prayers, insights, and feedback as we move forward in faith.

We have a special opportunity coming up in March and Ministry and Counsel hopes you'll set aside time in your calendar now.  We will not be holding a program on 4^th Sunday in March.  Instead, a very special program is set for 5^th Sunday and we are hoping for a strong turnout.  Friends will be coming from all over our Quarter.  The Meetings in our Quarterly Meeting include Weare/Henniker, Dover, West Epping Preparative Meeting, North Sandwich, River Woods Worship Group (Exeter), and Gonic.  Such an opportunity!  And the program is especially important. 

New England Yearly Meeting is going through changes and needs to hear from Friends far and wide regarding the summer sessions and various alternatives to the current model.  Whether you have ever attended a NEYM summer session does not matter.  How the YM will meet the needs of individuals and Meetings in our changing times matters to all of us.  We hope you will make time to be present on 5^th Sunday in March.  Stay tuned for more information as the weeks pass.

The silent vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza continues every Thursday from Noon-1 p.m.  The vigil meets at (the northwest corner of) North Main Street and Park Street in Concord [27] on the plaza in front of the State House.  Make your own sign, use one provided, or just stand in silent witness beside others.  This is done in coordination with NH Peace Action.  We suggest that people make signs that convey something about justice for Israel and Palestine.  Also please avoid the word genocide, ethnic cleansing, and similar terms.

There are other online Meetings for Worship that are generally available to Quakers, unlimited by geography, if that would be of interest. Some of those are listed here.