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“A J Muste was a Quaker who spent much of his life supporting non-violence, civil rights, and the anti-Vietnam War movement.  A reporter once asked him, “Do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night in front of the White House with a candle?”

Muste replied softly, “Oh I don't do this to change the country.  I do this so the country won't change me.”

Don't miss the AFSC NH program Sunday after potluck.  We'll hear all the news about the many areas of AFSC's work in New Hampshire, some of which are so new you might not be familiar with them.  It will be a great time to get to know these folks and hear about their work in immigration, faith and labor organizing, and transitioning women from incarceration to community.

Every other month we spend about half an hour after Fellowship cleaning up the Meetinghouse.  Usually this is done on Third Sundays, but with Mothers' Day in May we are switching to First Sunday.  Now that spring warmth is on the way there will be both indoor and outdoor opportunities.

We keep the work period short so that it feels easier to squeeze into our busy days.  We hope you will be able to stay a bit longer on May 4th, but certainly understand that your plans may not fit in with our schedule.  We always "get by with a little help from our Friends."

[2]We're coming up on our fifth session and hope that you have been finding some benefit in our meetings.  In May we'll look at the topic of Our Meeting Community (taking this out of order from the original "Quaker Basics" plan).  I'm sending this early because the readings are so interesting.  Hope you find time to take a peek at these and find one or two passages that really speak to you. 

Readings [2]

In June we'll consider the Quaker Testimonies and do a little forward planning.  Do we want to take a break over the summer?  Dive deeper into the testimonies?  How are we led to go forward?

The Concord Chorale will be presenting our Spring Concert "We Exist", consisting of works for chorus and orchestra that explore the question of how to live together.  One major work, "Kindness", is a modern baroque style piece that begins with the question "How then do we live?", and answers over the course of the work that kindness is the key, along with courage, compassion, understanding; and asking "Who is our neighbor?"  (Hint: "the least of these"). 

The title piece "We Exist" was written in response to the 2017 violence in Charlottesville, NC.  and calls us to action.  Both of these major pieces are accompanied by orchestra.   

I love also love the several cappella pieces we are singing, especially the three Shaker songs about the beauty and centrality of singing (and dancing) together in order to live in harmony, as well as the importance of faith, and the power of gentleness.  We will be processing (Songweavers style) through the audience in the first two pieces that call us out of loneliness into community and love.

Great messages for all times, but especially these!  I hope you'll join me at one of our concerts at St Paul's Church to celebrate our shared humanity.

• Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. or
• Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m.

You can get tickets from me ($25) directly or purchase online at www.ConcordChorale.org/tickets [3].

[4]A walk has been scheduled for CFM people and their friends on Wednesday, May 7^th at 1:00 p.m.  The trail we will be walking is in the Marjory Swope Park, Map 25 [4] for those of you who have a copy of the CONCORD TRAIL SYSTEM GUIDEBOOK AND MAPS [5].

Head east along Pleasant Street (Rte 202) and turn right on Long Pond Road.  A sign and parking lot will appear on your left.  There are 2 or 3 trails to choose from so let’s gather in the parking lot and choose a trail.

If you would like to have someone else to drive, please park in the Storrs Road parking lot near what is left of Joann Fabrics.  Be there at 12:45 p.m. and Kathy Urie will drive for you.

(This will familiarize anyone interested in volunteering.  No commitment is required.  To date there have been no requests for sanctuary at this time).

The Sanctuary Asylum Committee of the Manchester UU Church continues to seek volunteers for day and overnight on-premise shifts to ensure 24-hour coverage when the church has a sanctuary guest in residence.  Currently there are 8 volunteers for overnight shifts and 18 for daytime shifts.  If you want to volunteer or have already volunteered and want to attend the next orientation session, please contact Liz Alcauskas (lizalcauskas [at] gmail [dot] com) or Curt Smith (blueskies3 [at] comcast [dot] net).

The next Sanctuary Asylum Volunteer Orientation is Saturday, May 17^th, 9:30 am to Noon, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 669 Union Street, Manchester, NH.  No commitment is required.  To date there have been no requests for sanctuary.

In holding to our Quaker longstanding testimony against all forms of war and the need to address the root causes of war and other conflicts especially through diplomatic means, we endorse the following statement from the Friends Committee on National Legislation:

We are heartbroken by the violence in Israel and Palestine.  As Quakers, we deeply mourn the loss of all lives and pray for those who have lost loved ones due to this latest escalation.  We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks and inhumane treatment of civilians and call for the release of all hostages.  We also condemn Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza that has claimed thousands of civilian lives.  More war and weapons won’t bring peace.  In the face of growing violence, lawmakers must push for a permanent ceasefire and address the root causes underlying this explosion of violence.

Based on our Quaker belief that war is not the answer, we urge the US Government and the parties in conflict in Israel/Palestine to diplomatically work for an immediate and permanent ceasefire that respects the human rights of both sides equally and that would include the release of hostages and immediate medical care of the same.

And here is an excerpt from our 4/13/2025 draft minute [7] re: the vigil promoting a ceasefire in Gaza:

Participation has not been widely in evidence by Meeting members and this has prompted PSECC Committee to draw the vigil and the tragedy it seeks to address to our attention.  Many heartfelt expressions of support for the vigil were made and the Meeting unites with this support and formally acknowledges its sponsorship of the vigil.

We are all invited to do what we can.  If you are so led, consider joining the vigil at noon on Thursdays in the plaza at the corner of Main and Park Streets.  Phone calls and letters to our representatives in Congress can be effective and donations to aid organizations are appreciated.  What does your heart guide you to do?

Monteverde Friends School will receive matching funds (up to $15K) for donations made by May 11 (tax deductible).  MFS is committed to making bilingual Quaker education an option for all members of their community, regardless of economic resources.  They strive to equip their students for their work as stewards of the world that we all share.  The need is there and there are options for easy giving:  https://www.mfschool.org/donate [8]

The 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) [9] 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 coordinated by NH Peace Action.  We suggest that people make signs that convey something about justice for Israel and Palestine.

Join us for a 90-minute interactive online workshop which is an opportunity to try a creative approach to personal discernment.

Discernment requires an emotionally safe environment to build trust, informed by deep listening. Once safe, we can take on the important discernment questions by using Virginia Swain’s mentor, Friend/elder Elise Boulding‘s imaging process, a way to use our imagination for discerning the answers to our life’s questions.

Imaging plays a key role in our lives because we cannot reconcile a challenge at the level it was created. Participants are asked to bring a discernment question with them as well as art supplies such as paper, markers, colored pencils. 

Facilitated by Virginia Swain (Friends Meeting at Cambridge). More information about Virginia's ministry can be found on her website https://virginiaswain.com/ [11]. Click or tap to follow the link.">here.

This workshop is offered free of charge.

You are invited to register for our Spring Retreat. The theme will be "Nurturing Creative & Spiritual Practices."

​Young Friends retreats are special opportunities for high schoolers in New England to take a deeper dive into building community and exploring the Quaker way together. Join Young Friends for a weekend at Framingham Friends Meeting where we will explore art, music, worship, and other practices that give meaning to our personal and communal lives. 

​About staying at Framingham Friends Meeting

When staying at meeting houses everyone is expected to bring a pillow, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad in order to sleep on the floor. If this poses a challenge for you or your child please reach out to Collee (collee [at] neym [dot] org)

​Payment​

Pricing for the retreat is pay-as-led sliding scale. $50 is great for families with a limited budget, $150 covers direct costs, $250 covers all costs.

Registration will close on April 28^th, 2025. Register https://neym.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9d926a263c32aba63d418859... [12]. Click or tap to follow the link.">here today.

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.