Contents
February Minutes & Reports Due, Monday, January 28, 2019
February Business Meeting, 1:15pm, February 10, 2019
March Newsletter Due, Monday, February 18, 2019
March Minutes & Reports Due, Monday, February 25, 2019
Announcement Sheet Due, Mondays at midnight
Power, Privilege, and Racial Justice
Friends,
I write to you today to lift up the many ways Spirit/God is moving Quakers into conversations, discernment and action on issues of Power, Privilege, and Racial Justice. The January 2019 edition of Friends Journal is dedicated entirely to the topic of “A Racially Diverse Society of Friends.” New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) and Friends General Conference (FGC) have both committed themselves to the work of identifying and dismantling patterns of oppression within their organizations. It seems to me that we are building momentum in responding to the ache for healing from centuries of oppression, racial violence and pain that still resides in all of us and in our institutions.
As I compiled the below list of happenings and writings, I find myself with a deep sense of movement that is inviting us all to be a part of it as we feel led. One thing that has become clear for me as a white Quaker, is that it is essential to turn towards that which I don’t understand and brings me discomfort. I especially invite those of you who are white to do the same.
Virtual Plenaries: NEYM is inviting all of us to prepare for Sessions in August to “ground ourselves in the decisions that have led us to this point, seeking understanding of where and how we have been the Beloved Community and where we have failed to live up to God’s vision.” To guide us in doing so, Lisa Graustein, keynote speaker for this year’s annual session, is inviting New England Friends—“whether we plan to attend annual sessions or not—into an experiment with a virtual plenary” on the topic Provoke One Another to Love. She will be posting a series of short videos with “An Invitation to an Experiment by Lisa Graustein.” Here’s a link to her first video.
FORJ Simple Lunch conversations: Friends for Racial Justice (FORJ) Committee is organizing a series of conversations at a Simple Lunch table to discuss and reflect on Lisa Graustein’s Virtual Plenaries (see above). Each month FORJ invites you to watch the virtual plenary video and then share thoughts about this over lunch. Join us Sunday, February 24, at 12:30 for our first gathering!
Forum February 17: How is God/Spirit Speaking to us through the Friend’s General Conference Institutional Assessment on Systemic Racism? FMC’s own Friends for Racial Justice (FORJ) committee members will share reflections on how they each have felt moved by reading this Assessment on Institutional Racism. 9:30 am in the Parlor.
Noticing Patterns of Oppression Training March 9 at Wellesley Friends Meeting: This training on noticing patterns of oppression is sponsored by NEYM’s working group by the same name is for all Friends interested in gaining skills for talking about patterns of oppression and connecting with other Friends who want to help move NEYM’s work forward. Registration is now open and everyone is encouraged to attend!
White Privilege Conference (WPC) March 20-23 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: A large contingent of Quakers attend every year. The conference strives “to empower and equip individuals to work for equity and justice through self and social transformations.” FGC is offering a group discount for meetings and coordinating home hospitality. If you are interested in attending as a group from FMC contact Lorena Boswell, Resident Friend, who will connect you with others interested in going. Please note that In addition to group registration, each individual must register for the conference.
Recent Quaker Writings on how we are being called to this work of addressing systems of oppression and racial injustice within our own Quaker practices.
- Friends General Conference’s Institutional Assessment on Systemic Racism
- 2018 Epistle of New England Yearly Meeting
- At the Well Epistle – Attended in December by three members of our FMC community.
- January 2019 Friends Journal on a “A Racially Diverse Society of Friends.”
With gratitude,
Lorena
resident@fmcquaker.org
617-876-1868
Announcements
Please Share Your Reflections on FMC!
How would you describe our experience as a Meeting over the last year?
Please share your comments (as long or as short as you wish) as Ministry and Counsel reflects on the state of the spiritual life and community of FMC. Below are some queries help spark responses:
- How have you felt change in our Meetings for Worship this year?
- How have our structures—Meeting for Business, committees, staffing, etc.—responded to the needs of individuals, families, or groups?
- How has the Spirit led you to connect within the Meeting, including our families and children, and with the wider community?
- What prospers for you in the community and spiritual life of the Meeting?
- Are there ways you desire more?
Please email Gail Rogers mc-clerks@fmcquaker.org by Saturday, February 23. You can also leave written notes in the Ministry and Counsel mail slot in the Library. Anonymous feedback is welcome, although we prefer personal accounts!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Gail Rogers and Susan Davies, Co-Clerks
Ministry and Counsel
Discerning FMC’s Future Financial Priorities
Friends Meeting at Cambridge has had deficit operating budgets for the last several years. This was by design the last five years, as we conducted the Beneficial Cycle experiment to bring more vitality to the meeting. However, our financial reserves will not allow us to continue this practice much longer. As a result, we are in the midst of a process to discern our priorities for a financially sound future.
The Clerks Team appointed an Ad-hoc Committee to plan and organize a workshop on the Meeting’s finances and a set of discernment sessions to identify our priorities. A financial workshop was held on October 7, and the first two discernment sessions were held on October 28 and November 3. The Ad-hoc Committee reviewed the results of the two sessions and presented a report at the December Meeting for Business in Worship, identifying the next steps in the discernment process to be the following:
- Engage community in session to consider specific recommendations to Increase Revenue.
- Engage community in session to consider specific recommendations related to FMC Contributions to Other Agencies.
- Engage community in session to consider specific alternatives related to FMC Staffing.
- Fund Raising Committee engage community in session to consider specific recommendations on Increasing Individual Contributions.
- Trustees engage community in session to consider specific recommendations related to Facility Costs.
Twenty-three Friends gathered on the afternoon of Saturday, January 19, to consider recommendations related to FMC Contributions to Other Agencies. The three hours they shared included a lunch provided by the Ad-hoc Committee and extensive discussion about the issue. A summary of the conclusions reached, which will be subjects of future discernment, included the following:
- To support QUAKER and LOCAL organizations but less to other groups.
- To cut any contributions to non-local, non-Quaker organizations. Some said the list of reductions/cuts should include even more on the list. (One comment to the benefit to the larger world of Doctors Without Borders)
- There needs to be real vetting and review of any and all contributions.
- We need to think more clearly about how our NEYM contribution is based on “old numbers” in terms of members and we need to seriously look at the number of folks who contribute and who we “count as members?”
- To decrease our contribution to New England Yearly Meeting, but as a piece of a larger picture. We need to give NEYM notice if we are going to reduce our contribution. Consider % reduction over 3 years.
The Ad-hoc Committee has scheduled additional sessions over five afternoons this Winter and Spring. Each of the sessions will provide an opportunity to discern FMC priorities for the future as we consider each of the topics. We hope Friends will place them on their calendars and take part in this important process. The schedule (with the topics of the sessions subject to change as the process continues) is as follows
- Sunday, February 24, 1:15 – 3:15pm Facility Costs and Increase Revenue I
- Sunday, March 24, 1:15 – 3:15pm Increase Revenue II
- Sunday, April 28. 1:15 – 3:15pm Increasing Individual Contributions
- Saturday, May 18, 12:00 – 3:00pm FMC Staffing I
- Sunday 2nd June 1:15 – 3:15 FMC Staffing II
Childcare will be provided at all sessions. Lunch will be provided at the Saturday session.
Our FMC Community of Hope provides the following types of care and support to individuals within our community:
- a Friendly visit to someone’s home or a visit to someone in a hospital or nursing home;
- accompaniment to a medical appointment;
- preparing and/or delivering meals;
- a conversation to assist in determining the need for a Support or a Clearness Committee;
- a supportive visit and listening presence during a challenging life experience; and
- sending cards on behalf of FMC.
If you, or someone you know within our FMC community, might benefit from one of these care and support activities, please let us know. You may reach the program by emailing your request to PastoralCare@fmcquaker.org or calling Diana Lopez, Pastoral Care Coordinator, at 617-312-8304.
Remember to Spare the Floors
Wear slippers inside at FMC and make a fashion statement! This is a gentle reminder to bring slippers to Meeting to save the wear and tear on our floors and rugs, especially during wet and/or snowy days. We do not wish to cause hardship for anyone, but for those of us able to bring a change of footgear, every little bit helps. Some slippers to borrow are available in the Meetinghouse and in the entryway to the Friends Center. Put your wet/salty/snowy footwear in the plastic trays.
Amateur Photographers Wanted
Capture moments that are special to you at FMC—committee meetings and activities, forums, lunch, seasonal changes in the gardens, and special events–and send them to fmcbulletin@hotmail.com for publication on Facebook and our website. Before you shoot, though, be sure to ask any subjects if they are comfortable being included in a publication photo. Children need their parents’ written consent before being photographed.
Not all who wander are lost
Lost and Found Items are in the Friends Room.
Missing your mittens? Pining for your parasol? Search for your misplaced and meandering things on the windowsills and coat rack in the Friends Room.
Unclaimed items will be donated to the Material Aid and Advocacy Program (MAAP) on February 4.
Volunteer for Childcare
Are you willing to work with the youngest children of our community?
We can always use more volunteers who are willing to serve in the nursery on an occasional basis. Contact Greg Woods at 413-251-6512,
youthministries@fmcquaker.org
2018-19 Annual Staff Evaluations Coming Soon!
Please be on the lookout for a request for staff feedback. As part of our annual review, we request feedback from all of you who have interactions with our staff to let us know your perspective. As you most likely know, our principal staff includes Lorena Boswell, Resident Friend; David Dunphy, Facilities Manager; Amy Mercure, Office Manager; and Greg Woods, Youth Ministries and Education Coordinator, and Lorena Boswell, Resident Friend. If you interact with nursery workers or the Center Residents, your input on their work will also be welcome. Keep your eye out for more information in the next couple of weeks. When it comes across your path, all of us would greatly appreciate it if you take the time to offer your perspective.
Personal News
Please come and introduce yourself to our new (and continuing) Center Residents:
(l to r) Annalise, Nancy, and Micaela. Their hard work helps to make FMC the community that it is.
It’s been freezing cold outside, but the Garden Committee is busy planning for a glorious spring. Left to right: Ben Warner, Maeve Witty, Robert Szudra, Elizabeth Wylde, clerk Nancy Hewitt. Member Mary Spitzer took the photograph.
Our oldest member Charles (Chuck) Woodbury died on December 20, 2018, at age 98. A memorial meeting for worship to celebrate his life is being planned for the afternoon of Saturday, March 23. Watch for details in the March newsletter, on the website and in upcoming Announcement Sheets. Chuck and his family joined FMC in 1958.
Special Events
Opportunities
NEYM Legacy Fund Grants
The purpose of the Legacy Gift Funds is to support the ministries of New England Yearly Meeting Friends, both within and beyond our region.
Guided by our living testimonies, we seek to strengthen our Witness through the funding of public and released ministry, beginning with attention to Racism and Climate Change and understanding that this is a starting point and concerns beyond these may also be funded. We seek to nurture our beloved community through the support of education, outreach, released ministry and meetinghouse projects. The Legacy Funds will serve as potent seeds to help Friends answer God’s call in our time and to strengthen the new life that is already rising up in our Yearly Meeting.
There are two funds:
- Application deadlines for the Legacy Gift Future Fund are spring and fall of every year. The next deadline is March 1, 2019.
- The Witness & Ministry Fund deadline is March 1, 2019.
For further information, go to the NEYM website
NEYM Student Scholarship Grants
New England Yearly Meeting offers grants to students of any age enrolled in post-secondary educational or professional training programs, whether full- or part-time. Awardees are eligible on the basis of spiritual connection to the Religious Society of Friends and participation in NEYM. Application deadline is May 15, 2019.
For more information about this fund and other NEYM grants visit the NEYM website.
Salem Quarterly Meeting Funds
Salem Quarter’s funding guidelines lean strongly toward making grants that arise from the meetings of the quarter and nourish and encourage a vital spiritual condition in those meetings, and strong bonds between them. Application deadline is March 31. Application form and criteria are here.
Forums
Registration Open for 1/31-2/1 Women’s Onsite Silent Retreat
Bring Food Pantry Donations in January
First Day School welcomes all to bring donations of non-perishable and unexpired food items as well as unused toiletries and hygiene products throughout February 2, 2025. First Day School families will deliver our FMC donations locally. A donation box will be available in the Library in the Friends Center throughout the month and in the Meetinghouse foyer on Sunday mornings. Contact Zoe Zurad at youthministries@fmcquaker.org
Complete the FMC Library Survey by 1/26/25
The Library Committee in a burst of creative energy has developed a survey for library users. We are interested in knowing what your interests are in the FMC library going forward. We have four members and the time and energy to evaluate our holdings and make some significant changes. We can’t do that without your guidance.
So here is a survey to gain that guidance. Please click the button below and fill it out by January 26, 2025 so we can get back to you with the results as part of an ongoing effort to use and revitalize this wonderful resource.
Thank you,
Jim Hannon, Clerk
Alasdair Post-Quinn
Edward Fleming
Megan Gianniny
Louise Bruyn died on December 1, 2024
Louise Bruyn, Self Portrait
Louise Bruyn, longtime member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge, died on December 1, 2024 at the age of 94. She was predeceased by her husband Severyn Bruyn, also a member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge, on May 26, 2019. Click here to read her obituary. Click here to read a remembrance of Louise by Green Newton, an organization she founded in 1990 and served as president of from 1990-2000.
Check back for more information.
New Meetinghouse Heating & Cooling System
Early in 2024 the Trustees Committee came to the Meeting with a proposal to replace the old oil-fired furnace in the Meetinghouse with a new clean electric heat-pump based system for heating and cooling. The Meeting then gave us approval to go ahead with the project.
That project is now completed, and we have the new system in place and working in the Meetinghouse. Because this new system both filters the air and automatically provides fresh air as well, there is no longer a need to open windows in the cold weather nor for the fans in the balcony windows, thus providing a quieter space. We are still learning how best to manage the system and welcome any comments that people have.
Although cooling in the summer is an option, we hope to rely mostly on natural ventilation in the warmer weather rather than running air conditioning unnecessarily.
Note that since we are using 100% green electricity through the City of Cambridge, this represents a major reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions.
Mark Webster and David White
Co-Clerks of Trustees Committee
trustees@fmcquqaker.org
Patricia Huff died on October 23, 2024
Patricia Huff, longtime member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge, died on October 23, 2024 at the age of 74. A memorial meeting for worship to celebrate Patty’s life is being planned.
Sarah Luhrs Barnett died on October 3, 2024
Sarah Barnett, longtime member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge died on October 3, 2024 at the age of 88.
Click here to read her obituary.
A Celebration of Life for her and her husband Guy (Octo) Barnett (who was also an FMC member) who died in 2020 will take place on Sunday, November 24 at 4:00pm at First Unitarian Universalist Society, 1326 Washington St, Newton.
Marina (Minna) Rothman Reflects on her Tapestry
Marina (Minna) Rothman has written a Substack blog about her Murmuration tapestry. Click here to read the entry which talks about this tapestry in the context of her life experiences. There is no need to subscribe or to donate (although the donations to the project are always welcome) in order to read.
SaraSue Pennell on Local Television
SaraSue Pennell was interviewed by the LexLocal TV station about her exhibition of self-portraits, “A Life in Images, ” at the Lexington Arts & Crafts Society (LexART) that closed on October 6, 2024. SaraSue is a nationally-acclaimed pastel artist and has created a self-portrait annually since age 18. She is currently 93. SaraSue is featured at about minute 21 of this video. Click here to see the LexART notice for the event.
Ned Kellogg died August 30, 2024
Edward B. Kellogg (Ned) longtime member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge died on August 30, 2024 at the age of 80.
Click here to read his obituary.
Dorothy Lamb Crawford died on August 3, 2024
Dorothy Lamb Crawford, FMC member, died August 3, 2024, at the age of 91.
Dorothy was an accomplished author and musician. Click here to read her obituary.
A Tender Ministry
Dear Friends,
I’m honored to announce the good news that I’ve received a grant from the New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) Witness & Ministry Fund. Some may recall that Friends Meeting at Cambridge (FMC) approved a letter of support for my application on April 14, 2024 at the Meeting for Business in Worship.
Before reading on, I want to let you know that this news relates to a tender concern, so please take time to ground yourself before reading further.
I am humbled by the process where the unfolding of a leading does not include a guidebook and detailed project plan. I’m currently finding my way through conversations with Friends inside and outside of our meeting who have relevant experience or shared concerns.
I hope to bring my ministry to the FMC community by addressing conflicts among us that are rooted in trauma.
I am called to the work of creating the beloved community,
where truth and justice are practiced with love.
I seek to strengthen my skills in conflict resolution and learn effective ways to foster safe space in our spiritual community in preparation for addressing even more challenging conflicts.
I carry a concern regarding family violence. The Society of Friends shares this same intergenerational trauma as all communities in our wider society.
I feel called to work with other Friends to develop practices for healing trauma in a way that prevents future domestic violence by breaking the trauma cycle. There is wisdom in Quaker testimonies, such as the peace testimony, that Friends apply routinely in secular society. By turning this wisdom inward toward our Quaker communities, I believe that we have the power to interrupt abusive patterns.
Can we notice the conflicts amongst us that are rooted in trauma? Instead of reenacting a traumatic experience by unintentionally taking on roles of past trauma, could we take steps, in our day-to-day interactions with each other, to help each other heal?
I am honored to receive funding from NEYM Witness & Ministry Fund which will provide $9,000 to support my ministry over the next 6-12 months. I am spending the next few months learning and preparing for creating a safe space for Friends to grapple with the realities of intergenerational abuse. I hope we can talk about how to live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of child abuse, as well as intimate partner abuse and all forms of violence within the family and community.
In the coming year, I plan to host a series of events that highlight specific hard-to-find Quaker writings that address these tender concerns. I am currently meeting one-on-one and in small groups with Friends who have relevant experience and hope to meet others who carry a related concern or feel led to accompany me in some way.
In the coming year, I expect to create specific opportunities for us at FMC to learn more about the resources I compile and about the process of following my leading to complete this project.
I would love to hear from anyone in our meeting who would like to connect around these concerns. Please email me at sarah@fmcquaker.org.
From Learning about Quakerism to Living Quakerism – Naren’s Testimonial
Alexander Levering Kern’s New (and Debut) Poetry Book
Hello friends,
I’m so excited to share my first book of poems “What an Island Knows” tracing twenty years on an island in Maine, exploring deeper universal (and Quaker) themes of family, community, spirituality, peace and justice, and the healing powers of rest and nature.
Former Maine poet laureate Betsy Sholl has written the Foreword, with kind endorsements from former VT Poet Laureate Sydney Lea, Nadia Colburn, Deborah Leipziger, Gary Rainford, Barrie Shepherd, Andrew Phillips Grannell, and Donna Miller Damon.
I hope you’ll order here from acclaimed Maine publisher Shanti Arts. Also available on Bookshop.org and Amazon or by reaching out to me.
I’m available for readings and events, solo or preferably with others, and welcome any reviews or Amazon reviews. Invitations to my upcoming Book Launch Celebration on Sunday afternoon, September 15 at FMC and at New England Yearly Meeting sessions in August are coming!
Peace and many thanks to you all,
Alex Kern
Visioning Group Survey Summary
The Visionng Group
“There was a realization that the very unnamable and experiential mystery of Meeting for Worship holds us together and from this flows the love, community, and service which sustain us.” (FMC Epistle 2010)
We were fortunate, at the beginning of the pandemic, to have Zoom already available, so no Sunday worship was missed. When we opened the meeting house that summer we began having hybrid worship. We have worked hard to make it the best possible experience. Some feel that all events should be hybrid to include those who cannot come in person, that to do otherwise is not inclusive. This has been the goal for four years, but we have never discerned this goal as a community. We learned that there are also Friends who find it difficult to worship with the technology. Some have stopped coming to worship.
In January 2023, Ministry and Counsel formed the Visioning Group to explore with the community how to meet this challenge. The focus of the group is to meet as best we can members’ desire to have meaningful worship experiences. It is now composed of a variety of Friends from our community–some who attend on Zoom and others who attend on site. Current members are Walker Bristol, George Campbell, George Capaccio, Susan Davies, David Doms, Cynthia Knowles, Afroze Mohammed, Michael Shanahan, Sandy Sweetnam. We planned a process like that addressing the masking/COVID issues. There were three Listening sessions. We then developed this survey so that we could reach as
many as possible, knowing that many do not speak in groups and worry about expressing what they perceive to be unpopular opinions. We are experimenting with various combinations which might occur once a month, with hybrid on other Sundays. We hope to bring a proposal for discernment by Meeting for Worship for Business which will provide options for all to feel “the experiential mystery of meeting for worship”. What is God asking of us?
Click here for a Summary of the Visioning Survey.
Click here for a recording of the Visioning Survey Summary
Blue Sky Group & Blue Sky Bits
Blue Sky Bits
An occasional newsletter of interesting little bits we hope you will enjoy!
Blue Sky Bits #001, March 10, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #002, March 24, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #003, April 4,2024
Blue Sky Bits #004, April 21, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #005, May 5, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #006, May 19, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #007, May 30, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #008, June 16, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #009, June 30, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #010, July 14, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #011, July 28, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #012, August 11, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #013, August 25, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #014, September 8, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #015, September 22, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #016, October 6, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #017, October 20, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #018, November 3, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #019, November 17, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #020, December 8, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #021, December 22, 2024
Blue Sky Bits #022, January 5, 2025
Blue Sky Bits #023, January 19, 2025
Index to Blue Sky Bits
Index for Bits #001 through #023
Blue Sky Group – FAQs and more
A Community of Equal Space—and Silence
A Community of Equal Space—and Silence
March 15, 2024, John Bach, FMC member and Chaplain at Harvard University, was interviewed for a Harvard series entitled “To Serve Others and Be Well-Loved: Cultivating spiritual wellness during tumultuous times”. Click here to read the article about John and to watch a 2-minute video clip.
John Bach’s speech at the Aaron Bushnell memorial service
John Bach’s speech at the Aaron Bushnell memorial service
John Bach spoke at the Aaron Bushnell memorial service on the Boston Common on March 9, 2024. Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year old Air Force serviceman, died on February 25 after setting himself on fire outside the front gate of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. Immediately prior to the live-streamed act , Bushnell said that he was protesting against “what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers” and declared he “will no longer be complicit in genocide”, after which he doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire.
Click here for a video of candle light vigil for Aaron Bushnell. John is the second speaker.
I am happy to be with you this evening as we gather in solemn tribute to Aaron Bushnell, and remembering the genocide in Gaza and the tragic and gut-wrenching list of victims. Like all of you, I’m sure, I attend many protests and demonstrations in opposition to the Israeli savagery in Gaza. My profound gratitude to the 50 some protesters arrested Thursday at South Station. But this is different. We’re here not just to protest, but to mourn and acknowledge Aaron’s sacrifice and the deaths of over 30,000 Gazans.
Could we therefore, please observe a moment of silence as we gather together as a community that understands the importance of being here this evening?
SILENCE
When I was asked to speak I hesitated knowing I’d have a hard time finding any suitable words for such a troubling action like self-immolation, sympathetic as I am for Aaron’s passion and anguish. Yet, I thought, how hard could it be to fill 3-5 minutes? Very hard, it turned out, to find words big enough.
I keep returning to something Dr. King said. He said that people who have not found something to die for run the risk of never having been fully alive.
I come from a generation that has a head start on dealing with self-immolation, dozens of which were occasioned by the American War in Vietnam. These were seen at the time as suicides and dismissed without much thought or introspection. In the mid 1960’s I was sufficiently “woke” to understand the witness of a Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc who immolated himself when not one in fifty Americans could find Vietnam on a map. It was photographed and President Kennedy said “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.”
I want to mention two others who immolated themselves; to bring them back to life in our memories, the way I hope Aaron’s name will live in ours.
Nhat Chi Mai, a young Buddhist nun who appeared so happy and serene in the month before her immolation her friends though she had become engaged.
And Norman Morrison, an American Quaker, who brought his one-year old daughter to the Pentagon to focus attention on the children of Vietnam, handed her off, and immolated himself.
The Vietnamese who lived in the Land of Burning Children (napalm, white phosphorus, carpet bombing) understood the sacrifices better than most Americans. They didn’t dismiss it as suicide which proceeds from despair and loss of hope. Trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail bringing supplies to the battlefields of South Vietnam carried picture of Norman Morrison on their dashboards.
And I want to add one more name, Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 as she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Rafah.
And now we know the name Aaron Bushnell who said, “I have been complicit in the violent domination of the world, and I will never get the blood off my hands.”
What must have been going through Rachel Corrie’s mind in the split second before it was too late to move? Or in Aaron Bushnell’s mind, in the seconds after dousing himself with gasoline and just before the match was struck?
Maybe something like finding something to die for and being judged to have fully lived in times of pain and horror and freeing themselves from the complicity.
May we ponder the same question and be moved and inspired to respond according to the dictates of our own consciences … and to show up and show up and show up, making certain we do not lose sight of what keeps us truly human and living fully. And may we be nourished by the strength of our community as we continue.
Aaron’s last words were FREE PALESTINE. May we all take up that banner … for Aaron, for the Gazans, for the Israelis, for ourselves.
Russell de Burlo Jr. died February 24, 2024
FMC Member C. Russell de Burlo Jr. died on February 24, 2024 at the age of 99.
Russ was the beloved husband of the late Edith (Thatcher) de Burlo who was also a member at FMC.
Bruce Steiner died February 8, 2024
FMC Member Bruce Watson Steiner died on February 8, 2024, at the age of 92 after a short illness.
Read his obituary here.
“Yani and Leo’s Thatched Mayan House” by Katy Cullinan
The Truth Shall Set You Free Book Review by Lynne Weiss
Lynne Weiss wrote a book review for Friends Journal on The Truth Shall Set You Free: The Story of a Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer Working for Peace and Justice in Palestine/Israel, a memoir by the nonviolent activist Jonathan Kuttab.
Click here to read Lynne’s review and to buy the book.
Follow Lynne at https://lynneweisswriter.com/.
Green Initiatives/Electrification Project
Green Initiatives and Meeting House Electrification Project
On Sunday, January 7, members of the Trustees Committee presented information about a plan to replace the old oil burning furnace in the Meeting House with a clean electric heat pump system. Click here to see the presentation from that forum. Click here to read our report.
We have a contractor lined up and the next step is to work out how to pay for this. The committee has some reserve funds, but the project will also need some of the Meeting’s unrestricted invested funds. We are working out the details of that funding and will likely require a community meeting in February to go forward.
If you have any questions contact Mark Webster or David White at trustees@fmcquaker.org
New England Yearly Meeting Sessions
August 2-7 (Castleton, VT / Zoom)
Larry Dudley Memorial Meeting for Worship
FMC member Lawrence “Larry” Dudley died peacefully on November 29, 2023.
A hybrid Memorial Meeting for Worship to celebrate his life took place on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 2:00pm followed by an on-site reception at FMC.
To participate using Zoom click this link or provide the Meeting ID: 783 475 1861 and Passcode: 1652 (if requested) on Zoom.com, the Zoom app, or after calling # 1-646-558-8656 .
NEYM Newsletter January 2025
Tapestries by Marina (Minna) Rothman (Friends Room)
A solo exhibit by Marina (Minna) Rothman, “Fenestra in Aeternum” is showing in the Friends Room until the end of April 2024.
The exhibit is open for public viewing on Tuesday – Friday 10:00am – 2:00pm at Friends Meeting at Cambridge, 5 Longfellow Park (near Harvard Square, on Brattle Street across from the Longfellow Museum). Please ring the buzzer to be let in. If you message Marina before coming, she can meet you at the there for a private tour.
P.S. The Friends Center is a mask friendly venue.
Thanks.
Minna Rothman
www.MZRStudio.com
FB: Minna Rothman
Instagram: minnarothman
Ian Harrington Died December 24, 2023
Dear FMC Community,
It is with such great sadness that I write this email this morning. Yesterday, we learned that our much loved member Ian Harrington had died suddenly on Sunday, December 24. Ian and Holly have been at the heart of our FMC community for decades and Ian’s presence with us will be greatly missed.
Holly has been in Kentucky to be with her mother who passed away this past Wednesday. Holly had spoken with Ian on Saturday afternoon and became concerned when Ian did not make Peace & Social Justice and Fellowship & Outreach announcements at the end of Meeting for Worship on Sunday morning. She asked the police to do a wellness check and they found that Ian had died on the kitchen floor. There was no sign of a struggle and it seems as though he died quickly and peacefully. His death date has been officially recorded as 12/24/23.
Ian had a steadfast life-long dedication to peace and social justice, helping each year to coordinate the Good Friday Peace Witness and the International Day of Peace, as well as Clerking/Co-Clerking the FMC Committee on Peace and Social Justice for decades. He has also been an active participant in many aspects of Friends Committee on Legislation (FCNL) for decades. Ian and Holly’s presence has also been at the heart of the Family Worship Planning Group ensuring that our Family Worship on the First Sunday of each month brings love and Light to intergenerational worship. He was instrumental in bringing Toussaint Liberator to FMC and getting the drumming circle started. Ian was also currently serving on both Permanent Board and the Board of Managers for New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM). Ian has served on the Clerks Team—most recently as Recording Clerk for the Meeting. In the past Ian also clerked First Day School and Nominating Committees and Ministry and Counsel. Holly and Ian served together on Fellowship & Outreach Committee and have coordinated Thanksgiving and Christmas potlucks for many years as times of fellowship for the community. He has been involved with and touched so many parts of our FMC community over the years, his presence among us has been a blessing we will remember with gratitude.
Please hold Holly in the Light as she makes her way back to Massachusetts, as well as Ian’s son Ellery. We will have opportunities to remember and celebrate Ian’s life over the coming weeks and a hybrid Memorial Meeting for Worship will be scheduled at a later date. There will also be opportunities to support Holly and let her know that she is being held by the community with love and care.
Holding Holly, Ian, and the FMC Community in the Light,
Jan Nisenbaum
Co-Facilitator, Pastoral Care Team
Text amended December 29, 2023.
Beacon Hill Friends House Digest 1/23/2025
David Bonner died November 10
David Bonner died peacefully in the presence of his family on November 10, 2023, at the age of 86.
Burial was private.
A Memorial Meeting for Worship to celebrate his life is planned for Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 2:00pm followed by an on-site reception at Friends Meeting at Cambridge. Everyone is invited to bring finger food for the reception. Volunteers are also needed to help with other aspects of the meeting and reception.
Donations in his name may be made to: Material Aid and Advocacy Program, 5 Longfellow Park, www.maapma.org or Partners in Health, 800 Boylston St. Suite 300, Boston MA 02199 www.pih.org.
I Pour, I drink
I Pour, I Drink
Mary Gilbert is very pleased to have had an article published in the December 2023 online version of Friends Journal. It is entitled: I Pour, I Drink: The Dedicated Stewardship of a Nontheist. The theme for the December issue is Stewardship. Click here to read the article.
Approved Policy on Reproductive Health and Abortion
How Do You Sleep, Mr. President?
How Do You Sleep, Mr. President?
George Capaccio recently had his poem entitled “How Do You Sleep, Mr. President?” published in Countercurrents. It is also a “staff pick” on another site, Znet. The poem addresses our president’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. To read the poem, click here. Countercurrents also recently published his essay entitled “Psycho on the Loose” about the situation in Gaza. To read the essay, you can click here.
Contact: George Capaccio at Capaccio.G@gmail.com
Message from MAAP
Dear Friends
Many of us are supporters of the Material Aid and Advocacy Program (MAAP), which operates out of 5 Longfellow Park. You may be interested to read this op-ed that the MAAP Board has submitted to the Boston Globe. Our unhoused neighbors need our support more than ever!
Please take off your wet/salty/sandy footwear during inclement weather
Please take off your wet/salty/sandy footwear during inclement weather
During inclement weather, plastic trays will be available in the foyer of both the Friends Center and Meetinghouse. Please put your wet/salty/sandy shoes and boots on these trays when you arrive. You are invited to bring your own alternate footwear but slippers also will be available to borrow.
Water, salt and sand damage our cork floor in the Meetinghouse and our wooden floors and rugs in both our buildings.
Thank you.
The Trustees Committee trustees@fmcquaker.org
Drop-In at Mary Spitzer’s Open Studio
Drop-In at Mary Spitzer’s Open Studio
Mary Spitzer is participating in an Open Studio on Saturday, November 18 and Sunday, November 19 from 9:00am-5:00pm at the Lydia Pinkham Building at 271 Western Avenue in Lynn, MA. Mary’s studio is 301e. She and other artists who work in the building will show (and sell) their varied artwork. Mary welcomes all from FMC to visit her at her studio. Among other pieces, she will be displaying new works including “Foothills” (12″ x 12″ x 1″) made from a variety of scrap lumber and “Small Swell” (8″x 8″ x 3″) made from a dogwood branch and a found piece of metal. She also hopes to finish one other new piece made from a large slab of cherry wood.
Small Swell by Mary Spitzer
Foothills by Mary Spitzer
Holly Hatleberg wins medal in ballroom dancing
Holly Hatleberg (17) and her ballroom dancing partner Christopher Affonso recently represented United States at the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) World Championships in Schladming, Austria. Holly and Christopher were awarded the Youth-Standard bronze medal. As her mom Lisa Lineweaver wrote on Facebook “We’re so proud of their work ethic, commitment, and integrity every day — and so glad it [could] shine through on a world stage today. Way to go!” Holly and Christopher have been dancing partners for 10 years and practice at the Champions Dance Sport Club in Everett, MA. Click here to read an article Christopher and Holly wrote in 2022 about their first international WDSF Dance Competition.
Holly and Christopher with their medals
From left to right: Holly Hatleberg, Lisa Lineweaver, Brian Hatleberg and younger sister Hazel Hatleberg.
Louise Bruyn and her historic carving
“Why Go to Poland?” by Elizabeth Claggett-Borne
How do you Practice Compassion under Fire?
I have gone to vigils and demonstrations when the US has sent troops to Iraq and then Afghanistan. Instead of tearing my hair and ranting, I sent letters protesting US involvement in war to Congress. I’ve doubled up in pain whenever the US sends military intel and weapons to Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Korea. I feel awful. How do I confront this evil, without carrying it in my muscles and neurons? I am a practical Quaker, and I long to do something to dismember the stinging tenacles of the US empire.
This October, I’m going to Eastern Europe. I’m excited–and scared. Specifically, I’m going to Wroclaw in southern Poland. (Wroclaw was a hold-out for Nazis against the Red Army until May 1945.) This trauma-informed training will be run by Ukrainian women. I will be adjacent to skilled trainers who deal with destruction and war daily. “Lviv was attacked for 2 hours in September,” says Olha. “This trauma has penetrated every Ukrainian very deeply. Faith and hope do not leave the people, but there is less love.”
I pause, I remember to enter with gratitude. I seek to learn new ways. Will I catapult from the barrage of US propaganda and see with new eyes? Europeans, like an old forest, have been through political shifts, Nonviolent revolutions and dour defeats? What do Ukrainian peacemakers have to say about green energy, nuclear power and Chernobyl? Why is villainizing Putin so tempting? How do Ukrainians respond when Russia bombards its own citizens like in Donetsk and Crimea?
Friends Peace Team (FPT) programs are fabulous, because they weave joy and laughter into communities poxed with aggression. Thank God! I want this for my tribe. FPT works towards respect, humility and above all compassion. I have seen the programs of FPT turn inmates into advocates of nonviolence. I have seen my own snap judgments dissolve. The nagging I did for years to my boys (who are wonderful human beings), has changed into patient listening. When I’m not patient (It happens!), at least I practice respect. FPT has taught me about apology and teamwork. I’m so impressed when FPT colleagues work directly in zones of conflict like Chechnya, Philippines, Honduras. I have learned that crimes of humanity have happened against Wampanoag Indigenous in my backyard in Massachusetts. FPT addresses genocide of Indigenous Peoples in the USA. This is arduous and fulfilling work.
Can you imagine my surprise in March 2022 when the US (and NATO allies) entered into the Russia/Ukraine war by providing assistance to Kiev. At first it was energy assistance such as restoring power to heat homes, but over the last 18 months the bitter fighting-and financing- has increased.
My Quaker meeting in Cambridge MA responded rapidly in 2022. We held open zoom meetings to ask for prayers. Afrose Mohammed and George Capaccio joined in monthly peacebuilding meetings, to ask for Divine Guidance, and to find compassion. We shared the Power of Goodness stories complete with illustrations by older children. https://friendspeaceteams.org/stories/#storycollection The Reunion explains how a Russian soldier found his father’s love after the Chechen war. Mercy describes how Russian elderly women offered kindness to humiliated Nazi soldiers their defeat. The Storks depicts a Ukrainian’s family decision not to evacuate during the war. The FPT website offers attributions featuring over 50 Stories.
The discussions were stories of war. But these many wars have actors that turn the tide in their own lives. Stories can build the scaffold of peace. Can we use FPT stories as art that defies the dribble that we have to fend off the enemy? How can USAians (to describe ourselves) promote peace when Ukrainians ask for the US to send nuclear missiles?
I am deeply grateful for many Quakers support. This is a shared ministry. Please hold me in prayer.
Will I learn how to stop the Ukrainian war? Not a chance. Will I hear the heroism of saving people from air raids? Maybe. Mostly I want to support those struggling for peace, in a time of war. We need to tell stories of those who toss compassion, not bombs.
Photo: Olha Lycho-Parubocha in a traditional Ukrainian shirt, speaking to students and FPT attenders at Westtown, PA 2023.
Elizabeth (Minga) Claggett-Borne works with Friends in the ancestral land of the Massachuset Indigenous tribe. She is the NEYM representative to FPT.
Elisabeth Cotten died August 26, 2023
Elisabeth Cotten
FMC member Elisabeth Cotten died on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at age 91. Elisabeth was born in Basel, Switzerland on September 29, 1931. She transferred her membership to Friends Meeting at Cambridge from Stamford (Connecticut) Monthly Meeting on December 12, 1962 along with the memberships of her three young children Janet, Gerald and Richard. Her husband George pre-deceased her on June 5, 2009.
From 1990 to 2002 Elisabeth served faithfully as the FMC Recorder. She also served on the Center Furnishings Committee and the Exhibits Committee.
For many years, Elisabeth was one of the small group of stalwart regulars at the Brookhaven Worship Group under the care of Friends Meeting at Cambridge. Also, in recent years she served as the contact for the group answering inquiries. Happily, she was able to attend worship at Brookhaven the Sunday before she died.
Click here to see her obituary.
Richard Wood’s Photographic Art Show (Friends Room)
Richard Wood’s Photographic Art Show (Friends Room)
Come enjoy the Richard Wood Photographic Art Show in the Friends Room. It is entitled “New York City 1965 A time capsule of life on the streets of NYC 58 years ago.”
These are photos that Richard took on the streets of New York City in 1965 and were not rehearsed. Instead he simply captured photos of people as he found them. The photographer made the exquisite B&W prints himself and are from his archives.
Contact: George Campbell at exhibits@fmcquaker.org
Peter Huxtable Died on August 23, 2023
Peter Huxtable died on August 23, 2023
Celebration of the life of October (Toby) Cullum Frost
October (“Toby”) Cullum Frost, member at Friends Meeting at Cambridge, died January 22, 2023. Toby joined FMC in 1958. Read her obituary here . Her husband Wesley Towne Frost was an FMC attender and predeceased her in 2015.
The family has organized a celebration of her life on October 1, 2023 at the Pierce House at 17 Weston Road in Lincoln, MA at 1:00pm immediately followed by a reception. All from FMC are invited to attend.”
FMC’s Land Acknowledgment–Next Steps
Read here the Land Acknowledgement, approved by Friends Meeting at Cambridge in Meeting for Business in Worship February 13, 2022.
The first step was to begin to build relationship with the Wampanoag Tribe by learning about and supporting their internationally recognized language reclamation work. We invited the whole Meeting to a Zoom program about this. Those who came participated in a deep and inspiring conversation with one of the leaders after watching “We Still Live Here.” After the movie, staff from Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project shared with us, answer questions and describe current progress. For self-education, you are invited to check out the Project website and/or read news stories about Wampanoags here.
We also had a First Day School program this year walking the Longfellow Park and talking about what it was like before Europeans arrived. We learned the proper name of the Quinnobequin (not Charles) River and practiced saying it.
Many of our members and the Clerks on behalf of the Meeting wrote letters this year in support of the important bills currently introduced into the Massachusetts legislature to establish Indigenous People’s Day, get rid of “Indian” mascots in schools, include Indigenous history in Massachusetts standard curriculum requirement
On June 4, we presented the forum Worship Sharing on “Reparative Justice” with Susan Davies, Sandy Sweetnam, Diana Lopez, and Nancy Frost.
Here is the list of resources that was handed out at the forum.
We are hoping many FMC community members attend the Wampanoag Pow Wow in July, including families with children. It is an excellent way to learn and build relationship.
For more information, contact Friends for Racial Justice at forj@fmcquaker.org.
Boston Welcomes the Golden Rule
The sailboat, the Golden Rule, a humble package for a heroic message, advocates the abolition of all nuclear weapons as demanded by the visionary Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Boston welcomed the Golden Rule with a march in honor of the arrival on Sunday, June 18 (Fathers’ Day), from the Seaport wharf to the ironically named Columbus Park along the waterfront. John Bach spoke for Quakers by reminding us of the scriptural message to choose life over death.
Veterans for Peace sponsors the extensive journey of the Golden Rule, and local Quakers among other groups sponsored the welcome. Moderated by Doug Stuart, songs by Pat Scanlon. Click here for more information about the VFP Golden Rule Project.
Click here for the video “Boston Welcomes the Golden Rule” by Skip Schiel of Teeksa Photography of the march on Sunday, June 18.
Everett Mendelsohn died June 6, 2023
Everett Mendelsohn
Longtime attender at Friends Meeting at Cambridge, Everett Mendelsohn, died on June 6, 2023 at age 91. The memorial meeting for worship to celebrate his life will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in the meetinghouse at Friends Meeting at Cambridge. The family cordially invites all attendees to join them at a reception a short walk from the meetinghouse. Transportation can be provided if needed.
Click this link to read details about Everett’s life and accomplishments in Wikipedia.
Click here to read about Everett as reported in the New York Times.
“Get to Know the Clerks Team” by River Smallflower
Get to Know the Clerks Team
Read River Smallflower’s Interview with the Clerks at FMC, February 2023 here.
A Big Thank you to FMC from QVS Boston
Dear Plant Sale and Bake Sale supporters,
Thank you so much for coming outdoors on such a chilly Sunday to support the Local Support Committee’s fundraiser for Quaker Voluntary Service! Although early Friends’ integrity testimony led them to abandon bartering and set fair prices for their goods, we regressed yesterday and took as much as we could get for our offerings and wow did you ever come through for us! Our total of $385 suggests there were a lot of just plain donations made as well as payments. You are very generous and we thank you!
Going forward, please consider being generous with your time and contacts as well. Would you like to join (or clerk) the Local Support Committee (LSC) or be a Spiritual Nurturer? Or can you suggest others for those roles? Do you know young people graduating this month who might be interested in serving as QVS Fellows in either the Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia or Portland (OR) houses? Or not necessarily college grads, and not necessarily quite that young?
After this year’s cohort leaves at the end of July, would you like to help clean or maybe even paint some of the 68 Bailey Street Boston House before the next cohort moves in on Labor Day? It’s near Ashmont Station.
There are many ways big and small to support these fine young people and their work. Please let qvs@fmcquaker.org know if you would like to help a lot or a little. And, of course, donations are accepted 24/7 year-round at the QVS website.
Thank you!
Katy Cullinan for the Boston House LSC
Mother’s Day Walk for Peace
We Participated in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace
FMC has raised $1025 to date. There is still time to make a contribution,
The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace (MDW4P) is a beloved 27-year-long Boston tradition and celebration of our potential to create more peaceful communities. It is the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s (LDBPI) largest fundraising event to grow and sustain our services, advocacy and training. Our goal is to empower survivors, Generation Peace and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss to cultivate cycles of peace and healing.
Our 2023 theme is “Cultivating Cycles of Peace.” In our society, we are constantly looped into cycles of violence that overshadow the transformative power of peace. Like a blooming flower, cycles of peace flourish when carefully cultivated. We have the agency to cultivate these cycles by empowering survivors, supporting returning citizens and their families and investing in Generation Peace.
We are currently at $449,710 of our $600,000 fundraising goal. Please keep this amazing wave of love and support going: with your contribution, we can reach our goal by Father’s Day, June 18! YOU make a difference in Cultivating Cycles of Peace.
Kathleen (Kathy) Newman died April 29, 2023
Kathleen (Kathy) Newman, member at Friends Meeting at Cambridge, died April 29, 2023. Kathy joined FMC in 1968. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Nicholas (Nick) Newman, who is also an FMC member.
The family is planning to celebrate Kathy’s life with an informal hybrid gathering at the Woods Hole Public Library on Sunday, May 28 at 2:00 pm. Please let the family know if you are planning to join them either in-person or on Zoom so they can have an estimate of the number of people coming. If you wish to attend, contact Sara Sue Pennell at memorials@fmcquaker.org so she can put you in touch with the family.
Request from Nominating Committee
Dear community,
I am writing on behalf of the Nominating Committee to see if you—yes, you—might be interested in serving on the Gardening and Landscaping or Library Committees. The Gardening and Landscaping Committee is particularly interested in folks interested in gardening, and the Library Committee is particularly interested in folks with any library-related skills or background.
Here are descriptions of the committees:
- The Gardening Committee oversees the design and maintenance of the grounds surrounding the Meeting House and Friends Center. Work by the committee is supplemented by other volunteers and professional services are sometimes engaged. Through its work, the committee hopes to emphasize enjoyment of nature and conservation of natural resources. With Trustees, the committee schedules a couple of ‘work days’ during the year, to involve the whole Meeting in weeding, raking, mulching, composting and other important landscape maintenance activities. It hopes to encourage people, of all ages and abilities, to join us outside and experience the spiritual aspects of working the land.
- The Library Committee develops and maintains the Meeting’s Library of materials on Quakers, Quaker history, Quaker faith and practice, and related subjects. The Library Committee works to provide an inviting and organized space for browsing and selecting materials. It acquires books, pamphlets, and audiovisual materials in keeping with the Library’s collection policy, and maintains subscriptions to Quaker periodicals such as Pendle Hill Pamphlets and Friends Journal. The Library Committee catalogues and processes new acquisitions, oversees circulation of materials, makes minor repairs, and makes de-accession decisions. The Library Committee also seeks to encourage Meeting members and attenders to make use of library materials.
Folks should feel free to reach out to Betsy Hewitt at gardening@fmcquaker.org to learn more about the Gardening and Landscaping Committee or to Alasdair Post-Quinn at library@fmcquaker.org to learn more about the Library Committee. And please let me know directly by replying off the list if you are interested in either one.
Thanks,
Chaz Kelsh
nominating@fmcquaker.org
Walter Lenk Memorial Minute
Long-time FMC member Walter Lenk passed away on October 7, 2022 at age 75 in Cambridge, MA.
Click here to read the FMC Memorial Minute.
Click here to read his obituary.
A Memorial Meeting for Worship to celebrate took place on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 2pm at Friends Meeting at Cambridge in the Meetinghouse.
MAAP Tag Sale Coming April 21 and 22 (Friends Room)
MAAP Tag Sale Coming April 21 and 22 (Friends Room)
The Material Aid and Advocacy Program (MAAP) tag sale will take place at FMC on Friday, April 21, (5:30-8:00pm) and Saturday, April 22, (9:00am-2:00pm) in the Friends Room.
The Tag Sale Fundraiser features affordably priced designer, vintage & contemporary clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, antiques, china, collectibles, linens, fabric & bric-a-brac. 100% of the proceeds of the sale support MAAP’s work of providing direct support to, and organizing alongside unhoused community members. For more information go to MAAP’s website.
Seeking a Center Resident
Seeking a Center Resident
Friends Meeting at Cambridge (FMC) has an opening for a Center Resident position starting immediately. FMC is an open and inclusive community, ideal candidates should be outgoing and enjoy meeting people from diverse backgrounds. A flexible schedule and the ability to work alone or as a team is also important. This is a live-in position at the Friends Center located near Harvard Square.
In exchange for a rent-free room in a shared apartment, a Center Resident will work, on average, 15 hours a week. Work consists of at least one evening hosting duty every week, hosting/cleaning every third weekend, and daily chores around the house, including: cleaning bathrooms, kitchens, vacuuming, trash removal, yard work, snow shoveling, and other physically demanding work. This position is for approximately one year, with the option to renew for one year. It is primarily designed for people in transition, it should not be considered long-term housing/employment.
To apply, send a cover letter, resume and three references to Facilities Manager at facilities@fmcquaker.org.
First Day (Sunday) School (On Site)
First Day School (FDS) (On-Site)
Click here for FDS News for June 25: Happy Trails to You …
Click here for FDS News for June 18: Our Outdoor Classroom
Click here for FDS News for June 11: How to say Hello …
Click here for FDS News for June 4: As ye sow …
First Day School (FDS) is the Quaker equivalent of Sunday School. FDS is available to the all ages of children of members, attenders, and visitors, who do not wish to remain with their families in Worship in the Meetinghouse. The First Day School is under the care of the FDS and Youth Programs Coordinator, Patricia Wild. Regular attendance is encouraged, but one-time or irregular attenders are also welcome.
Children join their families for the first 15 minutes of Meeting for Worship at 10:30am, and then follow the First Day School banner to their own program at 10:45am. We finish around 11:45 am but childcare is provided until the end of Afterthoughts which is at 12:30pm.
June 25 is the last day of FDS classes. In July and August, children will play in Longfellow Park or, if raining, do art projects inside. First Day School will resume after Labor Day in September.
Sunday, June 25: LAST DAY OF FIRST DAY SCHOOL!
On the 25th, join us for a “simple lunch” AND a time to honor all the FDS volunteers who contributed their time and energy. (Finger food contributions to simple lunch much appreciated.) There will be cake! FDS children will be making lemonade.Plan to join us.
In July and August, children will play in Longfellow Park or, if raining, do art projects inside. Contact Jeremiah Sutherland-Roberts at summerchildcare@fmcquaker.org
Beginning a long warm parting!
Sunday, May 7, I, your Interim First Day School Coordinator, will begin to wean myself from this gratifying role by attending my first meeting for worship since last summer.
My interim position ends at the end of June. Yet because creating origin story lesson plans this year opened my eyes—and heart—to the possibility of creating New Story-based curriculum for children: a beginning!
Patricia Wild
Interim First Day School and Youth Programs Coordinator
fdsypcoordinator@fmcquaker.org
To access previous Newsletters click this link.
Volunteers needed to help with Simple Lunch (Friends Room)
Volunteers needed to help with Simple Lunch (Friends Room)
Simple Lunches have resumed some Sundays each month. They usually begin at 12:15 pm. They are a great way to build community–for newcomers and old-timers, for those helping with the lunch and those who are eating it. Volunteers are needed to join the Simple Lunch Team to
- Help with various aspects of food preparation, some of which can be done at home before Sunday and some of which happen on Sunday mornings at FMC,
- Set up the tables and to help get food to the Friends Room, and
- Coordinate the clean up effort while working with volunteers who are recruited from those who attended the Simple Lunch.
No one is expected to do all these tasks for a particular Sunday and, of course, you aren’t required to help with each Simple Lunch. But you are invited to join the team and sign up to help when you feel able to do so. Many hands make light work.
If you would like to learn more about Simple Lunches or know you are ready to join the Simple Lunch team, please contact Tom Sander / Alasdair Post-Quinn at simplelunch@fmcquaker.org
Salem Quarter Late-winter Gathering Sunday March 19 (Off site)
Dear Friends:
Salem Quarterly Meeting and Fresh Pond Meeting invite you to a late-winter gathering at Fresh Pond Friends Meeting (Cambridge Friends School) 5 Cadbury Lane, Cambridge, MA. On Sunday March 19th – Join Fresh Pond Friends for Worship at 10 am at Cambridge Friends School – 5 Cadbury Rd. Cambridge or on Zoom.
After worship, there will be a short time for socializing and snacking, indoors and outside if weather permits. Then we’ll gather at 11:45 for a program on Sabbath and a period of small group conversations.
Both Salem Quarter and Fresh Pond Meeting have entered a period of Sabbath: a laying down of regular patterns of business. At this spring gathering of Salem Quarter Friends are invited to explore the radical invitation of Sabbath to reclaim time and redeem the powers and principalities. Beyond rest and restoration, Sabbath challenges the demands (and enticements) of Empire — hopefully uncovering new social and economic relationships, circles of community that embody God’s economy, and recentering priorities in God’s divine plan for all of creation. What are the implications of Sabbath for us as Friends and for our Meetings?
Covid policies for onsite attendees: Mask Required
Please take a Rapid Antigen Covid Test before coming and bring a photo of your negative test with you on your phone to show the greeter when you arrive. Please stay home if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Food: Bring your own bag lunch or snacks to eat between worship and program — inside or out as weather permits and you are comfortable.
Kristina Keefe-Perry MA, MDiv
She/Her/Hers
Host, Three Rivers
(831) 345-2349
Poets Respond: Labor of Life Exhibition (Off Site) 3/27
Alewife Poets: Gale Roby, Susan Lloyd McGarry, and Jessie Brown (Off Site)
Monday, March 27, 7:00-8:30pm in the Shaira Ali Gallery.
Arlington Center for the Arts presents a reading by the Alewife Poets in collaboration with our current show, Labor of Life: Textiles + Fiber. Gayle Roby, Susan Lloyd McGarry, and Jessie Brown will read poems reflecting on the art, themes, and ideas showcased in the exhibition. The event will be moderated by Arlington’s newly appointed Laureate Jean Flanagan. Free and open to the public.
The Alewife Poets was founded in 1996 as a women’s writing group with the mission of supporting one another’s work. The group’s members are well-known throughout the region as performers, both together and separately, and often read to benefit social or educational causes.
The show also includes work by Marina Rothman. See announcement here.
Author Reading Event with Virginia Swain February 25 (Off Site)
Author Reading Event: my soul’s journey to redefine leadership by FMC member Virginia Swain
Saturday, February 25, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm off site at the Tatnuck Bookseller Gift Gallery and Cafe, Westborough Shopping Center.
The story of an ordinary woman with extraordinary experiences, Virginia Swain’s soul journey takes her from the devastating loss of her brother to peace, visions of a new future, and – after a harrowing day in New York City on September 11– a vivid dream of a phoenix rising rising from a city’s ashes, calling her to a new definition of leadership, one of empowerment, reconciliation and peace.
In everything she does, Virginia Swain, MA, draws on her diverse background and experiences, including certified leadership agility coaching, senior management in human resources, marketing and public relations in both corporate and nonprofit organizations, as well as 25 years of training and coaching emerging and seasoned leaders at the United Nations in New York and on five continents.
Death of Amy Cooper
Amaryllis(“Amy”) Barrett Cooper, former member of Friends Meeting of Cambridge, died December 11, 2022 at age 92. Amy joined FMC in 1952 as a child when her membership was transferred by her parents from Worcester (MA) Friends Meeting and became an adult member of FMC in 1960.
She is survived by her husband Thomas Lee Cooper of Santa Rosa, CA who she married in 1954. She had five children, 12 grandchildren and a number of great grandchildren
Viewing and Discussion of Healing the Healers: Men Speaking Out –March 3 & 13
Viewing and Discussion of Healing the Healers: Domestic Violence
Join other Quakers for an online viewing and discussion of an interfaith film series that offers testimony on how religious communities can better address domestic violence.
Upcoming dates:
- March 3 at 1:00pm ET: Men Speaking Out
- March 13 at 7:00pm ET: Men Speaking Out
Listening Sessions on FMC Bequest
Dear FMC Community,
As many of you know, the Meeting received a bequest of $400,000.00 in 2021. This money has fluctuated in value in the current economic climate, but we are preparing to take up the joyous task of deciding how to use this generous gift to our community.
A working group consisting of Susan Davies, Jane Jackson, Gail Rogers, and Lynne Weiss has been planning ways to begin a process of discernment. We plan to hold one or more listening sessions in late March and early April. We invite people to offer their perspectives on how some or all of this money should be used at those sessions.
These listening sessions will be a first step in discerning together how we might use this gift. The bequest is totally unrestricted by the donor. It can be treated as a lump sum, or it can be divided into a few large or many smaller portions. It can be spent or invested. It can be used to benefit the Meeting community or other groups. Whatever we choose, the energy and execution need to come from volunteers, and part of our process of discernment will be to develop a sense of where the energy of the Meeting is drawn.
Questions for individuals or groups to answer if they would like to suggest a use for the money at one of the listening sessions:
1. What uses or projects would you propose?
2. How will the Meeting benefit—physically, spiritually, or otherwise—from this proposed use or project?
3. Are there particular groups within the Meeting or beyond it who would benefit from the project, and how and why would they benefit?
4. Why are you suggesting this use or project? What need would the project or suggested use fulfill or how does it inspire you?
5. What steps are needed to implement your idea? Who do you envision doing the work to make it happen? What time frame is involved in executing your suggestion?
Our hope is that the listening sessions will result in individuals or small groups finding leadings regarding these funds and that they will embark on further research to polish proposals to present at Meetings for Business in Worship in the Fall.
We will be sending reminders over the next few weeks, along with the dates for the listening sessions.
Meet the Boston Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows February 12
Meet the Boston Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) Fellows.
The Boston QVS Fellows and the Boston Coordinator Zenaida Peterson will participate in the Forum from 9:15–10:15am, attend Meeting for Worship, and join us for refreshments and conversation after worship.
The Fellows are supported by five local Quaker meetings (Friends Meeting at Cambridge, Fresh Pond, Beacon Hill, Framingham and Wellesley). They live in intentional community in the QVS Boston House while working at separate site placements from September through July.
Learn more about QVS here, and the Boston Fellows here!
Contact Katy Cullinan at qvs@fmcquaker.org
Quaker Voluntary Service March Update from Annette
Quaker Voluntary Service March Update from Annette
As always, feel free to share with local friends!
Also, watch national QVS fellows talk about their experience on Quaker Speak.
Hello friends!
Oh how do I begin to describe the month of January… it has been a month of transitions, deepening of inner truth, and following the lead of my body.
There was lots of excitement, joy and fresh energy in the house as we all returned back from our adventures elsewhere over winter break. Many of us journeyed south for a warm respite. Molly adventured with her family and partner through Mexico City, Samantha had a long visit with her grandfather in Florida, Bridget bathed in the Texan warmth with her parents, and Evan enjoyed Costa Rica with his partner and her family. Hannah and I, on the other hand, journeyed north. Hannah had a magical time in Maine, and I ventured to Quebec City with my mom to explore the old city streets, the stillness of snow-covered ground, and to revel in the sweet relaxation hidden in each corner cafe.
When we came home and returned to our familiar routines, many of us noticed what wasn’t working anymore.
Evan spoke up at his site placement at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center to advocate for food distribution to happen at a handicapped accessible location – there were far too many injuries happening to his colleagues as they moved heavy boxes of food up and down the stairs each week.
I questioned the use of BMI as a metric for health at Let’s Get Movin’ and gave feedback to hesitant ears around ways to reorient the program to have parents voices at the center, and suggested that children’s capacity to listen to their bodies be a measure of success instead of the amount of body mass they have or do not have. My own body chimed in on the matter, and through frequent headaches and migraines told me it was time to leave. LGM was not a work environment that would allow me to thrive. My last day was January 30th.
Hannah discerned that QVS was not a good fit for her, and that she would thrive much more in the mountains of New Hampshire.
I believe we all have intuition that speaks to us regularly, and tuning in to what it is saying is our task as human beings on this earth. I’m celebrating us for listening to and acting on our intuition, and grateful to all of you who are cheering us on as well.
As January fades into the past, my guiding approach to this new stage we are entering is embracing true surrender. As I take time to heal from headaches and burn out, I am surrendering to the needs of my body. I am releasing the idea that I have control, and instead I am trusting the flow of the universe.
I am guided by Eckhart Tolle’s insights: “True surrender…does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and to do nothing about it. Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.”
Warmly,
Annette
Discussion on Healing the Healers: Domestic Violence
Life and Power: Quaker Discernment on Abuse
Join other Quakers for an online viewing and discussion of an interfaith film series that offers testimony on how religious communities can better address domestic violence. Every second Monday at 7:00pm Eastern time and second Wednesday at 1:00pm Eastern time from December 2022 until March 2023.
Register here for upcoming sessions.
Contact: