Contents
May Minutes & Reports Due, Monday, May 13, 2019
May Business Meeting, 1:15pm, May 5, 2019, the first Sunday in May to avoid Mother’s Day and likely an adjourned meeting on May 19, 2019.
June Newsletter Due, Monday, May 20, 2019.
The June newsletter covers June, July, and August.
June Minutes & Reports Due, Monday, June 3, 2019
Announcement Sheet Due, Mondays at midnight
Lead Article
Message from the FMC Fundraising Committee
The end of the 2019 fiscal year is almost upon us (June 30, 2019) and our donations are not showing up as reliably as our expenses. Please consider a donation to the Meeting if you’ve been putting it off, or an additional gift if possible. There are many demands on our charitable giving, but please consider what the FMC community provides to you. One new member of our community, Nora Sullivan, describes what FMC has given to her this way:
“Friends Meeting at Cambridge provided a quiet sanctuary for me at a time when my life was anything but quiet. I am constantly pushed at FMC to play an active role in community and remain grounded in my personal theology. I have been encouraged to take on leadership roles and speak my mind when called. I have also found a number of mentors among the elders at FMC, and I am extremely grateful for the wisdom they have shared. Most importantly, FMC connected me to the Material Aid and Advocacy Program, where I was able to identify a passion for working with people experiencing homelessness. I am grateful to FMC for their years of support of MAAP, and I have found purpose in cultivating meaningful relationships among the two.”
We hope you also have reasons to be grateful to FMC, and we hope you will make a fiscal year-end donation a high priority to ensure that FMC can continue to give you, and others, reasons to be grateful.
Thank you from the Fundraising Committee.
Recent Events
Tree work on FMC’s birches
Barrett Tree Service took great care of the FMC grounds last Thursday, April 18, trimming back the driveway Yews, topping off the lovely Dogwood, trimming back the ailing in the Crabapple and daring trapeze stunts in our Birches to do what we can to extend their time with us. The bulbs the first day school planted the past 2 years burst forth the same day!
Nancy Hewitt
Gardening Committee
Monthly Meeting Pot Luck
Get to know these happy Quakers
Good Friday Witness, April 19, 2019
Announcements
Family Retreat in Alfred, Maine
Saturday, May 25-Monday, May 27, at Notre Dame Retreat Center
Come together to share fellowship, outdoor play, nature walks, and worship in beautiful Alfred, Maine. Our annual retreat begins at lunch on Saturday at noon, ending early afternoon Monday. Register here or with Greg Woods, Youth Ministries and Education Coordinator, youthministries@fmcquaker.org or 413-251-6512
Seeking Database Apprentice
Put your database experience to work in support of a good cause! FMC urgently needs a person to learn our Filemaker Pro database that has been developed and maintained by one person over the last 9 years. David Myers, also known as the simple lunch guru, is a really cool guy. Find him in the kitchen any Sunday and check out this opportunity!
New England Yearly Meeting Student Scholarship Grants
Application deadline: May 15, 2019
New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) 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.
You do not have to be a member of a monthly meeting to apply, but you must be committed to Friends’ principles and willing to share the role of Quakerism in your life. You should be able to describe in your personal essay what draws you to Quakerism, whether you are an attender or member of a meeting or otherwise connected to Friends. Your references should be chosen carefully to speak to your commitment to Friends principles and your prior participation in the NEYM community.
To apply, complete the Student Financial Assistance application, including a personal statement and two letters of recommendation, one of which must come from the clerk of your Monthly Meeting, a representative of NEYM (for example, a youth programs coordinator or Quaker camp administrator), or a Quaker school teacher or administrator.
For questions and final submission of the application by the May 15th deadline, please contact the NEYM Student Scholarship Grants Committee: neymstudentgrant@gmail.com. Ian Harrington (FMC’s Co-Presiding Clerk) is a member of that committee.
Pride Parade
Saturday, June 8 from 12:00pm-3:00pm
2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, a milestone in LGBTQ history.
This may be the year for you and your family and f/Friends to march in the Boston Pride Parade! It will take place Saturday June 8, starting at noon at Copley Square and ending about 3:00p.m. at City Hall Plaza.
This year all participants from FMC are invited to march with the Cambridge Friends School contingent of parents, students and staff. Check the FMC website in early June to find out where the CFS group will meet on the day of the parade. Send questions to Jane Jackson at lgbtq@fmcquaker.org.
Personal News
Lydia O’Connor will begin a ten week internship at The Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles from April 27-July 6, 2019. This is a year round hospital for seals and sea lions. The National Marine Fisheries Service depends on MMCC to care for mammals rescued on Los Angeles beaches. Lydia is excited to do this important work in her field of marine biology.
Ronney O’Connor, who is in his second year at Newbury College in Brookline studying Sports Management and playing on the baseball team, will transfer to Fisher College in Boston. Newbury College is closing at the end of this Spring semester.
A Celebration of the Life of Paul Hood.
Please join us Saturday, June 1, at 2:00pm in the meetinghouse for a time of worship and reflection on Paul’s life. The gathering will be followed by a reception. Contributions of finger foods or beverages will be gratefully accepted. For more information, please contact Dinah Starr at memorials@fmcquaker.org.
Greg Williams died on February 14, 2019. He was a member of the Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, but he worshipped and witnessed (especially about race and racism) at FMC often over the years. His memorial is Sunday, June 16, at 2:00pm at Friends Meeting at Cambridge.
Dear Friends: I am so grateful for our FMC community and all the loving support I have received in this hard time. Here is my partner John’s obituary, which appeared Sunday April 14 in the Boston Globe. A longer version can be found on John’s web page at keefefuneralhome.com. There is also a tribute wall where memories or reflections about John can be posted. There will be a memorial service for John at FMC on Saturday, July 27, at 2:00pm. Dinah Starr.
Events
Where are the Events?
You will find announcements for all current FMC events on the FMC website, fmcquaker.org on the home page. These events are free, except as noted, and open to the public. Below the announcements you will find the web calendar that can be viewed by the week or month that has in addition regular meetings for worship and committee meetings. These listings do not include non-FMC sponsored events that take place at FMC.
The FMC Quaker home page also has the current announcement sheet, this month’s forums, Minutes and Reports for the next business meeting, and this newsletter. Bookmark this page and consult it frequently to keep current on FMC happenings. If you explore further you will find pages of interest to the community and to newcomers. You are encouraged to add your voice to the mix. Send comments and suggestions to Cornelia Parkes at cornelia@fmcquaker.org, who is your friendly website master and newsletter editor.
YAF Events
Events for Young Adult Friends (YAFs)
Young Adult Friends are between 18 and 35(ish) years old. If you have any questions or want more information about what FMC offers for Young Adult Friends, please contact Miranda Henne at yafcoordinator@fmcquaker.org.
Clerking in the 21st Century
May 3-5 – Old Chatham, NY
The next installment of the Young Adult Spiritual Nurture Series is coming up May 3-5 at Powell House! Register here. Pay as led.
Clerking is a skill that we hear a lot about but don’t often get officially taught. This weekend will refresh us on what we know already (or *think* we know) and also introduce new concepts around bringing clerking practice into the 21st century. We will be covering different clerking roles (recording, reading, committee, YM, etc.) and will have ample opportunities to practice together! Our facilitators will be Glenn Josey, Elaine Learnard, and Steve Mohlke.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions to Marissa Badgley at marissa.badgley@gmail.com
Continuing Revolution: Experimenting Beyond Capitalism
June 7-12 – Wallingford, PA (Philadelphia Area)
This extended conference for young adults Quakers from across the nation features in-depth learning about economic injustice and Spirit-led alternatives. More information here. Applications are due by May 24th.
Young Adult Friends Potluck
Sunday, May 26 from 6:15pm-9:00pm
Friends between 18 and 35(ish) years old are welcome for our monthly potluck. You are welcome whether or not you’re able to bring a dish to share. The room we meet in is wheelchair accessible. Please note that we meet in an alcohol-free space. Childcare provided. For more information, please contact Miranda Henne, Young Adult Friend Coordinator, at yafcoordinator@fmcquaker.org.
YAFs all over Maine – let’s get together for a sleepover!
Friday, May 3rd 7PM
Portland Friends Meeting
1837 Forest Ave, Portland, ME
You’re invited to an evening of food & fellowship followed by a slumber party at Portland Friends Meeting, before we all carpool to All Maine Gathering the next morning.
This is an event piggybacking off of the All Maine Gathering– a biannual gathering of all Quakers in Maine for business and fellowship.
All Maine is on Saturday, May 4th at the Friends School of Portland, for all ages, and THIS super special slumber party event is a chance for Young Adult Friends (ages 18 – 35ish) to gather together early for some cozy, fun community building before heading to All Maine together.
Our goal is to help YAFs have meaningful experiences at Quaker gatherings, and to connect with Friends across all generations. We hope that by gathering together with people of a similar life stage, and then also participating in the wider Quaker community together, we can support each other in building the beloved community we seek.
More info about All Maine here.
PLEASE REGISTER FOR ALL MAINE if you plan to attend this event here
RSVP to the slumber party on Facebook and invite your Maine F/friends here
FDS and Youth Events
Some Recent FDS Events
FMC Youth Group and Friends Camp Campers,
April 7, 2019
Playing in the Light Workshop, April 12-14, 2019
Dying Easter Eggs, April 20, 2019
Hunting Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday,
April 21, 2019
Friends Camp Registration
Friends Camp in China Mane is accepting registrations. Some sessions are using a wait list for 2019 – please register as soon as possible! Camp and registraton informaton is here.
Family Worship, Sunday, May 5
Family Worship takes place at 10:30am on the first Sunday of the month (October through June) in the Friends Room. It is an intergenerational meeting for worship and all are invited to attend. The program is interactive, and usually includes singing, a story or other presentation, and an activity based on a chosen theme for that meeting. The program ends with a period of waiting worship. There are no First Day School classes on this Sunday and parents participate in Family Worship with their children, along with unrelated interested adults. Children of all ages are welcomed to attend, and nursery care is available for infants and toddlers during any or all of that time.
Sunday, May 5: Sing! Play! Worship! Join us as we build community among Friends of all ages and make cookies to eat and share. Theme: “Caring for Others.” Book: Cookie Store Cat by Cynthia Rylant. Leader: George Capaccio.
Meeting for Business in Worship, Sunday, May 5
There will be an art project for children and youth during Meeting for Business as well as the usual childcare.
Jouful Noise Coffee House
Saturday, May 18, 6:00-9:00pm
Discover and celebrate the many talents in the FMC community!
Performers of all ages and abilities are welcome,
as long as what you share brings you joy and is family friendly.
- Everything goes! Song, dance, poetry, skits, juggling, magic tricks, Charades
- Show and tell something you are proud of
- Perform as an individual or as a group
- Safe space for young performers and those who have not yet performed in public
- Please limit to 5-8 minutes so we have time for all to share
- RSVP requested from performers but last-minute sign-ups are OK too
* Pot-luck finger-food snacks * Art Corner *
Come late or leave early – stay for as little or as long as you can!
Performers can RSVP by contacting Andrea Condit (akcondit@yahoo.com; 617-524-0663) Greg Woods (youthministries@fmcquaker.org; 413-251-6512)
or David Bonner (hdbonner@gmail.com)
Greg Woods
Youth Ministries and Education
Mother’s Day walk for Peace
Sunday, May 12, Mother’s Day,
I invite all families to walk in the annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace organized by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute as a demonstration and fundraiser to end gun violence in Boston. We will walk from the halfway point Madison Park High School near Roxbury Crossing. We will meet across from the Roxbury Crossing T Stop at 9:15 am on Sunday.
You can register here and select Friends Meeting at Cambridge as the team.
There will be no First Day School on this day, but there will still be childcare from 9:15am to 12:15pm.
Greg Woods
Youth Ministries and Education
Family Retreat in Alfred, Maine
Sunday, May 25, through Monday, May 27
Come together to share fellowship, outdoor play, nature walks, and worship in beautiful Alfred, Maine. Our annual family retreat begins at lunch on Saturday at noon, ending early afternoon Monday. Register with Greg Woods, Youth Ministries and Education Coordinator, youthministries@fmcquaker.org or 413-251-6512. Fees for this retreat will be $150 for adults and $75 for children (ages 5-11). Children under 4 are free. Scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance.
Flyer and registration form are here.
Parents’ Listserv
Something that come up at the Parents’ Meeting is a desire for parents to be able to communicate with each other as a group. To facilitate this, I have set up a listserv through Google: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/fmc-parents. If you have an Google account, you can request access. If you don’t have an Google account,please let me know and I can add you.
Greg Woods, Youth Ministries & Education Coordinator
youthministries@fmcquaker.org or 413-251-6512
Job Openings
Part-Time Childcare Provider
Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting, Cambridge, MA
Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting seeks an individual to team with our current childcare provider to care for children (ages infants to 4 years) during meeting for worship from 10:00am to 11:00am. After Meeting for Worship, childcare duties include caring and organizing activities for the older children ages 5 years to teenage years as well as caring for the younger children. For more information and application instructions, please visit here.
Friends Camp Hiring For 2019 Session
Camp jobs are difficult, exciting, fulfilling, challenging, fun, and inspiring. For our nine week summer season, we look to hire about thirty people. One-third to one-half of our staff are returning staff each year. Please feel free to ask questions about working at Friends Camp at any time. You can reach Anna, Friends Camp Director, at (207) 445-2361 or by email at Director@FriendsCamp.org. For more information, visit here.
Summer Positions at Farm and Wilderness Camp
Working side-by-side, staff guide campers through fun-filled, adventurous, and educational programs that change people’s lives — campers and staff alike! Each year F&W hires more than 230 summer staff members, with positions that include: Cabin Counselor, Assistant Director, Program Director, Wilderness Trip Coordinator and Trip Guide, Cooks, and many more. Please visit the site for more information at .
Summer & Year Round Internships
William Penn House, Washington, DC
Our 10-12 week social justice internship offers college students a unique combination of service and civic engagement, along with structured opportunities for personal, spiritual, and professional development; the WPH Social Justice Residency offers similar opportunities but with sustained support for college graduates committed to building more peaceful, just and inclusive communities. For more information, please visit here
Forums
Our Life is Love
Please join us for forum every fourth Sunday, when we will explore the Quaker Spiritual Journey through Marcelle Martin’s book, Our Life is Love. One Sunday a month, for ten months, we will take up one of the ten elements of this journey we’re on together by sharing our stories with each other and responding to the queries that Marcelle raises up. This is an opportunity to deepen our connections to one another and to our Quaker heritage.
What is the book about? Marcelle Martin uses the words of many early Friends and contemporary Friends to explore each of ten elements of the Quaker Spiritual Journey. Each section ends with a set of queries that we can use to explore our own experiences. She also shares the ways in which she has experienced these elements in her own life.
Do I have to read the book? No! The queries that we’ll be exploring in each forum are evocative on their own, and the lives of our fellow community members are fascinating. All are welcome – whether or not you’ve done your “homework.”
Can I drop in, or do I have to commit to the whole series? Please come to as many forums in this series as you are able to. While we hope that the experience has a cumulative effect, each forum should be able to stand on its own as a time of powerful sharing.
How can I get a book? You have two choices:
- Order a hard cover, paperback, or eBook from Inner Light Books. A paperback is $17.50 plus shipping and handling.
- Borrow a book from the Meeting library. There are at least two to lend.
What are the dates and topics for the whole series so I can mark them on my calendar? I’m so glad you asked!
- 9/30: Longing
- 10/28: Seeking
- 11/25: Turning Within
- 12/23: Openings
- 1/27: The Refiner’s Fire
- 2/24: Community
- 3/24: Leadings
- 4/28: The Cross
- 5/26: Abiding
- 6/23: Perfection
Quaker World
Cambridge Friends School
CFS All-School Worship
Tuesday, May 7 from 8:30am-9:00am
All School Meeting for Worship in the gym. All are welcome to attend.
Nine Month Nurturing Faithfulness Program Returns in 2019
Nurturing Faithfulness is a program for individuals who have a spiritual nudge to orient one’s heart towards the Divine, be more faithful in discerning gifts and leadings, and nurture one’s home spiritual community. Perhaps you know someone who participated in the first iteration of this program, called Nurturing Worship, Faith, and Faithfulness. Good news is: we’re offering this program again! Take a look at the Woolman Hill website for more information or keep reading.
Nurturing Faithfulness is a 9-month program consisting of three residencies at Woolman Hill in Deerfield, MA (August 2019, December 2019, and May 2020), monthly webinars (that are actually connective and grounding), readings, and small-group opportunities for deepening relationships through local care committees and Faithfulness Groups.
Co-teachers for Nurturing Faithfulness are Hilary Burgin (Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, NEYM) and Marcelle Martin (Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, Philaadelphia Yearly Meeting). This program is co-sponsored by Woolman Hill and New England Yearly Meeting. For more information take a look at our video.
Applications are due in Spring 2019, so we encourage you to start considering if this program might be right for you. If you RSVP to Marcelle Martin (link sends e-mail), we will also send you a reminder about the informational webinar and the application.
Early application deadline, with priority for NEYM Friends: April 1, 2019
Final application deadline: July 22, 2019.
NEYM Sessions August 3-8, 2019
Image by © Skip Schiel, teeksaphoto.org
Each August, more than 600 Friends, come together for worship, fellowship and seeking how God will guide us in meeting for business. Having first gathered in 1661, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends is the oldest “yearly meeting” in the Quaker world. While this gathering is large—among the largest Quaker events in North America—there are many opportunities to connect with Friends old and new: vibrant youth programs, adult small groups, variety shows, topical interest sessions and shared meals. In recent years, Sessions has featured plenary addresses, Bible Half-Hours, a contra-dance, and coffeehouse. Our 2019 theme is “Provoke one another to Love.” For more information about the Bible Half-Hour and Plenary Speakers for 2019, click here.
Student Scholarship Grants
New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) 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. Applications and recommendation letters are due May 15, 2019. For applications and/or information, please go to Quaker Grants
Other Events on the NEYM Calendar
Junior High Yearly Meeting Retreat April 26-April 28, 2019 • New Haven, CT
Young Friends Retreat April 26-April 28, 2019 • Wellesley, MA
Sandwich Quarterly Meeting April 27, 2019 • East Sandwich, MA
Salem Quarterly Meeting April 28, 2019 • Amesbury, MA
A Quaker Woman’s Witness in Palestine May 1 • Boston, MA
How We Win: A Workshop with George Lakey May 7 • Beacon Hill Friends House, Boston, MA
Junior High Yearly Meeting Retreat May 17-May 19 • Deerfield, MA
Advocacy for the Long Haul May 20 • Boston, MA
FCNL Workshop and Team Launch May 20 • Boston, MA
Exploring Prayer and Meditation May 24-May 27 • Deerfield, MA
Letting the Light Lead: Spirited Explorations of Racial Identity May 25 • Damariscotta , ME
Events at Beacon Hill Friends House
A Quaker Woman’s Witness in Palestine
Wednesday, May 01, 2019, 7:30-9:00pm
Beacon Hill Friends House
Carole Rein returned from a trip to Israel and Palestine in January with a strong awareness of the inequities there and a calling to share her witness with others. She will share stories and images from her visits with the U.N. Humanitarian Council, refugees, Ramallah Friends School, and more, and discuss her perspective as an American Quaker committed to challenging white supremacy. A discussion will follow.
Free and open to the Public. For details go to BHFH
How We Win: A Workshop with George Lakey on Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning
*New date added* Tuesday, May 7, 6-9pm
Beacon Hill Friends House
George Lakey returns! Our March 30 workshop sold out so fast that we had to bring George back to do it again. In this interactive workshop led by movement veteran George Lakey, participants will engage in a lively exploration of how to use direct action campaigns to build power toward a movement of movements.
Sliding scale admission. Advance registration required. Workshop 6-9pm; come at 5:30 for a BYO bag supper in community. Light snacks provided. Childcare available by advance request. Wheelchair accessible room. Cosponsored by the Boston Democratic Socialists of America.
Advance registration is required. Please click here to register on Eventbrite.
Exploring America’s Gun Culture
Tuesday, May 14, 6:00-8:30pm
Beacon Hill Friends House
A quick glance at headlines is enough to tell us that America’s relationship with guns is different from the rest of the world. Although gun laws and lobbyists are only pieces of a much larger puzzle, when assembled, it’s clear we have a problem with reconciling the 2nd Amendment and gun violence. What are we overlooking? Let’s take a closer look at gun culture from a sociological perspective to hopefully answer some of these questions:
- Why do some Americans feel safer with guns?
- What other belief systems influence gun culture?
- How does money or social status influence gun ownership?
- How did mass shootings become part of our culture?
- Why is it so hard to pass gun legislation, will strict gun policy make a difference?
Go to BHFH Civic Series for tickets.
Advocacy for the Long Haul: An FCNL Workshop & Team Launch
Sunday, May 20
Brown bag lunch at 12:30 pm
Beacon Hill Friends House
What can we do to change what’s happening in this country? For over 75 years, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has shown that our voices can make an impact on federal policy. Join Sarah Freeman-Woolpert of FCNL for an inspiring workshop that will provide concrete strategies for effective advocacy and a structure for taking next steps together.
Learn to:
- Influence your members of Congress and their staff through face-to-face conversations.
- Drive the media coverage you want to see.
- Build a strategic team in your community that lobbies as part of a powerful national advocacy network.
- Join FCNL’s 2019 Advocacy Team campaign to stop endless wars by urging Congress to reassert its constitutional authority. Advocacy Teams are supporting legislation to repeal the Automatic Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) and encourage public debate on all issues of war and peace.
RSVP requested. Childcare is available upon request.
Friends General Conference 2019 Gathering
Peace in Our Hearts, Justice in the World
Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA
June 30-July 6, 2019
Learn more about the 2019 Gathering here.
Friends General Conference is a North American association of Quaker groups of which New England Yearly Meeting of Friends is a member.
Events at Powell House
Powell House is the conference and retreat center of the
New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
524 Pitt Hall Rd
Old Chatham, NY
- Clerking in the 21st Century: Young Adult Spiritual Nurture Series Part IV
Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5 - Providing Pastoral Care in All Kinds of Weather with Bruce E. Heckman
Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19