Westport Meeting News:
Property Committee: As Friends know, we have struggled to control the growth of the three rhododendrons alongside the meetinghouse for several years now, due in part to the fact that they were left untrimmed for several years. Trimming them back aggressively was needed for two reasons: First, to get them back down to the window sill level of the meetinghouse windows; and secondly, in order to have enough room for the large rental tent that goes between the meetinghouse and the Book Shed during our annual Book Fair. Trimming modestly in recent years still didn’t control their growth, so the difficult decision was made last year, following the advice of our landscaper, to severely trim them back 15-20 inches in all directions, knowing that doing so ran the risk that the nearly 45 year old shrubs would not survive.
Unfortunately, all three rhododendrons have failed this spring, and Property Committee has made the difficult decision at its meeting on May 10 to have them removed as soon as possible. Property Committee plans to level and grade the area, making it ready for nearby foot traffic at this year’s Book Fair. A decision will be made in the future with input from Meeting members on what to plant, if anything, along the north side of the meetinghouse.
Meetinghouse window washing work project: We need your help! The meetinghouse windows, inside and out, have not been cleaned since 2019, and need cleaning badly! Please consider joining us on Thursday, May 25, at 4:00 PM to help get this job done! If you can help, please let Kevin know at 508-742-8709. Step ladders, spray cleaner, rags, and paper towels will be ready to go!
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Wanted: Westport Meeting Newsletter Editor: Details HERE.
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Approved previous minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business may be read HERE.
MEETING CALENDAR:
(All meetings held in person, via Zoom, or hybrid (meaning in-person and via Zoom), as noted)
- Worship each Sunday in meetinghouse and via Zoom at 10am (hybrid)
- Peace and Social Justice Committee, Sunday, May 21, 7-8:30pm Zoom only
- Monthly Meeting for Business, Sunday, May 21, at 8am Via Zoom
- Seekers Group, Monday, May 22, 7-8:30 PM. HYBRID
- Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, May 24, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
- Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, May 31, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
- Trustees Meeting, June 1, 12:30 PM, at Baker-Smith home
- Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, June 7, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
- NEYM Meeting Leaders Call, June 13, 7-8 PM via Zoom. Details below
MIDWEEK WORSHIP, via Zoom, WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:00pm. (Kevin sends link day of)
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Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:
NEYM May 2023 Newsletter, “Being Faithful,” by Mey Hasbrook (Durham (ME) Friends Meeting.) may be read HERE.
Recurring virtual events
- Daily at 8:30 a.m.: Daily Worship at Pendle Hill
- Weekdays at 10:30 a.m., Portland Friends Meeting: Waiting Worship
- Daily at noon: International Meeting for Worship
- Alternate Thursdays at 4 p.m., Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL): Thursdays with Friends
- Thursdays at 7 p.m.: Taizé worship
- Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Parents’ Tea-and-Chat
Other events coming soon:
- May 19, Providence, RI: Young Friends Retreat
- June 2–4, Wellesley, MA: Junior High YM Retreat
- June 7, online: Intro to Faithfulness Groups for those called to Earthcare
- June 12–15, : Friends Association for Higher Education Annual Conference
- June 14–17, Barnesville, OH (Hybrid): Quaker Spring/Summer Gathering
Meeting for Listening: The Spiritual Life in Our Local Meetings. A full-day, hybrid event, June 24, 2023
Join us for a gathering of Friends in New England caring for the nurture of spiritual life and ministry in our local faith communities. Together, we will:
- Dream together,
- Identify the resources meetings have to offer each other,
- Explore themes in State of Society reports and trends from statistical reports, and
- Discover what’s possible now.
For additional information and to register for this event, please click HERE.
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Sandwich Quarterly Meeting News:
- SQM Meeting for Business Saturday, April 22 at 10:00. For details, contact Kathy Olsen.
Fall SQM Sept. 23 in Mattapoiset
Quaker Programs, Study, Retreats, and Spiritual Nurture:
QuakerSpeak (Our Quaker faith as shared by those who experience it firsthand, every day, via weekly video interviews)
FGC Gathering, “A week of Quaker worship, workshops, and community for all ages.” July 2-8, 2023. Theme: “Listen. So That We May Live.” Details HERE.
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Local Happenings of Interest to Friends:
The Immigrant’s Assistance Centers’ 2023 Gala and Auction. Friday, May 12, 6-10 PM:
This year’s theme will be a celebration of our roots; “The Seeds of Success Planted by Past Generations That Have Grown and Flourished Into the Present Day.” The night will start off with a cocktail hour and Silent Auction from 6-7 PM, followed by a banquet dinner accompanied by live music. For details, click HERE.
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Closing:
If someone comes to you asking for help,
do not say in refusal, “Trust in God. He will help.”
Rather, act as if there were no God,
and no one to help, except you.
– Hassidic teaching
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Thank you, Friends,
Kevin