Special Announcement:
At the rise of worship on Sunday, Feb 7, Beth Collea will lead a special program at our Meeting. The following is a statement from Beth that explains what she will cover during her visit among Westport Friends.
Bring your hearts, minds, and imaginations as we take the plunge together and begin the Quaker Outreach Pilot Project at Westport Meeting. There’s a part and a place for every Friend in Quaker Outreach! It could be as simple as a smile.
I’ll provide a brief context for our work drawing on Diana Butler Bass’ book Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. We’ll visit the dynamic point where Inreach and Outreach meet as one way to gauge the clarity and vitality of our welcome. Together, we’ll build on what you are already doing and strengths you already have. We’ll look at your current activities like the booksale and your special assets like the Community House and imagine ways we might be more intentional and focused in our invitation to the public to try out the Quaker way.
I believe that the best outreach is good ministry, so we’ll listen prayerfully for growing edges of your ministry and how we might be able to invite the Light into the life situations of the broader Westport-area community.
– Beth Collea, NEYM Religious Education Coordinator
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We encourage members and attenders to join us for this two-hour presentation. Lunch basics of soup (vegan) and a casserole will be provided. Friends are asked to bring complimentary foods to go with lunch, etc.
FEBRUARY CALENDAR
7 Sandwich Quarterly Meeting at Smith Neck Meeting, 9 AM
8 Quaker Outreach Project Discussion at rise of worship, 11:30 AM
9 Property Committee in CH, 6:30 PM
13-15 Youth Friends Retreat at Wellesley Monthly Meeting
14 NEYM Ministry and Counsel at Westerly Monthly Meeting
21 NEYM Permanent Board at Providence Monthly Meeting
27-29 JYM Retreat at Wellesley Monthly Meeting
Future Dates to Save:
March 2: Seekers Group Meets, 6:30 PM
March 8: Meeting cleanup day following worship.
March 28: NEYM Sessions Committee
March 29: Business Meeting, 8:30 AM
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
1 Jennifer Lee Moura
2 Isabelle Bossom
4 Richard Hess
4 Gail Nixdorf
6 Jason Foley-Marsello
7 Annie Cloutier
10 Jeffrey Hodge
17 Martha Lang
19 Greg Marsello
22 Cory Marsello
25 Barbara Wicks
MONTHLY MEETING HIGHLIGHTS (Of 1.25.15 meeting)
Buddy and Gretchen Shoveling to the Book Shed!
Property Coordinator Report: Gretchen’s latest report may be read here.
Ministry and Counsel: Met on January 4 and discussed pastoral care concerns of individuals within our Meeting community, and reflected and reviewed our Meeting’s Christmas Eve Service held in December. The committee also discussed how our Meeting’s Family Worship, or “Second Sunday,” is going, which is held on the second Sunday of each month.
The Clerk of Meeting announced that she had recently received correspondence from Yearly Meeting reminding monthly meetings that it is time to begin working on our State of Society reports. Ministry and Counsel plans to take this matter up at its next meeting.
Finance Committee: Due to a very kind $15,000 contribution earlier in the year, Westport Monthly Meeting had an end-of-year surplus of $18,819.77. Business Meeting agreed to put $3,000 in the Helping Fund and $15,819.77 in the Capital Property Fund. Total revenue for 2014 was $60,511.59 (budget was $40,000) and total expenses were $41,691.82 (budget was $40,000). Financially a successful year. Many thanks to everyone!
Property Committee: Recently the committee reviewed rental fees charged for groups and individuals who rent the meetinghouse and/or Community House. Other fee schedules looked appropriate but the committee expressed concern that we previously have not charged outside groups any fees when holding memorial/funeral services within the meetinghouse. Property Committee recommended to monthly meeting that a flat fee of $200 be charged whenever the meetinghouse is used for such services. (Use of the Community House Hall and kitchen, in addition to the meetinghouse, would require additional fees as currently listed.) It was noted that the proposed fee for renting the meetinghouse for memorial and funeral services does not apply to Meeting members and attendees who are part of our spiritual community. Monthly meeting approved the $200 fee for use of the meetinghouse with the stipulation that the Property Coordinator may use her discretion to reduce or eliminate the fee depending on a person’s ability to pay.
Property Committee will choose a clerk for the day again at its next meeting on February 9 and plans to approve a new on-going clerk after the next meeting.
A mid-winter cleanup day was announced for March 8 following meeting for worship. A list of indoor chores will be posted by Gretchen, some of which may be completed by Friends at a time and day of their choosing.
Book Fair: Donated books have been arriving steadily. 263 boxes of books are all priced and packed away thus far. Greg reports that the overall quality of books received is better this year too. Moving forward, we need to begin thinking about ramping up our promotion efforts ahead of the July Book Fair date. Friends expressed their appreciation to Greg Marsello and others who have been sorting books regularly through the fall and winter months.
Seekers Group: The Seekers Group, as facilitated by Gretchen Baker-Smith, continues to meet monthly and is attended by solid group individuals who explore an agreed upon topic or theme at each meeting. Discussion topics and related resources are posted on our site, including a summary following each gathering. Everyone is welcome to attend and Friends are encouraged to read and enjoy the materials posted online which can be found here.
Stormy weather caused the cancellation of the Feb 2 meeting. The next Seekers Group meeting will be held March 2, 2015 in the Community House.
Area and Regional Resources and Opportunities:
Woolman Hill Retreat Center: Inward Activism and Outward Prayer, a retreat led by Daniel Snyder, is offered Feb 20-22, 2015. Details may be read here.
Visit our Photo Site! See photos of our recent and past Book Fairs, Meeting sponsored events, meetinghouse, Community House and grounds and archival photos of Meeting history and Friends not longer with us.
New England Yearly Meeting News covers events and news of other meetings around our yearly meeting and beyond.
Clerk of Monthly Meeting: Betty Ann Lee, 508-994-1638
Ministry and Counsel Clerk: Melinda Foley-Marsello, 401-624-9840
Property Coordinator, Gretchen Baker-Smith, 508-636-4963
Newsletter Editor, Kevin Lee | 508-994-1638