Westport Meeting Newsletter August 12, 2021

Westport Meeting News:

FELLOWSHIP AND REFRESHMENTS FOLLOWING WORSHIP CONTINUES! Gorman Reilly, clerk of Hospitality Committee, continues to head up efforts of the Hospitality Committee to bring light goodies, coffee, tea, and related refreshments for Friends to enjoy during fellowship after worship each Sunday. However, providing hospitality also falls to a small circle of Friends and more help is needed. Can you help? If so, email Gorman HERE, or call him at 917-495-9107.

Midweek worship will continue to be offered each week on Wednesdays at 3:30 PM. Please note that the link for midweek worship is not the same as our regular worship on Sunday. A link for joining Midweek worship (which is the same link each week) will be emailed each week on Wednesday mornings. To insure security, we never post Zoom links on websites or portals visible to the general public. Questions? Contact Kevin Lee.

Help with Zoom Connections: Instructions for connecting to worship each Sunday, and Monthly Meeting for Business each month, is HERE.

MEETING CALENDAR: (All meetings via Zoom Unless Noted)

BIRTHDAY: Catherine Wojtowics, Sat, Aug 14!
Worship each Sunday in meetinghouse and via Zoom at 10 AM
Seekers Group, Monday, Aug 16, at 7 PM. (Gretchen sends link)
Midweek worship, Wed, Aug 18 , 3:30-4 PM. (link sent day of)
SAVE THE DATE: Exploring Spiritual Practices, Sept 7 – Nov 16, 2021 (Details below)

MIDWEEK WORSHIP, via Zoom, WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:00 PM!

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Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:

Gretchen’s JYM-JHYM latest bi-weekly newsletter, “Relentlessly Trusting,” of August 4, 2021, contains programming and retreat info for young people, parents and Friends in general can be read HERE.

NEYM Newsletter: Grounded in Blessing, July 10, 2021, may be read HERE.

Exploring Spiritual Practices
Save the Date: Next Gathering on Ministry and Spiritual Life
Proposed chapter for Faith & Practice
Poem: “Trauma Tree”
New QuakerSpeak video
Right Relationship resource group news
Friends coalition for racial justice
Quaker parenting resource
What’s new in the Archives
Roadmap for action on Climate Change
Quakers in the news

NEYM Events Calendar

Exploring Spiritual Practices, Sept 7 – Nov 16, 2021:

A helpful note from NiaDwynwen Thomas, NEYM’s Faith and Practice Leadership Coordinator, detailing this upcoming course:

“This fall New England Quakers, in partnership with the Beacon Hill Friends House, are offering a ten-week online course called Exploring Spiritual Practices: Meditation, Prayer, and Presence. The lead teacher and course designer is Marcelle Martin, a deeply experienced Quaker teacher and author and founder of the Nurturing Faithfulness program. The course runs from September-November on Tuesday evenings.

This course would be a great fit for people in your meeting who are newer to Quakerism and are seeking to “dive deeper” into their understanding and spiritual practice. This course would also be a great fit for more seasoned Friends who are looking for an opportunity to renew and grow in their practice with others. From registrations so far, we have seen a lovely mix of experience.

The course is designed to be flexible–something you can really dig into if you have more time this fall or something you can just spend 3 or so hours a week on if you are juggling other commitments. This course is also something that individuals can participate in on their own (connecting with other participants via an online classroom tool), or that partners or self organized small groups in local meetings could participate in together, reflecting on the sessions and practices with each other at a time they choose during the week.”

Interested Friends can learn more by watching this short video or by reading the detailed description on the registration page here.

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Quaker organizations, and our Yearly Meeting as a whole, are offering an amazing array of opportunities to expand our knowledge and improve our practice as Friends in a variety of ways. Check out the following links and see what we are being offered! Also, take a few minutes and explore additional programs offered by NEYM by visiting the Events page HERE.

Monthly Check-In for Friends Serving Their Local Meetings

September 14: An online check-in for Friends serving in leadership roles in their local meetings

Sandwich Quarterly Meeting

Recurring virtual Quaker events:

Daily at 8 a.m., Beacon Hill Friends House: Meditation practice
Mondays at 3 p.m., Facebook Live: Singalong Concerts
Sunday–Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Calming Pajama Party
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
Alternate Tuesdays at 7 p.m.: Support for Friends Serving in Local Meeting Leadership Roles
Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. Open Heart Worship Group

Events coming soon:

Connect, Learn, Explore, and Be in Service among Friends Regionally and Globally.

Check out an array of Quaker schools, camps, retreat centers, other yearly meetings and Quaker organizations listed on NEYM’s website.

Closing:

Once his brother asked Ryoken to visit his house and speak with his delinquent son. Ryoken came but did not say a word of admonition to the boy. He stayed overnight and prepared to leave the next morning. As the wayward nephew was lacing up Ryoken’s sandals, he felt a drop of warm water. Glancing up, he saw Ryoken looking down on him, his eyes full of tears. Ryoken then returned home, and the nephew changed for the better. – John Stevens, One Rose, One Bowl

Thank you, Friends,
Kevin Lee

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