Westport Meeting News:
NOTICE: The Candle Light Vigil of Remembrance outdoors, scheduled to be held on Meeting grounds, May 29, 8-9 PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to expected inclement weather. A future date TBA, will be announced soon. See Local Community News below.
Topics considered at Monthly Meeting for Business on May 23:
Westport Meeting State of Society 2021 was approved and can be read HERE.
Monthly Meeting for Business minuted support for the NEYM (draft) “Letter of Apology To Native Americans,” both in agreement with its sentiment and in commitment to actively engaging in the work. This deep work will include educating ourselves about our Meeting’s history with the Wampanoag Tribe, as well as being open to Guidance on how we are called to acknowledge, amend, and heal our relationship with Native People and with the land. We look forward to faithfully engaging in this work and the transformation that may follow. Please take a moment and read the (draft) “Letter of Apology To Native Americans” HERE.
– Pamela Terrien, clerk, Westport Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committee
Book Shed Reopened for book donations! Beginning May 1, the Book Shed is open for book donations on Wednesdays and Saturdays (ONLY) from 9-5 PM. Please let your friends and neighbors know. A maximum of 6 bags or 6 boxes allowed per drop-off. Please do not leave books to be donated anywhere outside, or, inside the meetinghouse or Community House.
Questions? Contact John Wojtowics via email or Meeting phone at 508-636-4963. For more information about donating books, and for a list of items that we cannot accept, please click HERE.
Reopening Meetinghouse, Spring 2021: Ministry and Counsel committee continues to support reopening our meetinghouse for worship in greater numbers as Friends feel comfortable to attend. Worship each Sunday via Zoom also continues. Ministry and Counsel’s “Reopening Meetinghouse Statement Spring 2021” may be read HERE.
MEETING CALENDAR: (All meetings via Zoom)
- Midweek worship, Wed, May 26, 3:30-4 PM. (link sent morning of)
- Quaker Family Night, May 28, 6:30-7:30 PM. Details
- Midweek worship, Wed, June 2, 3:30-4 PM. (link sent morning of)
- JYM Retreat, June 4-6. Details
- David Coletta and Jen Higgins-Newman: Exploring Hybridity, June 2, 7:30-8:30 PM. Details below.
- Seekers Group, Monday, June 7, at 7 PM. (Gretchen sends link)
- Pendle Hill: Becoming Blended Worshipping Communities, June 11-13. Details
- SAVE THE DATE: NEYM Annual (virtual) Sessions, Aug 7-12, 2021. Preliminary details
MIDWEEK WORSHIP, via Zoom, WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:00 PM!
Sandwich Quarterly Meeting May and June News:
Upcoming Quaker Woman’s Gathering; West Falmouth Meeting program June 13, 2021, “Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act” via Zoom. Details HERE. Speaker info and bio.
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Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:
United Society of Friends Women (USFW) Newsletter may be read HERE.
June 2, 2021
David Coletta and Jen Higgins-Newman | Exploring Hybridity (via Zoom)
As the world changes quickly around us, it is unclear what the future of programming will look like, exactly. What we do know is that we have learned a lot about the value of both in-person gatherings (as we reflect on what we’ve missed) and online opportunities (for accessibility and connecting across geographic areas). Details and registration
Resources for spiritual growth and education offered by our Yearly Meeting: *
Friends, though we are living in challenging times these days, many individual Friends, monthly meetings, 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.
Gretchen’s JYM-JHYM latest bi-weekly newsletter of May 26, containing programming and retreat info for young people, parents and Friends, can be read HERE.
“One Thing Necessary:” NEYM May 2021 Newsletter by Maggie Edmondson, may be read HERE
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:
- Starting each Monday, May 10 – June 21: Notable Friends of the 20th Century
- June 6: Walking with the Bible
- June 8: Envisioning Quaker Spaces as Racially Welcoming
- June 11-13: Young Friends Retreat
- June 13: The Gatherings: A conversation with the authors
- June 21-24: Quaker Spring
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.
Local Community News:
NOTE: Postponed to a future date! Save the Date: Candle Light Vigil of Remembrance outdoors on Meeting grounds, May 29, 8-9 PM:
Earlier this month our Meeting was approached by Westport resident, Donna Amaral, who asked us to consider hosting and holding a candlelight vigil on Meeting property, with the goal of holding in prayer and remembrance the lives lost due to Covid-19 over the past year. Donna is coordinating a number of planned events during May in Westport to highlight May being “Mental Health Awareness Month. The vigil, held at the end of May, is intended to serve as the culmination of the month’s events. Donna, who is a psychiatric Registered Nurse working in the mental health field, also serves on the Westport Board of Health. Donna is passionately involved in educating the public regarding the need for increased awareness of mental health initiatives.
Given the nature of this proposed event, it was forwarded to Ministry and Counsel Committee for its consideration. M&C was clear to support this proposal, and Property Committee also indicated its approval for the event to be held on Meeting property, out-of-doors. A working group comprised of Deana, Randy, Pamela Drouin, and Kevin have been meeting with Donna Amaral via Zoom, and will continue planning up to the vigil on May 29. Other Westport Friends are welcome to participate in planning as well. We will also need help with setup and breakdown following the vigil on the evening of May 29. (May 30 is rain date.)
Closing:
Praying. It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t try to make them elaborate, this isn’t a contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak.
– Mary Oliver