by Diane Bowden | Jun 24, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Ministry and Worship, Minuted Decisions
Richmond Friends Meeting Solidarity Minute in Response to the Murder of George Floyd
Approved June 21, 2020
Richmond Friends Meeting (Virginia) mourns the death of George Floyd who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis as he begged for his life. In keeping with our peace tradition, we oppose all violence and support ardent and peaceful protest in response to his death.
The killings of Marcus-David Peters, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks are among many atrocities that have occurred in our country. Over 400 people have been killed by police across the U.S. this year, continuing the trend of about 1,000 police-involved deaths annually since 2015. These deaths fit into a broader pattern of state-sanctioned violence that disproportionally impacts African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color.
The insidious nature of racism in America impacts every aspect of our society, including health care, education, employment, wealth, and environmental protection. A current tragic example is disproportionate infection and death by COVID-19 in African-American and Native American communities. The reality of systemic racism calls for legal, structural, social, and cultural change.
As Quakers we are committed to challenging white supremacy in ourselves, our Religious Society of Friends and in society around us. With this as a foundation, we join in the march towards racial justice. We stand in solidarity with victims of racism. We will continue to work actively with others in our community to further racial equality and justice. We call for an end to oppression, whether perpetrated by private citizens or public bodies.
As a community, we endorse the following statement from Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends:
“We Friends are of many skin colors, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, stages of life, and socially constructed racial identities. We are all seeking the Spirit’s presence in our lives and in our life together. We recognize that some of us have experienced oppression and marginalization in ways that others have not. We aspire to live as members of the blessed community, which is one of liberation, equity, and great diversity across all differences.”
by Diane Bowden | Jun 17, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Archive, COVID-19
Please join us Saturday, June 20, at 9:30 am for a virtual presentation from Julie Courtwright called "This is your brain on quarantine". Julie Courtwright attends Woodlawn Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia where she's been a convinced Friend since 2009.
She has a Master's degree in biopsychology but currently, she spends her time making fiber art and caring for way too many critters. She wants you to know that even though everything is uncertain and overwhelming, you are doing a good job.
Invitations with links for the program will be sent on Friday, June 19.
by Diane Bowden | May 20, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Archive, Care and Counsel, COVID-19
The Care & Counsel Committee is offering a new opportunity to build connections with Meeting members and attenders during this time of social distancing. Starting in the week of May 24, anyone who signs up will be randomly paired with another participant for the purpose of sharing a phone call once a week for two weeks. At the end of the first two-week session, the names will be reshuffled and new pairings will be set up. This will continue in two-week intervals until late July. You can drop out or join at each of the two-week intervals.
We hope this will be a great way to connect with current friends or meet new ones. If you’d like to participate, please email Margaret Edds and give her your preferred telephone number for a call. The first pairing of names will be done next Sunday afternoon (May 24). You’ll get an email with your first partner by Monday, May 25.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 28, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Peace and Social Concerns, Young Friends
From the Peace & Social Concerns Committee:
Spring Lobby Weekend is an annual event through which FCNL brings hundreds of young adults together to learn, connect, and lobby Congress. This year, we decided to move the event online. So tomorrow,
March 29, FCNL will broadcast this event live via YouTube and Facebook. Learn how you can help lay the groundwork for congressional action to address the climate crisis.
Go to
fcnl.org/slw during the following times to watch live:
Beyond the immediate threat, COVID-19 is also a message from the future about how a danger to anyone in the world is a danger to everyone. And climate change is one of those dangers. What we do this weekend, will help determine what the new Congress will do next year.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 19, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Meeting House
Meeting for Worship and Meetinghouse update:
The Clearing is closed, at least through the end of April.
Rita Willett, Clerk of Meeting
Friends, I trust that you are grateful, as I am, for our beloved Friends community. Committees and individuals are
working with generosity and diligence, finding ways to care for one another in this uncertain and scary time.
I have been communicating with trustees, clerks of committees, and individuals in appointed roles to consider our
way forward, since there were decisions to make fairly quickly. Many of you have, no doubt, been involved in your
committee’s deliberations and plans. Here’s an update:
In-person Meeting for Worship has been cancelled until further notice. Please consider a time of worship at
home – 9:30 or 11:00 on First Days – to continue our practice of joining in the Spirit, even when we cannot
be together in person. A number of Friends are working on the logistics of a virtual meeting for worship, so
that is a possibility in the weeks ahead.
The Meetinghouse is closed to all users, also until further notice. We do not have the resources needed to
achieve recommended levels of sanitation for a community meeting place. Some of the Friends who
routinely volunteer to clean our meetinghouse are, themselves, at higher risk of illness. Suitable supplies are
scarce or unavailable. Experts tell us that the risk of widespread infection is significant in the days and
weeks ahead. We want to be responsible stewards of our facility and act in the best interests of both our
meeting and our wider community. This was a difficult decision – we cannot accommodate the community
groups who routinely use our building. We will welcome them back when we can do so safely.
Arrangements are being made by committees for the care of the Meetinghouse and Clearing. The only
individuals who should be in the buildings are those who have been tasked with these responsibilities by the
building committees.
The garden at the Meetinghouse is open to individuals who would like a quiet place for reflection or
meditation. (No groups, please.)
Friends, continue to hold each other, our Richmond community, and the world in the Light as we navigate the days
and weeks ahead. Reach out – to one another, to member of Care and Counsel, to me – for support as needed.
One of my favorite definitions of hope is to live as if joy is still possible, even in times when joy seems remote. Let’s help each other hold on to hope.
Rita Willet
Clerk of Meeting