by Diane Bowden | Mar 27, 2017 | Committees
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 9:30am in the Community Room.
You are not alone! Many Quakers have trouble or lack confidence articulating about Quakerism. In this experiential workshop we will generate ideas and practice answering real questions like, “What do Quakers believe?’ and “You say you have no dogmas and creeds,so can you believe anything you like?” In the second part of the workshop, we will hear from our new RFM Visibility Coordinators. What could more outreach look like for our beloved community?
Sponsored by both the Ad Hoc Working Group on Welcoming and Growing Our Meeting and the Visibility Coordinators. Everyone is invited, newcomers and oldtimers. The more variety of viewpoints we have, the more valuable and interesting this workshop will be.
Sponsored by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Welcoming and Growing Our Meeting and the Visibility Coordinators. Contact Monica Shaw with questions.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 2, 2017 | Peace and Social Concerns
From the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and Denna Joy:
Peace and Social Concerns Committee would like collect supplies in March in support of the students at Armstrong High School. I have been part of the support staff there for a number of years. Armstrong is a Richmond Public School High School located in the city’s east end. It has a proud history. It was founded in the 1870s as the Richmond Colored Normal School and became the first public school in Richmond for African American students. The school was named for Union General Armstrong, a white commander of colored troops during the Civil War who founded Hampton Institute, a historically black college. Alumni speak with pride of the strong school spirit of Armstrong students.
Today, Armstrong High School is on its fourth location. It sits on the edge of Fairfield Court, on the border of Henrico County. The Armstrong zone includes students who come from all four subsidized housing communities in the east end. Many face the trauma of living daily in dangerous, high crime neighborhoods. They struggle with poverty, stresses at home and a community in need of more resources. As a result, many of our students are often chronically late and find remaining in school and graduating on time very difficult. Included in our population are students classified as homeless; they have no permanent residence. Many are doubled up with friends or relatives or living in motels. On paper, the number of reported homeless students is close to 45. However, staff feels that number is probably much higher. Particularly hard to serve are our over eighteen homeless students who are” couch surfing”- staying where ever they can. The resilience and persistence our students demonstrate is humbling. We have a food and clothes pantry designed to serve these students. They are often in need of food when they come into school in the morning or something to take home with them for the evening. While all RPS students receive free breakfast, many of our students are just not in the building at 7:30 when breakfast is served. So we are asking folks to contribute food items to the pantry. Additional supplies such as deodorant, laundry detergent and feminine hygiene products are usually in short supply.
Also in the building is a child care center for infants and toddlers of parents attending Armstrong. This support allows young parents to have a safe space for their children to be while they attend school. Parents are asked to bring supplies such as diapers, baby swipes and Vaseline to school. But like deodorant and feminine products, these items cannot be bought with food stamps.
PSC will be collecting:
Breakfast foods– Pop tarts, soft granola bars, packets of cold cereal
Hygiene products– male and female deodorant- both solid and spray, sanitary napkins
Baby products– diapers sizes 4, 5, 6, Vaseline, diaper swipes.
Laundry supplies– boxes containing liquid pods or packs for easy transport
by Diane Bowden | Mar 2, 2017 | Peace and Social Concerns
The Thrifty Quaker on Midlothian Turnpike will sponsor Quaker House in March. This is a good time to donate items that have been gathering dust in your closet for a good cause.
The Thrifty Quaker is located in the Midlothian Station Shopping Center at the corner of Midlothian Turnpike (Rt. 60) and Coalfield Road. The address is 13567 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian VA 23113. They are in the corner of the ‘L’ shaped shopping center. The TQ website is at http://www.thriftyquaker.com.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 2, 2017 | Uncategorized
The Quaker Women’s A Capella Choir invites you to a Friendly Sing on Saturday, April 8th from 10 am to 3 pm in the meetinghouse. F/friends from all over BYM are invited to join our singing leader, Ruth Fitz, for a day of singing. We will break at noon for a meal so please bring a bag lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided. Please let us know if you need childcare by emailing the names and ages of your children to Diane Bowden at bowden.diane@gmail.com by Wednesday, April 5th.
Strong and shy singers are welcome to join this circle of F/friends singing rounds, sacred chants, spirituals, peace songs, hymns, and fun songs. We will sing together to energize our bodies and nurture our souls, with music that affirms our diversity, reflects our beauty, and celebrates our unity.
No singing or music reading experience is necessary to participate, just a willing spirit and a desire to sing.
Ruth Fitz has a BA in Music. She carries an embraced ministry of music from York Monthly Meeting since 2013. Ruth has led singing in Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Friendly Sings, in Spiritual Formation Retreats, in BYM’s Annual Session workshops, and in individual Monthly Meetings in Philadelphia and Baltimore Yearly Meetings. She has also had the privilege of leading Soulful Singing workshops in FGC’s week-long Gatherings.