Reading Between the Lines

The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (Bible Workbench) on First Day, September 6, from 9-10 am, through Zoom. We’ll discuss both Romans 12: 19-21 (“When you are wronged, do not seek revenge. Instead, leave room for the judgement of God…”) and Matthew 18, 15-20:   What is a respectful way to handle conflict between two people in a community?  How do we resist the temptation of making false assumptions?  The facilitator will send the zoom link through the Newslist several days before our meeting.

Wage Peace at PeaceFest

Ready for some Peace Raising? Ready to wage some peace?

Ready to focus on Nurturing Our Community: Body Mind and Spirit?

Or would you like to just picnic in the park with a few hundred like-minded folk?

Come to PeaceFest, Sunday, September 20 between 1 and 5 at the Byrd Park Roundhouse.

Richmond Friends Peace and Social Concerns is inviting all F/friends to participate!

Set up, table, make art, dance, sing, tell about how Peace Is Lived and Love Is Action. Committees, especially Religious Education and Race and Racism are invited to participate.

For close to 50 years, Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC) has brought Richmond nonprofits and artists together in a positive, supportive, educational festival to promote peace and cooperation.  For 15 years (with a hiatus for the pandemonium) RPEC has hosted, with the support of our Meeting and other groups, a Peace Festival to celebrate the International Day of Peace.

This event is VERY family friendly! … and it will be bigger this year, with a compelling theme and truly diverse presentations bolstering “Nurturing Our Community: Body Mind and Spirit. ”

Our Meeting will have a table/booth, and we need a few folks to help set up, staff, and break it down that day. Even a couple hours would be very helpful.

Our rep to RPEC, Patricia Stansbury, can provide more information and help you find your niche in this celebration.

Half-Day Silent Retreat at The Clearing

Imagine spending a few quiet hours in a beautiful setting with Friends. Ministry and Worship is hosting a half-day silent retreat at The Clearing on Saturday, September 26 from 9:30 to 1:30. This is an opportunity for the community to experience and experiment with extended silence for more than an hour!

We will have a loose agenda for the day, mainly focused on quiet personal contemplation:

  • Arrive in silence (The lodge will be open by 9:00 am)
  • Brief opening circle (9:30 am)
  • Group silent contemplation
  • Silent nature walk
  • Open time for journaling, contemplative reading, prayer, art, etc.
  • Silent shared meal
  • End with worship sharing

Plan to bring your lunch, and supplies for contemplative practices like journaling. Please reach out to Mason Mairead for any questions.

Important Voter Info

Tuesday, November 3, 2026, is Election Day, the final date to vote in person.

Here are other DEADLINES:

  • Register to vote/Update registration: 10/22/2026
  • Early in-person voting: 9/18/2026 through 10/31/2026
  • Apply for mail-in ballot through 10/23/2026

All of the above plus finding your polling place is at:

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

On The Ballot:

Three Virginia Constitutional Amendments:

  • Will provide a constitutional right to reproductive freedom, often called the right-to-abortion amendment.
  • Will repeal the provision defining marriage as between one man and one woman and prohibits the state from denying a marriage license to two adult persons based on sex, gender or race.
  • Will provide that persons convicted of felonies have their voting rights restored upon release from incarceration.

 

Vote for your U.S. Senator from Virginia:

Mark Warner (D, Incumbent) vs. Bert Mizusawa (R)

 

Vote for your U.S. House Representative:

Find your district https://www.vpap.org/localpolitics/

            District 1: Shannon Taylor (D) vs. Rob Wittman (R, Incumbent)

            District 4: Jason Brown II  (I), vs. Andre Odell Kersey (I), vs. Jennifer McClellan (D, Incumbent)

            District 5: Cooke Costa Harvey (I) vs. John McGuire (R, Incumbent) vs. Tom Perriello (D) vs. Chris Register (I)

Want To Work at the Polls or Have a Concern?

Prepared by Monica Shaw, clerk of the VICPP Working Group.

End of Life Planning

The trustees will be facilitating a workshop on end-of-life planning on October 11 at rise of Meeting. (Food will be provided). The trustees as well as members of the Financial Stewardship, Care & Counsel, and Ministry & Worship Committees will be providing information and answering your questions about end-of-life planning.

Examples of topics will be reserving Hollywood Cemetery plots, leaving assets to Meeting, memorial worship services, memorial receptions, memorial minutes, etc. Contact Trustee Roni Kingsley with questions.