Work Days at The Clearing
Join Friends for work days at The Clearing on Saturday, September 5, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm and Saturday, October 3, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm.
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.
Workday at The Clearing, May 2
Join us for workday at The Clearing, 9 am to 3 pm, bring a lunch, tools, sunscreen & insect repellent, and wear boots.
RE Calendar & Announcements
UPCOMING RE DATES
- April 19 Faith & Play
- April 25 WWG Talent Show Auditions 1-3 PM, (Talent Show May 23rd, 3pm)
- April 26 Fourth Sunday Age-Related Classes
- May 3 Movement Circles with Eunkyung Ahn
- Willow Working Group (Ages 9-17): Next Meeting, May 3 12:15 – 1 pm
- May 10 Mother’s Day, Second Sunday Age-Related Classes
WWG Intergenerational Talent Show
The WWG Intergenerational Talent Show will be during Spring Retreat on Saturday, May 23 at 3 pm at The Clearing
Things to Know:
All ages are invited to participate – children AND adults.
- Acts must be preapproved by the WWG Talent Show Coordinators
- Must be able to attend the Spring Retreat Talent Show on May 23!
- No real weapons; no supporting violence.
- If you wouldn’t want your mother, boss, or principal to see it, don’t perform it/write it.
Talent Show auditions will be held here in the Community Room on Saturday, April 25 from 1-3 pm. We want to make space for as many participants as possible. Auditions will serve as a dress rehearsal and help us keep within time limits. You do NOT need to stay for the entire time. Present your act and you are free to leave. Sign up sheets may be found in the mailroom or hanging on the bottom of our posters throughout the Meetinghouse.
Sign up to reserve your slot today!
JYF/YF Roleplaying Friendly 8 FYI
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Joining: Talk to John Garrett or email at jonathanegarrett@gmail.com
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Food: Pack a bag lunch/snack
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Dates: Second Sundays
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Times: Rise of Meeting (~Noon) until 2 PM
Workday at The Clearing, April 4, 9 am
You are cordially encouraged to join our lively crew for a workday at The Clearing on Saturday, April 4 from 9 AM until as long as you want to stay. We will be doing various jobs such as gardening, painting, and window washing. Age and ability are not factors. Please come if you’re just looking for company. You may let either Joe Ball (973-309-4415) or Al Best (804-698-9624) know if you can make it.
Register for Spring Retreat!
Friends of all ages are invited to our Spring Retreat on May 22-24 at The Clearing. Come for the whole weekend or just part of it! Camping and rustic indoor accommodations are available, and meals will be provided with a variety of dietary needs and preferences in mind. Learn more about The Clearing here: https://staging.richmondfriends.org/theclearing/
This year’s theme is “Opening to Joy.” The retreat will be interactive and will spring from the ideas and gifts of our community—so you can look forward to deep conversations, creative experiences, and plenty of play. And you won’t want to miss the epic talent show hosted by the Willow Working Group!
This is an intergenerational gathering, and families and children are warmly welcome. We hope to fan the flames of community connection as we share what brings us joy—whether through conversation, artmaking, or time together outdoors.
More details coming soon; please stay tuned. Please help us plan for your participation and register early, by Sunday, May 17! This online form makes it easy to register: https://bit.ly/RFMRetreat2026 . Also, please note, there is NO COST to attend Spring Retreat.
Questions? Contact Ted Heck at 804-726-1056 (call or text).
Monthly Worship Resumes at The Clearing, April 5
Now that it’s spring, monthly meeting for worship at The Clearing will resume – 11 am on the first Sunday of each month beginning April 5. You are encouraged to bring lunch and enjoy the company of Friends and the beauty of The Clearing after worship. Worship at The Clearing on first Sundays continues all summer through fall. Note that 9:30 and 11 am meetings for worship will continue every week at the Meetinghouse.
Special Dates for Meeting for Worship at The Clearing in May & June
For the months of May and June, we will have meeting for worship at The Clearing on the second Sunday of the month. These dates are May 11 and June 8. On July 6, the regular worship schedule of first Sundays will resume through October.
Work Day at The Clearing, Saturday, May 10
The Clearing Building & Grounds Committee invites Richmond Meeting members and attenders to join us at The Clearing to prepare for the 2023 season and for our annual RFM Spring Retreat (which will be at The Clearing). This is a great opportunity to spend some time getting to know folks in Meeting and getting to know The Clearing. Please mark your calendars and join us if you're able! All levels of ability are welcome; families and children encouraged to participate! The next date is:
Saturday May 10
Each workday will start at 9:00 am and go to about 3:00 pm (give or take an hour), depending on what jobs we have to get done that day.
Some of the things we will be working on include Clearing campsites and trails, replacing some signage around the property, sweeping out the Pavilion (floors, cabinets, cobwebs on the ceiling, etc.), and spreading gravel on the path between the large cabin and the Lodge.
Stuff you might consider bringing:
· Your lunch! And maybe some snacks and/or any beverage you want beyond the water that is available at The Clearing
· Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty; wear layers that you can put on or take off depending on the temperature.
· Sturdy shoes or boots
· A hat
· Work gloves
· Bug repellant
· Sunscreen
· Tools, if you have them
Although Clearing Buildings & Grounds Committee members will bring our extra tools to share. The following might be useful: rakes, clippers, loppers or shears for trimming vegetation, a hammer, and tools for digging up roots (very useful for preventing vegetation from growing back in campsites and trails as quickly).
Anyone with questions is welcome to call Al Best or Ted Heck with questions. Also, please call or email either of us to RSVP so we can plan our work.
Register for Spring Retreat at The Clearing
Friends of all ages are invited to our Spring Retreat on May 23 – 25 at The Clearing. Friends are welcome to come for all or part of the weekend. Camping and rustic accommodations are available. Meals are provided that accommodate a variety of dietary needs and preferences. Learn more about The Clearing at https://staging.richmondfriends.org/theclearing/.
Our theme this year is The Friendly Frolic: Creative Spirit, Dancing Feet, Quaker Arts & Soul Retreat, with (in case you can’t tell) a focus on community and fun! Activities are still being confirmed, but will include community-building and getting-to-know-you exercises, singing together, arts and crafts, and dancing, maybe even with a band! There will, of course, be a fabulous menu to tantalize your taste buds and your sense of smell! More details are coming soon; please stay tuned. Please help us plan for your participation and register early, by Sunday, May 18! This online form makes it easy to register: https://bit.ly/RFMRetreat2025. Also, please note, there is NO COST to attend Spring Retreat.
See below for a DRAFT schedule and a suggested list of things to bring to the Retreat.
Anyone with questions is welcome to reach out to Ted Heck by call or text.
RFM Use of the Clearing
The Clearing is now open for outside users as well as member and attenders. Michael Joslin is our Scheduler. Michael can be contacted directly at MichaelDJoslin@outlook.com.
Clearing Usage and Promotions wants to remind everyone to schedule meetings at the Clearing with Michael, even those that are supposed to be standing. Also, if any committee or members want to meet on the Saturday set aside for Meeting, please contact our Scheduler for that date just as you would for any other date.
Many thanks from Clearing Usage and Promotions.
Meeting for Worship Outdoors and in-person at the Clearing!
Meeting for Worship Outdoors and in-person at the Clearing!
(Our beautiful retreat center in Amelia County) September 13 at 11 am
14006 Genito Road
Amelia Courthouse, VA 23002
Driving directions can be found via GPS and also on the RFM website’s Clearing page https://staging.richmondfriends.org/theclearing/
Please bring your own chair to place at a safe distance from others. Please have a mask with you.
Bring a bag lunch and enjoy a meal together.
Outdoor privies, stocked with hand sanitizer, will be available. We hope that bathrooms in the lodge will be available. Other than bathrooms, the lodge will NOT be open.
Meeting for Worship will be held online via Zoom at the same time. Because the Clearing does not have wifi, these will be separate worship gatherings.
Please contact the Committee on Ministry & Worship if you have questions.
Threshing session on re-opening
All are invited to a threshing session on First Day, July 12 from 7 to 8:30 PM.
We will gather online to consider our meeting's "re-opening" - how we might envision and plan for an eventual return to in-person gatherings and the use of buildings & grounds at both the Meetinghouse and the Clearing.
This is a time to share perspectives, concerns, and hopes. We will have time to share individually and we will hear brief reports from committees.This is a time for listening and sharing - no decisions will be made. Please join this community session on Sunday evening if you are able to attend.
Zoom link will be emailed.
Clearing Workday
The Clearing Building & Grounds Committee is having a Clearing Workday on Saturday, March 30. Everyone is invited to join us out at The Clearing starting at 9:30 am. Bring a lunch, work gloves, clothes appropriate for working outdoors, sunblock, bug repellent, a hat, and/or whatever else will help to sustain you for the day. Tools are welcome as well, especially clippers, hand saws, and other implements that might be useful for clearing trails and campsites. You may want to label your items so they are easy to keep track of.
The address is 14006 Genito Rd, Amelia Court House, VA 23002, which now works quite well in Google Maps!