by Diane Bowden | Jan 21, 2021 | Announcement, Archive, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, BYM Camps, COVID-19
BYM Camp Registration opened on January 15 at 7 pm! There are still slots at all of the camps and we encourage all 9-17 year-olds to attend one of our three residential camps or Teen Adventure. https://bymcamps.org/
This year the BYM Camping Program Committee has dramatically changed our fee structure this year in hopes of making camp more accessible to all who want to attend. As you probably saw in the 2020 Firecircle (https://t.e2ma.net/click/kaj8ki/06ak7t/kq3apkc) there is a new sliding scale fee structure for campers this year. CPC has long sought ways to provide the BYM camping experience to a wider range of kids regardless of their ability to afford the full cost of camp. The sliding scale gives each family the opportunity to choose a fee which fits their budget.
In years past RFM and other monthly meetings have sponsored campers from their monthly meeting by paying either full or part of the cost of camp. This has allowed campers from families with limited financial means to experience Quaker camp. With the new fee schedule, some campers will pay the full cost of camp, some will attend for less, and others may pay in excess of the full amount. But to make sure camp expenses are met with this sliding fee scale, the CPC is asking monthly meetings to consider making scholarship money used in the past to sponsor individual campers a contribution directly to the camping program. Individuals are also encouraged to donate if able, using a one time or monthly contribution to the camping program.
https://www.bym-rsf.org/giving/give-to-bym-camps.html
If you have questions, please call Anna Best or Brooke Davis who currently serve on CPC. Brian Massey, our new Camping Program Manager, would also be glad to talk with folks who have questions about the registration system, as well as how the sliding scale and work grants could help their children, grandchildren or other kids attend camp this summer.
by Diane Bowden | Jan 7, 2021 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19
Care & Counsel’s Community-Building Phone Project to Resume Next Week
One way we’re staying connected with each other during the pandemic is by phone. Friends who participate in the community-building phone project agree to be randomly paired with another Friend and share weekly 30-minute phone conversations over a two-week period. We’re grateful to Don Miller who manages the random pairings.
We took a brief hiatus over the holidays and will resume next week. If you’re already participating, we’ll automatically pair you with another person. If you’d like to join in, or be taken off the list, please let Margaret Edds and Lynda Perry know by 3:00 this Sunday, January 10. Thanks!
meedds1@gmail.com, lyndafleetperry@gmail.com
by Diane Bowden | Dec 23, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Kensington, Meeting House, Worship
Approved at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, 12/20/20 The RFM Meetinghouse remains closed due to the COVID19.
Starting January 4, members and attenders will be able to access the building for one hour to sit in the worship room or spend time in the library, at designated times, by appointment. This new policy applies to individuals or people within the same pod. It is not intended for group usage. The times available are as follows:
Worship room appointments: Mondays at 9AM, 12PM, 3PM, 6PM.
Library appointments:
Wednesdays at 9AM, 12PM, 3PM and 6PM
Anyone wishing to enter the building must have an appointment for a specific time. These can be made by emailing Bob Alexander at bobandbarbalex@verizon.net. When you make an appointment, Bob will provide the outside door passcode.
Safety policies for building usage are posted at the Commonwealth entry to the building. The Library has new safety protocols, posted there, including a box on the floor for “touched books”.
Note that to conserve energy, the worship room is being kept at 60 degrees, the brick building/library at 55 degrees, so dress accordingly.
by Diane Bowden | Nov 18, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Archive, Christmas, COVID-19
Spend Christmas Eve with Friends
4:30-5 p.m.: Kid-Friendly Christmas Carol Singing led by Jan Hampton on guitar
Via Zoom, Jan will be playing holiday favorites, so gather the family around the computer, see your friends, and sing Christmas carols along with Jan from 4:30- 5 p.m.
5-6 p.m. Candlelight Christmas Eve Meeting for Worship
Please join us via Zoom for our traditional candlelight Christmas Eve Meeting
for Worship. Please leave the lights off in your room and if possible, light a candle and place it between yourself and the computer so it will be visible to others. Worship will begin at 5 p.m.
(Zoom links will be provided via the Newlist closer to the events)
by Diane Bowden | Oct 24, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Archive, Christmas, COVID-19
Saturday December 12th from 9 to 10:30 am This year, you can roll out of bed and attend the RFM Christmas breakfast in your pajamas! Or maybe your favorite holiday sweater and reindeer antlers. You decide. Due to COVID, our 2020 holiday gathering will be on-line. All ages are welcome. There will be opportunities to chat, share virtual gifts, sing, laugh, and listen to stories. BYOB (Bring your own breakfast) If you are willing to offer a short performance or on-line activity, please contact the clerk, Rita Willett, at Rita.Willett@richmondfriendsmeeting.org.
by Diane Bowden | Sep 20, 2020 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Announcement, Archive, COVID-19
Our series Mysticism: Living from the Inside Out will be presented virtually on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am. These programs will be recorded and put on the RFM website for later viewing. Contact the presenter if you have a questions about the session or the references. We will send the link for each program through the Newslist on the Friday before the session.
September 26: German Benedictine Abbess: Hildegard of Bingen. Barbara Hulburt presenting
Hildegard of Bingen (12th century) was an extraordinary woman and mystic whose writing still speaks to us today. Her mystical visions led her to a profound understanding of spirituality and she was a preacher, advisor, and spiritual guide to many. In this program we will see what Hildegard has to say to us about spirituality as a reflection of the “living light.”
October 10: American Peace Activist: Mildred Norman, Peace Pilgrim. Marjorie Bertolino presenting
Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981), born Mildred Lisette Norman, was an American spiritual teacher, mystic, pacifist, vegetarian activist and peace activist. In 1952, she became the first woman to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one season. Starting on January 1, 1953, in Pasadena, California, she adopted the name “Peace Pilgrim” and walked across the US for 28 years, speaking with others about peace. She was on her seventh cross-country journey when she died.
Suggested reading is “Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words” available free by request at https://www.peacepilgrim.org/to-receive-free-peace-pilgrim-book
October 24: Anderson Johnson, Visionary Artist of Virginia. Catherine Roseberry presenting
“I’ve heard of folk art – but what’s visionary art?”
Before I talk about Anderson Johnson (1915-1998) this fall, it might be helpful to be introduced to the confusing nomenclature surrounding the form commonly known as folk art. It’s messy, inconsistent, sometimes used interchangeably and a lot of times not.
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore has a good, relatively short commentary about this debate accompanying their mission statement (http://www.avam.org/stuff-everyone-asks/what-is-visionary-art.shtml). If you’re so moved, read the top of the page through “Can’t trained artists also hear their own voices?” Then for fun poke around their website, especially the section called “Our Visionaries.” Mr. Johnson isn’t here, but a lot of folks are. If you want a preview of his work, here are two versions of his Queen of Sheba paintings.
November 7: Contemporary Mystics in Action. Howard Garner presenting
It is a mistake to think of mystics as people who spend their days meditating in isolation from the world’s problems. In this session we will study the work of two modern-day mystics who live from the inside out and are making a difference in the world.
Richard Rohr is a Franciscan friar and the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of over 20 books, including “Yes, And…” He is an internationally known speaker and contributor to several publications on daily spiritual practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist Zen master exiled from Vietnam in 1973 for his peace activism. He is a beloved teacher, scholar, peace activist, and poet, having written over 100 books, including “Living Buddha, Living Christ.” He is the founder of Plum Village, near Bordeaux, France, a Beloved Community with over 200 Buddhist monks in residence.
November 21: “Mystical Union”: Synthesis and Integration. ASE Committee facilitating
Where we put it all together.
by Diane Bowden | Aug 19, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Clearing, COVID-19, Worship
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.
by Diane Bowden | Aug 18, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, COVID-19, Spiritual Formation
Friends, you have heard about the upcoming moi spiritual formation program at RFM - an opportunity to deepen our spiritual understanding and practice, as individuals and as a community. Baltimore Yearly Meeting's spiritual formation program serves as an umbrella for local spiritual formation groups - like the group at RFM - across the yearly meeting. BYM offers a fall and spring retreat each year to support and enhance the spiritual formation experience in local meetings. The 2020 fall retreat will be online Sept 18 and 19 - information below or at https://t.e2ma.net/message/ky9c5h/0igo71cThe retreat will be led by experienced facilitators Amy Schmaljohn and Alan Evans. It's an opportunity for a time of retreat and a chance to connect with Friends across the yearly meetingThe retreat fee will be "pay as led" so cost should not be a barrier. All are welcome at this retreat - whether or not you are able to participate in Richmond's Spiritual Formation program over the coming year.
For information about the upcoming year-long spiritual formation program at RFM, please contact Joe Ball at jball@newarka.edu
Contact me if you have questions about the BYM weekend retreat - it's under the care of BYM Ministry and Pastoral Care committee, where I serve as a member.
Rita Willett
by Diane Bowden | Aug 6, 2020 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Spiritual Formation
From Joe Ball for the Spiritual Foundation planning group:
“The heart of Spiritual Formation is the intimate sharing that takes place in small group.”
Juan Whittington
“Our Spiritual Formation Program offers practical ways for seekers to deepen their personal spiritual experience while building community. No matter where you are on your journey, the Spiritual Formation Program meets you there.”
From “Sacred Intersections: Spiritual Formation Program,” Baltimore Yearly Meeting
The focus for RFM Spiritual Formation this year will be Practical Quaker Mysticism. Readings will include but not be limited to two Pendle Hill pamphlets: John Yungblut, “Speaking as One Friend to Another: On the Mystical Way Forward” and Rex Ambler, “Mind the Oneness: The Mystic Way of the Quakers.” [Pamphlets will be provided by Adult Spiritual Education]
As in the past, each small group of 5-7 people will meet once a month, and all participants will meet in a large group once a month.
Because of the topic and the richness of the ASE program on “Mysticism: Living From the Inside Out” which will take place from September 12th to November 21st, we will start Spiritual Formation in early September this year to coordinate with and build on the ASE program.
If you have any questions about Spiritual Formation, please contact Joe Ball at jball@newarka.edu.
In the meantime, we encourage you to sign up by sending me the following information:
· Name
· Preferences for Small Group meetings:
· Morning, afternoon, or evening?
· Weekday or weekend?
· Zoom or in-person (with appropriate social distancing as needed)
· Willing to serve as a small group leader: Yes/No
· Willing to serve as a Zoom host: Yes/No
by Diane Bowden | Jul 19, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Kensington, Meeting House
Friends, this is a reminder that the meetinghouse is still closed due to the pandemic.
The building should only be used for specific committee-related activities that require a physical presence inside. Maintenance and upkeep projects are in process. We want the space to be as safe as possible for those who are caring for the building, including members of our community and contractors.
The same door code had been in use for a long time and had been distributed widely. Since building use is now limited, it is a good time to update the code. If you need to access the building for a meeting-related purpose, please contact your committee clerk.
Outdoor spaces, such as the garden and picnic table, ARE available for use. Enjoy! Please maintain suitable distances and consider wearing a mask if others are present.
Thank you,, Rita Willet, Clerk, Richmond Friends Meeting
by Diane Bowden | Jul 9, 2020 | Adult Spiritual Education, Announcement, Archive, COVID-19
N ADULT SPIRITUAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY
This Saturday, July 11, 2020
Beginning promptly at 9:30 am on Zoom
Log-in will be open at 9:15
Led by Howard Garner and Barbara Hulburt
In this time of stressful isolation, we participated in a 40-day mindfulness meditation course online. The sessions were only ten to twelve minutes long and provided an opportunity to practice relaxing, breathing, and being present. We valued these experiences and have continued to practice almost daily.
Our experiences with mindfulness meditation led us into meaningful discussions that explored two big questions that we invite you to consider on Saturday:
Is mindfulness meditation a spiritual practice?
And if it is, how does it differ from Quaker worship?
During this session, we will provide an opportunity for you to experience a short mindfulness meditation led by Tara Brach (who was one of the teachers in the course we took). You can learn more about mindfulness practice and Tara by going to her website tarabrach.org. This is not required reading.
Following the mindfulness meditation you will be given an opportunity to discuss your experience with others. We will also share our answers to the questions.
The link to the Zoom session will be sent to you on Friday. We are waiting until then so it won’t get buried in your email. We hope you will join us.
by Diane Bowden | Jul 8, 2020 | Activity, Announcement, Archive, Clearing, COVID-19, Threshing
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.
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
by Diane Bowden | Mar 16, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, Building and Grounds, COVID-19
Due to the corona virus situation, the Spring workday at RFM is cancelled. In the unlikely event that the pandemic ends before summer, workday may be rescheduled.
Bob Alexander
Clerk, B&G Committee