Westport Meeting Newsletter, Dec 30, 2022

Westport Meeting News: 

Ministry and Counsel Committee wishes to express its appreciation to John Wojtowicz for managing the Zoom program during worship on Christmas Day so that Friends in the meetinghouse were able to connect with Friends worshiping online via Zoom. Thank you, John!

Ministry and Counsel Committee is also grateful to siblings Jeff Hodge, and Christina Hodge, and to their mom, Jan Hodge for once again for sharing their music during the prelude to our annual Christmas Eve Service, and to Gretchen Baker-Smith at the keyboard for making sure that we were somewhere close to singing “on key” during our sung hymns and Christmas Carols! Thanks also to Marion Athearn, Rebecca Lee Hudson, Buddy Baker Smith, and Pamela Drouin for their readings, to Amy Lee Vieira for serving as “mic runner,” and to Jay Vieira for managing the necessary tech wizardry during the Christmas Eve Service for the folks online. This year’s Christmas Eve printed program is credited to the work of Gretchen who selected the music to be sung, and Betty Ann Lee, who created this year’s annual Christmas Eve Service Program. Thank you, Friends, one and all!!

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Westport Writes Program: Westport resident and member of Allen’s Neck Meeting, Midori Evans, creator of the Westport Writes program, announces the following: “The winter prompt is here!  The winter season of Westport Writes runs from December through January, with a Writers Gathering on Jan. 14th at 1 pm in the Macomber Friends Community House and a Library Reading on Thursday, Jan. 26th at 6:30 pm. We’re also looking forward to displaying some of the  middle school student work at the library during the month of January.”  For an update on the Fall season, click HERE.

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Approved previous minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business may be read HERE.

 

MEETING CALENDAR:

(All meetings held in person, via Zoom, or hybrid (meaning in-person and via Zoom), as noted)

  • Worship each Sunday in meetinghouse and via Zoom at 10am (hybrid)
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, Jan 4, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
  • Peace and Social Justice Committee, Jan 8, 8:30 – 9:45 AM, Hybrid
  • NEYM monthly check-in for Friends serving their local meetings, Tues, Jan 10, 7pm (See below)
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, Jan 11, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
  • Monthly Meeting for Business, Sunday, Jan 15 at 8am (Zoom only)
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, Jan 18, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom
  • Book discussion, hosted by Peace and Social Justice Comm., Sunday, Jan 22, 11:30 AM
  • Seekers Group, Jan 23, at 7pm. (Hybrid) Potter House and Zoom
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, Jan 25, 3:30-4pm. Via Zoom

MIDWEEK WORSHIP, via Zoom, WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:00pm. (Kevin sends link day of)

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Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:

 NEYM December 2022 Newsletter, “Bring Pie” by Sarah Gant, may be read HERE.

Support for Quaker Parents
The Life Cycle of a Meeting
Embracing Spiritual Gifts
Facing Our History
Faithfulness Groups Workshop
Faith & Practice Revision
New Book on Eldering
Friends Camp Video
Stewardship Resources
Got Photos?
A Last Word

 

Recurring virtual events

 

Other events coming soon 

 

Monthly Check-In for Friends Serving Their Local Meetings

Jan 10, at 7 PM: An online check-in for Friends serving in leadership roles in their local meetings.

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Sandwich Quarterly Meeting News:

  • Sat, Jan 28, 2023, SQM Business,- hosted by Martha’s Vineyard Friends. Zoom only. 
  • Sat, March 25, SQM Ministry and Counsel, at E. Sandwich Meeting.
  • Quarterly Ministry and Counsel:
    March 25 in East Sandwich
    Sept. 23 in Mattapoise
  • Sat, Sept. 23 SQM Ministry and Counsel, at Mattapoisett

The recently completed presentation of “The Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools: Facing Our History and Ourselves, hosted by Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, may be viewed HERE: Friends who wish to view the recording are asked to follow their guidelines for use.

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Quaker Programs, Study, Retreats, and Spiritual Nurture:

Woolman Hill Retreat Center

Beacon Hill Friends House

Powell House

Pendle Hill

The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope (Quaker Weekly podcast by Pendle Hill)

QuakerSpeak (The Quaker religion told by those who experience it firsthand every day through weekly video interviews)

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Closing:

When the star in the sky is gone
When the kings and princes are home
When the shepherds are back with their flocks
The work of Christmas begins
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoners
To bring peace.

– Howard Thurman

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Thank you, Friends,
Kevin