Westport Meeting Newsletter, March, 2024

Westport Meeting News: 

Actions by Monthly Meeting for Business on Feb 18:

State of Society, March 3: Following a period of discussion, Friends were in unity to hold a worship sharing format at 11:30 AM, March 3, with the focus of assessing our spiritual condition as a Meeting community, holding up our strengths, shortcomings, and areas needing needing attention for growth as a monthly meeting within the Religious Society of Friends.
Please Note: The previously scheduled  discussion regarding the role of Trustees within our Meeting has been reschedule to April 14, at the rise of meeting for worship.  

Bread Day March 23, 2024

“3:00-7:00 PM at Westport Meeting. Click HERE to view flyer.

Come participate in imagining that the yeast, or the starter, is like the Seed of God and the dough is like us. If the starter doesn’t get fed into the dough, it would wither and die. But when it has a purpose, and it’s fed and nurtured, it starts to grow and spread all over the dough and teaches the dough to come alive. When we listen to the little voice within us that is connected to Spirit, when we give it purpose and offer it to the community, it can grow and transform the whole and help us be a community more deeply rooted in Spirit.

Come for all or part of the afternoon including a shared supper and bread at about 6PM. This year we’ll be making dough for Hot Cross Buns to be baked at home for Easter!

We will gather as we did last year, for a glorious day of intergenerational fellowship and community.  Please let Gretchen know at hellogretchen@gmail.com if you will be attending, just so we have an idea of how many people to plan for. We look forward to the rising possibilities!” Click HERE to view flyer. – Gretchen BakerSmith, et al.  

“Alternative: An Exhibition of Alternative Photographic Processes” at Gallery X featuring Meeting member John Wojtowics,  David Stephen Graves, Jill Law, Marc St. Pierre and David Walega. April 3-27. 169 William Street, New Bedford. Gallery hours: Wed-Fri 11:00-3:30 PM. Sat & Sun 12:00-3:00 PM. www.galleryx.org.

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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, March 6, 3:30-4pm. via Zoom
  • Discussion: March 10, 11:30 AM, regarding South Coast LGBTQ+ Network with
    Andy Pollock and Eileen Dugan. In Potter House sitting room. Hybrid
  • NEYM Meeting Leaders Call, Tues, March 12, 7pm via Zoom. Details
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, March 13, 3:30-4pm via Zoom 
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, March 20, 3:30-4pm via Zoom
  • “Bread Day,” Saturday, March 23 in Community House. Details above
  • Monthly Meeting for Business, Sunday, March 24, at 8am via Zoom
  • Seekers Group, Monday, March 25, 7-8:30 PM. HYBRID
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, March 27, 3:30-4pm
  • Midweek Meeting for Worship, Wed, April 3, 3:30-4pm via Zoom
  • “Alternative: An Exhibition of Alternative Photographic Processes” at Gallery X
    featuring Meeting member John Wojtowics and others! April 3-27. Details above 
  • NEYM/YF/JHYM Retreat at Westport, April 4-7
  • Discussion regarding Meeting’s witness to racism, April 14, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM in Potter. Hybrid
  • Ministry and Counsel Committee, April 15, at 7:00 PM via Zoom
  • Peace & Social Justice Committee, Sunday, April 28, at 8:30 AM

SAVE THE DATE:

  • NEYM “Living Faith Gathering,” Dartmouth, MA, April 6. DETAILS 
  • NEYM/JYM Retreat at Westport, June 14-16
  • NEYM Annual Sessions, Aug 2-7, 2024, at Castleton U., Vermont
  • Sandwich Quarterly Meeting at Westport, Sat, Oct 26, 2024

 

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

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New England Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:

NEYM’s March 2024 Newsletter may be read HERE.

Introduction
Don’t forget to register for Living Faith!
Fundraiser for Cuban Friends
Quaker Families Retreat
Other Events Coming Soon
Meet our new Teen & Outreach Ministries Coordinator
Help make Sessions happen
Legacy grant application deadlines
Happy news from Dover Friends
News from Weare Friends
Reconciliation leadership workshop offering
Celebrate George Fox and Quakers everywhere
Support for monthly meeting tech folks
Work at Friends Camp
Our hopes for this newsletter
Quakers in the news
A last word

Recurring NEYM virtual events

NEYM Living Faith Gathering, April 6, 2024.

Living Faith Gatherings bring together Quakers from across New England to strengthen connections between Friends of different generations and from different meetings, nourish spirits, and provide an opportunity to share the ways we experience and live our faith. We hope Living Faith gatherings will be an opportunity to equip individual Friends and local meetings with resources, tools, and connections to more fully live our faith. (from NEYM website) DETAILS.

Monthly check-in for Friends serving their local meetings takes place every second Tuesday of the month, 7-8 PM.
Upcoming dates are:
March 12
April 9
May 14
June 11
July 9
 

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Sandwich Quarterly Meeting

Meeting for business:

April 27 at Dartmouth/Smith Neck

July 27 at New Bedford

October 26 at Westport 

Meetings start at 10:00 am– most likely hybrid, but will be coordinated with each meeting. Meet for coffee and greetings at 9:30

Ministry & Counsel 

March 23 at E. Sandwich Preparative Meeting 

September 28 at Mattapoisett 

Meetings start at 10:00 am.

Living Fait

NEYM is coordinating a Living Faith Gathering to be held at Friends Academy in Dartmouth on April 6, 20024. Would Friends like to be part of a committee and volunteer? Possible help may be needed finding coordinators for workshops that the program organizers approve or finding Friends to host traveling Friends. 

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Quaker Programs, Study, Retreats, and Spiritual Nurture:

Woolman Hill Retreat Center

Beacon Hill Friends House

Powell House

Pendle Hill

QuakerSpeak (Our Quaker faith as shared by those who experience it firsthand, every day, via weekly video interviews)

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Closing:

The greatness of a community is most accurately
measured by the compassionate actions of its members,
a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love.

Coretta Scott King

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Thank you, Friends,
Kevin