Westport Meeting Newsletter March 4, 2022

Westport Meeting News:

Bread Day, Saturday, held Saturday, March 5, in our Community and led by Gretchen Baker-Smith, was a great success! Photos of the day’s event, taken by Buddy Baker-Smith, will be in next week’s newsletter.
 
 
 

 
 

Bread Making “How-To’s,” Resources, and Recipe Book by Gretchen Baker-Smith:

Pull-Apart Bread Page HERE.
 
Bread Quotes HERE.
 
Morning Wings Recipe Book HERE.
 
 
Gretchen Baker-Smith, she/her/hers
14 Norcroft Street, Dartmouth, MA 02748
(Images by K.Lee ©)
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Faith and Practice Pastoral Care Chapter Revision: Westport Friends may remember the previously posted NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee’s Draft chapter for review and discussion on Ministry and Counsel committees at the monthly meeting level; Our Meeting’s M&C committee has been reviewing this document, but all Westport Friends are encouraged to review this draft copy as well. Click HEREfor the link.

Ministry and Counsel Committee has set a date of Sunday, March 13, following worship to discuss and receive comments from our members and attenders. The 38 page draft document represents a significant and thorough reworking of what is currently in the 1986 edition of NEYM Book of Faith and Practice. The NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee is eager to receive feedback from monthly meetings, so this is our chance to do so as a Meeting community. 

Midweek worship will continue to be offered each week on Wednesdays at 3:30 PM. Please note that the link for midweek worship is not the same as our regular worship on Sunday. A link for joining Midweek worship (which is the same link each week) will be emailed each week on Wednesday mornings. To insure security, we never post Zoom links on websites or portals visible to the general public. Questions? Contact Kevin Lee.

Help with Zoom Connections: Instructions for connecting to worship each Sunday, and Monthly Meeting for Business each month, is HERE.
 
Westport Monthly Meeting Minutes may be read in Google Docs HERE.

 

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

  • Worship each Sunday in meetinghouse and via Zoom at 10am (hybrid)
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  • Seekers Group, Mon, Feb 28, 7-8:30 PM (Zoom Only) 
  • Midweek worship, Wed, March 2, 3:30-4pm (link sent day of, Zoom only)
  • NEYM  and Westport Meeting “Bread Day,” March 5, 2022, with Gretchen Baker-Smith and Maggie Fiori. (Details above and below)
  • Ministry and Counsel Committee, Monday, March 7, 7pm. Zoom only.
  • NEYM Meeting leaders call, Tues, March 8, 7pm. via Zoom.
  • Second Hour Discussion: March 13, 11:30 – 12:30. Faith and Practice Pastoral Care revision (See above)
  • Seekers Group, Mon, March 14, 7-8:30 PM (Hybrid)
  • JYM Retreat, March 18-20, “We knead each other,” via Zoom
  • Monthly Meeting for Business, March 20, at 8 AM (Zoom Only)
  • Peace & Social Justice Committee, March 21 at 7pm (Zoom only)
  • JHYM (Hoped for!) Retreat, April 1-3. Details TBA 
  • NEYM Permanent Board, Sat, April 2, 9am-1pm (Zoom only)
  • NEYM Ministry and 3rd Spiritual Life Gathering, April 9, Portland Friends Meeting (hybrid, info HERE)
  • Clean Up Westport (COW), Sat, April 9, 9am – 1pm. (More details soon)
  • BOOK FAIR: July 9-17
  • NEYM Annual Sessions, Castleton, VT, August 5-11 (Hybrid – tentative)

MIDWEEK WORSHIP, via Zoom, WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:00pm!

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Yearly Meeting/Wider Quaker News:

NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee: Draft chapter for review and discussion on Ministry and Counsel committees at the monthly meeting level; [Our Meeting’s M&C committee will be reviewing this document, but all Friends are encouraged to review this draft copy as well. Click HERE for the link. (Also, please see annoucement above under “Westport Meeting News.”

New England Yearly Meeting Newsletter, “You Are the Leaven,” February, 2022, by Beth Bussiere-Nichols of Portland Friends Meeting may be read HERE:

Introduction
For BIPOC Friends
The radical Quaker spiritual journey
Read The Lemon Tree
Preserve your meeting’s history
Best practices in nominating
Coming: bread day
Mysticism, Physics, and Healing book group
Quakers adapting in new ways
Support for addressing racial justice
“Midweek Meditations” returns
We’re hiring!
Reunion coordinator needed
Being an activist
What is required of me?
Your feedback is needed!
“Ministry: the call and the challenge” on video
Sharpen your Zoom skills
Quakers in the news
A last word

Gretchen’s JYM-JHYM latest newsletter, issue of Feb 28, 2022, contains an opening reflection, programming and retreat info for young people, parents and Friends throughout New England Yearly Meeting.  Read her latest bi-weekly newsletter HERE.

Bread Retreat, Nov 2010 K. Lee photo ©

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Third Gathering on Spiritual Life and Ministry for Friends in New England, April 9, 2022. This event will be held, in person, at Friends School in Portland, ME, and virtually, on Zoom. Additional information may be read HERE.

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Quaker organizations, and our Yearly Meeting as a whole, are offering an amazing array of opportunities to expand our knowledge and improve our practice as Friends in a variety of ways. Check out the following links and see what we are being offered! Also, take a few minutes and explore additional programs offered by NEYM by visiting the Events page HERE.

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March 8, at 7 PM: An online check-in for Friends serving in leadership roles in their local meetings.


Recurring virtual events

Sandwich Quarterly Meeting News:

From Deena Kinsky, SQM Newsletter Editor:

Here are some upcoming events.

West Falmouth Peace and Social Order 2nd Sunday lecture series. These will be Sundays from 12-1:00 on Zoom, and registration is required. Check with Brenda Nolan  nolanbab@gmail.com if you’d like to register or be put on a mailing list:

  • March 13: Walking Humbly, Quakers + Right Relationship
Leslie Manning, Clerk, NEYM Permanent Board will speak about her experiences with incarcerated people and their loved ones; her work with the Reparations (for Native Americans) group for New England Quakers and what she has learned about being an ally, standing with and learning from marginalized communities. And, she wants to hear your experiences as well.
  • April 10: The Beloved Border Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land
Miriam Davidson a prize-winning Quaker journalist with over 30 years reporting on the borderlands is based in Tucson, Arizona.
Miriam will discuss her new book on border issues. Published in September 2021 by the University of Arizona Press, The Beloved Border describes the work of Quaker researchers and activists, as well as, the influence of Quaker ideas like sanctuary and nonviolence, in helping shape the future of the U.S.-Mexico border region.
  • Sandwich Quarter Meetings for Business
    -April 23 at New Bedford (State of Society Reports for 2021 are to be presented at this meeting)
    -July 23 at Westport (currently under review for switching with W. Falmouth Meeting)
    -October 22 at W. Falmouth (currently under review for switching with Westport Meeting)
  • SQM Ministry & Counsel
    -March 26 at E Sandwich Preparative Meeting
    -September 24 at Mattapoisett

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Closing:

Jesus promised those who would follow his leadings only three things:
that they should be absurdly happy,
entirely fearless,
and always in trouble.

– Marty Babcock

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Thank you, Friends,

Kevin Lee