Weekly Announcements for January 2, 2025
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Final Q&A Meeting for Camp Governance Discernment, January 8 |
Friends are further invited to join the Camp Governance Study Group on Jan 8, 2026, at 7:30pm via zoom to share questions, concerns and comments regarding our recommendation that BYM form an LLC to manage the BYM Camping Program. Friends are encouraged to read both the advance documents for this meeting and the BYM 2026 budget documents before the meeting. If you are unable to access the documents through the link, please email Katie Bliss at kabliss@gmail.com or Betsy Roush at ebroush@gmail.com.
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With great sadness we share the news that Rachel Lord (Adelphi/FMW/BYM Camps) died on December 29th, after a 9 month journey with a rare and aggressive lymphoma. She died at home, which was her wish, surrounded by her brother, her dear friend, and her devoted husband, Sam McCormally. She was only 42, and mother to Mona, age 10,and Eliza, age 6. The family is blessed by a large and loving community, who are surrounding them in care. A Memorial Meeting is scheduled for this Sat, Jan 3rd at 3:30pm at Friends Meeting of Washington.
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| Miles White Beneficial Society Grants & Scholarships Open for Proposals |
The Miles White Beneficial Society of Baltimore City (MWBS) is now accepting applications for their scholarship program. Scholarships of up to $7,000 are available for undergraduate and vocational school students. Applications open on January 12 and close on March 6, 2026, with funding decisions by the end of May 2026. For applications information and forms, go to https://mileswhite.org/.
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Requests for Spiritual State of the Meeting Reports |
BYM Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee is excited to request Spiritual State of the Meeting Reports from all BYM monthly meetings and local worshipping communities and all Yearly Meeting committees, working groups, and affinity groups. This year's queries arise from concerns Meetings and individuals have expressed to Ministry and Pastoral Care over the past year. We hope your Meeting or group will use these queries as opportunities to draw closer to one another and to Spirit. Reports are requested by April 30,2026. Completed reports can be sent to admin@bym-rsf.org or by postal mail. Questions? Email the committee and mandpc@bym-rsf.org
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| First Reading of 2026 Budget |
The 2026 Budget was not presented at the November Interim Meeting due to time constraints. Stewardship & Finance has prepared the memos below to serve as the first reading of the budget. Digital copies and paper copies have been posted to all Monthly Meetings. Interested Friends are invited to join the Stewardship and Finance Committee meeting on Mon, Jan 5 at 7pm for questions, concerns, or further discernment. A second reading of the 2026 budget is scheduled for a called interim meeting scheduled for Sat, Jan 31. You can find the Zoom Links for the S&F Committee Meeting and Interim Meeting on the BYM Events calendar and in upcoming Weekly Announcements. If you are unable to attend either of these meetings but have questions or concerns, please address them to the committee’s email at sandf@bym-rsf.org.
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Discernment Workshop: Are We Committed to Justice for All in Israel/Palestine?Reflections on Joining the Apartheid-Free Communities Coalition |
This winter, Steve Chase is traveling in the ministry to BYM Monthly Meetings in his capacity as Outreach Coordinator for the Apartheid-Free Communities' Quaker Affinity Group. A member of Friends Meeting of Washington and BYM's Palestinian and Israeli Peace and Justice Working Group, Steve will speak to Friends about nurturing a sustainable peace by ending our complicity with the US-backed Israeli system of apartheid and explore how Quakers can work nonviolently for peace, justice, and equality for all Palestinians and Jewish Israelis. Jewish safety is a real need throughout the world, yet it can never be achieved through the ongoing destruction, domination, or dispossession of the Palestinian people and the repression of human rights advocates opposed to apartheid and genocide.
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| Songs of the Soul at Richmond Meeting, Jan 11 |
Richmond Friends Meeting Adult Spiritual Education invites you to participate in Songs of the Soul, a program of worship-sharing with music. This relaxed, candlelit evening is scheduled for Sunday, January 11, starting at 4:30 in the community room. If you’d like to submit a piece of music to share, please send an email to Lee Bloxom at leebloxom@gmail.com with the subject line “songs of the soul.” The music can range from ancient to current, be recorded or live, instrumental or with lyrics. Be sure to include the song’s title and the name of the artist. You may either perform your song, or send Lee a digital recording in mp3, mp4, or wav formats, or send a link to your song on YouTube or Spotify. We’ll have time for reflection and worship sharing after each selection. The deadline for song submissions is Monday, Jan. 5 We look forward to soul sharing through music on a mid-January eve: January 11, 4:30 to 6
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Save the Date: BYM Peace & Social Concerns Networking Day, March 14
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How are we Meeting the Moment? Quakers are being called again to “speak Truth to power.” Discerning, articulating, and implementing the guidance of the Inner Light through contemporary language and targeted actions has never been more important. Our 2026 BYM Networking Day will be SATURDAY, March 14, 9-3 pm at the Friends Meeting School, 3232 Green Valley Road, Ijamsville, MD. We invite local meetings to share our/your best ideas for meeting the moment. In addition, we are planning up to four 90-minute workshops and are looking for input from monthly meetings. Please send suggestions to Dougevaughn@aol.com
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Peace and Social Concerns Committee Urge Discernment & Action on Palestine/Israel |
BYM's Peace and Social Concerns Committee urge all BYM Quaker Meetings to reflect on the past two years of US support for the devastation in Gaza and the intensification of apartheid in occupied Palestine. In particular, we encourage all BYM Meetings to take a public stand and work for peace, justice, and equality for all Palestinians and Jewish Israelis by signing on to the international Quaker statement Quakers Discern that Genocide Is Occurring in Gaza and joining the rapidly growing Aparthied Free Communities coalition convened by AFSC. We also encourage Friends to use the Quaker discernment resources available through the Apartheid-Free Quaker Affinity Group. For more information, contact Steve Chase.
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To submit your items for the BYM Weekly Announcements,
please email Admin@bym-rsf.org.
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| Baltimore Yearly Meeting
17100 Quaker Lane | Sandy Spring, MD | 20860 USA
www.bym-rsf.org
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