Weekly Announcements for December 1, 2023
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A Season for Gathering Together |
As the days get shorter, BYM's 50 Monthly Meetings and Local Worshipping Communities are getting into the winter spirit with opportunities to gather together. These special events are a wonderful opportunity to visit another Meeting, get to know Friends in our region, and perhaps bring home something sweet for the holidays. What does your meeting have planned this winter?
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Dec 2nd, 9am - 2pm - Quaker Holiday Market at Annapolis Friends Meeting. Email market@annapolisfriends.org with questions.
- Dec 2nd, All Day - American Indian Society Christmas Bazaar at Sandy Spring Friends Meeting.
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Dec 16th, 11am - 2pm - Knitting & Crafting Meet-Up at Adelphi Friends Meeting. Bring your winter fiber arts project for a cozy afternoon in the Adelphi library. Email mari.schimmer@gmail.com for more info.
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Tuesdays, 4pm - 5pm - Meeting for Worship at the Collington Retirement Community. Join Collington's thriving worship for their regular worship in the community chapel each Tuesday at 4pm. Visitors enthusiastically welcome!
Submit your events to Admin@bym-rsf.org, and we'll share them in the Weekly Announcements and on the BYM Events Calendar.
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Silence & Light for Quaker Newcomers, Dec 2 - Jan 6
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Michael Levi (Adelphi) will lead a five-week Friends General Conference Program: an e-retreat to explore and practice the experience of Quaker worship and silent waiting. This e-retreat is offered for people who are curious about Quakers or new to Quakerism and will explore the basics of Quaker theology and practic. (The program will skip the week of December 23.)
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| It's Time to Submit Your News for the Winter Interchange
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The Interchange is BYM's quarterly news-letter. While the Weekly Announcements focuses on upcoming event and time-sensitive news, the Interchange is our chance to connect more deeply across our Yearly Meeting. Most beloved, the Interchange features News from Local Worshipping Communities, your chance to share with Friends recent births, deaths, new memberships, committee activities, and others joys and concerns with the 7,000 Friends who make up BYM. The Winter Interchange will go out in late-January. Please submit your news by Dec 15th to Admin@bym-rsf.org.
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Participating in God's Power: School of the Spirit application deadline extended to Dec 15!
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How do we go deeper in our spiritual lives and serve more profoundly in a world that is daily moving towards violence, division, and the unraveling of the web of life?
Participating in God’s Power is a year-long program that welcomes Friends who seek to develop or deepen in spiritual practice, and to live that learning and growth out in every aspect of their lives. Details linked below or email Christopher Sammond with questions - sammondc@gmail.com.
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| BYM Camps Staff Applications OPEN for 2024
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Staff and Work Grant Applications are now open for the 2024 BYM Camps season! Whether you're a young person looking for a fun, rewarding summer job; a returning staffer ready to bring your leadership skills back to camp; or a tried-and-true work grantor - we're looking forward to your application. The entire camping community is excited to start thinking about Summer 2024 and to start building out the teams that will make the magic happen for 600+ young people and their families!
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Friends Meeting of Washington Passes Minute on Conflict in Israel-Palestine
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On November 19th, united behind the following Minute at a Called Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business:
We are heartbroken by the terror, violence and devastation unfolding in Israel/Palestine. We reaffirm the declaration of the first generation of Quakers in 1660: “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever; and this is our testimony to the whole world.” We believe in the sacred worth of each human being and unite with the calls of Friends and many people across the world for a ceasefire now, immediate release of the hostages, and the provision of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. We unconditionally oppose the anti-Semitism and Islamophobia that have led to the rise in hateful rhetoric and actions targeting Jewish, Muslim and Arab people in the United States and worldwide. As Friends Meeting of Washington, we pray that this lengthy conflict be ended quickly in a way that promotes equality, safety, and justice for all. Let us seek paths to work for peace with the tools available to us. We are called to act in faith and love, with persistence, patience, and courage, as partners and hands of the divine spirit as we pursue the sacred goal of peace, shalom, salaam. - November 19, 2023
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| Annual Session 2024 Seeks Vendors and BOOKS!
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The Used Bookstore will be back by popular demand at the 2024 Annual Session! Friends are asked to search your shelves for up to 10 New or Like New books which you would like to donate. Peg Hansen plans to gather books at interim meetings leading up to Annual Session, or donations can be dropped off at the Yearly Meeting Office. In addition, we are reaching out to all our artistic Friends in search of those interested in being a vendor in the Bookstore. We invited you to offer your items for sale! The application process is easy, and if you let us know that you plan to join us, we can provide enough table space for everyone to fit comfortably! For questions or to sign up, email the Bookstore Manager at bookstore@bym-rsf.org.
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Rolling into the Ridge: An Update on Opequon Quaker Camp |
In the short 4 months since Friends approved the move of Opequon Quaker Camp to Rolling Ridge during Annual Session, staff and volunteers have been very busy with all aspects of this wonderful (and BIG) project!
Brian Massey, Opequon Director Jared Wood, Dave Hunter, and the BYM Camp Program and Property Committees have moved literally tons of furniture, materials, and supplies from "Oldpequon" to the Outdoor Education Center at Rolling Ridge - the new home of Opeuqon Quaker Camp. Essential upgrades to the driveway are already in progress so that construction of cabins and green outhouses can be begin. There will be more camp workdays throughout the winter and spring to prepare "Newpequon" for campers in June!
At the same time, fundraising has begun on the project. We will be "kicking off" the Special Campaign for Rolling Ridge in early 2024. The Campaign's goal is to raise up to $700,000 (depending on the needs) over the next 3 years. We are thrilled and full of gratitude to report that Friends have already donated over 20% of our goal before even kicking off the campaign!
We will be sharing a more in-depth plan and timeline for opening Opequon Quaker Camp at Rolling Ridge early in the new year. In the meantime, we invite Friends to help us keep rolling, rolling, rolling:
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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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