February Announcements

On the Calendar

Feb. 24-25:
GPQM winter gathering, hosted by GRFMM. Georgetown United Methodist Church, Jenison.

Join us in hosting the Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting Mid-winter Gathering:
As the host Meeting for the GPQM Mid-winter Gathering Feb. 24-25, we’ll need volunteers to host visiting Friends, work with young people, prepare refreshments, etc. Please let Mike Holaday (mikeholaday@att.net, 616-340-5406) know if you’d like to help in any capacity.

Program

Friday, Feb. 24

• 6:00 p.m. Registration
• 7:00 p.m. Dr. Phillip Baisley, Earlham School of Religion, “Vitality in the Small Meeting/Church”
• Overnight Adult-supervised social gathering for teens

Saturday, Feb. 25

• 9:00 a.m. Continental breakfast
• 9:30 a.m. Worship

Following worship there will be brief report of the Nominating Committee, led by Jeff Cooper.

• 11:00 a.m. Laura Norlin, Atlanta (Ga.) MM: Our plenary speaker, Laura Norlin, grew up in the Grand Rapids MM and has a lifelong leading to nurture the Light, especially in young people.
• 12 noon Lunch and discussion: Soup, sandwiches and beverages will be available. We will explore the themes of our speakers’ topics.
• 1:30 p.m. Dr. Phillip Baisley: “Getting from Here to There: A Visioning Workshop”
• 3:00 p.m. Worship

Following worship there will be a brief report from the Epistle Committee.

• 4:00 p.m. Closing and farewell

Note: A donation to help defray costs would be appreciated. We suggest $15 per family, or $10 for an individual. Scholarships are available.

News and Notes
Broaden horizons at the Interfaith Speaker’s Series on Wednesdays, from 5:45-7:30 p.m. This series, part of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute’s ongoing 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding, is held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1025 3 Mile Rd., NE, Grand Rapids. Dinner is served at 5:45; the program begins at 6:30. Childcare is available. The cost—including dinner!—is free, but please RSVP to Mike Fedewa mfedewa@sbcglobal.net. Upcoming presentations include:

• Feb. 29: Judaism (Shel Kopperl)
• Mar. 7: Baha’i (Michael Hampton)
• Mar. 21: Islam (Elaine Wahab)
• Mar. 28: Latter Day Saints (Garth Aarmodt)
• Apr. 18: Christian Orthodox (Fr. Nick Marcus)

Save your canceled stamps and donate them to Right Sharing of World Resources, a Quaker program that supports grassroots projects for economic development in poor countries. It’s simple. Please go to http://www.rswr.org/ and click on Donors, Stamps Program for details.

You can help guide the work of the FGC by participating in an online survey. The subject is, “What is most valuable and necessary for our Quaker meetings to be spiritually vital and purposeful?” The survey will take 10-15 minutes. Find it at https://www.surveymonkey.com/FGCFutureSurvey.

Learn more about Being Salt and Light, the theme of the World Conference of Friends 2012, coming April 17-25 in Nakuru, Kenya. One thousand Friends will gather to celebrate Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world. Delegates will come from around the world (many need support; you can help with a donation), as will many “open place” attendees—including you, if you’re interested! Full details are at www.saltandlight2012.org.

February Query

Do you give sufficient time to sharing with others in the meeting, both newcomers and long-time members, your understanding of worship, of service, and of commitment to long-time members, your understanding of worship, of service, and of commitment to the Society’s witness?
(Britain YM Quaker Faith & Practice, 1.02, 20)

What are we doing to recognize and nurture the skills and spiritual gifts of adults and children in our Meeting? Do we encourage attenders to take part in committees, attend business meeting, and participate in the activities of the Meeting? Do we encourage them to pursue membership when they are ready?

Do we support the Meeting financially and in other ways, according to our resources and abilities? Do we accept our share of responsibility for carrying out the Meeting’s work? How do we share our gifts and what do we hold back from offering?

When faced with personal or corporate decisions, do we join with others in seeking clearness, in asking for God’s guidance, and in offering appropriate counsel to one another?

Are we involved in the support, care, and religious education of our Meeting’s children? How do we rejoice in the presence of children and young people, nurturing and learning from the gifts they bring? How do we both learn from them and accept our responsibilities toward them?