July Announcements

On the Calendar:

• July 10: Meeting for worship with attention to business. Begins about 11:45 a.m.
• July 11: Annual commemoration of the victims of genocide in Srebrenica. 6:00 p.m. 6th St. Bridge Park, Grand Rapids. All are welcome.
• July 21: Middle Eastern Dinner. Meza (appetizers) at 5:00 p.m.; dinner at 6:00 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1100 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids. Fundraiser dinner and silent auction for Cathi Deyo’s trip to the West Bank in September. Suggested donation is $25 for adults, $15 for youths 12 and under. RSVP 616-805-2442 or olivesforhope@gmail.com. More details are available at http://www.olivesforhope.com/servicetrip2011.htm.
• July 24: Advancement committee meets. 9:00 a.m. Ministry and nurture committee meets. 9:00 a.m.
• July 28-31: Lake Erie Yearly Meeting Annual Meeting. Bluffton University, Bluffton Indiana. The theme is “Mindful Consumption as a Spiritual Practice.” Plenary address by Sally Weaver Summer, “On Being Called to Lesser Things.” Details available on the LEYM website, http://leym.quaker.org/News/bulletins_files/LEYM-48-3-4.pdf.
• July 31: Potluck after worship to give a sendoff to Judi and others who are participating in the Peace Walk to Lansing. All will be invited, after the meal, to walk approximately 7 miles with Judi as she goes on to Ada to join the main march, which will begin on Monday the 1st.
• August 6: Gathering to discuss various Faith & Practice guidelines, 7:00-9:00, Sarah Cox's house. Contact Scot Miller for additional info.
  
• August 7: Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting invites you to a gathering of Friends for worship followed by a pot luck on Sunday August 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Quaker Park in Battle Creek. This annual gathering is for worship focusing on prayers for peace in memory of Hiroshima Day. Attenders are asked to bring a chair as well as dish to pass and a place setting. Quaker Park is located between Fremont Street and Groveland Street in Battle Creek.
  

Other Friends Meetings in Our Area:

• Manitou Worship Group: For information, please contact Robert Foulkes at 231-326-3637 or Doris Loll at 231-882-7062.
• Fremont Worship Group For information, please contact Jo Hoersten at 231-924-8095.
• Holland Friends Meeting

News and Notes:

• The Sewing Circle will meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month (note the change), at 7:00 p.m. The location is still Roberta Rossi’s house. Bring sewing, or something to share. CDs are welcome!
• LEYM is seeking nominees for 3 committees: contact Mark Post for more info.
  

July Queries

QUERIES FOR JULY: SIMPLICITY

Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center . . . a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It takes no time, but occupies all our time. --Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion.

A life centered in God will be directed toward keeping communication with God open and unencumbered. Simplicity is best achieved through a right ordering of priorities, maintaining humility of spirit, avoiding self-indulgence, resisting the accumulation of unnecessary possessions, and avoiding over-busy lives.

Simplicity, beauty, and happiness go together if they are a by-product of a concern for something more important than our selves.
--Elise Boulding, My Part in the Quaker Adventure

Do I center my life in an awareness of God's presence so that all things take their rightful place? Do I live simply and promote right sharing of the world’s bounty? Do I keep my life uncluttered with things and activities, avoiding commitments beyond my strength and light? How do I maintain simplicity, moderation, and honesty in my speech, my manner of living, and my daily work? Do I recognize when I have enough? Is the life of the Meeting so organized that it helps us to simplify our lives? 


With thanks to the Reno (Nevada) Monthly Meeting.

June Query

Query:

• Are our Meetings for Business held in the spirit of a Meeting for Worship in which we seek divine guidance for our actions in love and mutual forbearance?
• How well do our Meetings for Business lead to a corporate search for and revelation of God's truth?
• As difficult problems arise, are we careful to meet them in a spirit of love and humility with minds open for creative solutions?
• Do we avoid pressure of time, neither unnecessarily prolonging or unduly curtailing full discussion?
• Do we recognize that the search for unity may require us to accept with good grace a decision of the Meeting with which we are not entirely in agreement?
• Are younger Friends, new members, and attenders given appropriate responsibility in the Meeting?

June Announcements

We need volunteers for children's activities (no formal First Day School during the summer). Contact Betty Ford.

June 10: Friend Book Group watched a DVD, "Brother Sun Sister Moon" about the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

May 12 talk at Friends School, Detroit

FRIENDS SCHOOL IN DETROIT
1100 St. Aubin Ave., Detroit, Michigan 48207 313.259.6722
www.friendsschool.org, www.friendscouncil.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elissa Firestone
313-259-6722 ext.13
Joe Volk, Former Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation to speak for Human Rights Day of Learning and Lectureship.
Detroit, MI - On Thursday, May 12, 2011, Joe Volk, Former Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, will be in Detroit to speak on “Human Rights on an International Level: Translating Protest into Policy” at Friends School in Detroit’s 4th annual Miyoko Inouye Bassett Memorial Human Rights Day of Learning and Lectureship. Joe Volk has more than three decades of experience working for peace and social justice. He played a key role in founding the Iraq Working Group and has served as a leader in the Washington Interreligious Staff Committee. He has lobbied Congress to support peaceful prevention of deadly conflict, nuclear disarmament, peace in Iraq, and many other issues.
As part of our the longstanding commitment to educating the leaders of tomorrow about human rights issues, each year an individual demonstrat­ing distinctive commitment to human rights work is selected to share his or her story. After a day spent at Friends School, the guest “teacher” will address the larger Detroit community at a public evening lecture:
A daytime presentation is available for a small number of guests who will be warmly welcomed to come in at 1:30 for a student-led tour of the school followed by Mr Volk's presentation to the middle school students and their interactions with him. Visitors are welcome by prior arrangement. Please email efirestone@friendsschool.org or call 313-259-6722 ext. 13.


An evening presentation is available for the public. A reception is planned for 6 p.m. and Joe Volk’s presentation at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
The Human Rights day is made possible by the Miyoko Inouye Basett Fund. Miyoko Inouye Bassett was an extraordinary and courageous human being who worked with characteristic gentleness for everything she believed to be right and just. Friends School in Detroit had the gift of her service as a member of the Board of Trustees. The legacy of Miyo’s messages of inclusion and dedication are sustained at Friends School through a Memorial Human Rights Lectureship & Day of Learning to honor her life and strengthen that hope. This annual event will increase community awareness of human rights issues and model an educational approach that equates the welfare of the entire world with the welfare of each of us as individuals.
Friends School in Detroit is a nationally recognized independent school offering quality education to preschool (age 3) through eighth grade. Convenient for parents working downtown, it is located in the Lafayette Park area of Detroit. The student body reflects the city’s cultural, religious, racial and economic diversity. Founded in 1965, the school has gained a reputation for its academic excellence reflected in the success of its many graduates. The students, grounded and solid in foundation, go on to premier high schools and enter top colleges and universities such as Harvard, Princeton and Amherst. Friends School is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Independent Schools of the Central States (ISACS), and the Association of Independent Michigan Schools (AIMS).

May Announcements

May 15 program: Larry Hamlet, graduate student in the Communications program at GVSU, studying race and communication, will present a program on social justice after worship on May 15.

May 21: GPQM spring gathering will take place on Saturday, May 21, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Michigan Friends Center in Chelsea. The focus of the meeting will be on the business of the Quarter. Ed Harris, the new Head of School at Friends School in Detroit, will present on the state of the school. Natalie Holbrook from the AFSC Criminal Justice Office in Ann Arbor and Max Heirich from the Inclusive Justice Program will give updates. And we are happy to have both Michigan Friends Center and the Friends Lake Cooperative represented at this meeting by Steve Daut and Richard Tucker respectively not only to report but also to reflect on how to better collaborate with Quarterly. There will also be other committee reports and business as part of the agenda.

Lunch is provided ($5 donation is accepted) and childcare is organized by Pine River Monthly Meeting.

For more information please contact: Dianne Guenin-Lelle, dgueninlelle@albion.edu .


Gentle reminder and note for those who are newer to the Grand Rapids Friends Meeting: GRFM tries to be aware of the health issues regarding fragrances added to products such as hygiene care (e.g.,perfumes, colognes, deodorants, aftershaves, lotions, essential oils, shampoos, conditioners, hairsprays and gels), laundry (detergents, softeners, dryer sheets), and items like scented candles, incense, plug-in air fresheners, hanging air fresheners in cars, and patchouli. Please try to use unscented products on First Day (Sunday) and be mindful about artificial fragrances added to the products you use regularly. Those of us who have serious illnesses triggered by fragrances thank you for your consideration!

May Query

• Do we each take an active part in the life of our Meeting?
• How do we recognize the varied skills and spiritual gifts of our members and attenders? How do we nurture their use and growth?
• In what ways are we bringing together members and attenders, young and old, in love and community?
• Do we visit one another in our homes and keep in touch with distant members?
• How are strangers made to feel welcome in our midst?
• How do we encourage attenders to share in Meeting activities and responsibilities?