Weekly Announcements as of 02.04.2024

Weekly Announcements

Reminder:

If you know of an event or a joy that you would like to see in the Weekly Announcements, please send the information to: communications@annapolisfriends.org

Coming Up:

The list of events below can also be viewed on the AFM website’s homepage or on the AFM Calendar.

Note: Titles link to the information down below for  greater detail and the word “Zoom” in the Coming Up section contains the link to the online meeting. 

Additional Topics:

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What’s News, Joys and Life Happenings

Friends are invited to share their News, Joys and Life Happenings with each other during Meeting for Worship, through the Weekly Announcements email, and on the AFM-Discuss. If you have joys to share, please contact Ellen M. at communications@annapolisfriends.org and the sharings will be added to our news, joys and life happenings section. It should be noted that inaccuracies may exist in the information due to sound quality or receiving is not always precise. The recent joys and happenings we’ve learned of include:

  • Many Friends are grateful and feel joy that medical conditions have improved and that health is being restored.
  • Joy to see Friends from near and far visiting in person at the meetinghouse.
  • Joy that our Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business relies on Spirit (a.k.a., God, Light, Truth, etc.) to discern the Meeting’s decisions.
  • Tom W. expressed joy and gratitude for the Bible study that Francis W. is leading. 

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African-American (Black) History Month

February was designated Black History Month in 1976 and continues today. For 2024, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) theme is “The Arts”, including visual, performing, literature, fashion, folk-lore, film and more.

Additionally, AFM has a resource webpage with a list of books, podcasts, videos and more: African-American History.  This webpage will be edited periodically to include other resources.

Contact Margaret H. or Phil C. at social-concerns@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Friendly Bible Studies

Register Now! There are more slots available to join the Friendly Bible Studies. There are still openings and more people can join!

The two online Bible Studies that started on January 30 are being held on Tuesdays until February 27 (Tuesday).

  • From 10 am to noon, “Proper Effort” led by Francis W. 
  • From 7 pm to 9 pm, Paul’s letter to the Romans led by Nancy Jo S. 

Details:

“Proper Effort” (Tuesdays at 9 am with Francis W.) is an outline of Scripture from Thirty-Three Ways Seven Faiths Agree with Meher Baba, written by our own Tom Wolfe & Companions.

  1. Do not shirk your responsibility: 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8
  2. Attend to your duties but do not be attached to results: Matthew 6: 20-21
  3. Accept happiness and suffering with equal poise: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
  4. Accept what comes to you without resentment: Romans 8:26
  5. Help and serve others: Luke 14: 13-14
  6. Remember God with your dying breath: Psalms 5: 11-12

The focus of Paul’s Letters to the Romans (Tuesdays at 7 pm with Nancy Jo S.) will be on Chapters 1 and 2. 

To learn more about the Friendly Bible Study approach please, check out Friendly Bible Study at https://www.read-the-bible.org/friendlybiblestudy.htm.  While most people have greatly enjoyed this approach to reading the Bible, some people may not like it.

To register, contact Pat S. at info@annapolisfriends.org.

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Quaker Market Committee

On February 5 (Monday) at 7:30 pm, the Quaker Market Committee will meet via Zoom.

Contact Cairn K. at market@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Worship in North County

On February 6 (Tuesday) at 7 pm and each First Tuesday of the month, an in-person worship opportunity is held on a Friend’s back porch in northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie). Masks are required. All are welcome! Come sit with us!

For more information, contact Diane E. at info@annapolisfriends.org.

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Stewardship & Finance Committee

On February 6 (Tuesday) at 7 pm the Stewardship and Finance Committee will be meeting on Zoom. Stewardship and Finance prepares AFM’s annual budget for consideration of the Business Meeting, reports the Meeting’s financial needs, and reminds members and attenders of their financial responsibility to support the Meeting.

Contact stewardship@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Welcome Light Wednesday

Starting at 7 pm every Wednesday, the Welcome Light Wednesday group will meet via Zoom with 20 minutes of silence to start followed by spiritual readings and then listening to our spiritual journeys. Time will be given to hold friends in healing Light. In the past, this group was called the Wednesday Meditation Group.

Contact Patty R. at info@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Spiritual Friends Group

On February 8 (Thursday) at 4 pm, the Spiritual Friends Group, under the umbrella of Ministry and Pastoral Care, will meet via Zoom. The group meets online on the 2nd Thurs. of each month to nurture our spiritual lives and, if requested, to ask the group to hold us accountable to our individual intentions. Everyone is welcome. Quakers and non-Quakers!

Contact Barb T. at ministry-pastoralcare@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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5th Night Light – Every Thursday evening

From 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm every Thursday, the AFM community engages in a spiritual practice that acknowledges the Light of God within each person and that to be in community is to actively care for one another. During that time, Friends hold people and situations who need additional spiritual support in the Light. Friends will pause wherever they may be, read the list of names, and hold each person or situation in our hearts and in the Light. On Wednesday, the list of names or situations are sent out to the AFM-Announce list.

Friends are invited to share their request for a person or situations to be held in the Light by contacting the Ministry & Pastoral Care Committee.

Emails can be sent to ministry-pastoralcare@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Dayspring Silent Retreat – Registration Date

Please register prior to February 9 (Friday) end of day if you plan to go on the AFM Dayspring Silent Retreat in Germantown, MD that will take place starting at 3:30 pm on February 16 (Friday) and ending at 2 pm on February 18 (Sunday). Make check payable to Dayspring Retreat Center and mail to Jean Christianson, 189 Edgewater Rd., Pasadena, MD 21122.  A check ($250 or deposit) will guarantee your spot or place you on the waitlist. Balance is due February 16 (Friday). Checks will be deposited after the retreat. Scholarships are available.

Dayspring Silent Retreat Center is an ecumenical silent retreat center, a sacred place set aside for silence, solitude, reflection and prayer. The 210 acres of rolling forests and fields invite you to wander the paths, pause by the streams and ponds, rest on a bench in the shade, or walk the stone labyrinth.

Two buildings welcome all who search for silence: The Lodge, overlooking the meadows, has a lovely sitting room with a fireplace and small library, a kitchen and a dining room; and The Inn, nestled in the forest, has 18 individual rooms with twin bed, chair, table, and sink.

We welcome all who are called to deepen their spiritual life through the practice of silent retreat. Check out the Dayspring website: Dayspringretreat.org

For more information, contact Jean C. at info@annapolisfriends.org.

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Meetinghouse Work Day (Bartram’s Buddies)

On February 10 (Saturday) at 9:30 am, please join our monthly “Bartram’s Buddies” work day on the second Saturday of each month. There are a variety of tasks to help keep the meetinghouse and grounds tidy and functional.

Contact Kim F. or Jeanne W. at meetinghouse@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Meeting for Learning: Prayer (Part 2)

On February 11 (Sunday) at 9:15 am, Part 2 of the Meeting for Learning on Prayer will be held in person in the classroom and via Zoom. It is not necessary to have attended Part 1. Part 2 will include reflections on prayer from a Quaker theological perspective. Facilitated by Ann R. and Jean C.

Contact Martha B. at ministry-pastoralcare@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Chesapeake Quarterly Meeting

Starting at 10:00 am, February 11 (Sunday) at Sandy Springs Friends Meeting, the Chesapeake Quarterly Meeting (CQM) will meet and hear from Quaker Voice of Maryland (QVM) and Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) about their efforts during this year’s General Assembly.

After lunch, there will be a Meeting for Sharing starting at 1:15 pm where each meeting will have an opportunity to share what is going on in each of the Monthly Meetings.

Children are welcome! Please register if you will be coming in person, staying for lunch and/or bringing children.  RSVP by February 01 (Friday) to help with food planning and children’s program organizing. Either way, please come!

Schedule:

9:30 Coffee, snacks, and welcome
10:00 Maryland Legislative Update: Room 204, Community House (hybrid – https://bit.ly/3v7eRkD)
11:00 Meeting for Worship: Meeting House (hybrid – https://bit.ly/3TyucVe)
12:15 Lunch: Lyceum
1:15 CQM Meeting for Sharing: Meeting House (hybrid – https://bit.ly/3TyucVe)
2:15 Conclusion and Farewell

Contact Canby R. at info@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Spiritual State of the Meeting

On February 11 (Sunday) starting at 11:30 am during the Meeting for Worship, Annapolis Friends will worshipfully consider the queries and, in a Worship Sharing format, record the responses, so that a Spiritual State of the Meeting report can be developed for AFM. 

Each Winter, the Ministry & Pastoral Care Committee of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) circulates queries to all BYM Monthly Meetings of which Annapolis Friends Meeting is one and to other  local worshiping communities to help guide the writing of their individual Spiritual State of the Meeting Report. The reports from the Monthly Meetings and other worshiping communities are then prayerfully read and considered by the BYM Ministry & Pastoral Care Committee before the Committee writes the annual BYM summary, also known as the BYM Spiritual State of the Meetings Report, which is then presented and received by the Yearly Meeting during Annual Sessions in August.

Contact Martha B. or Barb T. at ministry-pastoralcare@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Death Becomes Us: Our Final Creative Act

On February 11 (Sunday) at 1 pm, a special event will take place in the AFM Classroom and via Zoom. Last year several Friends participated in a workshop led by Susan Elliott, a conscious death Coach and death doula, and found it to be an empowering, enriching, intimate experience… and a new way to think of death from the perspective of a creative act. Susan has agreed to share highlights of her work through an introductory session with the AFM community. All are welcome!!

Contact Nancy Jo S. at info@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Green Group

On February 12 (Monday) at 7 pm, the Green Group will be meeting via Zoom to discuss invasive species, work with the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake (IPC), and other environmental concerns. All are invited.

Contact Marjorie K. at green-group@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Pilgrimage for Peace

Starting on February 14 (Wednesday) through February 21, join the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) from February 14 – 21, 2024 alongside Faith for Black Lives, Rabbis for Ceasefire, Hindus for Human Rights, The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, Until Freedom, Kairos Center, Freedom Church of the Poor, and many others for a pilgrimage from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA to the White House in Washington, D.C., to urge President Biden  and Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza!

For more details, click on the following link: Pilgrimage for Peace

February 14, 2024 – Philadelphia, PA to Chester, PA

February 15, 2024 – Chester, PA to Wilmington, DE

February 16, 2024 – Wilmington, DE to Newark, DE

February 17, 2024 – Newark, DE to Perryville, MD

February 18, 2024 – Havre de Grace, MD to Joppa, MD

February 19, 2024 – Joppa, MD to Baltimore, MD

February 20, 2024 – Baltimore, MD to Laurel, MD

February 21, 2024 – Laurel, MD to Washington, DC

For more information, contact Ann R. at info@annapolisfriends.org.

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Adult Religious Education Committee

On February 15 (Thursday) at 10 am, the Adult Religious Education Committee will conduct a planning meeting via Zoom.

Contact ministry-pastoralcare@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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The Friendlies (a.k.a., Friendly Gathering Group)

On February 16 (Friday) at 6 pm, The Friendlies will be meeting on Zoom. Quakers get together for a variety of reasons and getting to know each other a little better is the purpose of Friendly 8s Groups. Typically, there are 8 people who share a meal, stories and have a relaxed, informal opportunity to socialize. It is great fun and there have been stimulating conversations. The Friendlies are a larger group of more than 10 and we meet on Zoom. If you are interested, we are an open group and invite you to join us.

Contact Ellen M. at info@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Committee Meetings

On February 18 (Sunday) at 9:15 am, most AFM committees meet. Some meet via Zoom and others at the meetinghouse with still others holding blended (online and in-person) meetings. Check with the clerk of the committee to find out the options for participation. 

Committee meetings are important places where most of our Meeting work is done.  Committees form at the beginning of the calendar year. There are Committee Clerks and volunteer committee members and some committees have co-Clerks and Assistant Clerks.  Committees typically meet each month. 

To learn more, contact info@annapolisfriends.org.

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Children’s Religious Education Committee

The Children’s Religious Education Committee (CREC) will be meeting on February 18 (Sunday) at 12:30 pm in person in the classroom. 

Contact Nancy Jo S. at children@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Does Voting Matter?

On February 24 (Saturday) at 1 pm, join us in the AFM Multipurpose Room and our guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Weldon M. McWilliams IV, for an open dialogue aimed at discussing “Does Voting Matter”?

  • History of voting rights
  • Systemic, disparate impacts on people of color
  • How your choices today shape the future 
  • Small group discussions
  • Snacks!. 

For more details, click on this link: Does Voting Matter? Or see Phil C.’s email dated February 2 sent to AFM-Discuss list.

Contact Phil C. or Margaret H. at social-concerns@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Winter Relief

Please sign up now!! Each year, for the past several years, Annapolis Friends Meeting has partnered with Magothy United Methodist Church (UMC) in Pasadena to help with Winter Relief, a volunteer program that provides overnight shelter for the homeless in North County and in Annapolis. 

The men and women, approximately 15 to 20 guests, we serve — our neighbors in Anne Arundel County — move from one church to another every Monday. This year, AFM will help out on March 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and the morning of March 25. The church, while historic, is small and not very wealthy, and by helping out we are making it possible for both Magothy UMC and ourselves to provide a service that neither of us could offer on our own.

Please consider helping. Volunteers are needed for three roles:

  1. Evening/overnight supervision. There are two shifts each night, 7 p.m.-midnight and midnight-6 a.m., and you will never be working by yourself.
  2. Preparation/serving of Sunday dinner on March 24; children welcome. Dinner time is 6 p.m.; there is a full kitchen onsite.
  3. Dropping in to visit with guests Saturday, March 23 or Sunday, March 24 (very ad hoc–the recommended time is to allow 2 hours, but if you can make it, just do it; most of the guests are at a loose end on weekends).

Please send an email to social-concerns@annapolisfriends.org if  you are willing to help in any of these roles, particularly the evening or night shifts — the latter are hard to fill, although there is rarely any excitement. And please send an email with any questions, especially if you haven’t volunteered before.

​​Here is a link to our 2024 AFM Winter Relief sign up page.

Contact Phil C. or Margaret H. at social-concerns@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Uphold Ukraine Daily Meeting for Worship

  • Daily Meeting for Worship: EVERY DAY, Friends House Moscow supporters in the U.S.A. host a daily international online Meeting for Worship while joining other Friends who are holding in the Light all the people affected by the current crisis in Ukraine. For Eastern Standard Time, the meeting starts at 12:00 pm. Click on this Zoom link, which is the Friends House Moscow Cloud Meeting. Or use Meeting ID: 416 500 5614; Passcode: 182805
  • Sunday MfW: The Quakers in Kyiv meet on Sundays at 1:00 pm EDT in silence. For Zoom information, go to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/QuakersKyivUkraine/.  On Zoom: Meeting ID: 852 8396 7313; Passcode: 2022.

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AFM Meetings for Worship

There are two options for Sunday worship with Annapolis Friends Meeting:

8:00 am weekly: This Meeting for Worship is in person (no technology) and, in good weather, is held outdoors, but will be indoors when the weather is not as kind. Masks and social distancing are optional inside the meetinghouse. Also at 8:00 am, Friends can worship in communion with the friends at the Meetinghouse from wherever they are and without technology. This option to gather in spirit only while being physically apart was created to link Friends in worship in the early days of the pandemic, and often Friends are at their own homes.

11:00 am weekly: This Meeting for Worship can be attended in person at the meetinghouse, or remotely on Zoom (Phone: 301-715-8592, Meeting ID: 650 269 455, Passcode: 241727). Nursery care is available; please email us at children@annapolisfriends.org if you would like to bring your child/children to our nursery. First Day School (a.k.a., Sunday School) is available for school age children in person during the school year (September through May). In the summer (June through August), AFM offers supervision and reading/drawing supplies for school age children.

There is an opportunity to worship on the First Tuesday each month at 7 pm in person on a Friend’s porch in northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie). Please see North County worship on the calendar. 

Contact info@annapolisfriends.org for more information.

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Care of Meetinghouse 

The AFM meetinghouse is a precious place and the AFM Community cares for the building and property in many ways, including weekly care of the meeting that includes accomplishing certain tasks. One committee is assigned for each month as indicated in the Committee Schedule online. We can all pitch in to help. The Care of Meetinghouse Checklist helps to ensure that everyone knows what needs to be done. For the month of February, the Quaker Market Committee has responsibility for the care of the meetinghouse. All are welcome to help out at any time!

  • February: Quaker Market Committee helps Annapolis Friends and the larger community practice being spiritual in our material world. The committee manages all of the market processes with an aim to reflect Quaker testimonies (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship) from start to conclusion.

For additional information about Annapolis Friends Meeting go to the homepage or for events click here for the calendar.