Upcoming Local Worshiping Communities Events

Saturday, April 3rd, 3pm to 4:30 pm by zoom. Pre-register below. Presenter: Karen Tibbals. Our country is divided. Even Quakers are divided. We have a hard time agreeing on anything. Is there a way to love people who are difficult? A way to see the Light of God in others we disagree with. Karen's presentation will help you acquire a deep understanding of people’s values and how it informs their stance on issues. You can learn how to take into account the other’s perspective so you can love one another. Karen will share insights from her new book: Persuade, Don't Preach: Restoring Civility across the political Divide which was endorsed by spiritual teacher Richard Rohr as a “helpful guide to understanding people in such a way that you can talk to them more productively.”

Karen Tibbals is former co-clerk of Rahway Plainfield Monthly Meeting in New Jersey and a graduate of Earlham School of Religion. She has been doing presentations at various Quaker meetings and regional gatherings.

Programmed Quaker Worship in the Kenyan tradition, followed by social time. Everyone is invited to this monthly worship (on the second First Day) with Kenyan Quakers in the Baltimore area. For information, contact Gilbert Imbayi at gilbert.imbayi@gmail.com.

The 5th Annual Youth Peace Conference will be held virtually on Saturday, April 10th, 2021 from 9:15 am - 4:30 pm. Youth from grades 8 - 12 are welcome to register at http://www.youthpeaceconferencemd.org The Peace Committee of SSMM supports this student-run social justice and community building summit in honor of the legacies of Lee Stern and Bayard Rustin. A team of teens in Howard County are organizing this year’s conference “Youth activism: resistance and radical reform”. From the website: "The theme "Resistance and Radical Reform" is most pressing and relevant now more than ever, as youth are coming together across the world to organize in support of causes and movements ​such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for environmental awareness, among many others. Youth are demanding that broken, oppressive systems be rebuilt and reformed. At the 2021 Youth Peace Conference, students will gain resources on how to peacefully organize, resist injustice, and create change within their communities. Contact Uma Ribeiro, lead organizer, umalovestowrite@gmail.com or bettehoover@icloud.com for more information.

Check out their website for more information and the schedule! Also follow them on Instagram @youthpeaceconferencemd

Please note: Students who stay all day can receive 6 Student Service Learning hours!

Khalila Lomax, BYM Stride Coordinator & The Change Group of Sandy Spring Friends Meeting invite you on Sat, April 17 at 7 PM via Zoom.

We can learn to recognize and respond to the everyday statements that wound each other and “other” people of color and/or those new to Friends. Our increased awareness of the impact of our words and actions can help strengthen our relationships and move us towards a more diverse, antiracist faith community. Join the conversation and become part of the solution. Contact Co-clerks Coleman Coleman.bazelon@brattle.com or Bette Bettehoover@icloudcom for more info.

No need to pre-register. Just join us using the zoom link.

When Quakers have a tough decision to make, we help each other listen by holding a clearness committee.

A Memorial Meeting for Worship will be held via Zoom to honor the life of David Zarembka on April 24 at 1:00 p.m. Note that the Zoom link will open at 12:30 p.m. with rotating pictures from his life. David and his wife, Gladys Kamonya, both died within a week of each other in western Kenya of COVID. Memorial meetings were held there in their honor in Kenya. There are wonderful tributes from FUM staff in Kenya and the US and other background information in the links below. There is a Memorial Meeting for both David and Gladys at St. Louis Friends Meeting on May 8.

Go to https://www.bethesdafriends.org/event-4268410 to register for connection information.

Lancaster University and the Woodbrooke Quaker Center in England are offering an on-line course on early Quakers, starting Sunday April 26 and lasting three weeks through May 16. The lead teacher is Ben Pink Dandelion. You do each week's work on your own at your own pace. To register for the course, click the link below. In addition to taking the on-line class, you can join a group from the Bethesda Friends Meeting to talk about what we have learned each week, on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., starting April 29 and going at least until May 13. To sign up for the Zoom link, please contact Alex Bell.