Grand Rapids Friends Meeting

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A Family of Friends? Taking welcome to a deeper level.

How God Speaks Through Creativity QuakerSpeak is a weekly video series. New video every other THURSDAY! SUPPORT QuakerSpeak with a donation! https://quakerspeak.com/donateSUBSCRIBE for a new...

"Here I am on vacation away from my kids (who I absolutely love to death but sometimes you need a break from toddlers) and I'm flying with an infant on my lap. Why? Because I'm a decent human being. Listen.....it takes a village to raise kids ok? And as a mom of a 3 year old and 4 year old I KNOW this. And I also know that toddlers can be jerks......so first let me just tell you what happened. I boarded my flight today at 5:45am in Seattle. Alaskan airlines flight 674 and I sat down in the middle seat. I sit down and there are some weight issues with the plane that need to be checked out. So everyone is sitting in this full packed plane. And a baby starts crying (oh God forbid right?) Obviously I'm totally used to crying and whining so I tune it out. Everyone around me starts huffing and puffing and mumbling. Then......I hear 2 kids crying, this lady has her toddler having a full blown melt down over her seatbelt being on (toddlers are dramatic that's nothing new) No problem.....I have mom powers and totally ignore it......BUT what I CAN'T ignore is this.

I hear a woman complaining to this mother (that's alone with 2 crying kids) that her child needs to stop kicking her seat. THEN I hear the mother say 'she's 3 I can't believe you just did that' apparently the lady reached behind her and grabbed the child's leg (aka "oh hell no")

While this is happening the freaking flight attendant is just standing there...listening. Not even doing anything. And the older men beside me make remarks like 'obviously her way of discipline isn't working' so I reply with 'she's probably afraid to do anything...you can't do anything anymore' and they stopped talking. Ok back to the lady in the back.

You guys....this is a full plane....and I sat here for 15 mins waiting on someone closer to this woman to offer her help...because I'm surrounded by caring adults, right? (Wrong) I turn around to see people mumbling and staring at this mother with her THREE kids ALONE....A screaming toddler / crying baby/ and a very well behaved older child. (one grown woman was holding her hands on her ears. SO....being a decent human being I couldn't take letting this mother drown back there....(and let me tell you she was being so freaking calm you guys....like i would have already been crying but she was doing so good) I get up out of my seat, go a few rows back and go ask her if she needs help; she immediately handed me her baby. (This lady was like HOLY HELL YESSSSSSSS!) So ya know I take her baby and then I have to go sit down for take off.......the crying stopped😱😱😱 (it's a miracle👀) so I'm sitting here holding this precious baby that so happens to fall asleep (swooooon)

My point???? Be nice and considerate. If someone needs help for God's sake HELP THEM. Complaining and mumbling doesn't do a thing except make the person that needs help feel worse (words hurt)........How we can ignore a human in distress? Please be kind. Please be considerate. Help one another...it makes everything easier. I promise you won't die."
Also read 👇
https://nirfox.com/peter-became-a-father-by-adopting-an-11-year-old-from-foster-care/
Credit Kesha Shonet Photography
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
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George Fox and the history of the early Quakers - English This 13 minute film tells the story of George Fox and the early beginnings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the mid 17th century. Using the e...

https://fwcc.world/fox/

George Fox’s 400th Birthday – FWCC Celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the birth of Quaker co-founder George Fox will take place throughout 2024. Many of these events can be joined online, from around the world.

"We are heartbroken by the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. As Quakers, we deeply mourn the loss of all lives and pray for those who have lost loved ones in this war. We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks and inhumane treatment of civilians and call for the release of all hostages. We also condemn the indiscriminate and violent Israeli response that has claimed the life of tens of thousands of civilians."

The U.S. Must Act to De-Escalate the Violence in Israel and Palestine In war, civilians always pay the highest price. As the conflict grows, lawmakers must press for de-escalation and act to protect civilan lives.

Set your clocks forward so you don't get to Meeting when it's over tomorrow!

Anti-Violence Resource Guide | blackquakerproject The BlackQuaker Project aims, in part, to address the concerns of Quakers of Color. In the USA, at this critical moment, Quakers and People of Color are concerned for their futures. The omnipresence of police violence and uneven effects of the pandemic on communities of color due to systemic racism....

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https://leym.org/new-quakerism-101-series/

Join in a Collaborative Lake Erie Yearly Meeting Experience!

The LEYM Advancement & Outreach Committee (A&O) is pleased to announce an interactive Quakerism 101 monthly series beginning on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, from 7:00-8:30pm exclusively on-line.

A new way to learn and teach about Quakers, Quakerism, and deepening faith practice.
This fully online experience will feature presentations, discussions and activities about Quakers and our faith and practices. Using a format pioneered by North Columbus (OH) Friends Meeting, those with past Quakerism 101 experience can expect this to feel familiar, yet different and new.

The first two sessions will be hosted by North Columbus Friends. Other Monthly Meetings/Worship Groups are invited to lead one of the 2024 sessions, making this a collaborative and cooperative experiment across the LEYM community.

New Quakerism 101 Series – Lake Erie Yearly Meeting New Quakerism 101 Series 5 October 2023 Categories: Events and Opportunities, Monthly Mtgs, News Join in a Collaborative Lake Erie Yearly Meeting Experience! The LEYM Advancement & Outreach Committee (A&O) is pleased to announce an interactive Quakerism 101 monthly series beginning on Tuesday, Octob...

Fall Gathering of Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting Saturday, Sept. 16
The Fall Gathering of Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting will take place on Saturday, September 16, at Michigan Friends Center (7748 Clarks Lake Rd, Chelsea). Worship and business meeting in the morning will be followed by lunch (provided) and an afternoon session consisting of a land and water blessing for the Friends Lake Community’s property, with ritual drumming at lakeside. We hope to respond with a land acknowledgement that recognizes it historically as Indigenous homeland and says that we intend to do what we can to be in right relation to all living beings in this place and beyond. All are invited to participate.
During GPQM’s Meeting for Business, a draft statement of land acknowledgement and future intentions will be considered for adoption. Please see below for this statement, a Zoom link, the schedule, and a description of the afternoon activities.
ZOOM CONNECTION INFORMATION
Topic: Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting
https://umich.zoom.us/j/92011704098
Meeting ID: 920 1170 4098
GPQM SCHEDULE, Saturday, 9/16, Michigan Friends Center (Chelsea, MI)
9:30 am gather to greet each other, light refreshments
10:00-10:30 am Meeting for Worship
10:30 – Noon GPQM Business Meeting
12:15-1:345 Lunch (provided), relaxation/walking and free time
2:00 pm Program: Land and Water Blessing Ceremony

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

Stephen G. Cary Memorial Lecture 2023: Forging Beloved Community with Friends ~ A Journey through the Refiner’s Fire

Sep 11, 2023
Bridget Moix, General Secretary, FCNL
Free and open to the public, registration required. In-person registration is limited.

7:30pm-9:00pm Eastern Time (US & Canada).

In a world wrought by lies, injustice, and violence, how do we live out our Quaker faith and spiritual truths? How do we live “in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of war”? How do we “walk cheerfully over the Earth” while sacred forests burn and oceans rise around us? How do we “seek that of God in everyone” when we are so deeply divided from one another by fear and pain? Bridget Moix shares lessons, laughter, and Light from her journey with Friends toward becoming the beloved community we seek.

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From the writings of John Calvi:

All of the important messages we give one another can be arranged in catagories around these six sayings:
1. I love you.
2. Thank you.
3. I'm sorry.
4. I need help.
5. That's not good enough.
6. No; stop!

These expressions are powerful because they are essential expressions of deep feeling and emotion. They should be used with care and respect, and aligned with truth and healing.

Are there any that are difficult for you, and if so, why?

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