Westport Friends Meeting

Feb Monthly Meeting Highlights

Finance Committee, presented by Greg Marsello: A second reading of the proposed 2008 Budget was presented. Following discussion, Friends approved the budget as read.

Peace & Social Concerns Ad Hoc Committee presented by David Sutton and Deana Chase: The joint Peace & Social Concerns committees from Allen’s Neck, Smith Neck and Westport (ad hoc) held their monthly meeting in the Community House. They routinely meet on the second Sunday of the month at 7 PM. The agenda included, but was not limited to the following concerns:

• A joint fund-raising pancake breakfast to benefit AFCS is being planned to be held at Westport Meeting Community House on Saturday morning, May 3rd. Westport MM is offering the Community House space and is requesting volunteer help to serve a hoped-for crowd of approximately 200 hungry paying guests. Help will be needed in setting up Friday evening, preparing breakfast and cleaning up on Saturday morning.

• Plans were discussed to build a peace memorial using some 4,000+ 20 pound stones to memorialize each of the 4,000+ American soldiers who have died in the Iraq war. Each Meeting is asked to consider if they will support this effort, how best to go about implementing the plan and where to build this sizable mound of stones.

• The Winter Conversations series will continue with the third topic of prison reform being discussed on Sunday, February 3rd at the Community House. All are welcome and encouraged to gather around the fireplace.

Please speak with David Sutton or Deana Chase for additional information on these and other topics related to peace and social justice concerns.

Other Business: Friends National Committee on Legislation (FCNL) has requested a representative from Westport Meeting to be involved as a liaison with them in their important work. The following synopsis was written by Mark Bauer which explains how our Meeting might be involved.

“FCNL Contacts are a vital link between Friends Meetings, churches and other local organizations and the FCNL Washington office. Contacts are the “first call” during important issue campaigns, connecting grassroots activists in their local areas to the legislative team in Washington, D.C. Contacts should be familiar with basic electronic communication (e.g. email) and the dynamics of the group they are representing. At the entry level, all Contacts are relied upon to relate the Legislative Action Message (LAM) and Washington Newsletter to their meeting, church, or other organization. The LAM is transmitted through email, so Contacts should be able to receive email. Contacts also organize groups to establish a relationship with their representative and senators through lobby visits, phone calls, emails, and/or letter-writing.”

For more information on this topic and to learn more about the work of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) please visit their excellent Web site at www.fcnl.org.

MEETING NEWS

On Saturday, January 26, our Meeting hosted Sandwich Quarterly Meeting. Approximately 35 Friends from various member meetings attended. Martha Yager, Program Coordinator for the SENE AFSC Regional Office in Providence, RI, was the keynote speaker for the afternoon. Martha’s talk focused on her recent trip to Palestine where she worked among families and individuals during their annual olive harvest. For more information about the work of AFSC’s Southeastern New England Office (SENE) or to purchase Fair Traded olive oil produced by West Bank farmers, visit their site at www.afsc.org/sene.
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Jesus is the Potter. Not Harry
(Sign on church lawn)
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A note from Gretchen Baker-Smith, coordinator of the Junior High Yearly Meeting Retreat Program:

"The next Jr Hi Yearly Meeting (JHYM) Retreat is Feb. 29 - March 2, 2008 at Wellesley Friends Meeting. The theme is "Bumps in the Road." If you think that spending a weekend with two or three dozen 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, singing songs, talking about important and silly stuff, playing games, building community, going to the Wellesley College Green House, knitting, eating great food, laughing, worshipping, renewing hope and joy, and sleeping on the floor would be your choice of heaven on earth, please speak with me about joining our staff and obtaining an application packet. Our JH'ers are some of the most beautiful and rock-solid young teens on earth; you will most likely be as nurtured and spiritually renewed as they are.” Email Gretchen at hellogretchen@gmail.com or call 508-997-0940.