Announcements for August 2009

Schedule Changes in August
There is no scheduled Meeting for Business in August; the next meeting is on September 20. “Early” meeting for worship on third Sunday (August 16) will begin at 9:00am (not 7:45). Quaker House, Environment and Social Concerns, and Finance Committees will not meet in August; their meetings too will resume in September.

In Reading & Discussion in August we will watch and discuss the third and final parts of the PBS series From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians. The topics are “Writing the Story of Jesus” (August 9) and “The Beginnings of Christianity” (August 23). The discussion leaders are Peggy Daub and Debs Roush. All are welcome, 10:05 - 10:55, in Quaker House Living Room.


The Palestine-Israel Action Group (PIAG, a Sub-Committee of Peace and Social Concerns) will meet on Friday August 14 at 9:00 at a private home. All Friends are welcome. For more information, including the location of the meeting, please contact Helen Fox (hfox@umich.edu).

PIAG maintains its own website and a blog. PIAG also has a connection with QuakerPI.org, a website for Friends with a concern for Israel-Palestine, operated by PIAG member Anne Remley and Friends in Washington State and Massachusetts.


The Scribblers Writing Circle meets first Thursdays (August 6 and September 3) at 6pm in Quaker House Living Room. Writers, poets, graphic artists, and listeners are invited. Pizza and beverages are provided; other comestibles are welcome.

A group of women connected with AAFM meet monthly on fourth Sundays (August 23) to share about their spirituality and their daily lives. The group meets from 2:00 to 3:30 in the New Room. All women are welcome.

During the summer there are Activities for pre-school and elementary age children during the 11am meeting for worship.  Children and their parents should gather in the Fireplace Room at 11:00 (up through 11:20) to sign in.  High school age Friends are encouraged to attend meeting for worship for the full hour. Childcare for infants and toddlers, provided by a caring grandmother, is available in the Nursery at the far end of Quaker House during 11am worship, but children of any age are welcome to remain in worship.

Copies of the Meeting Handbook are available in the lobby. A contribution of $4 to cover printing costs is requested.

The Meeting’s wheelchair is stored in the outer lobby for the lift. Friends may borrow it for use between the parking lot and the lift or inside the Meetinghouse and Quaker House.


The Chelsea Worship Group has Meeting for Worship at Michigan Friends Center on most second Sundays (August 9) at 10am. The contact is John Deikis (475-0942); check with him before attending to be sure that worship is taking place that day.


The Summer Gathering of Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting will take place in Quaker Park, Battle Creek, on Sunday, August 2, at 11am. Meeting for worship is held at a simple monument which traces the walls of the original Friends Meetinghouse. Bring your own chair and weather protection for holding worship out in the open, as did Fox and Penn, rain or shine. A potluck lunch will follow, under the shady trees.
Quaker Park is on Fremont and Groveland Streets. From I-94, take Business 94 to the center of town, turn north on MI-66 (Division Street), and bear right onto Capital Ave. Turn left (north) onto Fremont. Quaker Park is on your left in three blocks.
Nearby attractions include the Underground Railroad sculpture, which commemorates the work of Friends and others, and historic Kimball House Museum (at 196 Capital Ave NE), which is usually opened for this gathering and has a display on the life of Battle Creek resident Sojourner Truth.

The Fall Gathering of Quarterly Meeting will take place at Friends School in Detroit on Saturday, September 19.


FWCC Regional Gathering at AAFM. The Lower Great Lakes and Midwest Regions are combining efforts to host a fall gathering at Ann Arbor Meeting on Friday – Sunday, October 30 – November 1, 2009.  Friends from eight yearly meetings representing various branches of Friends are invited. The theme is Living Today in the Manner of Friends, and the keynote speaker will be Patricia Thomas, of Wilmington (Ohio) YM. This is largely a social gathering, with no meeting for business. More details will be provided here in the future. 


Michigan Friends Center: Upcoming Programs
Register by calling 734 475-1892

Saturday, August 22   Living Lightly: Touching Nature, Feeding Spirit: Deepening our Connections to the Natural World with Fun and Exploration   8:30am – 5:30pm
Naturalist Faye Stoner and three more young naturalists, ecotherapist Jeanne Mackey, and artist Marijo Grogan will lead this day of fun and discovery in the out-of-doors. Whether you are a long-time nature lover or more at home on a sidewalk than a path, this day will offer a chance to deepen your relationship with nature through awareness walks, personal exploration time, the medicine wheel, stories, games, ceremony, and images. Join with others who are enhancing their connections to the natural worlds – ecosystems, trees, birds, animals, plants, rocks, water, flowers, clouds….
Open to families and people of any age capable of interest, attention, and mobility. Children will spend some time with their families and some in groups of their own. Dress for the weather, and come ready for adventure. A lunch and snacks will be provided.
As an adjunct to this program, people will be able to camp at Friends Lake Cooperative Community the nights before and/or after this program. Camping fees are $8 per adult per night. You must provide your own camping equipment for rustic camping and meals, and you need to reserve your campsite with the FLCC coordinator (475-7976). We will show a video about water on Friday night. On Sunday morning there will be worship in the manner of Friends with special accommodation for children. Otherwise the time spent camping will be unstructured – a chance for families and individuals to enjoy each other and nature in whatever ways they like, consistent with the FLCC guidelines.
$35 per person or $85 per family or as able (high school students free), for registration by August 7; $50 per person or $100 per family thereafter (high school students still free). Pre-registration by August 15 is desired.

Saturday and/or Sunday, September 19/20   Meditation and Silence
9:00am – 4:00pm both days
Nurture yourself and begin your fall season with a tool for mindfulness: meditation teaching and practice.  All of us could use a little more serenity and calm in the center of our lives.  Are you curious about developing an inner tool, a mindfulness that can release stress in your life and maintain peace of mind in situations that usually get you upset?   Each day provides opportunity to learn and practice Insight Meditation in a supportive environment, with instruction, sitting and walking meditation, a talk, and time for questions.  While both days will be designed to support both beginners and experienced meditators in practice, Saturday is especially useful for beginners, as Sunday will be available for deeper practice of new skills that mindfully open up the spirit within. This practice is useful to anyone from any (or no) spiritual path; it is not a religion, but a way to open the spirit and dissolve barriers in fuller development of wisdom and compassion. The sessions are led by Carol Blotter, a senior teacher with the Forest Way, Deep Spring Center, and Chelsea Meditation. The suggested donation for each day is $30 (or as able); bring lunch, beverages provided. Directions on website: www.michiganfriendscenter.org. For information and registration, call Carol Blotter (734 475-0942).