Bethesda Friends Meeting



Bethesda Friends worship together on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. via two venues 

  1. Indoors in the Meetinghouse at the Sidwell Friends Lower School
  2. Online via Zoom.  Please click here for the weekly schedule and to ask for the Zoom link. 


Welcome to Bethesda Friends Meeting

We're Quakers who meet every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Our meetinghouse is on the Sidwell Friends Lower School campus.
We are worshiping in person and also via Zoom.  

We strive for:

SIMPLICITY - Learning to discern the essential from the non-essential.

PEACE - Living in a spirit that takes away the occasion for all war.

INTEGRITY - Being who we truly are and truly meaning what we say.

COMMUNITY - Knowing that we need one another in order to be whole.

EQUALITY - Knowing that everyone, everywhere is equally precious to God. This includes people of all ages, abilities, sexual orientation, races, ethnicities, levels of resources, and theological perspectives.

STEWARDSHIP - Caring for the environment and using time and resources wisely, not wastefully.

We are a welcoming community. 

We believe there is that of the Divine 

in every person.

  The Social Concerns Box for May is for the STRIDE camping program


In May, we will support two youngsters from the Friendly Gardens community in Silver Spring, MD, to attend the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Summer Camps through the "Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments" (STRIDE) program.

  • Last year we were able to support one local Friendly Gardens camper, who will be returning this year.  Our hope is to support a second camper this year with money for the cost of camp plus funding for camping gear items
  • BYM camps provide opportunities for enrichment and leadership building in a wilderness environment, and STRIDE is committed to ensuring that young people from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have the opportunity to benefit from this program. 

Capital Pride festival booth WORLD PRIDE CELEBRATION THIS JUNE!


Washington, D.C. is hosting "WorldPride", including an array of events over three weeks.  The annual Pride Parade will once again be a family-friendly chance for  LGBTQ+ folks and allies together for visibility, solidarity, and fun.  There will also be a festival June 7 & 8th.


You can sign-up to march with Quakers in the parade on Saturday, June 7 at 12:15.  We also welcome volunteers to sign-up to greet people at our festival booth on June 7 or 8 from 12:00-7:00 pm (take a 2-hour shift). Quaker literature and talking points will be provided. Let us know if you can join in with other DC-area Quakers! 

    For more  details, please go to this link


    JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
    • BFM supports the Scotland Community of Potomac and their Annual Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival that focuses on the celebration of the historic Black communities of Montgomery County.

      • The 2025 Festival will span six days, with an all-day celebration on Thursday, June 19
      • For more information and to register for free events, go to the Scotland Juneteenth website.   
    Scotland AME Zion Church

    Click here for a summary of events and the role of

    Scotland Church in our local Juneteenth celebrations. 
      Camp Opequon
      Special Campaign Fund 

      Camp Opequon, one of four Quaker camps managed by Baltimore Yearly Meeting, relocated last year to a new site within Rolling Ridge Conservancy, a property with historic Quaker ties. The new site, a former camp with a lodge and other buildings, requires repairs and improvements.

      • Bethesda Friends Meeting has pledged $20,000 to the Camp Opequon Special Campaign.
      • For those who would like to make additional much needed donations, individuals can make contributions to BFM's Special Campaign.
      • To donate, please go to our online donation page and clearly designate that your contribution is for the Camp Opequon Fund. 

      For details, use our Contact Us form


      Helping Refugees Group
      CALL TO ACTION
      The Helping Refugees Group (HRG) has compiled a list of actions that individuals and self-organized groups can undertake.
      • The purpose is to inform our BFM community about ways to help refugees and immigrants in a child is holding two precious eggsour area.
      • The list of actions is here
      • Please join us!  
      • If everyone in our community does ONE ACTION, we will have helped many immigrants on a Meeting-wide basis! 

      Please use our Contact Us form for more information.

      Do you want to learn more
      about Quakers?
      Here are several choices

      END OF LIFE ISSUES
      • BFM has formed an End of Life Group to provide legal, spiritual, and practical resources to help our community cope with the uncertainties and fears surrounding the end of life. 
      • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly elevated concerns about the health of family and friends, and the possibility that they could become gravely ill and die. 
      • Although conversations with our loved ones about such a possibility are difficult, it’s important to prepare.
      Please click here to see more details and resources

      RECURRING EVENTS

      Experiment with Light

      At 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, people at BFM use a meditative and centering practice based upon Rex Ambler’s book, Light to Live By. 

      This method describes early Quaker meditative habits and translates them into a highly accessible process of clearness and understanding. We use prompts at home that can be listened to onlinefollowed by a worship-share via Zoom. 

      BFM Book Group

      This vibrant group meets via Zoom, discussing a variety of books on both Quaker and non-Quaker topics.

      1:30 - 3:15 PM, 2nd Saturday of each month

      Please click here for more information,

      using our Contact Us form.


       

      Comparative Religions:

      Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition

      A BFM group hosts this class each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.  The format is a half hour Great Courses video lecture followed by a half hour discussion. 

      • For more details on the 36 topics (Sept - May), go to our online calendar.
      • Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so anyone can attend any session.

      Wednesday Mid-Week Worship

      A group holds an at-home Worship

      on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m.

      If you wish to join, please read the weekly announcement here. After the virtual Meeting there is a

      sharing time via email. 


      Bethesda Friends Meeting

      Mailing Address:
      P.O. Box 30152, Bethesda MD 20824

      Our Meetinghouse is on the campus of the Sidwell Friends Lower School at the intersection of Edgemoor Lane and Beverly Road in Bethesda, Maryland

      We are a member of the Religious Society of Friends

      www.bethesdafriends.org
      301-986-8681 (location recording only)
      info@bethesdafriends.org

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