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• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    November 29, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  All are invited as the comparative religions study group begins a new year-long course in October - Exploring the Roots of Religion, a lecture series from Great Courses. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. John R Hale Ph.D., Director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville KY, will explore evidence of religious activity around the world, primarily through the discipline of archeology. In November, we will study the Mother Goddess in Catalhoyok, the Megaliths of Europe, Tombs in Sumeria, the Terracotta Tomb Warriors of China, and the Rock Tombs of Petra.
  

  Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend any session.

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• Friends Community School Events

  • When
    November 30, 2022
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Now in its fourth decade, Friends Community School is a K-8 Quaker progressive school that thoughtfully guides young children through adolescence, instilling compassion, curiosity, and confidence. Located on 17 acres in nearby College Park, FCS offers a diverse and inclusive community, a commitment to educating the whole child, and a curriculum that emphasizes inquiry-based and hands-on learning. FCS students are lifelong learners, courageous risk-takers, and joyous peacemakers who matriculate to rigorous independent, parochial, and public magnet schools.

  If you are interested in considering FCS for your child, join FCS students, parents, teachers, and administrators for an upcoming admissions event to learn more about the school’s academic program, Quaker values, “green” campus, and application process. There will be an open house on Tuesday, November 15, at 9:00 a.m. and a virtual coffee with the Middle School Head on Wednesday, November 30, at 10:00 a.m. Find event details and registration on the Admissions / Visit FCS page of our website, www.friendscommunityschool.org The early application deadline (50% application fee) is Monday, December 5. The regular application deadline is Friday, January 13, 2023. 

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• Caste Book Discussion Group

  • When
    November 30, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Caste Book Discussion Group.  The Working Group on Racism (WGR) is asking Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friends to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, The Lies that Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson. WGR members will host a Caste reading group by Zoom, available to all in the Yearly Meeting, on seven Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., beginning Wednesday September 14 and ending December 14. Each session will feature readings, together with questions and queries, and opportunity for large-group discussion and small-group sharing. Friends of Color are invited to indicate a preference for an affinity group.  We hope the numbers will make this possible. To register for the discussions please visit this link. 

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• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    November 30, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

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• Toy Drive for A Wider Circle's Holiday Program

  • When
    December 03, 2022

  The Bethesda Friends Meeting’s Religious Education Committee is again sponsoring a Toy Drive for A Wider Circle's Holiday Program. Please join us in donating a toy to help make a child's Christmas more merry! Sign up at this link to donate toys on one of the two pick-up Saturdays, December 3 and December 10. For ideas for possible gifts to donate, please visit the Wider Circle wish list.

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• Rising from the Ashes: Toward Connection & Repair of the Harms of Racism

  • When
    December 03, 2022
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • Location
    Stony Run Meeting in Baltimore

  Friends will gather from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, at Stony Run Meeting in Baltimore and via Zoom to acknowledge and honor the pain of racism experienced by Friends of Color within our Yearly Meeting, to help White Friends see their complicity in that pain, and to take the next steps on the road to repair of our beloved community. The Meeting is for all Quakers who have the courage to face their complicity in the white-dominated system of racism. Together we will be uncomfortable and afraid and have the courage to move forward anyway for the sake of humanity and for love of God’s world. The programmed agenda will include silent and spoken worship, music, movement and body practices, deep listening, and the sharing of Testimonies of Complicity. We expect to end on a gathered commitment to next bold steps in living into being an anti-racist faith community. Register here: https://www.bym-rsf.org/events/special-events/rising-from-the-ashes.html
  

  Friends who wish to explore some initial Testimonies of Complicity can do so here.

  Questions can be directed to Clerk of Interim Meeting or Clerk of Yearly Meeting.

  
  

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• Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business

  • When
    December 04, 2022
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  On Sunday, December 4, at 9:00 a.m. Bethesda F(f)riends will consider various business items at its Zoom Meeting for Worship with a Concern for  Business. How the Spirit will lead us in discernment of issues both large and small is part of the mystery that is the Religious Society of Friends. All who come to Meeting for Worship are welcome and encouraged to participate in our worship. Meeting for Business will include reports from Youth Safety, auditors, Outreach & Communications, Fellowship & Hospitality, and BYM Interim Meeting.

  
  

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• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 04, 2022
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

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• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    December 06, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  All are invited as the comparative religions study group begins a new year-long course in October - Exploring the Roots of Religion, a lecture series from Great Courses. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. John R Hale Ph.D., Director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville KY, will explore evidence of religious activity around the world, primarily through the discipline of archeology. In December, we will study Druid Sacrifices at Lindow Moss (England), Honoring Ancestors in Ancient Ohio, A Viking Queen Sails to Eternity (Denmark), and Dancing with Bulls at Knossos (Crete).

  Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend any session.

  Show details
• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 07, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

  Show details
• Toy Drive for A Wider Circle's Holiday Program

  • When
    December 10, 2022

  The Bethesda Friends Meeting’s Religious Education Committee is again sponsoring a Toy Drive for A Wider Circle's Holiday Program. Please join us in donating a toy to help make a child's Christmas more merry! Sign up at this link to donate toys on one of the two pick-up Saturdays, December 3 and December 10. For ideas for possible gifts to donate, please visit the Wider Circle wish list.

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• Quaker Book Group

  • When
    December 10, 2022
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  The Quaker Book Group meets monthly, via Zoom, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., on the second Saturday of the month. On Saturday, December 10, we will discuss a Quaker classic:  The Journal of George Fox. In it, Fox shares a record of his life and ministry in the early days shaping the Religious Society of Friends. Newcomers are always welcome (even if you have not read the book!). We read a mix of books by Quakers, books about Quakerism, and books that speak to Quaker values and concerns. The group is invited to share announcements, summaries, and thoughts about the readings through an online mailing list.

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• Friends Wilderness Center: Meteors in the Meadow

  • When
    December 10, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM
  • Location
    Friends Wilderness Center Harpers Ferry, WV

  The Friends Wilderness Center near Harpers Ferry WV extends an open invitation to relax in the Niles Cabin Meadow, searching for shooting stars to speed your wishes through the constellations on Saturday, November 10, beginning at 8:00 p.m. Please RSVP to: Friends Wilderness Center. Donations are appreciated; suggested levels are $10/person or $25/families. Please bring the gear you need to stay comfy and cozy along with your own snacks and beverages. Please check the weather and cloud cover for Shannondale, WV. Masks are welcome and encouraged to protect those who are not able to be fully vaccinated. Bathrooms are available at the Niles Cabin, regardless of the hour. Meteors are often most active during the wee hours. Getting there is part of the fun. Allow ample time to enjoy the scenery. The final portion of your drive is along rural gravel roads. Please welcome this as the beginning of your restorative wilderness experience. Slow down, breathe, and relax. Lean into the twists and turns. Roll with the ups and downs. Enjoy the shifting light and changing temperature. Welcome the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. As you ford the stream just before the center, imagine a splash of fresh mountain water gently cleansing accumulated debris from your vehicle, mind, and spirit. For precise directions, visit: www.friendswilderness.org or use your GPS.

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• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 11, 2022
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

  Show details
• Experiment with Light

  • When
    December 11, 2022
  •  
    7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    at home and Zoom

  Held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Sometimes canceled on holiday weeks; please check the Event calendar.  

  How do we quiet our brains enough to hear the still, small voice within us? How might we deepen our experience of meeting for worship? Experiment With Light is a meditative and centering practice based upon Rex Ambler’s book Light to Live By, which describes early Quaker meditative habits and translates them into a highly accessible process of clearness and understanding.

  • All are welcome to attend. First-time participants find the process quite easy to follow and, often,  richly rewarding.
  • You can follow the prompts at home and write or draw responses you have experienced during those prompts: https://experiment-with-light.org.uk/meditations/  We usually use the meditation on the individual in modern language, full length, 37 minute version. 
  • We will share our meditation experience in a Zoom gathering. Request access via our Contact Us form. 

  
  

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• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    December 13, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  All are invited as the comparative religions study group begins a new year-long course in October - Exploring the Roots of Religion, a lecture series from Great Courses. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. John R Hale Ph.D., Director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville KY, will explore evidence of religious activity around the world, primarily through the discipline of archeology. In December, we will study Druid Sacrifices at Lindow Moss (England), Honoring Ancestors in Ancient Ohio, A Viking Queen Sails to Eternity (Denmark), and Dancing with Bulls at Knossos (Crete).

  Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend any session.

  Show details
• Caste Book Discussion Group

  • When
    December 14, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Caste Book Discussion Group.  The Working Group on Racism (WGR) is asking Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friends to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, The Lies that Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson. WGR members will host a Caste reading group by Zoom, available to all in the Yearly Meeting, on seven Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., beginning Wednesday September 14 and ending December 14. Each session will feature readings, together with questions and queries, and opportunity for large-group discussion and small-group sharing. Friends of Color are invited to indicate a preference for an affinity group.  We hope the numbers will make this possible. To register for the discussions please visit this link. 

  Show details
• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 14, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

  Show details
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 18, 2022
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

  Show details
• Christmas Program

  • When
    December 18, 2022
  •  
    12:15 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  This year our annual Christmas celebration will occur on Sunday, December 18, at the rise of Meeting. The children from First Day School will perform the traditional Christmas Pageant in-person in the Meeting room for those gathered in the Meetinghouse and simultaneously for those participating by Zoom. A Christmas carol will be sung before the pageant is performed and then another one after the performance. And light refreshments will be offered in the Library following the program. We are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with our BFM community in a simple but joyful way.

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• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    December 20, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  All are invited as the comparative religions study group begins a new year-long course in October - Exploring the Roots of Religion, a lecture series from Great Courses. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. John R Hale Ph.D., Director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville KY, will explore evidence of religious activity around the world, primarily through the discipline of archeology. In December, we will study Druid Sacrifices at Lindow Moss (England), Honoring Ancestors in Ancient Ohio, A Viking Queen Sails to Eternity (Denmark), and Dancing with Bulls at Knossos (Crete).

  Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend any session.

  Show details
• Candlelight Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 20, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM
  • Location
    via zoom

  Please join us for our annual Candlelight Meeting for Worship at 8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, December 20. For more than 25 years, Friends have gathered for a peaceful hour of respite from the holiday rush. Although we will meet on Zoom, light your own candles to shine in the darkness!

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• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 21, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

  Show details
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 25, 2022
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

  Show details
• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    December 27, 2022
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  All are invited as the comparative religions study group begins a new year-long course in October - Exploring the Roots of Religion, a lecture series from Great Courses. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. John R Hale Ph.D., Director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville KY, will explore evidence of religious activity around the world, primarily through the discipline of archeology. In December, we will study Druid Sacrifices at Lindow Moss (England), Honoring Ancestors in Ancient Ohio, A Viking Queen Sails to Eternity (Denmark), and Dancing with Bulls at Knossos (Crete).

  Use our Contact Us form to get the Zoom link, or see your email bulletin. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend any session.

  Show details
• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    December 28, 2022
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

  Show details
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    January 01, 2023
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

  Show details
• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    January 04, 2023
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

  Show details
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    January 08, 2023
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Please click here for details. 

  1. Our Worship indoors at SFS Lower campus -- with Covid restrictions.
  2. Our Worship via Zoom is open to all.

  Please click here for details and to ask for the Zoom link. An after-Meeting chat on Zoom will be held weekly at 12:15. 

  Show details
• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    January 11, 2023
  •  
    8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    at home & email

  Over-zoomed? Join BFM Friends’ “low tech” email mid-week worship on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships in our homes without video or audio. While some simply join in spirit, those wishing to touch base with the others receive emails at the start and end of worship.

  At rise of meeting, email participants are invited to worship-share via reply-all with the evening’s email group.

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• Young Friends Conference

  • Start
    January 13, 2023
  • End
    January 15, 2023

  Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends  is a community consisting of high school age attenders (age 14+, grades 9 to 12) who wish to enjoy the fellowship of our Quaker community. The Young Friends program seeks to build a community which nurtures the personal and spiritual growth of all participants, promote individuality as well as the unity of being in community, and provide opportunities to take an active part in the affairs and concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. Young Friends expands the Quaker community beyond the borders of our Meetings. High school age youth who are not affiliated with a monthly meeting are welcomed to attend all Young Friends’ conferences. Upcoming weekend conferences are November 25-27, 2022, and January 13-15, 2023. Registration $75; financial aid and transportation assistance are available.  For details and to register visit the website.

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