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• Spiritual State of the Meeting Month

  • Start
    February 01, 2023
  • End
    February 28, 2023

  February is Spiritual State of the Meeting month. Each year, the Ministry & Worship Committee (M&W) prepares an assessment of the Spiritual State of the Meeting (SSOM) to be considered by the monthly meeting (our BFM community). The draft will be presented to Meeting for Business on March 5. M&W invites input from everyone in the BFM community on how you are feeling about your participation in the Meeting and how the Meeting might better support your spiritual needs. Please check the weekly bulletin for details, including the queries to guide our discussions, the ways to give us feedback, and zoom links for the sessions. There will be sessions to collect input at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 12, and at the rise of Meeting on Sunday, February 19. M&W looks forward to hearing from you.  Please click here for more information, Zoom links, and to participate.

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• We Are What We Eat Webinar

  • When
    February 01, 2023
  •  
    7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  On Wednesday, February 1, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Yearly Meeting Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals is sponsoring a webinary with Dan Jasper on how our food can help build a more peaceful, livable planet. He is a dynamic speaker and participants can learn a great deal about the impact of agriculture on climate issues. Our food choices can shape our future. Register here to get the Zoom link.

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• Mid-week Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 01, 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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• Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival & Forum

  • When
    February 04, 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM

  The American Friends Service Committee and the Black Quaker Project have organized a screening and discussion of films about prominent Black Quakers for Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. every other Saturday beginning on February 4 and ending on April 8. The honorees range from 20th century trail blazing Friends of African Descent back to early Quakers of Color who are too often forgotten. Some of their stories will challenge Friends to consider what defines a Quaker, as we examine the lives of extraordinary people of color who were Friends in all but name, and ask ourselves what may have prevented or deterred them from joining the Religious Society of Friends. On February 4, the interview is with Bill Sutherland. On February 18, with Joan Countryman, the Prep School Negro. In March, Sarah Mapps Douglass and Benjamin Benneker, and on April 8, Paul Robeson. The sessions are free, but you must register for each session here.

  
  

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• Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business

  • When
    February 05, 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  On Sunday, February 5, at 9:00 a.m., Bethesda F(f)riends will consider various business items via Zoom. 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. There will be reports from Friends Committee on National Legislation, the Recorder (re membership changes in the last year), a community report, Friendly Gardens, and an ad hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee Report. All who come to Meeting for Worship are welcome and encouraged to participate in our worship.

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• An Invitation to Parents of First Day School-Aged Children

  • When
    February 05, 2023
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Sidwell Friends Lower School campus

  This is an invitation to parents and grandparents of First Day School-aged children to talk with one another about their experience as Quakers and as parents, and how First Day School can best support them. The conversation will be held in person on the Sidwell Friends Lower School campus on Sunday, February 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The focus of the session will be the following queries: What does Quaker faith and practice mean to you as parents? How do you live your faith and practice through parenting? What challenges do you face as Quaker parents? What resources or support might be helpful to you from the Meeting? First Day School and Childcare will be available during the session.
  

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• Conversation about Quaker parent experience

  • When
    February 05, 2023
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    SFS Lower campus Manor House

  On Sunday, February 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., parents and guardians of First Day School-aged children are invited to talk with one another about their experience as Quakers and as parents, and how First Day School can best support them. The conversation will be held in-person on the Sidwell Friends lower school campus and facilitated by Stephanie Koenig.

  The focus of the session will be the following queries: 

  • What does Quaker faith and practice mean to you as parents? 
  • How do you live your faith and practice through parenting? 
  • What challenges do you face as Quaker parents? 
  • What resources or support might be helpful to you from the Meeting?

  First Day School and Childcare will be available during the session. Please RSVP using the "Contact us" form.
  

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• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 05, 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
• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    February 07, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Exploring the Roots of Religion meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture from The Great Courses exploring evidence of religious activity around the world, followed by a half hour discussion. In February, we will study Temple of the Goddess on Malta, The Aten - Monotheism in Egypt, Deities of the Acropolis, and Gods and Pyramids at Teotihuacan.

  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
    February 08, 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
• Friends Helping Friends: Training in Mediation/Facilitation

  • Start
    February 10, 2023
  • End
    February 12, 2023

  Baltimore Yearly Meeting is providing free training in the peacemaking tools of mediation and facilitation on the weekends of February 10 to 12 and 24 to 26. Participants are expected to attend sessions on both weekends. Each weekend, there will be a Friday evening session (beginning at 7:00 p.m.), an all-day session on Saturday, and an afternoon session on Sunday. Participants are asked to get two booklets which will be used in the training: The Mediator's Handbook by Jennifer Beer and Caroline Parker, (at the local library?) and Conflict in Meetings, from Quaker Books, Britain Yearly Meeting.
  

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• Quaker Book Group

  • When
    February 11, 2023
  •  
    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, February 11. Newcomers are always welcome (even if you have not read the book!). This month we will read The 1619 Project: A new origin story by Nicole Hannah-Jones.  Hannah-Jones wrote the original award-winning New York Times article  reframing American history to look at the perspective of race, slavery, and caste. The book she compiled here includes essays/contributions by multiple outstanding writers to deepen and expand the narrative. 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 ideas about the readings through an online mailing list.

  For more information including the Zoom link, please our Contact Us form.

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• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 12, 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
• Experiment with Light

  • When
    February 12, 2023
  •  
    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. 

  
  

  Show details
• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    February 14, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Exploring the Roots of Religion meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture from The Great Courses exploring evidence of religious activity around the world, followed by a half hour discussion. In February, we will study Temple of the Goddess on Malta, The Aten - Monotheism in Egypt, Deities of the Acropolis, and Gods and Pyramids at Teotihuacan.

  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
    February 15, 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
• BYM Young Friends Conference

  • Start
    February 17, 2023
  • End
    February 19, 2023
  • Location
    Homewood Friends Meeting in Baltimore

  On the weekend of February 17 to 19, there will be a Young Friends Conference for high school-aged Quakes at Homewood Friends Meeting in Baltimore. For details and to register, visit the website. 

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• Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival & Forum

  • When
    February 18, 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM

  The American Friends Service Committee and the Black Quaker Project have organized a screening and discussion of films about prominent Black Quakers for Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. every other Saturday beginning on February 4 and ending on April 8. The honorees range from 20th century trail blazing Friends of African Descent back to early Quakers of Color who are too often forgotten. Some of their stories will challenge Friends to consider what defines a Quaker, as we examine the lives of extraordinary people of color who were Friends in all but name, and ask ourselves what may have prevented or deterred them from joining the Religious Society of Friends. On February 4, the interview is with Bill Sutherland. On February 18, with Joan Countryman, the Prep School Negro. In March, Sarah Mapps Douglass and Benjamin Benneker, and on April 8, Paul Robeson. The sessions are free, but you must register for each session here.

  
  

  Show details
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 19, 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
• Quakerism: A Deeper Dive, Four Doors to Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 21, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Debby Churchman and John Bluedorn at Friends Meeting of Washington will lead a two-session Zoom workshop on the Four Doors to the Meeting for Worship on Tuesday evenings, February 21 and 28, at 7:00 p.m. If you want to deepen your spiritual experience in Meeting for Worship this is a great workshop to attend. William Taber, author of Four Doors to the Meeting for Worship (Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306), grew up in Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative), which remained his spiritual home throughout his life. Taber’s gift was centered on his ability to translate spiritual experience into plain language. This pamphlet grew out of his awareness of a need for a more contemporary explanation of “what happens” in a Quaker meeting for worship. He felt that this lack of instruction in method had become an increasing problem as modern Friends moved farther and farther away from the more pervasive Quaker culture, which in earlier generations played such a powerful teaching role, allowing Friends to learn the nuances and spiritual methods of Quakerism through osmosis.

  Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306 can be purchased here.  Register here.

  Show details
• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    February 21, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Exploring the Roots of Religion meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture from The Great Courses exploring evidence of religious activity around the world, followed by a half hour discussion. In February, we will study Temple of the Goddess on Malta, The Aten - Monotheism in Egypt, Deities of the Acropolis, and Gods and Pyramids at Teotihuacan.

  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
    February 22, 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
• Friends Helping Friends: Training in Mediation/Facilitation

  • Start
    February 24, 2023
  • End
    February 26, 2023

  Baltimore Yearly Meeting is providing free training in the peacemaking tools of mediation and facilitation on the weekends of February 10 to 12 and 24 to 26. Participants are expected to attend sessions on both weekends. Each weekend, there will be a Friday evening session (beginning at 7:00 p.m.), an all-day session on Saturday, and an afternoon session on Sunday. Participants are asked to get two booklets which will be used in the training: The Mediator's Handbook by Jennifer Beer and Caroline Parker, (at the local library?) and Conflict in Meetings, from Quaker Books, Britain Yearly Meeting.
  

  Show details
• Virtual Game Night

  • When
    February 25, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Please join us for a virtual game night (by Zoom) on Saturday, February 25, at 7:00 p.m. All ages are welcome for an hour of fun and games. This is sponsored by the Outreach & Communications Committee.

  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
• Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 26, 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
• Coordinating Gathering

  • When
    February 26, 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Representatives of BFM committees meet  the week before Meeting for Business to discuss the upcoming Business agenda. These meetings are open to all who wish to attend.  Request Zoom access via our Contact Us form. 

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• Experiment with Light

  • When
    February 26, 2023
  •  
    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. 

  
  

  Show details
• Quakerism: A Deeper Dive, Four Doors to Meeting for Worship

  • When
    February 28, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Debby Churchman and John Bluedorn at Friends Meeting of Washington will lead a two-session Zoom workshop on the Four Doors to the Meeting for Worship on Tuesday evenings, February 21 and 28, at 7:00 p.m. If you want to deepen your spiritual experience in Meeting for Worship this is a great workshop to attend. William Taber, author of Four Doors to the Meeting for Worship (Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306), grew up in Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative), which remained his spiritual home throughout his life. Taber’s gift was centered on his ability to translate spiritual experience into plain language. This pamphlet grew out of his awareness of a need for a more contemporary explanation of “what happens” in a Quaker meeting for worship. He felt that this lack of instruction in method had become an increasing problem as modern Friends moved farther and farther away from the more pervasive Quaker culture, which in earlier generations played such a powerful teaching role, allowing Friends to learn the nuances and spiritual methods of Quakerism through osmosis.

  Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306 can be purchased here.  Register here.

  Show details
• Comparative Religions: Exploring the Roots of Religion

  • When
    February 28, 2023
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Exploring the Roots of Religion meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture from The Great Courses exploring evidence of religious activity around the world, followed by a half hour discussion. In February, we will study Temple of the Goddess on Malta, The Aten - Monotheism in Egypt, Deities of the Acropolis, and Gods and Pyramids at Teotihuacan.

  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
    March 01, 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
    March 05, 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
    March 08, 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
    March 12, 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
    March 15, 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
    March 19, 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
    March 22, 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
    March 26, 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
    March 29, 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
    April 02, 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
    April 05, 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