Bethesda Friends Meeting

weekly bfm bulletin and events


Sunday, July 14, 2023

Fri., July 12

12:00 p.m.

AFSC Action Hour: Ceasefire Now

Sat., July 13

1:30 p.m.

Quaker Book Group

Sun., July 14

9:00 a.m.

Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business (Hybrid)

11:00 a.m.

Meeting for Worship + Child Care

Tues., July 16

7:00 p.m.

Comparative Religions - Buddhism

Wed., July 17

8:00 p.m.

Mid-Week Worship (check in by email)

Thurs., July 18

5:30 p.m.

AFSC Meeting for Worship re: Peace in Palestine & Israel

Fri., July 19

12:00 p.m.

AFSC Action Hour: Ceasefire Now

Sun., July 21

11:00 a.m.

Meeting for Worship + Child Care

7:30 p.m.

Experiment with Light (via phone/email, Zoom sharing)

Tues., July 23

7:00 p.m.

Comparative Religions - Buddhism

SUNDAYS AT BETHESDA FRIENDS MEETING


Head of Meeting: Today, Stephanie Koenig. On July 21, Georgianna Ziegler


Pastoral Care: If you have concerns about personal issues or questions about membership, Bethesda Friends Meeting, or Quaker faith and practice, please be in touch with today’s Friendly Ear, a member of the Pastoral Care Committee.  

The person's name and contact info is announced after worship, or you can ask via our Contact Us form. You can also reach a Friendly Ear by sending an email message to friendlyear@bethesdafriends.org, and a member of the Pastoral Care Committee will get in touch with you.


The Social Concern for July is for Jubilee Jobs, which, since 1981, has placed over 28,000 people into marketplace employment. It supports clients for up to two years, including those who are homeless, in recovery, ex-offenders, public welfare recipients, and recent immigrants.  
For more details and information on how to donate to support Jubilee Jobs as well as BFM's regular budget needs, please go to the end of this bulletin

Meeting for Worship: Bethesda Friends worship together each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Friends can participate in person at the Meeting House or remotely via Zoom.

Participating in worship at the Meeting House. Friends are invited to gather in person at 11:00 a.m. for Meeting for Worship at the Meeting House


Participating in worship via Zoom. To join using Zoom, you can obtain the link in your weekly Bulletin or use our Contact Us form 


First Day School (FDS) for children 5 years of age and older is offered on the first and third Sunday of each month. Childcare for this age group is offered on non-FDS Sundays.

Childcare and Youth-care during Meeting for Worship: Childcare is available on non-holiday weekends during Meeting for Worship from 10:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. for children under 5 years of age. Paid caregivers provide this service. Youth-care is also available on non-holiday weekends for children over 5 years of age on non-First Day School Sundays (i.e., the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of a month) during Meeting for Worship. Two volunteers are needed from 10:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on non-FDS Sundays so that care for these older children remains available. There will be a signup sheet at the Meeting House and you may also sign up at this link.

EVENTS AT BETHESDA FRIENDS MEETING THIS SUNDAY, JULY 14

Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business: This Sunday, July 14, at 9:00 a.m. Bethesda F(f)riends will consider various business items at a hybrid (in person+ 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. The agenda this month includes final reading of the Nominations slate, BYM Interim report, and annual reports from Digitization and Book Table.
For details and the zoom link, please use our Contact Us form.

EVENTS COMING UP SOON (JULY 12 - July 23)

AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire in GazaJoin American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) staff every Friday at 12:00 p.m. to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. To attend, please register at this link.

The Quaker Book Group will meet virtually on Saturday, July 13 at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. We will revisit Andrew Boyd's book I Want a Better Catastrophe.  Newcomers are always welcome, even if you have not read the book. For details and the zoom link, please use our Contact Us form.

Comparative Religions - Buddhism meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom for a half-hour lecture followed by a half-hour discussion. The course is a survey of the history of Buddhism and its faith and practice from its origin in the sixth century B.C.E. to contemporary times in America. All are welcome. For details, check out the BFM website or use our Contact Us form for the Zoom link.

Bethesda Friends Meeting’s stay-at-home Mid-Week Worship by e-mail is on Wednesdays, from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. While some of our regulars prefer to simply join in Spirit at the appointed time, others enjoy the brief connection provided by an email at the start and end of worship. At rise of meeting, those on that session's email list who are moved to do so may share experiences by reply-all. Friends wishing to join, please use our Contact Us form

AFSC Meeting for Worship re: Peace in Israel and Palestine: The violence in Palestine and Israel has impacted the AFSC community in many ways, all of them tragic and heartbreaking.  Please join us every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. for a Meeting for Worship via Zoom, gathering in solidarity and holding those most impacted in the Light. All are invited. Please register at this link to receive the Zoom link to attend. Please note that the date and time have changed from prior gatherings.

Experiment with Light is a meditative and centering practiceThere will be a session on Sunday July 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Starting at 7:30 p.m., you can follow the prompts at this link at home and write or draw responses you have experienced during those prompts. We use the meditation on the individual in modern language, full length, 37-minute version. Then around 8:30 p.m., if you would like to worship-share from your meditation experience please join via Zoom at this link. The zoom information can be found using our  Contact Us form

FUTURE EVENTS TO PLAN AHEAD FOR

BYM Annual Session will be held July 30 through August 4, 2024 at Hood College in Frederick, MD. Friends will gather for plenary speakers, workshops, worship, spiritual formation, children and youth programs, Meeting for Business, open-mic night, and an outdoor carnival. Registration is open and details about the event may be found here. Our own Leslie Sussan and Jonathan Gross will be co-leading an in-person session titled “Activism for Peace/Justice across Generations – Walking Together on Different Paths” on August 2. 

SUPPORTING BFM & THE SOCIAL CONCERN OF THE MONTH


Supporting BFMBethesda Friends Meeting depends on our generosity to support its publications, religious education, childcare, and its “apportionment” payment to Baltimore Yearly Meeting—all of which connect us to each other and link us to the broader Quaker community.  Our contributions also support Quaker organizations and advocacy, education, and community groups attuned with Quaker values.  As of the first week in December, we have raised just less than 30 percent of contributions budgeted for the fiscal year ending in June 2024.  Needs are pressing, and contributions in any amount are deeply appreciated.  

The Social Concern for July is for Jubilee Jobs.  Jubilee Jobs, since 1981, has placed over 28,000 people into marketplace employment. Work for sustenance, dignity, and hope describes the common goals Jubilee Jobs shares with those in need, including those who are homeless, in recovery, ex-offenders, public welfare recipients, and recent immigrants. It provides continuing support for up to two years. See www.jubileejobs.org to learn more and to volunteer. 

To donate to this Social Concern, please go to www.bethesdafriends.org/Donate-Online-NowClearly designate that your contribution is for this month's Social Concern. If you prefer, you may send your check, made payable to Bethesda Friends Meeting, to David M.,  Assistant Treasurer (see address in the BFM Directory, or use our Contact Us form). You are also welcome to donate to Bethesda Friends Meeting directly to support all Meeting activities via the same methods (online or by check)

The weekly bulletin is available by email. If you would like to add your name to the list, please email bethesdafm@igc.org The bulletin is also posted on the BFM web site: www.bethesdafriends.org Please send all items for next week’s bulletin to bulletin@bethesdafriends.org Items must be in by 5:30 p.m. Thursday to ensure inclusion. Comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

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 organization of the Religious Society of Friends

www.bethesdafriends.org
301-986-8681
Contact Us

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