Head of Meeting:Stephanie K. On February 5 Gale T.

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, see your email bulletin and the person will be introduced at the end of Worship each Sunday).

The Social Concern for January is the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). CCAN is a grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to fighting for bold and just solutions to climate change in the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.  It organizes, lobbies, and performs legal work to promote the vital switch to clean energy, and related programs. Their major fundraiser for years has been donations to people who take a plunge into the Chesapeake Bay in the midst of winter. This winter, on Saturday, February 11, BFM member Travis G. will take the plunge. He sees this as an important way to protect the home of all life and welcomes feedback and support.

To donate to this Social Concern, please go to: www.bethesdafriends.org. Be sure to designate that your contribution is for the social concern. You're also welcome to donate to Bethesda Friends Meeting directly to support all Meeting activities via the same methods (online or by check).

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

Participating in worship via Zoom. Friends wishing to join Meeting for Worship remotely can do so via Zoom.  If you'd like the Zoom link for online worship with our community, please use our "Contact us" form and tell us about your interest in Bethesda Friends. We welcome your joining us.  

Participating in worship at the Meeting House. Friends are invited to gather in person for Meeting for Worship at the Meeting House. Currently we are in Risk Level 3. Masking is mandatory and no food or drink is allowed. All persons must be vaccinated against COVID-19. We will ask everyone to sign-in on a simple sign-in sheet. Because the COVID conditions change over time, the applicable rules for attending in person may also change. For the most recent requirements, see the list below and also visit the BFM website's COVID Update.

Childcare during Meeting for Worship:  Under-5 childcare is available during Meeting for Worship from 10:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Two paid childcare providers and two BFM volunteers will supervise play; children under 5 years of age (weekly) and children in kindergarten through 8th grade (on non-First Day School weeks) will be supervised separately, each group with one paid provider and one volunteer. Children two years and older will need to wear a mask while on campus. Please volunteer to assist with supervision by contacting Lee or Laura using our "Contact us" form. 

First Day School during Meeting for Worship:   FDS classes for children in kindergarten through 8th Grade will generally be held on the first and third Sundays of each month. However, FDS classes in January will be on January 8th and January 22nd.  In February, FDS classes will resume the first and third Sunday schedule. Sign in for FDS begins at 10:50 a.m

Junior Young Friends (JYF) Conference A JYF Conference will be held Saturday, January 28 at 11:00 a.m. through Sunday, January 29 at 12:00 p.m. at Stony Run Friends Meeting in Baltimore, MD. JYF conferences or “cons” are weekend retreats held at different Quaker Meetinghouses throughout the school year for 6th - 8th graders. Cons are a way to see friends from other Meetings or camp, make new friends, and retreat from the pressures of pre-teen life, while still developing skills around living in community and having a lot of fun. For details and to register please visit this link. 

AFSC Seminar with Joyce Ajlouny: From Conflict to Community On Saturday, January 28, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny will speak at Friends House in Sandy Spring, MD on peace-building and justice in a divided world. To attend in-person please contact John Salzberg at john.salzberg@verizon.net. Masks are required at Friends House. Alternatively, please attend via Zoom at this link with Meeting ID 868 9211 1729 and Passcode: 992466.

Coordinating Gathering Representatives of most BFM committees will meet Sunday, January 29 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Zoom to discuss the upcoming Meeting for Business agenda. These meetings are open to all who wish to attend. For more information including the Zoom link, please contact us using our "Contact us" form.

On Exploring the Roots of Religion. A group meets weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion using a lecture series from Great Courses titled On Exploring the Roots of Religion. For more information including the Zoom link, please contact us using our "Contact us" form. 

We Are What We Eat Webinar On Wednesday, February 1 from 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., the BYM Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals is co-sponsoring a webinar on how our food can help build a more peaceful, livable planet. Dan Jasper will discuss the interconnected nature of food, conflict, and the climate crisis and how our food choices can shape our future. He is a dynamic speaker and participants can learn a great deal about the impact of agriculture on climate issues. Please register here to get 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. Contact Dot L. for more information.

Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival and Forum AFSC 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. via Zoom 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, the film subject is Joan Countryman. The sessions are free, but you must register for each session at this link.  

Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business 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. All who come to Meeting for Worship are welcome and encouraged to participate. On the agenda this month are reports from Friends Committee on National Legislation, the BFM Recorder, a community report, Friendly Gardens, and an ad hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee report. For more information including the Zoom meeting invormation, please contact us using our "Contact us" form. 

First Day School & Parents Sharing Conversation On Sunday, February 5 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 our "Contact us" form. 

COVID-19 Rules for In-Person Meeting for Worship:   

• Masks are required indoors.
• Full vaccination, including booster shots, is required for age groups where vaccination is available. 
• Self-screening for Covid symptoms required.
• Sign-in with contact information required.
• Prompt notification of a positive Covid test after attending required. Please send any positive test notification via email to covid.committee@bethesdafriends.org, or call one of the Meeting co-clerks. BFM will provide notice to others who attended the same meeting (but will not identify the person testing positive)

Click here for current rules and BFM's full Covid-19 information and policy.