You are invited to submit queries that you think Friends would find meaningful to explore. Please submit your suggestions to Don Miller (donmiller123@gmail.com), clerk of Ministry and Worship. The committee may adapt them as it feels is needed.
Spend Christmas Eve with Friends
4:30-5 p.m.: Kid-Friendly Christmas Carol Singing led by Jan Hampton on guitar
Via Zoom, Jan will be playing holiday favorites, so gather the family around the computer, see your friends, and sing Christmas carols along with Jan from 4:30- 5 p.m.
5-6 p.m. Candlelight Christmas Eve Meeting for Worship
Please join us via Zoom for our traditional candlelight Christmas Eve Meeting
for Worship. Please leave the lights off in your room and if possible, light a candle and place it between yourself and the computer so it will be visible to others. Worship will begin at 5 p.m.
(Zoom links will be provided via the Newlist closer to the events)
Richmond Friends Meeting Solidarity Minute in Response to the Murder of George Floyd
Approved June 21, 2020
Richmond Friends Meeting (Virginia) mourns the death of George Floyd who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis as he begged for his life. In keeping with our peace tradition, we oppose all violence and support ardent and peaceful protest in response to his death.
The killings of Marcus-David Peters, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks are among many atrocities that have occurred in our country. Over 400 people have been killed by police across the U.S. this year, continuing the trend of about 1,000 police-involved deaths annually since 2015. These deaths fit into a broader pattern of state-sanctioned violence that disproportionally impacts African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color.
The insidious nature of racism in America impacts every aspect of our society, including health care, education, employment, wealth, and environmental protection. A current tragic example is disproportionate infection and death by COVID-19 in African-American and Native American communities. The reality of systemic racism calls for legal, structural, social, and cultural change.
As Quakers we are committed to challenging white supremacy in ourselves, our Religious Society of Friends and in society around us. With this as a foundation, we join in the march towards racial justice. We stand in solidarity with victims of racism. We will continue to work actively with others in our community to further racial equality and justice. We call for an end to oppression, whether perpetrated by private citizens or public bodies.
As a community, we endorse the following statement from Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends:
“We Friends are of many skin colors, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, stages of life, and socially constructed racial identities. We are all seeking the Spirit’s presence in our lives and in our life together. We recognize that some of us have experienced oppression and marginalization in ways that others have not. We aspire to live as members of the blessed community, which is one of liberation, equity, and great diversity across all differences.”
Each year, the Ministry and Worship Committee of Richmond Friends Meeting writes a Spiritual State of the Meeting report for the previous calendar year. This report is based on the experiences and insights provided by the entire RFM community. On Saturday, February 22, the Meeting community will gather for this purpose. This is the one time each year when the entire community comes together to reflect on how we are doing and to identify challenges going forward. All members and attenders of our meeting are encouraged to attend. We welcome every voice. For newer attenders, this is an wonderful opportunity to learn a great deal about Meeting.
Bagels, juice and coffee will be available starting at 9 am. We will be seated and begin settling by 9:30 am to begin our sharing, which will end by noon. The themes expressed during worship sharing will be recorded by members of Ministry and Worship and considered during the drafting of the report. The report will be brought to Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business for approval before being sent to in April to the Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting for their use in preparing a report for BYM annual sessions. If you are not able to attend, you are invited to send reflections in writing to the clerk of Ministry and Worship Committee, Don Miller, or you may leave letters in the mailbox for Ministry and Worship.