August 2021 Newsletter
For upcoming events, see our Calendar. For the monthly Queries, see August: Integrity and Personal Conduct. (The red text on this page and within this web site contains embedded hypertext links. Double click on any red link to open the web page associated with that link.)
Announcements
Reno Friends Meeting is currently holding Silent Worship at 9:30 am on Sundays. For August, we will be holding Silent Worship on Zoom. Click here for the Zoom link. In September we hope to return to using our garden for Silent Worship. Our First Day School is open at parent request, and will be held outside during the summer months. Please contact clerk(at)renofriends.org if you would like to request First Day School for your children a few days in advance, if possible. We are also holding online meetings, spiritual discussions and yoga on Zoom through the summer. For details on using Zoom, see our Zoom guidelines.
August 2021 Reno Friends Meeting Schedule
Sun. Aug. 1 – Silent Worship on Zoom, 9:30 am (details)
Wed. Aug. 4 – Zoom Clerks’ Committee Meeting, 10:00 am
Thurs. Aug. 5 – PM Zoom Embodying the Light, 7-8 pm, online (details)
Sun. Aug. 8 – Silent Worship on Zoom, 9:30 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 8 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 11:00 am
Wed. Aug. 11 – AM Embodying the Light, 9:30-10:30 am, on Zoom (details)
Thurs. Aug. 12 – CANCELLED: Brown Bag Lunch in the Meeting House or Garden, 11:30 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 15 – Silent Worship on Zoom, 9:30 am (details)
Thurs. Aug. 19 – Third Thursday Zoom Brown Bag Lunch, 12:00 pm (details)
Sun. Aug. 22 – Silent Worship on Zoom, 9:30 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 22 – CANCELLED: Potluck in the Garden, 11 am (details)
Wed. Aug. 25 – AM Embodying the Light, 9:30-10:30 am, on Zoom (details)
Thurs. 26 – Zoom Spiritual Discussion on “The Magic of Quaker Process,” with Edie Uber, 7:00-8:30 pm (details)
Sun. Aug. 29 – Silent Worship on Zoom, 9:30 am (details)
Reno Friends Meeting Events & Notices
Silent Worship on Zoom, in the Meeting House or in the Garden, every Sunday at 9:30 am, with Fellowship afterwards. Worship is “Weather Conditional,” so check for last minute emails about whether we are in-person or on Zoom.
This summer we have been holding Silent Worship in our Garden and, more recently, back in our Meeting House. For all of August, however, we will need to conduct Silent Worship on Zoom due to air quality and health concerns. Here is the recurring Zoom link for online Silent Worship. (The Zoom session is active between 9:15-12:00, with Silence starting at 9:30.)
https://zoom.us/j/98305205938?pwd=cDZseGdLbWMyYWZsZDdiN00rMjRUZz09
If you are joining us in person in the garden or the Meeting House, please read about Silent Worship. For Silent Worship on Zoom, we have developed a set of Zoom Worship guidelines. For those who would like to learn more about Zoom in advance, go to https://westernfriend.org/media/how-use-zoom-videoconferencing. If you would rather sit in Silent Worship quietly at home rather than online, we invite you to send after-thoughts, joys and concerns, and requests to hold people in the Light to Rhonda at rhondalou14(at)gmail.com. Our worship clerk will read them at the next Silent Worship.
In-Person Fellowship Resumes in the Meeting House Garden, with a Potluck on Sun. Aug. 22 after Worship at 11:00 am, Conditions Permitting
Reno Friends will gather for our 4th-Sunday Potluck tradition on Aug. 22 at 11 am, after Silent Worship. We will serve food in the Meeting House but bring our plates to eat outside. If we need to retreat indoors, we will open windows and doors, and turn on the fan. Please bring food to share that is easy to eat with just a fork or fingers.
Garden Brown Bag Lunch, Thurs. Aug. 12, at 11:30 am
Reno Friends is also bringing back the popular Brown Bag Lunch, but this time it will be in-person in the Garden (or the Meeting House). Peg McCall is host for this event. Anyone who wants to share lunch and fellowship with other Reno Friends can gather in the Garden on Thurs. Aug. 12, at 11:30 am. As with potluck, our intention is to eat outside unless weather drives us inside. If we need to go inside, we will need to observe the mask mandate, and we will social distance and open windows/doors. We plan to offer 2nd-Thursday Brown Bag Garden Lunches through the summer months.
Zoom Clerks Committee Meeting: Wed. Aug. 4, at 10:00 am
The next RFM’s Clerks’ Committee will meet Wed. Aug. 4 at 10:00 am on Zoom to discuss the August Meeting for Business agenda. A link for that Zoom session, along with a draft agenda, will go out to those involved the day before. If anyone in the Meeting has an item for the Meeting for Business agenda, please forward it to one of the Meeting Clerks, either John Hervey or Mark Woolbright.
Zoom Meeting for Business: Sun. Aug. 8, at 11:00 am
Business Meeting will be Sun. Aug. 8 at 11:00 am. This Meeting for Business will be on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent out by email to all in advance, along with the agenda. Everyone is welcome at Meeting for Business.
Embodying the Light: Evening Session on Zoom Thurs. Aug. 5 at 7 pm; Morning Sessions Wed. Aug. 11 and Wed. Aug. 25 at 9:30 am in-person at LAKE PARK!
Rhonda Ashurst leads the “Embodying the Light” class of gentle yoga and Tai Chi/Qigong as a service to Reno Friends and the community. During the summer months, the First Thursday evening class will be on Zoom from 7-8 pm; and the Second and Fourth Wednesday morning classes will meet in-person at Lake Park, from 9:30-10:30 am. For all the sessions, we will do our Tai Chi/Qigong practice standing, but please have a chair or mat for our brief meditation. See our website for more details. Please watch the Weekly Schedule Update for the link for the Zoom sessions.
Lake Park is a quiet park is at the intersection of Wesley and Coleman Streets, off Keystone Avenue, which we used for the class last year with great success, as there is shade and little traffic. There is adequate parking on both streets, on the park side. We will do our Tai Chi/Qigong practice standing, but please bring a folding chair or mat for our brief meditation. We will have adequate room to space out, so wearing a mask is optional. There is no bathroom at the park, so plan accordingly. If the weather forecast doesn’t look good, the night before class Rhonda will send an email with a Zoom link to the frequent attenders of her class.
Zoom Spiritual Discussion, 7-8:30 pm, Thurs. Aug. 26, “The Magic of Quaker Process,” with Edie Uber
Please join Edie Uber for a Zoom Spiritual Discussion, Thurs. Aug. 26 at 7 pm, on “The Magic of Quaker Process.” The Zoom link for this discussion, and additional background material and queries, will be sent out later in the month. We welcome everyone.
Donating to Reno Friends in 2021
If you would like to support the Meeting, donations should be sent to our Meeting Co-Treasurer Katie Dwyer, at her home at 40 Arbor Oak Court, Reno, NV 89509. Or you can send money to the Meeting via your bank using the Zelle payment application, which most banks offer for free. To make a Zelle transfer, you’ll need Reno Friends’ bank account number, which you can get by emailing our other Co-Treasurer Charlie Shepard at cshepard54(at)gmail.com. It eliminates the need to write a check and, for our Treasurers, to deposit your check at the bank. Thank you from Reno Friends!
RISE Update
Changes have been coming to RISE, the local charity that serves Reno’s homeless and which is supported by Reno Friends. RISE, which stands for the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, is no longer managing the RISE & Dine meal service that Reno Friends have helped with in the past. Instead, RISE is operating the new family shelter, Our Place, and is monitoring other changes in the homeless community.
For a report on RISE from Steve Wolgast, the RFM RISE liaison, please see the 7/1/2021 Reno Friends RISE Report.
Quaker Earthcare Witness: Books on Climate and Care of the Earth
“Each of us approaches Earthcare from the calling deep within us. Some are called to advocacy; some are called to tilt at the political windmills; some of us are called to teach/share with others; some of us are called to regenerative agriculture and/or native plants. Each has its place in Earthcare. It’s important to find our own starting place – and that will guide our reading. Reading broadly can also help us find that starting place.” – Hope Ascher, Quaker Meeting of Melbourne. For some suggestions of recommended books, click here: https://www.quakerearthcare.org/article/qews-favorite-books
Donate New Stamps to the Homeless
Want to help those in need? Donate new FOREVER stamps to be distributed to the homeless through the Reno Family Resource Center. Put stamp donations in the little drawer under the bulletin board in the Meeting House.
Carson City Worship Group
The Carson City worship group is currently meeting privately because of the pandemic. If you are interested in attending, please contact clerk(at)renofriends.org and we will connect you to the Carson clerk. In better times, the Carson Worship Group met every Sunday of the month for unprogrammed worship from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in the living room of the Rectory of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Carson City. St. Peter’s, located at 314 North Division Street, occupies a small city block in the heart of Carson City’s Historic District. The Rectory, an historic two-story brick house, sits just south of the church building. If, or when, the Carson Worship Group is able to meet again in the St. Peter’s Rectory, we will announce that here.
Quaker Mission Stamp Project
Stamping for Dollars, previously know as The Quaker Stamp Project, helps the poor through Right Sharing of World Resources, a Quaker organization that provides micro-grants to groups of very poor women for starting up a business. All live in impoverished areas in Africa and India. To support this worthwhile program, save canceled foreign and domestic stamps, and send them to: Stamps for Right Sharing, c/o Indianapolis First Friends, 3030 Kessler Blvd East Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46220. For more information: https://www.rswr.org/stamp-program. You can help make a difference in the world – one stamp at a time!
Outside Non-Profits That (Previously) Met at the Quaker Meeting House
NOTE: These groups are negotiating their return to our Meeting House this summer. Please contact the groups directly for updates.
Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and every Saturday from 5 pm to 6 pm. ACA is a world service 12-step program for those struggling with the legacy of growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home. These groups are open to all.
Citizens Climate Lobby of Northern Nevada works with local and national legislators to pass a carbon tax and dividend to help stop global warming. CCL meets the 4th Tuesday of the month, 6:30 to 8 pm (except for Dec.). For more info, email Betsy Fadali at bfadali(at)sbcglobal.net. Feel free to bring friends and neighbors, if they are interested. For more on CCL, go to www.citizensclimatelobby.org.
Other Non-Profits Affiliated with Reno Friends
Sierra Interfaith Action for Peace (SIAP) has been “holding a space” for peace for over 16 years. Instead of gathering in front of the Federal Building, as they have done in the past, the group now gathers for a peace vigil on Zoom every Monday from 5:30-6:00 pm. Members take turns leading the group with relevant articles and discussions. If anyone wants to join the group, please send an email to either Pat Coia at crmmp2001@yahoo.com or Rita Sloan at rwrksloan@hotmail.com.
Hold Them in the Light
Please hold the following in the Light: All who those who have lost loved ones or who have suffered illness during the pandemic; those who have lost jobs or business; everyone hurt and challenged by racism, war and terrorism; those who struggle with loneliness, sadness or privation; all those grieving over the epidemic of gun violence and police violence in our country, and for and all the people and leaders of our nation and all countries experiencing war or oppression, so that we may find peaceful resolutions to all our economic and political troubles. In particular, please hold in the Light: Sharonlee Souza; Arlene Van Cleave; Peg’s cousin Cathy; Mark and Edie’s niece Hannah and friends Karen and family, Lee, and Bart; Rick’s wife Beth and all of San Jose Meeting; Melanie’s sister Stephanie; Erin’s friend Derek; Rhonda’s friend Deb and cousin Gary; Catie’s friend Damien; the animals at the roadside zoo in Reno; Joan Graham, her brother Tom, and her family; all the communities impacted by wildfires, the firefighters, and the forests, including Alpine County (where the Brunes are from) and Kristin’s district; Kristin and her family who have been evacuated; Shanna Mae who has smoky air in her home; and Ryan who has friends who have been evacuated. To request prayers, or to add or subtract someone from the “Hold in the Light” list, please contact Rhonda Ashurst at rhondalou14(at)gmail.com.
Quaker Activities & Announcements
Ben Lomond Quaker Center Workshops
Ben Lomond is still operating, but most programs are currently held online. Check out their website for Worship Sharing, Silent Worship, specific programs and more. Go to http://www.quakercenter.org.
Ben Lomond Financial Appeal
Between COVID and the recent fires, Ben Lomond Quaker Center
has lost about $15,000 per month of budgeted income. We started out with some healthy reserves, we’ve cut back on expenditures and Friends have been exceedingly generous in offering financial support. But, as the pandemic continues, and as we recover from the CZU fire, we are nearly certain to approach the limits of our ability to stay afloat and to chart the course. Please help, as you are able: DONATE
British Yearly Meeting Shares a Daily Feed of Advices and Queries: Go to http://quakerthoughtfortheday.com/
Quaker worship and fellowship online through Western Friend Magazine: https://westernfriend.org/quaker-worship-and-fellowship-online
Write for What Canst Thou Say?
Tell us your stories! What Canst Thou Say? (WCTS) is an independent publication co-operatively produced by Friends with an interest in mystical experience and contemplative practice. WCTS is a worship-sharing group in print. We hope to help Friends be tender and open to the Spirit. Articles that best communicate to our readers are those that focus on specific events and are written in the first person. We welcome submissions of articles less than 1500 words and artwork suitable for black and white reproduction. It is published in February, May, August, and November. The editorial and production team is Muriel Dimock, Lissa Field, Mariellen Gilpin, Judy Lumb, Grayce Mesner, Mike Resman, Earl Smith, Eleanor Warnock, and Rhonda Ashurst.
Reno Friends are welcome to email submissions to Rhonda Ashurst at rhondalou14(at)gmail.com. Please send your text submissions in Word or generic text format, and artwork in high resolution jpeg files. Photocopied art and typed submissions are also accepted. All authors and artists retain copyright to their articles and artwork published in WCTS. WCTS retains the right to publish initially and to reprint in WCTS anthologies.
Reno Friends Newsletter: How To Contribute
Submissions: Please submit your items for the newsletter by the Second Sunday of the month for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter. Send Friends Calendar events and information to Reno Friends newsletter editor Wendy Swallow, wswallow54 (at) gmail.com, or leave a message on the Meeting phone, (775) 329-9400.
Getting the newsletter in the mail: If you need to receive your newsletter by postal mail, please notify RFM newsletter editor Wendy Swallow at: wswallow54(at)gmail.com or call at 775-473-5559.