But wait a minute, you might be saying, how can unconditional love have limits if it is unconditional? I am learning through some difficult relationship struggles with people I love that there is a lot of confusion about this concept. We can confuse unconditional love with unconditional relationships. I know I have. Unconditional love is a beautiful spiritual aspiration encouraged by many of the world’s faiths; unconditional relationships are dysfunctional and unhealthy.
Sunday Apr. 5 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Sunday Apr. 5 – In-Person Peace & Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Monday Apr. 6 – “Peace Presence Vigil,” at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Wednesday Apr. 8 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Thursday Apr. 9 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Thursday Apr. 9 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 7 to 8:30 pm (details)
Saturday Apr. 11 – Spring Clean-Up at the Meeting House, 9 am-12 pm
Sunday Apr. 12 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Sunday Apr. 19 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Apr. 19 – In-Person Peace and Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 11:30 am-12:15 pm (details)
Wednesday Apr. 22 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Sunday Apr. 26 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Apr. 26 – “Love as Action” Public Silent Worship at Idlewild Park, 1-2 pm (details)
A group of Reno Friends recently gathered at Idlewild Park on a sunny afternoon and held their silent worship in public. There was snow on the ground, but it didn’t seem to matter. It was Sunday, and there were lots of people on the walking trail by the river, as well as those driving by after visiting the farmers’ market. We had a sign that said “Silent Quaker Witness for Peace.” We made a circle of our camp chairs, then sat in Silent Worship for an hour.
Sunday Mar. 1 – In-Person Peace & Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Sunday Mar. 1 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Monday Mar. 2 – “Peace Presence Vigil,” at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Sunday Mar. 8 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Wednesday Mar. 11 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Thursday Mar. 12 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Thursday Mar. 12 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 7 to 8:30 pm (details)
Sunday Mar. 15 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Mar. 15 – In-Person Peace and Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 11:30 am-12:15 pm (details)
Sunday Mar. 22 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Mar. 22 – “Love as Action” Public Silent Worship at Idlewild Park, 1-2 pm (details)
Wednesday Mar. 25 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Saturday Mar. 28 – RFM Young Adult Friends to the Red Dress Pow Wow, 6:30-8 pm (details)
Saturday, March 14 – College Park Quarterly’s “Valley/Foothills Regional Gathering,” Davis, CA, Meetinghouse. (details)
Fri. July 17 to Wed. July 22 – Save the date for Pacific Yearly Meeting’s Annual Session, which will be held at California State University Monterey Bay, in Seaside, CA.
Monthly “Friend-ly News” in English and Spanish from our affiliate Pacific Yearly Meeting: https://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/wordpress/friendly-news/
You can read about all our Quaker affiliates here.
Unity, the idea that we should seek consensus in our collective decisions, is a central testimony of the Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In this fractious time, however, it often seems the goal of unity has been nearly forgotten. Everyone seems to have differing views and fears and concerns, many of them deeply held. The anxieties of our age have taken a toll on our ability to talk with each other. In such a climate, unity feels nearly impossible to achieve. If so, does unity still matter?
(NOTE: New schedule for Hybrid Worship, and the Brown Bag Lunch at the Meeting House.)
Sunday Feb. 1 – In-Person Peace & Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Sunday Feb. 1 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Monday Feb. 2 – “Peace Presence Vigil for Venezuela,” at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Sunday Feb. 8 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Wednesday Feb. 11 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Thursday Feb. 12 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Thursday Feb. 12 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 7 to 8:30 pm (details)
Sunday Feb. 15 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Feb. 15 – In-Person Peace and Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 11:30 am-12:15 pm (details)
Sunday Feb. 22 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Feb. 22 – “Love as Action” Public Silent Worship at Idlewild Park, 1-2 pm (details)
Wednesday Feb. 25 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Whenever I hear the current President talk about sending the military into American cities, I wonder what the men and women of our armed services think of that idea. It’s one thing to volunteer to fight in foreign wars to defend our nation; it’s quite another to be sent into the streets of America. And it makes me think about the Quaker Peace Testimony, and what Quakers can do to support American service men and women who may want to resist taking military action against our own citizens.
Sunday Jan. 4 – In-Person Peace & Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Sunday Jan. 4 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Monday Jan. 5 – Peace Presence Vigil, at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Thursday Jan. 8 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 7 to 8:30 pm (details)
Sunday Jan. 11 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Wednesday Jan. 14 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Thursday Jan. 15 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Sat. January 17, 2026 – RFM hosts the College Park Winter Quarterly Youth overnight at the Meeting House.
Sunday Jan. 18 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday Jan. 18 – In-Person Peace and Social Concerns Discussion Group, in the First Day School, 11:30 am-12:15 pm (details)
Sunday Jan. 25 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Wednesday Jan. 28 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Monday Dec. 1 – Peace Presence Vigil for Immigration, at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Sunday Dec. 7 – In-Person “Linger Earlier” Discussion, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Sunday Dec. 7 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Wednesday Dec. 10 – Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
NOTE: There is NO Meeting for Business in December. Our next Meeting for Business will be Thurs. Jan. 9, at 7 pm (details)
Sunday Dec. 14 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Thursday Dec. 18 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Sunday Dec. 21 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Sunday Dec. 28 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Now through December 14 – Annual RFM Winter Food and Clothing Drive (details)
January 5, 2026 – “Peace Presence Vigil, at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm; hosted by other area organizations.
January 17, 2026 – College Park Winter Quarterly Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
January 17, 2026 – RFM hosts the College Park Winter Quarterly Youth overnight at the RFM Meeting House.
Monthly “Friend-ly News” in English and Spanish from our affiliate Pacific Yearly Meeting: https://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/wordpress/friendly-news/
You can read about all our Quaker affiliates here.
We hold online meetings, spiritual discussions, and yoga on Zoom throughout the year. For details on using Zoom, see our Zoom guidelines.
Reno Friends Meeting holds Silent Worship in the Meeting House every Sunday at 10 am, with fellowship afterwards. See the schedule above for the Sundays on which we hold Hybrid Worship — on those days you may join us either in person or online via Zoom. You can read more about our setup here. In the case of poor weather, road conditions, or air quality, we may move Silent Worship to Zoom only; watch your email for an alert. You may read about our COVID policy here.
Here is the recurring Zoom link for Hybrid Silent Worship:
https://zoom.us/j/98305205938?pwd=cDZseGdLbWMyYWZsZDdiN00rMjRUZz09
If you cannot attend Silent Worship with us, we invite you to send after-thoughts, joys and concerns, and requests to hold people in the Light to ministry(at)renofriends.org. Our worship clerk will read them at the next Silent Worship.
Quaker Sunday School for children is known as First Day School, and at Reno Friends it meets on various Sundays at 10 am. Children attend their class in the First Day School building and then join their parents for the last ten minutes of Silent Worship. Please email firstdayschool(at)renofriends.org if you are interested in more information.
This month, FDS meets in-person Dec. 21 at 10:00 am, in the First Day School building. Reno Friends Meeting is also hosting a College Park Winter Quarterly Youth overnight gathering, Sat. Jan. 17, 2026, in the Meeting House. They hope there will be enough snow to snowshoe this year. More details to come.
In an effort to channel the energy from our Potlucks for Action held earlier this year, Reno Friends have been gathering for additional sessions to discuss current events and what we, as Quakers, might do about the state of the nation. These gatherings are now called “Linger Earlier” discussions because they meet on Sundays before Silent Worship.
For December 2025, the “Linger Earlier” gathering will take place on first Sunday, from 9 to 9:45 am, in the First Day School. The Peace and Social Concerns Committee has decided that each session will focus on a fresh question. They will email out a reminder of the gathering and announce the question several days in advance. Stay tuned, and join us!
A Peace Presence Vigil will be held from 5:30-6:00 pm outside the Thompson Federal Building in downtown Reno on the corner of Liberty and Virginia Street. Reno Friends are encouraged to attend in line with our Quaker Peace Testimony.
The Peace Presence Vigils, organized by Sierra Interfaith Action for Peace, are held on the first Monday of each month, from 5:30-6:00 pm, outside the Thompson Federal Building in downtown Reno. These 30-minute, permitted vigils are on a sidewalk and grassy area. At this time of year, it is mostly dark, other than streetlights. Many folks stand for the vigil, but we recommend you bring a camping chair if you need to sit. Young children are welcome with a guardian.
The P&SC Committee is collecting new and clean-used warm clothing for all ages to give to the Good Shepherd’s Clothes Closet in Sparks. Non-perishable food will also be collected for The Community Food Pantry hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sparks. Please make sure all food donations are not past their expiration date. Collection boxes for food and clothing will available at the Meeting House through
December 14, 2025. See our monthly email for additional information.
This popular RFM Christmas tradition returns this year! Please consider baking 3-4 dozen of your favorite Christmas Cookies and bringing them to Potluck on Dec. 21. After Potluck, we will have an exchange. Please remember to write the ingredients of your cookies on a card to put on your cookie plate. And don’t forget to bring an empty container for your cookie loot!
Rhonda Ashurst will lead just one “Embodying the Light” class this month, on Wed. Dec. 10 at 10 am on Zoom. Rhonda offers our “Embodying the Light” class of gentle yoga and Tai Chi/Qigong as a service to Reno Friends and the community.
Embodying the Light is normally held on Zoom from 10-11 am twice a month, on second and fourth Wednesday mornings, but check the schedule at the top of our newsletter, as there are occasional cancellations. The Zoom link will be sent by email. See our website for more about the practice. To be added to Rhonda’s email list for last-minute notifications, email Rhonda at rhonda.ashurst.blog (at) gmail.com.
Second Sunday, after Silent Worship. Bring your own lunch or snacks to share for fellowship after worship. We will serve coffee and tea.
Third Thursday, 12 noon. Join hosts Peg McCall and Melanie Scott for an in-person Brown Bag Lunch at the Meeting House on third Thursdays at 12 noon. Anyone who wants to share lunch and fellowship with other Reno Friends is welcome.
Reno Friends Meeting welcomes financial donations to help support our many projects: renovating our rental cottage, making charitable grants to local and national Quaker organizations, paying our operating expenses, and funding scholarships for young attenders to travel to Quarterly and Annual Meetings. If you would like to support Reno Friends, donations can be deposited in the wooden box on the wall just below the bulletin board in the Meeting House. To arrange to make a zelle payment, or a contribution by check, email the treasurer(at)renofriends.org. Thank you from Reno Friends!
Suze Rand is in charge of Reno Friends stamp contributions to the Quaker Stamp Mission Project, which supports Right Sharing of World Sharing. Please save your canceled stamps and give them to her or put them in the drawer of the table under the Meeting House bulletin board. No common flag stamps, please. Thanks for helping women in underdeveloped countries by donating your canceled stamps!
The independent Carson City worship group used to meet 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. HOWEVER, a portion of the roof of the Rectory collapsed some months ago, so the Carson City Worship group is currently unable to meet there for Silent Worship. We will keep everyone informed as the repair project moves forward.
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 anyone would like to be connected to the Carson group, just email clerk(at)renofriends.org.
Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families meets every 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.
Note – Compiled 11/2025. Are you facing food insecurity or do you know someone who is? Our Ministry and Oversight committee compiled this list of resources; currently there is additional information posted on the P&SC bulletin board in the kitchen of the Meeting House. This list includes organizations known for their longstanding services and to RFM, excepting the Sparks pantry. Learn more about their services and others in the Reno/Sparks community via phone or websites listed. Services can change – verify by phone or website.
Around this time of year people start asking me, do Quakers celebrate Christmas?