For the schedule of upcoming events, see the list below. For the monthly Queries, see February: Meeting for Worship for Business. (The red text on this page and within this web site contains embedded hypertext links. Click on a red link to open the web page associated with that link.)
Announcements
Reno Friends Meeting is currently holding Silent Worship at 10:00 am on Sundays on Zoom. Our First Day School is open at parent request on Sundays when we gather in person, and will be held outside, if possible. Please contact clerk(at)renofriends.org a few days in advance if you would like to request First Day School for your children . We are also holding online meetings, fellowship, spiritual discussions and yoga on Zoom. For details on using Zoom, see our Zoom guidelines.
February 2022 Reno Friends Meeting Schedule
Thurs. Feb. 3 – Zoom Ministry & Oversight Committee Meeting, 2 pm
Sun. Feb. 6 – Zoom Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Wed. Feb. 9 – Zoom AM Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Sun. Feb. 13 – Zoom Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sun. Feb. 13 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 11:30 am. NOTE TIME CHANGE
Sat. Feb. 15 – LAST DAY for the Midwinter Clothing and Food Drive (details)
Thurs. Feb. 17 – Brown Bag Lunch, hosted by Melanie and Peg, 12 noon
Sun. Feb. 20 – Zoom Silent Worship, 10:00 am (details)
Tues. Feb. 22 – Zoom Spiritual Discussion on “Experiencing Loss,” 7-8:30 pm (details)
Wed. Feb. 23 – AM Embodying the Light, 10-11 am, on Zoom (details)
Sun. Feb. 27 – Zoom Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Reno Friends Meeting Event Details & Other Notices
Reno Friends Meeting is currently holding Silent Worship on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. with fellowship afterwards. Here is the recurring Zoom link for online Silent Worship:
https://zoom.us/j/98305205938?pwd=cDZseGdLbWMyYWZsZDdiN00rMjRUZz09
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.
Should Reno Friends Return to In-Person Worship? Share Your Thoughts.
Meeting for Business recently discussed returning to the Meeting House post Covid. While we agreed that January was not yet the time, we did consider how to evaluate a safe return. Based on responses to our survey, many Reno Friends were not interested in policing and verifying everyone’s vaccine status at the door of the Meeting House. Several Friends also pointed out that, given how contagious Omicron is, even vaccinated people who are asymptomatic can share the virus unknowingly. Therefore, Meeting for Business agreed that we should return to holding Worship in the Meeting House under a “restaurant model,” i.e only when we are willing to sit in an enclosed space with people whose exposure/vaccination status is unknown, and when we are willing to tolerate having masks removed when people share during Worship, or by those who have trouble breathing in a mask. Once the Omicron wave passes, and new cases/hospitalizations hopefully drop, enough of us might be willing to take such a risk. Because we have some attenders who cannot afford such a risk, or who cannot easily reach our Meeting House, Reno Friends is committed to offering Hybrid (Zoom and In-Person) Worship twice a month on first and third Sundays once we return to the Meeting House.
Until that time, Worship will continue to be held on Zoom. The task force is working on a short list of protocols for returning to the Meeting House to be presented to Meeting for Business in February or March. If you have thoughts to share, please email Wendy at wswallow54(at)gmail.com.
Winter Clothing and Food Drive Ends Feb. 15th!
Winter can be cold and long for those in need of food and clothing. Peg is again sponsoring the collection of warm hats, gloves, socks etc. (new or used) and also non-perishable food, from January 15th – February 15th. Peg will provide a collection box at her house (see the Weekly Schedule Update for her address). She welcomes suggestions about where to donate the clothing; the Sparks Food Pantry always welcomes food. Please don’t forget to drop off your contributions BY FEB. 15!
Zoom Spiritual Discussion on “Experiencing Loss,” Tues. Feb. 22, 7-8:30 pm
Come share your experience with grieving loss. What helps? Where have you gotten stuck? How is grief related to love? Losses can include death, broken relationships, pets, loss of function or ability, loss of an important role or part of your identity, jobs and more. The Zoom link for this discussion, and additional background material and queries, will be sent out later in the month. We welcome everyone.
Due to scheduling conflicts, we will hold spiritual discussions on the 4th Tuesday from 7:00-8:30 of each month in 2022. The Spiritual Discussion Committee includes: Rhonda Ashurst, Earl Piercy, Catie Polley and Cliff Smith. We will facilitate discussions as a team this year. We welcome your ideas/topics. We encourage you to join us to facilitate a topic of interest to you.
Donating to Reno Friends in 2022
If you would like to support Reno Friends Meeting, donations should be sent to our Meeting Co-Treasurer Charlie Shepard at his home at 4395 Mountaingate Drive, Reno, NV 89519. 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 Charlie at cshepard54(at)gmail.com. Zelle eliminates the need to write a check and, for our Treasurers, to deposit your check at the bank. Thank you from Reno Friends!
Consider Supporting Quaker Earthcare Witness
Those who support Quaker Earthcare Witness, a Quaker-led environmental group, say they believe it is important for Quakers to have a place to share concerns about the planet within the context of Quaker values, while also being cared for. One members said: “It is inspiring to be a small part of a community of Earthcare activists.” If you’ve enjoyed and benefited from reading BeFriending Creation this year, please consider making a donation to support our efforts. In peace, Hayley Hathaway, Editor, BeFriending Creation
For suggestions of books recommended by Quaker Earthcare Witness, click here: https://www.quakerearthcare.org/article/qews-favorite-books
Carson City Worship Group
The Carson City worship group meets 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. Attenders are asked to wear a mask. 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.
Quaker Mission Stamp Project
This just in! The latest Right Sharing of World Resources newsletter is focused on the stamp mission Reno Friends Meeting has been supporting. Read all about it! https://rswr.org/sites/default/files/Newsletters/2022-Q1-Newsletter.pdf
Outside Non-Profits That (Previously) Met at the Quaker Meeting House
NOTE: These groups are negotiating their return to our Meeting House. 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 Quaker Activities & Announcements
College Park Winter Quarterly Meeting QuickNotes
College Park Quarterly Winter Meeting was held on 1/15/2022 on Zoom. After Bible Sharing and a rich worship, Marcelle Martin gave a presentation about Faithfulness groups. Faithfulness groups are groups of 4-7 people who meet once or twice a month. Their purposes include: spiritual accompaniment, help with discernment, deepening of faith and mutual accountability. The focus is on one participant at a time for about an hour. Others in the group seek to ask evoking questions to assist the focus person in exploring deep responses and inner knowing. Marcelle shared suggestions about how to ask evoking questions.
The presentation provided opportunities for breakouts into dyads. The first breakout involved a
deep listening exercise. The focus person was asked 4 times when they experience the spirit,
and the responding person thanked them for their response. The second involved listening to
an issue the focus person presented, and framing evoking questions.
Friends House gave a report on how things have been since the merger with Covia and the
laying down of Friends Association for the Elderly. Overall, Friend House residents seem
satisfied with the change. However, there have been many difficulties during the last year,
including Covid 19, and resulting resident isolation. Covia now is merging with
a larger management group. Changes and upgrades are being made, including greater
assisted living space and work has been done to make the grounds more fire resistant.
The Ministry and Oversight committee has been working with monthly meetings on issues
relating to the quality of worship and good order. The M & O committee has unity that members and attenders in our meetings should continue to think about how to be welcoming and affirming to all who cross our physical and virtual thresholds. To better facilitate this work among our meetings, M & O sent a collection of queries to monthly meetings this past summer. As part of their continuing work on this matter, they are planning a series of calls between monthly meeting clerks or clerks of their respective ministry and oversight/counsel/care to learn and share how individual meetings are working towards true inclusivity. Meetings can expect invitations to these calls in the coming weeks.
The worship sharing was, as usual, an opportunity for close connection with others. Marcelle
Martin provided the queries, which included:
What kind of support best helps you know the truth in your heart?
What is the gift you most want to give in your life?
To what or to whom do you wish to be faithful?
Spring Quarterly is scheduled for May 13 – 15, 2022.
Jan Turner, Assistant Clerk
Reno Friends Monthly Meeting is a member of College Park Quarterly Meeting (CPQM), a quarterly meeting of the unprogrammed Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in northern California and northern Nevada. CPQM holds Quarterly Meetings in the Winter, Spring and Fall, which are gatherings of Quakers from all the member Monthly Meetings, and it also provides support for member Meetings. There are 24 Monthly Meetings and six Worship Groups in CPQM. The next College Park Quarterly Meeting will be Sat. Jan. 15, on Zoom. Registration details online at https://collegeparkquarterlymeeting.org/; see the email forwarded by Wendy for more details.
Pacific Yearly Meeting
Join Pacific Yearly Meeting’s Climate Action Workgroup
We’re delighted with the number of Friends who are connecting with the UwN Climate Action Workgroup in developing a climate strategy for our yearly meeting and in exploring ways to support and learn from each other the many things that Monthly Meetings are doing to address the climate crisis and the leadings and solutions they are exploring.
The result of these conversations has been the decision, commencing in February, to shift from weekly meetings to a monthly presentation & intermeeting exchange where we would highlight stories of Quaker actions and emerging opportunities. We can share ideas and updates on the developing climate strategy for our yearly meeting and opportunities for participation in this process as they arise.
This first monthly meeting of the Pacific Climate Action Workgroup will occur on February 19, 4 pm PT where we’ll hear of the remarkable journey that led to Philadelphia’s Yearly Meeting-wide commitment to an “all on board” plan for addressing climate change at every level.
PacYM Climate Action Workgroup: “Storytime: How Philadelphia Yearly Meeting came to Unity on Groundbreaking Climate Action”
Time: Feb 19, 2022 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81171490561
This plan has inspired us to develop our own PacYM climate action strategy and set up this workgroup to that end. (see Philadelphia Climate Action Plan here)
Love and Light! Keith Runyan, Co-Clerk of Unity with Nature krrunyan10@gmail.com
Klara East, Member of Eco-Spirituality of Sacramento progressiveactivist@yahoo.com
Pacific Yearly Meeting is a community of “unprogrammed” Friends (Quaker) Meetings in parts of Mexico and the western USA. After decades of independence, PYM recently became affiliated with Friends General Conference. In FGC there is another PYM, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, so Pacific Yearly Meeting is now known as PacYM instead. Reno Monthly Meeting is a member of PacYM, and uses the PacYM book Faith and Practice which sets out the beliefs of Friends, PacYM’s structures and processes, and the spiritual foundation of these processes and of our way of worship. Western Friend is the official publication of Quakers in Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings. PacYM is a year-round community, and holds a four-day summer gathering called “PacYM Annual Session.” The dates for the 2022 Annual Session have not yet been announced.
Ben Lomond Quaker Center Workshops
Ben Lomond is still operating despite pandemic restrictions, but most programs are currently held online. For more information about their Quaker programs and retreats, including Worship Sharing and Silent Worship, or to donate, go to http://www.quakercenter.org.
Reno Friends Newsletter: How To Contribute
Submissions: Please submit your items for the newsletter by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter. Send Friends 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 by emailing wswallow54(at)gmail.com or calling 775-473-5559.
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.