We gather in our Meeting House for Silent Worship at 10 am on Sundays. Twice a month, on the first and the third Sundays, we have Hybrid Silent Worship, which is on Zoom and in-person at the Meeting House. When the weather is poor we may hold worship over Zoom instead of gathering at the Meeting House; watch your email for an alert.
For the schedule of upcoming events, see the list below. For the monthly Queries, see July: Simplicity and August: Integrity and Personal Conduct. (The blue text on this page and within this web site contains embedded hypertext links. Click on a link to open the web page associated with that link.)
July/August 2023 Reno Friends Meeting Schedule
NOTE: There is NO Zoom First Day School during July and August. There will be in-person FDS in August.
NOTE: There is NO Meeting for Business in July. The next Meeting for Business will be Sun. Aug. 13, 12:30 pm (details)
Sun. July 2 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Sun. July 9 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Wed. July 12 – Embodying the Light on Zoom, 10-11 am (details)
Sat. July 15 – RFM Gathering in Graeagle, CA, 10:30 a.m. (details)
Sun. July 16 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Mon. July 17 – RFM Book Club on Zoom, 5:30-6:30 pm (details)
Thurs. July 20 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, with hosts Melanie and Peg, 12 noon (details)
Sun. July 23 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sun. July 23 – Potluck, 11:30 am (details)
Tues. July 25 – Zoom Spiritual Discussion on “Clearness Committees,” with Edie Uber, 7-8 pm (details)
Wed. July 26 – Embodying the Light on Zoom, 10-11 am (details)
Sun. July 30 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 6 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Wed. Aug. 9 – Embodying the Light on Zoom, 10-11 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 13 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 13 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 12:30 pm (details)
Thurs. Aug. 17 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, with hosts Melanie and Peg, 12 noon (details)
Sun. Aug. 20 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Mon. Aug. 21 – RFM Book Club on Zoom, 5:30-6:30 pm (details)
Tues. Aug. 22 – Zoom Spiritual Discussion on “Quaker Faith in Action,” with Rhonda Ashurst and Doug Smith, 7-8 pm (details)
Wed. Aug. 23 – Embodying the Light on Zoom, 10-11 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 27 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 27 – In-Person First Day School, 10 am (details)
Sun. Aug. 27 – Potluck, 11:30 am (details)
Other Important Dates
Fri. July 21 – Wed. July 26: Pacific Yearly Meeting 2023 Annual Session, Mount Madonna Center, near Watsonville, CA
Fri. Oct. 13 – Sun. Oct. 15: College Park Fall Quarterly Meeting, Sierra Friends Center, Nevada City, CA
Announcements
Our First Day School for children is in recess for July, but during the rest of the year it is open with a varied schedule of classes on Zoom or in person in the First Day School. We are also holding online meetings, spiritual discussions, book discussions and yoga on Zoom throughout the year. For details on using Zoom, see our Zoom guidelines.
Reno Friends Meeting Event Details & Other Notices
Join Us for Silent Worship in the Meeting House Every Sunday, or for Zoom Hybrid Worship, 1st and 3rd Sundays
Reno Friends Meeting holds Silent Worship in the Meeting House every Sunday at 10 am, with fellowship afterwards. On First and Third Sundays, we hold Hybrid Worship — and you may join us either in person or online via Zoom. You can read more about our setup here. For Hybrid Silent Worship on Zoom, we have developed a set of Zoom Worship guidelines. Here is the recurring Zoom link for Hybrid Silent Worship:
https://zoom.us/j/98305205938?pwd=cDZseGdLbWMyYWZsZDdiN00rMjRUZz09
If you cannot attend, we invite you to send after-thoughts, joys and concerns, and requests to hold people in the Light to Rhonda at classes(at)renofriends.org. Our worship clerk will read them at the next Silent Worship.
First Day School: No FDS in July and no Zoom FDS Aug. 13. NEXT FDS is In-Person Sun. Aug. 27, 10-11 am.
Our First Day School for children is in recess for July. There is also no Zoom FDS in August, but FDS will meet in-person Sun. Aug. 27 as usual.
First Day School had a wonderful field trip to the Stewart Indian School Museum on June 16th. Twenty-one people attended. We all found the museum very nicely done and the field trip educational. Many thanks to the First Day School teachers and parents for organizing the field trip, and to Peace and Social Concerns for the inspiration.
First Day School typically meets in Zoom classes on the second Sunday of the month, and in person on the fourth Sunday/Potluck Sunday. On in-person Sundays, the children sit in worship with their parents for the first ten to fifteen minutes of Silent Worship, before joining their class in the First Day School building. The theme for First Day School at this time is “Growing in the Light.” Please contact the Meeting if you are interested in bringing children to the First Day School for the first time or would like to have your children attend First Day School on a Sunday other than the second or fourth Sundays. You can email us at firstdayschool(at)renofriends.org.
RFM Gathering in Graeagle, CA, Sat. July 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Reno Friends have been invited by worship clerk Randall Figurski to join him for a brown bag lunch (bring your own) at his cabin in Graeagle, CA, on Sat. July 15 starting at 10:30 a.m. It is the weekend of the arts and crafts fair in Graeagle, and Reno Friends are invited to attend the fair, join others in games or possibly a hike, or just spend the afternoon relaxing. There are paddleboats and kayaks for rental at the Millpond. There is seating for 12 outdoors, and 6 indoors. Randall will provide soft drinks in an ice chest, and a big Costco bag of potato chips and corn chips. Folks can use the propane BBQ if they like. Watch the Monday Weekly Update for more info.
The Reno Friends Book Club, Mon. July 17 & Mon. Aug. 21, from 5:30-6:30 pm
The RFM Book Club meets monthly on third Mondays from 5:30-6:30 pm on Zoom. Our book for July 17 is The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier; a Quaker woman works on the Underground Railway. Fiction, 320 pages, Kindle available.
Our book for August 21 is The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams. Spirituality, 348 pages. Kindle not available.
We have volunteers facilitate our discussions. Is there a Quaker-ish book that you would like to share with our book club? Sit in on one of our Zoom sessions to see how things go. For the book discussion, you can provide Quaker-style queries, or a few easy discussion questions, or a few quotes or passages from the book.
Our next book selections are:
September, 2023: Sand in a Whirlwind: The Paiute Indian War of 1860 by Ferol Egan https://unpress.nevada.edu/9780874170979/. Using a combination of historical fact and fictional dialog, Ferol Egan has captured the dramatic events of the Paiute Indian War of 1860. History, 280 pages plus references for a total of 360 pages, in print and widely available used; any edition will do. Kindle available but is a little expensive.
October, 2023: The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction by Ben Pink Dandelion; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-quakers-a-very-short-introduction-9780199206797
Nonfiction; 142; Kindle version available; available used.
November, 2023: How the Quakers Invented America by David Yount; https://www.amazon.com/Quakers-Invented-America-Success-Marriage/dp/0742558339
Nationally-syndicated columnist David Yount shows how Quakers and the Society of Friends shaped the basic distinctive features of American life, from the days of the colonies, revolution and founders, to the civil rights movements of modern times: freedom, equality, community, straightforwardness, and spirituality. Nonfiction, 192 pages. No Kindle. Available in hardback and used.
The Zoom link for the gathering will be sent out in the RFM Weekly Update email.
Embodying the Light: Wednesdays on Zoom: July 12, July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23, 10-11 am
Rhonda Ashurst leads our “Embodying the Light” class of gentle yoga and Tai Chi/Qigong as a service to Reno Friends and the community. The class is usually held on Zoom from 10-11 am, on second and fourth Wednesday mornings. Zoom sessions for July and August will be Wednesday, July 12, July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23. The Zoom link will be sent in the Weekly Update. See our website for more details.
Brown Bag Lunch, Thursdays, July 20 and Aug. 17, at 12 noon
Join hosts Peg McCall and Melanie Scott for an in-person Brown Bag Lunch at the Meeting House on July 20 and August 17 at 12 noon. Anyone who wants to share lunch and fellowship with other Reno Friends is welcome.
Zoom Spiritual Discussion: Tues. July 25 on “Clearness Committees,” and Tues. Aug. 22 on “Quaker Faith in Action,” 7-8 pm
RFM’s spiritual discussions are currently exploring Quakerism 101, a program to learn more about Quaker faith and practice. On July 25, we will be discussing “Clearness Committees,” with Edie Uber. On August 22, we will be discussing “Quaker Faith in Action,” with Rhonda Ashurst and Doug Smith. For our Quakerism 101 series, we are using a curriculum developed by the Chapel Hill Friends of North Carolina: https://www.chapelhillfriends.org/Q101.html.
We meet for an hour on 4th Tuesdays from 7-8 pm on Zoom and cover what we can during that time, continuing on in the next month’s session. Each month we have a different topic and some brief readings, with a volunteer facilitator to summarize the readings and pose queries for discussion. If you can, please read the assigned readings (they are all online — see link, above) and come prepared to discuss the material. We have a volunteer facilitator to summarize each reading and pose queries. It is not necessary to attend every session in this ongoing series; please drop in as you can.
Upcoming Spiritual Discussions are:
Sept. 26: “Follow-Up Q&A,” with Rhonda Ashurst. Do you have unanswered questions from previous Quaker 101 sessions? Tune in for clarity as well as details on Universalism, Centering Down and other Quaker concepts.
Oct. 24: “Seeking Right Relationships with Native Americans”
If you have questions, please email them to classes(at)renofriends.org. The Zoom links, session topics, and background info for each topic will be sent out in the RFM Weekly Updates. The Spiritual Discussion Committee includes: Rhonda Ashurst, Earl Piercy, Catie Polley and Cliff Smith. The committee welcomes your ideas/topics and encourages you to join us to facilitate a topic of interest to you.
Peace and Social Concerns July/Aug. News Update
A Quaker Call to Action: A group of Friends across the United States has initiated a project growing out of their concern for threats to our democracy. At the core of this project is the “Quaker Call to Action,” a document that individuals and organizations are invited to read and, if they feel so led, to sign; it can be found at www.quakercall.net under the link “Read the Call.” The Call asks “What, if anything, is the Light Within calling Friends to do in response to the unprecedented rise of domestic extremism, white supremacy, and authoritarianism that is threatening the destruction of our democracy at home and abroad?”
Friendly Water for the World: A Quaker non-profit that seeks to provide clean water, health education, and more in vulnerable communities around the world; their initial focus has been Kenya and they are now expanding to Zambia. Their mission is to expand global access to low-cost clean water technologies and information about health and sanitation through knowledge-sharing, training, community-building, peacemaking, and sustainability. Take a virtual visit to their work in Africa from their website with its frequently updated blogs that contain lots of photos of the people and places where they work and their YouTube videos of past chats on such topics as sustainable brick making, perma-gardens, table banking, and sustainable development. Learn why many development programs don’t last and what Friendly Water is doing to change that.
Quaker Earthcare Witness has regular webinars. Current events featured on their website quakerearthcare.org include monthly online worship sharing groups to focus on a particular query. In July, the worship sharing is scheduled for July 25, 2023, 4 – 5 pm PST.
American Friends Service Committee (afsc.org) has regular webinars, which you can register with on their website under the “Get Involved” tab. This web page also has recordings of past events, recommended actions, and other resources on key issues.
Friends Committee on National Legislation (fcnl.org) holds Virtual Witness Silent Reflections on Wednesdays, 2:15 – 3:15 pm PST. You can register at fcnl.org on the Events tab. This web page also has overviews and recordings of past events. In addition, of interest under “Issues” is a web page on Native American issues and actions, including support for the creation of a Truth & Healing Commission on the Indian Boarding School Era (U. S. Senate Bill 1723).
Donating to Reno Friends in 2023
If you would like to support Reno Friends Meeting, donations can be sent to our Meeting Treasurer Charlie Shepard at his home at 4395 Mountaingate Dr., 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 treasurer(at)renofriends.org. Zelle eliminates the need to write a check and, for our Treasurers, the need to deposit your check at the bank. Thank you from Reno Friends!
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
Your canceled stamps are needed! Read about it here! https://rswr.org/sites/default/files/Newsletters/2022-Q1-Newsletter.pdf Reno Friends Meeting has been supporting Right Sharing of World Resources for decades. Learn how this Quaker organization helps women in Sierra Leon, Kenya, India and before too long, Guatemala, support themselves, which in turn helps their families and villages.
Outside Non-Profits That Meet 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 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
Pacific Yearly Meeting Annual Session 2023, July 21-26, Mount Madonna Center, near Watsonville, CA
Pacific Yearly Meeting’s Annual Session 2023 will be a hybrid event (in-person gathering with opportunities for remote or online participation) held at Mount Madonna Center near Watsonville, CA, July 21-26, 2023. The theme for Annual Session 2023 will be: “Beloved Community Part II: Centering the Voices of the Next Generation.” Read the clerk’s call here. PacYM has decided to make Annual Session FREE for kids this year, and many Monthly Meetings are encouraging Young Friends to participate.
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.”
Ben Lomond Quaker Center, Ben Lomond, CA
Ben Lomond Quaker Center has posted its 2023 calendar of programs and retreats. Programs include daily online Silent Worship (7:30-8 am) and Wednesday morning online Worship Sharing (10-11:30 am), go to http://www.quakercenter.org.
Camp Woolman at Sierra Friends Center
The Woolman at Sierra Friends Center has programs for children, adults, and intergenerational groups. Information can be found at woolman.org by selecting the “View Upcoming Events” link on the home page at the bottom right. Programs include art workshops, archery and disc golf workshops, one and two-week residential camp sessions, writers retreat, activist workshops, book discussion group [no cost], community potlucks [no cost], and first responder certification course. In addition, the Center is offering Friends a 20% discount on accommodations for a personal or a group retreat. For questions or to book a stay, contact Shannon Boling at shannonb (at) woolman.org.
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 classes (at) renofriends.org. 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 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.
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.
Subscribing and Unsubscribing: We use the same email list for all our communications, including the monthly newsletter and the weekly email update.
- To subscribe to our email list, attend Silent Worship with us either virtually or in person and be sure that we get your email address. Add the address “update (at) renofriends.org” to your email address book to help keep our email from going in to your spam folder. If email from us still goes into your spam folder, go into your spam folder, find the email from us, and mark it as “not SPAM.”
- To unsubscribe to the mailing list, email clerk (at) renofriends.org with the subject line “unsubscribe.”
Reno Friends Monthly Meeting (Quakers)
497 Highland Avenue
Reno, NV 89512