Monday June 1 – “Peace Presence Vigil,” at the Thompson Federal Building (corner of Liberty & Virginia Sts.), 5:30-6 pm. (details)
Wednesday June 3 – CANCELLED Embodying the Light, at Lake Park (weather permitting) (details)
Sunday June 7 – In-Person Quaker Conversation Group, in the First Day School, 9-9:45 am (details)
Sunday June 7 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Wednesday June 10 – CANCELLED Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Thursday June 11 – In-Person Brown Bag Lunch, 12 noon (details)
Thursday June 11 – Zoom Meeting for Business, 7 to 8:30 pm (details and more details)
Sunday June 14 – Hybrid Silent Worship (In-Person and on Zoom), 10 am (details)
Sunday June 14 – “Love as Action” Public Silent Worship at Idlewild Park, 12-1 pm (details)
Sunday June 21 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
Sunday June 21 – In-Person Quaker Conversation Group, in the First Day School, 11:30 am-12:15 pm (details)
Wednesday June 24 – CANCELLED Zoom Embodying the Light, 10-11 am (details)
Sunday June 28 – In-Person Silent Worship, 10 am (details)
- In-Person First Day School, 10 am (details)
- Vegetarian Potluck, 11:30 am (details)
- Potluck Speaker: Keith Runyan of Quaker Earthcare Witness, 12 noon (details)
Other Important Dates
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.
Announcements
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 Event Details & Other Notices
Join Us for Silent Worship
Every Sunday, 10 am in the Meeting House
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.
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.
First Day School
SUn. June 28, at 10 AM in the First Day School Building
Quaker Sunday School for children is known as First Day School, and at Reno Friends it usually meets on Fourth 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.
“Love as Action” Public Silent Worship
Sun. June 14, from 12 to 1 pm, in Idlewild Park
(Note the earlier time!)
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has invited Friends across the country to gather in silent worship in public spaces to give witness to the rising authoritarianism and oppression in the United States. Shared witness reflects core Quaker principles: peace, equality, integrity, and community. And taking action publicly is a visible commitment to justice and compassion. By sitting together in silence, we affirm that every person has worth, that fear and violence must give way to love and fairness, and that our communities thrive when all are welcomed.
Reno Friends Meeting will join AFSC’s “Love as Action” call for public silent worship on Sun. June 14, from 12 to 1 pm at Idlewild Park, rain or shine. We invite all to bring water, a portable chair or two (if you have an extra), and anything else you need to be safe and comfortable. We will gather at the California Building, which is near the Rose Garden. This activity is in addition to our regular events on 4th Sundays (First Day School, 10 am Worship at the Meeting house, potluck).
Please register at the event website here: https://mobilize.us/s/LyGTxj
Make Your Voice Heard at Meeting for Business
Reno Friends Meeting has a monthly Meeting for Business, where we discuss and decide on the events and policy decisions of our Meeting. Our Meetings for Business take place on Zoom from 7 pm to about 9 pm the second Thursday of the month. Anyone is welcome to attend all or part of our Business Meeting.
We realize that, for some Reno Friends, Meeting for Business is hard to attend. To address that problem, we have two recommendations:
- Please let the Meeting Clerk at clerk@renofriends.org know if there are other times of the week or days of the month that would make it more possible for you to attend. We are open to changing the time/day if that would make it easier for more people.
- If you cannot attend, you can still make your voice heard by sending an email about a concern or request to clerk@renofriends.org. The Meeting Clerk may ask you more about it, and then will raise your concern at the next Meeting for Business. If you have a request or concern on the agenda (which is sent out a few days before each Business Meeting), it helps if you can tune in to the zoom to answer questions and hear the response of other Quakers. But if you can’t do that, you can still get your idea on the agenda.
Reno Friends would like to have more people participate in Meeting for Business. You don’t need to stay the entire time, and you can tune in late. Please note that we follow our agenda. If there are new issues presented, there may not be time to discuss all of them until the next Meeting for Business, but at least your concern will be on the agenda for next time.
Quaker Conversation Group Gatherings
Sun. June 7, 9-9:45 am; Sun. June 21, 11:30 am-12:15 pm. In the First Day School building
Reno Friends have been gathering to discuss current events and what we, as Quakers, might do about the state of the nation. These gatherings — facilitated discussions of questions that help us understand and explore the state of the world — are hosted by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. The Quaker Discussion Group meets twice a month:
- On the first Sunday of the month, they meet before Silent Worship, from 9 am to 9:45 am;
- On the third Sunday of the month, they meet after Worship, from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm.
The Question for June is this: “How can our Quaker Meeting or Individual Quakers ensure their finances align with Quaker values?” Both meetings in a given month will discuss the same question, to give people a chance to deepen the conversation. The gatherings will take place in the First Day School. The Peace and Social Concerns Committee (P&SC) will email out a reminder of the gathering and announce the month’s question several days in advance; watch for the update email. Stay tuned, and join us!
Young Adult Friends Group
Reno Meeting’s Young Adult Friends (anyone from age 18-39) currently have no planned events this summer.
The Ministry committee of Reno Friends Meeting plans to host monthly activities for YAFs. If you are a YAF who would like to be in our group communications or have questions about a planned event, please reach out to yaf(at)renofriends.org.
Peace Presence Vigil
Mon. June 1, 5:30-6 pm AT Thompson Fed. BlD.
A Peace Presence Vigil will be held Mon. Mar. 2 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.
Embodying the Light
Wed. June 3 at 10 AM, at Lake Park; Wed. June 10 & June 24 at 10 am, on Zoom
Rhonda Ashurst will lead “Embodying the Light” class this month on Wed. June 10 and Wed. June 24, at 10 am on Zoom. As a special treat, she will hold Embodying the Light outside at Lake Park on Wed. June 3, also at 10 am; weather permitting.
Lake Park is a quiet park is at the intersection of Wesley and Coleman Streets, off Keystone Avenue, which we have used for the class in the past 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. There is no bathroom at the park, so plan accordingly.
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.
Brown Bag Lunch
Second Thursday, June 11 at 12 NOON
Join hosts Peg McCall and Melanie Scott for an in-person Brown Bag Lunch at the Meeting House, now on second Thursdays at 12 noon. Anyone who wants to share lunch and fellowship with other Reno Friends is welcome.
Request from the Librarians
Several dedicated people in our Meeting have catalogued all the books in our Library; you can learn about our library and search the catalog on our website. The librarians noticed that we have not had many donations of Quaker-themed books recently. If you have some around your house that you no long need, the Library would love to have them. Bring them to the Meeting House, and the librarians will incorporate them into the system. Reno Friends has the largest collection of Quaker books and materials in the state of Nevada, and we would like to keep it robust and up-to-date!
Keith Runyan, of Quaker Earthcare Witness, will speak at our June 28 Potluck
Keith Runyan, General Secretary of Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW), will be sharing information on QEW at our June 28 potluck after meeting. Be inspired by the energy of this organization of climate activists addressing climate advocacy and the future we need, rising together in resiliency and action for trying times, being effective in service to what we love (these were all topics in recent videos posted on QEW’s website). Keith is an activist, speaker, new father, and former active participant in Reno Friends Meeting’s First Day School (back when he was much younger).
With a background in education, Keith began his Quaker activist career with a 12-day hunger strike to awaken climate action in the Friends Community and beyond. In 2024, he and his family began traveling in the ministry through “QEW on the Road,” inspiring prophetic action on the planetary crisis. He is now spear-leading the QuakerEarth Campaign, aiming to unite global Quaker earthcare action.
QEW began in 1987 – at the same time that many of our Millennial Generation – like Keith – were born (1981-1996), a significant coincidence since the Millennial Generation is the group most likely to think climate change is due to human activities (Gallup Poll, 2004). Initially known as the Friends Committee on Unity with Nature (FCUN), the name was changed to Quaker Earthcare Witness in 2003.
The organization grew out of a 1987 Friends General Conference Gathering workshop which formulated the following epistle:
Over six days at the Friends General Conference Gathering at Oberlin College, our workshop group has considered questions of how to live in harmony with the natural environment. Together with all the Gathering, we have listened to Marshall Massey speak about the necessity for a Quaker testimony on unity with nature.
We have concluded from our worship and study that there is, indeed, a need for Friends to give forceful witness to the holiness of creation and to demonstrate in their lives the meaning of this testimony.
We believe right relationship with our natural environment is basic to the achievement of peace and a just social order, and the equitable distribution of the world’s resources, both today and through generations to come.
Arising from the Gathering is a continuing organization of Friends concerned for unity with nature. We call upon Friends everywhere to join us in support of this group, and in continuing consideration of, and witness to, a corporate testimony on living in unity with nature.
For almost 40 years, QEW has helped Friends integrate Earthcare into their daily lives and worked to inspire Spirit-led action toward ecological sustainability and environmental justice. As communities are being impacted more and more by the climate crisis, QEW Friends feel an urgent leading to share witness by sharing spiritual and educational resources and speaking out as a public Quaker voice.
QEW is led by a volunteer Steering Committee with representatives from North American Quaker Yearly Meetings, supported in the day-to-day work by staff. The broader network includes thousands of Friends and hundreds of Quaker meetings and churches who:
- Read the Quaker Earthcare Witness quarterly newsletter BeFriending Creation. Current and archived copies are available at quakerearthcare.org and can be received by mail or electronically by signing up on the website.
- Attend Events, including online workshops or speakers coming to Friends’ groups in person or virtually.
- Share Educational Resources with Friends’ communities, including videos, pamphlets for sharing, mini-grants to help Friends complete projects related to environmental concerns, a downloadable faith-based study guide and curriculum reflecting on a range of topics, and a downloadable curriculum for children in First Day School.
- Connect on Social Media: Quaker Earthcare Witness Facebook page.
- QEW also collaborates with Quaker partner organizations, the broader environmental justice movement, and faith-based networks.
Managing our Hold In the Light List
Our Hold in the Light List is read by the worship clerk after our silent worship. A brief period of silence will be held after the names in the Hold In the Light list are read. You can learn more about the list here and here.
We will remove names on the list after two months unless Ministry and Oversight learns of a reason to extend listing an individual or group. In order to manage the list, M&O will periodically contact those who refer individuals for the Hold in the Light list.
Members or attenders who wish to hold the list in the Light during their own practice at home can contact lightlist@renofriends.org and ask for a current copy.
Donating to Reno Friends
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!
Quaker Mission Stamp Project
Suze Rand manages Reno Friends stamp contributions to the Quaker Stamp Mission Project, which supports the Quaker charity Right Sharing of World Resources. 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!
Outside Non-Profits That Meet at the Quaker Meeting House
Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families and Citizens Climate Lobby of Northern Nevada hold meetings at our meeting house. You can learn more here.
Carson City Worship Group
You can read about the independent Carson City Worship Group here. If anyone would like to be connected to the Carson group, just email clerk(at)renofriends.org.