Community Friends Meeting - Quakers

05/07/2026

The Pamphlet group is having our monthly gathering this Saturday May 9, 10am-12pm at Bean and Barley coffee shop, 2005 1/2 Madison Road Cincy (O’Bryonville). The Quaker pamphlet for this month is, “the light within: Then and now”. Pendle hill pamphlet #425. You don’t have to read the pamphlet to join in the discussion.

Please note that we meet in the basement, which does require walking down a flight of stairs. Feel free to contact Beth if you have any questions.

05/04/2026

Dear Friends, I just finished up a 3 day retreat at Pendle Hill titled "Sing a New Song." It has been such a joy to be singing in the Spirit with other Friends this weekend .... while also experiencing the way that song can open the floodgates of suppressed tears and grief together. (Rev. Rhetta Morgan, who uses songs in grief work and who led a plenary at OVYM last summer, was one of the leaders.) There were some workshops on the history of singing among the founding Friends, and some opportunities to practice meeting for worship with spirit-led vocal ministry with the words expressed in melody. I would love to explore this sometime in our meeting! Below is a handout from Jim Fussell's workshop, explaining some of this history. I also led a workshop based on the chants from my 2nd Quaker album: Wellsprings of Life, Quaker Wisdom in Chant. It felt good to sing these with appreciative Friends, many of whom hadn't heard them before and some who were very knowledgeable about the texts they came from! - 🥰 Paulette

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04/25/2026

We had a great time with neighbors and friends at our Eco-Mosquito Control event today! It was fun watching both children and adults eagerly designing their buckets, and then sending them home with "mosquito dunks" and information about how to set them up and other ways to control mosquitos without poisoning other bugs and pollinators. We also witnessed two bat houses being made and scoped out where they will be hung on our meeting house! Stay tuned for more fun activities, and check out the Home Grown National Park site for great ideas about how you can use your yard to support the web of life!!

04/11/2026

Friends' Journal is such an important resource for exchanging ideas and experiences from Friends and meetings that we wouldn't otherwise know about. The articles, poems, photos and artwork are such a gift! If you're not subscribed, please do so today!

Join the Friends Journal email list for weekly reflections, essay previews, book-review excerpts, podcast alerts, and a free digital issue as our welcome gift.

04/07/2026

This!

This morning, President Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization.” He said the U.S. will bomb bridges, power plants, and other Iranian civilian infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 PM tonight.
 
The President is explicitly threatening war crimes and genocide.
 
The U.S. and Israel are already committing war crimes in Iran and across the region, including the bombing the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girl’s School, Kharg Island, bridges, and rail infrastructure. The war itself is illegal under international law; it is an aggressive war of choice launched by the U.S. in the midst of nuclear nonproliferation negotiations with Iran.
 
In southern Lebanon, Israel is carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign. Whole communities have been destroyed, and Israel has said that as many as 600,000 people will not be allowed to return to their homes.
 
Israel and the U.S. have already killed over 2,000 Iranians and 1,500 people in Lebanon, and Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed people across the Gulf region. The escalating war also marks an expansion of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 72,000 Palestinians.
 
Trump’s threats against Iran come as the U.S demands that Iran unconditionally open the Strait of Hormuz–which was open before the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran last month.  War crimes and threats of genocide will not open the Strait. The fastest way to open the strait fully and prevent more death and destruction is to immediately end the war on Iran.  
 
The greatest threat to global stability is not Iran, but rather U.S. and Israeli actions which put the whole world at risk.
 
It is beyond time for action. Congress must immediately demand an end to this war, must enforce their war powers, and must hold those responsible for war crimes to account, including through use of the 25th Amendment. And until Congress takes action, people must make their voices heard by contacting their representatives, protesting, and engaging in nonviolent direct action to bring this war to an end.

04/07/2026

This morning, President Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization.” He said the U.S. will bomb bridges, power plants, and other Iranian civilian infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 PM tonight.
 
The President is explicitly threatening war crimes and genocide.
 
The U.S. and Israel are already committing war crimes in Iran and across the region, including the bombing the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girl’s School, Kharg Island, bridges, and rail infrastructure. The war itself is illegal under international law; it is an aggressive war of choice launched by the U.S. in the midst of nuclear nonproliferation negotiations with Iran.
 
In southern Lebanon, Israel is carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign. Whole communities have been destroyed, and Israel has said that as many as 600,000 people will not be allowed to return to their homes.
 
Israel and the U.S. have already killed over 2,000 Iranians and 1,500 people in Lebanon, and Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed people across the Gulf region. The escalating war also marks an expansion of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 72,000 Palestinians.
 
Trump’s threats against Iran come as the U.S demands that Iran unconditionally open the Strait of Hormuz–which was open before the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran last month.  War crimes and threats of genocide will not open the Strait. The fastest way to open the strait fully and prevent more death and destruction is to immediately end the war on Iran.  
 
The greatest threat to global stability is not Iran, but rather U.S. and Israeli actions which put the whole world at risk.
 
It is beyond time for action. Congress must immediately demand an end to this war, must enforce their war powers, and must hold those responsible for war crimes to account, including through use of the 25th Amendment. And until Congress takes action, people must make their voices heard by contacting their representatives, protesting, and engaging in nonviolent direct action to bring this war to an end.

03/31/2026

Friends, Woodbrooke is a historic Quaker retreat and study center in England that now has most all of its programming online. They offer a lot of quality programs that are easy to participate in ... and they always offer a "pay as led" fee. (I think they may even be free for those of us across the ocean with a different currency.) I've been invited to lead a few "chant" leading sessions for them again this year - in May, July, and September. Here's the link for the one on May 21st. Hope you'll consider joining me, and checking out their other offerings!
•• (By the way... the photo on my 2nd Quaker chant album here is of the famous Pendle Hill in England, where George Fox had his vision of a "great people to be gathered."! )

Chanting, or repetitive singing, allows us to store the chant’s message in our deep memories. In addition to the chanting, there will be time for sharing

01/29/2026

We love all of our new Friends!

01/25/2026

ICE does not belong in our communities.
 
We will defend our communities in Minneapolis and across the country in our struggle for peace and justice.