Claremont Friends Meeting (Quaker)

09/05/2026

On Sunday, August 20, Claremont Friends Meeting took action to affirm this minute passed by the Annual Session of Pacific Yearly Meeting, held July, 2026, at CSU Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA:

“As Quakers, we, those attending the Annual Session of the Religious Society of Friends from Pacific Yearly Meeting, affirm that of God in all people. We stand in opposition to the violation of human rights and human dignity, including but not limited to construction and operation of immigration-related detention centers. These deny due process, disrupt families, harm children, and damage the fabric of healthy communities. We call on Quakers and people of conscience everywhere to take spirit-led action to confront these immoral developments.”

While it is appropriate for the federal government to enforce immigration laws, Claremont Friends Meeting objects to the current unlawful and cruel implementation of those laws. As Quakers we stand for human rights and human dignity.

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In that spirit, California Quakers will gather on September 8 in San Jose to speak out against the proposed 26-acre federal immigration detention center in Gilroy.

Some Claremont Friends plan to participate, and we welcome others who share a concern for human rights and human dignity.
📍 U.S. Courthouse, 280 S. 1st Street, San Jose, CA
🕊️ Gathering before business hours near the Ruth Asawa mural commemorating Japanese American incarceration.

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The proposed location is a 26-acre project at 7240 Holsclaw Road, Gilroy, CA 95020. Here is an article about it: https://sanjosespotlight.com/federal-detention-center-planned-in-south-county/

08/23/2026

One of the gifts of Quaker Community is that Friends speak from their own experience and understanding of the Sacred. We do not always use the same language or hold identical theology, but we listen for truth and insight in one another’s reflections. This piece is offered in that Spirit.

Peach Blossoming (Souvenir de Maude) by Vincent Van Gogh
Reflection by Elizabeth, CFM Friend

In 1968 I was recovering from a serious illness. I had been bedridden for nearly six months, depending on the kindness of my friends to care for my children. It was a great amount of time until a doctor was able to diagnose my condition and I began to recover.

I was living in St. Louis, Missouri at the time and had little or no attachment to art. A teacher in Jr. High had squelched my early passion to become an artist, thus I didn't pick up a pencil or paintbrush for twenty years.

As I recovered, merely by happenstance I learned there was to be a Van Gogh exhibit at the St. Louis Museum of Art. Unsteady as I was, I went and as I would weaken, kind people would allow me to leave and come back to the line.

Finally I entered the exhibit and found a painting immediately which took my breath away......Peach Blossoming (Souvenir de Mauve). The rich colors, the beauty of the setting, so many things captured me.

The painting, painted eighty years earlier, touched me deeply.

Within a short time, having recovered my health, I began taking art lessons. Eventually my journey included study at the J. Paul Getty Institute, a solo show in Australia, and finally dedicating my life for the past thirty years to my own teaching and painting studio, Elizabeth's Art Studio, which provides an oasis for budding artists. It all began with the buds and blossoms of Souvenir de Mauve. I believe Spirit knew the way to my heart and has allowed me to touch the hearts of others.

05/26/2026

One of the gifts of Quaker community is that Friends speak from their own experience and understanding of the Sacred. We do not always use the same language or hold identical theology, but we listen for truth and insight in one another’s reflections. This piece is offered in that Spirit.

“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
- Reflection by Preston, CFM Friend

“What a Wonderful World” was made famous by Louis Armstrong and is the pinnacle of ‘secular holy' for me. The concept of ‘secular holy’ (non-religious concepts, spaces, or ideas, that are sacred) is something I've been enamored with since at least the first time I read “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Hemingway. It becomes especially sacred to me when music is a focus. While dozens of songs make my list, such as, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” “Winds of Change,” and others, “What a Wonderful World” is my favorite.

It loosely follows biblical tradition, opening with the wonder of creation. From trees, to flowers, to the sky itself, before ever moving to humankind (in many ways the pinnacle of earthly creation), the singer reminds us that greeting our neighbors in joy is to share love. Finally, he manages to be both optimistic and melancholy in the same line. We are given the hope of the future and profound loss, speaking of crying babies- “they'll learn more, than I'll ever know.” There is such hope in the song for those with more distress than knowledge, knowing that they can learn to appreciate all that is around them, even more than the enlightened speaker himself does, but his voice still carries a depth, even a sorrow, that speaks to the fragility of life.

02/23/2026

The Circle of Chairs In*******al Dialogue is happening on March 7th from 3 to 5 pm at the Pitzer College, Gold Student Health & Wellness Center, Multi-Purpose Room (1102 Pitzer Svc Rd - 500'N of 9th St, Claremont). This safe space welcomes all voices to share their perspectives, listen, and learn from one another. Let's come together to foster understanding and unity in our community. See you there! *******alDialogue
📞909-293-9012
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.circleofchairs.org

04/11/2025

The Circle of Chairs In*******al Dialogue is happening on April 12th from 3 to 5 pm at the Napier Common Room, Pilgrim Place (600 Avery Rd, Claremont). This safe space welcomes all voices to share their perspectives, listen, and learn from one another. Let's come together to foster understanding and unity in our community. See you there! *******alDialogue
📞909-293-9012
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.circleofchairs.org

04/15/2024

The Circle of Chairs In*******al Dialogue is happening on April 20th from 3 to 5 pm at the Gold Student Health and Wellness Center, Multipurpose Room. This safe space welcomes all voices to share their perspectives, listen, and learn from one another. Let's come together to foster understanding and unity in our community. See you there! *******alDialogue
📞 909-293-9012
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.circleofchairs.org

02/01/2024

07/05/2022

We have a website with more information + contacts.
(Please click on this link below to go there.)

Contact Presiding Clerk (Alicia): [email protected] or (909) 624-1637 Clerk of Ministry & Counsel Committee (Karen): [email protected] or (909) 624-4905 Clerk of Sustainability & Administration Committee (Wesley): [email protected] or (951) 505-9341 Clerk of Spiritual Growth & Educ...