Announcements

BFM Book Group will meet on Thursday April 25 at 1 PM at the Meeting House to discuss Women Talking by Miriam Toews. For more information, contact

Miriam (magicsilvermiles@gmail.com; (720) 645-3630) or Becky (rehvision@gmail.com; (303) 459-3233).

On Sunday, April 28, I will be presenting a Program Hour on my recent civil-rights trip to major sites of the 1960’s civil-rights movement, including Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery and Atlanta.  If you’d like to hear about walking over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, hearing Senator/Reverend Raphael Warnock speak at the same church at which Dr. King preached, or many other components that made up this wonderful tour, please join me. – Barbara Kelly

This is a hybrid presentation, in the meetinghouse and on Zoom.

This meeting is on our regular meeting link:
Join Zoom Meeting with video from a computer, tablet, or smart phone:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/96273568620?pwd=TDlDTW1SalJGUzRjT3B1dnkwbnhoZz09
Join with audio only by phone: 1-669-900-6833 (*6 to mute/unmute, *9 to raise hand)
Meeting ID: 962 7356 8620 Password: 063025

Robert Nichols will give his Spiritual Journey on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Noon to 1PM.  This is a hybrid program hour and will be recorded on Zoom.  This is an opportunity to deepen our spiritual and community connections.

This meeting is on our regular meeting link:
Join Zoom Meeting with video from a computer, tablet, or smart phone:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/96273568620?pwd=TDlDTW1SalJGUzRjT3B1dnkwbnhoZz09
Join with audio only by phone: 1-669-900-6833 (*6 to mute/unmute, *9 to raise hand)
Meeting ID: 962 7356 8620 Password: 063025

QUAKERS AND THE ISRAEL/PALESTINE DEBATE: THE STRUGGLE FOR MORAL CLARITY

One of the most pressing and difficult moral issues today is how can we work for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. As Quakers whose faith calls us to embody a witness for justice, equality, peace, and truth, we have an important role to play. This is especially true for US Friends, given that the United States is the global power that has had the most influence, for good or ill, over how things have developed in this part of the Mideast since 1948. Our government is also currently using our tax dollars to finance the devastating Israeli assault on the 2.3 million people of Gaza in response to the horrific war crimes committed by the military wing of Hamas on October 7. Yet, even talking about this issue can be emotionally fraught and challenging, even in Quaker meetings. How can we create the space for deep listening to each other, mutual learning, and collective discernment as our faith communities try to understand the truth of this situation and respond in the most informed, faithful, and compassionate way possible?

Speaking from years of research, reflection, first hand experience, and prayerful discernment, Steve Chase will address the contending views that exist among Friends and how we might move towards greater unity and moral clarity to offer an even more powerful peace and social justice ministry in these challenging times. Steve will also invite our questions and comments for discussion.

Steve is the 2024 Pendle Hill Henry Cadbury Resident Scholar and is working on a book entitledSeeking Justice in the Holy Land: The Quaker Struggle for Moral Clarity on Israel/Palestine. He is also the author of the 2017 Pendle Hill Pamphlet Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions? A Quaker Zionist Rethinks Palestinian Rights. His recent Pendle Hill talk on Israel/Palestine is at this link.

The Program Hour Zoom is on our regular meeting link:
Join Zoom Meeting with video from a computer, tablet, or smart phone:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/96273568620?pwd=TDlDTW1SalJGUzRjT3B1dnkwbnhoZz09
Join with audio only by phone: 1-669-900-6833 (*6 to mute/unmute, *9 to raise hand)
Meeting ID: 962 7356 8620 Password: 063025

Dear Friends,

My time serving as Communications Manager (Announcements, Bulletin, and Calendar) ends this month. I have been trying to recruit a replacement for several years, most urgently during the past year. I plan to stop doing this job as of May 1 unless BFM is actively in the process of finding someone else to take over, in which case I will continue through May.

Please consider volunteering or help to identify someone to assume responsibility for this critical piece of our infrastructure. The job takes 3 – 4 hours per week. It can be done from home on a flexible schedule. It requires comfort with a computer, but it’s not technically demanding, and some interpersonal skills would also be useful. This is a great way for a newer attender to contribute because it allows you to know all of our events and other announcements; you can put your finger on the pulse of the meeting.

If no one volunteers, we could hire someone for about $100/week, $5,200/year (my best estimate).

These are the communications that will end by May 1:

• The Friday Bulletin
• The Announcements page on our website
• Events on the calendar. The calendar would continue to show Zoom meetings (posted by me in my capacity as Zoom Coordinator) and also building use (posted by our Building Use Coordinator).

Respectfully submitted,

Margaret Wallace

Colorado Regional Meeting in our Boulder meetinghouse on April 21 featured time for fellowship, a delicious potluck, and an informative program hour on prison ministry. You can watch it on this link.

Someone’s email has been hacked, and it’s possible that all their contacts were compromised. If you get an email supposedly from a friend that threatens to expose pictures of you, do not click the link. It’s probably this scam. You should:

1. Change the email password to a strong password.
2. Set up two-factor authentication on email.
3. Run an anti-virus scan.

This the 2023 Annual State of the Meeting Report and the shortened Annual State of the Meeting report for IMYM.  -Chris Braider

Please help streamline the communications process by using this new Communication Template to submit all of your information for the Announcements page, Friday Bulletin, and the Calendar. You should copy it, add your own information, and submit it to communications@boulderfriendsmeeting.org.

This will make my job easier and will get the job ready to hand over to someone new. Many thanks, Margaret

Please join us for the Fiftieth Anniversary Intermountain Yearly Meeting Annual Gathering 2024 at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. We’ll meet together in-person and online (hybrid), Wednesday, June 12 to Sunday, 16, 2024. Our theme is “Weaving Space for Becoming.” To learn more and register, go to Call to IMYM 2024 Annual Gathering

Right Sharing of World Resources is seeking a General Secretary. For more information go to http://www.rswr.org/careers. This is a Quaker organization. -Submitted by Bruce Thron-Weber

Registration for Friends General Conference Gathering 2024: Rooted in Story is well underway!  Early registration will be open until April 23.  General registration will open on May 1.

Please join us at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, just a few miles from Philadelphia, June 30 through July 6, 2024, for FGC’s signature event.

Click here to learn more and to register.

How do you feel led to contribute to our meeting? Joining a committee allows you to make new friends while focusing on an area that interests you. Individual volunteer jobs let you do your part for Boulder Friends Meeting, often from home and on your own hours.  This form lists committees and positions and also links to fuller descriptions. NomCom requests that you fill out the form even if you don’t plan to join a committee or volunteer for a job because it let’s them better understand the priorities of our members and attenders. Paper copies are also available at the meetinghouse.

Our Zoom Spiritual Journeys are viewable now at these links:

Arlene Brownell’s Spiritual Journey

Carolyn Kuban’s Spiritual Journey

They will also be added to the DVD spiritual journey collection in the library.

Older spiritual journeys are on DVD (or CD for the oldest) in our library collection. They are also in audio only online here. You will have to be logged in to the private side of our website to access this page.

Friends, the Outreach Group is designing new signage and a draft of language is available on the lawn sign leaning against the old sign. Please note it soon and give feedback to our members: Connor Middlemann, Toby Gallegon, Rich Andrews, and Daniel Booth.

“What happened in Meeting today?” “How can I better center down during Meeting for Worship?” “What do Quakers mean when they say ‘Friend speaks my mind’?”

The Spiritual Growth Revitalization Committee is planning informal chats after meeting for worship to discuss questions like these (and others) for newcomers and anyone interested.

A leader from our group will be in the Library after the rise of Meeting on the 1st and 3rd Sundays.

The Library will continue to be available for book browsing, and the discussions will last about 30 minutes. In the future, we plan specific topics to be announced in advance. But these introductory sessions will be ad lib, and seasoned Quakers are welcome to come and add their experiences to the mix.

See you on August 6th in the Library after rise of Meeting!

Intermountain Yearly Meeting, Peace & Social Justice Roundtable: Usually Last Saturday of the Month, 2pm MST

Regularly Meets: Last Saturday of each month, 2pm MST.  Watch for possible change of day and time.

ZOOM in and share peace and social justice concerns and projects.  Join with other Friends and find suggestions to take to your Meeting for seasoning.

April 27: First Anniversary Celebration. Bring ideas for the year ahead. Hear updates on action for Israel-Palestine peace and the Nisenan Tribe Land Return project.

May 25: Help for Immigrants in IMYM Monthly Meetings with Jennifer Piper, AFSC

June: No Meeting

For more information: imym.org  (See: Community Interests-Peace and Social Justice) or contact Anne Remley (agr1@me.com)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87908662511?pwd=rzDSaggl335j9eE1SlwNiuth3h1cgI.1
Meeting ID: 879 0866 2511
Passcode: 520517

Quaker Steve Chase recently gave a talk for the Pendle Hill Monday Night lecture on “Pursuing a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine:  What Can Quakers Bring to the Table?  You can view this excellent presentation on this link.

Boulder Friends Meeting received this letter from Sarah Shed, who is involved in this program:

Dear Friends,

As you probably know, since the Taliban came back in charge in Afghanistan in the fall of 2021, the lives of women and girls have been drastically curtailed. School is not allowed for girls past grade six, girls are kidnapped into marriage with members of the Taliban, women cannot walk freely without a male relative. The Afghan Scout Relief Fund has been working to get academically able young women, former Scouts, out of Afghanistan to finish their schooling in the US.  This is the website of this program, 

https://www.afghanscoutrelieffund.org/. The web site is purposely understated, and hasn’t been updated in some time. Every effort is being made to keep this small, but powerful, program under the Taliban radar and off social media. 

One prospective student is 17 year old Rihanna Arefi.  Rihanna’s situation is unique in that her sister, Nazira Arefi, arrived in Boulder as a ASFR student late November and is attending Shining Mountain Waldorf School, in North Boulder, for her senior year. 

I am Nazira’s host mom this year and it has been a wonderful experience for both of us. I am more than happy to talk with anyone who might be interested in hosting her sister. I feel that I have come to know her whole family over the past few months and I can say with certainty that this is a loving supportive family, one that wants their daughters to have a chance for education and a life outside the restrictions of Afghanistan, even though it means they may never see them again.

Shining Mt has offered a four year scholarship for Rihanna, she could begin in the 9th grade next fall. There are a number of hurdles to clear for herto ccome here. These include moving from Afghanistan to Pakistan for an interim period where she will study English intensively. She has made a good start in English and understands well, but needs work on grammar, tense and practice speaking. She has consistently been at the top of her classes in Afghanistan but the educational systems are so different that some remediation will be required. And of course she has been denied education for the past two and half years. She must also pass an interview  with the US Embassy in Islamabad in order to get her F1 student visa. It often takes multiple interviews for the embassy to grant a visa, despite extensive preparation by the ASRF staff. Her sister passed on the first try however and we can hope Rihanna will also.  The Embassy is not scheduling interviews until the new school year approaches, probably  August, because once students are granted the visa they leave the country quickly and the US wants to make sure students will be entering directly into school once they arrive. For all this to happen she must have a host family lined up- most likely several host families – over the course of her school years. We can start the process when there is a host family committed for the first year.  ASFR is looking for families that are loving and supportive and can commit to the following, at a minimum:

 Be willing to share personal home information, including documentation of adequate finances, with Rihanna so she can share with Embassy officials, and then send some documentation of finances when requested by the Embassy.

 Ensure transportation to and from Shining Mountain. This doesn’t necessarily mean driving every day, but could include provision of a bike and bus pass where appropriate, or living close enough for walking.

Communicate with school staff and participate as a parent in school activites to a reasonable extent.

Provide international student health insurance. The ISO group provides plans for as low at 35$/month.

Provide adequate clothing and supplies. Boulder’s excellent thrift stores are usually sufficient.

Provide food, and understand that the adjustment to western food may be challenging, and halal meat is desirable if meat is on the menu.

Support the student’s expression of Islam. Nazira chooses not to wear a hijab except during the month of Ramadan. I suspect her sister will make the same choice but don’t know for certain.

Provide a home for the school year. ASFR will provide summer opportunities for students.

If you are interested or have questions please contact me, Sarah Shed at 207-242-3263 or by email, and I will try to answer questions and put you in touch with the ASRF staff.

I have been so grateful for this opportunity to learn from my Afghan daughter and support her in this major transition. I hope there will be others that can extend their homes and hearts.

Warm Regards

Sarah

Judy Huston is collecting donations for the family of Rebecca Chaan David, who are living in refugee camps in Kenya as well as in Bentiu, South Sudan. Because of cutbacks in aid to both refugees and families in South Sudan, many people are facing starvation, including Rebecca’s family. There are children of all ages. Donations will be sent to Rebecca’s sister in law in Kenya, who will use the money for immediate food needs. Please contact Judy (hustonjudy8@gmail.com) to make a donation, or simply use PayPal or Venmo.

Resources and actions on the Israel/Palestine situation include this article by George Lakey.

Join AFSC for Meeting for Worship with Attention to Peace in Palestine and Israel, alternate Fridays at 10 AM.

AFSC is also a great source for updates on Gaza and Palestine. We update materials every few weeks, here is our latest report What’s Happening in Gaza and the West Bank and here, Delivering Food to Palestinians in Gaza folks can learn about how AFSC’s deep ties going back 40 years allow us to provide important humanitarian assistance.

Check FCNL’s call for a Ceasefire Advocacy Kit.

Gale and Lisa are leaving Colorado in July to serve for 2 years as Honolulu Friends Meeting’s Resident Couple.  There will be a gathering June 1^st.  More details to follow.

Submitted by Lisa and Gale Toko-Ross

Friends:  I am so excited that Resonance Women’s Chorus is fully back after Covid. 100+ passionate women singing from our hearts under the inspiration of music director Sue Coffee.   The Spring concerts will be May 5 in Boulder and May 4 & 11 in Longmont. (I won’t be there May 4.) 

The program is uplifting, tender, powerful, beautiful and inspiring.  The theme, “Map in the Dark” comes from a lyric in the song Where the Light Begins: “perhaps it does not begin; perhaps it is always.”  We are also honoring Lost Words, One with the Wind written by an indigenous woman in Oregon, a Ukrainian-inspired lullaby and a dozen other pieces.

Tickets are $20 on line at resonancechorus.org.

I hope you can come and share this with me.  Invite your friends!  Please let me know if you have questions or need a reduced-price ticket.  John is coming May 5 if you want to see him!

DeAnne

Hello Friends,

I hope you’ll watch this video that I participated in making. It’s a medley of “One Voice, Many Hearts” and the Ukrainian National Anthem in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F88Nz8fxgLE 
Missing you all, hope to see you online soon.

John Huyler has a recent diagnosis of leukemia and is starting chemotherapy. He has set up a way to update Friends and to allow us to leave him messages. He writes: “I have revived my old work number which is still listed in the Directory: 303-444-4777. It works like a charm so people can get an update from me and leave me a message if they want. No fear or worry about waking me up as it never rings. I am sleeping a lot more these days since beginning chemo. It’s a real thrill to listen to the messages of support.” Gratefully, John

Martha greatly appreciates the donations to her GoFundMe page, which are helping her through this difficult time. It’s remaining open because she is still struggling with rent, groceries, and bills, even though she is now working part time. Her physical and occupational therapists for her brain injury and Lyme Disease haven’t yet approved full-time work, and she continues to focus on her PT and OT exercises and fit extra rest into her day as she heals. Do you feel called to make a holiday gift to her GoFundMe? You can contribute here. Many thanks for any donation, big or small. Martha has helped so many people in the past. If you have any ideas of social services or non-profits that could help her, please share that information too.

(December update)

This section lets us share our greatest joys and sorrows.

Boulder Friends Meeting conducts hybrid in-person and Zoom worship every Sunday at 10 AM. You are welcome to come to the meetinghouse or join us online. Friends often gather for coffee and fellowship after in-person Meeting. Optional participation in fellowship breakout rooms immediately follows Meeting for Worship on Zoom most Sundays.

To join by Zoom:

We are now using one joining link for all of our BFM meetings.

Join Zoom Meeting with video from a computer, tablet, or smart phone:

https://zoom.us/j/96273568620?pwd=TDlDTW1SalJGUzRjT3B1dnkwbnhoZz09

Join with audio only by phone: 1-669-900-6833 (*6 to mute/unmute, *9 to raise hand)

Meeting ID: 962 7356 8620 Password: 063025

Our Early Meeting for Worship in the meetinghouse (no Zoom) usually attracts a handful of Friends who generally worship in silence. No announcements or group sharing of Joys and Sorrows as in the 10:00 Meeting. You can greet friends arriving for the later meeting if you stick around afterwards. All are welcome.

All are invited to outdoor worship in Cottonwood Park, Louisville, 10:00-11:00 AM. Parking is available on the street in front of 1473 Adams Place. Walk along the easement between the houses, and you will see the fishing deck just down the hill to the south. Bring your own chair and a sun hat. For more info, contact Alyson Crabtree, alyson.hedgerow@nym.hush.com, or text 303-415-0585.

A Meeting for Worship is held monthly at the Stephens’ home in Arvada at 8467 Chase Drive. Call Barb at 303-918-9065 with questions. All are welcome!

The nursery in the New Horizons portion of our meeting house will be open every Sunday, between the hours of 10:00 and 11:30. If you have a baby or a young child up to five years old, please consider bring them to our nursery. Our excellent childcare provider, Constantine Mingoube, will be happy to meet you and find out what your baby or young child needs, such as dietary restrictions. You may contact her in advance at 720-323-7778.

If you or someone you know is looking for a venue at which to hold regular meetings or a single event, please keep our building in mind.  It can be for one day or one evening, a weekend, or on-going as a place to meet weekly or monthly. Rates are very reasonable. We only lease for non-profit purposes. Contact Linda Johnson, Building Use Coordinator, at buildingcoord@boulderfriendsmeeting.org.

This fundraising source, set up by Sharon Reimer, continues to benefit our Meeting. Friends can link their King Sooper loyalty card to a charity. If they choose Boulder Friends Meeting as the charity, King Soopers will donate a fraction of each purchase amount to our Meeting, at no cost to the customer. We received $124 from this program recently, for the third quarter of 2023. 

Please tell Linda Johnson (970-420-3289), Building Use Coordinator, when your committee will meet and which room you will use. This goes on our calendar to avoid overlaps between BFM groups and outside organizations.

At Meeting for Worship with Concern for Business on Nov 5, 2023, Friends approved the following statement:

We are heartbroken by the recent violence in Israel and Gaza. As Quakers, we deeply mourn the loss of all lives and pray for those who have lost loved ones due to this latest escalation. We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks and inhumane treatment of civilians and call for the immediate release of all hostages. We also condemn the indiscriminate and violent Israeli response that has already claimed thousands of civilian lives.

More war and weapons won’t bring peace. In the face of growing violence, lawmakers must:

• Work to de-escalate this situation by calling for restraint, ceasefire, de-escalation, and respect for international law.
• Protect lives—those of the Israeli hostages and the millions of civilians who live in Gaza.
• Address the root causes underlying this explosion of violence.

We call for an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint to prevent further civilian harm in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

You can download this statement here to send to politicians, F/friends, or to post on your social media feeds.

For a printable version, please click here.

Announcements:

• Please include the following information:
• Short title, including date and time (of an event)
• Body of the announcement (Can be short or lengthy)
• Links are welcome (I can embed them)
• Photos, if essential (Difficult to post, but possible)
• Short “save-the-date” statements okay if full announcement not ready
• Add: “Submitted by” (Committee or Individual Friend)
• Submit announcements in final form if possible

Bulletin:

Send a brief (1 – 2 sentence) version for the Friday Bulletin. Include links if available.

Calendar:

Meeting events will be added to the Calendar.

How to Submit:

Send all postings to announcements@boulderfriendsmeeting.org.

What Not to Send:

Please do not include me in committee email strings. I count on you to finalize your wording.

Gratefully,

Margaret Wallace for Web Committee

We cook and serve at The Homeless Shelter on the third Saturday evening of each month. Please contact Miriam Sander at magicsilvermiles@gmail.com or (720) 645-3630 to be included in the schedule. It isn’t necessary to participate every month; the cooking schedule can work with your personal schedule. Come work with friends to provide this critical service to our homeless community.

A new “Member Packet” of information for people considering membership in Boulder Friends Meeting has been developed by the Oversight and Membership (O&M) committee.  They would like feedback and suggestions from current members and attenders.  Please read and send comments to Chris Braider (Christopher.Braider@colorado.edu).

Hello Boulder Quakers!

Albuquerque Monthly Meeting has the following invitation for you:

The Worship and Ministry Committee of Albuquerque Monthly Meeting invites you to attend our new twice-a-month online Wednesday evening Meeting for Worship. These will be held on the first and third Wednesdaysfrom 7:00 to 8:20 pm, beginning November 15th, 2023. Be sure to use the correct Zoom link as they are different from one another.

1st Wednesday link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89750287720?pwd=eE9tREVBM1ZJSXVXKzU5WTMrNXUrZz09

3rd Wednesday link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85195820625?pwd=WDQxYW90V20zTXREZnYzSlpuVWlyZz09

We are inviting members from meetings within IMYM to join us, which will enable us to have fellowship beyond just the annual gathering. Please feel free to forward this email to Friends who might be interested in attending.

The format of this meeting is as follows: unprogrammed worship for one hour (7:00-8:00 pm) and then introductions, sharing of joys and sorrows, brief announcements, and time for fellowship. We request that you enter the meeting in silence. The first person to open the link will begin expectant worship. Participants will automatically be muted as they join. Please unmute only to give vocal ministry and then re-mute during the first hour.

Should you need help during the meeting, use Chat to send a direct message to the Host, who can be found under the Participant tab. Please avoid use of the chat for any other purpose during the worship hour, as many find it distracting.  

Contact Henry Selters (505-985-4981) or Lynn Huxtable (505-688-2583) with any questions. We hope to see you there!

Please bring non-perishable food donations for EFAA. The white barrel is at the meetinghouse year round waiting to be filled, and Friends have offered to deliver the food to EFAA. Other donations can be taken or sent to EFAA at 1575 Yarmouth Ave., Boulder, 80304, just a few blocks from the meetinghouse!

– Submitted by the Service Committee

Having trouble finding the calendar, Announcements, or Zoom links? Download this document by clicking on it and put it on your computer desktop for easy access. Useful Links for Quaker Friends

Would you like to participate in sending Light to those who request it? This supplement to our post-worship Joys and Sorrows appears to have much support from Meeting for several reasons, especially its immediacy. First suggested as a prayer circle, “Circle of Light” seemed a more inclusive name. We try to surround those in need with Light as soon as it is requested.

If you have a request that you or your loved ones be held in the Light, email Daniel Booth (booth.daniel.j@gmail.com) or text/call 303-594-6138 and your request will go out promptly. Should you wish to remain anonymous, just provide whatever details are needed for us to focus on your situation.

For further information about any of the above activities, contact clerk@boulderfriendsmeeting.org.