Affiliated with the North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
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Cynthia Gilliam

About Cynthia Gilliam

Posts by Cynthia Gilliam:

Upcoming Events of Interest

Scheduled Gatherings (listed chronologically)

  • October 10, 7am
    2026 Walk to End Alzheimers Saturday,, Oregon Zoo
    Would you join me in this fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association? Registration 7am (sharp), Promise Garden Ceremony 8:15am, walk begins approximately 8:30am (can I possibly do it that early?!) at the Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, Portland; 3/4 mile walk. They ask every participant to “make a personal donation and commit to raising funds in the fight against Alzheimer’s.” If you’re interested, we can form a team I’m tentatively calling “Friendly Walkers.” Register online at alz.org/walk. 

  • “Video:”Love Crosses Borders”
    October 15 Zoom Conversation 
    This video by Anton Flores-Maisonet is presented by Pendle Hill’s 2026 Steven G Carey Memorial Lecture. For those of you who care about immigrants, aren’t fans of ICE, and wonder about ways to support those affected, enjoy this engaging lecture in which Anton Flores-Maisonet of Atlanta Friends Meeting shares from his many years accompanying immigrants, creating family and intentional community, and seeking to live with integrity. https://www.youtube.com/live/MYNqMaXAxWc?si=REpjg_lTee4Vouuf/. Also check out his book “Welcome, Friends” and the upcoming Zoom conversation about it on October 15. https://pendlehill.org/programs/380/welcome-friends-stories-of-hope-and-hospitality-with-immigrants/

  • Quaker Call to Action
    Oct. 18, 4pm Pacific time
    A chance to discuss protections to free elections. Register for either or both at quakercall.org/meetings/register. The threats from the Trump administration and others to prevent free and fair elections are real. The September and October video meetings will share information and provide opportunities for actions to take in defense of democracy. Find more information and resources at quakercall.net  

  • Interfaith Silent Solidarity March to ICE
    Saturday, October 24th @ 4:30 PM.
    This action is open to all people (of faith or not) who are committed to non-violence, and who want to protest injustice and stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors.  We gather in Elizabeth Caruthers Park, review safety & logistics for the event and listen to a short welcome.  Then we have a ten minute period of silence together (for reflection, prayer, or meditation).  Next we walk slowly and silently to the ICE facility a few blocks away, carrying flowers with us.  Once we arrive at ICE, we make three loops (staying on the sidewalks and obeying traffic laws) in front of the building and drop a flower in the driveway with each pass.  Finally, we make our way back to the park in silence and break our silence with a shared song.  In closing, we typically have guest clergy who will share something meaningful from their tradition (like a prayer, poem, or ritual).  The Portland Peace Team handles safety and de-escalation for the event.  
    If you have any questions, please email the planning team: pdxinterfaithmarch@gmail.com
     

     

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  • FCNL will be hosting their Annual Meeting
    November 12-14 in Washington DC. 
    This year it will be both in person and online. This gathering is an opportunity to gather with hundreds of Quakers from across the country to learn about effective lobbying, to hear from FCNL lobbyists and young fellows, and to participate in policy discussions and worship sharing groups. Here is a link for more information and to register for the 2026  Annual Meeting: https://www.fcnl.org/events/annual-meeting-2026-deep-roots-bold-action. We are seeking financial support to send one or two young Friends to the Annual Meeting.  We need support for the registration ($250 to attend in person), travel and lodging.  If you would like more information and/or able to offer some financial support please contact FCNL rep Barbara Segal.
  • Save the Date: Spring 2027 Willamette Quarterly Meeting.
    May 14-16, 2027
    Mark your calendars, whether paper or electronic, for next spring’s residential gathering of Willamette Quarterly Meeting. We’ll meet at Camp Lutherwood near Eugene from May 14-16.  Multnomah and Bridge City are responsible for planning quarterly meeting this year; if you’d like to help or have questions, please contact Lyn Gordon or Betsey Kenworthy

    Regular Recurring Events (listed Alphabetically)

  • Jacob Hoopes has begun 900 days of confinement at the federal prison in Sheridan. Please learn more and consider adopting one of the 900 days: https://www.900daysoflight.com/
  • An Invitation to Prayer Vigil at the I.C.E. Facility
    Thursdays 2:30-3:30pm, S. Bancroft St
    Over the past year interfaith groups have faithfully stood with protest signs along Macadam Ave every Monday morning and organized a Silent March the third Saturday evening of every month. This will be a mostly silent vigil, although participants may feel free to pray out loud as led. There will be opening and closing remarks as well as some singing. Participants should feel free to come and go as needed. We expect no opposition. We ask that you bring no signs. There will be a Prayer Vigil Banner along with images of those who have died because of I.C.E. for you to hold. We’ve chosen this time of day to be visible to I.C.E. employees who leave in the middle of the afternoon and the transport bus for detainees which may leave for Tacoma. Contact Joe Snyder or Dick Nystrom (Covenant)  This is a family friendly event. Participants agree to be non-violent. Note: Trimet bus 35/40 and NS Streetcar will bring you.
  • The Quaker ICE Vigil
    Mndays , 10:30 am
    The Quaker ICE vigil, with participation of Multnomah and Bridge City Friends, continues to evolve. We meet at the 4310 S. Macadam office, Mondays at 10:30, with signs and lately also with flowers. We encourage Friends to help our effort continue. We meet for coffee afterwards, to consider further possible responses to this issue. Joe Snyder is the email group leader. Mornings to date during our vigils have been calm at the site.
 

Quaker Palestine Israel Network Statements

In February of 2019, MFM approved a minute affirming our support for a just peace with respect and equal human rights for all parties in the Holy Land . The minute reads: Multnomah Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) holds Palestinians and Israelis both together in our hearts and prayers. Because our Quaker spiritual values and heritage affirm that of God in everyone, we seek to engage in meaningful solutions for a just peace with respect and equal human rights for all parties in the Holy Land and loving cooperation between both peoples. We seek the guidance of the Spirit in our work to end racism in our own community and country and to carry out our Testimony of Peace in relation to the United States government policies which impact the conflict in Palestine/Israel. We commit to take actions, in a spirit of nonviolence and reconciliation, to further peacemaking between Palestine and Israel.

     In addition, MFM has affirmed the Apartheid Free Communities pledge from AFSC:  The Apartheid-Free Communities pledge:

  • We affirm our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people;
  • We oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; and
  • We declare ourselves an Apartheid-free Meeting and to that end,
  • We pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s Apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.

Meetinghouse Art Exhibit

Room 22 has a collection of art hung for your enjoyment. I hope you come and visit the space and use it for quiet contemplation or for a meeting. The art is lent to us by Meeting members and attendees and is rotating. If you have works of art that you would like to hang, please contact Harriet Wentz at property.clerk@multnomahfriends.org.

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Lunch Program Needs YOU

The Lunch Program has a new name – Eastside Community Lunch, a new website eastsidecommunitylunch.org, and new needs. 

  • Can you serve lunch on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12:30 – 2:30?
  • Can you make sack lunches? 
  • Can you help on our food prep teams onTuesday mornings at 9 or Thursday at 3 pm?
  • Can you do food pick-ups currently on Tuesdays at 8 am?
  • Can you help with computer skills such as making flyers, etc.?
  • Can you do some home baking for lunch?
Let us know if you want to help at eastsidecommunitylunch@gmail.com. And please spread the word to people you know. 

Chlldren’s Progam During the Summer

Weather permitting, most Sundays during the summer (through August 30) we will not have formal educational activities, but will have creative activities, games, and stories, often in concert with a walk to Laurelhurst Park (weather and staffing permitting). Volunteers are welcome and needed; the less structured setting provides a great opportunity to have fun with, and learn more about, our youngest Friends. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Lyn Gordon, Children's Program clerk, at childrensprogram.clerk@multnomahfriends.org

 

Upcoming Events and Meetings

Scheduled Gatherings (listed chronologically)

  • First Day School is back in session
    As with last year, we’ll have two classrooms: a pre-K through 2nd grade class (Room 21) and a 3rd-5th grade class (Room 23). Our typical schedule: 10:00 – 10:15 Children are invited to join Meeting for Worship with their families (or parents can stay with younger children in the classroom for quiet pre-class activities); 10:15 – 11:15 Formal class activities (including songs, stories, games and art activities); 11:15 Teachers from both classrooms lead the kids into the Meeting room, to reunite them with their families (on occasion, when announcements are short, kids can be picked up directly from the classrooms). For general questions about Children’s Program, or if you’d like to volunteer to help out (we really need it!) please contact Andrew Wardenaar at childrensprogram.clerk@multnomhahfriends.org.
  • Meeting for Worship for Business
    Sunday, October 18,12:15pm, blended
    Business Meeting is held monthly on third First Days (Sundays). All are welcome to attend in person or on Zoom. If you need childcare, please contact Ann Dudley at
    nursery.clerk@multnomahfriends.org. You may also request reimbursement for in-home childcare. Zoom link: mfmeet.ing/mfb
    Meeting ID: 705 774 465, Password: 923550.
  • Film Series on Palestine
    November 19
    Mark your calendars for the third Thursday of the month . QPIN and JVP Communication/ Education Committee are sponsoring a series of five films with the theme, “Resisting Israel’s Palestine Plan.” These will be shown at our meetinghouse and are free. More details in the November newsletter

Regular Recurring Events (listed alphabetically)

  • Amigas Bible Study
    Wednesdays, 8am, Zoom: tinyurl.com/4nkt53ft
  • Community Qigong
    Mondays, 9:30-10:30am, Online
  • Film Discussion Group
    Tuesdays, 6-7pm, Online bit.ly/3nYFCSH
  • Friendly Readers Book Discussion
    1st Tuesdays, 7-8:30pm, Zoom: bit.ly/3nYFCSH
    3rd Tuesdays, 12-2pm at the Meetinghouse ; contact  friendlyreaders@multnomahfriends.org for more information.
  • Friends for Racial Justice    2nd Mondays, 4 pm, Online. Contact Maye Thompson
  • FWCC Online Meeting to Pray for Peace
    Tuesdays, 5:30am. The Friends World Committee for Consultation: Europe and Middle East Section hosts a 30-minute online meeting for worship to pray for peace.  Register at fwccemes.org/calendar/peace-worship.
  • Hold in the Light Worship
    Wednesday 6-7pm, Zoom: mfmeet.ing/hitl
    The Friendly Care Committee invites Friends to join in a weekly gathering 
  • ICE Vigils
    Mondays at 10:30
    We meet at the 4310 S. Macadam office, Mondays at 10:30, with signs and lately also with flowers. We encourage Friends to help our effort continue. We meet for coffee afterwards, to consider further possible responses to this issue. Joe Snyder is the email group leader.
  • Meeting for Worship for Business
    3rd Sunday,  12:15 pm, Blended, Zoom: mfmeet.ing/mfb
  • MMM Friendship Group
    3rd Thursdays, 11-1 pm, Room 12
    In September, we will explore our experiences with dogs, cats, and more. What lessons might we have learned from them? How may they have been part of our spiritual lives? Do you have a canine or feline friend you are really glad to have met?  Come join our seriously funny discussion. Presenter: Liz Jenkins, Facilitator: Carol Uhte. Snacks available and handheld lunches welcome.  Gather and center around friendship and answering life’s questions together. We meet on the third Thursday of each month. All are welcome.
  • Monthly Quaker Buddhist Meditation
    4th Monday, 7-8 pm, Zoom: tinyurl.com/2w9fc3ee 
  • Peace and Justice committee, 3rd Sundays at noon in the meeting room Please email any agenda requests to peace-justice.clerk@multnomahfriends.org. If you need childcare to attend, you will be reimbursed for the expense. Zoom:  bit.ly/3fTiOBY
  • Quaker Palestine Israel Network, 2nd Sundays at noon in the meeting room
  • Second Sunday Potluck
    2nd Sundays, 11:15am, Social Hall
    Bring a dish to share
  • Short Story Discussion Group
    Fridays, 6-7 pm 2nd & 4th, Online
  • Singalong Sundays
    1st & 3rd Sundays, 9:15am, Room 12
    We end in time to join worship. We choose from Rise Up Singing or the FGC hymnal, Worship in Song. New voices, tunes, and instruments welcome.
  • SMAD
    1st & 3rd Sundays Zoom only: mfmeet.ing/smad
    2nd, 4th, & 5th Sundays, 8:30am, Room 12, In person or Blended on request
  • Weekly Bible Study
    Mondays, 7-8am, Blended
  • Witnessing for Immigrant Rights
    Mondays,10:30am.  Every Monday at 10:30am      Friends from Multnomah, West Hills, Camas, Hillsboro, and Bridge City gather for one hour to witness for immigrant rights by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center at S. Macadam and Bancroft. The ICE building is just north of the Tesla dealership.
  • Women’s Circle of Friends
    2nd & 4th Thursdays, 6:30-8 pm, Online
  • Worship Sharing with Movement
    Saturdays 10-11:30 am in the Meeting Room on the 1st Saturday

Friendly Readers, MMM Book Group

Tuesday, April 21, Noon-2:00pm, in-person only, Room 12
Friendly Readers is an open, drop-in book group, discussing books from a Quaker perspective and getting to know each other more deeply. Everyone is invited. You do not have to commit to regular attendance, or to have read the book. Our discussions are about the topics raised. We discuss one book each month over two meetings, which focus on different issues, so come to either or both. For April we are discussing Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's urgent mission to bring healing to homeless people by Tracy Kidder, c 2023. There is a book review in the April MFM monthly newsletter on page 12 along with our calendar of upcoming books on page 13. Link: https://tinyurl.com/446rj6hk. For more information about Friendly Readers, contact Kepper at friendlyreaders@multnomahfriends.org.

  

Monthly Meeting for Worship for Business

Sunday, April 19, 12:15pm, Blended
All are welcome to attend in person or on Zoom. Business Meeting is held monthly on third First Days (Sundays). If you need childcare in order to attend business meeting, please contact Nursery Supervisor Kaeli Frank at kaelifrank21@gmail.com. You may also request reimbursement for in-home childcare if needed in order to attend business meeting.
Zoom link:  mfmeet.ing/mfb
Meeting ID: 705 774 465  Password: 923550
Dial: +1 669 900 6833 US

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