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The lawsuit filed in a federal district court in Maryland states that: “The very threat of that [immigration] enforcement deters congregants from attending services, especially members of immigrant communities.” According to the plaintiffs, attending service is a crucial aspect of the constitutional guarantee to “religious liberty.” Two articles here: https://bit.ly/40AhZ4l.

Multnomah Friends Meeting (MFM) came to unity to be an official sponsor of the Oregon for Human Rights (O4HR) coalition which seeks to have Oregon divest funds from entities that support war, genocide, or ecologic destruction. We have a subcommittee under the Peace & Justice Committee. Please let us know if you would like to join this work. We are especially interested in reaching out to other Faith Communities and would love contacts and ideas. For more info: Peace & Social Concerns Clerk – .

The Peace & Justice Committee of the Meeting has found unity on its support for a bill to be introduced in the 2025 Oregon legislative session 1) directing the state Treasurer to report on the environment, social, and governance impact of investments made by the state and 2) prohibiting the Oregon Investment Council from investing in any entity found to have violated international law. A copy of the bill is linked here.

The Committee will be recommending at the January Meeting for Business that the Meeting as a whole support the bill. If you have any questions about the bill, please contact the clerks of the Peace & Justice Committee at .

The Lunch Program welcomes volunteers 12:30-2:30pm Tuesdays-Saturdays: servers, dishwashers, setup, cleanup, hosts, and someone to be present in the smoking area to keep eyes on the situation. For information about volunteering, contact . Feel free to stop by for a “look-see” during lunch hours.

Volunteer committee members are needed to serve on the following Multnomah Friends Meeting committees as soon as possible: Peace & Justice, Care & Counsel, Nominating, Nursery, and Children’s Program. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, please contact the Nominating Committee: .

Now that winter is here, there is an even greater need for warm clothes (especially pants size 30-32), belts, bedding, unlocked used phones, and USB chargers and cords. Larger donations may be left in the basement or given to anyone involved with the lunch program.

Due to anticipated low attendance (and to give our teachers a break, too!), there will be no First Day School on Sunday, 12/29. Also, as previously announced, there will be no Parents Night Out event in December. We'll resume Parents Night Out activities in late January. Questions?  Please contact .

Masking in the Meetinghouse and during Meeting for Worship is now optional rather than required—this was decided in business meeting this month. The following message is included in this decision’s minute: “Multnomah Friends, after patient and persistent compliance with our masking requirement during worship, are lovingly released from it. We remain tenderly sensitive to those in our community with compromised immunity related to endemic illness. This will be communicated in our publications for a sufficient amount of time.” Masks will continue to be available in the Meetinghouse this season, and our air filtration system will be used consistently during meeting times. Questions: .

Sunday, December 22, Noon, Meeting Room and Zoom