Community
Multnomah Friends is a very active Meeting, with events throughout the week and many ways to get involved. Below are some current events and news about the life of the Meeting. We also publish a weekly bulletin highlighting upcoming programs and announcements, and a monthly newsletter with articles of interest to our community. Sign up with your email address below.
Within our community, we are guided by our testimonies, especially Simplicity, Integrity, and Equality with the goal of being a welcoming space for everyone seeking a spiritual home with us.
Events
Saturday, May 2, 10:00-11:30am, Meeting Room
Every first Saturday, from 10:00-11:30am at the Meetinghouse, we invite you to explore using movement as part of your spiritual practice. In Worship Sharing with Movement, we will share the experience of pausing, grounding and listening, with curiosity and care, moving as we are led. We will move in solitude, in dyads, and in community. We will open and close with movement to a song. Please feel free to join us even if this is a very new direction for you. If you have questions, you’re welcome to talk with one of us. Betsey Kenworthy, Lynn Kitajima, Ann Marie Marriott, Kepper Petzing, and Art Okada.
Every first Saturday, from 10:00-11:30am at the Meetinghouse, we invite you to explore using movement as part of your spiritual practice. In Worship Sharing with Movement, we will share the experience of pausing, grounding and listening, with curiosity and care, moving as we are led. We will move in solitude, in dyads, and in community. We will open and close with movement to a song. Please feel free to join us even if this is a very new direction for you. If you have questions, you’re welcome to talk with one of us. Betsey Kenworthy, Lynn Kitajima, Ann Marie Marriott, Kepper Petzing, and Art Okada.
Sunday, May 3, noon, Room 12, blended
Join Caitlin Churchill, Editor of Western Friend Magazine, and Lydia Mansfield, Quaker Voluntary Service Alumna, for a presentation about their trip to Bolivia with the Quaker Connections Study tour. The presentation will include images from the trip and stories from Friends in Bolivia. The tour was led by the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund. Their travel was funded by Multnomah's Spiritual Life Fund. Need childcare? Have questions? Please contact Maye Thompson .
https://tinyurl.com/4bvt7chy
Meeting ID: 881 4341 3069
Passcode: 053904
Join Caitlin Churchill, Editor of Western Friend Magazine, and Lydia Mansfield, Quaker Voluntary Service Alumna, for a presentation about their trip to Bolivia with the Quaker Connections Study tour. The presentation will include images from the trip and stories from Friends in Bolivia. The tour was led by the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund. Their travel was funded by Multnomah's Spiritual Life Fund. Need childcare? Have questions? Please contact Maye Thompson .
https://tinyurl.com/4bvt7chy
Meeting ID: 881 4341 3069
Passcode: 053904
Saturday, May 16, noon-2:00 pm, Social Hall
Pat Schwiebert, who founded the Peace House Lunch Program and related meals over 40 years ago, and provides the food for the Lunch Program that serves at MFM, is moving to Salem. We are having a goodbye party and everyone is invited. Many at MFM know Pat because of the Lunch Program, but some of us know her from her peace work, grief work, hospice, Peace House, Metanoia Peace Community United Methodist Church, and other work that supports life in our community. Please join us. For questions contact Ellen Simmons, ellenpsimmons@gmail.com, or 610-400-7549. We are serving simple hors d'oeuvre and cake. We want those who attend to be able to take home a sack lunch, if needed. We are asking for 50 sack lunches on May 16. Can you provide some? Contact Kepper Petzing, karenpetzing@gmail.com or 503-284-2068 with questions or to let me know how many you will bring.
Pat Schwiebert, who founded the Peace House Lunch Program and related meals over 40 years ago, and provides the food for the Lunch Program that serves at MFM, is moving to Salem. We are having a goodbye party and everyone is invited. Many at MFM know Pat because of the Lunch Program, but some of us know her from her peace work, grief work, hospice, Peace House, Metanoia Peace Community United Methodist Church, and other work that supports life in our community. Please join us. For questions contact Ellen Simmons, ellenpsimmons@gmail.com, or 610-400-7549. We are serving simple hors d'oeuvre and cake. We want those who attend to be able to take home a sack lunch, if needed. We are asking for 50 sack lunches on May 16. Can you provide some? Contact Kepper Petzing, karenpetzing@gmail.com or 503-284-2068 with questions or to let me know how many you will bring.
Saturday, June 20, 1:30-4:30pm, Meeting room
This training expands on the basic CLARA training with extensive role play scenarios, exploring in depth the ways to defuse potential violence in a wide variety of situations. Those who go through this training should intend to join the Portland Peace Team as peacekeepers and to be part of training others in conflict de-escalation. Prerequisites: To take this Advanced training you should have taken the Basic Conflict Deescalation Training AND accompanied the Portland Peace Team as an observer at one or more events where the team is providing a Peace Presence. If you have attended the Basic training and wish to accompany the team as an observer, please contact Tom Hastings at peaceteam.pdx@gmail.com. To RSVP and for more information, contact Ron Braithwaite at peaceteam.pdx@gmail.com with your name, email address, and phone#. This training is limited to 15 people and there will NOT be a blended Zoom option.
This training expands on the basic CLARA training with extensive role play scenarios, exploring in depth the ways to defuse potential violence in a wide variety of situations. Those who go through this training should intend to join the Portland Peace Team as peacekeepers and to be part of training others in conflict de-escalation. Prerequisites: To take this Advanced training you should have taken the Basic Conflict Deescalation Training AND accompanied the Portland Peace Team as an observer at one or more events where the team is providing a Peace Presence. If you have attended the Basic training and wish to accompany the team as an observer, please contact Tom Hastings at peaceteam.pdx@gmail.com. To RSVP and for more information, contact Ron Braithwaite at peaceteam.pdx@gmail.com with your name, email address, and phone#. This training is limited to 15 people and there will NOT be a blended Zoom option.
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
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
Saturday, May 30, 1:30-4:30pm, Meeting room
This training is based on the CLARA method, which stands for Calm, Listen, Affirm, Respond, and Add information. It is used throughout the world in conflict deescalation and the Portland Peace Team has been training individuals and organizations in CLARA since 2012 and provides peacekeeping for family-friendly events and protests. Because of our current political environment, our training focuses on how to defuse potentially violent conflict on the street or between groups. We recommend you watch this short (11:26) YouTube video, Finding Confidence in Conflict, by Kwame Christian in preparation for the training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Zg65eK9XU. To RSVP and for more information, contact Ron Braithwaite at peaceteam.pdx@gmail.com with your name, email address, and phone#. This training is limited to 30 people and there will NOT be a blended Zoom option.
News
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 childrensprogram@multnomahfriends.org.
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: clerk@multnomahfriends.org.
Sunday, December 22, Noon, Meeting Room and Zoom
Join Peace & Justice Committee on the fourth Sunday of the month for our monthly meeting. Please email any agenda requests to peace-justice.clerk@multnomahfriends.org. If you need childcare to attend, you will be reimbursed for the expense.
As you seek discernment about your end-of-year giving, please consider our meeting's Immigrant Support Fund. It provides much-needed help with court filing fees, legal fees, and (when there's enough in the fund) material support for immigrants who are clients of any immigration attorney in our meeting. The need is liable to be even greater during the incoming administration. You can make a donation by giving to the meeting and designating that it is for the Immigrant Support Fund. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact any member of the Finance Committee – finance@multnomahfriends.org.
Saturday, December 21st, from 1 to 3pm, we will be hosting a Winter Solstice sit down dinner for our lunch guests complete with a cellist followed by caroling afterwards. We need your help to even come close to the magnificent Thanksgiving celebration led by Cynthia Gilliam. Please take a look here and note that there are two sections, the first being food offerings, followed by time on the floor serving, greeting, cleaning etc. In determining your food choices, it may help to know that Pat will be serving ham and scalloped potatoes. Thank you for your generous time and efforts, and the pleasure of being able to work and serve together on behalf of our beloved lunch guests. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact any one of us below. Thanks so very much.
Winter Solstice Celebration Team. For more information, email friendslunch@multnomahfriends.org.
Winter Solstice Celebration Team. For more information, email friendslunch@multnomahfriends.org.
In the midst of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent address asking for more US support for the devastating war in Gaza, there was a flood of actions calling for an immediate ceasefire and release of the hostages:
• As a member of Churches for Middle East Peace, FCNL hosted a vigil before the address to call for and pray for peace and a ceasefire
• Hostage families demonstrated, testified before Congress and met with individual lawmakers calling for an immediate cease fire and release of the hostages;
• Jewish Voices for Peace led a demonstration in the capital with over 400 participants engaged in non-violent resistance and getting arrested;
• At a press briefing, Hassan El-Tayyab, joined Common Defense and Breaking the Silence uplifting a petition signed by more than 5000 Israel and American veterans and military family members calling for a permanent cease fires in Gaza
• Hassan also shared powerful messages form Palestinian children at the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank.
• At another briefing co-hosted by FCNL for Congressional staff, two former US officials who resigned over the administrations Gaza policy, shared how profoundly destructive the war is and much it is damaging US credibility and security.
• FCNL has facilitated over 680,000 letters to Congress calling for a cease fire and more than 90 members of Congress have to date signed on in support of a permanent cease fire.
• In Oregon delegation, Senator Merkley has a been a key leader in working for a ceasefire, release of the hostages and full funding for organizations aiding Gaza since the very beginning of the war. Recently, it is reported, that Senator Wyden has shifted his position to supporting a cease fire and restored funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian relief organization that provides critical aide for Gaza.
• As a member of Churches for Middle East Peace, FCNL hosted a vigil before the address to call for and pray for peace and a ceasefire
• Hostage families demonstrated, testified before Congress and met with individual lawmakers calling for an immediate cease fire and release of the hostages;
• Jewish Voices for Peace led a demonstration in the capital with over 400 participants engaged in non-violent resistance and getting arrested;
• At a press briefing, Hassan El-Tayyab, joined Common Defense and Breaking the Silence uplifting a petition signed by more than 5000 Israel and American veterans and military family members calling for a permanent cease fires in Gaza
• Hassan also shared powerful messages form Palestinian children at the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank.
• At another briefing co-hosted by FCNL for Congressional staff, two former US officials who resigned over the administrations Gaza policy, shared how profoundly destructive the war is and much it is damaging US credibility and security.
• FCNL has facilitated over 680,000 letters to Congress calling for a cease fire and more than 90 members of Congress have to date signed on in support of a permanent cease fire.
• In Oregon delegation, Senator Merkley has a been a key leader in working for a ceasefire, release of the hostages and full funding for organizations aiding Gaza since the very beginning of the war. Recently, it is reported, that Senator Wyden has shifted his position to supporting a cease fire and restored funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian relief organization that provides critical aide for Gaza.
Action: Contact Senator Wyden and thank him for supporting a ceasefire and restoration of funding to UNRWA. Encourage him to publicize his position.