Sunday~May 22, 2022 -- Also see our Events listing

Religious Education: There will be no First Day School on Sunday May 15 due to the Spring Family Gathering and potluck at the Ingram family farm later in the day. If you are a family with school-aged children and would like to join other families, FDS teachers and members of the RE committee on 5/15, please email Susan M.

11:00 - 12:10 on Sunday  Meeting for Worship.  Bethesda Friends worship together simultaneously in two venues.  Friends can (a) participate by Zoom, or (b) join us indoors in the Meeting House on the Sidwell Friends Lower School campus. 

In both venues you can arrive at 10:45 to chat informally before settling into silence at 11:00 a.m. There is also an informal chat time on Zoom at the end of Meeting (about 12:15).  

• Worship in person. Visitors are welcome. Friends can worship together indoors if they are vaccinated and have no Covid symptoms or known exposure. Worship will by hybrid, with a laptop connection to hear and see Friends who are on Zoom. As of May 10 and forward, Friends must be vaccinated, wear a mask, and maintain social distancing, as well as several other rules listed above to keep us all safe. Click here for today's details on BFM Covid safety.  
• Worship via Zoom. Friends can worship with us remotely via Zoom. See the most recent email Bulletin for Zoom access information. Visitors are welcome. 

Visitors: If you'd like the Zoom link for online worship with our community, please use our "Contact us" form and tell us about your interest in Bethesda Friends. We welcome your joining us.   

• At noon we will share joys and sorrows, and we welcome visitors to introduce themselves.  
• At 12:15, you can stay on the Zoom link for an informal chat time. Please join us!
• Childcare is available every Sunday during in-person Meeting for Worship for ages 6 mo through pre-K.  
• First Day School (age K-8) is normally held the First and Third Sundays for vaccinated children. Please see calendar above.  If your family plans to come to FDS, please read and follow the COVID guidelines. Teachers will meet children in the Meeting House at 10:50 a.m. and walk together to a classroom in the Manor House at 11:00 a.m. Parents will be asked to complete a short registration form before class. If you have not yet signed up, please use our "Contact us" form.

Please join the Diversity Change and Threshing Prep Groups on Sunday May 22, 2:00-3:15 PM to meet consultants from reparationWorks (Lucy Duncan & Rob Peagler), whose response to BFM’s Request For Proposals was most aligned to our aspirations following the Meeting's fall threshing session on systemic racism. We are interested in having them support BFM’s work to counter systemic racism in ourselves, our community, and the world.  Lucy is a nationally known Quaker (formerly of AFSC) who has been active in this area for some time; her life and work partner, Rob, is a black social entrepreneur who has spearheaded creative projects on diversity and inclusion in the Philadelphia area.  They will describe their approach to working with BFM and you will have a chance to ask any questions you may have about the substance of the work. Please use our "Contact us" form to request the Zoom link.

Experiment with Light. Experiment with Light is a meditative and centering practice based upon Rex Ambler’s book Light to Live By, which describes early Quaker meditative habits and translates them into a highly accessible process of clearness and understanding. Starting at 7:30 p.m., you can follow the prompts at home and write or draw responses you have experienced during those prompts. Here is the link to the prompts:https://experiment-with-light.org.uk/meditations/. We usually use the meditation on the individual in modern language, full length, 37 minute version. Then around 8:30 p.m., if you would like to worship-share from your meditation experience via Zoom. For details or questions: Jane M. C. or use our "Contact us" form.

The Comparative Religions class  In April, the Comparative Religions class will start a 12-lecture series from Great Courses entitled Introduction to the Qur'an, taught by Prof. Martyn Oliver of American University. We meet weekly on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm for a half hour lecture and a half hour discussion. A group of 8 to 10 has been meeting, and we greatly enjoy the fellowship as much as the lessons.You are welcome to join anytime.  For more information, contact Alex B. or use our "Contact us" form. 

Bethesda Friends Meeting’s stay-at-home Mid-Week Worship by e-mail on Wednesdays, from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m.  While some of our regulars prefer to simply join in Spirit at the appointed time, others enjoy the brief connection provided by an email at the start and end of worship. At rise of meeting, those on that session's email list who are moved to do so may share experiences by reply-all. Contact Dot L. (see Directory) for more information. 

BYM Young Friends Conference (high school aged) is happening May 27-29 at Goose Creek Friends Meeting in Purcellville, VA. Find out more and register here. For details, please contact Sunshine K., youthprograms@bym-rsf.org

Friends Conference on Religion & Psychology Please feel welcome to attend the Friends Conference on Religion & Psychology, at Pendle Hill, in Wallingford PA, from Friday, May 27, 6:00 p.m., through lunch on Monday, May 30. FCRP is dedicated to individual spiritual exploration with a focus on in-depth psychology, specifically Jungian psychology. The conference is open to all.

Do You Have a Graduate in Your Family? Each year at this time we like to celebrate the graduates from high school and college and those receiving advanced degrees. Please let us know by sending an e-mail to Jane M.C. by no later than June 10 for recognition in the July newsletter.

MORE EVENTS AND INTO THE FUTURE