EVENTS THIS SUNDAY, October 20

FDS Walkathon for the Homeless: On October 20, during Meeting for Worship, Religious Education and First Day School students will host the annual Neighborhood Walk to End Homelessness. Donations to the social concerns box will go to the Interfaith Works, a program which provides emergency shelter, supportive housing, essential needs, and an employment program in Montgomery County. You can also donate here. Please walk with us, make a donation, or both as we let our lives speak this Sunday! 
 
Potluck: All are invited to attend Potluck in the Groome Building following Rise of Meeting on Sunday, October 20. Please bring a dish if you can, main, side, salad or dessert. The kitchen in the Groome Building will be open after 10:30 a.m. to keep dishes warm or cold. Please include with your dish a note of any possible dietetic concerns (contains nuts, Vegan, Gluten-free, etc.). If you run short of time, bring some fruit or a cold beverage, or just yourself. You’ll be very welcome. This month's Potluck is hosted by the F&H committee, with help from many volunteers. If you can help out, or have question, please call Peggy Edwards at (202) 270-1816. 
 
Songs for the Earth - Multifaith Musical Service: All are invited to a free multifaith musical service on October 20 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Coffman Chapel, Hood College, in Frederick, MD. There will be music, readings, and prayers by several local religious communities. Please RSVP here. 

FGC Gen X Quakers Discussion Group: Connect with fellow Gen Xers to explore Quaker spirituality, share personal experiences, and engage in meaningful conversations about faith, community, and social issues in a supportive and open environment. This newly formed, experimental group will meet on the third Sunday of each month and grow and evolve over time. Sign up here to join in. These are free events and the next one is October 20 at 7:00 p.m. 

AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire in Gaza: Join American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) staff every Friday at 12:00 p.m. to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. To attend, please register at this link. 

Registration Deadline for Virtual FGC Friends of Color Retreat: The Friends General Conference Fall 2024 Retreat for Friends of Color will be held from November 1 through November 3, 2024 as a hybrid retreat. Please visit this link to learn more and to register. The virtual registration deadline is October 18.  
 
Working Group on Racism Presentation - Prof. Loretta Ross: On Saturday, October 19 at 10:00 a.m., via Zoom, Smith College Professor Loretta Ross will discuss with Friends how bringing empathy to our antiracism and other social justice work can make it more effective and more enjoyable. You can register for the workshop at this link. 

Friends Wilderness Center Campfire Open Mic: On Saturday, October 19, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., all are invited to gather around a campfire fire with your instruments, songs, stories, poems... toast s'mores, share & appreciate gifts freely offered in community at Friends Wilderness Center in Harper's Ferry, WV. Learn more at this link. You can also stay or arrive for the Meteor Shower Viewing later at night. 

Nice Racism Book Group Meeting: The next meeting of the monthly, year-long book study of Robin D’Angelo’s book Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm will meet at 8:00 p.m. on October 21. Please use our Contact Us form for details.  

Comparative Religions - Great Minds of the East: The Comparative Religions class starts a new course in September which will go through May 2025 - Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition with 36 lectures by Professor Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, through The Great Courses. This is a survey course which begins with the Vedas and Upanishads and ends with Sun Yat-sen and Mao Tsedong, covering Iran, India, China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom for a half-hour lecture followed by a half-hour discussion. All are welcome. If just a few topics seem interesting, you are welcome to just come for those. Please use our Contact Us form for the Zoom link.  

Bethesda Friends Meeting’s stay-at-home Mid-Week Worship by e-mail is on Wednesdays, from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Each of us worships at home without video or audio, coordinating our timing by emails sent at the start and end of worship. To enhance our sense of gathering, the opening email lets us know who is present. At rise of meeting, participants are invited to worship- share with the group via reply-all. For details and the link, use our Contact Us form. 

AFSC Meeting for Worship re: Peace in Israel and Palestine: The violence in Palestine and Israel has impacted the AFSC community in many ways, all of them tragic and heartbreaking. Please join us every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. for a Meeting for Worship via Zoom, gathering in solidarity and holding those most impacted in the Light. All are invited. Please register at this link to receive the Zoom link to attend. 

BYM Camp Work Day at Catoctin: On Saturday, October 26 from around 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be a Community Work Day at Catoctin Quaker Camp in Thurmont, MD. Tasks are available for all ages (minors must be accompanied by an adult) and skill levels, including cleaning, yard work, basic repairs and maintenance, and securing facilities for the winter. BYM Camp Work Days are a wonderful way to meet new Friends, learn new skills, and support the flourishing ministry of our camps. Visit this link for more details and to sign up. 

Working Group on Racism Presentation - Debby Irving: On Saturday, October 26 at 10:00 a.m., via Zoom, Debby Irving, the author of Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race, will offer a workshop designed to support white people in making the paradigm shift from ‘fixing’ and ‘helping’ those believed to be inferior to focusing on internalized white superiority and its role in perpetuating racism at the individual, institutional, and cultural levels. There will be pauses for reflection, dialog, and Q&A. You can register here. 

Sandy Spring Halloween Party: The Sandy Spring Friends Meeting Halloween Party will take place on October 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is an event for fun, feasting, and fellowship that draws the whole community together, including new friends from as far afield as Baltimore and DC! From great Halloween standards like pumpkin carving, hayrides, and campfire s'mores to new favorites like our epic potions bar, green brain launching, and the always creative haunted house experience (courtesy of our incredible Young Friends group!), it's a blast for all ages. Please join us! 

Coordinating Gathering:Representatives of most BFM committees meet during the week before Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business to discuss the upcoming agenda, season issues before the Meeting, and discuss committee challenges if any. These meetings are open to all. There will be one on Sunday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m. Please use our Contact Us form for the Zoom link.  

Experiment with Light is a meditative and centering practice. There will be a session on Sunday, October 27 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Starting at 7:30 p.m., you can follow the prompts at home and write or draw responses you have experienced during those prompts. We 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 please join us via Zoom. You can use our Contact Us form for the Zoom link.  

Friends Community School Open Houses: Friends Community School in College Park, MD is a K-8 Quaker progressive school that thoughtfully guides young children through adolescence, instilling compassion, curiosity, and confidence.  If you are interested in considering FCS for your child, please visit at 9:00 a.m. on October 29, November 19, December 7, or January 9 for an open house. Find details on the Admissions / Visit FCS page of the school website. The early application deadline (50% application fee) for the school is Monday, December 9, 2024. The regular application deadline is Friday, January 10, 2025.