Richmond Friends’ tradition of forming Friendly Eights in the fall will continue this September. Friendly Eights are groups of eight or so individuals who meet from October to May (or longer!) each year to share a common interest or activity. The groups are a way for Friends to get to know other Friends in a social setting, which helps strengthen our RFM community.
Typical themes or topics for groups have included book discussions, biking, movie viewing, poetry reading and eating out together. On-going groups include bird-watching, knitting/stitchery, and quilting. Every year there is an Old Friends/New Friends group started by a long-time RFM member, which usually includes a potluck meal together monthly.
Sign-up sheets for all groups will be posted on the back-foyer bulletin board at the start of September. Anyone can form a new group or sign up for one of the on-going groups mentioned above. The sheets will be taken down at the end of the month, and the groups will begin to meet in October. Some groups remain open to new people joining at any time during the year. (They are specified on their sign-up sheets.) If you have questions, please check with Janet Thoroman (Care and Counsel member).
The meeting room at Richmond Friends Meeting has a new hearing assistance system for use during meeting for worship. The system picks up vocal messages and sends amplified audio signals to individual listeners using one of three methods:
1. FM Receivers: A new FM system has replaced our old one. This system transmits audio to FM receivers. We currently have four FM receivers. You can use a receiver with either an ear speaker, headset, ear buds, or a “neck loop” (used with hearing aids with T-coils). In general, the FM receivers are the simplest way to use the system. Some experimentation may be required to choose the optimal speakers for your ears. If you have hearing aids, you can try using an FM receiver with an “over-the-ear” headset. We will not make earbuds available; you can bring your own (generic earbuds cost $5-15, custom-molded ones are more expensive). 2. Cellphones with Wi-Fi: The new system can send (“stream”) vocal messages to any device receiving Wi-Fi, typically a cell phone. Streaming audio to a cell phone allows you to connect to hearing aids using a Bluetooth connection. The cell phone needs to be set up with an app, connected to the audio server, and set to turn off cell phone reception. 3. Hearing aids with a T-coil: A hearing aid with T-coil can receive audio directly from the “loop” under the floor. This method uses the loop we have had for many years. Note: A hearing aid with a T-coil can also be used with an FM receiver and neck loop. Reception is likely to be better with an FM receiver/neck loop than with the floor loop.
Once we start using the Wi-Fi audio system, those present in meeting for worship are likely to be aware that Friends using hearing assistance are setting up and adjusting cell phones. In the past, cell phones have not been in use during worship. Phone service will be turned off on cell phones used for hearing assistance during worship. With the adoption of the new system, the guidelines for Friends offering a vocal message during worship have not changed: stand if you are able to, and speak your message loudly and clearly to the facing bench or center of the room. The new system cannot compensate for messages offered in a very quiet voice. Also, the closer you are to a microphone, the better the amplification through the hearing assistance system will be. Friends familiar with the hearing assistance system will be available at rise of meeting occasionally to provide help with setting up and using both the FM receivers and cell phones connected to Wi-Fi. Individual help will be available on request. For more information contact Denna Joy, Scott Morrison or Jim Thoroman. If you have special needs or concerns with regards to hearing assistance at Meeting, please contact Care and Counsel.
As Quakers, we have no creed to recite, no confession of confess, no rituals to undergo that will reliably bring us into the fullness of membership. But we do have a rich and inspiring tradition; we each other; and we have the Spirit. . . which, we are promised, will “lead us into all things.” Thomas Gates, 2004
Richmond Friends Meeting is a diverse community of seekers. We welcome all who wish to explore Quaker principles, testimonies, and way of worship. If you wish to consider membership after attending Meeting and participating in our community, the following may be helpful as you continue on your quest: First, we suggest that you attend Meeting for Worship on a regular basis, become involved in committee work, and participate in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business in order to understand fully the meaning of the commitment to become a member. Second, prospective members are encouraged to become familiar with Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice. Other Books to consider reading are: The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction by Pink Dandelion and Friends for 350 Years by Howard Brinton. These books are available in our library and through the Friends General Conference bookstore, https://quakerbooks.org/. If you are then led to seek membership, submit a letter to the Clerk of Meeting saying why you wish to request membership in the Richmond Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends. If you like, describe the journey that led you to seek membership. The clerk will submit your letter to the Care and Counsel Committee, which will form a Clearness Committee to discuss with you your application and your readiness for membership. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask any member of Care and Counsel for guidance.
Midlothian Friends are hosting at their meetinghouse an orientation session with the DC Detention Visitation Network (DCDVN)onSaturday, June 29 from 2:00 to 4:00. Other Quakers fromCharlottesville Friends Meeting and Richmond Friends Meetingare also invited. The Midlothian Friends Meetinghouse is located at 900 Preservation Rd, Midlothian, VA 23113.
DCDVN offers friendship and support to immigrants held in detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland and now, after several years’ effort, in Farmville Virginia. The orientation on June 29th will focus on DCDVN’s program for social visits to detainees, many of whom are held for months with no visits from family or friends. Many family members live far from Farmville and can’t afford the time away from work or the cost of a visit. Others are undocumented themselves and afraid to visit an ICE facility. Some detainees are simply estranged from their families. Visits from community members can give them a “break,” boost their morale, and help refocus their emotions on positive relationships while in detention.
Jim Bell of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee, and a two-year DCDVN volunteer in Maryland will lead the orientation. The session will be informal and cover many aspects of how to visit detainees: what to do, what not to do, proper attire, conversation starters, etc. All questions will be welcome.
You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to visit a detainee!
We invite you to join with Friends and other like-minded people. For more information, visit the DCDVN website (https://dcdetentionvisitation.org/visitation-program). Jim suggests that you complete the short volunteer form before you come to orientation. If you have questions, contact Lucretia Farago of Midlothian Friends at 804-658-9021 or [email protected].
