March 2024

Reflection for the Month

by Amala Lane

I came across the writings of Richard Rohr and his guidance on contemplative prayer. Here is the essence: The four “r's” Resist no thought. Retain no thought. React to no thought. Return ever so gently to the sacred word.

It is up to the individual to choose the word that resonates as sacred. I chose the word, 'love.' I've been working with this not only during Meeting for worship, but throughout the day. I mostly forget during the day but during challenging moments, it has been very helpful to center on this sacred word with my breath and be fully present.

Irish Music Concert

Sunday, March 3, 1:00p

Third Street Meetinghouse

Six Mile Craic*, an Irish Music group, will play a free private pre-St Patrick’s Day concert for Ithaca Meeting to thank us for allowing them to rehearse in the Meetinghouse. This concert is not advertised to the public, but please invite your friends and family. The group will join us at TSMH for a potluck lunch at the rise of Meeting at approximately 12:00, with the concert at approximately 1:00pm. This event will not be hybrid because music comes across so poorly on zoom. Contact Barbara Chase for more information.

*From the group's website: "In happy Irish slang, "Craic" is a good time, a party, fun vibes between folks, and that's what Six Mile Craic is all about."

Listening Sessions on Selling the Burtt House

Both sessions will be hybrid from the Third Street Meetinghouse

Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30-8p

Sunday, March 24 at 12:30-2p

The Burtt House (227 North Willard Way in Ithaca) was donated to the Meeting in 1989. It has been used for various purposes over 35 years. Since 2016, it has been home to the Friends Center for Racial Justice. Ithaca Monthly Meeting bears responsibility for maintenance of the building and receives no income from its use.

Across many listening sessions over the last two years, Trustees have heard that Meeting may be ready to “release” the Burtt House but we have not yet defined what it means to “release” it. The Burtt House Working Group has recommended offering to donate the building. Some Friends have suggested we sell the building and use the proceeds to support the FCRJ and/or other Quaker witness activities. Other Friends may have other ideas–very general or quite specific–that have not yet been heard by the Meeting.

Trustees would like to hear Friends’ thoughts and ministry on the question of selling the Burtt House. Are we interested in selling the property? If so, what are we hoping to achieve by selling it? What are our concerns about selling the property?

Trustees have scheduled two listening sessions to hear from Friends on these questions. Please join us Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30-8pm and/or Sunday, March 24 at 12:30-2. Both sessions will be hybrid from the Third Street Meetinghouse.

Join the Listening Session Online

Quilt Show at CSMA

The Tompkins County Quilters Guild is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year! Bronwyn Mohlke is a member. The Guild has a quilt show at CSMA now through March 27. There are more than 50 quilts and wall hangings in the show! There is a nice variety of styles and colors. The show is free, and is open during CSMA's hours (Tuesday through Friday 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, closed on Sunday and Monday) The Guild is a very supportive community, and welcomes new members. Bronwyn will gladly talk with you about it if you're interested!

Easter Sunrise Meeting for Worship

Friends, join us at 6:30am on Easter Sunday (March 31st) at the Hector Meetinghouse on Perry City Road. We will have hot tea and a fire going in the woodstove, but it is likely to be chilly so dress warmly. The Hector Meetinghouse is located 5 miles northwest of Ithaca at 5066 Perry City Road.

Ad Hoc Committee on Worship at the Hector Meetinghouse

The Ministry and Worship Committee would like to form a working group to consider our worship out at the Hector Meetinghouse in the warmer months. The group might consider:

The calendar for worship: we have sometimes opened the Hector Meetinghouse from Easter to Thanksgiving, and sometimes from June to August
The time of worship: 10:30am, or a different time?
Who will take responsibility to be there and close worship on Sundays?
Will worship be inside the Meetinghouse or outdoors?

If you have any interest in participating in these discussions, please contact Barbara Chase, clerk@ithacamonthlymeeting.org. We do not expect that this ad hoc committee will be a major commitment of time.

Info from the All About Heat Pumps Presentation

Earthcare had its heat pump presentation, “All About Heat Pumps,” given by Anne Rhodes and Leigh Miller, Community Energy Educators Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County on February 8th . For more information on heat pumps, energy audits, and incentives the PDF file of the PowerPoint used is available here. The recording will be available soon (we are still finding a place for it to “live”).

We have made a connection with Leigh Miller so please contact her for further help at:

lvm9@cornell.edu

www.smartenergychoices.org

607-272-2292 x262

607-366-0833 x1

Earthcare Invitation to be part of Project Abundance

Anybody interested in working on Project Abundance - the shared raised bed vegetable garden on the side of the building - please contact Betsy Keokosky (evk1@cornell.edu) in Earthcare. There will be a meeting in March (date/time to be announced) to make plans for this Spring. We are also looking for ways to incorporate the sacredness of nature and the miracle of growth more into the management and expression of the gardens.

Presentation by The Bolivian Quaker Education Fund (BQEF)

Sunday, March 10th, 9:15 - 10:00 am

Hybrid from the Third Street Meetinghouse

For more than twenty years, BQEF has been supporting Aymara students in the highlands of Bolivia to complete their post-secondary education. Graduates have gone on to do important work in their communities. This July BQEF will be leading a Quaker Study Tour to Bolivia with a focus on the Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptations. Learn more about the work of BQEF, its scholarship program, other service learning projects, and the upcoming study tour.

FCNL Seeking our Guidance

Sunday, March 17, 9a

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has asked our Meeting to help discern their priorities for their lobbying and public education work during the 119th Congress (2025-2026). On Sunday, March 17, at 9:00 am, in the worship room and on zoom, Ruth Yarrow will facilitate a meeting for IMM Friends to share our thoughts on this.

Questions? Call Ruth at 206-512-0688 or see fcnl.org/priorities.

Save the Dates!

FSRM Spring Gathering

May 31 to June 2

Y at Watson Woods in Painted Post

FSRM stands for Farmington Scipio Regional Meeting, and is made up of Meetings from Syracuse down to Elmira, and all Meetings west of there in New York. The regional Meeting meets three times a year. Spring Gathering is a weekend long event, and is a great way to get to know other Quakers. It will be held at the Y at Watson Woods in Painted Post (about an hour drive from Ithaca) May 31 to June 2. There will also be a Young Adult Friends get together there that same weekend. More details to come, but think fellowship, worship, bonfire, and climbing wall!

Friends General Conference Gathering

June 30-July 6, 2024

Haverford College

This years Friends General Conference Gathering will be held at Haverford College (outside Philadelphia) with the theme, “Rooted in Story”. Friends come together from across the US and Canada to deepen our connection to one another and to Spirit. Last year this gathering was in Monmouth, Oregon. Being able to attend this year going no further than the Philadelphia area is a great opportunity.

NYYM Announcements

This column was compiled by Carol Clarke, IMM's representative to New York Yearly Meeting (NYYM). A collection of activities happening in the Yearly Meeting (and beyond) and available to all Friends is a regular feature in this newsletter.

NYYM Spring Sessions

April 5-7, 2024

At Oakwood Friends School, Poughkeepsie, NY and Online

Registration is now OPEN. Please register by March 20 if you plan to attend in person. This is one of three times a year that members of the NYYM community gather to worship, conduct business, and have fellowship together. These gatherings are open to anyone who is interested in Quakerism and the Quaker meetings in the NYYM area — NY state and nearby CT and NJ.

The Indian Boarding Schools and Multigenerational Trauma

March 6, 8-9:30 pm EST via Zoom

In this presentation hosted by Friends Peace Teams, Jerilyn DeCoteau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) offers this slide presentation about the federal government's policy of family separation and forced assimilation of Native children and the ongoing impacts experienced by Native American families today. Jerilyn is co-director of Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, a program of Friends Peace Teams. She is past president of the board of directors of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. She currently serves on the supreme courts of the Kiowa Nation of Oklahoma and the San Ildefonso Pueblo. Click here for more information and to register.

FGC Monthly Virtual Worship for Newcomers

Monthly on the second Monday, 7p

Are you a newcomer or seeker interested in worshiping with Friends? Do you have questions about what happens in the Silence? Join FGC Spiritual Deepening for monthly worship and reflection about this unique spiritual practice! This offering is free, simply register to access the Zoom link.

Dish-to-pass: Family and Potluck Sundays

Our next potluck will be on Easter Sunday, March 31. It will happen at the usual time of 12:30pm. Feel free to bring an "Easter-ish" dish to share if you like! We will also be prepared to offer childcare during the regular Meeting for Worship that day. We invite Friends to continue to join this Ministry of sharing food together.

Where are Monthly Meeting minutes?

The minutes and reports from Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business can be found in the Meeting for Business folder on our shared IMM drive.

This Month's Calendar of Ithaca Monthly Meeting

To join any Zoom meeting, click the gray button under the event listing. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the Meeting ID when prompted.

Meeting for Worship

Sundays, 10:30am

Ithaca Friends gather for unprogrammed Meeting for Worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am. You can join us in-person at our Third Street Meetinghouse and remotely via Zoom, for a hybrid Meeting for Worship. You can join by Zoom by clicking the gray button or:

Meeting ID: 372 632 479
Passcode: friends

Join Meeting for Worship (Zoom link)

Midweek Meeting for Worship

Wednesdays, 10:15am and 7pm

Third Street Meetinghouse

Mid-week worship at the Third St. Meetinghouse happens at both 10:15am and at 7pm every Wednesday. There will be a query from the Queries & Advices from Faith and Practice (New York Yearly Meeting edition), announced the week before, and after a half hour of worship, Friends are invited to do worship sharing about the query. The 10:15am Meeting will be in the meetingroom and the 7pm Meeting will be upstairs.

Irish Music Concert & Potluck Lunch

Sunday, March 3, lunch at 12:30p; music at 1p

Third Street Meetinghouse

see article above for details.

Earthcare Committee

Sunday, March 3, 12:30p

The Earthcare Committee typically meets at 12:30 on the first Sunday of each month. For further information contact Betsy Keokosky at evk1@cornell.edu.

This committee meeting is open to all who would like to attend. Please feel free to come and bring your own concerns or interests. At this time we are meeting via Zoom; use the gray button below or:

Meeting ID: 891 7172 6300
Passcode: earthcare

Join Earthcare (Zoom link)

Men’s Fellowship

Thursday, March 7, 6p

Ithaca Bakery, Route 13

Friends, join us at Ithaca Bakery on Route 13 (400 Meadow Street, Ithaca, NY 14850). Quaker men—and anyone who wants to hang out with Quaker men—are warmly invited!

Presentation by The Bolivian Quaker Education Fund (BQEF)

Sunday, March 10th, 9:15 - 10:00 am

Third Street Meetinghouse and via Zoom

See information above.

To join via Zoom meeting, click the gray button or:

Meeting ID: 825 8985 5975
Passcode: friends

Join the BQEF Presentation via Zoom

Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Sunday, March 10, 12:30p

Third Street Meetinghouse or via Zoom

You can join us in person at Third Street Meeting House or on Zoom at the link below. Please send agenda items to the Clerk by the preceding Monday. (Contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.)

Meeting ID: 372 632 479
Passcode: friends

Join Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business (via Zoom)

Newcomers Group

Thursday, March 14, 7p

via Zoom

All newcomers are welcome whether you have been attending Meetings for Worship in Ithaca for a short time or a year or two. The purpose is to get to know one another better and learn more about Ithaca Monthly Meeting and Quakers. The group will meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month through May.

Meetings will be held via Zoom. If interested and to receive the Zoom link, contact Bronwyn Mohlke: BJQMohlke@gmail.com

Women’s Fellowship

Friday, March 15, 7:00p

IMM women gather either in-person (in warmer months) or online on the third Friday of the month.

Join Women's Fellowship (via Zoom)

FCNL Seeking our Guidance

Sunday, March 17, 9a

Third Street Meetinghouse and via Zoom

See article above for more information.

To join via Zoom use the gray button below or:

Meeting ID: 874 5684 8390
Password: peace

Join the FCNL Priorities Discussion (via Zoom)

Peace and Social Justice Committee

Sunday, March 17, 2024, 12:30p

This is an “open” committee, meaning that all are welcome; participation does not go through the Nominating Committee process. Please feel free to come and bring your own concerns or interests. If you have any questions, please call Garry Thomas at 607-273-7567.

At this time we are meeting via Zoom; use the gray button below or: