Howdy Friends—

Meeting for Worship:
Please join us this Sunday, May 3, in one of three ways to attend Meeting for Worship: “Plain” worship in the side room in the Meeting House, or at the blended Meeting held in the Meeting House, or on the Peace Chapel.  All begin at 10:00 am. 

First Day School:
First Day School focuses on loving others and learning about our community and earth, encompassing the Quaker testimonies of “SPICES,” i.e., Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. Join us each Sunday in May.

May 2:  This Saturday — SPRING WORKDAY!
Please join us on May 2, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm for our Spring Workday, a Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Service and Community,  We will take down the storm windows, clean out the gutters, do some deep cleaning or pull some weeds.  Family and friends are also invited to this opportunity to become more connected.  Activity will be followed by Carol’s wonderful soup and any additions anyone feels led to bring. The weather is scheduled to be beautiful!

May 3:  Nonviolent Direct Action and De-Escalation Training
ISAAC, Foothills Unitarian, and others are hosting a training on May 3 from 3:00-5:00 pm.  De-escalation is a method for acting as our most intelligent selves in tense situations; recognizing our own triggers, and recognizing and assisting when those around us are triggered.  The training focuses on situations such as protests or interactions with officers.  The workshop will be held at Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins. Click HERE to register.  Note that registration may require the creation of a free account with Foothills. 

May 4:  Bands of Humble Prophets, 1946-1956, 5:30-7:00 pm
Join this free hybrid Pendle Hill lecture by Jim Fussell, Scholar in Residence. Jim will explore how Friends’ interpretations of the Bible shaped—and at times constrained—their moral imagination in two-prolonged, transformative internal struggles: ending enslavement among Quakers and fully welcoming LGBTQ+ voices into Quaker life. Register HERE for this free lecture.

Recording of Will Peters’ Talk
This past Sunday, the Fort Collins Friends Meeting hosted the Colorado Regional spring gathering at Greyrock Commons. Will Peters spoke of Lakota traditions and spirituality.  If you are interested in watching the recording, please contact Lo for a link.

May 9:  Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition (ISAAC) Faith Partner Spring Meeting, 9:00-12:30
ISAAC is a coalition of local faith communities that works to make Larimer County a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees. Our Meeting is a founding member. ISAAC will be holding its Spring Meeting on May 9th. This will be a time for the ISAAC coalition to get together and hear about some of the exciting community building that is happening among local immigrants and refugees, and to consider how we might help support them. Anyone who is interested in learning more is invited to attend. Talk with Carol Reilly or Bob Shively for more details if you’d like to join us.  

May 15-17:  Quaker Women’s Retreat
The retreat is from 5 pm Friday to noon on Sunday at Highlands Camp & Retreat Center in Allenspark, near Estes Park. To register online, contact Nancy Andrew , or call her at 719-246-8306. Registration form found on IMYM.org. If you prefer to email your registration, send it to Gail Hoffman .


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Thank you SO much!!!

From Carol and Bob S.:
Thanks to the generosity of our Meeting, diapers, diaper wipes and diaper ointment totaling $690 were donated. These items were transported by Bob S. and Carol R. to Re-Member.org on the Oglala Lakota reservation on Pine Ridge and will be distributed to families there.  Click HEREfor a nifty photo. 

From Lo: 
I am very grateful to all of you who cheerfully helped our hosting of the Colorado Regional spring gathering to go smoothly.  My few moments of apprehension beforehand were for naught.  With positive attitudes, you set up chairs, tables and technology, instructed confused individuals on where to park, managed to make coffee even when the coffee pot kept overflowing, organized the voluminous food that kept appearing, quieted interruptions on Zoom, swept and mopped the floor, took out the trash, figured out how the chair caddy worked, provided tasty food, handled the finances, and so much more.  Special thanks to Bob Shively for painting a meaningful land acknowledgement picture and the detailed introduction of Will. 

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If you would like an item to be considered for inclusion in the Weekly Update, please send the exact wording by 10:00 am Thursday to these two email addresses: musichealsit@gmail.com and chacocanyonlr@gmail.com.

In peace and service,

Lo Rellergert
Clerk, Fort Collins Friends Meeting