Several times a year our Meeting hosts a Soup Kitchen at Genesis Church in Royal Oak. During the height of COVID we were only offering meals to-go. At our October 28th offering, we were back to face-to-face meal service, as well as take-out. We offered a menu of spaghetti and meatballs with green beans and salad and homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We also re-instituted the distribution of hand-made colorful winter hats.
Many members and attenders from our meeting helped make the event happen. Here’s some photos from the day.
Stirring the SauceHot Pasta Coming UpSalad Anyone?Friends Serving Some Love at Soup Kitchen
Our August Potluck included a celebration of Bill Warters finally becoming a formal member of Birmingham Friends Meeting after attending for over 20 years. A good time was had by all.
In 1958, Quaker anti-nuclear weapons activists were arrested to stop the Golden Rule from sailing to obstruct atmospheric U.S. nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Resulting protests lead to the passage of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, halting atmospheric testing. The Golden Rule and her crew inspired the later actions by the ships of Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherds. A short film about the boat’s history entitled Making Waves was shown at this year’s Lake Erie Yearly Meeting along with a visit and discussion with Skip Oliver from Veterans for Peace.
The 34-foot wooden ketch is sailing on a 15-month voyage around the “Great Loop” of the central, southern and eastern United States, making 100 ports-of-call to raise awareness about the growing danger of nuclear war and to build support for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The Golden Rule is a national project of Veterans For Peace, which owns the boat.
Schedule of Events in Our Region
On August 13th-17th, the Peace Boat visits SE Michigan, docking at Milliken State Park & Harbor, 1900 Atwater Street. Tours of the Golden Rule on August 14, 15, and 16 at William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor will be available from 11 am to 4 pm (https://goo.gl/maps/5A5FtHiW955pkjXC7). Along with festivities and talks in Detroit on August 13th and 16th, the crew will give early evening presentations in Ann Arbor on August 14th and in Lansing at the Red Cedar Friends Meeting House August 15th. See image below for additional details. For a full schedule of activities visit https://tinyurl.com/DetroitGoldRuleSchedule.
Also, according to local Michigan organizers from Veterans for Peace Chapters 74 in Detroit and 93 in Ypsilanti, there is a real need of donations to keep the Golden Rule operating and also to help pay for expenses associated with the Detroit stop (lodging, local transportation, meals, etc.). Tax deductible donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/veterans-for-peace-golden-rule-in-detroit. For more information about the Southeast Michigan visit, contact Jim Rine at jimrine22@gmail.com
Because of the Royal Oak In Bloom Flower, Plant and Garden Show happening this weekend, there will be no in-person Meeting for Worship at the Royal Oak Chamber Offices. We’ll still meet on Zoom as usual.
BFM Friends recently enjoyed a good time celebrating Phil Clampitt’s 93rd birthday at a potluck held at Joyce Bowen’s home. We’re getting back to regular potlucks on the 3rd Friday of each month, and as luck would have it, our event fell on Phil’s birthday! The food was good, as usual, and the chocolate cake got rave reviews.
Friends in Birmingham Friends Meeting worked together to produce a quick visual introduction to our Meeting as part of this year’s Lake Erie Yearly Meeting annual sessions. The Story Tree Project invited Monthly Meetings from across our region to create something to share during the opening session where Friends get to know each other. All the contributions were compiled into a LEYM Story Tree Gallery that can be view online whenever one is so moved.
Birmingham Friends enjoyed getting into our history, even uncovering an old audio recording wherein several Friends (Ginny Carhart, Janet Hawksley and Richard Tucker) reminisced about the early days of BFM. Thanks to the skills of Liz Bondar, we now even have a transcript of that recording. Who knew that at one point in our history, there were 4 people all named Rachel attending our MFW!
This Sunday, May 1, BFM Friends will be meeting in-person AND online to test our ability to meet in a truly hybrid format. The physical location is the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce (address below), and the remote Zoom link will be the same one we use every First Day, assuming all works as planned! We hope to have a mix of in-person and online participants to give our system a real test. Join us at 10:15 AM – we’ll settle into silent worship at 10:30.
May 1 Physical Location: Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce 200 S Washington St, Royal Oak, MI 48067 https://www.royaloakchamber.com
Later in the month, on May 22, we are also planning for a Hybrid session, this time at our old meeting location at Star Presbyterian Church at the location below. We’ll use our regular Zoom link.
May 22 Physical Location:
Starr Presbyterian Church 1717 W. 13 Mile Rd Royal Oak, MI 48073
To spice up the 2021 holiday season, BFM Friends decided to do a cookie exchange. Friends took a batch of their favorite homemade cookies to the Bowen’s home, and later in return they received a lovely variety pack of delicious cookies. After the rise of our online Meeting for Worship on December 12th we took time to share stories about the cookie recipes and various family holiday traditions and favorite memories. We also enjoyed carol singing with accompaniment on guitar. A good time was had by all!
Some BFM Friends gather to collect their holiday cookies
At a recent Meeting for Worship, Geoff Brieger shared this impromptu rhyme.
The Quaker Way
We twelve Quakers from Birmingham see Sitting in circle, waiting to be Blessed with insight in these fraught times Still small voice, just speaking in rhymes
Can we find ways to better the life Of the many that live in strife Live in hunger, live without home Live without hope, to diseases are prone?
Yes, we can, for we know it’s true There’s that of God in me and you And that makes us all one family And we’ll care for each other in unity
Bring to the table some of your food Bring some clothing that is good If you have space, some shelter provide Counsel the needy, take others inside
These are the actions, what we can do Just having beliefs is not coming through Friends have a mission, as you will see To share our good fortune, whatever it be!
Birmingham Friends Meeting (BFM) is affiliated with a broader group of Quakers known as the Lake Erie Yearly Meeting. As part of Annual Sessions this year, LEYM Friends were invited to use Zoom to visit other meetings for their Meeting for Worship on August 1. BFM joined with 6 other meetings to open our virtual doors to visitors, and to encourage virtual travel to worship at meetings other than our own. Here’s the Monthly Meetings that participated in the wonderful opportunity for intervisitation.
Ann Arbor Friends Meeting
Birmingham Friends Meeting
Broadmead Friends Meeting
Detroit Friends Meeting
Granville Friends Meeting
Pittsburgh Friends Meeting
Wooster Friends Meeting
Lake Erie Yearly Meetings with Birmingham Friends Meeting highlighted
