RUG HOOKING CLASS, 2024
We offered a rug hooking for beginners class on January 27th. It was very well attended and the group had lots of fun getting to know new people and starting to learn the basics of rug hooking. Our wonderful instructors from the local rug hooking group provided us with materials and knowledge for us to start our Mug Rug.
With gratitude we were able to make a $420 a donation to the Zhawanong Womens shelter.
12th Night, 2024
On the evening of January 6th with a gentle snow falling and the porch aglow with glass candles nine people warmed the inside of the Meeting House with scrumptious delights. This was followed by a lovely evening of sharing with wonderful stories of our past and present along with delightful poetry.
Coldstream Winter Drive, December 2023
About 15 friends attended this event. In brief- here are some of the discussion points and reflections from the day:
Deepening our Roots:
Purpose of Ministry and Counsel
Friendly Friday is attracting people from all over the world also fulfilling outreach
Caring for current members (M&C) – see parking lot
Trunk:
Committee restructuring – Suggestion from Communications and Outreach re dividing Communication and Outreach into 2 committees- communications/inward focused /technology and outreach/welcoming/education focused
Maintaining the meeting house is still a concern as we look to the future re sustainability (aging members)-
Branches:
- Welcoming protocols
- Distinguish between rental and offering the space
- Social Media development in process
- Should we seek to be present at other events with info about Quakers?
- World Quaker Day as an annual event? Other possibilities?
- Explore presentations by some of our members i.e.; Sheila re Uganda
- Care and collection of our archival and historical materials for preservation
- Social groups going strong, good attendance and participation
Pelham Half Yearly Meeting Retreat
The Paradox of Autumn – A ‘Circle of Trust’ retreat led by facilitator, Mardi Tindal
Thirty-four people gathered at the Coldstream Meeting House to enjoy one another’s company, break bread, and engage in self-reflection using the gifts of a “Circle of Trust’ workshop under Mardi Tindal’s experienced direction.
As one participant reflected, “It was so good to see people in person! I had almost forgotten what that was like since so many events are on Zoom. It was nourishing to be with those in attendance, and it was like we were giving each other a big warm hug!”
Mardi gave us some background on the Circle of Trust approach which is secular but rooted in Quaker practices. Then under her guidance we read poems aloud within the whole group to fuel self-reflection whether through journalling or walking about. We practiced deep listening in small groups. Then we learned about open, honest questions which many found harder to create than might be expected, and finally we listened to one another in small groups once again using this type of question to help each person reflect more deeply.
Coldstream Monthly Meeting became interested in this retreat topic after viewing a lecture by Parker Palmer in which he suggests that this type of retreat may be an avenue to inform and make connections with those who don’t know a lot about the Society of Friends or our values and aspirations.
You can click to find out more about Courage and Renewal, Mardi Tindal, and Parker Palmer’s lecture. (Parker begins speaking at 5:25, after introductions and a period of silent worship.)
World Quaker Day/National Truth and Reconciliation Day Open House – October 1, 2023
Coldstream welcomed about 50 visitors on this afternoon to learn more about Coldstream Quakers and ‘The Canadian Library’ micro galleries project, a project dedicated to raising awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Visitors were treated to traditional Indigenous refreshments and were able to assist in the work of creating our micro gallery.
Reaching a Wider Community
September 17, 2023
Ministry and Counsel sponsored a retreat update on September 17th after Meeting for Worship to hear about ways of reaching our wider community. Christopher P spoke about the information he gleaned by speaking with representatives of Youth for Christ and VitalPoint Church. Twelve people attended and Christopher’s presentation generated much discussion and many ideas.
About 18 people attended the picnic, including many visitors. The food was superb as always. The wasps blissfully kept off although the little mosquitoes sure were hungry too. The game of guessing names placed on our backs produced a lot of laughs between individual pairs of questioner and guesser. Canadians not born in Canada did not win the Quaker quiz this year.
Thanks so much for those who brought food and games.
About 20 participants enjoyed strawberries and fellowship as they learned about the Canadian library project. Next steps are being initiated and there was interest for membership in Coldstream’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee from several participants who we are happy to have join us. There is still room for others. Contact coldstream.clerk@gmail.com if you would like more information.
After welcoming those present, the Meeting had a period of silent worship, followed by a Land and Relationship Acknowledgment statement presented by Pat G.
Susan M presented the format of the day. We reviewed briefly what we had explored at the previous retreat which was represented on a large poster of a tree for everyone to see. We had explored the roots of the Meeting, the structure of the Meeting (trunk) and the fruits of the Meeting (branches).
We spent the next thirty minutes in small groups brainstorming ideas of how we could strengthen or change each aspect. Each group posted their suggestions on a blank tree. The ideas were grouped into like threads which we discussed as a whole group. Then we gave each person 5 dots to stick on the activities that they were most interested in pursuing. While we mulled over and made our choices, we had a delicious lunch of quiche, salad, and dessert.
Finally, with the dots firmly affixed we agreed on the following activities as our priorities:
- Watch the Parker Palmer Earlham School of Religion You Tube video and have a conversation. This Parker Palmer video is a talk he gave about promoting Quaker values rather than the Quaker religion. Parker suggests a format for reaching non-Quakers that might work for Coldstream. The video may also be a possible subject for PHYM which we are to organize this fall. Pat will forward a link to the Meeting.
When: May/June
- Explaining Quakerism – Marilyn, Susan and Joyce have agreed to locate resources that may be helpful – of course, any suggestions gladly accepted.
When: On-going
3. Considering changes to Coldstream’s M4W4B and committee structures–
When – We will consider changes to M4W4B at our June M4W4B and changes to committee structures after that
4. Young People – Christopher P, Donna M and Susan M will speak with chaplains and others they know who are involved with youth. Joyce will talk with Friends in Montreal, Peterborough, St. Catharines, and Winnipeg to see how they attracted and kept newcomers engaged.
When: for July/Aug. M4W4B
5. Sharing the Space – The House and Grounds Committee will look at what is involved if we were to promote the use of our space more broadly. We were encouraged to share the space with groups we are personally involved with (as long as we do the related work) to see what would be involved.
When: On-going
6. Social Media and Outreach – an article for the Villager, Instagram, participating in events such as ‘The Gathering on the Green’
When: future – when we have a story to tell
There were a lot of other suggestions that were also great ideas. Ministry and Counsel will ask the Meeting how it would like the plans presented to date to be followed up, because as some mentioned at the retreat, we don’t want good ideas to sit on a shelf!
Thanks to the Social Committee for supporting this retreat and to Matthew Webb for supplying the coffee!
In Friendship,
Retreat Committee
Pelham Half Yearly Meeting, April 30, 2023
Becoming an Active Bystander
A workshop presented by the Anti-Racism Committee (ARC) of Pelham Executive Meeting (PEM
Wondering what to do or say when it seems as if someone is being hurt?
Have you felt threatened or hurt and wished someone might speak up or step up to help? Have you witnessed someone else being threatened or hurt and wondered what to do?
Monday, April 3 5:30 PM Potluck & Meeting
with Marilyn Manzer of CYM
From Marilyn:
I have served as a clerk of Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM) since August 2019, and my term will end at our Yearly Meeting sessions in July 2023. During my time as Clerk, the only face-to-face meeting in my CYM work was in February 2020. Nevertheless we have made substantial changes to the CYM structure and our business procedures.
I have a deep concern for the future of Quakerism in Canada, and I have a leading and a desire to travel under this concern. I want to meet with all the Meetings in CYM to share thoughts regarding the sustainability of our Yearly Meeting and to hear Friends’ insights about how we can best work together.
On Monday, April 2, Marilyn Manzer, Canada Yearly Meeting (CYM) Mentoring Clerk from Nova Scotia, and Kwame Barko, CYM trustee from Toronto, joined us at the Coldstream Meeting House for a conversation about CYM and Coldstream. We began with a potluck meal and informal conversation, followed by a broad ranging discussion led by Marilyn Manzer. Ten of us attended in person, with two attenders via Zoom.
Marilyn requested that her draft notes be forwarded to Friends in our Meeting whether or not they were present at the meeting with her. These are uncorrected notes at this point and have been sent out to Coldstream community as requested.
Marilyn would like to receive corrections and additional thoughts at <cym-clerk@quaker.ca>.
Sixteen individuals participated in-person in the retreat on April 2nd with several others joining for part of the day on Zoom.
The purpose of the retreat was twofold:
1. Reconnecting, rebuilding, and providing spiritual nourishment for our meeting/community
2. A journey of reflection and consideration for the life and direction of our meeting for the future.
A half hour worship was followed by a land/relationship acknowledgement and an opening activity that saw everyone share an item that represented what nourished them spiritually outside of our Coldstream Quaker community. This was followed by a lovely lunch provided by the Social Committee. In the afternoon, small groups each drew a tree and considered each aspect of the tree as a metaphor for our community – The Tree of Life of Our Coldstream Quaker Community. Roots represented what nourished us, the trunk the structures that support us now and the branches our reaching outward and inward. There were post-it-notes bugs for what ‘bugs’ us, fruit for what we love, and blue sky post-its for our wishes. We finished with a review to draw out common themes.
Here is an overview of common themes:
Roots: history, legacy, teachings and ancestry of Friends; Meeting House – grounds, cemetery, windows; sense of community – consistency and friendships; the testimonies – kindness, love, respect, care; variety of perspectives; George Fox; dissenters; other meetings; CYM.
Trunk: Social events and groups (i.e., Friendly Friday book club, coffee morning); Meeting for Worship; listening, simplicity, silence; being in community together; committees; our retreat-like meeting house and space; sense of history. What would strengthen us -young friends.
Branches: Our connections and work with: Interfaith/refugees, Kairos, environment, peacemaking, Indigenous communities, CFSC, CYM, archives. We provide a beautiful space for the full spectrum of celebrations of life.
Ministry and Counsel is reviewing the rich results and planning for our next steps in the near future. Stay tuned!
Coldstream Quakers 