“There is that near you which will guide you. O wait for it and be sure you keep to it.”

On Friday March 19, John Lewis and I were in the Meetinghouse for a Third St. Meetinghouse Committee meeting. We were both trying to connect to a Zoom meeting from the Meetingroom at a distance from one another.  The Zoom participant couldn’t hear John, so John suddenly turned to me and said, “I’ve had my second shot!” and the intonation was a question.  I immediately responded “so have I!” and John ripped off his mask and I did too.  This was a moment of almost indescribable exhilaration and liberation for me.  My mind was on the recently announced guidelines that small groups of people that are all fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks and maintain social distance.

In fact, though, John and I were in violation of IMM COVID protocol, that requires that everyone inside the Meetinghouse wear a mask the whole time they are there (unless they are alone). John and I have talked about this and we realize that this was a mistake and we apologize to the IMM community.

But this has raised a lot of questions for me.  I am the Clerk of the COVID Working Group for IMM.  I am wondering how IMM will negotiate the tricky situation ahead of us. Should we change our COVID protocols so that small groups of Friends in the building who know they are not putting themselves or each other at risk may remove their masks? 

Our Meeting Room is arranged to have chairs six feet apart from one another (and we have allowed same household groups to move closer to one another if they wish).  This has allowed a maximum or 27 people to attend Worship, although the most we’ve ever had in the Meeting in person is 13 during COVID.  As Friends get vaccinated and wish to join In-Person worship again, (which we will continue to attend wearing masks), what happens if we have more than 27 people?

We have also heard from the parents in IMM that they may want to come to In-person Worship in the Spring and maybe would want to be able to take their children upstairs during Worship - would that be allowed if they brought their own toys and planned to provide childcare themselves?

The COVID Working Group is beginning to do discernment about how we emerge from COVID. We have questions about both the process and the content of how we adjust our protocols. We would like to make sure that we are welcoming and as accommodating as we can be, while still ensuring that we are avoiding risk.  Official guidelines still require that we collect COVID Screening Forms maintain social distance and wear masks when gathering for In-person Worship. We would like to know what others in the Community think and how they feel about these questions.  We would like to hear from as many Friends as we can about where we stand as a community about this. If you have thoughts or concerns that you would like to share with the COVID Working Group about emerging from COVID over the next six months, please email me at firetendercarol@yahoo.com.

Come be with Friends at Spring Sessions. Come to worship, come to work, come to visit over a virtual meal. Hear from the committees that help to keep NYYM running, make Quaker witness visible, and support vital ministry. The yearly meeting will gather online on April 9-11 for business and for worship. Friends are invited to attend any or all of the events on the schedule. Please register on the website, www.nyym.org/session/spring-sessions-2021.

 — Melanie-Claire Mallison

 

Ministry and Worship is sponsoring a new worship sharing series on the fourth Sunday of the month from 9:30 to 10:15 am. The focus will be on Sharing our Spiritual Journeys. M&W will ask one Friend each month to spend about 15 minutes sharing about their spiritual journey and then we will have about 30 minutes for worship sharing.

 

Join us on Zoom March 28 at 9:30am when Steve Molke will share his spiritual journey followed by worship sharing. Barbara Chase will facilitate. The Link will be sent out with announcements closer to the date.

The Peace and Social Justice Committee is an “open” committee, which means that participation is open to any Friend who wishes to be a part of it. Participation does not go through the Nominating Committee process. All are welcome at our meetings, which are held on the third Sunday of the month at 12:30. Of course, at this time, we are meeting via Zoom.

At recent meetings we have discussed: continuing our work with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) which keeps us abreast of matters coming before Congress, following the local issue of reorganization of the Ithaca Police Department and the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, as well as other issues. We each bring our concerns to this committee, and as a group we decide how to focus our energies. If you have questions about the Committee or want the Zoom link, please contact Elizabeth at 351-0057, or at neschneid@aol.com. 

Friends can join online Meeting for Worship using a computer, with or without a video camera, or by phone. Join online with this link or from your Zoom app with Meeting ID: 372 632 479 and password: friends. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID: 372 632 479 when prompted.

These instructions and more are available in the ithacamonthlymeeting.org site with a big “Connect to Meeting for Worship” button.

The minutes from Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business can be found on the right-side column of our website. The minutes from March are here.

IMM Guys’ Lunch

First Thursdays of the month, and a time together for Quaker men and people who don’t mind talking to them. Bring your lunch and enjoy fellowship.

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched. This week, we will be watching "My Journey as a Transgender Quaker."

Women’s Fellowship is Zooming

Bring your knitting, wear your best sweatpants... or not... and join us for an informal hangout. Hope to see you there!

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched.

Women’s Chair Yoga now by Zoom

This long-running group, which met for years at the meetinghouse, now runs on Zoom, making it more accessible than ever. To join in, email <jaihari10@gmail.com> The group is about half Friends and half neighbors, nurturing the Inner Light. No yoga experience required. There is a sliding-scale fee. For more info or questions, Nancy Gabriel, 607-339-7123; ntg2@cornell.edu.