~Alice Paul (1885-1977)

Quaker and suffragist

The Burtt House Working Group invites Friends to three more worship sharing sessions as Ithaca Monthly Meeting continues in discernment about the role of the Burtt House in the meeting’s life and ministry.

During the last round of worship sharing, Friends recalled IMM ministries that had unfolded in the house. Many spoke of the shift in the building's significance as the Third Street Meetinghouse became the center of the meeting’s activity and the house lost its primary place in the life of the Meeting. They recognized that the Meeting’s relationship to the house – a profoundly generous gift, a beautiful building, the site of many Meeting memories – might be coming to an end. Gratitude was expressed to the working group for the use of the word “released.” Many Friends said that releasing the Burtt House did not mean releasing the meeting’s commitment to support for the FCRJ; they felt connected to the FCRJ and its mission. At the end of our time together, it seemed clear that the Meeting was ready to release the Burtt House.

This time, there is one query: What does "release" mean to you?

The remaining two scheduled sessions are:

At Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business on February 12, 2023 Ithaca Meeting lifted its mask requirement. The text of our mask policy is below.

If you would like to read the full minute related to this policy change, it is included in the Monthly Meeting February 2023 minutes on our website.

It takes a community to make hybrid Meeting for Worship possible. The Tech Team plays an important part in that. We are currently looking for people to help out by either being a Zoom host online or by setting up and monitoring the audio-visual system in TSM during Meeting for Worship. We welcome people who would like to do this on a regular schedule or people willing to fill in once and in a while. You don't need to be a computer guru, training will be provided. A general comfort level with learning new technology is recommended.

I’m blessed to have many deep and lasting friendships with Friends. Many of those friendships go back to some shared endeavor: pulling weeds, writing a report, running the dishwasher, organizing a retreat, painting a wall, or assembling an agenda.

While I cherish the hour from 10:30-11:30 on Sunday for several reasons, Meeting for Worship has not been the place where I have built my sense of connection to Ithaca Monthly Meeting and many individuals within it. Rather it is through lending a hand, sharing a meal, or talking through a problem.

How and where might you show up? Please consider:

This list is not exhaustive, by any means. There are opportunities for joy and connection through engaging in the Meeting… beyond Meeting for Worship.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Online

The Winter Meeting for Discernment will be held via Zoom on Saturday, March 4. Registration is now open. Meetings for Discernment are periods of extended, waiting worship designed to discern leadings and strengthen connections in our yearly meeting. On March 4, we will center around these queries:

Please register if you'd like to receive the Zoom information, and please encourage Friends in your meeting to consider attending. Click here to register online.

March 25, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

Poplar Ridge Meetinghouse and online

The Simkin family invite you to join them in a memorial celebration of the life of Jane Simkin at the Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting House (1868 Poplar Ridge Road, Poplar Ridge, NY). If you prefer to attend virtually, please email sammondc@gmail.com to request the Zoom link.

April 14-16

Oakwood Friends School and online

Spring Sessions 2023 will be a ‘hybrid’ gathering, both online via Zoom and in person at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, NY.

JYM Sessions for youth will be held Saturday, July 22 through Wednesday July 26 during Summer Sessions at Oakwood Friends School.The JYM Coordinators are seeking Friendly adults to work with our young Friends. JYM volunteers meet with their assigned group Saturday afternoon, every morning Sunday through Wednesday, and gather for other JYM activities during the week. The schedule for the week is open, so the JYM volunteers will help us create the program!

If you are drawn to be a JYM volunteer, a resource person, or an organizer, please contact jym-coordinators@nyym.org to start the conversation.

— Susan Stillman & Ellie Rosenberg for JYM

NYYM Summer Sessions

Saturday-Thursday, July 22-27, 2023

Hybrid (at Oakwood Friends School and online)

Now that you have received all your late holiday letters and this year’s avalanche of valentines, you can promote equity by sending the stamps to Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR). They suggest leaving the used (or unused!) stamps on the paper of the envelope and trimming them to within 1/8 to ¼ of an inch of the surrounding perforations. They note that “presorted” and “nonprofit org” stamps are not worth saving. Please send stamps to:

Stamps for Right Sharing of World Resources

c/o Indianapolis First Friends

3030 Kessler Blvd. East Drive

Indianapolis, IN 46220

Questions about the stamp program? You can ask me (Ruth Yarrow, rmyarrow@gmail.com) or contact RSWR at 937.966.0314 or rswr@rswr.org.

Ministry and Worship will continue potlucks on the last Sunday of the month. We will also provide childcare on these Sundays, to encourage family participation in both worship and potlucks. Our next potluck will be on Sunday, March 26 and we will be prepared to offer childcare during Meeting for Worship that day.  We invite Friends to continue to join this Ministry of sharing food together.

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

Ithaca Friends gather for unprogrammed Meeting for Worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, 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

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

Men’s Fellowship

First Thursdays, Friends, join us at Ithaca Bakery! Quaker men—and anyone who wants to hang out with Quaker men—are warmly invited.

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched. In person at the Third Street Meetinghouse or through Zoom. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

The Earthcare Committee typically meets at 12:30 on the first Sunday of each month, however this month's meeting is rescheduled to accommodate the Burtt House discussion on 3/5. Earthcare Committee will probably meet on March 7th or 8th at 10am or 2pm. 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:

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

Please send agenda items to the Clerk by the preceding Monday. (Contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.)

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

This is a meeting of IMM Friends to consider how to make our Meeting more welcoming. All are welcome!

The meeting will be only on Zoom. If you would like to join this meeting, please contact Carol Clarke and she'll send you the zoom link.  We request this so that we may know how many to expect at the meeting.  Carol can be reached at firetendercarol@yahoo.com.

Women’s Fellowship

Bring your knitting, wear your best sweatpants, and join us for an informal hangout. We'll be meeting online during the colder months.

Join Friends to watch a brief QuakerSpeak video and discuss what you watched. In person at the Third Street Meetinghouse or through Zoom. You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.

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

You can also join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted. If you have any questions, please call Garry Thomas at 607-273-7567.

Join Friends for this worship sharing as Amala Lane shares her spiritual journey.

This event will only be held on Zoom. Click the button below to join, or you can join by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering Meeting ID when prompted.