News & Events
From 6/9/2024 or until further notice, Berkeley Friends Meeting will:
Have a 9 a.m. Meeting for Worship in-person only.
Have an 11 a.m. hybrid Meeting for Worship; you may attend in-person or online. See the link below to attend virtually.
At both Meetings, masks are no longer required, but are recommended. Masks, if needed, are available without cost to you.
At both Meetings, COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged, but is no longer required.
Meeting for Worship via Zoom
To join the Zoom meeting, click HERE.
or call 1-669-900-9128 then use Meeting ID 863 2903 6864 Passcode 195653
(Handout on using Zoom)
Highlighted Announcements
Donations are still needed and accepted by the Berkeley Friends Meeting. Checks can be mailed to the Meetinghouse at 2151 Vine Street, Berkeley, CA 94709, or to the home of Kathleen Mock, Assistant Treasurer.
Upcoming Events
The contact for any follow-up questions is our Meeting Clerk, Theresa Cox, at BFM.Clerk@gmail.com
On Friday, March 20, at 7:00 pm, the Events Committee will be presenting "Hidden Figures" for Women's History Month. This 2016 film tells the story of three Black women, played by Taraji Henson, Janelle Monáe, and Octavia Spencer, employed by NASA as mathematicians tasked with calculating the launch of John Glenn into orbit and guaranteeing his safe return. The movie runs 2 hours and 7 minutes, and there will be discussion and refreshments following the film.
On Saturday, March 21, at 1 pm, Berkeley Quakers will meet on the corner of Shattuck and Vine (northeast), down the hill from the Berkeley Friends Meetinghouse, for an hour of public silent worship to continue the Love As Action campaign. Friends are invited to come to the Berkeley meetinghouse at 12:30 to pick up signs, chairs, make signs (if desired), banner, flyers, etc., and then we will go down the hill to begin our silent worship. Our hope is that our presence will give hope to all who see us – to show that we can choose resistance - and remind everyone of our moral obligations to one another. Join us! Contact Genie Stowers for more information. Go to https://www.mobilize.us/afscfriendsengagement/event/916746/ to sign up and to receive ongoing information about this event!
The Library Committee will host an event with UC Berkeley Professor Hide Hirota on Sunday, March 22, at 1:30 pm. A social and legal historian of the United States specializing in immigration, Professor Hirota will offer a timely presentation on the history of immigration enforcement in the United States. Anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of immigration policy in the US past and present is welcome to attend this illuminating presentation, which will be held in the Meeting Room and on Zoom at the same link used for Meeting for Worship. The Library Committee is grateful to the Social and Environmental Action Committee for co-sponsoring this event.
It is time to sing out for peace. The Events Committee invites Friends to a protest-song sing-along, 7:00-9:30 pm on Friday, April 3, led by Matt Cunitz, Bryan Uhlenbrock, and Chris Valentine. Bring your favorite protest songs to share, and join in with the selections chosen by our three musical hosts.
The Outreach and Nurture Committee is excited to resume the Oral History project led by Donna McCabe and Barb Atwell on Saturday, April 11, at 1:00 pm at the meetinghouse. There will be a Zoom feed, but audience response will be limited to those attending in person. Kathleen Mock will be interviewed. Light refreshments will be served.
The Berkeley CROP Hunger Walk will be on Sunday, April 19. We will be walking from St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman Street, starting at 2 pm. The Berkeley Food Pantry, which has been one of the regular recipients of donations from our annual walks, shut down earlier this year. This year, 25% of the donations will continue to fund the services of Dorothy Day House, which provides meals and shelter to our unhoused Berkeley residents, and 75% will benefit the international relief programs of Church World Service. Join the Berkeley Quakers team as a walker or donor by going to https://events.crophungerwalk.org/chw/team/berkeley-quakers. Please contact Tom Yamaguchi, tomyamaguchi@mac.com, for more information.
Please mark your calendars for a Newcomer’s Brunch, sponsored by the Outreach and Nurture Committee, to be held on the porch on Sunday, April 26, at Rise of Meeting.
On Sunday, May 3, the Social and Environmental Action Committee invites anyone interested in social justice to the SEA committee meeting, which will be held at 12:45 that day and will be hybrid. During this meeting, we will seek input and make decisions on the allocation of the Meeting's Local Outreach Funds, and on the Legislative Priorities for Friends Committee for National Legislation (FCNL) for the next Legislative session. Please contact Genie Stowers or go to https://www.berkeleyfriendsmeeting.org/local-organizations-we-support and https://www.fcnl.org/about/world-we-seek/legislative-priorities for more information.
Regularly Scheduled Events
Ben Lomond Quaker Center is presenting workshops in person as well as over Zoom. See quakercenter.org to find out more. The Meeting has a pass, which allows us to send one person to each Quaker Center workshop for free. For more information, please contact Gayle Eleanor, Clerk of the Outreach and Nurture Committee.
Zoom Tech Support is looking for volunteers for in-room Zoom setup and monitoring. No prior technology experience necessary! Easy-to-understand instructions and training will be provided as necessary. Please contact Darcie Vafidis at darciev@sbcglobal.net or Matthew Vafidis through bfm.clerk@gmail.com.
As of the new year, Hannah-Ruth Miller will be taking over the role of Announcements Convener. Starting next week, please send any announcement submissions to BFM.announcements@gmail.com by Saturday at 5:00 pm.Please join us every Wednesday, 12:30–1:30 pm, for our continuing Meetings for Worship with attention to support, holding in the light, and healing. The Meetings are on Zoom, using the same link as the weekly Meeting for Worship. Contact Kathryn Manalo or Theresa Cox for more details.
The Young Adult Friends have requested nibbles between the 9 am and 11 am Meetings for Worship. Please bring something to share that requires no prep or cleanup!
Meeting for Business, Every 2nd Sunday at 1 pm, in the Meetingroom and on Zoom. Speak to the Meeting Clerk, Theresa Cox, for more information.
Poetry Discussion Group: Meets the First Sunday of every month at 1:30, Meeting Parlor (currently on zoom)
Work party: 4th Saturday, 10 am - 2 pm. Speak to David Standish for more information.
Social and Environmental Action Committee: On the first First Day of the month at 1:30 pm, (currently being held via Zoom). See Genie Stowers for more information.
Immigrant Accompaniment Team: Meets at 7 pm on the 3rd Sunday. Talk to Marilyn Cleveland for more information.
Racial Justice Action Team: Meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7 pm on Zoom. Contact Barb Atwell for more information. You are invited to join the Racial Justice Action Team. The group’s goal is to define our work for community safety in Berkeley and Oakland, via police reform. We have a focus on interfaith collaboration, working with other Quakers as well as the non-profit Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). This non-profit is supported by the American Friends Service Committee. Meetings will be on Tuesday, every other week, from 7 – 8:30 pm on Zoom. Please email Barbara Atwell if you have any questions and would like to join the group.
Standing Announcements
Feel like you want/need to do something, but not sure what? Join the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Berkeley - San Francisco Advocacy Team! This year, we are lobbying to get UN and US humanitarian relief funds (UNRWA) restored to Gaza. Want to know more? Ask Marilyn Cleveland or Genie Stowers.
Our Meeting for Healing, Holding, and Support is held every Wednesday at 12:30 on Zoom, using the same Zoom link as Meeting for Worship. Please contact Theresa Cox and Kathryn Manalo for more information.
The Library Committee would like to invite Friends to come explore the collection. After Rise of Meeting, attendees are warmly encouraged to visit the Library and discover our remarkable collection of books—including many recent acquisitions. Each month, the Committee spotlights a recently acquired book that we think Friends would find interesting. If you wish to check out this or any other book, Library Committee members are available to help you do so; please see Meghan McAllister, Joe Magruder, Bethany Suter, Elianne de la Vega, or AJ Fox for assistance.
The Science and Technology Subcommittee is looking to expand our roster of Friends who can help with the Meeting's hybrid worship setup. As we look to sustain hybrid worship into the future, the Meeting needs more volunteers to manage the technology that enables Zoom access for remote attendees. Recent improvements in our technology setup have made this easier than ever, and no prior skills are needed to help out. This is a great way to support the Meeting and ensure that we remain accessible to those with health or mobility concerns. Anyone who would like to volunteer should contact Science and Technology Coordinator, AJ Fox.
After a hiatus of several years, the Visiting Subcommittee plans to resume its work. Anyone interested in participating should contact Raph Levien.
The Meeting library is now open for use after the 11 am Meeting for Worship! Someone from Library Committee will be there to answer your questions and to help you check out books.
Ben Lomond Quaker Center now presenting workshops in person as well as over Zoom. See quakercenter.org to find out more. The Meeting has a pass, which allows us to send one person to each Quaker Center workshop for free. For more information, please contact Gayle Eleanor.
Kitchen Committee really needs your help! Even though Kitchen Committee has several members, not all of them are comfortable returning in person just yet, and this is putting a heavy burden on those who are. For anyone attending in person, if you can possibly help out with refreshments, either set-up or clean-up, please contact Chris and Theolia Valentine. Thank you so much for pitching in!
The Meeting's YouTube channel is up and running! Search for “Berkeley Society of Friends YouTube channel,” use this link, or go to the bottom of any page of this website and click on YouTube, and you'll find a number of videos, including fascinating oral histories by Gale Lederer, Anthony Graffagnino, and Dorothy Gilbert.
The Meeting uses a groups.io mailing list for announcements. If you’re not on it, contact Genie Stowers. This list is for announcements only; the Communications Committee is exploring other options more suited to discussions.
The Emergency Preparedness Network still has some small groups that meet or exchange emails. If you would like to join, please contact Judy Tate.
The Meeting has an Immigrant Assistance Fund. The family who was “accompanied,” or assisted, by the Social and Environmental Action Committee’s Immigrant Accompaniment Team is currently experiencing job and food insecurity. If you would like to donate to the Immigrant Assistance Fund to help them or others, please send your donations to the Berkeley Society of Friends with Immigrant Assistance Fund on the memo line. Checks can still be mailed to the Meetinghouse or to the home of Kathleen Mock, Assistant Treasurer.
The Berkeley Meeting has a Young Adult Friends group which meets regularly. Young Adult Friends is a good way for people between the ages of about 18 to 40 to get to know one another better and to meet Young Adults from other local Meetings. If you have any questions, please contact any of the members of the Young Adult Friends planning group: Jesse Mitchell, AJSchaerer, Anthony Graffagnino, and Meghan McAllister.
A list of oral histories from the Berkeley Meeting’s Oral History Project is now available for purchase on the Berkeley Meeting website, under Members and Attenders. The oral histories are available on flash drives, although some are still available on DVD, and they cost $10 each. Barb Atwell is the contact, and her email, as well as some background information about the Oral History Project, is also on the website at Oral Histories.
