Third Haven Friends Meeting (Quaker)

405 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601; (410) 822-0293; 3rdhaven@gmail.com; Find Us on Facebook

1684 - Present

Announcements last updated January 12^th, 2022:

Section Links:

New Announcements | News of Friends | Events at Third Haven | Committee Announcements | Announcements about Local Non-Profits | Announcements from Quaker Organizations | Regular Announcements

Update on Third Haven Zoom Account and Live Group Meetings:

We are again in the midst of a Covid surge in Talbot County. We will hold Meeting for Worship, committee meetings, and other Meeting gatherings on Zoom until further notice. The grounds of course are always open for walking and contemplation. We will handle this on a weekly basis depending on numbers of infections in our community. Fortunately, this new variant seems to be moving quite rapidly. Thank you everyone. Stay safe and be well. Please email us for further instructions.

New Announcements:

• January 12 [Wednesday], Introduction to Quakers 5 PM:
  Second Wednesday of the month Introduction to Quakers [Zoom] This is for people who have never attended a Quaker service. It's the basics - Light within, silence waiting, testimonies... Tell those you know to come and check us out. Questions or comments to Stephanie French or Jonathan Slocum.
• SMART help:
  In the holiday season it is common for people to use unhealthy behaviors, like drugs, alcohol, gambling and over eating to cope with difficult feelings. Third Haven Friends Meeting supports the Easton SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training) and Family and Friends meetings. Facilitators are Dee Rein and John Turner. Self Management and Recovery Training helps participants find and develop the power within themselves to choose change and lead fulfilling and balanced lives guided by a science-based and sensible 4-Point Program®. SMART Family and Friends is a mutual support group for people with loved ones dealing with unhealthy behaviors. Both groups have Zoom and online meetings available and are free of charge. Our desire is that the loved one will take on the choice to pursue their own recovery and that family and friends will learn ways of improving their own lives at the same time. For more detailed information, visit http://www.smartrecovery.org.
• January 14 [Friday], Zoom Happier Hour 7 PM:
  Hospitality would also like to remind the community that the zoom happier hour conversation is still happening on Fridays at 7:00 pm. Typically, about 7-10 people use the hour to reconnect, share news and again, offer fellowship. Please contact John Turner for more information.
• First Day School Updates:
  • There were 3 families with 6 children meeting this past Sunday for the zoom children's program. Susan Claggett led the welcome circle and Faith and Play story about George Fox and his Big Discovery. Those families in attendance were Megan D'Arcy with children Ben and Wyatt; Kulveen Virdee with children Daven and Fio; Chelsea and Damien Kesler and Dona Sorce. Please put on your calendars the upcoming childrens' program January 23 at 10:15 via zoom, February 6, February 20, March 6 and March 20, 2022. We are hoping to plan an early Spring outdoor gathering to get our children's gardens spruced up for the warmer season. More on that to come or to help out please contact Susan. It was a great pleasure to see all the smiling faces this morning!
    • January 23, 2022: Children's program
    Please contact Susan Claggett with any questions.
• January 30 [Sunday], Coffee With Susan will return at 9AM, Sunday January 30, on Zoom.
  The topic for this month is Little Things That Matter. From garnishes on dinner plates to nuances in art, sometimes it's the little thing that makes all the difference. Or doesn't. What are the Little Things that really make your life?
• Early 2022, Trust Circles:
  The Worship and Ministry Committee will sponsor a series of Trust Circles at Third Haven beginning in early 2022. This program encourages Friends to share perspectives about building trust and a sense of belonging across ethnocultural backgrounds in a format similar to worship sharing. It provides a safe space to express your experiences, feelings, and concerns. All perspectives are respected and acknowledged in a non-judgmental environment. Clinton and Kathryn Pettus developed Trust Circles to foster ethnocultural dialog and build worship communities that are a complete and pleasing whole. The program is ongoing at Baltimore Monthly Meeting, Stony Run, where they are members. Each Trust Circle is limited to 10 participants so that everyone will have ample, uninterrupted time to speak to a series of queries. Meetings last up to an hour and a quarter. Worship and Ministry is seeking participants and people interested in being trained as facilitators of the Trust Circles. We can support more than one Trust Circle if there is interest. Contact: Jonathan Slocum.
• January 14, Jung Dream Group:
  Once a year the Jung Dream Group is open for potential new members. We are having a special program January 14, 2022 from 10:00-11:30 am in the Common Room with a video, How To Use Dream Incubation To Work With Nightmares and Anxiety During The Time Of COVID with Diedre Barrett PhD. Dr Barrett is on the faculty at Harvard where she teaches and does research. She is the author of Committee Of Sleep and Pandemic. We will watch the video for a while and then have a discussion, Anyone interested learning about using Dreamwork as a spiritual path is welcome to attend or to contact any of the members. Contact: Catherine Cripps.
• Help Needed to Reopen Asbury:
  Work at the Asbury United Methodist Church in Easton is nearing completion. Friends helped last year with major fundraising which enabled complete safety renovations for stable floors and improved indoor air quality. During renovations in 2021, town inspectors identified and required certain design changes which have delayed reopening and increased construction costs by $50,000. More than half of that burden has been raised. A funding gap of just over $20,000 remains. The contractor believes that temporary access for congregants can be granted for use of the sanctuary in September, with completion of the first floor fellowship hall and kitchen some time in October. If Friends are moved to help reopen the doors for Asbury’s food mission, contributions should be sent to:
  Historic Easton Inc., P.O. Box 1071, Easton, MD 21601, marked "Asbury Building Fund".
  
  Alternately, a GoFundMe fundraiser for Historic Easton's Help Reopen the Church that Feeds Our Neighbors Campaign can be accessed by clicking here.

News of Friends, or friends of Friends:

• Please Hold In The Light: Please hold in the Light the family of our beloved member Mark Beck who passed away on December 16. The family has requested no phone calls this week. A memorial service will be scheduled early in 2022.
• Please hold Catherine Cripps and her sister Penelope in the Light after the passing away of their beloved brother, David.
• Please hold Ken Wells and family in the light.
• Please hold Robert Gladney and his family in the light.
• Tom McCall's mother, Joan Cox, age 92, died peacefully in the comfort of her home Thursday night, August 19th, and to ask members to hold him and his family in the light.
• Stephen Gerni unexpectedly passed away on August 10^th, 2021. Please hold him in the light, as well as his wife, Susan Dabney, and their families. Peace be with them.
• Please Hold In The Light: Our beloved member, Sally Vermilye, who passed away quietly on April 4, 2021.
• Please Hold In The Light: Our faithful attender, Jane Escher, who passed away quietly on March 20, 2021.
• In The Light: Kenneth Lane Carroll passed away quietly on February 25, 2021. The memorial service for Kenneth Lane Carroll will be held here on May 8th, 2021. Please click here for more information.

Events at Third Haven:

Be sure to check out the Calendar for more events not listed here!

• Friday, January 14^th, 2022, 10-11:30am: Jung Dream Group:
  Once a year the Jung Dream Group is open for potential new members. We are having a special program January 14, 2022 from 10:00-11:30 am in the Common Room with a video, How To Use Dream Incubation To Work With Nightmares and Anxiety During The Time Of COVID with Diedre Barrett PhD. Dr Barrett is on the faculty at Harvard where she teaches and does research. She is the author of Committee Of Sleep and Pandemic. We will watch the video for a while and then have a discussion, Anyone interested learning about using Dreamwork as a spiritual path is welcome to attend or to contact any of the members. Contact: Catherine Cripps.

Announcements from Third Haven's Committees:

• From our Treasurer:
  • Here is a recap of the Treasurer's financials for the 1st Quarter of our 2021/2022 fiscal year, July 1, 2021 – September 31, 2021:
    
    Member Contributions = $11,950 = 23% of annual budget
    Total Income = $17,878 = 25% of annual budget
    Total Expenses = $15,791 = 22.5% of annual budget
    Net Income = $2087
  • The following are now available: Approved Budget FY 2021-2022, Balance Sheet 9/30/21, Income & Expenses Budget vs. Actual Year-to-Date 9/30/21, Income & Expenses Budget, Prior Year Comparison 6/30/21.
  • How to Support Our Quaker Meeting:
    
    Since its incorporation in 1948, the Trustees of Third Haven Monthly Meeting have been able to grow an endowment fund for the support of the Meeting through gifts, bequests and thoughtful investing. Thanks to these financial reserves, the Trustees are able to pay the annual insurance bill and assist each year with capital expenses that are beyond the budget of the Property and Grounds Committee. Projects have ranged in size from recent improvements to the Common Room to the 1990's major restoration of the Old Meeting House, at a cost of $435,000.
    
    The majority of the funds held by the Trustees are invested in three accounts at Friends Fiduciary Corporation, a Quaker non-profit organization that provides socially responsible investment services to Friends meetings, schools and organizations. Third Haven Friends Meeting also has been judicious in its expenditures and managed investments, some of which are held at Friends Fiduciary as well.
    
    Friends Fiduciary offers help with Planned Giving for individual Friends. The Trustees of Third Haven Meeting's mission of preservation of our historic property and Third Haven Friends Meeting, our active Quaker meeting, are certainly two worthy recipients of our donations.
    
    Gifts to the Trustees are vital for maintaining and improving our buildings and grounds. Donors may consult this pamphlet for help "letting their lives speak" during their estate and contemporary donation planning. Please consider an outright gift or a planned gift to the Trustees of Third Haven Meeting, c/o Diana Rein, Treasurer, 9249 High Banks Drive, Easton, Md. 21601
    
    Gifts to Third Haven are essential to sustaining our operating budget. Donations are encouraged annually and through estate planning to Third Haven Friends Meeting, Cynthia Quast, Treasurer, P.O. Box 2379, Easton, Md. 21601.
• From Worship & Ministry:
  • Thoughts on a more Settled Meeting: Quakers have come up with practices that are most conducive to a settled meeting. Please review the following link.
• Facilities Use Committee Zoom Meeting Scheduling:
  This document was prepared by Third Haven Friends Meeting Facilities Use Committee is attached here to guide us through the process of setting up and running our meetings.
• First Day School:
  • There were 3 families with 6 children meeting this past Sunday for the zoom children's program. Susan Claggett led the welcome circle and Faith and Play story about George Fox and his Big Discovery. Those families in attendance were Megan D'Arcy with children Ben and Wyatt; Kulveen Virdee with children Daven and Fio; Chelsea and Damien Kesler and Dona Sorce. Please put on your calendars the upcoming childrens' program January 23 at 10:15 via zoom, February 6, February 20, March 6 and March 20, 2022. We are hoping to plan an early Spring outdoor gathering to get our children's gardens spruced up for the warmer season. More on that to come or to help out please contact Susan. It was a great pleasure to see all the smiling faces this morning!
    • January 23, 2022: Children's program
    Please contact Susan Claggett with any questions.
• From Testionies & Concerns:
  • The Guide for Giving:
    Testimonies and Concerns Committee has prepared The Guide for Giving, an annotated list of non-profit, charitable organizations who sustain values and priorities in keeping with our Queries. Please click here to view the guide.
  • Minutes for Testimonies and Concerns Meeting, 9/06/20.

Announcements about Local Non-profits or Faith Organizations:

• Help Needed to Reopen Asbury:
  Work at the Asbury United Methodist Church in Easton is nearing completion. Friends helped last year with major fundraising which enabled complete safety renovations for stable floors and improved indoor air quality. During renovations in 2021, town inspectors identified and required certain design changes which have delayed reopening and increased construction costs by $50,000. More than half of that burden has been raised. A funding gap of just over $20,000 remains. The contractor believes that temporary access for congregants can be granted for use of the sanctuary in September, with completion of the first floor fellowship hall and kitchen some time in October. If Friends are moved to help reopen the doors for Asbury’s food mission, contributions should be sent to:
  Historic Easton Inc., P.O. Box 1071, Easton, MD 21601, marked "Asbury Building Fund".
  
  Alternately, a GoFundMe fundraiser for Historic Easton's Help Reopen the Church that Feeds Our Neighbors Campaign can be accessed by clicking here.
• Talbot Interfaith Shelter:
  
  • Letter in Support of Talbot Interfaith Shelter
  • Good News from the Talbot Interfaith Shelter: "We had a hearing with the Town of Easton Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) to determine whether we would receive a special exception permit to operate a second shelter facility at 109 Goldsborough Street, directly next door to Easton's Promise. We are thrilled to announce that the Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to award us our permit, and that we will be moving forward with the purchase of 109 Goldsborough!" For more details, click here.
• PEARLS:
  Stacy Ewing, of the Talbot County Health Department writes to our meeting, "I wanted to let you know about a home visiting program called PEARLS (Programs the one who should be able to get for Encouraging Active, Rewarding Lives)." Please click here for a brochure with more information.
• Maryland Citizens's Health Initiative (MCHI) Request:
  Third Haven has received a request from Nikki Richards of Homewood Friends Meeting in Baltimore asking us to endorse a resolution brought forward by their Maryland Citizens's Health Initiative (MCHI). If our Meeting supports the concept of equal access to quality, affordable healthcare for Marylanders we can help on this new Initiative to improve health equity. Health inequities based on race, ethnicity, and place of residence persist throughout the state, and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Maryland Citizens's Health Initiative requests that community organizations, faith groups, small businesses, and others around the state sign on by September 16 in support of this life saving initiative. If it is the sense of our Meeting that we endorse this, our response can be forwarded to them. The Initiative's Resolution can be reached by clicking on this link.
• Feed The Front is organized to connect donors, restaurants and volunteers to feed essential workers in Talbot County.
• Acts of Kindness: A Task Force volunteer provides interpretation services between Mid Shore ProBono attorneys and immigrants. Another volunteer has been reaching out to immigrant children through the arts, as part of an after school program sponsored by the Chesapeake Multi Cultural Resource Center. Another, expert in immigration law, filed objections to proposed regulations that would raise barriers to documented immigrants becoming citizens. 2 volunteers from the task force have reached out to the many other congregations throughout the county to expand the network of congregations associating with the task force. There are 6 local congregations that are already associated with the task force and include Temple B'nai Israel, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship At Easton, Third Haven Friends Meeting, Easton Church of the Brethren, Scott's United Methodist Church and Grace Lutheran Church.Reach out to: Helpingimmigrantstc@gmail.com.
• Opportunity: If you are interested in helping to start a worship service at Eastern Shore Correctional Institute, please call Molly Brian. No set schedule is yet formed on this, but we are trying to see if there is genuine interest in a project there.
• If you would like to make a public statement of your commitment to our Peace Testimony, the opportunity to do so exists eachThursday afternoon. Peace Vigils are held each Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. The Thursday vigil is held in Easton in front of the Talbot County Court House.

Announcements from Quaker Organizations:

• Updates from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM):
  
  • Quakerism and Constructive Conflict Addressed by Dr. Sa'ed Atshan
    Dr. Sa'ed Atshan offered the closing keynote to 106 Friends at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's 341st Annual Sessions with a talk on managing conflict within the Religious Society of Friends. He spoke of the powerful healing force of a humble, empathetic approach to difficult conversations.
  • Introducing Annual Sessions 2021 Keynote Speakers:
    Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's 341st Annual Sessions will be held virtually this year from July 27 through August 1, 2021. This year we have five keynote speakers, one for each day of Sessions week. We will be offering five and a half days of programming—including a retreat, All-Ages worship, business, youth programs, affinity groups, worship sharing, and bible study.
  • Part 2: Where are we going? Supporting Families and Religious Education in Meetings
    This is the second of a two-part story focused on local meetings and the people who support children and youth programs and families in their community. Part two looks ahead to what's next in building all-ages spiritual community, with ideas and tools for meetings to use as they think about continuing or resuming RE programs in the fall. How can we balance new possibilities, health and safety, and support for adults who care for young people?
  • Help Us Address Racism
    A sprint (a goal-oriented short-term team that tackles a project and does the work quickly) has formed under the care of PYM's Administrative Council to propose ways for our yearly meeting community to intentionally hold the work of anti-racism and anti-oppression. Learn more on how you can help.
  • Pathways to Ending Gun Violence: Legislative Solutions
    On Saturday, April 10, the Legislative Policy Collaborative of PYM sponsored a virtual workshop on Pathways to Ending Gun Violence: Legislative Solutions. Nearly 120 people registered for this event—clearly, this is a topic of great concern to F/friends, as representatives from more than 30 meetings tuned in to get informed and to get involved.
  • Epistles And Minutes:
    Before the first reading of the PYM epistle on Saturday night, PYM rising clerk, Melissa Rycroft, described an epistle as a letter that is "not written for those of us in PYM. It is our outgoing letter to others in the world". Epistles are not meant to be a recitation of everything that happened, instead minutes capture those details. Nor are epistles a travel-log or documentary. Melissa emphasized that an epistle actually tracks how the spirit has moved among us.
    • Youth Program Epistle
    • Young Adult Friends Epistle
    • Yearly Meeting Epistle
• From Pendle Hill:
  • Live Streaming links
  • Online Meeting for Worship at Pendle Hill: In these challenging times, with social distancing particularly important for the safety of all our community members, Pendle Hill will now be offering online Meeting for Worship via Zoom each morning at 8:30am from the comfort of your home.
• From Friends Committee on National Legislation:
  
  Support The Bill: At the PYM ecojustice conference this past week, information was given on the Clean Energy Protection Program (CEPP). This will be debated in the US Congress in the next few weeks. If you want to support the bill, here is an easy link for you to send an email to our Congress people: https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/34603/?utm_source=fcnlaction. The instructions are simple, however it's a good idea to make the email your own by writing at least a personal statement at the start and the finish. The bill would help us move towards clean energy by 2030. For extra punch, mention the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator (Called a National Climate Bank in the Senate), as this bill would help low income communities with a series of environmentally friendly loans.

Regular Announcements:

• Please remember to greet visitors to meeting—answer what questions they have about Friends, our buildings, our programs and activities. We are all emissaries of Third Haven.
• Contributions to the meeting can be made by way of the contributions box in the Brick Meetinghouse entranceway. Checks can also be sent to THMM, P.O. Box 2379, Easton, MD 21601; or by clicking on the button below:
  
  
• Are your names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail listings all correct in the Third Haven Directory? Please review your information at Directory. The online directory remains protected: please e-mail taniahharrison@gmail.com or hawkjm@goeaston.net if you need the password. If you have corrections for the Directory, please send them to 3rdhaven@gmail.com.
• Faith and Practice can be read and portions extracted from the PYM website at this link.
• If you have material for the newsletter, additional announcements, or added information about any of these posted events, please send it to 3rdhaven@gmail.com.

Third Haven Friends Monthly Meeting is a member of Southern Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends General Conference of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Meetings for Worship: Sundays 10:00AM, Wednesdays 5:30PM

Childrens' program: Sundays 10:00AM

Meetings for Worship with Attention to Business: 2^nd Sunday of the Month following Meeting for Worship (except for the months of July and August)

Contact: 405 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601; (410) 822-0293; 3rdhaven@gmail.com; Find Us on Facebook