Announcements last updated May 11th, 2022:
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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:
Dear Friends, It is wonderful to be back inside the Brick Meeting House again as we restart our hybrid services. At this point, because our numbers in Talbot County are low, masks are optional for the vaccinated.
New Announcements:
- Budget Report is now available.
- May 13 [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. 
May 21 [Saturday], Memorial Service for Mark Beck:
The Meeting will conduct a memorial service, in the manner of Friends, for our beloved member Mark Beck, on May 21, Saturday, at 1:00 pm, in the 1684 meetinghouse. If you want to help, contact Adrienne Rudge, Clerk of the Pastoral Care Committee or Tom Corl, Co-Clerk of the Meeting. Clay Owens could use some help with parking.- First Day School Updates:
- May 15: Children's program—garden exploring. Head teacher will be Sarah Hilderbrand and the children will be doing outside exploring and reviving the garden near Clay's house. The kids can bring hand trowels and wear work clothes. If there is any parent or Friend available to help, I'm sure Sarah would appreciate an extra adult hand or two.
- June 5: Moving Up celebration
- The summer camp week will be July 11-14. Join our summer nature Outdoor Mindfulness Camp at Third Haven Friends Meeting (the Quakers). This unique camp blends mindfulness & nature play for your children on the tranquil grounds of Third Haven located at 405 South Washington St. in Easton. Each morning will be spent with our talented and experienced preschool/early-elementary teachers, Cherie Baron and Kristen Hanlon, in naturewith friends as it was meant to be explored: in a full body, hands-on, messy-play way. The camp will help kids develop a toolbox of mindfulness techniques.
- May 15, Photographer Available:
Our talented photographer, Marsie Hawkinson, has volunteered to take photos of individuals, couples and families before Hospitality on First Day, May 15, for use in the THFM directory. If you have been meaning to add your photo to the directory but never got around to it, this is your perfect opportunity! - Detention Center Library:
A small group from Third Haven and friends maintain the library at the Talbot County Detention Center. This was started many years ago by Ralph and Mary Young. The group would benefit from added members to replace the ones we've lost in the past couple years. Each volunteer works with a partner about once a month for about two hours. It involves checking books in and out with contact only with detention center staff. If you have time and inclination to join us please contact Stephanie French or Molly Brian. - The Quaker Voice Maryland website link is: https://www.quakervoicemd.org/resources/advocacy-presentations, e-mail quakervoicemd@gmail.com,, to join their e-mail list: https://www.quakervoicemd.org/get-involved/join-our-contacts.
News of Friends, or friends of Friends:
- Let us all hold Connie Lewis and Larry in the light.
- 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 10th, 2021. Please hold him in the light, as well as his wife, Susan Dabney, and their families. Peace be with them.
Events at Third Haven:
Be sure to check out the Calendar for more events not listed here!
- Saturday, May 21st, 1pm: Memorial Service for Mark Beck:
The Meeting will conduct a memorial service, in the manner of Friends, for our beloved member Mark Beck, on May 21, Saturday, at 1:00 pm, in the 1684 meetinghouse. If you want to help, contact Adrienne Rudge, Clerk of the Pastoral Care Committee or Tom Corl, Co-Clerk of the Meeting. Clay Owens could use some help with parking.
Announcements from Third Haven's Committees:
- From our Treasurer:
- The following are now available: Budget Report, Balance Sheet 3/31/22, Income & Expenses Budget vs. Actual Year-to-Date, 3/31/22, Income & Expenses Budget, Prior Year Comparison, 3/13/22
- 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:
- Third Haven welcomed back the children and families for the annual Easter Celebration on Easter Sunday. There were 5 families present with 12 children attending. The children met in a circle and shared what Easter meant to them, then there was egg dyeing, a poem and story about rain and finally, the hunt after Meeting. The children raced around the graveyard and property looking for eggs. The grounds were beautiful thanks to our caretaker, Clay. Special thanks go to a Dad, Andrew Grundlach, for helping with hospitality set up and hiding eggs; Jeremy and Shania, the older children of James Womack, who helped with hiding eggs; to Kevin Walsh for supplying much of the plastic eggs and candy; Mary Yancey and the hospitality crew for set up/clean up and supplying a wonderful Easter potluck; and finally to all the families and Meeting members who brought in eggs! The children really enjoyed dyeing them and seeking them.
- May 1 Cherie and Kristin will be teaching.
- The Moving Up ceremony is tentatively scheduled for June 5 at the rise of Meeting.
- The summer camp week will be July 11-15. Registrations to follow. Please contact Susan Claggett with any questions.
- 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:
- Detention Center Library:
A small group from Third Haven and friends maintain the library at the Talbot County Detention Center. This was started many years ago by Ralph and Mary Young. The group would benefit from added members to replace the ones we've lost in the past couple years. Each volunteer works with a partner about once a month for about two hours. It involves checking books in and out with contact only with detention center staff. If you have time and inclination to join us please contact Stephanie French or Molly Brian. - 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:
- Quaker Voice of MD update: "Hard to believe we are already into week 2 of the General Assembly..." Please click here for more updates about Quaker Voice of MD!
- Updates from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM):
- Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Response to the Crisis in Ukraine: Quakers from around the world are in anguish and deeply concerned with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine and Quakers in the affected areas in this dark time. As a historic peace church, we join our call for peace in the world to their cries for peace and help.
- Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities:
Quakers from all parts of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting who support Indigenous communities through grants as well as advocacy. have adapted a new name, Quaker Fund For Indigenous Communities (formerly known as the Quaker Indian Affairs Committee). The Quaker Fund for Indigenous Communities provides seed money for projects identified and implemented by Native communities in the Philadelphia area and throughout North, Central and South America. These include projects to support language and culture so that children and youth benefit from the transmission of unique heritages from elders in their communities. This is an area with urgency as the elders of Native communities pass away and take with them irreplaceable knowledge. The committee hopes to build the fund, based on restricted endowments, to develop long term projects. - 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.
- 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.