Halifax Monthly Meeting
Update of Activities, June 2016 – June 2017
Process of forming a Half Yearly Meeting: In June, 2016, our Meeting approved a Minute to join with other Atlantic meetings and worship groups to form a Half-Yearly-Meeting. At the May 19 to 22 Atlantic Friends Gathering, CYM committee members Carol Leigh Wehking and Marilyn Thomas gave two presentations about the process of forming a H-Y-M. The first step, was selecting nominating committee members from each Meeting. Halifax selected Maida Follini at the June 2017 Meeting for Business. New Brunswick and Annapolis Valley Meetings will select their members for this committee.
Service: Halifax Monthly Meeting continues to assist a family of three Palestinian refugees whom we sponsored to settle in Canada.
Letters were written supporting prisoners of conscience, through Amnesty International.
Books about First Nation children’s experience in residential schools were delivered to Halifax area public schools.
A member attends monthly meetings of the Face of Poverty.
A monetary donation was made to the homeless shelter, “Out of the Cold”.
Peace and Interfaith Work: United Nations International Day of Peace was celebrated September 21 2016, with Peace Expo including 12 different Peace groups providing information about their programs.
Halifax Monthly Meeting participated in World Interfaith Harmony Week, on Jan. 29 , 2017, hosting about 45 community members at our Meeting for Worship.
Our refugee committee members attended a SupperNova gathering at St. Benedict Church, for immigrants.
Atlantic Friends Gathering: a total of 10 Halifax Monthly Meeting Friends were among the 40 person attending the AFG Gathering this year. Meeting with the wider group of Friends from New Brunswick, PEI and Annapolis Valley inspired us, and helped us to appreciate the wider Quaker world.
Halifax Monthly Meeting needs: The presence of six children at AFG reminds us that we need to take special means to attract child attenders to our Meeting.
To assist in opening and closing our Meeting on Sundays we have hired Patrick Okiowei, a graduate student from Nigeria, who moves the furniture and sets up the chairs for our worship circle.
Welcomers needed: We need Friends to sign up for the Sunday task of welcoming Friends and visitors to our Meeting. Sundays are covered through July 2nd. We need Welcomers for July 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. Welcomers arrive around 10 a.m., supervise refreshments, and following social time supervise dish clean-up, & make sure all lights are turned off, windows closed and door locked when you leave.