The Acorn of LOFM

Draft Minutes from Clerk's Meeting, 10/31/09

Here are the draft minutes:

Download Minutes Fall 2009 Clerks Meeting 20091031

First Day School 11/01/09: Alternatives to Military for Youth

Bob Henschen of the War Resistor's League will discuss military recruiting in the high schools at our Adult's First Day School on 11/01/09.

LOFM History: How the meeting got its name in 1957

Houston: On Sunday, Feb. 3, 1957, the Live Oak Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Houston held its formal organization meeting in affiliation with the Friends World Committee.  ... A final decision was made in this meeting in the choice of a name.  This group chose Live Oak because it is used by no other group of Friends and by few other groups.  Because it is short, simple, easy to pronounce.  Because the live oak trees are common all along the gulf coast, and because the live oak trees are evergreens of long life; a timber tree of great durability; one of the trees most capable of shutting off the ray of the hot summer sun; a tree with strong, low branches making a perfect play place for children.

draft minutes from oct 18 2009 business meeting

Please review and post any corrections that you think need to be made in the comments:

Download 2009.10.18 lofm mfb minutes

 

Sign up for Greater Houston Area Dinner Dialogues

Dick Steele asks us to participate in these:

Around the table, over a simple dinner, people of diverse backgrounds come together to share a meal and offer their personal thoughts about life, faith, spirituality. Participants are grouped in host homes to achieve religious diversity, and a trained facilitator guides and moderates the dialogue to ensure a respectful and open environment.

 

For more information, and to register, go to this link: http://www.amazingfaithshouston.org/index.php

Mark your Calendar and Get Ready for Friendly Eights Plus

Within the next few days, you will receive a phone call inviting you to join Friends in your area of town for a Friendly Eight Plus get-together. The purpose of the event is to learn more about and discuss Quaker process for Meeting for Business, Meeting for Worship, and committee work.

Organized by an adhoc committee from Outreach and Planning, the hope is through this discussion and hospitality to deepen our faith understanding and our spiritual relationship within Live Oak Friends.

We strongly encourage your participation.

The way this will work is as follows:

1. One of the following hosts will contact you.  (If you are not in the current directory or your information is incorrect, please call Barbara Cowan so she can make sure you are included.  The guest list of each host has been arranged by zip code to the best of the committee’s ability.)

The Hosts are: 

Victoria Albright & David Wilcox, Hiram Butler, Ally Copony, Barbara Cowan, Joe LoCicero, Peggy and Alex MacDonald, Eileen Penland, Bob Stecker, and Kathryn van der Pol.

2.Each host will have Friends to his home for dessert or potluck, whatever the host decides, sometime before Thanksgiving.

3.If parents wish for their children to participate, they may.

4.Each Friendly Eight Plus group will meet one time unless the sense of that group is that they would like to meet again. Please let us know how we can assist. See our names below.

5.Each group will have an Elder (wise) person to serve as a resource during the meeting.

6.The topic of discussion will be Quaker process.  In other words, how do Friends make decisions in Meeting for Business? How do Friends make decisions in Committee work? How do we conduct these meetings in a Friendly way? How do we prepare ourselves to attend Meeting for Worship?  Meeting for Business? Our Committees?  What about verbal ministry? How do we know when to get up and speak?

It’s a lot to cover and very important that each of us make an effort to participate.  Whether you are a seasoned Quaker or just recently began attending, we want everyone’s insight and involvement.

“Speak in the hope of serving the Meeting’s search for Truth. Your personal opinion or your feelings on an issue are relevant insofar as they help in that search.”    Illinois Yearly Meeting  F&P

Committee members:

Bob Stecker (clerk), Barbara Cowan, Eileen Penland, Kathryn  van der Pol

PS:  If you have not been contacted by October 30, please contact Barbara Cowan.

Shopping Night Nov 13 6-8 pm at Ten Thousand Villages to benefit LOFM peace festival

Do your Christmas shopping at Ten Thousand Villages Nov 13 6-8 pm, and they will forward a portion of the sales to the LOFM peace festival!

Quaker Women's Conference Nov 5-8 - sign up now

Sign up for the Quaker Women's Conference; see brochures in the meeting house.

http://quakerwomensconference.blogspot.com/

11th Annual LOFM Halloween Campout - Lake Somerville State Park - October 23, 24 and 25

Join us for the 11th annual LOFM campout.  We have reserved campsites in the Birch Creek Unit on the north side of Lake Somerville, in the Cedar Elm camping area.  We will have pavilion #2 to use for our group.  A map is available.

Some of us will be going up Friday evening.  Others will come for the day on Saturday, some will camp on Saturday night.  Come for as much of it as you can.  Bring a pumpkin to carve on Saturday afternoon, costumes and candy for Saturday evening trick or treating amongst ourselves.

Canoeing, swimming, hiking, biking, fellowship, music.

Potluck on Saturday evening. Bring what you want for other meals.  Motel accomodations  are available in Somerville and closer to the park if you like.

See Joan Stewart for info.

A Concern from Marjorie DeHartog

A concern from Marjorie DeHartog Hey everyone, In recent months, I'm becoming more and more committed to solving the climate crisis. And this week, I saw the simulcast of the documentary film, The Age of Stupid, devastating and a real wake-up call.   If you're like me, you're convinced about the urgency of this problem, but don't know what you can do that will make a real difference.  That's why I'm writing you today. I just joined a really important effort to stop global warming at www.350.org. It's a new global campaign focused on making sure the world takes the kind of big, bold, fast action that we need to solve this crisis. Here's the situation: - The science of climate change is getting darker by the day. The Arctic is melting away with astonishing speed, decades ahead of schedule. Everything on the planet seems to be melting or burning, rising or parched.  No surprise there--scientists tell us that the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million, and we're at 389 and rising. - But there's good news: we're not cooked yet, and THIS YEAR we have an opportunity to make a real impact.  In December, the nations of the world will be meeting to craft a global treaty designed to help the world act together to solve global warming.   The terms of this treaty may well determine whether we actually save the planet from climate change, so it's up to all of us to make sure we get it right. - But nobody's going to do it for us--we all need to step up here. Here's how you can help: people all over the world are coming together to create an International Day of Action on October 24th through the website 350.org. The goal is to take a united stand to get the planet--and ourselves--back to 350 out of this huge mess.  If we're loud enough all over the world, we can really make a difference.  - So, I would ask that LOFM think about organizing a local event.  We need as many events as possible, all over the world!  You can register your event at http://www.350.org/oct24 - Why 350? Find out in this fun 90-second video clip: http://www.350.org/animation Thanks - and blessings. Marjorie de H.