The print edition are due to travelingfriend@cincinnatifriends.org by the end of the month. 

For many years, Cincinnati Friends prepared and served meals to 12 –15 residents six times a year at one of the Tender Mercies buildings in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine neighborhood. Tender Mercies is currently undergoing major renovations to their downtown buildings including the building we served. Their volunteer meal programs will pivot to their other buildings including Slater Hall, the new 62-unit building opening this fall.  The only meal option now is to prepare and serve between 30 and 60 residents per meal. This request became a bit daunting for Cincinnati Friends, and therefore, it was decided to lay this project down. 

The Peace and Social Concern Committee extends a heartfelt “thank you” to all of you who donated your time and resources to prepare, deliver, and serve meals for all those years to the residents. Tender Mercies is truly grateful for everyone’s generosity.

The Peace and Social Committee wishes to continue to serve Tender Mercies in another capacity. Beginning in September and continuing until mid-October, the P&SC invites the Cincinnati Friends Community to consider purchasing new items for residents from their wish list.

If you feel led to participate, please pick up a “Tender Mercies Wish List” on the table outside the library. Then purchase an item (or items) and place it on the long bench outside the CFM Library. There is no limit to the number of each listed item and we do not need to fill the entire list. In mid-October, the donations will be delivered and distributed to the residents.

If you have any questions, please contact Kristin at cfm.officeadmin@gmail.com

Looking to go deeper in your spiritual life?

Explore with others?

Wandering what spiritual nurture is?

Interested in discerning your spiritual gifts? 

Saturday, Nov. 4, the Spiritual Nurture & Gifts Retreat will address those desires and others in a morning devoted to spiritual nurture and an afternoon discerning gifts from two perspectives.  Participants are invited to either the morning nurture and afternoon gifts sessions or BOTH. Lunch will be served between.

Morning

Starting at 9:30, we’ll dig into the pamphlet “Spiritual Nurture: Listening from the Heart,” available on the table outside the worship room. A PDF copy and an audio-file link accompany this email. We’ll discuss the process of spiritual nurture, how a spiritual-nurture group works, the importance of belonging, Beloved Community and the prayerfulness of listening without agenda. Then we’ll organize spiritual nurture groups, including established groups open to new members, and classes for the coming year.

Lunch & afternoon

A soup-and-sandwich lunch will bridge the sessions as our own Elaine Williams provides a Biblical take on and experience of determining spiritual gifts at 1 p.m. About 2 p.m., Earlham School of Religion Graduate and Western Yearly Meeting Recorded Minster April Vanlonden will share the gifts and traps of each Enneagram personality type. The hope is that these diverse ways of discerning gifts will help participants assess their own.

If you do not know your enneagram type, please follow one of the links in the email that was sent last week.  If you are not yet on our email list, contact the office.

Sign up for either or both sessions, bring a soup/side/dessert and order a sandwich online (in the email) or on the paper sign-up sheet on the table outside the worship room. Selection and payment for sandwiches is due by 10/27.

For more information, contact:  Cathy Barney, Nurturer for Spiritual Growth & Outreach  at cathybarney@hotmail.com

On World Quaker Day, October 1, the Murphy Theater in Wilmington will be playing the movie "Friendly Persuasion" at 3 PM. Discussion and fellowship will follow at Charlie's (the bar area attached to the Murphy.) Jim Newby will be going. There is a carpool signup sheet on one of the tables in the hallway.

World Quaker Day is led by Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC).

We will again be meeting on the third Monday of the month at 6:30PM in the library.  We will continue with David Hawkins' book: Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender.  Most of Hawkins’ books, are “Dedicated to removing the blocks to the Higher Self on the path to Enlightenment”.  For the next meeting we will cover chapters 14-17.  All are welcome.

On the first and third Sundays of each month we welcome all to join together in the Fireside Room for fellowship and a potluck lunch after meeting for worship. Feel free to bring any type of "potluck" food to share (prepared dishes you can readily set out). Please join us!
~ The Hospitality Committee

An all Meeting retreat with Michael Birkel, former Professor of Quaker Studies at the Earlham School of Religion.  March 9-10, 2024 at the Meetinghouse.

Food Pantry Sundays

Cincinnati Friends Meeting supports local food pantries by collecting non-perishable food and personal care items at our meetinghouse. (Plastic tubs for contributions are located in the entryway.) Although we collect these donations throughout the year, we put special emphasis on doing so on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. On these day, we give particular thought to the hungry in our community.

The Peace & Social Concerns Committee is contributing CFM’s donations to the Loveland Life Pantry.  Currently, Freestore Foodbank does not accept individual donations.

Current greatest need at Loveland Life Pantry: 

SENIORS: Ensure/Boost

FOOD: Canned Chicken, Canned Fruit, Mixed Vegetables, Canned Carrots, Cereal, Coffee, Flour, Manwich/Sloppy Joe, Ramen, Spaghetti

HOUSEHOLD & PAPER GOODS: Dish Soap, Laundry Detergent, Paper Towels