Dear Friends,

Today is college graduation day for Jay, and it has been wonderful having my daughter home for a few days as well. It’s amazing the changes that happen in our children, particularly as adults.  I am looking forward to seeing Jay walk across the stage and get his diploma, and it will be good to share this with family and friends.  The theme of everything lately seems to be transitions and changes.  Sunday’s message is on navigating liminal spaces because we all go through some in our lives.   Some of these are spiritual changes.

So do institutions.  Klamath Falls Friends Church is not an exception.  As society changes, how we view and interpret spirituality changes for all of us.  Rare are the people who see God at seventy years old the same way they experience God at thirty years old.  If we are growing, which we are, we are changing.  It is normal to transform your thoughts about God and spirituality with time.

As the members of Klamath Falls Friends have changed and matured, we need to have our communication with others evolve as well.  One such communication device is the laminated sheet that helps our attendees and new people to understand unprogrammed worship: what it is about, how to help it become more meaningful, and when to speak from the silence.  Next week we will be attaching the written sheet to be sent out with Friday with Friends for your discernment and feedback.

This week I have attached the notes from the Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business.  Much was covered, and there is a lot to read over.  This is a very active meeting.  Please come and join us in our different activities that are offered throughout the month. Our next meeting for business is in September.

This week is the book study after Meeting for Worship.  We are reading The Naked Now : Learning to See as The Mystics See by Richard Rohr.  This is a great small book with very short chapters that are full of mind-provoking insights into our spiritual lives.  This month we are on chapters 6,7, and 8.  There are 22 chapters, so there is plenty of time to get in on the discussion and come and learn with us.  The questions for this week are:

What do you wonder about?

Which comes easiest to you and why:

• Standing in disbelief
• Standing in the question itself
• Standing in awe before something (pg. 46)?

How do you hold something lightly and avoid jumping to declaring it good or bad (pg. 49-50)?

How do you hold onto yes when you are first perceiving something and reserve judgment and/or analysis (pg. 49-50)?

How can you tell if there is truth to something (pg. 52-54)?

How do you perceive something without first running it through your mind (pg. 55-57)?

Lastly, our joint PRIDE event (With the UU Fellowship and Klamath Lutheran Church) will be a dinner and dance social held at Klamath Luthern Church on the 27 of June from 4-7 PM.  It will be family friendly.  We will be remembering the Stonewall Riots that happened on June 28, 1969. “The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Although the demonstrations were not the first time American LGBTQ people fought back against government-sponsored persecution of sexual minorities, the Stonewall riots marked a new beginning for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.” (Google)  It is important for you to come as a member of the LGBTQAI+ community or to come as a family, friend or just as an ally.  It is important to celebrate where we have come from so that it is not so easily taken back from us. Equality should never be taken for granted.  So please show up.  And bring a dish.  There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the entry of the church for dishes that are needed.

I pray you are all enjoying this beautiful weather.  It’s a nice day to reflect on spiritual growth.

Thank you so much,

Leigh

Announcements

• June 14 – 11:00 AM Book Study –The Naked Now, Richard Rohr (chapters 6,7&8)
• June 15 – 9:00  AM Church Cleanup
• June 17 – 6:00 PM Music Committee
• June 21 – 9:00 AM Peace and Social Concerns
• June 23 – 5-7 PM Food Pantry – if you want to volunteer please contact Alicia Pinkerton
• June 24 – 6:00 PM Music Committee
• June 27 -4-7 PM Pride Gathering at Klamath Lutheran Church – There is a sign-up sheet for people to bring food to the event.  Please sign up and show your support.
• June 30 –  5-7PM Food Pantry — if you want to volunteer please contact Alicia Pinkerton