01 Apr: 5:30 PM – Westerly School Committee Meeting – Council Chambers – Westerly Town Hall
06 Apr: 6:00 PM – Westerly Town Council Meeting – Council Chambers – Westerly Town Hall
11 Apr: Friends Changemaker Weekend – FCNL – April 11 to 14 – Washington DC
Violence is continuing to spread throughout the Middle East. Thousands of people have died. Our government does not have a clear path to ending the war and bringing about peace. This is why we need you with us to do deep, sustained work for peace.
Join us online for our hybrid advocacy conference, Friends Changemaker Weekend.
The event will take place April 11–14, 2026, and will bring together constituent leaders from across the country for both education and action. We expect Congress to consider spending even more money on the war with Iran this spring, so together, we will call on them to fund the people’s needs, not war.
During Friends Changemaker Weekend, we will practice tailoring our messaging to persuade members of Congress. We will take immediate action together through a congressional call-in drive and make plans to carry our advocacy forward to amplify our impact.
11 Apr: 9:00 AM – Visioning Day for Thriving Quarters, UU Church of Haverhill, 15 Kenoza Avenue Haverhill, MA
We are writing to warmly invite your participation in the upcoming Visioning Day for Thriving Quarters. This will be an all-day programmed gathering to learn and share about the spiritual legacy and present-day experiences of our quarterly meetings. All are welcome! Please announce this gathering at your monthly meeting and encourage individuals and groups in your meeting to attend. Link to Visioning Day Flyer
20 Apr: 6:00 PM – Westerly Town Council Meeting – Council Chambers – Westerly Town Hall
22 Apr: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
24 Apr: 10:00 AM – For the Love of Trees | An Arbor Day Celebration – Westerly Library Auditorium
Join Gunilla Norris, Mark Diekmann, David Madden, Jan Salsich, Beth Hansen, Dennis Long, and Laura Jackson
Westerly Library and Wilcox Park is joined by The Westerly Friends Meeting and The Westerly Land Trust to present an Arbor Day celebration featuring music and entertainment with Frank Pendola and John Roarke. Deirdre O’Connor of the Westerly Land Trust will describe the programs and events families can participate in. She will also speak about how the Westerly Land Trust is helping the tree canopy of Westerly. Poetry reading by Mark Diekmann. Arborist, Ashley Ravo, will share how to care for our trees.
24 Apr: 7:00 PM – For the Sake of the Joy: Meetings, Pilgrimage, and the Re-Olding of Quakerism – Lecture by Noah Bishop Merrill at Earlham School of Religion – Register for the Zoom link here.
Noah Bishop Merrill brings this year’s Perkins Family Lecture: For the Sake of the Joy: Meetings, Pilgrimage, and the Re-Olding of Quakerism
Noah Bishop Merrill, General Secretary for New England Yearly Meeting of Friends will bring the 2026 Perkins Family Lecture For the Sake of the Joy: Meetings, Pilgrimage, and the Re-Olding of Quakerism on Fridy, April 24, 7 PM @ Earlham School of Religion (Richmond IN) and online.
Noah Bishop Merrill is a recorded Friends minister under the oversight and care of Putney Friends Meeting in southern Vermont. Noah carries a concern for the encouragement of Friends called to gospel ministry, and for the thriving of covenant communities sharing the pilgrimage of faith in the Friends tradition. Since 2013, he has served as Secretary for New England Yearly Meeting of Friends.
27 Apr: 7:00 PM – Observer Training – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County, 27 North Road South Kingstown, RI
Join with your neighbors and other people of faith as we work together to support our immigrant communities. Our work together is grounded in our two core values: everyone is a beloved child of God and a commitment to non-violence.This training will provide guidance on how stay within the law when you:
- are protesting
- are a friend or bystander during ICE and CBP actions and arrests
- are documenting ICE and CBP actions and arrests
- are protecting your home, school, place of worship, or business from ICE and CBP
Link to Registration
29 Apr: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
04 May: 6:00 PM – Westerly Town Council Meeting – Council Chambers – Westerly Town Hall
06 May: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
06 May: 5:30 PM – Westerly School Committee Meeting – Council Chambers – Westerly Town Hall
09 May: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – Permanent Board meeting – Wellesley Friends Meeting in Wellesley, MA – Hybrid
We welcome your interest and participation. Click here for general information and background documents pertaining to Permanent Board, and a link to register to attend.
If you are interested in learning more about recent Permanent Board discernment, the minutes and advance documents for past PB meetings can be found here.
12 May: 11:00 AM – Open House Celebration – WARM Center – 58 Spruce Street, Westerly, RI
You’re Invited! – Join us to celebrate the opening of our new project! – This special milestone represents an important step forward in expanding safe, stable housing for families in our community, and we would love for you to celebrate with us. This project reflects the power of partnership and community support, and we’re excited to share this moment with the people who help make WARM’s work possible.
Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to stay for a casual open house and informal lunch. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate this exciting milestone and the continued effort to ensure our neighbors have a place to call home.
Please RSVP to Jill at 401-596-9276 or by clicking the link RSVP
13 May: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
13 May: 5:30 PM – Peace Essay Award – Westerly Friends Meeting
Please plan to attend this event to show our support to the community and the winner of the peace essay contest. The winner will read their essay as part of the celebration and refreshments will be served.
17 May: 9:00 AM – Neighbor Day – Wilcox Park – Saturday, May 17, 9:00-2:00
Save the date for the Town of Westerly’s annual Neighbor Day celebration. This event, organized by the Multicultural Committee, is a chance to learn more about your town, it’s history, and interact with your neighbors. This year’s theme is “Honoring the Diversity of Westerly’s Forgotten Patriots.” Highlights include: Educational Activity: Visit displays with the names of area veterans of the Revolutionary War, where they are buried locally, histories of important individuals, maps of key battles, and more. Scavenger Hunt: Test your knowledge of the park and the diverse group of Rhode Island Revolutionary soldiers who fought for our freedom from the English. Children’s Activities & Music: Participate in Revolutionary Era Children’s games, practice your artistic skills, and enjoy the music of Frank Pendola, along with selections from the musical Hamilton. See more details here.
17 May: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM – Observer Training – St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (East Greenwich) Registration
Join with your neighbors and other people of faith as we work together to support our immigrant communities. Our work together is grounded in our two core values: everyone is a beloved child of God and a commitment to non-violence. Link to Website
This training will provide guidance on how stay within the law when you:
- are protesting
- are a friend or bystander during ICE and CBP actions and arrests
- are documenting ICE and CBP actions and arrests
- are protecting your home, school, place of worship, or business from ICE and CBP
20 May: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
27 May: 9:00 AM – Wednesday Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting
30 May: 9:00 AM – Extended Meeting for Worship – Westerly Friends Meeting, Westerly, RI
Modeled on a twenty-five-year practice in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, we have begun these opportunities for NEYM Friends to experience a full day of Quaker worship. In March we will be meeting at the beautiful, historic Dover Friends Meetinghouse. We hope that many Friends will join us.
07 Jun: Southeast Quarterly Meeting – Smithfield Friends – 108 Smithfield Rd. (Rte 146-A), Woonsocket, RI
20 Jun: “Meeting for Listening” – NEYM – the spiritual life in our local meetings – full-day, hybrid
Together, we will:
- Dream together
- Identify the resources meetings have to offer each other
- Explore themes in State of Society reports and trends from statistical reports
- Discover what’s possible now
We gather to share with each other–to reflect on where Spirit is alive in our local worshiping communities. These insights and reflections also inform programmatic planning in the year ahead and our Yearly Meeting’s annual priorities.