— committed to reckoning & repair —invite you to join us this fall for study and discussion

The Beloved Community Keepers, a bubble within the Heartfelt Service Ministry Circle, is writing to you today to invite you to participate in a book study and discussion program this fall related to our reckoning with our church's history and our repair commitments related to the Wampanoag community.

We invite you to read Nothing More of this Land: Community Power and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee —  together, as a community. Below we offer a road map of engagement with the Wampanoag community, with the wider Island community and with our congregation. Please join us in any or all of these opportunities!

Go to the Hatmarcha Gift Shop at the Gay Head Cliffs, which is owned by Joseph Lee's parents, to purchase Joseph Lee's book Nothing More of this Land. The shop is open 10am-5pm 7 days/week. Their phone number is 508-645-3704. You might want to call to ensure they have books in stock before heading to Aquinnah.

Learn about the Aquinnah Land Initiative and attend the presentation on September 2 at 6:00PM at Stillpoint. The presentation will be an unveiling of their vision for land stewardship and access for future generations. Go to The Aquinnah Land Initiative website and scroll to the September 2 event for details about the event. This event may be repeated, or similar informative sessions held, so keep checking for updates.

Attend the annual Gay Head/Aquinnah Wampanoag Powwow on September 12 and/or 13 at the Aquinnah Circle. Attending the powwow is a great opportunity to create and grow relationships with Tribal members.

The Massachusetts Center for the Book is sponsoring the 2026 Great Reads MA program, where Joseph Lee and Nothing More of this Land will be featured prominently. The Great Reads program also offers a discussion guide.

The VH Library is sponsoring the following two events:

• A VH Library Community Discussion on Nothing More of This Land. Thursday, Sept 17th at 2:00PM. In person at the Vineyard Haven Library or on Zoom. Joseph Lee will not be attending this event. Registration is required. Please follow the link, above, to register.

• A Virtual Q&A with Joseph Lee at the VH Library on Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 6:00PM. This is a watch party at the VH Library to meet with Joseph (who will be Zooming in) and discuss his book. Registration is required using the same link, above.

Next, there will be a Beloved Community Keepers workshop in the FCCOWT parish hall, Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00PM, to do a deep dive into Nothing More of This Land with Brad Lopes moderating. Here is a tentative format for this event:

• All FCCOWT will be invited, with a maximum of 60 attendees

• Brad Lopes will moderate

• Divide into groups of 10 and meet throughout the church building

• There will be one or two leaders for each group

• Leaders will meet with Brad Lopes prior to the meeting to train and learn key points for discussion

• Each group of 10 discusses Nothing More of This Land, led by the leaders

Please RSVP to Robert Myhill (robertmyhill@gmail.com) to register for the October 14th workshop.

We hope as many of you from the congregation as possible will embark on this study journey with us. If you have questions about any of the offerings, or trouble following any of the links, please email Robert.

Faithfully,
The Beloved Community Keepers