Peace Activity Notes & Links

Worship and Action Activities

• Brooklyn Meeting's peace vigil at Brooklyn Borough Hall (Joralemon Street side), every Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 P.M.
• Fifteenth Street Meeting's peace vigil, first Sunday of each month, Washington Square arch, 1:00 P.M.
• Alfred Monthly Meeting holds a peace vigil every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 P.M. at Main and Church Streets.

1/4/03 Workshop for Counseling on Conscience and War, with Bill Galvin of the Center for Conscience and War (formerly NISBCO), at Purchase Meeting.

10/26/02 Training Class for Counselors on Conscience and War by Bill Galvin of the Center for Conscience and War (formerly NISBCO) was held at Summit Monthly Meeting, Chatham, N.J.

10/26/02 Many Friends plan to travel to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, October 26th for a National March to Stop the War against Iraq. Friends throughout NYYM are organizing transportation. Information on buses leaving from numerous locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York is also available from the Web site of the International A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition at www.internationalanswer.org.

10/24/02 An individual Friend writes that he, as a Christian, plans to keep the fast of Ramadan.

10/20/02 Peace vigil for Quaker women and all friendly women at the Pentagon.

10/19/02 The Syracuse office of the American Friends Service Committee will hold a one-cay training session for people interested in counseling youth on militarism issues. Friends and all others concerned about this topic are encourage to attend.

9/21/02 United Nations international day of peace. Saratoga Peace Alliance, which includes Friends from Saratoga and Easton Monthly Meetings, will hold a 12- hour vigil on Sept. 21. They invite other Meetings to plan activities on that day.

9/11/02 Rockland Friends meeting for worship drew a reporter for a small local paper, who interviewed some of our members, especially the NYC EMS technician who is our resident caretaker and is a Friend.

9/11/02 Scarsdale Friends meeting for worship with a concern for peace, 7:00-8:30 P.M. at the meetinghouse, 133 Popham Rd., Scarsdale.

9/6/02 Rockland Friends news: Two members of Rockland Friends Meeting (John Bristow, Linda Glasgal) met with congressional candidate Anne Sumers, of the 5th district of New Jersey. Dr. Sumers has been a Republican and is now again a Democrat but is keeping a low party-profile in this strongly Republican area. We found her to be firmly against an invasion of Iraq on humanitarian, economic, and diplomacy grounds, and also receptive to the Quaker perspective, which we brought to the discussion. Friend Chad Murdock appeared before the Rockland County Legislature Wednesday evening, Sept. 4. The legislature immediately drafted and passed a resolution calling on Congress to insist on presidential consultation before taking any military action overseas. Murdock also invited half a dozen activists of his acquaintance to a strategy meeting on Sept. 6 at Rockland Friends Meetinghouse, and they were joined by a like number of Friends. Possible activities of most interest were holding a vigil at the local shopping mall; publishing a signature ad or a panel ad; holding a public discussion or teach-in; issuing a statement.

8/26/02 Buffalo Monthly meeting is putting a quarter page ad in the Buffalo News and large ads in two alternative newspapers publicizing the Gospel of Peace Message. They created an e-mail address to give people a way to correspond with them. Most of the responses received so far have been grateful and in agreement. Two politely but firmly disagreed -- one with the claim that Jesus, by cursing the fig tree and driving out the money changers, was no pacifist himself and the other with the old "It would never work on Hitler" argument.

8/25/02 Some members of Staten Island Executive Meeting have been visiting a local mosque. We have attended their Friday service about six times in the past year. We identify ourselves as Quakers and explain that we are there to offer friendship, support, and community. Our visits appear to be much appreciated.

8/25/02 Rockland Friends progress meeting: reports of continuing work on projects already begun. Oral reports from Worship and Action gathering at Oakwood. Agrement to meet every week as long as the need continues. Plans to meet with candidates running for Congress.

8/23-25/02 Yearly Meeting-wide Worship and Action Gathering at Oakwood School

8/22/02 Saratoga Monthly Meeting has encouraged the formation of a local peace organization, with Friends from Easton also participating. We have been lifted up by all of the creative, passionate people who have turned out to speak out for peace. We have a web site: www.saratogapeacealliance.org. On 8/24 from 10 A.M.-2 P.M. in front of the Saratoga Springs downtown post office teams of people will be handing out our handout that we created to encourage folks to contact their reps. Our next big event will be a 12-hour vigil on Sept. 21 - the United Nations International Day of Peace. We invite other meetings to plan activities on that day.

8/18/02 Syracuse Monthly Meeting approved at business meeting a minute, after circulation to members and attenders and revisions carried out over several weeks. The cost of print-media ads seemed prohibitive, so it is being distributed as a letter to the editor of local and surrounding newspapers, as well as faxing and following with mail copies the minute itself to the government officials named. Copies are also being distributed to various local churches, peace groups, and other organizations.

8/18/02 Bullshead-Oswego Friends meeting for worship with attention to business Preparation includes inquiries about assistance with placing newspaper ads.

8/18/02 Alfred Monthly Meeting called meeting: decisions to hold weekly vigil, place newspaper, radio, ant TV ads, establish a peace center, and more.

8/15/02 Two Friends' delegations met separately with Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut. A group from Wilton Monthly Meeting shared with him concerns about war on Iraq, and a delegation from Purchase Quarter addressed protecting the rights of conscientious objectors.

8/14/02 Purchase Quarter Peace Concerns Committee first meeting

8/12/02 Easton Friends are inquiring in cooperation with Saratoga Friends about support for placing newspaper ads.

8/11/02 New York City Peace Friends called meeting

8/11/02 Rockland Monthly Meeting special Meeting with a Concern for Action: Friends agreed to explore such possibilities as a newspaper ad in conjunction with other groups, setting up a panel discussion on an interfaith basis, determining what other groups are doing, visiting legislators, and reaching out to young adults, perhaps through the community colleges, to inform about CO status. A statement of purpose is to be drafted. Follow-up 8/18 at Meeting for Business.

8/11/02 Saratoga Monthly Meeting for worship with a concern for business: Friends learned of the efforts that several of our members and attenders are putting into the formation of the Saratoga Peace Alliance. The Alliance is a community peace group involving other faith communities as well as interested individuals from the Saratoga area. Initial efforts have involved letters to the editor of our local newspaper, and leafleting.

8/11/02 Rochester Monthly Meeting called meeting for worship with a concern for business consideration of meeting actions for peace

8/10/02 Alfred Friends special gathering to prepare for business meeting consideration of peace actions

8/4/02 Montclair Monthly Meeting discussed placing ads in newspapers during business meeting

8/4/02 Purchase Quarterly Meeting decides to use Gospel of Peace minute for newspaper ads, forms new Peace Concerns Committee with short term focus on efforts to avoid war on Iraq.

8/4/02 Baltimore Yearly Meeting call to action regarding Iraq

8/4/02 Morningside Monthly Meeting approves minute opposing the pending invasion of Iraq.

8/4/02 called meeting of Brooklyn monthly meeting Sunday, August 4 at 1:00 PM. "The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss possible responses by our meeting to the war against Iraq being proposed by the administration in Washington."

8/2/02 called meeting of Purchase Monthly Meeting

8/2/02 YM-wide announcement of Worship and Action gathering on 8/24

7/30/02 Syracuse Monthly Meeting working committee conveys information about the cost of newspaper ads

7/26/02 New York Yearly Meeting in session approves minutes calling Friends to worship and action in response to war making and affirming the gospel of Jesus as a gospel of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.