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Gospel of Peacefrom IraqGreetings from the members of the 2002 Quaker/AFSC Delegation to Iraq. We return filled with the spirit of hospitality and generosity that we received from the People of Iraq. But we are deeply troubled by the living conditions they face.Seven of us have traveled to Iraq in violation of US law and UN sanctions under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee's Campaign of Conscience for the Iraqi People. We have made this journey as an act of conscience. We are returning to the US to share our experience and to challenge Friends and others to expand efforts to lift the US-led sanctions and to speak out against further military action in Iraq. Our delegation included Quakers from four Yearly Meetings, two AFSC staff, and a guide from Voices in the Wilderness, an organization that has facilitated more than 40 delegations to Iraq in the last 6 years. Prior to our departure from Chicago on May 30, we learned that an American who had just returned from Iraq received a $10,000 fine from the US Treasury Department for a prior visit. The knowledge that our government has, for the first time, imposed such a fine on a US citizen who was carrying humanitarian supplies to suffering people strengthened our commitment to this public witness against the impact of the sanctions policy and the US government's open preparations for expanded military operations in Iraq. We traveled overland from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad on June 2. During the following eight days, we met with an amazing variety of experts from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, Iraqi government ministries, as well as technicians, doctors, artists, and teachers. Many of our most insightful and memorable interactions, however, were with taxi drivers, shop owners, fellow airline passengers, and other informal acquaintances. We endeavored to be ambassadors of good will and peace, and we gathered their stories to share with you. While most of our time was spent in Baghdad, we traveled to Basrah (the country's third largest city) on an Iraqi Airlines flight, flying through the US-imposed "no-fly zone." We also traveled to the rural village of Bodija, where AFSC will be funding the rehabilitation of a small water treatment plant as the next phase of the Campaign of Conscience. As we waited for tea in the home of one of the villagers, an elderly man repeated what we heard often during our stay. "We do not hate the American people." The Iraqi people, who live under a military dictatorship, have no experience of being able to influence their government's policies or actions. While they universally express anger and frustration with President Bush and the US policies, they apparently do not hold the American people responsible for the actions of our government. However, they pleaded with us to do whatever we can to have the sanctions lifted. Our chief concerns for the people of Iraq center on the deteriorating situation in the sectors of education, health, water and sanitation. Each day, UNICEF estimates that 500,000 tons of raw sewage is dumped into Iraq's fresh water systems, due to the unavailability of replacement equipment. Seventy percent of childhood deaths are attributed to preventable illnesses, including diarrhea and gastroenteritis brought on by dirty water. As we return to our Meetings and our communities, the task before us seems overwhelming. The US government is thwarting international law and undermining the authority of international institutions that were designed to uphold the power of law rather than the law of power. The government of Saddam Hussein is oppressive and undemocratic, but our government's policies have further concentrated the Iraqi government's control over resources and made Iraqis even more dependent on government programs (including food distribution) for survival. It is the people of Iraq who are suffering and who will face certain tragedy in an expanded war. As Quakers, we must seek to be faithful and rise to the enormity of the task. We call upon Friends to exercise leadership in the struggle to protect the Iraqi people and liberate them from the burden of US-imposed policies. We encourage the following actions:
We are committed to sharing our experience among Friends and other groups in the US. We must seek to break the isolation of the Iraqi people and work to bring Iraq back into the community of nations. These goals can be accomplished only by changing US policy and averting an expansion of military action. Even as we resist the demonization of Saddam Hussein, we must also resist the demonization of President Bush and other US government officials. The way of Truth requires us to recognize our own complicity in policies carried out in our name if we do not speak and act boldly to oppose them. Back to contents
Early on Saturday morning we headed to the West Bank town of Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are headquartered, and where for over 100 years the Quakers have run schools for Palestinian children. We arrived at the Friends Boys School in Ramallah and spent the afternoon in orientation for the delegation, learning more about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, discussing the schedule for our 12 days together, and preparing for the work ahead. As we began our evening discussions, curfew fell. This was not a surprise, as the town of Ramallah has been under curfew by the Israeli military for much of the past few weeks. What does curfew mean? It means all the people must stay inside their houses. Jeeps full of soldiers patrol the streets, using their loud speakers to declare curfew and to yell at playing children to get inside quickly. Once in a while a tank comes down the road, making an incredible racket and shaking the building in which we are staying. In between these noisy incidents there is an eerie quiet. Most amazing of all are the kites, dozens of them in different colors, sizes, and shapes. As curfew gets underway, children all over the city go up to the roofs of their houses and release their kites high into the sky. They say the kites symbolize the freedom of movement. See how they dance in the sky and fly so far and wide! The children want to be as free as the kites, but must wait. We newcomers are dismayed for them when the curfew is not lifted the following morning, nor the next morning. For seemingly endless hours they all must stay inside while the soldiers continue their patrols in jeeps and tanks. How will this bring peace to this troubled land, we wonder. How will compassion and understanding rule over fear and hate? NOTE: The Israeli government has stated that their military re-occupation of Ramallah and the curfews are necessary for the Israeli army to prevent suicide bombings by Palestinians and to arrest people accused of "terrorist acts." The Quaker Peace Delegation spent a total of three days in the West Bank town of Ramallah, speaking with Palestinians to learn about the situation and experiencing some aspects of Israeli military re-occupation. Under the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993, the Palestinian Authority had been given full control of Area A, which included Ramallah and other areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, the high level of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis since September 2000 had included increasing numbers of deadly suicide bombings by Palestinians against Israeli civilians. The Israelis responded strongly in March and April of this year, launching incursions in the West Bank and establishing a re-occupation in nearly all Palestinian territory. On Tuesday when we planned to depart for Jerusalem, Ramallah was under curfew. We recognized that leaving Ramallah represented a form of civil disobedience and involved a certain degree of risk. As is the practice for peace delegations like ours, we had a group discussion and came to an agreement that we would break curfew and try walking out of town. The Palestinians told us that when they see foreigners breaking curfew, it gives them some hope. Knowing this, we greeted people in doorways, on balconies, and at windows as we walked through the deserted streets of Ramallah. They responded courteously and even with enthusiasm at times. We were on the back roads and did not encounter Israeli soldiers. Eventually, we found a taxi and made our way back to Jerusalem. Later on Tuesday we had some free time, so we went to East Jerusalem, the Arab side of this city famous for its many battles over the centuries, and holy to three major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In contrast to Ramallah, the streets of East Jerusalem were full and businesses were bustling. As we headed back to the hostel in the Old City, we found the imposing gates closed, with soldiers and police shooing people away. In response to our queries, we learned that a suicide bomber had entered West Jerusalem, the Jewish side of the city, and had blown himself up. Several people were injured in the blast. My heart sank. Clearly, this was an act of revenge for last week's incident in Gaza in which 15 Palestinians were killed, 9 of them children, and many other civilians wounded. The Israelis had dropped a one-ton bomb on the home of Salah Shehadeh, a man suspected of organizing suicide bombings for the Palestinian faction known as Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement). Hamas had announced it would retaliate for the bombing in Gaza. I thought that's what Tuesday's bombing in Jerusalem was, but then the following day, Wednesday, there came a much worse bombing. Seven people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a bomb exploded at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. My heart sank even lower. The Israelis in Jerusalem have spoken with us about how they and Israelis elsewhere live in fear of these random acts of violence. They go about their lives knowing they may be victims of a bombing at any time--on a bus, in a cafe, on the street. They long for security, for freedom from the violence that is so common these days. Today, Thursday, the Israelis have announced that they are preparing a rapid military retaliation against Hamas targets. Will this retaliation end Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation of their towns and their lands? Will it bring peace and security to Israel? Will another bomb killing Israelis in yet more retaliation bring peace and a sovereign state to Palestinians? There are many on both sides who think yes, violence is the answer. Fortunately there are many others--both Israeli and Palestinian--who do not agree. They are anxious to break this cycle of violence and destruction. The big question before them at this point in their intertwined histories is how. On Thursday, August 1, the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) delegation traveled from Jerusalem to Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, taking a tortuous route through and around the checkpoints and barricades that Israel has established every few miles on roads used by Palestinians. Hebron, sacred to Judaism and Islam as the home of Abraham and site of his tomb, is a city with a population of approximately 130,000 Palestinians and 500 Israelis. Christian Peacemaker Teams maintains a permanent presence in Hebron because of the daily strife and tension between Israeli residents and soldiers and the Palestinians. Upon our arrival, the local CPT team provided us with an orientation to their work and to Hebron itself. They explained that the Israelis live in two large settlements next to Hebron as well as in four heavily guarded enclaves in the old city of Hebron. The settlers in the old city are Jewish extremists (a word used by both Israelis and Palestinians), who have been forcibly taking over Palestinian houses and other buildings to expand their presence in Hebron. The CPT team took us up to the roof of their building, from where they pointed out the settlement enclaves in the old city, the streets and passageways closed off to Palestinians to give free passage to the Israelis, and the hundreds of Israeli soldiers stationed on rooftops and street corners to protect the 500 settlers. Members of our delegation joined the permanent CPT team in their work in the streets of Hebron, where CPTers use non-violent direct action to interrupt violence and prevent harm. One day when our area of Hebron was under curfew, team member LeAnne Clausen and I were walking in the street when a man called down from a second-story window in an alley of the Old City. He asked that we check his door to the street, as it could not be opened from the inside. Sure enough, we saw that the door was blocked with a huge rock and large pieces of junk metal. Unhurriedly, LeAnne and I began to remove parts of the barricade. Abruptly, an Israeli soldier came around the corner and in a loud voice ordered us to stop immediately. We obeyed and stepped back, then asked who put up the barricade and why. The soldier loaded his gun and repeatedly ordered us not to touch the barricade. We asked his two comrades to try to cool him off, to no avail. They went on their way and moments later we heard shooting as the soldiers shot rubber bullets up alleys to shoo playing children back into their homes. Later, we visited the Ibrahimi Mosque where Abraham's tomb is said to be and received a copy of the settlers' leaflet for visitors. It said, "Every Jew, and every human being with a heart and soul, can understand how full this city is of significance, history and holiness, and that the Jewish People cannot hand over the city of our ancestors to the enemy. . . . Our mission is to rebuild Hebron, for the sake of the Jewish People, past and future, and for the sake of all those who seek justice and freedom the world over." To broaden our understanding, we looked for opportunities to engage in dialogue with the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. We found that the Palestinians are eager to talk about their difficult situation. We listened and tried to understand how we Americans might help. They made it very clear that our top priority should be to question the U.S. government's unilateral support for Israel's actions. Some Israeli soldiers were quite willing to talk. They told us how difficult their job is in Hebron: They are there to protect the settlers and their buildings, but the settlers at times go into the streets and vandalize Palestinian stores, smash up Palestinian cars, or otherwise terrorize the Palestinians. At these times, the soldiers explained, they may end up protecting the Palestinians. They were clearly uncomfortable with this role. I had direct experience with the Jewish residents on Saturday, August 3. Returning from the market, I was approaching the door to the CPT apartment when stones came flying at me from the other side of the barbed wire at the end of the street. I ducked quickly inside but not before noting that the perpetrators were Israeli settler youth. The CPT told me this was a frequent occurrence and indeed, two fellow delegation members returned to the apartment that day with bruises and mud-stained clothes from another stone-throwing attack by Israeli youth. I was truly perplexed by these unprovoked acts. But then on Sunday, August 4 we watched a 1994 British documentary about the lives and attitudes of the Jewish children living in Hebron. The songs the children sang about wiping out the Arabs, the feelings they expressed about the Jews' right to have Hebron, and the praise they had for a Jew who had killed and injured many Palestinians praying in the mosque left me with a deep chill in my heart. For how many decades will the young children carry hate and anger in their hearts? How can the conflict between these two people be resolved when Israel has a small number of Jews so fanatical about living in the heart of this Palestinian city? Is there any scenario under which the Jewish settlers might either leave Hebron or agree to a small, non-expanding, peaceful presence? On the positive side, there are many Palestinians and Israelis working for peace and justice. Yet all of those with whom we spoke were frustrated, angry, and depressed. They shared with us how much effort it takes for them to maintain rays of hope for a positive future for the two peoples. The solution is obvious to most Palestinians with whom we spoke: There would be peace, security, and justice, they said, if Israel were to cede control over the West Bank and Gaza and over the lives of its 3.2 million Palestinian inhabitants, and if they were to allow for a viable, sovereign Palestinian state. The Oslo peace agreements failed, they explained, because during the years of negotiating the Israelis continued rapidly to confiscate Palestinian land, expand existing settlements in the West Bank and build dozens of new ones, and construct a network of security roads--all of which effectively cuts up the West Bank and Gaza Strip into 180 disconnected pieces. The solution is less obvious to Israelis, in part because they have different priorities. Many feel they have tried giving the Palestinians a good deal through the peace negotiations and that the Palestinians rejected their best offer. Many Israelis share the view of their government, that the first priority is to maintain Israel as a democratic Jewish state that includes much of the West Bank land but not its Arab inhabitants. The debate among them is how much of the West Bank territory should be ceded to some sort of Palestinian control. Emerging is a plan for a Palestinian territory that would consist of multiple enclaves surrounded by Israel and controlled in a way that would not allow for a viable, sovereign Palestinian state. (We heard Israelis and Palestinians refer to these as "Bantustans" and the system as "apartheid.") Israelis' second priority is security, to live without fear of bomb attacks as they go about their lives, eating in cafes, riding on buses, and driving along highways. Further down on the priority list come peace and social justice. From what I saw and heard, there is a two-state solution that would give the Palestinians a viable, sovereign state and the Israelis a Jewish state and security. This involves peace, dignity, and social justice. It will take a lot of work to bring it to fruition. I was surprised at the number of Palestinians who asked for our help as Americans. They said that the U.S. government is the only one that has the power and respect of both the Palestinians and Israelis and, as such, is in a position to bring the parties together to forge a just and lasting peace. As I boarded the plane back to New York, I thought about this burden placed on me as an American citizen and I resolved to do what I can. Spee Braun, Old Chatham Back to contents
The gathering began Friday evening with worship. Open worship continued and deepened for almost two hours on Saturday morning. In the afternoon small groups shared ideas for action and reported back. Four groups then considered clustered concerns and reported back on interfaith cooperation, coordinated war tax resistance, Friends peace centers, and conscientious objection concerns of Quaker and other youth. Saturday evening there was settled appreciation of being together. The gathering commends to others the pattern of gathering in extended worship, sharing in a mix of whole-group and small-group times, returning often to worship, and including worship sharing. Sunday morning focused on personal experience of the weekend, fasting as spiritual practice and public witness (recommended reading: Paul Bragg, The Miracle of Fasting), and civil disobedience. Ideas included
"If we feel frustrated about Quakers' perceived inaction, or worried about whether a specific action is the right one for us, we must remember that the real agenda for action is the one we don't know about--that we need to listen for God." All present expressed a deep sense of gratitude in varying forms for our time together and the depth of worship, discernment, and mutual accompaniment we experienced. As agreed at Oakwood, an open e-mail discussion group for Quaker Worship and Action is available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quakerwanda/. To provide for further meetings for worship with attention to action for peace in four to eight months, Vicki Cooley and Irma Guthrie agreed to convene a gathering in western New York, and Linda Griggs and Vitalah Simon agreed to convene a gathering in the eastern part of New York Yearly Meeting. Planning for the gathering at Oakwood was led by Paddy Lane (Butternuts). Contributors to planning, arrangements, and facilitation, Vicki Cooley (Central Finger Lakes), Naomi Greenberg (Flushing), Gretchen Haynes (Westbury), John Humphries (Hartford, CT), Florence McNeil (Butternuts), Lois Pan (Poughkeepsie), Jim Peppler (Westbury), Greg Robie (Cornwall), Rachel Ruth (Poughkeepsie), and Karen Horne Staab (Purchase). The complete report is available on the NYYM Web site www.nyym.org/qr/nyympa/1gathoakwd23aug02.html. Hard copies are available upon request from the NYYM office, 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003. Back to contents
This year's summer sessions gathered under the theme "Conflict as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth." In our opening worship young Friends led us in a song about getting through life's difficulties "With a Little Help from My Friends." They gave us an updated dramatization of the parable of the Good Samaritan. A Friend reminded us that this week's community is a special space for practicing peacemaking, and that in such a school young and old are students together. We are aware that networking is a valuable process in effective peacemaking. Friends heard memorial minutes for five members of our Yearly Meeting. We shared our memories of them, our sense of loss, and our joy for their lives and their lessons. The attacks that occurred last September in New York City, Washington, and Pennsylvania, and the widespread national support for our government's undeclared so-called war on terrorism continue to cause us anguish. Our grief brings us closer to each other in our spiritual community, and we ask ourselves, "What is God calling us to do?" As Friends we reaffirm our peace testimony:
We renounce our government's "war on terrorism," because it is wrong to respond to violence with further violence. It is clear to us that peace is the way. That is the message of Jesus of Nazareth, spoken throughout the New Testament. In our worship and in our work, we rededicate ourselves to peacemaking as our response to violence. We are grateful for Friends' many expressions of sorrow and concern that followed the attacks. As we read your epistles and messages from around the world we are heartened that God's spirit is working among us all. Yours in the Light,
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Friends in New York Yearly Meeting call one another to sustained practice of shared worship and action for peace. Already, August 2002 offers one month of urgent opportunity to awaken neighbors and Congressional representatives electioneering at home, before the United States is irreversibly committed to an invasion of Iraq. Concern rises for conscientious objection to war and preparations for war, and at the prospect of a military draft. A small Yearly Meeting working group will set up a way of providing, on a continuing basis
Liaison Committee is asked to form the small working group in consultation with Witness Coordinating Committee, Peace Concerns Committee, and Quarterly and Regional clerks as feasible. Resources include NYYM Friends and their activities; collaborative relationships with FCNL, AFSC, and QUNO; Yearly Meeting staff as available, and the Yearly Meeting Web site. The working group may contract for needed assistance. Finances will have to be worked out, drawing on existing funds or from new support. Offers of help and inquiries may be directed through the YM office, using the telephone, the U. S. Postal Service, or email office@nyym.org. approved by New York Yearly Meeting in session 7/26/02 Back to contents
The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of peace. No one who hears this message and follows it can be led to war. The "war against terrorism" like all wars is a failure to follow this teaching. The gospel of Jesus is also one of forgiveness and reconciliation. The horrific acts of September 11 made many feel anger, but we must not allow such feelings to direct us into acts of destruction and further death. While forgiveness and reconciliation are often difficult, they are imperative for peace to prevail. In this Spirit, we call upon our government
approved by New York Yearly Meeting in session 7/26/02 Back to contents
Powerfully moved by the events of September 11th, the NYSCC adopted a new issue priority this year--"creating a culture of peace." At our December meeting we met in retreat where we shared both our individual responses to September 11th, as well as the emerging responses of the faith communities we represent. At breakfast one morning a fellow Collegium member, who had been working for weeks as a chaplain at Ground Zero, turned to me and in a beseeching tone asked, "Where is the Quaker voice?" My first response was, "We're finding it." I then went on to share how our monthly meetings were dealing with the emotional aspects of what had happened; the specially called meetings for worship; the vigils held and the letters being written; programs undertaken by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC); the Joint Response our Yearly Meeting wrote with the New York Metropolitan Region Office of AFSC and the Quaker United Nations Office. Still, it felt like my first response, "We're finding it," was the more genuine answer. I've carried that question with me since last December, and in March shared with the Collegium Mary Lord's talk, Can Love Really Overcome Violence and Hate?--Reflections on Friends Peace Testimony, given at the annual meeting of Friends World Committee for Consultation. I heard in its prophetic tone a number of things, including both a challenge and a calling out of the Quaker voice. Returning from Yearly Meeting in late July, I spoke with Mary Lu Bowen, executive director of the NYSCC, about our annual sessions and the minutes on Worship and Action and the Gospel of Peace that arose from the gathered body. We agreed that these minutes, along with our Epistle, should be shared with the Collegium--emergent answers to the question posed last December. I understand now why my attempt to answer the question last December felt wanting and incomplete. I believe it was because we, as a gathered Yearly Meeting, had not yet found our corporate voice. It strikes me that as individuals, and as monthly and regional meetings, we were struggling to understand and process all that had happened, and at the same time discern how we were to speak to the violent and reciprocal actions undertaken by our government. Whereas some felt ready and able to begin or continue in their peace witness, many, I believe, were engaging anew the question of what it means to be a historic peace church in such precarious times. In our Worship and Action and Gospel of Peace minutes, I hear now the corporate voice of our Yearly Meeting. To me they represent in large measure the answer to the question posed last December, and I wanted to share these minutes with the NYSCC Collegium and other faith groups as quickly as possible. And there's more. In the course of our conversation Mary Lu spoke words that brought me into full alert even as they were resonating deep in my belly. She talked about Quaker credibility and how that arises from a longstanding history of peace witness. She urged us to speak aloud the spiritual underpinnings of our witness, and she both challenged and entreated us to call other churches out and lead the way. These are the words of call and encouragement I believe Friends are asked to consider and carry with us now, and I pray we might carry them with both a sense of responsibility and deep humility. For it comes to me that just as a gift is given to an individual for the good of the faith community, so too is a gift given a faith community for the good of the wider church and for the good of the world. For me, Mary Lu is naming the gift, the charism, of the Religious Society of Friends; that is, the reality of the immediate and everpresent God and the Gospel of Peace. I pray that in the days and weeks ahead we may be guided and upheld in both our intentions and actions to be faithful stewards of this gift. Linda B. Chidsey, clerk, New York Yearly Meeting Back to contents
In planning the retreat, Friends' need for one another was lifted up--the need to join together in order to understand, support and nurture one another; the need to articulate and share our respective roles and responsibilities in the common call and work of Friends. Friends were invited to come to a retreat without specific agenda or list of things to be accomplished, free of any preconceived outcome. Instead, the retreat would provide a time for worship, fellowship, and listening for how God may be calling us to be in relationship in these times. Friends were invited to participate in an exercise about the "pearl of great price." What is it we are seeking and how are we going about the search? What have we found? Friends invited to this retreat were asked to come free of the thought that we would conclude with a list of action items or projects we might undertake together. Rather, we were to come prepared to listen for how God might be calling us into relationship and ready to respond to the promptings of the Spirit. Linda B. Chidsey, clerk, NYYM Back to contents
For many of us the grief of September 11 remains raw: we hope for Time's "lenient hand to lay softest on sorrow's wound." We know that to give meaning to that day of inexplicable intended destruction is to face a formidable challenge, and to suggest comparable situations runs us into danger. The tragedy will be defined not so much by what we experienced--acts in which we had no choice--but by the choices we make in their aftermath. We sought a prayer to guide our hearts and actions. In the words "Lead us from a Sea of Sorrow to a Place of Peace" we captured where we were and where we wanted to be. They remain a constant theme in uncertain and momentous times as the tragedies unfold. In the face of overwhelming sorrow, anger, and fear, amidst soul-searching and haunting questions, we believed that anger and fear were not trustworthy guides. As the specter of military retaliation loomed on the horizon, we believed alternatives to war were found in the paths of justice, and the assurance of national security in the preservation of the bill of rights and inter-national law. Will our efforts have made a difference? Was the accurate information useful? Did we support the most immediate and invisible victims here and in Afghanistan through emergency relief and representation? Did we shape a non-violent response through communication trainings, peace mobilizations, campus teach-ins, and a pacifist caucus? Did we give credence to law and international legal remedies? Did we lift high enough the voice of those who searched for a non-violent response? Did we honor the right to heal? Did we listen deeply? Last September a friend wrote, ". . . This terror and agony started long ago and has had a long dreadful run, but, I know that we are at the Great Turning between a world of domination and violence and a world of partnership and nonviolence." Are there "gifts" we can possibly consider? Can we choose "gifts" to guide our personal and collective paths for tomorrow? What choice have we but to discover them? Elizabeth Enloe, regional director, AFSC NY Metropolitan Region Back to contents
2. The Clerk of NYYM, Linda Chidsey, welcomed Friends by reminding us that we are all, old and young, humble students studying in the school of the Spirit, a school of Peacemaking, a school of Christ. This week we will practice being peacemakers. We must learn to live out our peacemaking inside ourselves and with one another. 11. Clerk Linda Chidsey recalled the unity and fellowship of the previous year's meeting, which was followed by the shock of September 11, 2001. The violent action challenged us as a peace church to proclaim "the promise of peace and the way we might walk in it." Quotations from Sandra Cronk and Howard Brinton spoke to the church as a school of peacemakers and the meeting for worship as a practice in peacemaking. 16. Friends gathered in quiet worship, out of which a memorial minute from Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting for Lewis Wendell Hoskins was read. Throughout his life, Lewis was constant in his service to God and to the children of God. 18. Ann Davidson, clerk of Ministry and Counsel, asked Friends to hold in the Light Janice Ninan of Collins Monthly Meeting and Ruth Ann Bradley of Poplar Ridge Monthly Meeting as clearness is sought for recording them in the ministry. 21. A memorial minute from Albany Monthly Meeting was read for Margallen Fichter, who died suddenly on May 17, 2002. Margallen was a true Quaker woman. Her generous heart and steady spirit enriched all her relationships in the community, in her Meeting, in Yearly Meeting and in the many committees on which she served. 24. Cheshire Frager, clerk of the Task Group on Conflict Transformation introduced the members of the Task Group, which is gifting to each Monthly Meeting a copy of Conflict in Meeting by the Committee on Eldership and Oversight of Britain Yearly Meeting. She then introduced the Task Group's new clerk, Deborah E. Wood. 25. The Clerk introduced Joanna Komoska, clerk of the Ad Hoc Committee on Staffing and Structure. Joanna summarized the history and work of the Ad Hoc Committee. She pointed out that since the events of September, we are living in extraordinary times. The demands on our clerks and our staff to interpret our Quaker testimonies are overwhelming. Jeffrey Aaron introduced the report and minute discerned from the committee's work so far. The minute recommends the hiring of a General Secretary of NYYM. 27. Sarah Faith Dickinson introduced Patricia Edwards-Konic, FUM. Trish is the editor of Quaker Life. She urged us to send articles and reports to include in the magazine. She noted a full report on Friends work in Ramallah, Jordan, which is in the June 2002 issue. One of the greatest needs for World Ministries is the supporting of Ramallah concerns, such as the buildings lost to bombing which also meant a loss of jobs. Additionally, continuing scholarship assistance must be provided for students, and for child care programs in the refugee camps to give children a safe place to play. She urged us to look at the Quaker Life Web site and the magazine to learn more about the situations not widely covered by the news. 31. Rima Segal read a memorial minute, forwarded by Shrewsbury-Plainfield Half-Yearly Meeting, for Edward F. Rogers (1913-2002). Ed Rogers was active in professional life as a biochemist, in civic life opposing racism, poverty, and war, and in Friends circles as a clerk, elder, trustee, and committee member. 33. Ann Davidson reported on the Triennial, held in Nairobi, Kenya, a few weeks ago, attended by 23 New York Friends, three of whom spoke to the Yearly Meeting. 34. At the recommendation of the Advancement Committee and the Nurture Coordinating Committee, the meeting approved awarding $1,000 from the Lockport-Brinkerhoff Fund to Farmington Friends Church to help pay for reconstruction of its 100-year-old ceiling. 36. Jerry Leaphart reported on his attendance at the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance. He was particularly concerned there to speak for the movement to offer reparations to African-Americans for the slavery era. He returned his travel minute to the Yearly Meeting. Friends spoke to the question of reparations, which is under study by the Black Concerns Committee. 37. Rosa Packard named three Yearly Meeting Friends currently engaged in Friends Peace Team work: Jane Simkin (Poplar Ridge) in Colombia, Christine (Spee) Braun (Old Chatham) in the Middle East, and Carolyn Keys (Montclair) in Burundi. 47. Friends gathered in worshipful silence. Out of the silence, the reading clerk read memorial minutes for Alson Van Wagner and Irene Hoskins Van Wagner, forwarded by Nine Partners Quarterly Meeting. Alson Van Wagner came from a longstanding Quaker family and was educated in Quaker schools and college. Alson's determination and greatness of spirit shone brightly. Irene Hoskins Van Wagner died three weeks after Alson's death. She too came from a long-time Quaker family. Before marrying Alson in 1952, Irene worked on several Native American reservations and attended Hartford Seminary to learn a Native language. Friends remembered Alson and Irene Van Wagner in vocal ministry. 50. Judith Inskeep introduced Thomas Rothschild to present a minute on the illegal detention of immigrants, originating in Brooklyn Meeting and forwarded by New York Quarterly Meeting. It asks the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service to release the names of persons held in detention centers such as the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, to reveal the charges against them, and to provide humane and just treatment for those awaiting trial. It also asks for immediate discharge of those held wrongfully or unnecessarily. New York Yearly Meeting unites with the concern about the illegal detention of immigrants expressed in the minute approved by Brooklyn Monthly Meeting (4/7/02), Fifteenth Street Monthly Meeting and New York Quarterly Meeting (4/28/02) and endorses this minute. 51. A travel minute for Radh Achuthan of Peconic Bay Meeting was read to Friends by Judith Inskeep. Radh Achuthan is led to travel under the weight of a concern for global truth and reconciliation, advocating physical and spiritual nonviolence in efforts to resolve global inequities. The meeting approved the endorsement of the travel minute. 54. The YM approved a new statement of purpose for the Audit Committee. It reflects a reduction in the number of committees maintaining their own accounts and records, and the decision that the Yearly Meeting's accounts and records should be professionally audited. 55. The Yearly Meeting approved changing the name of the Publications Committee to Communications Committee. 56. At the recommendation of the Records Committee, the Yearly Meeting approved the Policy on Access to Confidential Records which Swarth-more College requires for the Friends Historical Library, and which specifies exceptions to public access of records. 59. Joanna Komoska, clerk of The Ad Hoc Committee on Staffing and Structure, brought forth the following report. "We have heard the questions and comments from Friends gathered at this Yearly Meeting in response to our report. We are working on revisions of our recommendations and will send our revised report to Monthly Meetings in the fall for their consideration and responses. "We will immediately be addressing the need for additional staff support for nurturing worship groups and small meetings. We are considering that this supplemental staff support would be asked to be present among us and assess and respond to needs. They would be working closely with the Coordinating Committee for Ministry and Counsel and local meetings. There is money available in our current budget to fund supplemental staff support. We ask your approval for moving ahead in this direction." Friends heard this report and agreed to expenditure for supplemental staff support. Back to contents
We believe that problems between nations of the world should be dealt with through the United Nations and other international institutions rather than unilaterally by those countries with more wealth and power, like the United States. We believe that many other Americans share this belief, but their voices are not being heard in the current media climate. We want this project to demonstrate the great number of Americans who support the principle of international response to international disputes. Therefore we are asking for just $3.00, so that the final total will reflect the number of participants. After collection, the funds will be delivered to the General Secretary of the United Nations. If the money is not accepted as payment on the disputed debt, it will be donated to an arm of the United Nations such as UNICEF, which contributes to human rights and the welfare of peoples of the world. For further information contact United Nations Project, PO Box 813, Santa Cruz CA 9506 Back to contents
The meeting approved several minutes, addressing such issues as
The meeting closed with silent worship. Back to contents
Our meeting feels a particular connection to the Alternatives to Violence Project through the person of Lee Stern, who was an active member of Rockland Friends and of Fellowship of Reconciliation for three decades. Lee's ardent pacifism and dedication to nonviolence are a continuing inspiration even to Friends who never knew him. He was imprisoned for 37 months as a conscientious objector in World War II and actively protested the bombing of North Vietnam. Then, choosing a constructive path to reducing the violence in our schools, prisons, and communities, he helped found the Children's Creative Response to Conflict, was a trainer in the Quaker Project on Community Conflict, and was involved in AVP from its earliest days, becoming its vice president in 1979. We are glad that AVP will continue its valuable work from Lee Stern's former home. Linda Glasgal, clerk, Rockland Friends Meeting Back to contents
There was a strong concern for organizing a community forum regarding Iraq for Sunday afternoon, September 8th. The tentative title for the forum is: Voices for Peace: Must We Invade Iraq? During this forum, there will be opportunities for people to sign petitions and write postcards against war in Iraq and to sign an ad for the local newspaper declaring opposition to war in Iraq. There was also a very strong concern for organizing interreligious memorial activities for September 11th. These activities will take place on the Ithaca Commons--a central downtown area--from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. and provide a chance for remembering those who died on September 11, 2001. The two hours will be broken into roughly half hour periods during which a local religious leader/representative--Quaker, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim--will say a few words, and there will be a few moments of silence and also some music. This group is also planning to have a opportunities for people to sign petitions and write postcards against war in Iraq, and sign an ad for the local newspaper declaring opposition to war in Iraq. Still under discussion is having some type of method for passers-by to write messages that could be publicly displayed somehow--perhaps on a clothesline, or we might draw the outline of a tree on a large sheet and have people write messages on leaf-shaped paper to be hung on the tree in order to create a Tree of Peace. We will also provide white ribbons for people to wear as a symbol of peace and opposition to war. Finally, a member who has a concern for going to Washington DC on September 11th to participate in FCNL's activities has formed a committee to organize opportunities for Friends and other peace activists to travel to DC for the day. For over two and one-half years, Ithaca Monthly Meeting has held a monthly vigil against the death penalty in downtown Ithaca, and the Meeting will be considering similar ways to make our witness to the peace testimony visible in the community on an on-going basis.
We appeal to our representatives and fellow citizens to reject the path of war and vengeance. The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of peace. The horrific acts of September 11th made many feel anger, but we must not allow such feelings to direct us into further acts of destruction and death. While forgiveness and reconciliation are often difficult, they are imperative for peace to prevail. In this Spirit, we call upon our government to refrain from war, and in particular to abandon any plan for invasion of Iraq. We call upon our government to redirect resources away from instruments of death and destruction toward all forms of peace building work, including humanitarian, educational and reconstruction assistance in Afghanistan and other places devastated by conflict. As George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) wrote in his Journal (1694), "I told them that I lived in that light and power that takes away the occasion for all war." On behalf of Syracuse Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Evelyn Kennenwood, clerk, Syracuse Monthly Meeting Back to contents
Please let others in your meeting know about these vigils. Margaret Lew, 15th Street Back to contents
We are living in challenging times that require us to examine, understand, think critically, and take a stand. Times that require us to have the courage not to be silenced. Together we can shape our mission, future plans, projects, and action. To register, send contributions, volunteer, or request information, please send your name, address, and e-mail address to International Conference for Justice and Peace, c/o Global Justice and Peace Ministry, The Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., New York NY 10027; phone 212-870-6853; cnixon@theriversidechurchny.org. Back to contents
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For ordering information contact American Friends Service Committee, 2161 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge MA 02140; 617-661-6130; www.afsc.org/peacework.htm; pwork@igc.org. Back to contents
CCW was originally founded as the National Board for Religious Objectors the day after Congress established the first peacetime draft in the history of the United States--in October 1940. Founded by Quakers, Mennonites, Brethren and Methodists, CCW's original purpose was to oversee alternative service prior to and during World War II. CCW continues today working to defend and extend the rights of conscientious objectors. CCW is committed to supporting all those who question participation in war, whether they are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, documented or undocumented immigrants--or citizens in other countries. CCW participates in the G.I. Rights Hotline, a national referral and counseling service for military personnel. In the event of a military draft, CCW will assist in the placement of conscientious objectors in alternative service programs. CCW is opposed to all forms of conscription. It is in the process of doing this work that I have concluded that I would rewrite the opening sentence. When that was written, even though we were in the height of the war in Afghanistan, only approximately 80,000 of the more than 300,000 reserves and National Guards had been called to active duty. Donald Rumsfeld repeatedly stated that there was no need for a draft. And clearly, if nothing else, the military learned from Vietnam that a draft was problematic. But since then we have not only continued our commitment of troops in Afghanistan, forever involved in "mopping up" in an echo of Vietnam, but we have extended our commitment of troops to the Phillippines which was to expire in June. We have also sent troops to Yemen. And as of this July we have agreed that our aid to Columbia would be more than advisors and includes troops to help in the "war against drugs." This is all on top of the usual commitment to Germany, Korea and Japan. And discussions of "help" to India/Pakistan and Israel/Palestine pop up from time. Rumsfeld has stated on a number of occasion that there is Al Queda in at least sixty countries and that we should invade as many as necessary to assure that we are safe. Finally, it is no secret that in May Bush asked the military whether they were capable of invading Iraq. The military's reply was that they were not ready because they lacked enough certain weapons which they could have no sooner than October--and then they ordered them. So there has been discussion of an "October surprise" and more recently a "November surprise." It is, of course, my hope and prayer that I am an alarmist. But the reality is that if there is a draft the more we do now the less damage it will do when it does come. And if there is not a draft, at the very least, we have thought through the peace testimony and its meaning in our lives and helped our children and others do the same. Furthermore, if there is a draft, the first lottery numbers may have as little as 10 days to respond. All of this is why we continue to prepare literature as if the draft will start tomorrow, why we train draft counselors and encourage communities to help their children think through the peace testimony even as we work to keep the military out of our schools. It is why we lobby Congress not to support an invasion of Iraq or reinstitution of the draft. It is why Bill Galvin is working with NYYM and its youth and I gave a high school workshop at FGC Gathering. It is why we continue to offer to train draft and military counselors. Because my new opening sentence would be "There is no draft. But any additional commitment of United States troops may well open the door to a real possibility of a draft." J. E. McNeil, executive director Back to contents
Basic Information on Registration and the Draft, a packet to help young people understand how to register as a CO and the questions they will need to answer for CO status in case of a draft. Free. The Draft Counselor's Manual, sixth edition (2002). $25 ($30 with a binder). Who's a Conscientious Objector?, pamphlet. Free. Words of Conscience, 11th edition (2000) statements concerning CO and war tax resistance. $15.00. Center on Conscience & War (NISBCO), 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-483-2220; e-mail nisbco@nisbco.org; www.nisbco.org. AFSC Iraq Peacebuilding Program, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; 215-241-7170; fax: 215/241-7177; askaboutiraq@afsc.org. CCCO, 1515 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; 215-563-8787; Fax 215-567-2096; info@objector.org. National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund, 2121 Decatur Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008; 1-888-PEACETAX (1-888-732-2382); fax 202-986-0667; info@peacetaxfund.org. Back to contents
Colin South, current Director of the Ramallah Friends Schools wrote late August: "Monday morning curfew was lifted from 6.30 A.M. until 2.00 P.M. in the afternoon. The transformation was stunning. So much business had to be transacted, so much food and so many provisions had to be bought, so many conversations were needed and greetings exchanged that the whole community was in a frenzy. From a ghost town to Manhattan in the space of an hour and back to a ghost town in a further five hours. The Israeli Defence Force arrived around 1.45 P.M., arriving an unnecessary fifteen minutes before the re-imposed curfew. People scuttled home, disappeared into doorways and ran scared down the street to escape this closing onslaught. "Saturday was to be the first day of school. This week was to be preparation week for our school which had workshops and meetings planned. Much of the work had already been done at Friends Schools during the summer months but it is left until the week before the semester in government schools. We will open school from Saturday just as soon as we can on whatever day we can and continue opening on whatever days, in part or in whole, are curfew free." School has begun. Students and teachers make every effort to arrive daily, some spending hours dodging military checkpoints and roadblocks. The continued pressure is taking a toll on the local people. Unemployment has risen sharply, medical care declined, there is a shortage of food supplies, and getting textbooks into the country and distributed to schools difficult. Friends have a dedicated staff of 70. Please continue to hold them in prayer. To help contact Friends United Meeting,101 Quaker Hill Dr., Richmond IN 47374; 765-962-7573; www.fum.org. Back to contents
I am still enough of a marxist to understand that even after the revolution a residual of socially necessary manual labor will be required. In that spirit, providing childcare "while the business of the yearly meeting is being conducted" (in my case during committee meetings and study groups) enhances the sense of living temporarily in paradise. (It also makes it more affordable.) I have experienced Yearly Meeting as a foreshadowing of the beloved community even in the difficult years of the late Eighties and early Nineties when one by one each of the issues of the larger society's culture wars (except gun control) played themselves out in the auditorium at Silver Bay. Often there seemed to be a radical disconnect between the love inherent in the extended intentional family gathered here and the discord that wracked our meetings for worship with a concern for business. Too often, in too many ways, the latter prevailed over the former, though never entirely. To my mind a turning point came in a 1999 business meeting where the Yearly Meeting minuted a request for forgiveness for its handling of the failure of Friends World College. The years since then have been peaceful, but to me at least the peace felt fragile. Not this year. Given its theme of "conflict as an opportunity for spiritual growth", it is ironic (and irenic) that this was a year notably bereft of such opportunities. Even the JYM was abnormally mellow. I am still enough of a Jew to understand that even the Days of the Messiah will not be without sorrow. Sorrow welled up and poured out onto the floor of the yearly meeting with the reading of the memorial minute for Margallen Fichter. In large part, it was the sorrow of Friends who felt her taken from us before we were ready to let her go. But, other sorrows were at work as well. The sorrow of September 11th: the lives lost, the hopes and dreams crushed, the worlds destroyed. And the sorrow of our government's response. For almost a year the whole of humanity has been groping, without hope, for a way to redeem the horror of that day and its aftermath. Friends have been fumbling towards a response appropriate to both the needs of a world mesmerized by the cult of redemptive violence and to our own rich heritage. The shape of such a response began to emerge from the floor of the Yearly Meeting. Without in any way justifying or legitimizing the atrocities committed against America, we must call her to confess her addiction to violence and to repent. In order to assume the terrible spiritual authority required to deliver such an audacious witness authentically, we must somehow bring forth in ourselves and in our faith communities the willingness to undergo a commensurate transformation. I don't anticipate that this will be easy. On Friday evening, after twelve hours of what felt like uninterrupted business, the clerk of the Yearly Meeting looked back on the week and said that she felt we had been visited by an angel. She allowed that some of us might have trouble with the terminology. I was one of those who did, but I have learned to wrestle with difficult language, trying to find meanings that resonate with my basically sceptical/materialist mind-set. Drawing on the work of Walter Wink, I find I can understand an angel to be something like the corporate personality or spiritual essence of an institution. Taken in this sense (at least), Linda was right: the name of the angel that visited us this summer at Silver Bay is New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. An angel weakened by years of discord, facing a daunting task, dimly aware it may not be up to that task, but, at long last, at peace with itself. Bowen Alpern, Scarsdale Meeting Back to contents
I did not recognize some attenders at once. Perhaps their faces were more relaxed than I had seen them in their meetings. During the week once at lunch a long-term member said that she couldn't stand to have the advance reports read aloud in the yearly meeting business sessions. My sentiments exactly. In the event, I missed all those sessions this year. I found that the gay-and-lesbian worship-sharing group and the whites-against-racism study group provided the discussions of experiences, strengths, and hope that I'd come to Silver Bay for. One woman in the daily 12-step group said that she often doubted that it fit her to begin a new interest at retirement age, but one look about any room at Silver Bay would be to see friends who were doing similarly. Others and I talked about these things in walks in the woods, times at the beach, and at meals. (At one of these walks in the woods, my friend and I chatted as we had not done in weeks, missed the trail to the top of the hill Inspiration Point and its wide view of the lake, walked instead two miles to woods-surrounded Jabe's Pond, far from human noise, walked back, chatting all the time till we got to a washout of the trail and a detour, where I tripped and fell flat on my face--twice!--and got back in time for lunch.) Early in the week, one of my upstairs neighbors in the lodge and I found that we delighted in the Welsh hymn Men of Harlech. She sang it through, and I tried it on the bagpipe practice instrument. She then sang a verse to do with the ancient British painting of the body blue with woad: gaels had done this in vain to frighten Caesar off from Britain. We contemplated a performance at cafe night, I playing and she singing the first verse and then, after dropping our clothes, revealing us blue all over, doing the second verse and including some improvisational dance. We mentioned this to some others, and word got about. One Friend suggested inviting a noted Friend who had performed entirely in green to join us. Another, perhaps not knowing about the woad verse, invited yet others to cafe night specially to see us. One effect of our attraction of like-minded people is that I do not have to explain my political opinions or the reasons for much of what I do. Others said that this was their experience too. We were largely a group of people who either shared the opinions or understood each other before we spoke. At our lunch table: Put an advertisement in a national newspaper saying that the US president hasn't our support to invade or bomb Iraq or to suspend the Bill of Rights? We'll all sign now! Pass the hat! (Somehow, the advertisement didn't happen, no-one signed or paid for anything, and the yearly meeting approved a long unpassionate text to forward to monthly meetings to use for such an ad.) The music on the porch. One night I joined two banjo players, guitarists, a fiddler, rattlers, dancers, singers, and an accordionist--adults and kids--playing very upbeat folky music for nearly three hours with extemporaneous verses to Goodnight Irene at the end. I have no concept of god. One Friend said that, in her tradition, people argue with god, and that she had always done that. I thought about this all week. How do she and god argue? What kind of god would argue with me, who has not learnt how to? I find some peace in the woods, on the water, and looking at the stars, I like to see and be with people who talk passionately and animately together. Others help me to clear up doubts and fears. Some keep me from secluding myself from the too-much-of-whatever is happening. To be with an obviously benevolent group of several hundred people for a week makes me more confident in the wisdom and guiding power in that group. John Maynard, 15th Street Back to contents
(As I write these reflections back at home, I am sitting on a wall adjacent to our school playing fields. The fields border large tracts of state land, and in the distance I see figures in camouflage clothing combing the high grass. I wonder what they are doing. I recall a van unloading a group of boys in the school parking lot as I passed earlier on my walk to the state park.) At breakfast the next morning, I still feel burdened. Is it the weight of the symbolism in our flying flag, the weight of the war, over our gathering that I feel? Missing my family, perhaps I am only homesick. Is it the unrelenting heat? What is this melancholy? My second visit to NYYM, I don't recall feeling this heaviness last year. (There are yells from the field and cracking sounds--what can they be doing? Cap guns. They are shooting cap guns, or some modern version of them. I can see the sparks as one play-soldier fires in my direction at someone who now appears from the grass. They are playing war games.) The next two days move slowly. It is very hot. I learn that if I go through the cafeteria line for every meal I will consume triple my calorie needs, so I stick to the breakfast, soup and salad bars for two of the three meals each day. I enjoy the added benefit of not having to stand in line. Not a lot is happening in sessions. Seems subdued. Or, not an insider, maybe I am missing the real action. Maybe this is the real action. Business proceeds glacially. A Friend speaks out of the silence of an "inarticulate longing." The longing begins to take shape in other voices. However many or few the words, the sadness, the worry begins to find expression. The word "anguish" rings true. Things clarify: this body is digesting the enormity of the events last September and the ensuing reactions for the first time. No wonder business keeps being deferred. Things are stopped up. I recall the image from The Little Prince of the snake that swallowed the elephant. We are digesting an elephant, and it just got bigger this week with the announcement of our president's intention to make a full assault against Iraq. How are we to swallow this? As a peace church, what are we to do? "Conflict as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth" is our theme. This is the task we are appointed? Well, we have our work cut out for us, that's for sure. (The breeze continues to blow as I walk toward my home nearby. The sky is blue and beautiful with just the right amount of cumulus clouds taking and losing shape. I hear the boys' guns as I walk away. I am still digesting. Breathing. Praying. Trying to draw spiritual nourishment from this awesome opportunity to face conflict constructively and creatively. Psalm 31 comes to mind: "You are my hiding place, my refuge. Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress and my eyes are dimmed with grief.") We accept that there must be conflict, but we do not believe that there must be war. We pass two minutes related to making peace. There is much work to be done. Ruth A. B. Bradley, pastor, Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting Back to contents
This year that family included more than my own Meeting Friends. And surprising to me, I had not realized until this year that a week's living experience with a gathering of Friends wider than my own Meeting deepens my connection to the truths that brought me to Quakerism. Dianne Leung, Old Chatham Back to contents
I've come to Yearly Meeting close on 20 years, with a couple of furloughs, and this year's session was the most moving and satisfying of all of them, by far. Friends' distress over the horrors of September 11 needed to be expressed again and again, yet there was a calm, strong, purposive spirit working among us. I felt we were most sensitive to that "Love [that] is the first motion" throughout the meeting. We did our business listening tenderly to one another. The two remarkable minutes upholding our peace testimony that called on all peacemakers to gather together that welled up from the body of the meeting almost eclipsed our other business. But we took care of important housekeeping concerns (in particular getting help for our heavily burdened office staff); received reports of our people doing God's work in far off places; and listened to memorial minutes of those whose lives shed God's light among us. Writing our epistle was a challenging task for the committee I served on, and with the grace of God, we did it. My almost two-year-old grandson found YM exciting, yet exhausting, but it was a joy to me that he and his mother were there. How exciting he said it was to see "a big water," as he made tentative steps to get his feet wet. Too many things to choose, and not enough time is a tough discipline. I did play with my grandson. I loved the opening worship planned by the Junior Yearly Meeting, and wished I knew their songs. "Pay it forward" is a wonderful idea, but I missed menitos, which I felt gave a small chance for intergenerational contact--perhaps we should institute a very low spending limit ($5.00?) More adults should be encouraged to participate, and also attend Cafe Night, which is a fun way to raise money for our witness activities. I wish every Friend could have been there. If you couldn't this year, maybe next year. It will surely be different, but it will also be exhilarating and rewarding. Rima Segal, Rochester Back to contents
What did we find this time when we arrived? Friends. Family. Fun. Friction. We found a family of Friends having fun together, a lot of it. We also found a family like any other, experiencing some of the frictions of a large reunion. That was not a bad thing. We know each other well enough, care about each other deeply enough that there is freedom. A freedom to express our disappointments, our frustrations, our hopes and desires, our joys and our love for one another. What were some of the highlights? The young Friends being present for us Sunday evening, making the Presence real for many of us during our opening worship together. The dance of business meeting, the deepening and gathering that occurred as we shared our experiences of the past year and our hopes and fears for the coming years. The worship sharing, a profoundly intimate experience, a chance to move beyond the surface and see the incredibly powerful work that Friends are involved in. Hugs. Especially the hugs. From young people we see at PoHo Youth Weekends and from older Friends we've come to know these past two years and from little tiny ones who join our girls in play. It was for us a week of connecting. These connections strengthen us in the work we do. They also strengthen us individually, as a family of four, and as a much larger family of Friends. Next year we anticipate all of us bouncing about with great urgency asking, "Is it today? Is it today we go to Silver Bay?" Chris DeRoller and Mike Clark, Powell House youth directors Back to contents
This year I resolved to accomplish two things: to spend more time swimming in the lake (which busy schedules too often preclude); and to be involved in a study or interest group which challenges and stretches me beyond my usual interests and experience. I had no problem with the first: the sweltering heat early in the week being an easy motivator! The second resolution was realized through the wonderful interaction I experienced in the inter- generational AVP study group! I don't know why I waited so long before having an AVP "experience." I was drawn to the group also for the opportunity to share together with some of our JYM F(f)riends. I understand now why so many Friends are excited about AVP. What delightful and insightful young Friends we have! Their truly gathered presence among us in opening worship helped me start the week by bringing me to a deeper, more centered place. That same Spirit carried over into one of the most moving readings of State of Society I've experienced (who says readings can't be inspired, Spirit-led?); and was the empowerment behind our approval of the Witness minutes. Regretfully, due to pastoral responsibilities in Glens Falls, I missed much of the business later in the week pertaining to staffing and YM structure. I am confident that if Friends listen sensitively to one another and are obedient to the leading of the Spirit, God will open us up to more creative, life-affirming solutions. David Herendeen, Adirondack
The M&C series held at Powell House in August underscored the importance of visitation between and among Friends in our yearly meeting. As with early Friends, Carol and Denise will be traveling with an elder or spiritual companion. CCM&C has also approved supporting the ministry of Nadine Hoover, Alfred MM, who has been released by her meeting to travel in the ministry among Farmington-Scipio Region. Nadine has a committee within Alfred MM who provides the support and guidance for her work. We are thankful to these three Friends who are led to visit among us. They will be present at December Representative Meeting, speaking during CCM&C. Ann Davidson, clerk of CCM&C Back to contents
Please engage with us by sending responses to Joanna Komoska. Back to contents
Topics include the ideas and influence of George Fox, James Naylor, Isaac Penington, and William Penn; the Barbados Declaration; the Hicksite-Orthodox Separation and the Holiness movement in the 19th Century; Liberal and Evangelical Friends in the 20th Century; Quakers and politics; Quaker education; the prophetic voice of Quaker women; and Perfectionism. There will be a modest registration fee (waived for students) and meals will be available on the Swarthmore College campus. For information and registration forms contact Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA 19081-1399, attention Charlotte Blandford; cblandf1@swarthmore.edu; 610-328-8498; www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends. Back to contents
In the planning stages are trips to Cuba, Ramallah, and Belize. For registration forms or information, please contact Nancy Maeder or Maxine Nash at Friends United Meeting, 101 Quaker Hill Dr., Richmond IN 47374; 765-96-7573; www.fum.org; missions@fum.org. Back to contents
Workshop participants will examine the many factors affecting meeting growth. In addition to visibility and outreach, a meeting's sense of community, internal communication, spiritual vitality, and even witness activity can influence its ability to attract and retain newcomers. During a discussion of nuts and bolts advancement techniques, Friends will learn how something as mundane as a bulletin board can be an effective advancement tool. Participants will receive advancement materials and hear about new resources such as QuakerFinder.org. They will also learn how to help their meeting create an advancement plan tailored to its particular needs. Facilitators Deborah Haines and Jane Berger will describe ways in which advancement goals can be achieved without further burdening busy Friends. Often activities the meeting already carries out can be modified slightly so as to foster growth. A special session on racial and ethnic diversity will be part of the weekend. Peter Day of New Brunswick Meeting and Helen Garay Toppins of Morningside Meeting will also offer a session on outreach to college communities. "Open the Door, Light the Light" will be held November 22 - 24, 2002. Please don't stay away because of money. Powell House has received a special grant to support scholarships for participants in this workshop. Sign up early to be sure you will receive assistance. Deborah Haines and Jane Berger have been traveling with a concern for Quaker advancement, offering workshops at monthly, quarterly and yearly meetings, and at the FGC Gathering. Deborah Haines is clerk of the Friends General Conference Advancement & Outreach Committee; Jane Berger is clerk of the New York Yearly Meeting Advancement Committee. Back to contents
The directory now includes meetings in the fourteen FGC-affiliated yearly meetings and the three independent western yearly meetings. It may be expanded to include meetings in other branches of Friends as well. The home page invites seekers to visit any Friends meeting and explains a little about Friends' worship, practices, and beliefs. This new Web site is a project of Friends General Conference. Back to contents
Antonia, Carolyn, Carson, Claire, Emergale, Fiona, Gwenevere, Griff, Holden, Jan, Jennifer, Joe, Natalie, Tanner and--noise noise noise! Back to contents
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As our week progressed our communication got better. We listened with a drumming session. And on beach day we worked individually and in groups to make sandcastles. Everyone won. Every morning we met and worshipped in a different way. One morning we made prayer cloths. These are cloths made with a prayer. When you hang them up the breeze will blow the prayer wherever it needs to go. Back to contents
On the serious side, we were visited by Bill Galvin, who spoke on the subject of conscientious objection and the possibility of a military draft in the near future. On another occasion, our group participated in an Alternatives to Violence Program (also known as AVP) workshop, led by Florence McNeal on the theme of Conflict as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth. On a lighter note, Powell House's youth directors, Mike and Chris, came to extol the virtues of the Powell House Youth Program, allowing past attenders to contribute and give insights. The group was not all business and discussion, however. To break from the aforementioned events, we played in a parachute with the second and third graders (which was punctuated by a sudden rainstorm), and had a great time at the beach with the K through 1 group, swimming and building sandcastles. A rousing round of songs ending in silence with all of JYM capped off another full and unforgettable week at Silver Bay. Back to contents
What joy you have brought to us this year at Silver Bay. From the hungry cries of the one-week old baby to the calm confidence of young adults--just back from traveling the world--your presence awakens and inspires us. Our week began under the weight of conflict in the world--and the weight of unusual heat at Silver Bay. In the opening session you were there to help set a tone. You presented the story of the Good Samaritan and asked us to think about which role we play in the world. You also told us your plan to take a larger part in the life of New York Yearly Meeting. Then you reminded us to be kind to each other, encouraging us to acknowledge each act of generosity that we receive and "pay it forward." Thank you. Our theme this year was Conflict as an Opportunity for Growth. In our sessions, we found the violence of September 11 still echoing. Some Friends found their lives transformed. Some remind us that life had long been insecure for most of the world. Our nation's violent response and its continued military action has called many of us to renewed peace action. We are thinking of you and of children like you around the world. We love you all. We paused to remember Friends no longer with us whose lives were examples of peace. We continue their work in many different ways. Friends are trying to unravel the poverty and conflicts among people in Colombia in South America. We are working in a Friends school in Ramallah, which was damaged during fighting on the West Bank of the Jordan River. We are working to help people recover from the terror of civil war in the African country of Burundi. Some young Friends volunteered this summer at a Quaker hospital in Kenya. One young woman told us how the dignity of people there taught her to worry less about material things. At Silver Bay this year, we began thinking of ways to ground our peace work more deeply in prayer, and how to build a prayer and action network together. Some of us talked about alternatives to war in the Middle East. Others learned about conflict resolution; others, about the military and the draft. We studied conflicts in the Bible, too, to see what they can teach us. Friends have worked for many years to find better ways to do our day-to-day business. This year we asked ourselves, together, whether we should have one person serve as a general secretary, visiting our Meetings, reaching out to young Friends and keeping us in touch throughout the year. As we work, it helps us to think of you. We observed this year your special sweetness to us and to each other. We saw, as always, your exuberant enjoyment of life. When the heat broke on Tuesday afternoon with a sudden downpour, we heard your joyful shouts on the playing field, saw you swing-dancing in the rain, and watched you running and rolling down the wet hills until you were covered with grass. You refresh us and give us hope that--with you--we can continue to do the work of peace in our families, our Meetings and the world. Sessions Committee of New York Yearly Meeting Back to contents
The Quaker Youth Pilgrimage takes place once every two years, and happens in the U.S. every third time, or once every six years (the other two times being in Europe). QYP is a program sponsored by FWCC (Friends World Committee for Consultation), but seems to be one of their lesser known activities. However obscure, QYP is a program well worth the while. It was fascinating to travel with Pilgrims with many different backgrounds, ranging from Canada to Texas to Scotland (and many more), and to compare accents and cultural differences (mainly, the usage of slang--for instance, what we call Tic-Tac-Toe in the U.S. is referred to in England as 3 Noughts and 2 Crosses). We enjoyed getting acquainted with the South, which has a different cultural tone from where many of us were from. I found the South to be relaxed and exceedingly hospitable--we were greeted with smiles and lots of food--and also a bit more conservative than where I'm from, in upstate NY. Many of the Quaker meetings we visited were reflective of this reserve--they had an air of a traditional church setting, with church choirs, benches that faced forward, collections, and, of course, ministers (this was a shock for many of the Europeans, who come from strictly unprogrammed settings). Many meetings had the American flag in the worship room, but many also had a rendition of The Presence in the Midst hanging on a wall. A year and a half ago, I attended YouthQuake in Seattle, WA, where I first learned of Quakers that met in programmed and evangelical settings. Experience with these Quakers left me unsettled with the apparent diversity in Friends' beliefs. The pilgrimage, with visits to different meetings, served to put Quakerism in perspective for me, and has provided me with more of an identity in association with Quakers. The Quaker Youth Pilgrimage program is unique in its malleability--each QYP atmosphere is determined by the backgrounds, Quaker and cultural, that each pilgrim comes from. The 2002 Pilgrimage contained Friends largely from non-programmed worship. All of us were from different parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and brought influences from many different cultures into the pilgrimage. It was hard to say goodbye when the time came. The day after I left, Sunday, I attended an unprogrammed meeting for worship in Philadelphia, PA. It was pleasantly surprising when, sitting in the silence, I realized that the quiet made me feel connected to the group that I had just left, with whom I'd spent countless times sitting together, silently worshiping, and how I looked forward to that. I continue to keep in touch with my fellow QYPers, I hope I may continue to find ways that it is affecting me, and that more will realize the importance of QYP's impact on all whose lives it touches. Rebecca White, Quaker Street Back to contents
If you are interested in attending, register directly with Michael Gibson of FGC by calling 215-561-1700 or visit their Web site at www.fgcquaker.org. The cost is $100 if you register before September 18th. Then let Chris know by calling 518-794-8811 or e-mail her at chrisandmike@powellhouse.org. Chris DeRoller, Powell House youth director Back to contents
The Continuing Committee reported on a concern raised during the last Gathering. Some Friends reported experiencing their monthly meetings as less than welcoming and supportive of them, and wished that membership in the Fellowship, rather than a local monthly meeting, be the basis for their membership in the Religious Society of Friends. Upon investigation, the Continuing Committee concluded that membership in the Religious Society of Friends occurs only through monthly meetings. We also reaffirmed that membership in Fellowship of Friends of African Descent is not limited to persons who are members in the Religious Society of Friends. During the weekend we visited the Chester County Historical Society Museum, where we viewed an interactive exhibit on Chester County's involvement in the Underground Railroad. Later, we had a presentation from one of the principal archeologists involved in an extensive dig in Philadelphia. He showed slides of a number of artifacts that have been unearthed documenting the history of free African Americans living in close proximity with Quaker families during the 1700-1800s in what is now Philadelphia's Old City area. This dig has produced, in quantity and in quality, one of the greatest archeological finds documenting the early presence of free African Americans. A number of Friends attended the F.U.M. Triennial in Nairobi and it was agreed that the Saturday afternoon workshop should be devoted to a sharing of those experiences. Deep consideration was given to the historic impact of Quaker missionaries upon Kenyans and their cultural values and practices. After lunch on Saturday, in a moving memorial service in the African tradition of pouring libation, Friends remembered those who have passed on since the last Gathering, family members, friends and others. In our continuing meeting for worship with a concern for business, a spirit of renewed energy was experienced as Friends reconsidered the structures and practices in place since the last gathering. After much seasoning and deep listening, we became clear that we are called to have our meetings on an annual basis, to provide better communication and support for each other between gatherings, and to make our witness stronger both in Quakerism and in the wider African American community. Vanessa Julye, clerk
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For an application or additional information, please send an email to search@fcnl.org. The position is available immediately. The salary ranges from the mid to high 20s, depending on experience. Health and other benefits are provided. Friends General Conference seeks a deeply committed Friend to serve as Development Manager in its Philadelphia office. Duties include management of FGC Annual Fund, grant writing, DonorPerfect database, and communications program. Development experience, writing, and database skills essential. Works with Associate Secretary for Development and Interpretation and support staff. Full-time, full benefits. Send resume and letter by October 1, 2002, to Bruce Birchard, General Secretary, FGC, 1216 Arch Street, 2B, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, or e-mail bruceb@fgcquaker.org. William Penn House, a Quaker seminar and hospitality center on Capitol Hill, providing hospitality to Quakers and those in Washinton seeking a better world, has the following job openings: Office Manager, full or part time. Salary, health insurance,room and board. Interns, full or part time. Room and board, health insurance and stipend for full time interns. For more information, contact 515 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003; 202-543-5560; Fax: 202-543-3814; dirpennhouse@pennsnet.org; www.Quaker.org/penn-house. FWCC is seeking a suitable Friend for appointment as General Secretary in the World Office, London, to serve from a date in 2004 to be agreed. The FWCC World Office in London works to promote communication and cooperation among Friends around the world, in partnership with the four section offices and the Quaker United Nations Offices in Geneva and New York. A full job description and application form can be obtained from FWCC, 4 Byng Place, London WC1E 7LE, UK; ph: +44 207388 0497; fax: +44 20 7383 4644; world@fwcc.quaker.org. Back to contents
This column is prepared from information about membership received from the local meeting recorders. NEW MEMBERS Willow Kelly Bennison--Brooklyn
MARRIAGES Connie Baxter, member of Chappaqua, and Greg Moschetti, member of New Haven, NEYM, on July 20, 2002.
DEATHS June Botsford, member of Rochester, on April 5, 2002
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS Analea Lucille Blackburn, on June 21, 2002 to Suzanne and Keith Blackburn, members of Alfred.
TRANSFERS Janet S. Anderson to Sweden YM from Albany
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