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ContentsNYYM Web SiteThe NYYM Web site, http://www.nyym.org, is increasingly busy. In November of this year we had nearly 200 visits per day, from around the world. The site provides information about monthly and regional meetings and worship groups, the complete text of Spark and InfoShare, the NYYM Handbook, Faith and Practice, and the Yearbook. (The 2002 Yearbook is being prepared for the Web.) The alphabetical section of the Yearbook, with individuals' addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, is not published on the Web. The same is true for the addresses and other personal information for monthly and regional meeting officers. One advantage to having documents posted on the Web site is that changes can be published between print editions; thus, the Web version of the Handbook, for example, is the most recent.Monthly Meeting Web sites: Several monthly meetings have their own Web sites hosted on the NYYM site. We will provide space for any meeting that does not have a site but wants one. Either you can create a site and send the Web pages to paul@nyym.org for posting or Paul can create a very simple page with your meeting's information and post it for you. This can be a good outreach tool for your meeting. Paul Busby, NYYM Web site administrator Back to contents
We need to know of any changes in information for the NYYM Yearbook--whether it's a change of address, a change in the clerk or other officer in your meeting, or some other change. You may e-mail these to office@nyym.org or mail them to NYYM, 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003. Back to contents
The free event will be held on Monday, December 9, at Columbia University in the International Affairs building (SIPA) in Altschul Auditorium, beginning at 7:30 P.M. The panel consists of Dan Seeger, former executive director of Pendle Hill and subject of the precedent-setting Supreme Court case United States v. Seeger (1965), which broadened protections for conscientious objectors, the Rev. Bryan Hehir, former dean of Harvard Divinity School, and Peter J. Awn, professor of Islamic Religion and Comparative Religion at Columbia University. The moderator is the Rev. Winnie Varghese, Episcopal chaplain at Columbia University. A press release and a flyer are available at www.dioceseny.org. Neva Rae Fox, Episcopal Diocese of NY; 212-316-7520; NRFox@dioceseny.org. Back to contents
"Together we will celebrate life and hope. Together we will stand in solidarity with the women and children of Iraq, already suffering terribly as a result of 12 years of U.S. sanctions and now facing catastrophe if the new war proceeds." How to Prepare and Participate: Come to the evening rally the night before, Dec. 9, at 7 P.M. at the United Nations Church Center, 777 UN Plaza. The evening program will include an opportunity to be fully briefed and trained on the civil disobedience dimension of the morning gathering. Be prepared to sign a statement indicating that you are contributing money toward food and medicine for Iraq in violation of the embargo. You will be briefed on the implications of this as well. What to Bring: Bring a nonperishable food item--emblematic of what we should be sending to Iraq instead of bombs and missiles. If you can, bring a small amount of cash or a check made out to "Judson Church/Religious Leaders Forum." Contributions will be used to purchase food and medicine for shipment to Iraq in violation of the embargo. For more information or to volunteer your assistance locally: Sr. Arlene Flaherty, 212-475-6677, arflah@aol.com; Rev. Peter Laarman, 212-477-0351, plaarman@judson.org; Ranjit Mathews, 212-749-2215, mistterranjit@hotmail.com. Cheshire Frager, Flushing Monthly Meeting Back to contents
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Registration will be required in order to plan for hospitality and literature. The fee is $40, payable to Purchase Quarterly Meeting. The fee includes a copy of training manual and lunch. Send your check to 11 Sycamore Terrace, Mahopac, NY 10541. For information or assistance with special needs contact Rosa Packard, 203-661-8946; rpackard@optonline.net Directions: corner of Purchase and Lake Streets, Purchase, N.Y.:
Consider These Realities for Conscientious Decision
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Attending the conference will be individuals from Friends United Meeting, Friends General Conference, Evangelical Friends International, and Conservative and Independent Friends. The program will include the history of the peace testimony, sharing spiritual journeys and Friends' witness at the corporate level. Discussion and study will be offered in the form of panels, workshops and small group sharing. One of the goals of the conference is to identify specific action that Friends can take to witness the peace testimony as individuals and to strengthen our corporate witness in the world. Participation in the conference will be limited to 200 people, with at least 50 to be young Friends age 18-30. Expected costs will be about $200 for registration--this will include lunch and dinner at Guilford College. Hotel rooms will be available for $56.00/night for one to four persons--this includes breakfast. If you are interested in attending, please contact FWCC Section of the Americas at 1506 Race St., Philadelphia PA 19102; 215-241-7250; 215-241-7285 (fax); fwccpeace@fwcc.quaker.org. Further information and a registration form are available at www.friendspeace.org. Back to contents
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To learn more about QIVP and to get directions, visit our Web site, www.qivp.org. If you plan to attend the Open House, please write to info@qivp.org or call 518-392-0891. Back to contents
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The Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (FLGC) Web site, http://flgc.quaker.org/, has updated the collection of marriage minutes (more correctly, "marriage minutes and other minutes that affirm same-sex unions or commitments among Quakers"). The count: 76 minutes are online, and 12 still need to be typed in. They now range from Australia Yearly Meeting to Transvaal Monthly Meeting, South Africa. Back to contents
Friends will gather in the mountains of western Pennsylvania to explore and discern Coming to Peace in relationship to ourselves, to others, to our meetings, to our world, and in our relationship to the Spirit. The theme grew out of worship sharing related to queries on a vision for the Gathering: How will our presence as a loving community further God's work? What sustains us as a community? How do we live out God's love that includes everyone? On Sunday night Duduzile Mtshazo, a South African Friend, will offer the keynote address. Junior Gathering is preparing an exciting and enriching program serving over 300 children (infants through eighth grade) with the dedicated attention of 130 friendly adults. The High School program is for teens who have completed ninth grade and are enthusiastically searching for a spiritual and meaningful community. Adult Young Friends form a community of those who are young at heart, are looking for a supportive community within the greater Gathering, and are no longer in the High School program. Registration information for the Gathering will be available in the spring of 2003. Work grants and scholarships for first- time attenders and others will be detailed in the Advance Program and on the FGC Web site at www.fgcquaker.org. For more information: FGC, 1216 Arch St #2B, Philadelphia, PA 19107; 215-561-1700; fax: 215-561-0759; gathering@fgcquaker.org; www.fgcquaker.org. Back to contents
The vigil and fast is an urgent call to stop a war on Iraq--a war for oil that will kill thousands of innocent Iraqis, needlessly endanger the lives of U.S. servicepeople, escalate a cycle of violence, devastate the environment, and drain our financial resources. With this vigil, we create a space in Washington, D.C., for building community, for reflection and sharing. It will also be a base from which to engage in creative actions and education for peace. Each week our actions will draw attention to the real costs of war--civilian casualties, who will be sent to fight, escalating poverty as the Pentagon budgets soar, the proliferation of violence in our society, the environmental devastation. Please get involved! For more information: women@unitedforpeace.org or call Kristi Laughlin at 202-393-5016. Back to contents
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We are busily working to stop the U.S. war on Iraq, and we want college students to participate. FCNL serves as a resource for those who wish to bring their concerns to bear on national policy. We have many youth events coming up, including our annual spring lobby weekend in Washington, D.C. We need a young person from each yearly meeting to act as an FCNL contact. If that applies to you, we will mail you brochures and flyers outlining ideas for a variety of projects that your meeting may wish to explore. FCNL contacts receive FCNL's Washington Newsletter and a monthly letter-writing kit to share with their organizations. They can keep up-to-date on legislative issues with the Legislative Action Message via e-mail. Sign up online at www.fcnl.org. They can also request FCNL Info Line messages that include project ideas, resource offers, and other news. Students can sign up to be on FCNL's Young Adult e-mail list on the Web site as well. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to receive additional materials or resources. I can be reached at 202-547-6000 ext. 140; toll free at 800- 630-1330 ext 140; jennifer@fcnl.org. Jennifer Chapin Harris, FCNL Young Adult Program coordinator Back to contents
The Hicksite Baltimore Yearly Meeting was one such body. Its territory included many places that were to become some of the most bitterly contested battlefields of the U.S. Civil War. A series of excerpts from the Baltimore minute books of 1861 to 1865 record, in their own words, their testimony and their trials in these years of trouble. This exhibit presents them for purposes of remembrance and reflection in our time. Chuck Fager, director, Quaker House, Fayetteville, N.C. | |||||||||