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Friends in Kenya report first-hand on post-election violence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By now many Friends are aware of the ethnic violence that erupted in Kenya following the presidential election on December 27th. The FWCC World Office has created a blog where you can find commentary on events, with links to additional sources of information. The prevailing message in communications coming out of Kenya asks for Friends around the world to pray for the situation. Kenyan Friends have been both directly, and indirectly, affected. Most of the violence has been directed towards the Kikuyu, while the majority of Kenyan Friends are Luhya. John Muhanji, Kenyan Director of the Africa Ministries Office of Friends United Meeting, wrote on January 2nd: "Friends when you see yourselves enjoying the peace you have now wherever you are praise God for everything. Because that can be taken from you in a twinkling of an eye as it happened here in Kenya. Peace is something that needs to be guarded with a lot of care from everybody in the world."
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| FWCC Directory of Meetings and Churches now online
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A searchable online database of Friends meetings and churches in the US and Canada is now available on the FWCC website. Find it from our home page www.fwccamericas.org or by going directly to www.fwccdirectory.org. The FWCC web-based directory offers the ability to find a Friends meeting or church anywhere in the US and Canada. Searches can be conducted using one word of the meeting/church name, or use just one or two criteria such as city, state or language. You can also search for a group within a 5 to 20 mile radius of any given zip code. Friends in charge of their meeting's listing can now update contact information and make other changes by submitting them online. All changes are reviewed before substituting existing data. The next step for FWCC is to move towards a fully bilingual version of the directory that includes groups in Latin America. A print version of the directory will be created in 2008.
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| Register now for the 2008 Annual Meeting in Brown County, Indiana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  All Friends welcome. Hosted by Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting, the 2008 Section of the Americas Annual Meeting will take place at Waycross Episcopal Camp and Conference Center in Morgantown, Indiana, about 20 miles northeast of Bloomington. The Annual Meeting is the business meeting of Friends representing affiliated yearly meetings in the Americas and other interested Friends. It is also an opportunity for worship and fellowship with the wider Quaker world. Thus, business sessions, worship groups, regional meetings and workshops are open to all. This year all Latin American yearly meetings are invited to send a representative to the annual meeting. The keynote speaker is Rachel Stacy of Baltimore YM. Rachel served on the 2005 World Gathering of Young Friends planning committee and was one of the editors of Whispers of Faith: Young Friends share their experiences of Quakerism, published in 2005. For information on how to register, and to register online, visit our website. Registration materials and information can also be obtained from the Section office by calling 215-241-7250.
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| Newest Wider Quaker Fellowship pamphlets now online
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The winter 2007/2008 group of Quaker writings prepared and distributed by the WQF to Friends and friends of Friends is now on our website. Included in this collection are Connected to the Vine, from a talk given by Deborah Saunders at the World Gathering of Young Friends in 2005; Kat Griffith's Conversations from the Heartland, reprinted from Friends Journal (October 2006) and an article that first appeared on Barclay Press's "Conversation Café," The Top Ten Reasons I'm a Quaker, by Gregg Koskela. Wider Quaker Fellowship articles may be downloaded and printed from our website for personal use.
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| Staff Changes at FWCC World Office in London
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Harry Albright, a Canadian Friend living in England and former editor of The Friend, has been appointed Communications Director for FWCC. This new, full-time position, approved by the 2007 Dublin Triennial, includes responsibility for International Membership. Jay Dugan-Brause has been hired half time as Office Administrator and for database management. Jay is from Alaska and lives in London. The changes are the result of staff restructuring. Departing after their years of service are Thecla Geraghty, formerly the Office Administrator, and Graham Ellis, former International Membership Secretary.
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| New Executive Secretary appointed for FWCC's Europe and Middle East Section
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marisa Johnson succeeds retiring Executive Secretary Bronwyn Harwood. Marisa will work out of her home office in Cambridge, England. Her first task is to work with Bronwyn to plan the EMES Annual Meeting to be held over Easter weekend in Vienna.
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| Regional Gathering in Jamaica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friends from Baltimore, Illinois, Jamaica, Lake Erie, North Carolina Conservative and FUM, North Pacific, Philadelphia, Southeastern, Southern Appalachian and Wilmington yearly meetings gathered in Jamaica last week for the Southeast regional gathering. They worshiped together, participated in Alternatives to Violence training and traveled over potholed roads to meetings that are part of Jamaica's Northern Quarterly Meeting. It was distressing to see hurricane-damaged meetinghouses, ruined crops and the burnt-out ruins of two buildings at Swift-Purscell Boys' Home. (After an office break-in to steal computers last October, the burglars torched the historic "big house" and an adjoining property. Both are probably beyond repair.) Several Friends from Kingston were seeing the challenges in this rural part of the country for the first time. In the midst of the physical challenges there was warm hospitality, with an outstanding meal at Highgate Meeting provided by graduates of the Boys' Home. Lasting connections and friendships were made. Look for more information in our next e-news. Photo shows the group visiting hurricane-damaged Albany Meeting.
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| QUNO internship applications open
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Quaker United Nations Office in New York invites applications for its 2008-09 internship program. The program provides an opportunity for college graduates or candidates with equivalent experience who have an interest in international affairs, and a commitment to Friends' principles, to work at the UN. Currently, QUNO focuses on issues of peacemaking and development on the UN agenda. Program Assistants work closely with permanent staff on one or more issue areas, while providing administrative support to the daily operations of the office. Stipend and health insurance provided. Further information and applications are available online at www.quno.org, or may be requested by contacting the office: 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, or by email. Deadline for submission of applications and references: February 8, 2008.
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| January is a great time to start monthly donations to FWCC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get your budget off to a good start by planning your annual giving to FWCC now. The Sustainer program is a simple way to have monthly contributions arranged through your checking account or on a credit card. It's easy to get started, and you can modify your giving at any time. The minimum amount for monthly contributions via the Sustainer program is $15.00 For more information, contact us.
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| Midwest Field Staff in CPT delegation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Susan Lee Barton is participating in a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation to Colombia January 16-29, 2008, as a ministry project under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting.
The delegation will travel to the foothills of the San Luca Mountains in southern Bolivar province, where the rural communities of Micoahumado have suffered paramilitary, guerrilla and military violence, including displacement, extrajudicial killings, economic blockades, aerial spraying of their crops, and the placing of land mines in their roads and fields. In response, the communities have undertaken a "Community Process for Life and Peace." Prayers for the team and its partners in Colombia are welcome.
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