| Friends in Rwanda and Congo lose homes in February 3rd earthquakes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eight Friends families are reported to have lost their homes, and the Nkanka Friends church has been totally destroyed, in the most affected area of the Cyangugu region in Rwanda. Destruction in Congo has also been reported as massive. This preliminary news was reported by Debby Thomas, missionary with Evangelical Friends Missions (EFM). Debby writes, via EFM's Prayer Focus email: The Friends Church leaders are calling together the regional leaders to make sure they understand the problem that has happened in Cyangugu...They will collect clothing, food, and money from Friends church members across the country to help those families who are in the most desperate need.
Mkoko Boseka, on behalf of Congo YM, writes via the EFM Prayer Focus that "The consequences of this calamity are disastrous, in the Friends community in Congo in general and in Bukavu in particular, where several Friends' homes have been destroyed...This has befallen a country already torn apart by war...The Evangelical Friends Churches in Congo invite all friends and benefactors throughout the world to help us save the population of Bukavu in particular, the victims of this sad catastrophe.
Friends may help with relief efforts by sending a donation to Evangelical Friends Mission, PO Box 525, Arvada CO, 80001. Financial gifts will be used to help local Friends get their donations to the affected areas, for construction materials and school repairs, and for food and other essential items. Recent media reports indicate that forty people in Rwanda have died as a result of the quake, and 400 were injured, and six deaths and 156 injured are reported in Congo.
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| Kenya Friends Peace Conference responds to social and political crisis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friends representing yearly meetings and organizations in Kenya met and responded quickly to the social and political crisis there. A Plan of Action was created that lays out immediate interventions in the areas of: political crisis; humanitarian crisis (displaced persons), inter-communal crisis; psychological and spiritual crisis; crisis of youth in the country; and organizational capacity. Kenyan Friends were urged to raise local funds, and provisions have been made for the international community of Friends to donate through FWCC's world office or Friends United Meeting.
Keynote addresses were given by Mary Lord (Baltimore YM), recently-retired Assistant General Secretary for Peace and Conflict Resolution at American Friends Service Committee, and Oliver Kisaka, Deputy General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. You can read reports on the conference, including the Plan of Action and "An Open Letter to the Leaders and Citizens of Kenya," and see photos of the conference, on the FWCC World website. Held in Kakamega, the conference was sponsored by the Friends Church in Kenya, Friends United Meeting--Africa Ministries Office, and Friends World Committee for Consultation--Africa.
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| FWCC needs your meeting/church's support!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We're 90% of the way towards our $2.5 million campaign goal. The FWCC Campaign is heading into the final stretch and will end on April 30th. Affiliated Friends meetings and churches will soon receive a request for a special gift to the campaign. You can help by asking your meeting/church if they've received the packet of information that includes the campaign goals, and encouraging a contribution. Tell Friends about the work of FWCC. Share the news you learn through this electronic newsletter. Tell them that a contribution makes an impact on Friends beyond the US and Canada. 25% of unrestricted campaign gifts will go to support the work of the World Office, and of that amount, part goes to the Africa Section.
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| New Director of Quaker United Nations Office in New York appointed
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 Andrew Tomlinson began on February 1st as the new Director of the Quaker United Nations (QUNO) Office in New York. Andrew has a BA in Archaeology & Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and a Masters in Oriental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Andrew joined QUNO after a career in international finance in London and New York with S.G.Warburg and Citigroup, having spent the last several years managing a socially responsible investment business. A Quaker since he came to Philadelphia from the UK on an exchange scholarship, he and his wife Ursula were married at Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting, and he is now Clerk of Chatham-Summit Monthly Meeting in New Jersey. His work has included projects in Mexico, in the Far East and Latin America. Andrew lives with his family in New Jersey and is a citizen of the United Kingdom.
Andrew's arrival is met with much enthusiasm after a challenging year in which the newly appointed Director, Rob Callard, and programme staff member Jessica Huber, resigned. The remaining staff worked hard to continue their level of programme work, while David Atwood, Director of QUNO Geneva, stepped in as a temporary joint director of both QUNOs. QUNO Geneva and New York have been working toward a vision of 'One Office, Two Locations', but the joint directorship gave them an unexpected chance to strengthen links between the offices. |
| Register for the FWCC Annual Meeting before March 10th
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The annual meeting is open to all Friends; you don't need to be an official representative of a yearly meeting to attend. The annual meeting is a place where you can meet with Friends from diverse theological backgrounds, and share faith experiences through worship and fellowship. Learn what Friends are thinking around the Americas, and beyond. For information and to register, visit our website or contact the office at 215-241-7250.
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| Second Quaker Youth Book Project launched
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) announces plans to publish an anthology of short, non-fiction prose, poetry and visual art by young Quakers ages 15-30 from all branches of the Religious Society of Friends. The collection will focus on the personal spiritual experiences, beliefs, and identities of contemporary young Friends and offer a resource both to younger Friends and to the meetings and churches striving to understand and support their younger members. The project will be guided and edited by an international Editorial Board of Friends ages 15-30 representing all the branches.
This project is inspired by the success and lessons of QUIP's 2005 anthology, Whispers of Faith: Young Friends share their experiences of Quakerism and QUIP's ongoing commitment to empowering young Quaker leaders and ministers through writing and publishing.
Stay tuned for a call for submissions in early summer 2008. To learn more about Whispers and QUIP's work as an international association of Quaker writers and publishers, please visit their website.
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