|
Cubans attend Annual Meeting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two FWCC representatives from Cuba Yearly Meeting were welcomed to this month's Annual Meeting, the first time in recent years that visas were granted to Cuban Friends to come to a US hosted FWCC meeting: María Armenia Yí Reyna, a keynote worship speaker at last summer's FWCC triennial in Dublin, and Jorge Luis Peña Reyes, a journalist and writer. Their participation was facilitated by an aide of US Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-Pennsylvania), who was able to track down visas that had been approved by not issued. Without this help, it is doubtful Cuban Friends would have made it.
At the same time, however, three representatives from Bolivia and Peru were denied entry to the US to attend the meeting.
Maria and Jorge met with other Committee of Latin American Friends (COAL) reps to discuss activities for the coming year. They offered a well-attended interest group on Friends in Cuba. Maria and Jorge continued on for visitation among Friends in the New England YM and Wilmington YM areas, as well as Richmond and Indianapolis.
Photo: Latin American Friends meeting at Waycross |
| More on the Annual Meeting...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A small group of Ohio Valley YM teens spent the weekend at the meeting, and a good number of local Friends traveled the winding roads to Waycross Episcopal Camp and Conference Center near Morgantown, Indiana, for evening programs. Rachel Stacy, keynote speaker, told of her challenge to live out her faith as a new teacher in a tough city school and her connection with the emergent church and convergent Friends movements. "A refreshing breeze of youthful promise for the future of Quakerism and FWCC" noted one participant.
Next year's annual meeting is scheduled for March 19-22, 2009 and will be hosted by Friends in the Portland, Oregon area. Mark your calendar now to attend! Members of the Central Executive Committee - representing all four sections of FWCC - wil be there.
Photo: Local Friends' dramatization of Midwest Quaker history
|
| Adult young Friends to meet in May
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Living as Friends, Listening Within" is the theme for this gathering for Friends ages 18-34, planned for Memorial Day weekend May 23-36 at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. The conference is being planned by young adult Friends representing the diversity of Friends' meetings in the US and Canada. For more information and to register online, visit their website.
|
| Peace theme for September FWCC gathering in Canada
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save the date for an FWCC gathering September 26-28 at Crieff Hills Community in Ontario, Canada. "Being a Peace Church in the 21st Century - Old Testimonies: New Times" is the theme which will be guided by Janet Ross, Jane Orion Smith and Murray Thomson. All Friends are welcome to attend regardless of where you live. For more information, check the FWCC website soon or contact John Courtneidge or Virginia Dawson for information and a registration form. Registration materials will be available on the FWCC website soon. This event is being coordinated by Friends in the Lower Great Lakes region of FWCC.
|
|
New Spanish WQF pamphlets published ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Wider Quaker Fellowship has released its newest packet of writing selections in Spanish. They include the translation Shalom es mucho más que paz (Shalom: Much More than Just 'Peace'), by Anthony Prete, and Perspectivas sobre el método cuáquero de tomar decisiones en la iglesia (Perspectives on the Quaker Process of Decision Making), an anthology selected and translated by Susan Furry and Benigno Sánchez-Eppler.
If you know Spanish-speaking Friends who would be interested in receiving Spanish Wider Quaker Fellowship publications, please pass this message along to them. Publications are available both electronically and in hard copy. For more information on the Wider Quaker Fellowship, contact us. |
|
FWCC Fiscal year ends April 30th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We need your support of the Annual Fund! From Margaret Fraser, Executive Secretary:
"Our campaign will end, along with our fiscal year, on April 30th, and we are now just 6% short of the target of $2.5 million. Many contributions have been made to the Founders Fund and other specific programs. This is a wonderful investment in FWCC's future. However, it leaves us behind in our operating fund which pays the regular bills. I hope you will send a contribution before we close our books for the fiscal year. Thank you for your support."
|
|
Free Bibles offered ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Bible Association of Friends in North America offers bibles free or at cost to meetings or individuals. Contact P.O. Box 3, Riverton, NJ 08077 or email them. Contact phone number is (609) 267-1736.
|
| Two Friends Organizations seek interns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) and Friends Rehabilitation Program (FRP), Quaker nonprofit organizations based in Philadelphia, are each seeking a recent college graduate for a 12-month paid internship.
FFC provides socially responsible investment management services to Quaker meetings, schools, retirement communities and other Quaker organizations. Responsibilities will include supporting work in the areas of shareholder advocacy, proxy voting policies and collaboration with other like-minded institutional investors.
FRP owns, manages and develops low income and affordable housing for nearly 1,000 households for seniors, the transitionally homeless, and persons with HIV/AIDS. FRP is seeking an intern to work with its Director of Social Services and to assist in the preparations of grant proposals to other organizations.
Both internships will begin in the summer 2008. These new positions have, in part, been created to mentor leadership among young Friends. Deadline to apply is May 23, 2008. For additonal information on qualifications and to apply, contact:
| |
