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Section of the Americas
| February 25, 2011
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Greetings!
Claire and Linley Gregory, Co-Clerks of the Yearly Meeting of Aotearoa/New Zealand, Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri, write following the serious earthquake in Christchurch this week:
Friends in and from Christchurch need our love, prayers, holding in the Light. We have heard from both of the co-clerks of Christchurch MM. We are just so grateful when we hear from others that other Friends in Christchurch are physically okay too.They are all very weary and shocked and would be very grateful if we could hold Friends in the Light. Things are not good. Several Friends have had to move out of their houses. Many have had to move to relatives or have taken their relatives or others in.
The meeting house has water through it and the cottage is badly damaged. This Sunday they will be holding Meeting for Worship in 3 different places. This is due not just because of the state of the Meeting House but as the roads in many places are not passable...Our love goes out to them and others who have been affected. Our love goes to each of you as well, as we grapple with how can we can best support Friends and others in Christchurch.'
As Claire and Linley indicate, it is too early to identify what, beyond prayer, Christchurch Friends need. As soon as we have an update, we will send it out.
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| Annual Meeting around the corner
On March 17th & 18th the Annual Meeting of the Section of the Americas will take place at Friends Center in Philadelphia. All representatives appointed from yearly meetings should attend this meeting, and other interested Friends are welcome as well.
Immediately following the Annual Meeting, and continuing in the spirit of reflection and worship, FWCC will host an open event Being Salt and Light: Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world. You can read more about this event, which will take place Friday evening and conclude on Saturday, in the next article.
For information and to register for the Annual Meeting, click here.
Click here to learn more about the Salt & Light event in Philadelphia
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Aminda and Maudiel Arévalo
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Salt & Light Speakers to draw from international perspective
March Salt & Light events feature two international couples to guide Friends in considering the theme Being Salt & Light: Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world.
March 5, 2011 in Portland, Oregon and March 11 &12 in Seattle, Washington:
Aminda and Maudiel Arévalo from El Salvador have worked together for 28 years towards peace for the individual, in the home and within the family. Maudiel is a psychologist, Aminda an educator, and they regularly witness violence in abandoned children and lost youth in El Salvador. Their concern for youth to feel a culture of peace has led them to work with former gang members. Aminda and Maudiel will provide opportunities to relate their experiences to current issues of 'brokenness' that Friends are facing in their communities.
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Linda and David Wolfe
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Register now to attend the Portland or Seattle event.
March 18 & 19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
David Wolfe and Linda Kusse-Wolfe from Wichita, both recorded ministers, carry a ministry of reconciliation among peoples of different races, classes and cultures. This led them to live and study in Qom, Iran, where they were the only publicly-declared Christians in a city of over one million inhabitants. The Holy City of Qom is the center for education for Shiite Muslim clerics. David and Linda will speak to the theme from their experiences.
Register now to attend the Philadelphia event.
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2010 INELA Peru yearly meeting sessions
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Friends in Peru celebrate 50th anniversary as a yearly meeting
2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the National Evangelical Friends church in Peru, and celebrations are being planned throughout the year. The main celebration will take place in October, and an invitation has been extended to all Friends to attend.
"In this year of 2011, we have many goals in front of us as a Quaker community in the programmed tradition. One of them is to strengthen our principles as Friends, seeking for our Lord to guide us in His Spirit..."
Continue reading this letter from Friends in Peru.
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| Funding for young adult Friends to attend Peru Anniversary event
Friends World Committee announces an opportunity for one or more young adult Friends to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the National Evangelical Friends Church of Peru in October aided by scholarship funds. This is possible thanks to a grant received from the organizers of a recent conference of young adult Friends. They minuted:
The funds remaining from the 2010 YAF Gathering will be given to FWCC Section of the Americas as a restricted gift. The money is to be used for the travel expenses of a North American Quaker between 18 and 35 traveling to Peru Yearly Meeting's 50th anniversary events or a North American Quaker between 18 and 35 traveling in the ministry among Friends in Central or South America, with a minute of travel from their monthly meeting.
Please contact the Section Office if you are considering this opportunity.
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Cuba workshop session, February 2011
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FWCC collaboration with AFSC Cuba project
The American Friends Service Committee's Latin American program director Jorge Laffitte invited the Section of the Americas to collaborate on a training project in Cuba, and this provided an opportunity to visit among Friends in Cuba. Margaret Fraser, FWCC Executive Secretary, was one of several Friends who traveled to Cuba in November, as did Associate Secretary Louise Salinas in February, 2011.
Cuba Yearly Meeting annual sessions are taking place this week in Gibara.
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| Friends United Meeting service opportunity in Ramallah
Friends United Meeting is offering an opportunity to experience the work of Friends in Ramallah through volunteer service at the Friends Schools and Meeting. Max and Jane Carter will lead a work/study tour which includes visits to biblical and historical sites throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories. Contact Terri Johns for further information.
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We have a lot to thank you for
Friends are responding enthusiastically this year to our work. But there is still more to do, and several months left in our fiscal year budget that ends on April 30th. We invite you to continue to show your support for the work we do that connects Friends, crosses cultures and, ultimately, changes lives.
Donate now
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