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Section of the Americas
| September 14, 2011
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Greetings!
Heart to heart and face to face. This has always been the primary form of communication for the Friends World Committee for Consultation. In the last year over 25 local Salt & Light gatherings in seven countries in the Americas have offered over 1,000 Friends the opportunity to worship together and explore the theme of "Being Salt and Light: Friends Living the Kingdom of God in a Broken World." With the help of many Friends, we brought twelve speakers from nine yearly meetings to share their faith and experience with Friends in each region of the Americas.
For some Friends, this was a rare opportunity to meet Quaker ministers from far away and to learn about how Friends express their faith in other parts of the world. For many of them, it was their first time at an FWCC event, and for others, attending a Salt & Light gathering inspired them to renew or deepen their involvement with FWCC. In some places, it was an opportunity to invite new people to attend a meeting event. In other places, the speakers, young and old, joined gatherings of young adults and shared their own inspiring stories of being Friends in the world.
In each case, it was a wonderful opportunity for Friends to learn from one another. You can read more about the recent and upcoming events in this newsletter. You can make a donation here:
to support our work: Connecting Friends, Crossing Cultures, and Changing Lives.
In friendship,
Robin Mohr
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Linda Kusse-Wolfe & David Wolfe
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FWCC speakers on 'Being Salt and Light' starting next month
More local events on the theme of the upcoming World Conference of Friends - Being Salt and Light: Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world - will start the weekend of October 7th and will continue through January 2012.
Linda Kusse-Wolfe and David Wolfe, recorded Friends ministers from Wichita, KS, will lead off the weekend of October 7th in the midwest with visits to:  | |
Valerie Joy
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Click on each location link for times and more information.
Valerie Joy, FWCC's Asia-West Pacific Section Executive Secretary, and Abel Sibonio, Friends pastor from Burundi now living in Australia, arrive in mid October for a month of travel for Salt & Light events:
- Atlanta (GA) Friends Meeting, October 14-16th
- Columbia (SC) Friends Meeting, October 18th
- Louisville (KY) Friends Meeting, October 21-23rd
- Community Friends Meeting in Cincinnati (OH), October 25th
- Ada Chapel Friends in Wilmington (OH), October 26th
- Winthrop Center (ME) Friends Church, October 28th
- Portland (ME) Friends Meeting, October 29-30th
- Providence (RI) Friends Meeting, November 1st
- Hartford (CT) Friends Meeting, November 3rd
- Wellesley (MA) Friends Meeting, November 5-6th
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Abel Sibonio
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Save the date: January 13-15, 2012, Mary Lord and Noah Baker Merrill will lead a weekend Salt & Light program in Silver City, NM. Check our website for updates to this schedule. All Friends welcome to attend. Some locations offer home hospitality for Friends driving from a distance. Read more about the speakers. |
Still time for your meeting to host an FWCC 'Salt & Light' event
If your meeting or church would like to host a Salt & Light program prior to the Sixth World Conference of Friends next April, please let us know. Opportunities exist for next January through March 2012. The momentum for Friends around the globe to think about Being Salt and Light: Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world is growing. Contact us if you would like to know more about hosting an event.
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 'Being Salt & Light' in Jamaica Who is my neighbor? How do we as Friends love the "hard neighbors" within our reach?
How do you think Friends in Jamaica are unique and how can we help our youth grow in their leadership?
These are some of the questions Linda Kusse-Wolfe and David Wolfe from Great Plains YM challenged Friends in Jamaica with last month during an FWCC Salt & Light event held in conjunction with Jamaica Yearly Meeting. 
Linda and David describe some of the discussion: Small group feedback focused on the needs for Friends to be willing to truly know neighbors (especially Rastas, beggars, difficult young men who congregate on the streets, addicts) to show respect and a willingness to listen, to know their background and concerns, to be willing to invite them to Friends events & to offer hospitality as meetings. A third of those who took part in the Salt & Light workshop were young Friends. "The Young Friends' presence, preparation and contribution to this day was very special... they were sparkling with life and with good ideas for the future of JYM," writes Linda. "It was a real joy to be with them." |
 World Conference study book coming soon Online and print versions of the study book on the World Conference theme Being Salt and Light: Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world will be available very soon. It is hoped the essays will offer inspiration and challenge to participants, meetings and churches. Now is a good time to plan a discussion group on the readings and queries in your meeting or church.
The online version will be available here by the end of September.
In deciding the theme, the International Planning Committee (IPC) drew inspiration from several Bible passages, including Matthew 5:13 ("You are the salt of the earth..."), Matthew 5:14-16 ("You are the light of the world..."), Matthew 6:33 ("Seek ye first the Kingdom of God..."), Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord's Prayer), Micah 4:4 ("They shall sit under their own vines and fig trees and no one shall make them afraid."), and Micah 6:8 ("... And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?").
The theme is supplemented by a passage from Luke, 17:20-21. "The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed ... the Kingdom of God is among you."
The second supporting quote for the theme is from the eighteenth century American Friend John Woolman: "We have the prospect of one common interest from which our own is inseparable, to turn all we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our lives."
"This theme unites the spiritual foundation of our faith with our understanding of the basis of our work in the world in all its diversity," said FWCC General Secretary Nancy Irving.
Visit the World Conference website to learn more. It is still possible to participate in this once-in-a-generation event. Read more. |
| Today is the deadline for Friends wishing to lead the next Quaker Youth Pilgrimage
Why consider leading a pilgrimage of 28 young Friends ages 16-18 for a month next summer? A former leader writes:
It was an experience that facilitated a tremendous amount of learning and growth! ... I learned much more of how to be present to High School age folk. It is a delicate balance to strike between the desire to become friends and the need to maintain a mentoring-type authority. The experience reminded me of how messy community naturally is--and that's wonderful! ... I am certainly a different person having experienced co-leading QYP, and I am much more confident in my ability to lead/guide Young Friends in their spiritual journeys!"
If you have been thinking about applying, now is the time to complete your application. Questions? Contact Quaker Youth Pilgrimage clerk Bill Schoder-Ehri.
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 October 15 deadline to apply for next summer's pilgrimage Young Friends who will be ages 16 to 18 next summer should apply for the next Quaker Youth Pilgrimage to Europe planned for July 12 - August 13, 2012 by October 15, 2011. Some scholarship funds are available to help with the cost of attending this month-long journey.
"I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity I was given. I feel blessed for the confidence I gained in telling others "I'm a Quaker" and being able to describe what that means for me as well as what it might mean for Friends with other experiences and in other branches." - a former Pilgrim
Read more about FWCC's Quaker Youth Pilgrimage. Apply now. |
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