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Section of the Americas
March 13, 2012
In This Issue
A thank you note
QUNO update
Last call for World Conference applications
Meeting Directory online
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Greetings!

 

One of the great privileges of this job is the opportunity to meet, worship with and work with extraordinary Friends from around the world. In the last month, I was deeply inspired by attending the meeting of the Quaker United Nations Committee in New York. This committee is a joint effort of FWCC and the American Friends Service Committee, with representatives from all four Sections of FWCC. The intelligence, sensitivity, experience and faithfulness of these Friends gave me renewed hope for the effective and Holy Spirit-led work of Quakers in the world today.  

 

Quaker work at the U.N. is intentionally a form of quiet diplomacy. However, I think too much of our best work as Friends goes unnoticed, even by our local meeting or church community. How can we do a better job of letting our Light shine so that we are a beacon of hope in the world? How can FWCC help you shine? Share your suggestions on our Facebook page or send me a letter - we're open to new ideas.

 

In friendship,

Robin Mohr 

 

Robin Mohr

Executive Secretary

  
trompetasA thank you note 

This break from our regularly scheduled e-news articles is to thank all of the people who make the Friends World Committee for Consultation a reality. This means YOU. All of the yearly meeting representatives, past and present. All the donors who support the work of our staff, the publishing of pamphlets in English and Spanish, the scholarships for Quaker Youth Pilgrims, the workshops and gatherings in South, Central and North America and the Caribbean.

 

Thank you for your prayers, your hard work, and your financial contributions. As they say, FWCC has no hands but your hands.

 

Quakers at the United Nations Office

The Quaker United Nations Office in New York continues its 60+ year history of representing Friends' concerns at the international level, with offices at UN headquarters in New York, as well as in Geneva. In November 2011, QUNO-NY and AFSC hosted a visit by leading UN experts from China. As part of QUNO's work to deepen engagement with rising centers of power, the visit highlighted Chinese perspectives on the UN's role in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. It gave the scholars an opportunity to build relationships at the UN and to learn about the role of nongovernmental organizations and civil society in other countries.

 

QUNO recently hosted an informal meeting at Quaker House with some of the world's leading experts on restorative justice and peacebuilding. For countries recovering from conflict, the need to deal with the root causes of past violence is an issue of critical importance. Restorative justice, which is focused on repairing the harm that has been caused by wrongdoing, provides a conceptual way in which the UN can frame its overall approach to peacebuilding in order to address grievances that often go unmet in post-conflict countries. As QUNO has seen through their work on Burundi, a restorative justice approach to peacebuilding can enhance dialogue around justice issues and promote the inclusion of local reconciliation. Through discussions at Quaker House and elsewhere, QUNO seeks to link the restorative justice activities of Quakers in Burundi with ongoing policy discussions at the UN in order to further promote peacebuilding as relationship-building.  

 

To read more about QUNO's work, visit their website or click here to subscribe to their newsletter.

WC logoSixth World Conference of Friends: last chance to sign up 

Last chance to complete your registration for the 6th World Conference of Friends is this Friday, March 16, 2012. Click here to see a list and a map showing who is going. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Conference are now available, too.    

 

From the Conference website:

 

"As we gather from all parts of the family of Friends, we will be challenged by these theological and cultural differences, by the variety of ways we worship and even by our approach to daily living. The challenges and difficulties we face can be the seeds that lead to new growth. We come with faith that we can find ways to work together to build God's Kingdom. We look forward to experiencing the richness of our many expressions of the Kingdom of God, our different ways of being Salt and Light, as we discover our common roots and come to know each other in the things that are Eternal. We pray that, as we seek God's guidance led by the spirit of Christ, our time together will be a blessing to us all and the whole world."

Meeting Directory updates

We are in the process of upgrading the directory of Friends meetings and churches in the US and Canada on the FWCC Section of the Americas website and the Voices of Friends website. Have you checked to see if your church or meeting's listing is correct? You can submit updates by email from the "Update a record" link at the bottom of the directory page. In the coming year, we would like to expand our directory to include meetings and churches throughout the Section. Please consider making a financial donation to support this ongoing work of FWCC to help Friends and seekers connect with local meetings and churches.

 

You can also order a print copy of the 2010 Directory of Friends Meetings that includes monthly meetings, churches and worship groups in the US and Canada and yearly meeting addresses in the Section of the Americas by clicking here.