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Section of the Americas
| July 25, 2013
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Greetings!
I've been asked to bring a message to Baltimore Yearly Meeting in August on the theme for their annual sessions, "Growing from Common Roots Toward the Light." This theme reminded me of a story a Friend told me several years ago. This Friend spoke about a vision of the well-known chart of the Quaker "tree." Her vision, though, was not of a tree with many branches, but of a forest with many groves.
In this vision, Quakerism is a forest, and trees cover the ground and spread across God's kingdom, making it more and more difficult for us to recognize where one grove ends and another begins. I like this image a lot. Can you see how it works as a spiritual metaphor for Friends?
In this forest, some of those groves will have more oak trees and some more willows, others more pines, depending on the soil and water and elevation in each location. But it's still one forest. Each kind of tree together in their groves can offer different things to the ecosystem, each provides shelter and food to different animals. But they are all growing towards the Light, from a common ground.
How are the different groves of Quakers growing towards the light from common ground? How can different kinds of Quakers offer spiritual food and shelter to different people? How does the Living Water flow through the whole forest? What is the role of the Friends World Committee in supporting the health of the whole forest? I look forward to exploring these questions with Friends in the coming years.
In friendship,
Robin Mohr   Executive Secretary 
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Save the dates! Friends World Committee consultations coming to four corners of the Quaker world in the Americas
The 2014 dates and locations for four Section consultations are now confirmed:
- February 21-23 in San Ignacio, El Salvador
- March 14-16 in Sacramento, California, USA
- March 28-30 in La Paz, Bolivia
- April 11-13 in High Point, North Carolina, USA
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Part of the local arrangements committee for El Salvador visiting sites with Robin Mohr in May
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In a departure from the tradition of holding an annual meeting in March, the Section of the Americas will offer four open consultations between February and April 2014 to examine together some mutually shared issues as well as topics of interest to each region. Continuing with the theme "Let the Living Water Flow! Friends serving God's purposes", all four conferences will offer workshops for Friends to develop our intercultural communication skills for intra-Quaker dialogue and our everyday lives, and for supporting Quaker leadership in the 21st century.
Other workshops, specific to different locations, will include topics such as Quaker history and identity, conflict resolution, the environment and service project opportunities. All four consultations are weekend-long, residential conferences that will include worship, plenary addresses and small group discussion in addition to the workshops. Each consultation will also aim for intervisitation by Friends from outside the general area or country. A study book will be ready by the end of 2013. All Friends are invited to participate. Online registration will open later this year.
Keep checking our website for details.
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QUNO recognized in armed violence reduction poll
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has been named one of the 100 most influential global actors in armed violence reduction. The accolade was given by Action On Armed Violence, one of the leading organizations in the area, and comes as recognition of the work done by Quakers to put this issue on the UN agenda.
QUNO is accompanied in the list by international figures such as Kofi Annan, Angelina Jolie and the Dalai Lama. "Like Quakers in general, we tend not to publicize our work but instead just get on and do it", said Diane Hendrick, associate representative for peace and disarmament at QUNO's Geneva office. "However, we are glad to be recognized by others and we hope this will help us further increase our effectiveness as we continue."
Andrew Tomlinson and Jonathan Woolley, directors of the QUNO New York and Geneva offices respectively, were the named individuals on the list. However, Andrew was clear that they were representing many colleagues. "QUNO staff have been working on this issue for decades, in Geneva and New York", he said. "We've supported negotiations on disarmament, advocated for local perspectives in peacebuilding, upheld the need for reconciliation and dialogue and researched links between violence and development."
The Action On Armed Violence 'most influential people in armed violence reduction' list is available here.
Under the auspices of the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), the Quaker United Nations Offices build contacts with government missions and UN staff, attend relevant UN meetings, collaborate with other non-governmental organizations, and makes oral and written presentations to UN meetings when called upon. FWCC, which links Friends around the world, has had consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council as an international non-governmental organization since 1948.
Contact Oliver Robertson, QUNO staff, for further information.
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Integration Survey results now available
One of the priorities for the Section of the Americas is better integrating the full variety of Friends in our programs and committees. In March we invited all subscribers to our e-newsletters to take a survey about the Friends World Committee in English or Spanish. The survey was very long, showing signs of being developed by a committee with multiple interests, but we were pleased that so many Friends took the time to answer in depth. Below are a few samples of the answers. If you would like to see more of the results, you can see the tallied responses in English or Spanish.
In what ways have you participated in FWCC programs or consultations? (check all that apply)
Responses to the English survey: 67% have attended, 45% have donated, 36% have promoted or announced our programs, and 27% have provided hospitality. 18% said they had not participated at all.
Responses to the Spanish survey: 70% have attended, 19% have organized, 23% have promoted events, 16% have provided hospitality, 3% have donated. 22% said they had not participated at all.
What topics for a FWCC-organized consultation would be particularly useful to your church or meeting? (listed in order of highest response, this is now informing the plans for the consultations in 2014.)
English:
- outreach to youth
- environmental concerns
- leadership development
- cross-cultural communication
Spanish: - leadership development
- outreach to youth
- writing/narrative theology
- bivocational ministry
What is important about the work of the Friends World Committee?
"Es muy importante el propósito del CMCA de buscar la unidad y el compañerismo a pesar de las diferentes culturas y formas de adorar." (The purpose of the FWCC of looking for unity and fellowship in spite of the differences in culture and ways of worship is very important.)
What makes this work hard?
"An insistence on a circumscribed definition of what it means to be a Quaker; fear of being polluted by those who hold doctrines we disagree with; a sense of other things being more important or more urgent."
What have you learned?
"Personally, I have been challenged and strengthened in my faith, I have met wonderful friends and mentors from all branches of the family, I have been used and been able to contribute to understanding between different groups of people and have contributed to the written corpus of materials for learning and for understanding one another. I have also been disappointed by human frailty and Friends who give in to political considerations or financial pressure. I have witnessed very demeaning treatment of some by others, often because of lack of intercultural concerns - just having good intentions is NOT enough. There are ways to learn to be accepting of those who are different and whose values are quite different from one's own."
"La conferencia mundial de Kenia me ha animado mucho al escuchar del trabajo que se está haciendo en diferentes países donde hay presencia de los amigos. También la diversidad de las formas de adorar que tiene la sociedad de los amigos. Pero sobre todo la iglesia de Kenia me impactó por su fortaleza espiritual". (The World Conference in Kenya has greatly encouraged me because we heard about work being done in different countries where Friends are present. Also the diversity of forms of worship of the Society of Friends. But above all, experiencing the spiritual strength of African Friends was powerful.)
"Mostly I'd say humility: learning from and about Friends different from me and my particular branch."
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The FWCC Founders Fund: Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future
In September 1937 almost 1,000 Friends from around the world gathered at Swarthmore and Haverford Colleges in Pennsylvania. This gathering gave birth to the Friends World Committee as a much-needed vehicle for encouraging fellowship and dialogue among all branches of our Religious Society. Later world gatherings also brought together many Friends who individually and collectively have played a major role in shaping who we are as Friends today.
Donating to the Founders Fund is one way to show appreciation of those who have been instrumental in our formation and growth as Friends and to ensure long-term funding for the Friends World Committee.
You can make a gift in honor of someone living or deceased. You can make a donation to the Founders Fund through your will. You may also choose to honor a Friend by simply noting that when you make a donation to FWCC's Annual Fund.
More information and suggested language is available through our website. Please feel free to call, write or email Robin Mohr at any time if you have any further questions on donations or ways to include FWCC in your estate plans. Thank you for your support of the Friends World Committee.
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Where can I learn more about the Friends World Committee in the next few months? Look for FWCC staff:
- Robin Mohr and Evan Draper at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, July 24-28
- Robin Mohr at Baltimore Yearly Meeting, July 30-August 3
- Louise Salinas at Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM), July 31-August 3 and Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative, August 3-4
- Robin Mohr at the Quaker Leadership Conference at Earlham School of Religion, August 16-18
- Robin and Louise at the Section of the Americas Executive Committee meeting in Portland, OR, September 12-15
- Robin Mohr in Wichita, KS, September 18-20
Also, look for Friends World Committee displays at yearly meeting sessions all summer long.
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| Seeking Salt and Light: a documentary
"Exploring Quakerism around the World" is a new video documentary filmed at the Sixth World Conference of Friends by Dana Kester-McCabe of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting that seeks to understand Quakerism through personal interviews. "I was eager to hear about what being a Quaker means for people from around the world," explains Dana.
The documentary is available on the Friends Journal website, where you can also view individual videos of Friends who were interviewed for the project in their native language.
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