World Quaker Day

World Quaker Day 2014 in the Section of the Americas

Africa Asia-West Pacific Europe and Middle East

Watch a film of the celebrations in El Salvador

Submitted by Velinda Landaverde

Belize

Dale and Sylvia Graves and Judy Lumb on Caye Caulker, Belize, CA just after sunrise on World Quaker Day.

Berea Friends Meeting

On World Quaker Day, Berea Friends Meeting (Berea, KY, USA) gathered for a group photo after meeting for worship.
Then we participated in Adopt-a-Highway by picking up trash along highway 21 east of Berea.

Tim Lamm

Berkeley Friends Church

Berkeley Friends Church was likely one of the later meetings worshipping as part of World Quaker Day 2014,
due to our position on the western end of the US... nevertheless, we prayed for our worldwide family of Friends,
that we may all walk in the Light of Christ, and our sharing in open worship included the reminder that it is God's love that unites us.

Brian C Young

Burlington Friends Meeting

Burlington Friends Meeting in Vermont marked World Quaker Day on October 5, 2014 with a worship centered on silent and voiced reflections. We reminded ourselves of our fellow worshipers around the world and the ways that we hold each other in the Light. We closed worships with a reading of the Kabarak Call. Following worship, adults and children alike painted hand prints on a combined mural, to symbolize our "holding of hands" as we strive continually to live mindfully within our testimonies.

Ruah Swennerfelt

Coldstream Friends Meeting

Friends at Coldstream Ontario, Canada met for Meeting for Worship and celebrated the first
World Quaker Day! World peace was on our minds. It is heartening to see pictures of others who stand for peace.
May our unity encourage us to speak up as we are able.

Joyce Holwerda

Children in El Salvador

Cristela Martinez

Fallsington Friends Meeting

Fallsington Friends Meeting, Pennsylvania USA sends greetings to Friends worldwide today!
Here is a picture of many of us taken today, to share with Friends everywhere.

Louise Salinas

Highgate Meeting, Jamaica

On this day October 5,2014 we demonstrate to the community in which we live our Quaker meeting's thoughts on family. Also our thoughts on sharing the Christian message with children. We did so in the midst of a dominant mind-set that the hierarchical structured family involving marriage, chidlren and two parents is the only human family to be recognized and nurtured by the church. Also, we acted against some beliefs that maintains that the message of Christianity is a message for aduLts, for men and women only, who have seen and experienced the world and have been through suffering and now see the need for the one who can speak to their life situation. Today we have demonstrated our Quaker concern that children too can be spiritually guided to respond to the inward devine guide rather than to only respond an established man-made pattern of behaviour.

Children as well as some adults, not all Friends, are at our dining table that is set in the meeting house. They include individuals from different religious sects including Seventh Day Adventist and the Rastafarian. We dine together and we talk about our testimony of equality and the belief re: that of God in every individual. We share a meal and read the Bible together on this day.

Unfortunately, the chickunguna, a flu like sickness now affecting many in Jamaica, caused many to miss our gathering. We ask for prayer on this. We ask for prayer and support to continue sharing our thoughts on children ministry in a tangible way as we seek to broaden our church in spite of severe challenges.

Edwin (Bobby) Coleman.

Green Street MM, Philadelphia YM

Robin Mohr

Kingston, Jamaica

Jean Murray

La Paz, Bolivia

Nataniel Guachalla‎

Lewiston, Maine

I had the joy of worshiping with Lewiston, Maine, USA Friends on the campus of Bates College. In our company were educators, environmental studies students and an African refugee. We are a blessed world-wide community of servant leaders, seeking to be faith full and witnessing to that of the Divine in each of us, especially those with whom we disagree. Let our witness and our work be rooted in our worship where we listen, pray and obey as one people, on one planet with one listening heart.

Leslie Manning

Live Oak Friends Meeting, Houston, Texas

The Live Oak Friends Meeting in Houston, Texas USA celebrated World Quaker Day. It was a covered meeting with discernment on issues facing Friends and Attenders personally, collectively and globally. Thank you FWCC for bringing this opportunity for sharing and focus.

Laura Ward Holliday

Miami, Florida

Miami Friends Meeting (Miami, FL) worshiped in silence, had the Kabarak Call read, and celebrated the day with snacks and coffee. A beautiful day indeed.

Joshua Paolino

Midcoast Meeting of Friends, Damariscotta, Maine

Greetings from Midcoast Meeting of Friends in Damariscotta, Maine, United States.
On October 5, 2014, we gathered on our porch after Meeting for Worship. We stood in the bright sunlight
on this crisp Autumn day, thankful for Quakers the world over who work for Peace and Ecojustice.

Susan Rockwood

Mooresville Friends Meeting, Indiana

Mooresville Friends Meeting (Mooresville, Indiana - USA) celebrated World Quaker Day this morning during Meeting for Worship.

Our order of worship was different - we sang the first verse of 14 hymns without accompaniment (and we sounded pretty good!), now we do have a piano in the Friendship House, but in the Spirit of World Quaker Day we kept things simple. We shared blessings & concerns before the Pastoral Prayer.

Our morning message, well it was 'interactive' . . . one Friend shared a George Fox quote and the front of our bulletins had a colored picture of 'The Presence in the Midst' and Friends were invited to look at the picture and share what they saw. I had met with our Pastor Thursday afternoon and shared several thoughts on this with her as well as some other thoughts for our worship. She asked me to start off and share one observation I had from the photo. Many Friends shared what they observed. We were then left with three Queries -

1) What does it mean to be a 'Gathered Meeting for Worship?' 2) What are the hindrances for us as we gather? 3) In what ways do we recognize the Holy Spirit as we gather for worship?

We closed with several Friends naming F/friends that need to be held in the Light (just a name and nothing else) and then extending the Right Hand of Fellowship . . .

Prayers and blessings to all Friends!

Luanne Hagee

Portland, Maine

Portland, ME Friends asked where members had attended and invited Physicians for Social Responsibility
to share about Humanitarian Case for the Elimination of all Nuclear Weapons as related to the Kabarak Call.

Princeton NJ Monthly Meeting

Princeton, NJ Monthly Meeting (at least our 11am Meeting - we have a 9am Meeting, too!) on World Quaker Day!

Libbie Counselman

Providence Rhode Island Meeting

Providence (Rhode Island) Meeting celebrated with an international potluck lunch (special foods from India, Mexico, Korea, France, Ireland, China, and
a very-US macaroni-and-cheese with butternut squash). Our First-Day School (which is mostly under age 10) watched part of the video of Friends
speaking about what it means to be a Quaker, and made a banner to show all of you what it means to them to be Quaker in our meeting. We send you
loving greetings and look forward to seeing what happened today in your meetings.

Betsy Cazden

Sarasota Friends Meeting, Florida

Eduardo I. Diaz

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

From the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean Sea with our very small worshop group, I send greetings around the world to Friends in so many countries. Love and Laughter, Peace and Harmony to everyone.

Carolyn Keys

St. Louis Friends

St Louis Friends (Missouri - Illinois YM) had a busy weekend. The AFSC Midwest Region Executive Committee
met here and joined us for Worship. Here's the crew we managed to gather for a photo!

Dawn L. Rubbert

Thousand Islands Monthly Meeting

On World Quaker Day, the Thousand Islands Monthly Meeting, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada had a small group of 7 for Meeting for Worship. We considered the special invitation of FWCC to celebrate. After worship, we had a discussion focussing on the calling to be patterns and examples in a campaign for peace and ecojustice.

Thousand Islands MM Clerk

Vergennes Meeting, Vermont

We worship together on World Quaker Day. Last week we began our year long focus on Earthcare.
The Queries are attached. Later in the afternoon some Friends joined the CROP Walk. Our blessings to you all.

Cheryl Mitchell

Washington Friends Meeting

Debby Churchman

West Newton Friends Meeting

West Newton Friends Meeting (Western YM) celebrated WQD with meeting for worship, a class on eco-justice and the Kabarak Call, and a simple lunch.

Brent Bill

Wellesley Friends Meeting

Wellesley Friends Meeting (MA, USA) had a service project to celebrate World Quaker Day. 30 children and adults from WFM harvested potatoes from a member's farm to give to local food pantries. This project of "feeding the hungry" connects us with Friends around the world who are "working for peace and ecojustice".

Cynthia Ganung

Wilmington Friends Meeting

Quakers at Wilmington Friends Meeting (Wilmington Yearly Meeting) celebrated World Quaker Day by
opening worship with a reading from the Kabarak Call. In the children's time, we explored the FWCC map and
saw all the places where Quakers live, and we wondered if there were any Quaker scientists living in Antarctica.
We held the ministries of Friends around the world in the light, and took a picture of ourselves to say hello!

Julie Rudd