World Quaker Day

World Quaker Day 2015 in the Section of the Americas

Africa Asia-West Pacific Europe and Middle East

Adelphi, MD

At Adelphi (MD, USA) Friends Meeting we celebrated with a sunrise (6:45-7:45am) Meeting for Worship. Seven Friends were in attendance.

Berea, KY

Berea, Kentucky, USA, Friends observed World Quaker Day by picking up roadside trash. Here in Kentucky, as in many parts of the USA, the government does not have the resources to keep all the roads clear of litter, so various churches and civic groups volunteer to take care of a designated stretch of roadway. Berea Friends comb our section of road twice a year in spring and fall. The litter consists mostly of bottles and cans and other fast food waste. Highway pickups are an opportunity for practicing community, as all generations of Friends can work side by side. When we are finished, we enjoy a potluck lunch together at a Friend's house. This fall, the weather was beautiful---sunny and warm but not hot. Littering is of course illegal, but impossible to prevent. We hope our example will inspire some people to take better care of our environment.

Tim Lamm

Berkeley Friends Church

Berkeley Friends Church celebrated World Quaker Day 2015 in worship by praying for the worldwide family of the Religious Society of Friends/Friends Church/Quakers–that we would all listen for and attend to the Inward Voice of Christ. Our worship speaker was Charles Blue, the oldest member of our meeting, who spoke on Psalm 23 as a prayer of thanksgiving. We also spent time praising God in song and waiting in expectant silence.
After worship, we gathered for a photo on the front steps of the meetinghouse.
Our loving greetings to Friends everywhere!.

Bethesda, MD

Bethesda Friends Meeting in Bethesda MD is encouraging everyone to send greetings to two other Meetings in honor of World Quaker Day this coming Sunday, October 4. We may not know how many people actually do this, but so far we have sent greetings to Friends in Ghana, Burundi, and New Zealand.

Jane Meleney Coe

Blacksburg, VA

On 4 October 2105, Blacksburg Friends Meeting for Worship began our unprogrammed worship with our celebration of World Quaker Day. Five readers offered portions of Gretchen Castle’s invitation remarks we found on the FWCC web site. Information about the Kabarak Call and a portion of the Call was also read, ending with this: “We are called to see what love can do: to love our neighbor as ourselves, to aid the widow and orphan, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, to appeal to consciences and bind the wounds.” Then our year-long project in response to this call was introduced – The Least Coin, Pennies for Peace. Each First Day, we’ll collect pennies (some pennies came in the form of nickels, dimes and quarters) and before the next World Quaker Day on 2 October 2016, we’ll decide where to donate the amount of the collection. The celebration ended by singing the hymn, From All That Dwell Below the Skies:

“1. From all that dwell below the skies

Let songs of hope and faith arise;

Let peace, good-will on earth be sung

Through every land by every tongue.

2. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,

Praise God all creatures here below,

O give God praise ye heavens above,

Revealed in grace and truth and love.”

Michelle Wilkins

Burlington, VT

Burlington VT joins worldwide worship; many rise to witness.

David Millar

Cambridge, MA

World Quaker Day, October 4, corresponded to the Sunday when Friends Meeting at Cambridge holds its Family Worship, which brings together children and parents and other adults for singing, story, activity, and unprogrammed worship time. For this Family Worship, the theme was “Family of Friends”; letters came via the internet from Quaker children in La Paz, Bolivia; Mexico City, Mexico; Kakamega, Kenya; and Newberg, Oregon, 23 children in all. We gathered into teams of children and adults to respond to these letters, some children writing more than one letter and some very young having considerable help. It was an exciting time of finding the place on the map, having a look at the photos of the children that they sent to us, and getting down to writing. In our worship, we held these children in our hearts, being thankful for the gift of having such a beautiful Family of Friends.

Christel Jorgenson

Chena Ridge Friends Meeting, Fairbanks, AK

Chena Ridge Friends Meeting in Fairbanks Alaska celebrated World Quaker Day at 9:00 a.m., one hour after sunrise, Alaska Daylight Savings time. An early snowstorm the previous week had caused power outages all over the area, and our Meeting House had been without power for five days. A Friend brought a generator and hooked up the oil stove to heat up the space for worship at 10:00, so our small group huddled around the stove at 9:00 for a worship sharing with the suggested queries. We read the Kabarak Call aloud and were once again impressed with the power of that statement. One Friend in our group spoke of visiting Alaska Yearly Meeting in Kotzebue earlier this year, hoping to find common ground in our concern for the effects of climate disruption in Alaska. His experience was disappointing in that regard, but he finds hope in the connections he made with several Friends there. Another Friend spoke of the joy of meeting Friends from around the world at the World Gathering in Kenya and she recalled the powerful sense of unity when the Kabarak Call was approved by that body.

Connecticut Valley Quarterly Meeting

Sitting in the meeting for worship for business of the Connecticut Valley Quarterly Meeting of New England Yearly Meeting we just approved sending the Memorial minute for John Henry Foster of Mt Toby Friends both to the Yearly Meeting and to the QUNO office. Three amazing World Quaker Day points came out in the minute about this blessed life.

1. John served on QUNO's Board of Governors.

2. He was one of the first Wilburite (Conservative) Friends who married "out of Meeting" in 1954 and was not disowned by his Monthly Meeting. This was made possible in the context of New England YM's first decade as re-unified Yearly Meeting.

3. In 1952 he found Georgana, the young woman who would become his wife, while he was working for the British Quaker's Rural Development Center project in India.

John's is a life of faith fulness lived fully both in his monthly meeting and in the World wide company of Friends.

Benigno Sanchez-Eppler

El Salvador YM

Here is a link to El Salvador YM's report. (In Spanish/En españoll)

Fallsington Friends Meeting, Bucks County, PA

Click on the image to see a video greeting from Fallsington Friends.

Fresh Pond MM, New England YM

Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting (New England Yearly Meeting) didn't take a picture, but we did a sort of word cloud. At the end of meeting for worship today, we asked Friends as they introduced themselves to say where else, and with what other branches of Friends, they had worshipped. Organizations mentioned included our Yearly Meeting, including Young Friends and the Travelling Ministries program, AFSC, FUM, FGC, Quaker Earthcare Witness, and School of the Spirit. Places -- omitting meetings in our own Yearly Meeting -- included Central America, Indiana, Kenya, New Jersey, Seattle, Nashville, Wisconsin, Monterrey Peninsula, Beirut, Cardiff, Singapore, Austin, Downers' Grove, St. Louis, Palo Alto, Minnesota, Thailand, Wilkes-Barre, Laos, Cambodia, Oxford, Monteverde, Des Moines, Iowa (Conservative and FUM), Bloomington, Tacoma, Red Cedar, North Carolina (FUM), San Francisco, Adelaide, Seattle, Berkeley, Stillwater, Pendle Hill, Central Philadelphia, and Moorstown. And I'm sure I missed a few!

Mary Hopkins

Guetamala JM Embajadores Amigos de Chiquimula

Hoy se celebra el día mundial de los cuáqueros, y pensamos que es una buena oportunidad para hablar un poco sobre nuestra herencia como Amigos.

Este movimiento empezó con Jorge Fox en Inglaterra en el año de 1652, a partir de allí los Amigos (que así se llamaron entre ellos) empezaron a viajar por muchos lugares para predicar la Palabra de Dios. En una ocasión Jorge Fox fue llevado ante un juez y Fox le dijo que la Palabra de Dios lo haría temblar. El juez burlándose lo llamó “tembloroso” (quacker) y así se les llamó en adelante. También se les llamó Cuáqueros por ser “movidos” por el Espíritu Santo. A nivel mundial somos reconocidos como PACIFISTAS, y tenemos otras características que son la justicia, la integridad, la honradez, la sencillez, la temperancia, así que debemos cuidar esa imagen que tienen de nosotros.

Hay una organización de los Amigos, el CMCA (Comité Mundial de Consulta de los Amigos) que está dividido en 4 secciones: Oficina Mundial Ubicada en Londres, desempeña un papel coordinador para las cuatro secciones.

Sección de las Américas Con sede en Filadelfia, Estados Unidos. Sección de África Con sede en Nairobi, Kenya Sección de Asia y el Pacífico Occidental Con sede en AUSTRALIA Sección de Europa y el Medio Oriente Con sede en el Reino Unido

En este mapa podemos ver cómo estamos los amigos alrededor del mundo. Donde más Amigos hay es en África, luego sigue América, Europa y Asia.

En América los países con más Amigos son EE. UU., Bolivia y Guatemala.

Después de esta pequeña historia me gustaría que veamos Colosenses 2:8-10

Muchos de los que están aquí nacieron siendo Cuáqueros, pero yo tomé la decisión de ser Cuáquera a mis 25 años; en ese tiempo hubo aspectos de la Iglesia Amigos que me inquietaron y se que a muchos todavía los inquietan. Cuando era recién llegada a la iglesia Amigos, me sentía mal que me dijeran: “ustedes los Amigos no cumplen con lo que Dios manda, el bautismo es un paso de obediencia, la santa cena es tener comunión con Dios”… fue entonces cuando empecé a profundizar más en la Palabra de Dios.

Debemos comprender el contexto en el cual vivía Jesús y los demás discípulos, en Mateo 3:15 cuando Juan le dijo a Jesús que no quería bautizarlo, él respondió: “deja para que así cumplamos toda justicia” , él lo tenía que hacer porque era su cultura, estaba entre judíos, el era judío; por su nacimiento sus padres tuvieron que ofrecer como sacrificio dos palominos, tuvieron que circuncidarlo a los 8 días de nacido, su madre tuvo que purificarse por 40 días (Lucas 2:21-23), la costumbre era que alguien lavaba los pies de los viajeros cuando entraban a una casa, Jesús celebraba la pascua que es lo relacionado ahora con la santa cena y tuvo que bautizarse como la mayoría lo hacía.

Nosotros no somos judíos, aunque sí tomamos su religión y la transformamos al cristianismo porque somos seguidores de un judío llamado Jesús, pero no tenemos que hacer todos los ritos y ceremonias que ellos hacen, porque Jesús es el Cordero sacrificado, Jesús es nuestra pascua, Jesús nos purifica, nos circuncida el corazón, nos bautiza con el Espíritu Santo… además la Palabra de Dios dice que Él no quiere sacrificios, quiere un corazón contrito y humillado (Salmo 51:16-17)

Estamos claros en que las iglesias que practican estas ceremonias no están mal, no están pecando, claro que no, y nosotros los respetamos, esa es su doctrina; la Biblia dice que a paz nos llamó el Señor y no vamos a discutir por esto, sólo que como Amigos tenemos que tener bien clara nuestra herencia. En Efesios 4:5 dice: “un Señor, una fe, un bautismo”, y aquí se refiere al bautismo con el Espíritu Santo, porque la Biblia dice en Efesios 1:13 que cuando aceptamos a Jesús somos sellados con el Espíritu Santo, y ese es el bautismo que tenemos, y cuando dependemos de Dios totalmente y le servimos, estamos en comunión con Dios, además lo tenemos dentro de nosotros; como Amigos nos identifica la “Luz interior” que es una experiencia real de Dios en cada uno de nosotros; es algo espiritual, porque Jesús dijo en Juan 4:24 los que adoran al Padre, en espíritu y en verdad es necesario que le adoren, Porque Dios es Espíritu.

“La salvación es un asunto de fe, no se trata de tener un lugar correcto, ni palabras correctas o de rituales correctos” (Curtis Vaughan)

Así que no estemos inquietos por estas cuestiones, la salvación no es por obras dice su Palabra y las obras incluyen estas ceremonias. La salvación es por la fe en Cristo Jesús, y como dice el pasaje que leímos al principio, “en Él estamos completos”.

Bueno, también hoy en nuestra iglesia celebramos el día del niño, y pienso, qué mejor regalo le podemos dar a nuestros niños, sino el enseñarles desde pequeños nuestras raíces Cuáqueras, enseñarles cómo somos los Amigos, qué creemos los Amigos, cuál es nuestra herencia, qué es lo que nos identifica; que no nos pase lo que les pasó a los israelitas después de la generación de Josué; en Jueces 2:10 dice que se levantó otra generación que no conocía a Jehová ni las maravillas que el había hecho. Pero esto fue culpa de los padres que no transmitieron a los hijos la Palabra de Dios. Nosotros tenemos que hablarles a nuestros niños y contarles lo que Dios ha hecho en nosotros y en nuestra familia.

Jesús dijo en Juan 15:14 vosotros sois mis amigos, si hacéis lo que yo os mando… y qué nos manda El? nos manda a predicar su palabra, a reconciliar a las personas con Dios, a enseñarles el camino que deben seguir, a decirles cuánto el Señor les ama.

Por lo tanto debemos pasarles a nuestros hijos la estafeta o el testigo, para que cuando nosotros ya no estemos, ellos nos releven y sean unos verdaderos Cuáqueros; Amigos pacifistas, íntegros, honrados, que practican la justicia y la temperancia y por supuesto que sean servidores de Dios.

Así que alegrémonos de ser Cuáqueros y que la paz de Dios llene nuestros corazones.

Canto: Te pido la paz

Algunos significados de temperancia:

* La temperancia es el dominio propio mediante el poder del Espíritu Santo.

* Pedir a Dios, que mediante su Espíritu Santo, nos guíe en las elecciones que hacemos.

* Elegir servir primero a Dios.

* Pedir a Dios que nos dé fuerza para resistir las tentaciones.

* Elegir comer y beber lo que es saludable de manera que honremos a Dios.

* Elegir no comer ni beber nada que sea dañino.

* Elegir permitir a Dios que nos guíe en todas nuestras actividades diarias.

Ruth Bueso de Coronado Predicado a la JM Embajadores Amigos, Guatemala.

Hanover, NH

Hanover New Hampshire Friends (New England Yearly Meeting) prayed for peace in union with its sister meeting in Havana, Cuba on World Quaker Day. We had arranged to do this together as part of Havana Friends' Church's year-long celebration of its 15th Anniversary. A delegation from Hanover Friends Meeting is going to Havana in November.

Len Cadwallader

Heartland Friends Meeting, KS

Greetings from Heartland Friends Meeting in Wichita, Kansas, USA. With Friends around the world, we celebrate our togetherness on World Quaker Day. In our Adult Education Hour we examined the queries offered by FWCC, and for children's worship, our little ones “played” with the Faith & Play story of George Fox’s big questions.

Connie Robinson Adams

Indianapolis First Friends

Indianapolis First Friends welcomes Lucretia Mott, George Fox and John Woolman

Miami Friends Church

Miami Friends Meeting, Miami Florida celebrating World Quaker Day

New Association of Friends, USA

Greetings from the Steering Committee of The New Association of Friends, meeting at Salem Friends Church, next to the cow pasture

Margaret Fraser

New England YM Yong Friends Focus Group

This is the Young Friends focus group on FWCC. We were just chatting about connecting with young quakers around the world at the upcoming FWCC conference in Peru! We just wanted to let you know that we have some ideas regarding the consultation on youth work for your consideration.

- Mediation training, to create a future of better Global Citizens in the Quaker community.
- More opportunities to be meet the youth of quaker communities worldwide.
- More education/resources on other meeting styles around the world (i.e. Evangelical, Programmed, Unprogrammed).

Thank you so much, and happy World Quaker Day!!!!!!
Signed - Focus group on FWCC in NEYM YF.

Newton Monthly Meeting, NJ

Greetings from our urban farm at Newton Monthly Meeting in Camden, New Jersey! We were open all last weekend for folks walking across the bridge to Philadelphia to see the Pope; just a quiet potluck today after the corn stalks have been composted and harvesting of greens.

Orange Grove Meeting, CA

Orange Grove Meeting (an historic 100-year-old unprogrammed Meeting in Pasadena, a city 20 miles north east of Los Angeles) had an "exchange program" with Whittier First Friends Church, a pastoral meeting 20 miles south east of LA and Pasadena. Friends in these two Meetings have had close ties in the past. World Quaker Day gave us an opportunity to renew and deepen our friendships.

Sarah Rose House and Shayne Lightner of Orange Grove Meeting went to Whittier Friends Church along with Hulda Muaka, a Kenyan Friend who attends Palo Alto Meeting (in Northern California). Hulda spoke and Shayne showed his documentary about the World Conference of Friends in Kenya.

Deanna Woirhaye of Whittier Friends Church came to Orange Grove and shared about her experiences at the World Conference. She and Anthony Manousos of Orange Grove Meeting had gotten to know each other at this Conference and have become friends. Anthony shared a slide presentation about World Quaker Day and the FWCC Mexico gathering he attended along with his wife Jill Shook.

Deanna shared that she was relatively new to Quakerism--she had married a Quaker--when she went to Kenya for the World Conference and it was a life-changing experience. Anthony explained that "Quakers around the world are incredibly diverse ethnically, racially and theologically, but we are committed to being friends despite our differences and FWCC helps us to stay connected." Asked what Quaker around the world have in common, Anthony replied, "I believe that one of the important things that connects Friends world-wide is our Peace Testimony. This was especially clear when we went to Kenya and saw the amazing work that Kenyans are doing to promote peace and nonviolence."

After the adult study, Jill and Anthony talked about FWCC and shared about their experiences in Mexico with the children of the Meeting. There was a lively discussion and the kids made pictures and learned to say "hello" in French, Spanish, Chinese and Swahili. Jill told the kids what she learned when she went to Mexico for the FWCC gathering, which was followed by a field trip conducted by the Casa de los Amigos. She and Anthony went to little village called Vicente Guerrero, where the Quakers had been involved since the 1980s. There courageous Mexican farm workers had stood up to Monsanto and helped to get GMO corn banned in their state, and eventually all over Mexico through a class action law suit. The children shared what they learned with the adults at rise of Meeting. Then we met in the library for a group picture.

The adults in the picture of the children were Kindred Gottlieb and Jill Shook. The picture of the five Friends in the library were (left to right) Deanna Woirhaye, Anthony Manousos, Jill Shook, Sarah Eggers and Gretchen Davidson.

Orlando Monthly Meeting, FL

At Quakers of Orlando (Orlando Monthly Meeting, Orlando, FL), our First Day School children learned about World Quaker Day and made "suns.

Just after Rise of Meeting, the adults formed a circle of chatty people. The children quietly walked the sun around the circle, transforming each person present to a quiet worshipper until all were silent.

Then, we gathered for a photograph together and enjoyed a potluck and time of fellowship.

Oxford Friends Meeting, OH

Oxford Friends Meeting, in Oxford, Ohio, had our Meeting for Worship as scheduled, and Meeting for Business with Attention to Business. I'd like to draw attention to the photo of Barbara Diehl, a lifelong Quaker who is 85 years old. At rise of Meeting, she read a poem called "Forget-Me-Not" by Cincinnati poet and songwriter Emily Bruce Roelofson. The Forget-me-not is a traditional symbol of true love and remembrance, and on this World Quaker Day the Forget-Me-Not was an apt analogy of the love and Quakers near and far, living and departed.

Also pictured: Stephen Angell (standing) Oxford Friends Meeting Clerk, and professor at Earlham School of Religion; Ian Murray, a sixteen-year-old Friend, eating carrot cake prepared by Anne Hutchinson; Cassie Murray and Paul Kriese (Paul was visiting from Clear Creek Friends Meeting in Richmond, Indiana, and is a representative to Friends General Conference).

Anne M. Hutchinson

Paullina Friends Meeting, IA

Greetings from Paullina Friends Meeting, Paullina, Iowa on World Quaker Day October 4th, 2015

In our adult discussion group and Children's First Day school we discussed poverty and hunger in Iowa and the United States. In conjunction we planned a canned food drive for the food pantry located in Primghar, Iowa. The children created a poster to share with the SOS food pantry along with our canned goods and money raised.

We are enjoying our beautiful fall days as are our local farmers. The photo is an aerial view of Mapleside along with the nearby farms and adjacent windmill.

Barb Busch-Mott

Philadelphia YM Young Adult Friends

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Adult Friends had our Fall Retreat overlap with World Quaker Day!

Providence, RI

Providence (RI, USA) Meeting enjoyed an international potluck meal after meeting for worship, with food from Mexico, India, Korea, Palestine, and the USA. During worship we held Friends around the world in our thoughts and prayers, especially remembering those who have visited our meeting.

Betsy Cazden

Wellesley Monthly Meeting, MA

Greetings from Wellesley Friends Meeting, MA, NEYM. On Oct. 4, World Quaker Day Friends at our All Ages Religious Education program (children and adults) we heard about Quakers around the world and saw the FWCC map and photos of Friends from the four Sections who were at the 2012 World Conference. We also heard about Friends' experiences with AFSC, FCNL, FGC & FUM. We have a common bond with Friends around the world in our commitment to work for peace and justice for people and the environment. After meeting for worship Friends listed Quaker meetings they had attended in other countries; many have visited meetings in Cuba through Puente de Amigos, New England's sister yearly meeting relationship with Cuban Friends. We have also been blessed to have visits from Cuban Friends, including members of our sister meeting in Puerto Padre, Cuba.

Cynthia Ganung