Peace and Social Concerns Committee

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee consists of approximately 12 members nominated by the Nominating Committee and appointed by the Yearly Meeting.

The Committee recognizes that an enduring peace requires social justice, and that the two are inextricably bound together. Friends’ concerns for nonviolence in international affairs and in the alleviation of situations of tension in society are translated into education and action programs of the Yearly Meeting. The Committee stimulates and coordinates activities of Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committees regarding those issues that affect the fabric of society and on which Quaker testimonies can be brought to bear. It serves as a resource to Baltimore Yearly Meeting and its constituent Meetings, gathering and disseminating information.

Friends are encouraged to record their personal statements of pacifism. Signed and dated statements are sent to the Youth Secretary of the Yearly Meeting. The names of all persons filing such statements are to be listed in the Yearbook published following receipt of the documents.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee continues to face a wide variety of issues. The concerns that are appropriately considered by our committee touch every one of the Quaker testimonies. Our cup continues to run over.

We began this past year by challenging Friends at Annual Session to consider two queries:

The Committee asked Friends to settle into silent worship, and consider these queries. Friends were asked to write their responses, as led, on index cards which were collected by the committee at the end of session. The responses to those queries were enlightening. A member of the Committee, Joan Gildemeister, did a scholarly examination of them, and wrote an excellent summary of her findings (attached). We hope that Friends will review these, to see how they might inform the work of Monthly Meetings in peace and social justice work.

In the fall, the Committee held its annual Networking Day at Sandy Spring Friends Meeting. Mary Lord spoke to us about her own journey in peace work, and described the current situation with regard to the peace “movement.” She talked about the history and the “life cycle” of movements. We learned about frustration, and about how, in times of war, “peace folk” tend to, “get in too late, and leave too early.” This helped us understand that much of our current frustration over the seeming lack of a peace movement is due to ourselves. She told us that we can be faithful to our values, in spite of history. It was a wonderful and uplifting message that Mary gave us, which led many present to renewed optimism and understanding.

At Interim Meeting in the fall of 2009, the Committee proposed that the Yearly Meeting send a letter to President Obama, who had been announced as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. We wrote as Quakers, fellow recipients of the Prize, who are guided by our Peace testimony. We asked him to reduce the presence of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan, and increase humanitarian assistance to those two war torn countries. The letter was approved by Interim Meeting, and sent to the President. Betsy Meyer, Clerk of Interim Meeting, received a written response from the President. The response made no commitment to reduce our military presence.

The Committee formed an informal sub-committee on immigration issues. It will consider what action might be appropriate for us to recommend to the Yearly Meeting on this continuing and contentious issue.

In the fall, when President Obama announced that he would send more troops to Afghanistan, the Committee responded by asking BYM monthly meetings to consider holding a Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Peace. At least five such meetings were held. An article in the Interchange spoke to the reports of those meetings. Many Friends found them helpful, in dealing with their frustration over the expansion of war.

The Working Group on Right Sharing of World Resources, which is under the care of this Committee, has been active throughout the year, making itself available for presentations at any venue. Two of the members of the Working Group, Karen Grisez and Joan Gildemeister, have produced a DVD documenting their visit to India meeting with recipients of RSWR mini-loans. This DVD is available to anyone on line at www.rswr.org.

The Committee sponsored two workshops at Annual Sessions this past year. The first was on Appreciative Inquiry, a new and refreshing way to address internal conflicts, and was led by Brad Ogilvie, of William Penn House. Brad is an excellent speaker, and an authority on Appreciative Inquiry. It was offered by the Committee to the Yearly Meeting as a possible way to move forward in our internal struggle over our relationship with Friends United Meeting. The second workshop was on the Middle East, and was led by Helena Cobban, a renowned journalist who spent many years living and working in the Middle East. Helena has an extensive range of knowledge of the area, and her two day workshop was well attended.

Yearly Meeting Survey Of Attenders’ Actions To Take Away The Causes Of War And Their Efforts To Promote Peacemaking

At the 2009 Yearly Meeting gathering at Frostburg State College, Peace and Social Concerns Committee, as its contribution, asked for the views of the gathering as a whole about what they as individuals have done, or seen others do, to take away the occasion for war and what they are eager to do to promote peace and social justice.

A quick overview of the cards indicated that we are a group devoted to taking away the causes of war and to collaboration in promoting peacemaking and social justice. Many work with others and collaborate with other faiths to this end but fewer were prepared to describe ways in which they put their beliefs into action. More than half were concerned with both the Local and the International/Global framework of our current situation as citizens and seekers of truth. As a group, those attending Yearly Meeting think globally and act locally.

Almost three quarters of responses reflected a serious concern for resolution of conflicts and contributing to social justice through peaceful means. Three of the ways in which members seek peace is to value it, be activists in seeking peace, and educate for peace within the family, community, nation and world. Those attending Yearly Meeting struggle mightily for peace, since responses provided evidence they support all three.

“Actions for peace”, were reported through participation in activities to lessen local injustice, bring about change for human needs, work for peace in organized ways, and extend concern to Africa and Asia, beyond the community and nation. Education and support for conscientious objection and counterrecruitment was mentioned by activists. Most agreed that education in conflict resolution, building schools abroad, preventing the outbreak of violence and promoting reconciliation and healing contribute to take away the causes of war and require energy and dedicated teachers. Specific support for FCNL and dismay at cuts in AFSC’s scope were noted by many. Attendees emphasized the importance of sharing assets, both spiritual and material.

Concern for right relationships with others and with the community was emphasized. There is value in sharing assets, both spiritual and material. Many commit to simplicity in order to free up energy and resources and some would be willing to accept higher taxes for human needs. Many connect with those in economic distress and in need of food through local agencies. Others work on energy policy and the need for alternative sources was noted by many. Some change their own consumption habits as well as decrease use of fossil fuels for heating and transportation, shifting to public transportation. Many linked energy alternatives and environmental stewardship. Responses were very diverse but followed the theme of changing consumption and awareness of environmental protection as an essential element of stewardship for the earth.

A third of attendees expressed a need to change themselves to deal more effectively with the challenges and changes they confront in their social, economic and political life. Personal changes most frequently mentioned by respondents were: acquiring listening skills, developing sensitivity to the needs of others, and adopting simplicity as a way of living.

In summary, a wide range of perceptions indicated ways in which Yearly Meeting attenders would take away the causes of war and actively promote peace. Many dedicate their lives to build a more just society and their activism is fueled by their belief in the power of faith. Some suggestions emerge: meetings might provide opportunities to support Quaker initiatives for peace and social justice at home as well as overseas. This support could be increasing knowledge and opportunities to act, not limited to financial donations. Some may feel more empowered to collaborate in specific, local issues, whereas others will choose to devote energy to focused programs like those of AFSC and Quaker led overseas programs. Yearly Meeting itself appears to promote ties between those led in particular directions. The wide range of workshops and presentations offer opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills which enable us to participate in a rapidly changing world. For some, feelings of empowerment are enhanced with group action. Others seek to increase their effectiveness in countering the forces of violence. Ways for individuals and groups to decrease their carbon footprints, decrease energy consumption, and become stewards of the earth also seem important. The survey indicated Quakers at Yearly Meeting are considering ways to use our resources in effective ways. Sharing and networking at the Yearly Meeting level seem essential to these efforts to meet the challenges of today.

Our Committee sees the “charge” to “stimulate and coordinate activities of Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Commitees regarding those issues that affect the fabric of society and on which Quaker testimonies can be brought to bear,” as very important, and even vital. This is where we can be of most use to the Yearly Meeting.

We attempt to do this by various means. We hold an annual networking day, where members of Monthly Meeting PSCCs can share and learn from each other. We sponsor workshops and interest groups at Yearly Meeting. We season issues for the Yearly Meeting, and often bring issues for action to its consideration. We feel we sometimes give voice to the “conscience” of the Yearly Meeting on issues involving peace and social justice. We hope that this moves us toward a vision of a more peaceful and just world, where our Quaker testimonies are accepted and used as spiritual guidelines for society as a whole.

We can speak with one voice, encompassing over 40 Quaker meetings in four states and District of Columbia, and (4000?) Friends, on issues of state, national, and international concern.

We support Friends as they seek to apply our testimonies to their lives, individually, and corporately.

Peace and Social Concerns Committee Minutes
Interim Meeting 6-19-2010

Attendance: Bill Mims, Langley Hill, Clerk; Leada Dietz, York, Recording Clerk; Alexander Barnes, Adelphi; Ann Solomon, Davis Balderson, Alexandria; Margaret Stambaugh, Gettysburg; Georgia Fuller, Langley Hill; Bette Hoover, Ellen Atkinson, John Salzburg, Ruth Stern, Sandy Spring; Debby Churchman, Joe Izzo, Karen Grisez, Malachy Kilbride, Friends Meeting of Washington;

1. New Clerk: Brad Olgilvie from William Penn House was enthusiastically approved by the committee, to begin at the end of Annual Session. He was unable to join us today because of visiting his father in the hospital in New Jersey. The committee also expressed its appreciation for Bill’s able leadership these past four years.

2. Letter to President Obama calling for his action after Israeli response to the flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza: Clerk Bill Mims asked Davis Balderson to clerk this section so that he could speak to the issue and share the letter he had prepared. After discussion of the many issues involved contrasted with the need for a timely letter regarding a specific incident, the committee approved the following letter to present to Interim Meeting for their approval to send to President Obama as well as for individuals and Monthly Meetings to send to their Senators and Congress people.

3. Networking Day, September 11, 2010: Speaker, Nathan Harrington, location, hopefully the community room at Sandy Spring Friends Meeting. Details about location, food, and the subject of Nathan’s presentation will be formalized ASAP and shared with the committee so that Malachy and Ellen Arginteanu can begin creating a flier and we can all begin publicizing it to our Meetings. The committee thanked Alexander for getting the speaker and making initial contacts regarding location and food.

4. NRCAT: There will be a panel discussion and conversation with survivors of torture beginning at 5:30 pm Friday, June 25, at National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, Washington, DC 20005 (3 blocks north of McPherson Square Metro) details at http://www.nrcat.org/storage/nrcat/documents/dcfliertam2010.pdf

5. Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR): Since becoming a Working Group under the care of PSCC, Joan Gildemeister and Karen Grisez have been able to focus on education and fund raising on behalf of RSWR, raising between $2,000 and $2,500 since Annual Session last year. They have a program that includes the official DVD about RSWR, their own DVD from their visit to recipient villages in India, and details about educational resources available at www.rswr.org This past year they have visited Bethesda, York, Little Britain, Alexandria, and Gunpowder Monthly Meetings, presented at PSCC Networking Day, and offered a Simple Meal with presentation at March’s Interim Meeting.

6. Criminal and Restorative Justice is also seeking to become a working group under the care of Peace and Social Concerns, the committee agrees that seems a good fit. This will be revisited at Annual Session.

7. Network of Social Progressives has proposed an environmental and social responsibility constitutional amendment as part of “A Campaign to Resist the Corporate Takeover of America, Protect the Earth, and Restore Democracy” More details at http://www.spiritualprogressives.org/

8. Kathy Bergen, from Friends International Center in Ramallah, will be visiting our area in the fall, if your Meeting would like her to speak to your Meeting or group, please let John Salzburg, Sandy Spring Peace and Social Concerns Clerk, know.

Next Meetings at Annual Sessions, 7:30 pm Wednesday, 8/4 and 4:30 pm Friday, 8/6

The Committee has sent an invitation to all BYM Meetings to let it know what Meetings are doing in response to President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. At this point five have held Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Peace: Langley Hill, Friends Meeting of Washington, Pipe Creek, Charlottesville, and York.

Langley Hill Monthly meeting held a called Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Peace on December 17, 2009. Many in the Meeting were greatly disturbed by President Obama’s decision to expand war. The Meeting was small, but seemed to move those who were present. One Friend said that he felt more peace in his heart after that Meeting for Worship than he had felt in weeks. Others said that they could envision next steps, including re-doing weekly peace vigils at the US Capitol, or holding joint meetings/services with other local faith groups.

Friends Meeting of Washington started the New Year with a meeting for worship with a concern for peace, followed by a potluck and discussion of what peace meant to us today. About 30 people attended. Discussion was rich and wide-ranging, and brought us back to the question of what each of us can do to reduce the causes of war.

Pipe Creek invited the Carroll County faith community to join them in praying for world peace and inner peace on January 20 in a moving worship sharing process. Seventeen members of the Union Bridge faith community joined thirteen from Pipe Creek.

Charlottesville Friends met on January 27, for an evening of worship-sharing with a concern for war. Some dozen Friends were in attendance, with thoughtful ministry. We continue to display an AFSC banner circa 2008 on the side of the Meeting House enumerating the daily costs associated then with the Iraq war. Several of us are pretty faithful at the downtown street corner where, since the early 1990s, the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice has held weekly rush-hour honk-able vigils in witness against Mideast warfaring. Our meeting will soon revive its now dormant Military Listening Project, about which they will gladly share information with Friends elsewhere who may be better situated than Charlottesville where there has been a relative scarcity of military personnel to listen to.

York Friends invited the York faith community to join them on February 3, but had to reschedule it for March 3 because of the snow. While only two community members joined York Friends, the worship sharing was thought provoking and focused on how we as individuals can increase the peace in our communities.

Report to Baltimore Yearly Meeting, 2009

Regarding the Peace Gathering, First Month, 2009, in Philadelphia

It was a bitterly cold week in January, 2009, in Philadelphia. From January 13-17, almost 400 people from the three historic Peace Churches, as well as representatives from 48 other Christian denominations, along with Muslims, Jews and other faiths gathered together for Peace. The conference, which was called by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, was themed, “Heeding God’s Call.” It was almost two years in planning.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting was represented by three official delegates: Mary Lord, J. E. McNeil, and Bill Mims. Several Young Adult Friends were also named as delegates, but were unable to attend.

The Gathering was always very worshipful. Each day began with programmed worship in the historic Arch Street Meetinghouse. There was wonderful music, as well as strong vocal ministry largely from the Mennonite and Church of the Brethren faiths. Days were filled with workshops and panel discussions, and evenings saw some very profound plenary speakers. These plenary talks are all available on line at the Gathering web site, which is www.peacegathering2009.org. These talks are highly recommended, especially the one by Alexie Torres-Fleming. She spoke of her journey back to the projects of the South Bronx in New York, after she had left them behind for a solid middle class existence. She spoke of the lessons she learned along the way. One of them brought me up short: “Whatever you have that you do not need does not belong to you.” I challenge you to listen to her speech and consider what that statement means to your life.

The Gathering was remarkable in a number of ways. The attendees were very diverse. It was particularly poignant that there were so many African-American Peace workers present. The gathering was held just before the celebration of Dr. Martin L. King day, and a few days before the inauguration of the first African American President in U.S. history. It was a powerful juxtaposition. Dr. King was a champion of non-violence.

A considerable effort was made during the week to deal with the local manifestation of a national problem: gun violence. There was an extremely well organized witness in front of a Philadelphia gun shop which provides a significant percentage of guns used in violence in Philadelphia and beyond. Many of these guns were purchased via what is known as a ‘straw purchase” which is when a technically legal purchaser openly buys guns for a person who is not allowed to make legal purchases. Negotiations had been going on for weeks with the owner of the gun shop to get him to sign a voluntary code of behavior, but he had refused. On several occasions that week, Gathering delegates witnessed outside the gun shop, and 12 were arrested for refusing to leave the store until the owner signed the voluntary agreement. As a post-script, all twelve were acquitted by a Philadelphia judge at trial in May.

The question is what impact the Gathering has had. The time spent with so many peace folks of faith definitely had an impact on me. I cannot speak for others, but just meeting and listening to so many people from outside the Religious Society of Friends who hear God’s call to do work for peace was enlightening for me. We Quakers have much to learn from other faith groups about being faithful peace workers.

The Gathering did issue an Epistle, which can also be read on the web site. And, there are ongoing follow up activities. The Gathering issued a call for activists to get involved in twenty-one areas. These are included in the attached “Statements of Witness and Call to Action.” The website for follow on activities in these areas is set to go on line in early Eighth Month. Therefore the follow on from the Gathering is just beginning, and is on going.

Following is a list of the twenty-one areas where the Gathering is calling on Peace workers to join in follow on work.

Heeding God’s Call: A Gathering on Peace

Statements of Witness and Calls to Action

1. Creating a vital peace/justice church movement that is welcoming and trans-denominational

We witness to a hunger to be whole. We are called to be radical Christian Community, to be faithful daily in a variety of ways which lovingly serve the people and places among which we are specifically lifting up: prophetic imagination, radical hospitality, restored relationships, accountability, discernment, authenticity, mutual commitment, resource sharing.

2. Building community that supports radical Christian living and prophetic witness (What would Jesus do?)

3. Confessing the practice, and healing the wounds, of viewing people as “Other”

We witness to the power of “us vs them” conflicts to exploit differences, making them a destructive matter of “less” and “more” rather than a uniting matter of uniqueness, and the power of these conflicts to obstruct confession, healing, and reconciliation, as seen in the perpetration of sexism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, racism, and other conflicts of stereotype, clique, or subculture. We are called to heal enough to break the silence about stereotypes that cause conflict, find common ground, allow communication to level power imbalances, and recognize the Light in each of us that helps us see the common purpose in recognizing our differences.

4. Recognizing and overcoming racism to create a multi-racial church in a multi-racial society

At this conference, we witness a good faith effort to show diversity which, however, does not reflect the current reality of our religious communities or this gathering. We witness a missed opportunity to tap into the gifts of people of color within our own faith communities. We are called to building relationships with people different from ourselves; and to confronting the structures of racism within our religious communities. What needs to die in order for there to be new growth?

5. Nurturing opportunities for interfaith dialogue, discernment and collaboration

While we witness to the inherent goodness of God’s voice as it comes through our faith traditions, all too often our divisions have led to the agony of misunderstanding, fears, hatred, violence, and war. We are called to meaningful radical interfaith engagement in which listening to, learning from, knowing, respecting, trusting, loving, and being changed by one another is the foundation of our local work, global work, and toward an interfaith peace gathering in 2011.

6. Naming and addressing conflict about sexual orientation and gender identity issues

We witness to the brokenness of our faith communities caused by the beliefs, practices, and complicit silence that harms our lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans, queer, questioning and intersex (lgbtqqi) sisters and brothers and their families. We are called to live in the fullness of God’s love by renouncing our complicity, breaking silence, educating ourselves, and laboring together in kindness until all are embraced and respected in God’s kin-dom

7. Liberating the earth (and ourselves) of consumerism, over-consumption, and greed.

We witness and lament our participation in an economic system that has led to catastrophic results: over-consumption, unequal distribution of resources, and the destruction of God’s Creation. We are called to return to our communities to speak out about the structural economic injustice around us, reduce our ecological footprint, and seek to live in right relationship with all God’s Creation.

8. Deepening our reverence for creation, so that we are compelled by our faith to care for the earth

We witness to the sacredness and interconnectedness of all life on earth, and confess our responsibility for causing brokenness and imbalance in creation. We are called to foster a right relationship with the earth, to restore balance and harmony in creation, and to invite others to join in that restoration.

9. Teaching nonviolence, restorative justice, and conflict resolution

We witness to the need for educational programs that promote nonviolence, restorative justice, and conflict transformation within our communities. We are called to continue to learn about and help others learn as we become facilitators and participants of programs that increase awareness of, and involvement in the promotion of nonviolent ways of resolving conflict.

10. Ending Torture

We witness to a system of torture that has been built in our land, which defies both the laws of God and all human values. With lament and resolve, we are called to demand the thorough uprooting of this evil system and the holding accountable of those who created and loosed this monster on the world.

11. Increasing access to education, healthcare, housing, and meeting basic human needs

We recognize the needs of all human beings for equal access to education and income, healthcare and housing – basic human needs. We are called to lift up and support the incredible work of the Children’s Defense Fund with its focus on these needs and we are called to be citizen lobbyists to address these issues on the state and national level.

12. Struggling with the Palestinian/Israeli conflict

We witness to the painful experience Israelis and Palestinians killing one another in Gaza. We are called to go back to our faith communities and seriously connect with Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities and work with them to develop a dialogue to help resolve the pain in the Middle East.

13. Witnessing faithfully against the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

We witness to U.S. tax dollars, personnel, national attention going to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and traumatizing, impoverishing, injuring children there while American children suffer deprivation of inadequate schools, libraries, health services, recreational programs and a clean, sustainable environment. We are called to let the President and Congress know these wars must be ENDED and resources used for the pressing needs of constructive reinvestment here. To do this we must speak with our neighbors, organize public forums (using resources such as the Afghanistan training manual of Peaceful Tomorrows) and build coalitions with constituencies suffering from reduced resources.

15. Building peace in our streets and homes

We witness our culture avoiding and ignoring the problems of violence in our streets and our homes. We are called: as individuals to demonstrate peaceful ways to resolve conflicts; and collectively to create infrastructure (such as a federal level Department of Peace) to promote peacebuilding.

16. Empowering, and joining with, the energy and vision of youth

We witness to two paths set before the Church today: The first path is the path of oppression where our youth have been failed in many ways and the second is the path of empowerment where the Church engages the passion, creativity and the power of our young people. We are called to let the youth empower other youth in order to empower their communities to promote the causes of peace and justice in this world.

17. Challenging the idol of militarism

We witness to a need to raise awareness across all Christendom about our culture of militarism. We are called to vigorously lay this issue before our congregations and spirit-centered organizations, to encourage focused discourse and fresh strategies to educate the public in an engaging way and to promote practical economic and moral alternatives to militarism.

19. Learning to discern God’s Call individually and corporately

We witness to the hope that people can discern and share the divine truth together in unity and peace We are called to work together in replacing tyranny of all sorts with God’s liberating truth, discerned collectively and in community.

20. Increasing understanding of, and social action on behalf of, immigrants and immigration policy

We witness to economic systems that dispossess and displace the vulnerable and oppressed, that we too often benefit from; witness to racist and xenophobic structures that exploit and render those displaced invisible in our midst. We are called to respond to the biblical mandate of radical hospitality, to welcome the stranger (including the 12-16 million undocumented immigrants among us), and to work for just economic and social structures.

21. Carrying the prophetic message(s) of this Gathering to our faith communities

We witness to the fact that the Living God has spoken to us while we were assembled. We are called to speak what we have heard, invite others to listen, invite others into community, into conversation, and into bold action.

NOTE: Statements for Confronting Handgun Violence (#14) and Building a Cross-Class Prison Reform Movement (#18) were not submitted at the end of the Peace Gathering

This has been another busy year for the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. As always, there is not a shortage of issues that we could address. Our plate is as full as ever.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be at the top of the list of our concerns. Together, the cost of these wars is enormous. The cost in human lives and human spirit is incalculable. The cost in dollars is over $5000 per second, 24 hours per day, every day, no holidays. These wars are profoundly troubling to us, as Quakers. They have been the major focus of our presentation to Yearly Meeting for the past two years.

Peaceful resolution of conflict was also a major topic at our annual Fall Networking Day, which was held just after the election last November. It was well attended, and feedback was very positive. We heard from J. E. McNeil, a Friend from Friends Meeting of Washington, who led us in a discussion of a movie on war and recruiting of soldiers. Those present also engaged in a wonderful day of sharing of successes and failures in peace and social justice work during the year. Finally, we brainstormed about ideas for work over a wide range of issues, from torture to race relations to peace.

The committee met four times during the year, outside of Annual Sessions. We brought several issues to Interim Meeting for approval. We asked for, and received BYM’s continued support for the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund. The issue of payment of taxes for war is dear to the heart of many Friends. We also asked for the Interim Meeting to write a letter on behalf of an inmate, Troy Davis, who was sentenced to death. His conviction was full of legal inconsistencies and very frought with doubt, and we hope that the letter from BYM, along with many others, played a role in his sentence being commuted by the State of Georgia.

The Committee was greatly impressed with the peace work of Friends in Kenya; it was mindful of concerns about Friend United Meeting (FUM) Personnel Policies. The Committee worked with the Body over the course of a year. As a result the maximum available funds of $7,000 was sent to FUM specifically for peace work in Kenya.

The Committee also heard of the work of Quaker House, which has been helping conscientious objectors in the military since the Viet Nam war. The Committee passed the following minute at its meeting on 31 Third Month, 2009: “The Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (BYM) supports the work of Quaker House. To assist Quaker House in continuing its work, the BYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee asks Monthly Meetings and individuals that are part of BYM to support Quaker House as way opens.”

We continue to try to discern and season issues for the Yearly Meeting in the area of Peace and Social Justice. We welcome the participation in this work by everyone in the Yearly Meeting.

At Annual Session, Baltimore Yearly Meeting approved a letter to be sent to Mr. Bush and other leaders affirming our support of peaceful actions in the Middle East, and clearly stating our opposition to any attack on Iran, by the United States or others.

This letter was brought to Yearly Meeting by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. The Committee calls on each Monthly Meeting within BYM to discern whether they might be led to send a similar letter to national leaders, their members of Congress, or others. We also ask that Monthly Meetings let us know what action they might take on this issue. This question is very time sensitive, since if an attack on Iran should take place, it will likely happen sooner rather than later. Friends can easily send a message to the Congress by using the tools available at the FCNL website - www.fcnl.org.

Continuing Our Call

Last year at Yearly Meeting, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee asked Friends to consider actions that they might take to help bring an end to the war on Iraq. We asked Monthly Meetings to consider how they might be led, and to report on their activities via the Interchange.

We are especially grateful to those Monthly meetings who followed up this request with their statements about their peace activities, which were published this past spring. They spoke to us, and encouraged us. We repeat our request to those Monthly Meetings that have not yet done so to provide their reports. (To read the reports from other Meetings, go to: http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/pubs/interchange/Spring08web.pdf, and scroll down to page 8. To read the PSCC report from 2007, go to: http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/pubs/YB2007.pdf, and scroll to page 83.

As we said in our report last year, the range of issues that confront the Peace and Social Concerns Committee is always large, and this continues to be the case. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the violence in Kenya and Darfur, torture, abuse of human rights, and many other issues remain on our plate.

At Year Meeting last August, the Committee was deeply concerned about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We believed that Quakers could do more than demonstrate and pass minutes opposing these wars. We led the Yearly Meeting in a period of worship, to collectively consider what God might be saying to us. Our query was a familiar one to Friends: “How am I living my life so as to take away the occasion for war?” In our report to the Yearly Meeting, we made several suggestions about what Friends might consider doing with regard to stopping war. We then challenged Monthly Meetings to report back to the YM by way of an article in the Interchange talking about their actions. So far, five Monthly Meetings have done so. We eagerly await news from others.

Our Committee has met three times since last Yearly Meeting. Two of these were at Interim Meeting sessions, and one was at our annual “Networking Day.” Last fall, we spent a day together, joined by representatives from Peace and Social concerns committees from monthly meetings. We listened to each other, and discussed our work, our hopes, and our frustrations with work for peace and social justice. We were led in this effort by J.E. McNeil, a former Clerk of this Committee, who talked about her long experience in this work.

The committee has again seasoned some issues for the Yearly Meeting. Perhaps most notable was the call to release funding to be used in Quaker peace efforts in Kenya. These funds have been set aside for a number of years, as the Yearly Meeting struggled with its relationship with FUM. A member of our committee had a strong leading to send at least a portion of that funding to Friends working directly in Kenya in the aftermath of the tragic violence in that countries following elections last fall. The Minute from our Committee lead Interim Meeting to release $9,000 that would go to FUM this year and send it to the FUM account administered by the Kenyan Friends. This money will be used by the Friends Peace Church Initiative.

The PSCC has also taken under its care the Committee on Right Sharing of World Resources. This Committee now operates as a working group under our Committee, which stands ready to provide support when needed.

The Committee joined, on behalf of the Yearly Meeting, the National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT). This temporary arrangement was formalized by Yearly Meeting at Interim Session last fall. Baltimore Yearly Meeting is now a Participating Member of NRCAT, and a member of our committee represents the Yearly Meeting to that organization.

Monthly Meetings Respond

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee reports that five monthly meetings responded to their call:

REPORT
FROM THE PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE
BALTIMORE YEARLY MEETING
EIGHTH MONTH, 2007

Since our Call to Action Regarding Iraq made during annual session in 2002 the situation in Iraq and in the world has gotten more violent, more unstable, and more threatening. We therefore renew our call to our government and to Friends and people of faith everywhere to stand clearly on the side of non-violence, and on the side of peace with justice in the Middle East and elsewhere.

We believe that the words of early Friends often quoted in connection with our Peace Testimony are particularly important now: ""We… utterly… deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretense whatsoever.” We believe that as people of Faith, we cannot be called by God to be peacemakers and at the same time to support violence.

We further believe that as Quakers, our commitment to peace and justice must go beyond words and minutes. Therefore as the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, we call upon all people of Faith, and especially Friends, to act out of our beliefs and to prayerfully consider the following actions, many of which are already being done by BYM Friends:

To deeply examine how we, as Monthly Meetings and individuals may live our lives in such a way as to take away the occasion for war;
To hold a Meeting with a Concern for Peace at each Monthly Meeting, so as to hold peacemakers in the Light,
If it does not already exist, to establish a "Vigil for Peace" to be held weekly in a prominent location near our Meetinghouses;
To double our financial contribution to Friends Committee on National Legislation, or other appropriate efforts, to influence our national leaders to bring the war in Iraq to a close quickly;
To contact, as Monthly Meetings, our Senators and Congress Members to speak to them directly about our commitment to peace;
To meet with other people of Faith in our communities in dialogue about peace.
Whenever possible, to place a "War Is Not the Answer" sign in the yard of every Friend in BYM
To support the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund
To support the creation of a Department of Peace, as proposed already in the U.S. House of Representatives
To find opportunities to meet with young people as they are considering military service, or conscientious objection
To bring the AFSC Eyes Wide Open exhibit to your community
We send out a call to Monthly Meetings for articles describing their activities in response to this report for inclusion in the Spring issue of Interchange.

We believe that war in Iraq and Afghanistan is profoundly wrong, and violates God’s will. .As Friends, we should listen to and act on the leadings of God to help bring it to an end, and to work to heal the damage it is causing.

The times we live in present a very large range of issues which fall in the area of peace and social justice, and thus under the care of our committee. These range from the tragic wars on Iraq and Afghanistan to the crisis in Darfur, the situation in Palestine/Israel, torture, and a long list of others. While we cannot deal with all of these issues, our committee tries to keep abreast of as many as possible, and to be a resource for the Yearly Meeting and its Monthly Meetings as much as possible. Our charge is to be a resource, especially on those issues where Quaker testimonies can be brought to bear.

Over the past year and a half, the Committee has hosted a networking day for the Peace and Social Concerns committees of BYM. We heard Friend Libby Garvey, a member of the Arlington County School Board, talk to us about issues of peace and social justice in the public schools. She also educated us about the status of military recruitment in the schools, in the face of the No Child Left Behind Act. Equally importantly, we were able to share with each other at some length the work that each Monthly Meeting has been doing in the area of peace and social justice. We learned that we are not alone, and that there is a large amount of work being done by individual Meetings in these areas. This includes peace vigils, tax resistance, counter recruitment efforts, as well as international efforts on Darfur and support for the Quaker Initiative to End Torture. For some of us it was welcome news to hear all of the things being done throughout BYM.

In conjunction with William Penn House in Washington, the Committee also held an all day workshop on Strategy for Change. We were led by Daniel Hunter from George Lakey’s group in Philadelphia in a number of exercises to help us learn new strategies for effecting change in the world in which we live. We participated in a simple yet surprisingly effective exercise where many of us as a group had to both stand on a blanket and somehow turn it over at the same time. This experience illustrated for us the value of strategizing, cooperation, and valuing our various roles. We learned tactic analysis. We learned Spectrum of Allies analysis: don't focus on winning over your opponent, rather draw neutrals and passive allies into being your active allies. We learned medicine wheel personality analysis to help value the roles of our team members -- there are four personality types, i.e. those who focus on: vision, relationships, data collection, and implementation. At the end, in groups, we chose examples of specific goals and we applied the lessons we had learned to devise a practical strategy for our goal. All in all this was a highly worthwhile workshop that we would recommend to others.

The Committee also seasoned several issues for Interim Meeting. As a result, BYM has minuted its support for visa renewal for teachers at Ramallah Friends School in the occupied Palestinian Territories, and called upon other religious groups to join us in opposing torture perpetrated by U.S. officials. We have also appealed to stop the genocide in Darfur.

The committee has also begun an appeal for friends of all ages to submit their own personal statements of pacifism to the Yearly Meeting, where they will be recorded and hopefully published.

Then, you might want to come to this one day workshop on “Strategy Is Possible,” co-sponsored by the BYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee and William Penn House in Washington, DC. It will be held on March 17, from 9am to 6pm, and will be led by Daniel Hunter, who is a Training Associate with George Lakey’s Training for Change organization. Training for Change gleaned lessons from social movements around the world, and incorporated them into this workshop. SO — come to this workshop to:

(And, you will receive a free peanut butter sandwich!) Please contact Bernadette Odyniec, 202.543.5560, or bernadette@WilliamPennHouse.org. Register by Feb. 15 for only $40! ($45 after 2/15) event only (no lunch): $5 donation; both events or one

The Committee met in June 2004 at Deer Creek Meeting. Sharon Stout of Adelphi Meeting brought copies of Adelphi's Minute expressing sorrow and regret for U.S. actions and policies regarding the invasion and war on Iraq. The Minute has been endorsed by Meetings and Churches in the U.S. and will appear in Arabic and English in an Arab language newspaper. The Committee endorsed the language of the Minute and agreed to take it forward for consideration by Interim Meeting. Friends Meeting of Washington approved a Minute of Concern regarding the Bush Administration's encroachment on civil liberties. The Committee endorsed the Minute as did Interim Meeting and it was taken to 2004 Yearly Meeting. J.E. McNeil, Co-Clerk of this Committee and Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War, announced the September 2004 draft counseling workshop to be held at Friends Meeting of Washington. The Committee agreed to submit an updated Minute on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to 2004 Yearly Meeting. (This was done and approved by the Yearly Meeting to send to members of Congress.) Also at the June 2004 Committee meeting members present discussed the purpose and mission of the Committee. It was agreed that facilitating networking among the Peace and Social Concerns Committees of the Monthly Meetings is a primary Committee responsibility. The Committee also considers and "seasons" Minutes on Peace and Social Concerns brought to the Committee and decides whether they be presented to the Yearly Meeting/Interim Meeting. The Committee also acts as a "voice" on peace and social concerns issues for the Yearly Meeting. It was noted at this meeting that the Voluntary Service Subcommittee is no longer functioning and should be deleted from the Manual of Procedure. The Ad Hoc Committee on Racism Among Friends should be listed as a Subcommittee of this Committee.

The Committee met July 30, 2004, during Annual Session and agreed that J.E. McNeil and Mary Ellen Atkinson would serve as Co-Clerks. Thanks were expressed for John Salzberg's work as previous Clerk of the Committee. Chuck Fager requested that the Yearly Meeting appoint a member to the Board of Directors of Quaker House in Fayetteville, North Carolina. This will be laid over until a formal request from the Board is made to the Yearly Meeting. A Minute of Encouragement and Support for Shirley Way, adopted by State College Meeting, was forwarded by the Committee to Yearly Meeting for approval. Shirley was among 27 defendants tried and found guilty on trespassing charges for crossing the line at Fort Benning (Georgia) while urging the closing of the U.S. Army's School of the Americas (now Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation). Shirley began serving her sentence in June 2004. The renewed Minute on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict was submitted by John Salzberg and approved by the Yearly Meeting.

On September 25, 2004, the Committee hosted a networking day for clerks/representatives of Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committees. Eight committees sent representatives to this meeting held at Sandy Spring. Reports were given by the committees of their activities. AFSC-MAR staff reported on their programs and the new director of AFSC-DC was introduced and presented on the work of that office. It was decided to continue networking days annually, not semi-annually. Written reports from 12 Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committees were printed in the Interchange.

At Committee Day on October 30, 2004, the Committee met to hear James Matlack share his experiences with the AFSC-sponsored visit to the Middle East in 2002 which resulted in the publication When the Rain Returns and its study guide. About 20 people attended this session which was held in the old one-room school house at Goose Creek Meeting. Heather Foote, director of Davis House, gave an update on programs to be held at Davis House. Graham Johnson of Sandy Spring Meeting reported on his recent visit to Bolivia and Peru to learn about the work of Quaker Bolivia Link (QBL). He showed an excellent video of the work of QBL. The Committee agreed to send a letter to all Monthly Meetings asking that they collect funds weekly or monthly for AFSC's work to relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people. David Boynton of Langley Hill Meeting reported that Langley Hill is currently supporting Tom Fox and his work with a Christian Peacemaker Team in Baghdad.

The next meeting of the Committee was held at Sandy Spring on April 2, 2005. About 20 people attended representing Carlisle, Bethesda, Patapsco, Sandy Spring, Friends Meeting of Washington, Stony Run and Richmond Meetings. Richmond Meeting presented its Minute asking the Yearly Meeting to appoint a representative to the Board of Directors of Quaker House in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A letter from the Board was also sent to Lauri Perman, Yearly Meeting Clerk. It was agreed to present this request to Interim Meeting in June after getting more information from Chuck Fager. J.E. McNeil gave an overview of the military draft situation and the willingness of the Center on Conscience and War to hold training workshops on draft counseling and G.I. rights. She will lead a draft counseling workshop at Sandy Spring May 6 - 7, 2005, and lead a workshop on the draft at Yearly Meeting in August. John Salzberg reported on his March 2005 trip to Israel and Palestine for the dedication of the Friends International Center located in the annex of the Ramallah Friends Meeting House. Funds are needed to staff the Center and pay for its operation. Bill Price of World Peacemakers and Jennifer Atlee who spent many years working with the poor in Nicaragua spoke of the need for every Church to be a peace Church and every campus to be a peace campus.

Two workshops sponsored by this Committee will be held at Yearly Meeting: one by Chuck Fager and one by Tom Fox.

The Committee will meet June 18, 2005 in Richmond. We are grateful for the work of the Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committees and hope they will continue to use the Yearly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committee as information and networking resource.

This year at YM, the YM will be asked whether there is some action which we can take as a corporate witness for peace. The initiative for this comes from Lauri Perman, YM Clerk. The process for this will be discussed at the June 2005 Committee meeting.

Draft Counseling

The Peace Committee of the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting is hosting a Draft Counseling Training on Friday evening, May 6 and Saturday, May 7. The cost of the training is $50. For information and a registration application, go to www.montgomerydraftcounseling.org or e-mail draft.counseling@gmail.com or call Bronna Zlochiver at (301) 260-0108 or Mary Ellen Atkinson at (410) 992-3255.

Yearly Meeting Survey Of Attenders’ Actions To Take Away The Causes Of War And Their Efforts To Promote Peacemaking