Quaker Earthcare Witness

This was my fourth year as the BYM Representative to QEW and my third year as the QEW Clerk.

Spring Steering Committee Meeting in Chicago, Illinois – committee meetings and reports to the Steering Committee

Annual Meeting in Burlington, Vermont – Approval of 2008 Budget, appointment of new clerks, reports on committee and YM activities, by-laws changes, passed minute on nuclear energy, celebration of 20th anniversary

The time I have spent as Clerk of QEW has been personally rewarding. I have had to opportunity to travel all over North and Central America meeting Friends from a variety of backgrounds.

In the past 3 three years, our visitation program has led to a number of FUM and Evangelical Yearly Meetings naming representatives to QEW. Their membership on the Steering Committee has lead to added spiritual depth to the organization and challenged some members to broaden their view of Quakers.

BYM has provided QEW with representatives that have provided a disproportionate share of leadership for the organization. And in term, we have also brought new skills and leadership experience back to BYM.

Barbara Williamson (Richmond) is the representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) from Baltimore Yearly Meeting. This is Barbara’s second term as clerk of the QEW Steering Committee. Barbara attended both meetings of the Steering Committee and the annual meeting of the Continuing Counsel Committee (Executive Committee). She writes a regular column for the QEW BeFriending Creation newsletter.

Representing QEW, Barbara spoke at South Central Yearly Meeting’s annual session and attended Piedmont (North Carolina) Friends Association annual meeting. Traveling in the southwest, Barbara spoke at several monthly meetings.

QEW has as a goal raising care for creation to the level of a Testimony among Friends in the western hemisphere. QEW encourages all yearly, quarterly and monthly meetings to form a committee with a concern for the environment. QEW serves as a resource for these committees, providing a variety of educational materials. QEW also has an extensive video lending library, available to all meetings. Resources can be found at the QEW website www.earthcare.org

Lynn Heritage (State College), Sue deVeer (Frederick), and Stan Becker (Homewood) are also on the QEW Steering Committee. Lynn serves as one of the three representatives from QEW to Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Yearly Meeting Representative to

Quaker Earthcare Witness

Barbara Williamson, of Richmond Friends Meeting, serves as the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) was named the Clerk of the QEW Steering Committee. During 2005, Barbara held the first annual meeting of the Continuing Counsel Committee (Executive Committee) and represented QEW at the FUM Triennial. As Clerk, Barbara was invited to speak at South Eastern Yearly Meeting’s Annual Session.

Barbara also had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to visit Finca la Bella, the QEW farm project. This trip provided Steering Committee members the opportunity to meet with farmers belonging to the project, members of the Monteverde Friends Meeting, members of the local community organization and the Executive Director of the Monteverde Institute. These face-to-face meetings moved forward the goal of establishing an independent ecological farm cooperative.

QEW’s primary purpose is to raise the Environment to the level of a Testimony among Friends in North, South and Central America. QEW is working to encourage every Yearly and Monthly (or Quarterly) Meeting to create a committee with a concern for the environment. QEW also aims to serve as a resource for these committees. QEW produces a variety of educational materials and has a library of films (VCR and DVD formats) that are available for use by Meetings. QEW Steering Committee members are willing to visit Monthly and Quarterly Meetings to talk about the environment and/or creation of an environmental concerns committee (Contact Barbara Williamson at barbaraawmson@juno.com or (804) 643-0461.)

Lynn Heritage (State College), Janney Wilson and Stan Becker (Homewood) are also on the QEW Steering Committee. Lynn is a QEW representative to FCNL and Stan Becker is the at-large member of the Continuing Counsel Committee.