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This November FCNL's governing body of 200 General Committee Members met in Washington, D.C. to set FCNL's legislative agenda for the 110th Congress. Here are some highlights of Annual Meeting:
FCNL's Legislative Priorities for the 110th Congress approved at Annual Meeting
"Friends call for a government that is accountable to its citizens – a government that acts with transparency and integrity, seeks the common good, and protects the vulnerable. We call on our government to restore and preserve the rule of law and the balance of powers among the branches of federal government; to shift federal priorities to reduce the disparities between rich and poor; to address environmental crises; and to respect the methods and findings of scientific inquiry in developing and assessing policy." Read FCNL's priorities for the new Congress.
FCNL's outreach network "around the world"
See a photo essay of the weekend's events
Read a summary of what happened at Annual Meeting.
Ruth Flower on what the elections mean for FCNL.
The November 7 elections ushered in a new political landscape. For the opening session of Annual Meeting FCNL's Legislative Secretary Ruth Flower offered some perspectives on what this new landscape could mean for FCNL.
"We major in getting in there and having a rational conversation with anybody on either side of the aisle about our points of view. In order to do this, we need to disarm ourselves. and realize that our assumptions [about people] don't necessarily tell us where they come out."  Listen to more of Ruth's comments.
Perry Cammack accepts Snyder Award for Sen. Biden
FCNL Awarded the 2006 Edward Snyder Award to Senator Joe Biden for his work in sponsoring legislation that bars the U.S. from building permanent military bases in Iraq. Perry Cammack, Biden's Iraq policy staff person, accepted the award for the Senator.
"“You have been real force multipliers for peace. And for that I really would like to thank you for the exceptional work that you have done in pushing for change. ... There is a connection between the hard work and deep advocacy that you have been doing here in Washington, the able staff you have here in Washington. But even more important the grassroots work that you have done, the thousands of folks, the hundreds of thousands of folks have done in pushing for a change in policy.” Listen to more of Perry's comments.
Michael Birkel on John Woolman
Noted Quaker Scholar Michael Birkel offered the audience some insight into his "friend" John Woolman and the quest to integrate spiritual devotion with social change.
"How can we say this in our language? We let go, we see God anew, we discover what justice really is, that it is something that is inherent in the identity of God. And our response is love. That's the fundamental process of spiritual transformation, at least as I understand how John Woolman is talking about it." Listen to more of Michael Birkel's comments.
Ruth Flower and Ed Snyder on FCNL: Then and Now
FCNL Legislative Secretary Ruth Flower and FCNL's former Executive Secretary Ed Snyder spoke about the many differences between FCNL more than ten years ago and now. Listen an excerpt of Ruth's comments.
FCNL Program Assistants
The FCNL Program Assistants addressed the Annual Meeting on Friday afternoon about a variety of subjects. Listen to their comments by clicking on each title below.
Chris Bracken - "Discover Your Inner Lobbyist"
Maureen Brookes - "Small Steps Towards Progress"
Rachel DuBois - "Finding a Professional Calling"
Emiko Guthe - "Quaker Spirit in the Modern World"
Devin Helfrich - "Balancing Idealism and Pragmatism, Yesterday and Today."
Roary Snider - "Common Goals"
Liz Welton- "Passing the Generational Baton"
Reviewed:
12/05/2007
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