What FCNL Contacts Are Doing in All States

Throughout the nation FCNL supporters are actively participating in the democratic process, making their views known to Congress, and sharing FCNL’s work with others. These activities are just a few of the many that FCNL staff have heard about in recent months.

We currently have reports from groups in

Is your meeting, church, or community group missing?

Let us know what you're doing! Any activity, large or small, that your meeting or church or any of its members do for peace and justice is something we want to hear about!

Alabama

Members of the meeting participate in local peace work and rallies through the Alabama Peace Network.

Alaska

Meeting members join with members of the local Veterans for Peace chapter in a weekly vigil for peace across from the Federal Building. The meeting also creates and passes out a leaflet entitled “10 things to know before you enlist”.

A member of the meeting gave an FCNL In a Box presentation to her local Unitarian Universalist fellowship. Fifteen members of the congregation attended.

Arizona

Members and attenders of Pima Monthly Meeting have recently approved a minute against the Iraq war. The minute was sent to the president, our city council, congress, various government officials and a number of publications.

California

In May 2006 the Peace and Social Order Committee held a letter-writing session asking congressional representatives to publish the names of detainees in Iraq. In doing so, they echoed the actions of Tom Fox’s local meeting, Langley Hill Friends. (Tom Fox was a Quaker who was killed in Iraq while working with Christian Peacemaker Teams.)

In early November 2006, the Peace and Social Order Committee sponsored a discussion of state propositions that were offered in the 2006 elections. Members of the meeting presented information and analysis on the issues from the Friends Committee on Legislation (California).

In late 2006, the meeting established a "What Next?" support group for global warming action. The group is meant to help its attenders stay informed on global warming issues, resist despair about this work, and find leadings for lifestyle change and public action.

The meeting regularly hosts speakers on issues such as Israeli security policy and nuclear policy.

This meeting will hold a marching vigil through downtown Nevada City and Grass Valley during those towns exposition evenings in December. They also lobby their local representatives by telephone and email.

Members of the meeting attended an immigrant rights rally in downtown San Bernardino in mid-March 2007. The rally made the front page of the San Bernardino County Newspaper, The Sun, complete with a picture of an FCNL supporter carrying a War Is Not the Answer sign.

Friends in Orange County met to send their Legislative Priority Requests this year. They met with the staff of several members of Congress to lobby on the Iraq war and the safety of the Iraqi people. They are also trying to raise consciousness about the prevalence of torture in conflict areas.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee asks each member to write a postcard message to a legislator. The clerk and members bring background information and keep a file with the local addresses of members, attenders and local representatives. This helps generate personal communication between members and their legislators on a regular basis.

Counter Recruitment Workshop: On Saturday July 21, 2007, sixty-five Southern Californian activists convened for an all-day interactive workshop on counter military recruitment in public schools. Rick Jahnkow of the Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities (Project YANO) was the key organizer of the event. Several FCNL meeting contacts from the Orange County Friends Meeting shared a DVD from AFSC, entitled "Before You Enlist," which were sold at cost to other activists. Representatives from the National Lawyer's Guild attended to brief the participants on their legal rights and responsibilities when talking to students. Overall the event proved informative and inspirational for those engaging in education and counter-recruitment in public schools.

Members of the meeting engaged in civil disobedience with Representative Loretta Sanchez’s office to get her to promise no more funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rep. Sanchez admitted that though she voted to oppose the war, she supports funding now because 20 billion goes to her district for jobs. Before the civil disobedience she had never clarified why she supports funding.

The meeting held a study series on “Choices for Sustainable Living”, exploring the meaning of sustainability and the ties between lifestyle choices and their impact on the earth.

Palo Alto Monthly Meeting offers Military Draft counseling and works with the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center on a variety of peace and justice issues.

Eyes Wide Open: On Friday May 3, 2008 the Quaker Students Association at Stanford University organized the AFSC Eyes Wide Open for the California soldiers who died in Iraq on the campus of Stanford University, at White Plaza. It was co-sponsored by the Palo Alto Friends with participation from the San Jose Friends Meeting as well as other students organizations on the campus. At the event, they took a picture of participants next to the Eyes Wide Open memorial holding a War is Not the Answer sign.

Eyes Wide Open: On Friday May 3, 2008 the Quaker Students Association at Stanford University organized the AFSC Eyes Wide Open for the California soldiers who died in Iraq on the campus of Stanford University, at White Plaza. It was co-sponsored by the Palo Alto Friends with participation from the San Jose Friends Meeting as well as other students organizations on the campus. At the event, they took a picture of participants next to the Eyes Wide Open memorial holding a War is Not the Answer sign.

Meeting is involved in letter writing campaigns, public outreach and writing letters to the editor.

Meeting works with the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of San Diego, in addition to Veterans for Peace.

This meeting is a part of the New Sanctuary Movement to bring attention to injustices in immigration law. They are sheltering a young immigrant "in sanctuary." The meeting also works for the AFSC US-Mexico Border Project, Veterans for Peace, and the Inter-Faith Committee for Worker's Justice of San Diego.

The meeting continues its weekly vigil for peace and justice at the San Francisco Federal Building, joined by members of the local Buddhist Peace Fellowship and Episcopal Peace Fellowship. Frequently the vigils focus on specific issues within their general opposition to the Iraq war, such as support for Lieutenant Watada’s actions and concern for civilians affected by conflict in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. The vigilers marked five continuous years of witness in October.

Eyes Wide Open: On Friday May 3, 2008 the Quaker Students Association at Stanford University organized the AFSC Eyes Wide Open for the California soldiers who died in Iraq on the campus of Stanford University, at White Plaza. It was co-sponsored by the Palo Alto Friends with participation from the San Jose Friends Meeting as well as other students organizations on the campus. At the event, they took a picture of participants next to the Eyes Wide Open memorial holding a War is Not the Answer sign.

The Peace, Earthcare and Social Witness committee held a forum in October to encourage meeting members to explore and manage their feelings about dealing with difficult concerns such as anti-torture work.

The meeting has participated in weekly peace vigils for the last 6 years in front of the County Courthouse. They write letters and are active in lobbying their members of congress.

On September 11, Unity Center organized “The Other 9/11, 100 Years of Nonviolence,” a presentation by Matthew Taylor, co-editor of PeacePower magazine. The meeting states, “On this 100th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi’s Nonviolence Movement, we reflect on the rich history of successful nonviolent struggles around the world [and] ...the potential for the practice of nonviolence to transform our lives and our societies now and in the future.”

A meeting member set up an FCNL in a Box display at the letter writing table at Whittier First Friends and created a second display with details on local representatives and state senators and their recent actions.

The church gives a corporate gift to FCNL to support their work. The church also continues their longstanding relationship with a local Peace and Justice group, passing FCNL literature out weekly at a street fair.

The meeting is active in counter recruitment and maintains a file for individuals who are conscientious objectors. They run a 'Peace Cafe' where community members meet to share their interest in peace and social justice issues. They participate in letter writing campaigns to their representatives.

Colorado

The meeting started a ‘Sign up for Peace’ group with successfully lobbied the local school board to limit military recruiters in high schools to a maximum of 2 times per school year. The meeting holds a weekly silent vigil for peace which recently entered its sixth year, and participates in monthly letter writing, often using FCNL’s letter-writing project materials.

The meeting worked with the University of Colorado to put up displays of 100 thousand white flags on the campus, representing the Iraqis killed since 2003, and 3000 red flags representing U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, founded by Boulder Friends and others, has spent 25 years working to close the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons plant near Boulder, which is now closed and declared decommissioned.

The meeting hosted FCNL Executive Secretary Joe Volk for a weekend in the fall of 2007, including informational sessions on Joe's trip to Iran earlier in the year.

The meeting holds a letter-writing session on 4th Sundays during the post-meeting potluck. Members and attenders of the meeting participate in writing letters to their representatives and senators based on FCNL's letter-writing project.

Connecticut

The meeting holds a monthly candlelight vigil for peace in front of the meeting house.

Delaware

Members of this meeting meet twice or three times a year with the legislative aids to Rep. Castle and Senators Biden and Carper. They also work with an Interfaith peace group to put together Picnics for Peace.

District of Columbia

The meeting, in conjunction with the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture, is planning a conference on habeas corpus and torture issues in early spring of 2007.

Friends Meeting of Washington hosts a monthly letter-writing session using information from FCNL’s letter-writing program and Legislative Action Messages. Read the latest alert.

In response to a proposal of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, the meeting approved a minute in January 2007 calling for an end to genocide in Darfur. As an expression of this call, the meeting hung a banner from their fence stating "A Call to Your Conscience: Save Darfur".

In April 2006 the meeting adopted a minute condemning torture and calling for its cessation in all forms. The meeting also approved signing on to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture's anti-torture statement.

The meeting hosted a one-day workshop on the Peace Testimony, attended by members of area meetings as well as those from other denominations. Sections were taught on history, scripture, and global perspectives. Staff from FCNL and AFSC, among others, spoke about their work to bring the peace testimony to bear in different contexts.

Florida

In April 2006 two meeting members set up an FCNL in a Box display at Southeastern Yearly Meeting and another presented an FCNL report to the plenary session.

What I heard about Iraq: Members of the Tampa Meeting are working with other folks in the community to perform reader's theatre productions of the powerful Simon Levy play, What I Heard About Iraq. The first performance was July 7, 2007, which had a great turnout of about 75 people. More performances are scheduled in the near future.

Georgia

A member of the meeting forwards FCNL’s weekly legislative alerts to more than one thousand people, expanding the reach of the FCNL network dramatically

Atlanta Monthly Meeting joined with 2 dozen other churches in the Atlanta area in a series of vigils coordinated by the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition. Each of the churches also lobbied local congressional offices to support the January 27, 2007 march and lobbying in D.C.

In January 2007, the meeting adopted a minute stating their collective belief "that the death and destruction in Iraq must stop", and calling on their members of Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and begin the process of withdrawal; oppose any increase of our troops in Iraq; fully fund an Iraqi-led reconstruction, and leave no permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

Members of the worship group and the meeting passed out FCNL’s War Is Not the Answer signs and participated in a peace march in downtown Atlanta.

Hawaii

The meeting holds a letter writing session nearly every Sunday with about thirty participants. Subjects of the letters are often inspired by material on FCNL’s website. Members of the meeting also volunteer on a local GI rights hotline.

Idaho

Two members of the meetings attended a celebration of war resisters of the last 50 years and the Canadians who helped them find refuge in Canada. Presentations at the event included an update on the legal situation in Canada for current war resistors. The list of speakers included Arun Gandhi, George McGovern, Daniel Ellsberg and others. Members of this meeting also hold peace vigils several times a year.

This meeting distributes materials produced by AFSC on "What you should know before you enlist." They also have showed the film "A Force More Powerful" at their town theatre.

Illinois

Peace Groups: Friends participate in peace groups around the area.

Sustainability in the Suburbs Fair: Coordinated by our meeting!

The meeting’s annual pre-holiday Peace Bazaar has now expanded to include several other peace-oriented groups including local Mennonites, Church of Christ and Muslim groups.

Members of this meeting visit neighbors and summarize FCNL issues and encourages them to participate in monthly meetings. This meeting's historic meeting house is a symbol of peace and fellowship in their rural farming community.

Indiana

The meeting holds a monthly letter-writing campaign using suggestions sent out in FCNL's monthly letter-writing kit. Members also write letters to the editor.

Outreach: The meeting participates in weekly peace vigils on Courthouse Square with other organizations, hosts speakers and sponsors public discussions at the Monroe County Public Library.

Counter Recruitment: The meeting participates in counter recruitment in Monroe County Community Schools, in cooperation with student groups.

Priorities Process: The meeting is consistently active in participating in FCNL's priorities process.

Members of this meeting, which is a part of Illinois Yearly Meeting, invited FCNL Field staff Jim and Ginger Kenney to speak at their annual Fall Gathering in mid-September. Jim and Ginger gave a workshop and update on the Israel-Palestine Conflict.

Iowa

This meeting attends meetings and caucuses with various candidates. The meeting has also worked with AFSC, STAR Pac, Catholic Workers, Iowa Peace Network, and Peace Links all of which are very active and effective.

Several carloads of Friends from Bear Creek Meeting and Indianola attended a meeting with one of the candidates for U.S. representative for their district and asked him questions. See FCNL’s Questions for Candidates brochure for ideas on what to ask at these kinds of events.

The meeting has an FCNL in a Box continually on display at the meetinghouse with plenty of take-away resources. Members of the meeting also write letters to their members of Congress regularly and worked to defeat a county measure to establish a casino.

Members of various meetings in Iowa, including Bear Creek, are holding regular candidate forums and participating in groups such as Stop the Arms Race PAC.

Along with Hesper Monthly Meeting, the meeting organized several speaking engagements for FCNL’s Executive Secretary Joe Volk, in October. Stops included Decorah and Luther College, and the local Rotary Club where Joe presented to a group of businesspeople.

Along with Decorah Monthly Meeting, the meeting organized several speaking engagements for FCNL’s Executive Secretary Joe Volk, in October. Stops included Decorah and Luther College, and the local Rotary Club where Joe presented to a group of businesspeople.

Iowa Peace Task Force has been working with schools across the state, educating students on the process required to opt out of military recruitment. They plan to reach out to Jewish and Muslim communities as well.

Kansas

Members of the meeting participate in a weekly vigil for peace coordinated by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice. The vigil occurs in front of the county courthouse, is attended by a variety of local residents, and has recently entered its fourth year.

Members of the meeting participate in a weekly vigil for peace coordinated by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice. The vigil occurs in front of the county courthouse, is attended by a variety of local residents, and has recently entered its fourth year.

Maine

The meeting has begun an envisioning process to establish Peace Center in their area. Friends are considering what a Peace Center might do, what peace resources are already available in the area, and how the center might be used by the meeting and the wider community

Film: This meeting shows films with peaceful themes such as "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib"

The meeting sponsored a non-violent film series this spring, and plans another for the fall. The series included films on Danish resistance to Nazi occupation, the student resistance movement in Serbia that ousted Slobodan Milosevic in 2001, the consumer boycott against apartheid in South Africa, and several perspectives on parts of the civil rights movement in the U.S.

Maryland

The meeting, in conjunction with Baltimore Friends School, hosted a one-day conference on peacemaking in November of 2006. The event included over 30 workshops and presentations, and hosted speakers Coman McCarthy (Director of the Center for Teaching Peace), and David J. Smith (senior program officer for the U.S. Institute of Peace).

Members of the meeting attended a seminar at the William Penn House in Washington, DC, entitled, "Teachers of Peace: Educating for Peace and Social Change". Participants explored peacemaking "through the lens of multi-track diplomacy - a holistic framework for both understanding and teaching peace".

Members of the meeting visited with both of their senators offices to lobby for peace in Iraq. They briefly met with Sen. Ben Cardin who told them that he would "do everything I can" to change US policy in Iraq.

The center, in conjunction with Patapsco Preparative Meeting, held a day of silent meditation, prayer and fasting to witness to their concerns for policies and actions at home and abroad.

Members of this meeting regularly present FCNL material, including the FCNL Legislative Action Message, at the rise of Meeting for Worship. The meeting also posts FCNL alerts and letter writing materials on a “Peace and Social Action” bulletin board in their meetinghouse.

Members of the meeting used the FCNL March 2007 newsletter to create a flyer highlighting their concerns about the uneven allocation of the federal budget. Members distributed more than 1700 copies of this flyer at the main post office in Baltimore on tax day.

The meeting has hosted a weekly peace vigil from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Friday evenings when 2000-4000 cars go by. They have continued this practice since the week of September 11, 2001.

The meeting partnered with Friends School of Baltimore to organize a day-long conference called "Peacemaking in the Home, School & Community". Speakers at the event included Colman McCarthy, author of I'd Rather Teach Peace, and David Smith of the US Institute of Peace. Elie Nahimana, General Secretary of Burundi Yearly Meeting in East Africa, also attended and gave a workshop. The day included 39 workshops with 14 groups participating in literature displays. 325 people attended the conference, and general feedback from the day was impressive. More information on the conference can be found here.

The meeting has a long history of having an outreach table at each of three local festivals. Lately, the meeting has shared the space with FCNL by passing out FCNL literature, signs, bumper stickers and buttons and signing up people who are interested in knowing more. The result has been more interest in the meeting’s outreach as well as interest in FCNL.

Massachusetts

The meeting regularly visits with people in prisons and has regular letter writing sessions on Sundays.

The meeting organized a Good Friday Witness for Peace on the Boston Common. The meeting is also holding a Witness Fair in December.

The meeting arranged six showings of An Inconvenient Truth in October. They also support a worship group at a local men’s prison and a group is forming to address the needs of newly released prisoners.

The meeting held a Witness Fair for Friends to share their work with others in Meeting after a pot luck lunch.

The meeting participates in an anti-war vigil with others, primarily Merrimack Valley People for Peace, at a heavily traveled intersection, since before the invasion of Iraq every Sunday.

During the 2006 NEYM Annual Sessions in early August, attenders participated in a vigil to mark Hiroshima Day. Attenders of the Junior Yearly Meeting decorated pieces of white cloth as "peace flags", each representing 10 Iraqi civilians who have died in the war. They attempted to make 10,000 total.

The Yearly Meeting invited Monthly Meetings and groups to share their work in a Celebration of Public Witness at Yearly Meeting sessions.

In May 2006 the meeting approved a minute opposing torture. The document “call[ed] for an end to all torture of any person anywhere for any reason.”

The meeting has held a monthly letter writing session for over three years now. 15-20 meeting members participate every month, and ideas for topics come from members of the meeting as well as FCNL’s Letter Writing Project.

April 4, 2007 the meeting began a weekly vigil for world peace on the sidewalk outside the Meeting. It goes on…

This meeting occasionally participates in letter writing campaigns for FCNL or in writing letters to the editors of their local newspapers.

Community Outreach: This meeting reaches out to the community through providing information to concerned youth, recruiting, local vigiling, and occasionally hosting speakers. They are also involved in their area interfaith council and one member is a leader on a local religious radio program.

In May 2006 the meeting approved a minute opposing torture. The document expressed the meeting's “deep disapproval and opposition to the actions and policies of our government regarding torture and the denial of basic human rights to prisoners."

In fall of 2006, the meeting approved a minute generated by its middle school-aged First Day School group in support of U.S. Senate bill S.529, "An Act Relative to Oceans" and sent the minute to their elected officials. The minute reads in part, "We feel that the ocean has been overlooked by our society because we can't see underneath its surface. As a result, uses of the ocean have been unregulated and now we are becoming aware of the negative effects of our activities on the marine environment. As young people, we do not want to grow up in an unhealthy environment, and we are thinking ahead for our generation and the next."

Michigan

The meeting hosted ‘Eyes Wide Open’ during their local summer art fair in July. The meeting also has a Palestine/Israel Action Group which prints and markets map cards showing the reality of Palestine being squeezed into disconnected Ghettos. The group is also working to inform their local community about realities in the West Bank and Gaza.

The meeting wrote a collective letter to their Sen. Carl Levin expressing their opposition to the war in Iraq, and a delegation presented the letter to him in a lobby visit.

Meeting member Hali Gliesser spoke to an audience of over one hundred people about his personal experiences following the path of non-violence. During the talk, entitled “Non-violence and Justice In Times of Violent Injustice - A Quaker’s Story,” Hali recalled his father’s accounts of the famous Christmas Eve truce between the trenches in World War I, his own youth in Nazi Germany, his experiences as a conscientious objector during World War II, and his civil rights work with Bayard Rustin. Members of the meeting prepared an FCNL in a Box display and a table with materials and information on FCNL, AFSC and, the Friends School in Detroit.

The meeting has been involved in counter recruitment activities, peace vigils, hosting speakers and weekly phone and letter contacts with representatives from the national to grassroots local level. The meeting also is an active member of FAME (Finding Alternatives to Military Enlistment) a counter recruitment organization that holds meetings every two weeks at the meeting house.

This meeting, along with tabling at community events, has hosted peace vigils and peace education talks for parents and children at a county-wide Business and Community Expo. The meeting has also hosted a similar event at kids day of the National Baby Food Festival.

Peace Group: Members of this meting belong to a secular peace group in their area.

Members of the meeting are involved with FCNL's letter writing campaign, lobbying and writing letters to the editor.

Hiroshima Remembrance and Reflection: The group held an afternoon of remembrance and reflection for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th. The event is sponsored annually by the Little Traverse League for Peace and Freedom as a reminder that nuclear weapons should never again be used and also to reflect on ways to create a more peaceful world.

The group has a link to FCNL’s website displayed prominently on their website. Members of the meeting distributed FCNL literature at three free showings of the movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ which they sponsored at a local theater, including a showing for the local school.

Members of the group met with new superintendent of schools and successfully had military recruiters removed from lunchroom and restricted to the advisement office like other college and employer recruiters. The group also created a peace career notebook.

Minnesota

The meeting, in conjunction with Quaker Earthcare Witness, hosted an evening concert with Earth Mama!, an “eco-motivational entertainer and keynote speaker.” They held a musical workshop focusing on the Earth Charter the following afternoon.

Members of the meeting are working through the Green Party to protest preferential treatment of military recruiters in St. Paul public schools. They are working to support an initiative by the student-led group Youth Against War and Racism, requesting that military recruiters be restricted to a certain place within school buildings, and required to give advance notice when they will be in the schools.

The meeting includes a peace calendar in their monthly newsletter. The calendar includes peace vigils, art exhibits focusing on peace and justice, speakers and discussion series on topics ranging from human rights to the middle east to globalization, and even local elections!

Missouri

In March 2006 Kansas City PeaceWorks held a vigil attended by 1,200 citizens of Kansas and Missouri, marking the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Vigil participants hung hundreds of feet of papers with the names and photographs of U.S. troops.

The Peace committee of the meeting is translating the newest copy of its peace testimony into numerous languages for wider distribution.

Montana

Friends in Billings made calls to their representatives and senators to promote peace and justice legislation.

Members of the worship group write letters to their representatives at regular meeting potluck dinners.

The peace and social concerns committee worked with members of other local churches on the Montana version of a minimum wage raise, which was just voted on and approved. The meeting also holds an annual garage sale to raise money for FWCC and the local Jeanette Rankin Peace Center.

Members have lobbied their representatives about issues such as the Iraq War and climate change. They also attend peace vigils.

Nebraska

At a recent Peace Conference co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska Omaha School of Social Work, and Nebraskans for Peace, Central City Friends Meeting was presented with a Peacemaker of the Year Award. The award's intent was to "recognize the contribution that the corporate body of this Friends Meeting has made to the cause of peace in our state and the larger world".

Members of the meeting asociated with Central NE Peace Workers stand on a main thoroughfare in Grand Island once a month with peace signs. Several members also lobby their congressmen and senators on peace issues.

New Hampshire

The meeting participates in an Ecumenical Peace Service with several other local denominations. This event is organized by the local Congregational Church, and includes a silent worship portion at the end which allows some centering and a chance for some of those gathered to offer a prayer or other message.

New Jersey

Public Outreach: This meeting has worked in the community with local Unitarian and Presbyterian churches.

In April 2006 members of this meeting and others participated in the United for Peace and Justice March for Peace, Justice and Democracy in New York City. Several folks assisted FCNL staff in passing out thousands of War Is Not the Answer signs, fliers, and bumpers stickers to march participants.

The meeting has purchased wind certificates to offset some of its greenhouse gas emissions. Members of the meeting also offered workshops at the peace fair held at a local high school and organized by students and distributed FCNL materials, included information on FCNL’s green building.

New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NJADP) works to win public and political support for the elimination of execution as a form of punishment in New Jersey. It is our conviction that the death penalty is by its nature unjust in application and immoral in principle.

Members of Seaville Friends Meeting hold a weekly vigil against the Iraq war in Rio Grande, NJ. The group has been bearing witness in this way for over two years.

The meeting approved a minute in opposition to disposal of altered nerve gas in the Delaware River and forwarded the minute to their elected officials as well as relevant government agencies.

The Peace and Social Concerns committee took a half page ad in the program of a local school’s function asking "Do you know what Congress is doing in your name? Go to www.fcnl.org, learn about current issues, take action."

The meeting and the community hold a peace vigil every Friday night on a prominent street corner in their town.

The meeting cosponsors an ecumenical peace vigil once a month on the central intersection of their community.

New Mexico

The meeting's Peace and Social Concerns Committee organized a study group to explore strategies set forth in FCNL's booklet "If War Is Not the Answer, What Is? The Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict". As part of the group's further explorations, they plan to hold a movie night featuring films on nonviolent conflict resolution, Alternatives to Violence Project training, a peace education workshop and letter writing and visits with their elected officials.

In April 2006 members met to discuss what FCNL's legislative priorities should be in the 110th Congress. They then translated their list of priorities into a document which they took to a meeting with three state representatives, two of whom are Friends.

About half the attenders at the regional meeting wrote letters to their senators asking that they defund Complex 2030, a new nuclear weapons facility. Participants wrote primarily to their Senator Pete Domenici, who serves as ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the committee which controls funding for nuclear weapons.

New York

The meeting has held a vigil in front of the New York State Capitol since September 22, 2001. Each week vigilers hand out a different flyer, and much of the background material comes from FCNL alerts and newsletters.

In March 2007 Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace marked the fourth anniversary of their weekly vigils for peace with War Is Not the Answer signs and a message of renewed commitment to opposing war.

Member of Brooklyn Parents for Peace staged a demonstration in front of Sen. Schumer’s Park Slope apartment building on the weekend of September 23rd, with a large turn-out, accompanied by wide support from passers-by.

Members of Hamilton Monthly Meeting started the Shenago Valley Peace Alliance, which recently has been lobbying to prevent a huge electrical grid from being built in their community.

Meeting holds a weekly peace vigil on the village green.

In April 2006 members of the meeting and other local meetings participated in the United for Peace and Justice March for Peace, Justice and Democracy in New York City. Several folks assisted FCNL staff in passing out thousands of War Is Not the Answer signs, fliers, and bumpers stickers to march participants.

Old Chatham Quaker Meeting hosted several showings of the movie “An Inconvenient Truth", at the Powell House Quaker Conference and Retreat Center in early April 2007.

At its November business meeting, the Meeting endorsed the National Religious Campaign Against Torture's "Torture as a Moral Issue" statement of conscience.

The meeting compiled and published a pamphlet called "Peace: resources and ideas for meetings and individuals in New York Yearly Meeting". The pamphlet includes contact information for organizations working on peace tax witness, conscientious objection and military counter-recruitment, as well as Quaker organizations, local vigils, ongoing peace activities within the yearly meeting, and suggestions for how to work for peace, including contacting elected representatives.

Friends on Staten Island have created a worship group at Arthur Kill Correctional Facility under the care of New York Quarterly Meeting. They intend to present participants with FCNL newsletters, which are allowed in the jail because they are classified as “religious literature.”

North Carolina

Members of the meeting write letters to the editor and participate in weekly community peace vigils. They are active in counter recruitment, and lobby their members of congress.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee drafted and the meeting approved a letter from the meeting to the governor expressing their collective opposition to the death penalty.

The meeting has a peace vigil once a month along a major street by the meeting. The meeting also sponsored meetings to discuss the final report and recommendations of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The meeting approved an anti-torture minute, and sent letters to the local newspaper with the anti-torture message.

Friends decided to replace all the windows of the meeting house; increasing thermal efficiency while keeping the natural light. Lights are also turned down during meeting, and the meeting created a list of members' actions in reducing their personal energy use.

The meeting writes letters to members of congress.

The meeting shares a building with the local Peace Center and supports a wide variety of peace and justice programs sponsored by the Center.

Members of Wilkes County Friends Meeting hold a weekly vigil on a prominent street corner in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

North Dakota

Members of the group joined with the Catholic order, Sisters of the Presentation to sponsor a community dialogue on nuclear weapons in Fargo. They invited FCNL’s Devin Helfrich to speak on the importance of North Dakota senator, Byron Dorgan on this issue; and wrote more than 40 letters to the senator at the event.

Ohio

The Ohio University Muslim Student Association visited the meeting in Sept 2007 and shared their tradition (and samples of), Noah’s Pudding. Members of the meeting will attend their services 11/23 and bring Thanksgiving pies and cider. The two groups are hoping to begin a dialogue and work together to promote peace in the area.

The meeting held a letter writing session in which 8 members of the meeting, as well as the meeting as a whole, wrote to their U.S. senators and representative opposing U.S. practices of holding alleged terrorists without charges or without notifying the families those held of their whereabouts.

The members of this meeting have participated in events at Wilmington College that focus on peace, justice and environmental issues. Members of the meeting were also recently interviewed by WCET Cincinnati PBS to tell of their experience as pacifists and war resisters during the Second World War. This meeting also collaborates with the Wilmington Friends Meeting on efforts to lobby their congressman on peace and justice issues.

In April 2006 the Peace and Social Concerns Committee hosted a community presentation with featured speaker Rick Polhamus of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Members of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and representatives from Xavier University met with Sen. Voinovich to encourage his support of FCNL’s Sensible Transitions to Enduring Peace (STEP) Resolution.

Members are active in writing letters to their congressional representatives.

This meeting has collected and shared information on counter-recruitment issues with youth in their community and in local churches. They held a table at a Peace One Day (International Day of Peace) community event hosted by the Dayton International Peace Museum. This meeting has also collaborated with the Mack Memorial Brethren Church to host events such as an AFSC Eyes Wide Open exhibit and a Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Build.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee is leading a campaign to raise $7,500 to help a Palestinian village “gain the training and skills needed to incorporate nonviolence and conflict transformation into their everyday lives and communities.” The meeting is matching individual and group donations to the campaign.

The meeting actively supports the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, which is a fledgling organization “promoting alternatives to violence in ourselves, our families, and our communities”. The meeting contributes to Heifer International, and collected over 400 postcards for the ‘Million Voices for Darfur’ campaign.

Oklahoma

This meeting, in conjunction with the Wesley Foundation, sponsors peace lecturers every fall and spring semesters including our own Joe Volk. They are also active in their local Interfaith Dialogue Association and Interfaith Council.

Oregon

Friends at Eugene Friends Meeting approved a minute in support of Tom Fox and wrote letters to their representative. (Tom Fox was a Quaker who was killed in Iraq while working with Christian Peacemaker Teams.)

The meeting is working to remodel its meetinghouse to become fully accessible to those who would worship there. The meeting participates in monthly letter writing and is working with Senator Wyden’s office on a gathering to promote civil liberties.

Pennsylvania

Peace Fair: This meeting hosted a peace fair in April 2008 centered around their Peace Garden with FCNL booths and many community activities.

Buckingham Meeting has hosted an annual Peace Fair every autumn since 1999. At the 2006 Fair, a group of meeting members launched the idea of a Peace Museum of the Delaware Valley, and held an "instant" version, where attenders of the peace fair brought items of general interest to be displayed. The meeting is now assembling a steering committee to begin the process of creating a more permanent peace museum.

The meeting has several efforts to reduce their global footprint, including using 100% wind power, a more energy efficient refrigerator, and re-usable napkins and utensils. Members of the meeting vigil twice a week for peace and participate in FCNL’s letter writing project.

This church has multiple commitees supporting and discussing peace issues. They are active in local conferences on peace and climate change.

In June 2006, members of the worship group passed out FCNL’s War Is Not the Answer bumper stickers and yard signs at a local interfaith-sponsored town meeting. Speakers at the town meeting addressed the question, "Is Pre-Emptive War Effective, Legal or Moral?".

The group hosts a variety of workshops and speakers at Haverford College and is also working to encourage administrations at 7 local colleges to purchase their pies from a local pie factory set up by a Friend to increase employment opportunities in the area.

This meeting encourages its members to write letters to their congressmen or to local newspaper editors by including information on issues and addresses in their monthly newsletter. They also hold adult first day school sessions, show films on pertinent issues, and have guest speakers. They have worked in conjuction with organizations such as Amnesty International, People for Peace, Middle East Group for Justice and Peace, Women in Black and are members of an interreligious forum in their area.

Members of the meeting live at a retirement community of about 300 members. There are about 60 active members in the meeting. They write letters to the editor and letters to their representatives. They also go to peace vigils each Friday at Kennett Square and have gone on trips to protests in Washington. They have hosted speakers on peace and justice issues in their retirement community.

The meeting invited local “peace” churches to work in concert, and they have former the Lancaster Interfaith Peace Network. This interfaith group will work to educate the community, establish study groups, and establish a peace builders program in schools among other projects.

At the start of hostilities in Afghanistan, the meeting started a weekly peace vigil every Saturday at noon on the courthouse steps, complete with War is Not the Answer signs.

There are a few members of this meeting who participate in letter writing campaigns, contacting elected officials and newspaper editors locally.

Meeting members are active in writing letters to the editor. Members write letters and call their representatives and received a lobbying training from an FCNL staff member. They do counter recruitment work in local schools. They participate in weekly community peace vigils every Friday in Kennett Square.

Members of the meeting took a bus to New York City and participated in the April 29th, 2006 march for peace and justice. Members of FCNL’s staff also attended this march, passing out War Is Not the Answer bumper stickers and signs.

The meeting participates in writing letters to the editor congressional representatives. They participate in community peace vigils in Lewisburg and Williamsport. They are active in prison reform with the PA Prison Society and do anti-death penalty work.

The meeting recently held a special called session about the Quaker Peace Testimony; a day-long gathering of discussion, planning and fellowship.

Several PYM Friends were arrested with a group called the Granny Peace Brigade while witnessing at a military recruitment center last June. Members of the ecumenical group continue to speak out for peace in any way they can.

Members of the meeting took a bus to New York City and participated in the April 29th march for peace and justice. Members of FCNL’s staff also attended this march, passing out War Is Not the Answer bumper stickers and signs.

Speech: Members of our meeting spoke at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship about the work of FCNl.

Anti-War Demonstration: In front of State College Post office on Mar. 15

In April 2006, AFSC’s Eyes Wide Open exhibit was displayed at State College Meetinghouse and at Penn State University. Members of the meeting helped to set up the exhibit.

The meeting recently wrote letters to elected officials in support of U.S. teachers at Ramallah Friends School who may not get their visas renewed.

A member of the meeting spoke to the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship about FCNL's work and encouraged them to participate in our network.

The meeting hosts a vigil attended by meeting members and others for elimination of all wars. The vigil is attended by 15-20 people with signs and tally of Iraq war dead by week - both US military and Iraqi citizens.

Female Friends at Swathmore Monthly Meeting participate in weekly “Women in Black” vigils.

Several members organized a regional lobby-training for students at Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges. FCNL staff members ran the lobby training and 9 students attended, representing all three colleges. This group will form a core lobbying group in the area.

This meeting hosted Oskar Castro last year to give a speech about counter-recruitment. They also participate in an Anti-Gun Violence profram in FDS with special Meeting for Worship sharing.

This meeting is a core participant in a monthly peace vigil in Williamsport as well as Hiroshima Day commemorations. Their viewpoint on peace and justice issues is presented in local newspapers periodically.

Meeting members participate in letter writing sessions on Sunday after meeting using the recent FCNL materials on Iraq and Iran, as well as other current topics.

In February 2006 Friends from Willistown Friends Meeting held a potluck to discuss how they could each better conserve energy in their own homes.

The meeting hosted an Environmental Festival in fall of 2006, and gave away 50 trees to the first 50 people who came to the festival. The event hosted seven speakers, including PA State Senator Andrew Dinniman, and a multitude of exhibitors. Three petitions were available for attenders to sign, each requesting more environmental responsibility from a different government agency.

The group has a silent vigil twice a month against violence and war and in memory of those who have died and are suffering from violence.

Rhode Island

Members of the meeting get together regularly to write letters to their representatives based on suggestions from FCNL’s website.

South Carolina

The meeting sends out packages to local politicians and influential religious leaders containing a copy of the book Hiroshima and letters encouraging them to work against nuclear proliferation. Members of the meeting also participate in local "Women in Black" vigils.

Members of the meeting join with local Unitarians, Pax Christi and World Can’t Wait members for a silent vigil for peace by the World Wall for Peace in Myrtle Beach.

In February 2006 members of the meeting participated in a rally marking the 3rd anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Meeting members have also written numerous letters thanking their representatives for voting for a torture ban.

Tennessee

On August 23, 2006 a letter to the editor approved by Chattanooga Friends Meeting was published in their local paper.

A committee of 4 people from the meeting met with Congressman Zach Wamp's aide in his office on Sept 11 to express their concerns about the war in Iraq. They felt they were well received and the aide “took a page of notes. He said he would relay them to the Congressman that day. He even asked questions about Quakers and [our] form of worship,” wrote Becky Ingle, Chattanooga’s FCNL Contact.

Members of the meeting write letters to the editor, participate in anti-recruitment at the local high school, and hold a weekly peace vigil at the County Courthouse.

Members of the worship group participate in the activities of Sevier County Organization for Peace and Equality, which includes writing to their representatives.

Texas

Meeting members write letters every month to the governor, state legislators and the state parole board. The letters ask for an end to the death penalty and to not execute men and women in our name.

The center organized a press conference on Exxon Mobile’s energy practices. Others organized a five hour demonstration commemorating the 2,500 American soldiers killed in Iraq.

Utah

The meeting has hung a banner outside its meetinghouse that reads "torture is wrong," protesting the use of torture for any purpose. The sign was featured in a picture in the Deseret Morning News.

Vermont

In May 2006, a member of the meeting had an op-ed published in the Bennington Banner. In his essay, he expressed concern over a potential U.S. incursion into Iran and advocated against the use of nuclear weapons such as the “bunker buster” in that potential conflict.

The organization held a “Gathering of Hope” on September 24, 2006, “to raise public awareness of the threats posed by poverty, environmental degradation, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.” Organizers described the event as an “affirmation of our power to act on behalf of the common good.”

Virginia

The meeting had an interesting and interested discussion of the FCNL legislative priorities in early February and continues to put the FCNL concerns before the members.

Charlottesville Friends Meeting helped to host AFSC’s Eyes Wide Open Exhibit when it travelled to Virginia October 20-21, 2006. Charlottesville’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee organized the help.

Members of the meeting marked the fourth anniversary of the War on Iraq on March 17, 2007 with a vigil at noon on the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building. The vigil welcomes peace-seekers of all faith traditions, and has been held since October 15, 2002.

Peace Vigil: Every Saturday at noon on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol

Anti-Torture Vigil: Every third Sunday at the front gate of the CIA.

Lobbying our members of congress!

The meeting hosted a picnic in summer of 2006 for the James Madison University De-Mining Center's Mine Action Senior Managers course participants. Friends enjoying meeting with these folks from different countries who are committed to doing this work.

Two years ago the peace and social concerns committee began supporting an annual ‘Peace Week’ at Virginia Beach Friends School. The event occurred again in January of 2007 and they hope to have a member of the FCNL staff come and lead a workshop in the future.

The meeting, along with students and faculty of the Friends school, gathered in mid-November to prayerfully seek ways to witness to peace in their local community.

Members of the meeting organized a lobby training and skills building workshop with Jim Cason and members of local churches and peace groups. A workshop participant and stepfather of a young man currently in Iraq role-played lobbying congressional staff on the need for Congress to support the Iraq Study Group Implementation Act.

The meeting presents FCNL displays at UN day, the local fair-trade festival and Onelove Festival, and shares FCNL materials at these events.

Washington

The meeting created a Friends Peace Testimony brochure, listing peacemaking resources, quotes from Quakers and other peacemakers, and an explanation of the thought behind the peace testimony. Members of the meeting share this brochure among their communities.

Members of Eastside Friends Meeting participate in the local peace coalition, S.N.O.W. (Sound Non-Violent Opposition to War), which has several neighborhood groups.

Members of the meeting circulated a minute in support of soldiers refusing to deploy to Iraq.

In April 2006, members of the meeting participated in the annual Port Townsend Earth Day fair. They organized a tent where people could pick up FCNL literature and find out information on how Quakers are responding to the challenge of protecting the environment. In the tent, people could also take an Earth Day quiz which participants took as part of the fair’s scavenger hunt.

The meeting is hosting a 4-week seminar/book group on David Korten’s The Great Turning as well as a screening and post-screening discussion of the movie “Why We Fight” at a local theater.

The meeting hosted a potluck with a presentation on FCNL, and invited community members from other faiths to share in the discussion of peacemaking activities. An Episcopal attender of the potluck is now starting an Episcopal Peace Fellowship group at her church. A 12-member interfaith group stemming from this potluck lobbied their representatives on climate change issues.

The FCNL contact at Pullman-Moscow was so inspired by “Contacts,” FCNL’s newsletter for our key contacts at Friends meetings, churches, and other groups, that she plans to work with the local peace and justice committee and host a letter-writing campaign opposing torture.

Sky Valley Worship group regularly writes letters to the editor of their local newspaper and calls members of Congress on important peace and justice issues.

Members participate in weekly community peace vigils in Monroe, WA.

On March 17, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the U.S. military entering Iraq, the Whidbey Peace and Reconciliation Network published a document entitled "An Apology for the Invasion and Continued Occupation of Iraq". This document apologizes specifically: to our military personnel whose bodies, minds and souls have irresponsibly been placed in harms way; for the terrible harm done to the nation of Iraq and its people; to the poor of our nation who have been asked to sacrifice unequally with the loss of critical services while our national resources have been squandered in war; to the future generations who will be paying our war debts; to the world for our arrogance and our failures in moral leadership; and for violating international law and our own Constitution.

West Virginia

This middle school group has sent students across the nation to participate in conferences about banning landmines. The students have lobbied both their senators and their representative. In May 2002 the West Virginia State Legislature honored the group with a ‘Legislative Citation’ for their work in raising awareness about landmines and humanitarian assistance for their victims.

Wisconsin

Peace Vigil: Monthly

Lanterns For Peace Event: Annual (Aug. 6)

Speakers: Periodically

The meeting held an workshop on nonviolent dialogue with a representative from the Ann Arbor AFSC office. The workshop was open to the public and had fifteen attenders, including members of the meeting, members of a nearby meeting, and 8 non-members.

Members of this meeting have written letter to the editor regarding local and state issues such as gay marriage. The meeting has sponsored series of speakers on various areas of concern over the last 5 years along with peace vigils. Members also speak to students in a college religious class each year. This meeting has also collaborated with the local Lutheran Church to host a Bike and Build for Habitat for Humanity.

The meeting holds an annual gift show in early December, showcasing local artists and craftspeople. 20% of the proceeds from the event are donated to support the work of FCNL and AFSC.

Members of the Yahara Worship group attended the Quaker Initiative to End Torture in Greensboro, NC in early June. Each of the conference attendees committed to three actions – one that week, one that month, and one that year.

Return to FCNL Contacts