New
York Yearly Meeting Epistle, Silver Bay, NY,
307th Session
7th Month 21 - 27, 2002
To
Friends Everywhere!
The
307th Session of New York Yearly Meeting convened with 444 adults
and 156 youth in attendance.
This
year's summer sessions gathered under the theme "Conflict as
an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth." In our opening worship
young Friends led us in a song about getting through life's
difficulties "With a Little Help from My Friends." They gave
us an updated dramatization of the parable of the Good Samaritan.
A Friend reminded us that this week's community is a special
space for practicing peacemaking, and that in such a school
young and old are students together. We are aware that networking
is a valuable process in effective peacemaking.
Friends
heard memorial minutes for five members of our Yearly Meeting.
We shared our memories of them, our sense of loss, and our joy
for their lives and their lessons.
The
attacks that occurred last September in New York City, Washington,
and Pennsylvania, and the widespread national support for our
government's undeclared, so-called "war on terrorism" continue
to cause us anguish. Our grief brings us closer to each other
in our spiritual community, and we ask ourselves "What is God
calling us to do?" As Friends we reaffirm our peace testimony:
We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings
with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever,
and this is our testimony to the whole world. We renounce
our government's "war on terrorism," because it is wrong to
respond to violence with further violence. It is clear to us
that peace is the way. That is the message of Jesus of Nazareth,
spoken throughout the New Testament. In our worship and in our
work, we rededicate ourselves to peacemaking as our response
to violence.
We
are grateful for Friends' many expressions of sorrow and concern
that followed the attacks. As we read your epistles and messages
from around the world we are heartened that God's spirit is
working among us all.
Yours
in the Light,
Linda
B. Chidsey, Clerk
OTHER QUAKER STATEMENTS & LETTERS
Reviewed:
09/06/2005
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