Quaker Updates

I became a Quaker because of FCNL. Part of that story is personal, tied to the people I have met through this work, including my fellow intern and now husband. FCNL has introduced me to communities and people who are now, quite literally, my family.

There have been a lot of things that have given me joy working as your Quaker Field Secretary over the past four, nearly five years now. The work has been inextricably woven with my deepening faith practice, and I have fallen in awe and in love with so many Friends.

Like me, I know you are deeply concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community and for people around the globe. I want to assure you that FCNL is in full operation – virtually – advocating for the world we seek, especially for those whose health and economic conditions make them even more vulnerable because of this pandemic.

Our advocacy is rooted in the conviction that a better world is possible. As people of faith and conscience, we bring our deeply held beliefs into our work for policy change, and we know how important and powerful it can be to frame our advocacy in the language of our faith.

This has been an inspiring time in Washington, D.C.! We have been riveted by our baseball team, the Washington Nationals, who unexpectedly made it into the playoffs and won the World Series! I became a big fan of this team. That they won and that I became so invested is testament that change can happen.

Friend Tom Bertrand is following a long-held tradition of visitation, and a leading to invite Friends to Quaker advocacy.

In Quaker meetings and churches, meeting minutes represent the wording of a decision or an agreed upon action to be taken by the meeting or church as a whole. FCNL recognizes the vitality of minutes as advocacy tools and as a means of communicating to members of Congress how a body of their constituents is thinking and acting on a particular issue.

Our country is struggling with deep divisions. Amid the blame of and attack on those who are different - in political views, race, religion, country of origin, or sexual orientation - it becomes even more urgent to highlight the value we place in one another. FCNL’s #LoveThyNeighbor (No Exceptions) campaign seeks to shift the narrative.

The election revealed our pain and brokenness as a country. With so much division, hurt, and anger, it is difficult to look for that of God in each other. What does it mean to love our neighbors now?

Take a moment to reflect in keeping with the Quaker practice of silent worship. Join us virtually on Zoom or by phone for a period of shared reflection as we seek grounding in community.