FCNL hosted a workshop with Kendal communities in January 2026 to share our methods of advocacy and how people in their retirement years can be active in lobbying. Below is the testimony from the Oberlin, Ohio, Advocacy Team on how they are engaging in the struggle for justice and peace.
The Oberlin Ohio Advocacy Team began in 2018. This year we have 8 members – 6 live at Kendal and 2 in town, part of Kendal at Home. We come from various backgrounds: Quaker, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ, and social justice activism. We welcome anyone committed to FCNL principles and lobbying strategy to join us.
FCNL and our advocacy team are places we turn to in this difficult time to work for change and make a difference. We view direct advocacy and the connection with Congressional decision makers as necessary for change.
The work is grounded in the belief that there is goodness in everyone. Even when things seem impossible, FCNL teams are reaching out to Congressional representatives and creating a space for conversation rather than confrontation.
Being a member of an Advocacy Team under the guidance and support of FCNL means that we are a part of a much larger advocacy force with a much larger voice. FCNL Monthly National Calls are engaging and stimulating, and there are a multitude of resources. This support is critical to our functioning.
We focus on one main issue per year. This gives us a framework for lobbying and prevents us getting lost in the forest of contemporary issues. It allows us to be deeply informed and able to pass on that knowledge to our representatives and to write letters to the editor with strong arguments in support of the issue.
The work deepens our understanding and concern for people worldwide.
Our lobbying is centered on sharing our personal stories. We talk about our lives and what brought us to the issues. Hence, we are sharing with each other as well as our Congressional Representatives. It draws us into community.
Over the seven years our team has worked together, we have developed a bond and a fellowship that gives us energy to continue advocating. The work deepens our understanding and concern for people worldwide.
The way we function as a team also brings us closer and fits us as we age and suits our retirement lifestyle. We begin our team meetings with sharing personal concerns. We take turns leading lobby visits, running the meetings and doing the details. We circulate our letters to the editor before submission to make the arguments clear.
Currently, all three of our Oberlin Congressional representatives are Republican and aligned with President Trump. Our team has had to be persistent and creative to engage with them.
It is an amazing experience to do this work with a team of committed folks. We are stretched and we learn a lot.
It is an amazing experience to do this work with a team of committed folks. We are stretched and we learn a lot. Our planning and study pay off. We have been able to inform representatives and their staff about issues new to them. We have had meaningful exchanges and made real connections even with Jim Jordan.
We thank FCNL and the teams for all you do. We hope others in the Kendal community will consider advocacy teamwork.