Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Meetings, service
organizations, & resources

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Quote:

"Friends are not naive enough to believe that an appeal to 'that of God' in a dictator or in an [aggressive] nation... will necessarily be successful in converting the tyrant or preventing aggression. Christ was crucified. Gandhi was assassinated. Yet they did not fail. Nor did they leave behind them the hatred, devastation and bitterness that war, successful or unsuccessful, does leave. What can be claimed, moreover, is that this method of opposing evil is one of which no person, no group, no nation need be ashamed, as we may and should be ashamed of the inhumanities of war that are perpetrated in our name and with our support." Kathleen Lonsdale, (1953).

Religious groups:

Individual, autonomous congregations are still referred to as "Meetings". There are a number of geographically defined Yearly Meetings in North America. In Europe, a Yearly Meeting may comprise all congregations within a specific country.

"to act in a consultative capacity to promote better understanding among Friends the world over, particularly by the encouragement of joint conferences and intervisitation, the collection and circulation of information about Quaker literature and other activities directed towards that end."

About 60 Yearly Meetings and groups, representing more than 300,000 Friends, are affiliated with the FWCC. Representatives meet every three years at Triennials.

Finding a meeting near you:

Service and other organizations:

The Friends Service Council in the UK was established in 1927 as a result of the merger of a number of Friends' service organizations. The Council engages in three primary activities:

The American Friends Service Committee in the U.S. was organized in 1917 to help Quaker and other conscientious objectors perform alternative services during World War I. ₁ After the war they were heavily engaged in providing relief services in various European countries. After World War II, they aided victims of Nazi oppression, refugees, lands devastated by famine, victims of the London blitz, etc. They engaged in relief and reconstruction in many European countries, as well as in India, China, and Japan. They aided refugees created by the partition of India; the wars in Palestine, Korea, Algeria & Nigeria; and the Hungarian Revolution. A major effort has been committed to working in the U.S. with Native Americans, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, prisoners, migrant workers, and the poor. They promote peace and understanding in many ways. Some are: by bringing together diplomats, leaders and professionals from many countries in informal conferences; by educating the public about war and peace; and by establishing technical and social assistance programs in developing nations.

The British and American organizations shared the Nobel Peace Price in 1947. ₂ "In making the presentation, Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee, said, 'It is through silent assistance from the nameless to the nameless that they have worked to promote the fraternity between nations cited in the will of Alfred Nobel'." ₃

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is the largest peace lobby in Washington, DC. It was organized in 1943 during World War II. "FCNL staff and volunteers work with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from many different races, religions, and cultures to advocate social and economic justice, peace, and good government." ₄ As of early 2006, they have programs working in the area of the U.S. federal budget, civil liberties, energy, Iraq, Native American concerns, North Korea, Nuclear Disarmament, the weapons trade, etc. They publish a monthly publication, "FCNL Washington Newsletter," occasional "perspective" reports on major issues. booklets, brochures, a "War is not the answer" bumper stickers and yard signs, and a free weekly legislative alert. Their goals are:

"We seek a world free of war and the threat of war.
We seek a society with equity and justice for all.
We seek a community in which every person's potential may be fulfilled.
We seek an earth restored." ₄

Links to Quaker web sites:

Quaker publishers, and publishers of Quaker material:

References used:

1. The American Friends Service Committee has a web site at: http://www.afsc.org/
2. "American Friends Service Committee – History of Organization," Nobel e-Museum, at: http://nobelprize.org/
3. "AFSC History," at: http://www.afsc.org/
4. "Friends Committee on National Legislation," at: http://www.fcnl.org/
5. "Conservative Friends," Wikipedia, 2008-DEC-15, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Copyright © 1996 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-APR-11
Author: B.A. Robinson