RantWoman is taking a break from several media streams good for blood pressure elevation to wander into the world of social action in wider faith communities than Quakers.
RantWoman invites readers to appreciate the report and to offer guesses about what RantWoman finds most compelling. To be fair, the Church council includes both many more member congregations and many more worshippers than the local Quaker landscape. And ....
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#WomensHistoryMonth #RussiaUkraineWar
Dear Patriarch Kirill
Thank you so much (NOT) for blessing the mayhem launched by Russia in Ukraine.
Really Sir?
Remember last time I attempted to elder you? See link below.
Look, I can sort of see why you might get upset about that unscheduled Pussy Riot performance from years ago featuring lyrics like "Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, (Please) drive Putin away." I mean, we in the US are used to freedom of speech and all sorts of vigorous verbiage, but you know, God is letting you pretend it's your cathedral.
What I don't understand: what's so bothersome about The Sixth Commandment? Really!
Also, I am mystified about the arrest of a different woman somewhere in Russia holding up a blank piece of paper where "everyone knows what she means."
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| Woman with sign that says "6th Commandment Do Not Kill" with two police officers in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior previously the site of an unscheduled performance by the All-women punk band Pussy Riot |
Holding you in the Light; Wishing you a blessed Lent. There is never a bad time to repent of a horrible war and horrible war crimes!
In Light and Faithfulness
RantWoman
Happy #WomensHistoryMonth, noting the passing of Madeleine Albright, the first US Secretary of State.
Seattle Times / wire service story: Madeleine Albright dies
RantWoman notes contributions to this wire service story by "the late Barry Scheid."
Madeleine Albright according to Wikipedia
Probably it is just as well that RantWoman can't find the tweet that said Amb. Albright was known as the Czech equivalent of "Bloody Hag" for her role in NATO actions in Serbia and Kosovo.
RantWoman is curious how she went from Maria to Madeleine. RantWoman imagines that has something to do with her refugee story.
RantWoman is interested to know that Amb. Albright wrote her PhD thesis on the Prague Spring.
RantWoman will put "look up some of her books" on her mean to do list.
RantWoman is aware that there are some other worship options with care to the Ukrainian crisis. RantWoman has not made time to go find details. The daily worship here is the best RantWoman can do. The details of the worship repeat. For updates follow the directions to sign up for the mailing list.
When RantWoman has attended there have been between about 100 and well over 400 people present and not the same people every day. Friends who bristle at even the barest hint of efforts to channel the flow of spirit are strongly invited to take advantage of the opportunity in topical breakout rooms to delve more deeply into specific concerns.
Resources mentioned after the Meeting for Worship or put in the chat will be found at the very end of this invitation.
The Meeting for Worship
Friends House Moscow (FHM) sponsors a Daily International Meeting for Worship for Peace. We hold in the Light all those affected by the events in Ukraine.
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Times for Worship – (I am not aware of any changes until 27 March)
As Daylight Savings time comes or goes, clocks in some regions will change. I will try to keep up with those changes, but you should check what time it is where you worship when it is 09:00 in the morning in California. That is when this meeting for worship begins.
Worship begins on the hour and ends 55 minutes later.
Starting Sunday March 13 and continuing this week
(I hope these are correct; let me know if there are errors
The times given in red are changes from March 12.)
Meeting Protocols
We have found that the following steps have kept distractions at a minimum and given us a centered, grounded, spiritual experience.
The room opens at 8:45am Pacific time in the US; if you are familiar with security and other co-hosting functions, consider arriving at 8:45 and being trained to co-host this meeting.
You may enter or leave at any time; there is no disrupting bell to indicate someone has entered or left.
The first 10 minutes will be silent for centering, and we close 55 minutes later with the last 5 minutes silent to let the messages settle in our hearts.
The host will mute everyone’s mic at the beginning of Worship. Sink deeply into that Spirit which is in this world but is not of this world and let ministry rise from that Spirit to give us guidance and light.
If a message comes to you – comes to you during this meeting – from deep within or from an un-knowable source beyond yourself – hold it closely before sharing. Ask, Is this information or inspiration? Is this for me? Is it for others? Is it from Spirit?
If you have ministry to offer, raise your digital hand. [It is an icon at the bottom of your Zoom window or under the “more” tab “…”] We leave a cushion of silence between messages, giving everyone a chance to fully absorb the message and return to centering in the Spirit, so please wait patiently to be asked to unmute yourself to speak. On your phone, “raise hand” is *9. You can also use chat to request to speak.
During Worship, use the chat only for contacting a co-host if you are having technical difficulties, you notice something that does not seem right, or you have a question about Quaker worship.
Live transcription is available for those with hearing difficulties; please speak slowly and clearly. Some other functions will be disabled during the meeting to discourage disruptions.
After Worship Options
a. Chat will be open for personal messages – do not put questions here for Julie. Send them to her email address fhmus@sbcglobal.net
b. If you want to receive the daily invitations and do not receive them now, put your email address in the chat but be sure you are sending it to Julie Harlow, not “to everyone”.
c. You can rename yourself, indicating your location
d. Several breakout rooms will be opened for the next 40 minutes. You may assign yourself to a room, stay here, or leave the meeting.
The Sponsor
Friends House Moscow is an international coalition of Friends, working to support traditional Quaker testimonies with partners in Russia, Ukraine and beyond. It’s work has varied over its 25 years of service within the former Soviet Union. You can learn more about its specific projects, its history and how to support its work at Home. Instructions for donations in Europe are on the website.
In North America, checks can be written to FHMSA (Friends House Moscow Support Association) and sent to FHMSA, P.O. Box 60253, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Contact Julie if you would like a presentation for your meeting or organization. fhmus@sbcglobal.net If you have questions for Julie, do NOT put them in the chat. Send them to her in a separate email to this address.
Let us offer them briefly and let us hear them kindly and let us remain in that centered place of love and light and Peace.
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Peace in our hearts, Peace for all the people,
Julie Harlow, Friends House Moscow board
RESOURCES
David Finke, Ohio USA: Land of the Erie to Everyone:
“I did a google search on “Friends Peace Testimony,” and found a great number of declarations on this topic, particularly in times of war, starting in 1660, but also from London Yearly Meeting during the “War of the Austrian Succession,” the Napoleonic Wars, and then the Crimean War, from which I read.”
From an Epistle Issued by Yearly Meeting 1854, during the Crimean War::
“We feel bound explicitly to avow our continued unshaken persuasion that all war is utterly incompatible with the plain precepts of our Divine Lord and Lawgiver, and with the whole spirit and tenor of His Gospel; and that no plea of necessity or of policy, however urgent or peculiar, can avail to release either individuals or nations from the paramount allegiance which they owe unto Him who hath said 'Love your enemies.”
Peter Dyson, of St Petersburg, Russia, mentioned an organization that watches for violations in religious freedoms. The organization is Forum 18 and this is the link he shared: RUSSIA: Patriarchate priest fined for condemning war in Ukraine
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03.11.2022 [The quaking of my heart tells me] this is a truth to be spoken. It doesn't come from me. It comes through me from my 11 year-old grandson [who] wrote this last fall, and I want to share this as a testament to how God speaks to young people:
“One of the factors that averted annihilation in 1962 was the moral intervention of Pope John the XXIII. He appealed to each of the superpower leaders for restraint. Mr. Khrushchev said at the time that that appeal had considerable weight on his thinking. In fact, he said it was the first ray of light in the fast -developing darkness.
The political realists had failed. Why, then, did Pope John succeed? The shell of political determinism is, after all, supposedly impenetrable. Some decision-makers saw an obstructive evil. Some saw evil personified in Mr. Khrushchev. The Pope, however, refused to concede that there is any evil that cannot be pierced, and that there is any human being who cannot be touched. The most important cause on earth to Pope John was to make the planet fit for sacred humanity. In pursuit of this purpose he refused to believe that any door were closed to him.
Admittedly, none of us has the stature and influence of this great religious leader. Yet we underestimate the weight we do have and the effect of our continued moral appeals through correspondence and especially through personal visits with members of Congress and their aides.”
By Marian Franz, Spring 1984, in the article, “A Ray of Light in the Darkness,” from the book, A Persistent Voice, Bassett, Ratzlaff, and Godshall, Eds.
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) firmly stands with the people of Ukraine. We recognize that this unprovoked and unjustified war is impacting not only the people of Ukraine, but also their neighbors, and to greater or lesser extent the rest of the world. We all are bearing witness to the atrocities inflicted on innocent people and cannot remain silent and continue business as usual. We are deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of interpreters, translators, linguists, their families and friends in Ukraine, and anyone anywhere whose life is threatened by military aggression.
As Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, said in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986: “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”
We understand that in the weeks and months to come, Ukrainian and Russian interpreters and their families may experience unprecedented pressure. Together with other healthcare professionals, here, in the U.S., interpreters will have to redouble their efforts to remain neutral while working. We support healthcare interpreters in serving patients and providers who have varying perspectives regarding the tragic situation in Ukraine. We commend all interpreters who perform their professional duties no matter the cost and without prejudice.
We encourage the CCHI community to do all that it can to help the people of Ukraine in practical ways, including through volunteer interpreting or translation services.
Our profession is about facilitating understanding between people who speak different languages and hold diverse worldviews. We hope that together we can stop the bloodshed: May the practice of peace and peaceful diplomacy replace bullets and missiles.
Our hearts are with Ukraine and with all people around the world who oppose war.
Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters
Washington, DC
Why this war needs a good tank buyback program
Also contemplating vision of peaceful transfer of power with Pres. Putin retired to his yacht or one of his palaces.
An academic in RantWoman's Twitter feed writes of a syllabus unintentionally offering a course in "the cod war."
There is a testimonial and fundraising appeal to support a ministry teaching public health practices in Kenya.
But first a search string
World Blind Union Kenya
See
Africa Section of the WBU Nairobi Office
Also see several webinars starting with
Kenya's Implementation of the Sustainable Development Guidelines
There, now instead of just hearing that people with disabilities are not really seen in the streets, there are some webinars to chew on.
RantWoman has not gone in search of data, but RantWoman is not above guessing that many instances of blindness and other disabilities could be prevented with better public health practices. RantWoman also assumes that there are many people with disabilities in Kenya who, if they had a way to take classes, could learn as well as teach modern public health practices.
RantWoman, why do you need to bring up all that?
RantWoman has now made at least two and perhaps three requests, but who's counting, for video of a recent Adult Religious Education on Friend Nora Percival's most recent public health education ministry trip to Kenya. RantWoman made these requests in response to public invitations to ask. If RantWoman had videos to watch, would RantWoman be more kindly disposed just to reprint the latest report and appeal?
OR, if University Friends Meeting had the kind of visionary web presence that documented the Quaker processes and practices behind this ministry as well as events such as the Adult Religious Education session on RantWoman's request list, RantWoman would just go watch the videos herself and not get in everyone's faces.
RantWoman does remember one time making one of her standard issue reasonable accommodations requests to have a copy of some Adult Religious Education slides emailed to her. RantWoman was told that the slides were just pictures that would not mean anything without the stories behind them. In the case of that presentation, RantWoman decided just to live with that ableist presumption about what RantWoman can see up close as opposed to across the room.
But the latest presentation is a report by Zoom. That means that RantWoman will refrain from bellowing about how screen share is inaccessible to screen reader users. RantWoman would be perfectly fine with having the narrative and the illustrations up close in a a form that RantWoman can view up close on her very own large screen device.
If only.
In the meantime, RantWoman will continue her ministry of faithfulness presence and people with disabilities
AND
RantWoman encourages readers to support the next chapter of
UFM's Kenya Health Education Ministry continues. At the end of May, I (Nora Percival) will be returning to the medical training college in eastern Kenya where I taught last fall. During my last visit to the college, I shared my CREME preventive health syllabus with the people who teach Community Health & Development (CHD) students, who will work after they graduate supervising community health volunteers. The college administration has asked me to come back and share my CREME material with the people who teach all first-year students at the college, about 200 each year. These students go on to work as nurses, lab techs, phlebotomists, and other mid-level health workers. The college wants to ensure that they all have the basic preventive health knowledge embodied in CREME. As a bonus, adding CREME to the first year curriculum means that CHD students who get the material again in the second year will already be familiar with the basic ideas and will be able to explore the concepts in greater depth. Please check out the attached flyer for more information.
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