There is an alert about Marriage Equality at the bottom from the Friends Committee on WA Public Policy. This post is a rough draft for something Friends in RantWoman's Meeting are seasoning. There is a timeliness element which is why RantWoman is posting the top as rough draft.
Testimony
University Meeting has been taking same-sex and heterosexual marriages equally under our care for many years, having come to unity in our meetings for worship and business that this is what the Spirit calls us to do. But many people who've come to Meeting in recent years don't know about the deep and long spiritual discernment process which we went through, and so are less than fully prepared to talk to people in person, or via social media, about what we do and why. If you would like to help craft a more detailed collection of previous testimony about our history and numerous statements supporting our testimony in this area, please leave a comment.
Short history
University Friends Meeting was one of the first Monthly Meetings in the Religious Society of Friends to take same-gender relationships under its care. The first time this occurred was in the 1980’s and this Meeting has long been on record in support of full Marriage equality. Here we offer some excerpts from our many minutes and public statements.
Do you participate in discussions about marriage equality with friends or neighbors? Do you participate in discussions about marriage equality through social media? We want to know, are there any resources that would help you tell the story of our Meeting’s history or that speak to modern conversations about this? If you have ideas or questions, please leave a comment and RantWoman will either address herself or enthusiastically help route
Marriage and Commitment
from North Pacific Yearly Meeting1993 Faith and Practice http://www.npym.org/fnp/index.html
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY of an individual can be enhanced and strengthened in a loving, committed relationship. Some call the relationship marriage; some call it by another name. Friends have long recognized that some couples are called into a covenant relationship, a ministry of caring, which with Divine assistance may open the door to deep and unreserved love, to forgiveness, to sharing strengths, to trust and to the nurture of each other’s growth.
Early Friends recognized that the joining of two people in such a covenant relationship “is the work of the Lord only, and not the priests’ or magistrates; for it is God’s ordinance and not man’s; and therefore Friends cannot consent that they should join them together: for we marry none; it is the Lord’s work, and we are but witnesses.” (George Fox, 1669)
When a couple feels called into such a covenant relationship, they seek clearness with their Meeting. When the Meeting finds clearness in the couple, and clearness within the Meeting to take their relationship under the care of the Meeting, a Meeting for Worship is specially called in which the couple publicly affirm and celebrate their lifetime commitment to one another.
Monthly Meetings within the Yearly Meeting have a variety of responses to accepting the role of clearness and oversight of committed relationships and marriages. … A number of Meetings choose to leave the naming of the relationship and the celebration to the couple.
Coming Under the Care of the Meeting:
Before taking a couple’s relationship under its care a Meeting, through a Clearness Committee, counsels with the partners, seeking to establish their clearness in what they are undertaking. If the committee so recommends, and the Meeting agrees, the relationship and the couple are taken under the care of the Meeting. This means that the couple is surrounded by a loving community which may take action as necessary to support the well being of the two individuals, of the relationship itself, and of any children who may be, or become, involved.
A couple, regardless of sexual orientation, comes under the care of a Monthly Meeting in any of the following ways: first, through the clearness process which precedes the marriage or celebration; second, by the Meeting members attending the celebration and witnessing the vows; third, through the care, support, and guidance given to every couple in the Meeting throughout their lifetime journey.
2012: One of the always-cited arguments against gay marriage is the opposition of Christians and other people of faith. we not only endorse the gay marriage law, but feel that this is a position we must take as a religious testimony. We have as a faith community recognized, for many years, the God-given, sacramental basis of many committed same-sex relationships, and witness to this when we take same-sex marriages under our meeting's care. Tthis is similar in nature to our historic testimonies against slavery and racism, and in favor of women's rights.
1997 Letter to the Governor of WA:
Our faith community has spent many years in prayer and dialogue regarding issues of marriage and family. One result of our faithful work has been that we approve wholly of the married union of same gendered couples. This position was taken as a result of listening for Divine guidance and seeking the Truth as best we could. Thus we do believe that God desires and accepts fully those couples, heterosexual or homosexual, who make loving commitments towards each other. We take this stand for marriage as a spiritual and personal commitment within a faith community.
As a result of this stand, it is our practice to approve and perform marriage and ceremonies of commitment for same-gendered couples. These couples we accept fully as a part of our community. We know them to be deeply committed to each other and loving parents. They are essential to the strength of our community and are often models of love and care. In addition to offering these couples our spiritual support, we feel it is important that homosexual marriages be granted civil status equal to that granted to heterosexual couples. Friends believe that everyone is a child of God and should be related to in those terms. … We see clear benefits in granting equal civil recognition of same sex marriage. The legal and financial stability of such social recognition offered to couples creates a more stable union and, for those who choose to parent, greater stability for their children as well.
Over the years of our consideration of this issue we did struggle. We prayed and "held each other in the Light" even when we disagreed. The result of all of this has strengthened our community. We are still growing and learning, but we have what we believe is a truer sense of love, family, commitment and community.
A historical note from a modern blog also about legal recognition of Quaker families:
The original purpose of a Quaker marriage certificate was to provide public recognition of the act of marriage. It was signed by everyone present to give legal weight to the public declaration by showing that it was witnessed by lots of people. The certificate could be presented by the meeting to a magistrate to show that the couple’s children were not bastards and that they could hold property together and bequeath it to them, and so subvert the challenges of disaffected relatives.
http://sheffieldquakers.blogspot.com/2012/05/same-sex-marriage-and-weddings.html
Resources outside our Meeting:
Friends Committee for WA Public Policy
http://www.fcwpp.org/
WA United for Marriage http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns, http://www.flgbtqc.org/
Decline to Sign / Vote YES FCWPP Alert on Marriage Equality
Friends Committee on WA Public Policy
Alert in Support of Washington State’s Marriage Equality Law
FCWPP endorses the Washington United for Marriage coalition and its efforts to uphold Washington’s Marriage Equality Law. Specifically, we support the effort by this coalition to collect pledges stating, “I support marriage equality for all loving, committed couples in Washington State. I pledge to approve Referendum 74.” We encourage you to visit http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/ and pledge your support today. Physical pledge cards are also available to circulate and return to the coalition office.
BACKGROUND
On February 13, 2012, Governor Gregoire signed into law ESSB 6239, permitting same‐sex couples to marry in Washington State and thus ending marriage discrimination against certain loving, committed couples. This law is consistent with Friends’ testimony of equality and with the attached Minute approved by North Pacific Yearly Meeting 15 years ago, in 1997. FCWPP stood with others in supporting this legislation and has celebrated the action of the legislature and governor. However, some citizens of Washington are circulating petitions to collect signatures for Referendum 74, in the hope of overturning this law. The way a referendum works is that before it goes into effect those who oppose a law passed by the legislature and signed by the governor may solicit signatures to place it on the ballot for a vote. Then they attempt to overturn it with a majority REJECT vote. Thus those of us who support the Marriage Equality Law are in a curious position:
1. It is in our interest not to sign a petition to put Referendum 74 on the ballot, but
2. If Referendum 74 does qualify for the ballot, then we would vote APPROVE it.
Those promoting the referendum need to deliver 120,577 signatures to the Secretary of State by June 6, 2012. If they do not, the law will go into effect on June 7, 2012. As part of the effort to uphold the law, Washington United for Marriage seeks to obtain more pledges supporting marriage equality than signers on Referendum 74. The support demonstrated by these pledges will be used to counter negative messaging that turning in referendum signatures could create. FCWPP supports this effort to help create the momentum needed to pass Referendum 74, if it gets on the ballot.
Meetings and other organizations may endorse this effort to sustain marriage equality at
http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/about/ . Individual Friends and others may also pledge their support online at
http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/ . Washington United for Marriage has a variety of suggestions for supporting marriage equality and efforts to sustain the current law.
One final point. In the future, there may be an additional effort to place Initiative 1192 on the ballot. This would be another way to overturn the Marriage Equality Law. Friends who support marriage equality should also avoid signing petitions to place this measure on the ballot. Should it appear on the ballot, a NO vote would support marriage equality.
To summarize the main points: FCWPP recommends that Friends
1. Do not sign a petition to get Referendum 74 on the ballot
2. Do circulate and sign the Washington United for Marriage pledge to support marriage equality
3. If Referendum 74 gets on the ballot, vote to APPROVE
4. As you are led, ask your meeting to support marriage equality
‐‐ The FCWPP Legislative Committee
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wonderful Remembrances of Walter Wink
Walter Wink is perpetually on RantWoman's mean to read list. In the meantime, hold his family and the following memorial items:
http://forusa.org/blogs/richard-deats/walter-wink-presente/10545
http://wagingnonviolence.org/2012/05/how-walter-wink-confronted-violence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WagingNonviolence+%28Waging+Nonviolence%29
http://forusa.org/blogs/matthew-arlyck/walter-wink-memorials-obituaries/10566
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
World Conference posts to remember
Some World Conference posts RantWoman means to reread before Annual Session when a minute about overconsumption (according to its drafters, overpopulation) will again grace our gathering.
http://qceablog.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/crisis-day-paul-parrish-in-kenya-blog-iii/
http://qceablog.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/the-salt-and-the-light-paul-parrish-in-kenya-blog-ii/
http://qceablog.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/crisis-day-paul-parrish-in-kenya-blog-iii/
http://qceablog.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/the-salt-and-the-light-paul-parrish-in-kenya-blog-ii/
Friday, May 4, 2012
David Zarembka Report on World gathering
By way of Blog as Filing cabinet
AGLI - Report from Kenya - May 3, 2012
My Take on the FWCC World Conference of Friends
Being Salt and Light - Friends living the Kingdom of God in a broken world
While the history of humanity can be seen as a succession of divisions and conflict, it can also be seen as a history of ongoing attempts to overcome our divisions and attain unity. The work of the United Nations, Friends’ international peace work, the inter‐governmental panel on Climate Change, to name just a few, are recent international examples of this. The African Great Lakes Initiative’s AVP, HROC, and mediation work happening right now here in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi is another – which, to my mind, is some of the most important work Friends are doing right now. It is a privilege to be here to witness it.
From Presentation by Thomas Owen, Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting
For a week I have been attending the FWCC World Conference of Friends at Kabarak University in Kenya, about a four hour drive from my house. This report includes my observations of the conference. The purpose of the conference was to bring all kinds of Quakers from all over the world together and to interact. About eight hundred and fifty Quakers from forty-two countries attended. A few were unable to come. In one African yearly meeting, where the General Secretary has been in office for thirty years and is opposed by most of his membership, he refused to endorse dissenting members of his yearly meeting to come, a requirement. In another case I heard of an African woman who gave her fees to her General Secretary and rather than register her, he “ate” the money as they say here for “embezzlement.” Burundi Yearly Meeting sent about fifteen delegates, all men except one woman, Alexia Nibona from the Friends Women’s Association.
The conference was conducted in English, French, Spanish, and Swahili. I would estimate that about half of the attendees were from Africa. Naturally there were lots of Kenyans including many who had not registered, but paid day fees. This overstretched the capacity of the site, particularly on the first few days. There were also large delegations from Burundi and Rwanda. Considering the distance there were also substantial delegations from Latin America. Then there were a few each from such places as Nepal, Hungary, South Korea, China and Japan.
The trick, of course, was to get this diverse group to interact. I think that the Conference accomplished this. The main vehicle for this was the daily one and a half hour “home group” which occurred every day. These groups were intentionally diverse. My group had about fifteen members and my leaders were from Kenya and the Netherlands and had Kenyans, a Rwandan, one South African, the leader from the Netherlands, and a few Americans. Ironically the fact that the dining hall could not accommodate all the crowd encouraged this interaction. You could not find a seat next to your buddies from your yearly meeting so you had to sit wherever you could find an open seat. Then to be polite you had to introduce yourself to whomever was sitting at the table with you.
The only other comparable conference that I attended was the Friends United Meeting Triennial in 2002 in Nairobi. In that case the equivalent of the home groups did not work. They were too large; there were about forty in my group and the purpose was never explained so the Kenyans didn’t understand what the purpose was and didn’t return after the first day. The result was that the Triennial remained divided with the Americans and Kenyans usually forming separate groups.
Perhaps this success can best be illustrated by a story told by Sandy Grotberg from Chambersburg Meeting in Pennsylvannia. The fourth day was for excursions. A group of about a hundred went to Lake Bogoria. The fees for the park were different for Kenyans, East Africans, and foreigners. The park wanted the three groups to go separately into different buses because it would be easier to collect the divergent fees. All the World Conference delegates refused to be divided in this way and the park people had to back down.
A more substantive event was when Friends from Guatemala and El Salvador asked Joseph Mamai, Chairman of the Friends Church Peace Teams, to describe the peace work that we are doing in Kenya.
During the first three days I led a "thread group", Quaker Peacemaking around the World. Each person was allowed seven minutes to describe his/her peace activities and those of their meeting. I actually had too many participants - over 35 participated - probably because there really weren’t enough "thread groups" (mini-seminars where participants focused on a specific Quaker-related topic). The issue of the lynching of thieves and others in Kenya was the most dramatic part of my thread group and I’ll be making a full report on this in the near future as I think that is a major, currently neglected, concern that Friends ought to be addressing.
Naturally there had to be controversy. The homosexual issue was expected. Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgendered and Queer Concerns in the United States, like ten or twelve other Quaker groups, sent an epistle to the Conference. All these epistles were posted on the wall outside the main auditorium where we met. On the fourth day, someone tore down this epistle. The next morning after the opening worship and reflection on the theme, Liz Gates from Lancaster Meeting in the US and clerk of the conference committee, came to the podium and said that Friends were breaking her heart with this act of hate and violence. She was aware that there were strong differences in opinion on this subject as well as many others, but that everyone was a child of God. When she finished, most of the white folks clapped vigorously, while most of the Africans didn't clap.
The next night Zabron Malenge, the General Secretary of the Friends Church in Kenya, the organization that unites all the yearly meeting in Kenya together, announced a short meeting at the end of the evening presentation by Nancy Irving, the outgoing General Secretary of FWCC. As a member of Lugari Yearly Meeting, I felt I had a right to attend and so I did. The meeting was in Swahili and essentially Zabron said that the Kenya Church knew where they stood on this issue (i.e., homosexuality is sinful), but they should not let this incident destroy the conference. The Friends Church in Kenya would take up this issue at their next meeting in June and then would forward their statement to the yearly meetings. He asked if this was acceptable and there was agreement.
Then one man got up to speak to the issue and the women began to murmur. When a second man got up to speak, all the women walked out in protest. As they were going out, I heard them say such comments as “Why are we discussing this issue as we know it exists?” with the attitude that this was really no big deal. “Why should this be a concern to us?” “We know that some of these men are gay.” Unfortunately, the June meeting will be attended primarily by men and the few women, as is so common in the world, will be intimidated into silence. This confirms my observation that the grassroots Friends in Kenya are not particularly interested in the homosexuality issue since the women have much more pressing issues such as domestic abuse, poverty, and gender discrimination.
This then led to the opportunity to discuss the issue in the home groups. I asked a number of people what happened in their home group. My home group and one other in which a participant related the details did not discuss the issue. At the other extreme one home group was almost completely destroyed by acrimonious debate. In the others, the topic was brought up and discussed respectfully. A number of the informants commented that they were surprised how open many of the Kenyans – particularly the women and younger men – were. A number of Kenyans felt that homosexuals should not be excluded from church as is the current policy. In some cases, they did feel that they should be allowed to attend in order to realize their “sinful ways.” I heard about one group where an American woman indicated that her daughter was a lesbian. In this case the Kenyans were sympathetic as family relationships clearly were of higher importance. One person told me that none of the Kenyans had ever met even one person who is openly gay or lesbian. Their concept was the male prostitute in Mombasa living off tourists who come in on cruise boats. My conclusion from this incident is that there are opportunities in Kenya for dialogue on the issues of homosexuality.
The other major controversy of the World Conference could easily have been avoided. Without consultation with others, nor even information to the participants, the Local Organizing Committee invited former Kenyan President, Daniel arap Moi, to address the conference. I had heard that some people objected that the conference was being held at Kabarak University since it was owned by Moi and he is called the “Chancellor.” Moi ruled for twenty-four years during a time of decline of most of the major institutions in Kenya, high levels of corruption, and denial of basic human rights. People were assassinated, tortured, and demonstrators such Wangari Maathai were beaten. This lead to what Kenyans call the “second revolution” in the bid to oust the Moi regime. Unfortunately the Kenyan Church was one of the significant backers of the Moi regime. With pride they speak of how Moi came to lead successful fundraisers at Friends International Centre on Ngong Road in Nairobi, Offafa Friends Church, and others. So in this respect it was not surprising that the Local Organizing Committee invited him. This, though, led to the highlighting of the Kenyan Quaker Church's complicity in the excesses of the Moi regime.
I have been at many meetings in Kenya were the topic of the stagnation of the Kenya Friends Church is discussed. In every one of these discussions, one of the topics that is discussed as harming the church is the involvement of the Friends Church in secular politics. There are four members of the Kenyan parliament who are Quakers, three of them ministers. All come from heavily Quaker constituencies and they actively court the Quaker vote. Naturally those who support another candidate are going to be disenchanted with the Church. Is the Church viable when the only method of obtaining large donations is when politicians come to fundraising events and contribute a large sum in order to “buy” the votes of the attendees?
I had heard that Moi was being invited before the conference and I sent an email to those concerned that I did not think this was a good idea and that the reaction from some of the Quakers used to opposing their governments might not look favorably on his attendance. I did not know what they might do, but I thought some might walk out or even stand with their backs to him when he spoke. I said that I would boycott his presentation.
At lunch on the day he spoke, three of the Quaker male hierarchy approached me as if I were leading some kind of revolt over his presence. I told them that in Europe and the US, Quaker peacemakers followed their own conscience and I did not know what they might do nor could I in any way influence them. I reiterated my prior statement (which at least one of them had received) that I would boycott the talk myself.
Perhaps as a result of this, his appearance was almost a secret as most of the participants had no idea he was coming – it was not on the conference schedule – and they wondered why one door to the auditorium was being blocked off. The session on weaving together the threads of the conference started as planned. Then Moi and about eight men – some I assume were body guards – came in. Everyone stood up when he walked in, except a handful of folks that were not noticeable, and there was much use of titles of honor such as “your excellency.” People reported to me that Moi's talk was conventional as he talked mostly about the morally corrupt society, focusing on the youth, that needed to be saved by the Christian Church. Some of the foreigners did not appreciate these remarks. When he left, people stood up again.
What was the reaction? I noticed that a few others also boycotted his talk. One person told me that he walked out. Others refused to stand when he came in. One person told me she refused to stand when he came in, but stood when he left because she was happy to see him go. After he left, I entered in the auditorium to be a part of the proceedings. One person got up and spoke at length at how the Quakers had lost their “salt and light” by overthrowing the Quaker testimony on equality during his appearance. I talked to a number of Europeans, Americans, and Australians, etc. They all felt uncomfortable about the situation. Some did not know about the history of the Moi regime, yet still felt uncomfortable. Others were uncomfortable because they were so surprised by his appearance. Still others totally rejected the oppression of his regime. While some of the Kenyans I spoke with were supportive of his appearance, some others were not.
I myself boycotted the talk. I got myself a chair and had a meeting for worship by myself in a vacant tent close by the auditorium. I prayed for those who had died, been tortured, imprisoned, and suppressed during his regime. I also prayed for those who died because the collapse of the medical system, those who did not receive appropriate education, the roads that were run down into potholes, and government institutions which became sources of enrichment for those who embezzled their funds.
This is my take on the FWCC World Gathering of Friends.
Peace,
Dave
David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
P. O. Box 189, Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya
Phone in Kenya: 254 (0)726 590 783 in US: 301/765-4098
Office in US:1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104 USA 314/647-1287
Webpage: www.aglifpt.org Email: dave@aglifpt.org
_____________________________________________________________________
distributed by:
Dawn L Rubbert, Program Manager
African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI)
of the Friends Peace Teams
1001 Park Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63104 USA
314-647-1287
www.aglifpt.org
_
AGLI - Report from Kenya - May 3, 2012
My Take on the FWCC World Conference of Friends
Being Salt and Light - Friends living the Kingdom of God in a broken world
While the history of humanity can be seen as a succession of divisions and conflict, it can also be seen as a history of ongoing attempts to overcome our divisions and attain unity. The work of the United Nations, Friends’ international peace work, the inter‐governmental panel on Climate Change, to name just a few, are recent international examples of this. The African Great Lakes Initiative’s AVP, HROC, and mediation work happening right now here in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi is another – which, to my mind, is some of the most important work Friends are doing right now. It is a privilege to be here to witness it.
From Presentation by Thomas Owen, Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting
For a week I have been attending the FWCC World Conference of Friends at Kabarak University in Kenya, about a four hour drive from my house. This report includes my observations of the conference. The purpose of the conference was to bring all kinds of Quakers from all over the world together and to interact. About eight hundred and fifty Quakers from forty-two countries attended. A few were unable to come. In one African yearly meeting, where the General Secretary has been in office for thirty years and is opposed by most of his membership, he refused to endorse dissenting members of his yearly meeting to come, a requirement. In another case I heard of an African woman who gave her fees to her General Secretary and rather than register her, he “ate” the money as they say here for “embezzlement.” Burundi Yearly Meeting sent about fifteen delegates, all men except one woman, Alexia Nibona from the Friends Women’s Association.
The conference was conducted in English, French, Spanish, and Swahili. I would estimate that about half of the attendees were from Africa. Naturally there were lots of Kenyans including many who had not registered, but paid day fees. This overstretched the capacity of the site, particularly on the first few days. There were also large delegations from Burundi and Rwanda. Considering the distance there were also substantial delegations from Latin America. Then there were a few each from such places as Nepal, Hungary, South Korea, China and Japan.
The trick, of course, was to get this diverse group to interact. I think that the Conference accomplished this. The main vehicle for this was the daily one and a half hour “home group” which occurred every day. These groups were intentionally diverse. My group had about fifteen members and my leaders were from Kenya and the Netherlands and had Kenyans, a Rwandan, one South African, the leader from the Netherlands, and a few Americans. Ironically the fact that the dining hall could not accommodate all the crowd encouraged this interaction. You could not find a seat next to your buddies from your yearly meeting so you had to sit wherever you could find an open seat. Then to be polite you had to introduce yourself to whomever was sitting at the table with you.
The only other comparable conference that I attended was the Friends United Meeting Triennial in 2002 in Nairobi. In that case the equivalent of the home groups did not work. They were too large; there were about forty in my group and the purpose was never explained so the Kenyans didn’t understand what the purpose was and didn’t return after the first day. The result was that the Triennial remained divided with the Americans and Kenyans usually forming separate groups.
Perhaps this success can best be illustrated by a story told by Sandy Grotberg from Chambersburg Meeting in Pennsylvannia. The fourth day was for excursions. A group of about a hundred went to Lake Bogoria. The fees for the park were different for Kenyans, East Africans, and foreigners. The park wanted the three groups to go separately into different buses because it would be easier to collect the divergent fees. All the World Conference delegates refused to be divided in this way and the park people had to back down.
A more substantive event was when Friends from Guatemala and El Salvador asked Joseph Mamai, Chairman of the Friends Church Peace Teams, to describe the peace work that we are doing in Kenya.
During the first three days I led a "thread group", Quaker Peacemaking around the World. Each person was allowed seven minutes to describe his/her peace activities and those of their meeting. I actually had too many participants - over 35 participated - probably because there really weren’t enough "thread groups" (mini-seminars where participants focused on a specific Quaker-related topic). The issue of the lynching of thieves and others in Kenya was the most dramatic part of my thread group and I’ll be making a full report on this in the near future as I think that is a major, currently neglected, concern that Friends ought to be addressing.
Naturally there had to be controversy. The homosexual issue was expected. Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgendered and Queer Concerns in the United States, like ten or twelve other Quaker groups, sent an epistle to the Conference. All these epistles were posted on the wall outside the main auditorium where we met. On the fourth day, someone tore down this epistle. The next morning after the opening worship and reflection on the theme, Liz Gates from Lancaster Meeting in the US and clerk of the conference committee, came to the podium and said that Friends were breaking her heart with this act of hate and violence. She was aware that there were strong differences in opinion on this subject as well as many others, but that everyone was a child of God. When she finished, most of the white folks clapped vigorously, while most of the Africans didn't clap.
The next night Zabron Malenge, the General Secretary of the Friends Church in Kenya, the organization that unites all the yearly meeting in Kenya together, announced a short meeting at the end of the evening presentation by Nancy Irving, the outgoing General Secretary of FWCC. As a member of Lugari Yearly Meeting, I felt I had a right to attend and so I did. The meeting was in Swahili and essentially Zabron said that the Kenya Church knew where they stood on this issue (i.e., homosexuality is sinful), but they should not let this incident destroy the conference. The Friends Church in Kenya would take up this issue at their next meeting in June and then would forward their statement to the yearly meetings. He asked if this was acceptable and there was agreement.
Then one man got up to speak to the issue and the women began to murmur. When a second man got up to speak, all the women walked out in protest. As they were going out, I heard them say such comments as “Why are we discussing this issue as we know it exists?” with the attitude that this was really no big deal. “Why should this be a concern to us?” “We know that some of these men are gay.” Unfortunately, the June meeting will be attended primarily by men and the few women, as is so common in the world, will be intimidated into silence. This confirms my observation that the grassroots Friends in Kenya are not particularly interested in the homosexuality issue since the women have much more pressing issues such as domestic abuse, poverty, and gender discrimination.
This then led to the opportunity to discuss the issue in the home groups. I asked a number of people what happened in their home group. My home group and one other in which a participant related the details did not discuss the issue. At the other extreme one home group was almost completely destroyed by acrimonious debate. In the others, the topic was brought up and discussed respectfully. A number of the informants commented that they were surprised how open many of the Kenyans – particularly the women and younger men – were. A number of Kenyans felt that homosexuals should not be excluded from church as is the current policy. In some cases, they did feel that they should be allowed to attend in order to realize their “sinful ways.” I heard about one group where an American woman indicated that her daughter was a lesbian. In this case the Kenyans were sympathetic as family relationships clearly were of higher importance. One person told me that none of the Kenyans had ever met even one person who is openly gay or lesbian. Their concept was the male prostitute in Mombasa living off tourists who come in on cruise boats. My conclusion from this incident is that there are opportunities in Kenya for dialogue on the issues of homosexuality.
The other major controversy of the World Conference could easily have been avoided. Without consultation with others, nor even information to the participants, the Local Organizing Committee invited former Kenyan President, Daniel arap Moi, to address the conference. I had heard that some people objected that the conference was being held at Kabarak University since it was owned by Moi and he is called the “Chancellor.” Moi ruled for twenty-four years during a time of decline of most of the major institutions in Kenya, high levels of corruption, and denial of basic human rights. People were assassinated, tortured, and demonstrators such Wangari Maathai were beaten. This lead to what Kenyans call the “second revolution” in the bid to oust the Moi regime. Unfortunately the Kenyan Church was one of the significant backers of the Moi regime. With pride they speak of how Moi came to lead successful fundraisers at Friends International Centre on Ngong Road in Nairobi, Offafa Friends Church, and others. So in this respect it was not surprising that the Local Organizing Committee invited him. This, though, led to the highlighting of the Kenyan Quaker Church's complicity in the excesses of the Moi regime.
I have been at many meetings in Kenya were the topic of the stagnation of the Kenya Friends Church is discussed. In every one of these discussions, one of the topics that is discussed as harming the church is the involvement of the Friends Church in secular politics. There are four members of the Kenyan parliament who are Quakers, three of them ministers. All come from heavily Quaker constituencies and they actively court the Quaker vote. Naturally those who support another candidate are going to be disenchanted with the Church. Is the Church viable when the only method of obtaining large donations is when politicians come to fundraising events and contribute a large sum in order to “buy” the votes of the attendees?
I had heard that Moi was being invited before the conference and I sent an email to those concerned that I did not think this was a good idea and that the reaction from some of the Quakers used to opposing their governments might not look favorably on his attendance. I did not know what they might do, but I thought some might walk out or even stand with their backs to him when he spoke. I said that I would boycott his presentation.
At lunch on the day he spoke, three of the Quaker male hierarchy approached me as if I were leading some kind of revolt over his presence. I told them that in Europe and the US, Quaker peacemakers followed their own conscience and I did not know what they might do nor could I in any way influence them. I reiterated my prior statement (which at least one of them had received) that I would boycott the talk myself.
Perhaps as a result of this, his appearance was almost a secret as most of the participants had no idea he was coming – it was not on the conference schedule – and they wondered why one door to the auditorium was being blocked off. The session on weaving together the threads of the conference started as planned. Then Moi and about eight men – some I assume were body guards – came in. Everyone stood up when he walked in, except a handful of folks that were not noticeable, and there was much use of titles of honor such as “your excellency.” People reported to me that Moi's talk was conventional as he talked mostly about the morally corrupt society, focusing on the youth, that needed to be saved by the Christian Church. Some of the foreigners did not appreciate these remarks. When he left, people stood up again.
What was the reaction? I noticed that a few others also boycotted his talk. One person told me that he walked out. Others refused to stand when he came in. One person told me she refused to stand when he came in, but stood when he left because she was happy to see him go. After he left, I entered in the auditorium to be a part of the proceedings. One person got up and spoke at length at how the Quakers had lost their “salt and light” by overthrowing the Quaker testimony on equality during his appearance. I talked to a number of Europeans, Americans, and Australians, etc. They all felt uncomfortable about the situation. Some did not know about the history of the Moi regime, yet still felt uncomfortable. Others were uncomfortable because they were so surprised by his appearance. Still others totally rejected the oppression of his regime. While some of the Kenyans I spoke with were supportive of his appearance, some others were not.
I myself boycotted the talk. I got myself a chair and had a meeting for worship by myself in a vacant tent close by the auditorium. I prayed for those who had died, been tortured, imprisoned, and suppressed during his regime. I also prayed for those who died because the collapse of the medical system, those who did not receive appropriate education, the roads that were run down into potholes, and government institutions which became sources of enrichment for those who embezzled their funds.
This is my take on the FWCC World Gathering of Friends.
Peace,
Dave
David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
P. O. Box 189, Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya
Phone in Kenya: 254 (0)726 590 783 in US: 301/765-4098
Office in US:1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104 USA 314/647-1287
Webpage: www.aglifpt.org Email: dave@aglifpt.org
_____________________________________________________________________
distributed by:
Dawn L Rubbert, Program Manager
African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI)
of the Friends Peace Teams
1001 Park Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63104 USA
314-647-1287
www.aglifpt.org
_
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Grace Ungraciously
RantWoman is trying to write a paper on grace for this year's iteration of the Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference http://pnwquakerwomen.org/conference/.
RantWoman is trying to write one paper, not five or six. RantWoman is trying to write a paper of some finite length that people will willingly read or MAYBE even read with enthusiasm. Some of the time RantWoman might even try for linear narrative without too many excursions into the poetic and magical realism. RantWoman's life overflows with Grace. And grace is showing up in forms which, if offered even half of half of a chance, would just punch things in the face. God help us!
Para Bailar la Bamba, se necesita una poca de gracia.
¿Una poca?
¡Más que una poca!
Mr. GG, Gato Gracioso / Gato Gordo: warning false cognate alert: Mr. Gracious Cat. How about Mr. Portly Cat. To heck with that. He's a furry meatloaf, Mr. Fat Cat.
God of Grace and God of Glory--with Handbells at something called the 2011 NH Spring Ring! Arrrrrrrrrggggh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJXaNGfPEn4
Another one? God, are you JOKING?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=ucu9szlLZvY&NR=1
God of Grace and God of Glory, the top link on the Google search. Endless loop, instrumental.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/godgrace.htm
Channeling RantWoman's past as a Baptist, with Harry Emerson Fosdick:
http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/God%20of%20Grace%20and%20God%20of%20Glory.htm
This hymn is a prayer -- a prayer for God to bestow power upon the church -- and wisdom -- and courage "for the facing of this hour." The hour that they were facing at that time was the Great Depression -- an economic disaster that drained the nation of life and hope. "For the facing of this hour," however, is a timeless phrase, because there is never a time when we do not need God's help "for the facing of this hour."
"Save us from weak resignation" is an important part of the prayer. "Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore." We are always tempted to believe that the evils that we face far outstrip our resources to deal with them -- tempted to retreat into a safe place and wait for the storm to blow over -- but evil unopposed doesn't blow over. It takes the sacrifices of dedicated men and women to build a better world.
(Dedicated? What about just REALLY PISSED OFF?)
Holy Crap! As if RantWoman WANTED still to need to elder multiple seriously weighty Friends currently and previously attached to seriously weighty titles.
http://www.lyricsmania.com/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory_lyrics_kate_campbell.html
And a blog post
http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=5570
There. This is the one. Processional. Mt. Olivet Methodist Church. Warning: SEVERE deviation from Quaker austerity!
RantWoman is trying to write one paper, not five or six. RantWoman is trying to write a paper of some finite length that people will willingly read or MAYBE even read with enthusiasm. Some of the time RantWoman might even try for linear narrative without too many excursions into the poetic and magical realism. RantWoman's life overflows with Grace. And grace is showing up in forms which, if offered even half of half of a chance, would just punch things in the face. God help us!
Para Bailar la Bamba, se necesita una poca de gracia.
¿Una poca?
¡Más que una poca!
Mr. GG, Gato Gracioso / Gato Gordo: warning false cognate alert: Mr. Gracious Cat. How about Mr. Portly Cat. To heck with that. He's a furry meatloaf, Mr. Fat Cat.
God of Grace and God of Glory--with Handbells at something called the 2011 NH Spring Ring! Arrrrrrrrrggggh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJXaNGfPEn4
Another one? God, are you JOKING?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=ucu9szlLZvY&NR=1
God of Grace and God of Glory, the top link on the Google search. Endless loop, instrumental.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/godgrace.htm
Channeling RantWoman's past as a Baptist, with Harry Emerson Fosdick:
http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/God%20of%20Grace%20and%20God%20of%20Glory.htm
This hymn is a prayer -- a prayer for God to bestow power upon the church -- and wisdom -- and courage "for the facing of this hour." The hour that they were facing at that time was the Great Depression -- an economic disaster that drained the nation of life and hope. "For the facing of this hour," however, is a timeless phrase, because there is never a time when we do not need God's help "for the facing of this hour."
"Save us from weak resignation" is an important part of the prayer. "Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore." We are always tempted to believe that the evils that we face far outstrip our resources to deal with them -- tempted to retreat into a safe place and wait for the storm to blow over -- but evil unopposed doesn't blow over. It takes the sacrifices of dedicated men and women to build a better world.
(Dedicated? What about just REALLY PISSED OFF?)
Holy Crap! As if RantWoman WANTED still to need to elder multiple seriously weighty Friends currently and previously attached to seriously weighty titles.
http://www.lyricsmania.com/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory_lyrics_kate_campbell.html
And a blog post
http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=5570
There. This is the one. Processional. Mt. Olivet Methodist Church. Warning: SEVERE deviation from Quaker austerity!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Epistle of Russian Language Salt and Light Study Group
EPISTLE FROM THE ON-LINE RUSSIAN-SPEAKING GROUP STUDYING THE "SALT AND LIGHT" BOOKLET OF THE FRIENDS WORLD COMMITTEE FOR CONSULTATION (FWCC)
The great Russian writer and teacher of nonviolence Leo Tolstoy wrote “Each of us is a diamond, which we can cleanse, or not cleanse. Insofar as we do cleanse ourselves, the eternal light shines through us.”
Our task is not to try to become the light, but to learn how to transmit that light which is eternal. Global meetings bear witness to the rich diversity of Friends throughout the world. Every Friend, every Meeting – all are multicolored pieces of glass, which, differing among themselves, are united into a beautiful stained glass window, which is the Society of Friends
Passing through this stained glass window, light, which enlightens all people, makes a beautiful, resplendent picture, by which the world becomes brighter. Our group of seekers and Friends from Russia, Latvia, England, and the United States, taking part in the Russian-language Salt & Light online course, is one of the colored pieces of glass. Realizing our place in the global family of Friends, we greet all participants in the
conference, hoping that you will realize your unity with the light and that, seeking inspiration, you will bring it to Friends all over the world, so that we may be faithful workers in God’s Kingdom, carrying light into the darkness.
ПОСЛАНИЕ РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ОНЛАЙН ГРУППЫ ПО
ИЗУЧЕНИЮ БУКЛЕТА "СОЛЬ И СВЕТ" ВСЕМИРНОГО
КОНСУЛЬТАЦИОННОГО КОМИТЕТА ДРУЗЕЙ (FWCC)
Великий русский писатель и учитель ненасилия Лев Толстой писал:
_"Каждый человек – алмаз, который может очистить и не очистить себя. В той мере, в которой он очищен, через него светит
вечный свет". _
Наша задача – не стараться стать светом, а научиться пропускать Свет
через себя. Всемирные встречи служат свидетельством богатейшего
разнообразия Друзей во всем мире. Каждый Друг и каждое собрание являются
разноцветными стеклышками, которые, различаясь между собой, соединены в
прекрасный витраж – Общество Друзей.
Свет, просвещающий всех людей, проходя через этот витраж, создает великолепную картину, которая делает мир светлей. Одно
из таких стеклышек – мы, Друзья из России, Латвии, Англии, США, принимающие
участие в русскоязычном онлайн курсе «Соль и Свет». Осознавая свое место в
глобальной семье Друзей, мы приветствуем всех участников конференции, желая им обрести единство в Свете и найти вдохновение, которое они принесут
Друзьям во всем мире, чтобы мы были надежными работниками Царства Божьего, неся свет в темноту.
RantWoman found it exhilarating to participate in this online study group. RantWoman thinks the way the epistle and translation came together was true Grace.
And RantWoman's penance for filling the inboxes of certain committee members with email was a lot of trouble keeping up with the wonderful rich flow. And we will not even talk about screen reader software that does not autodetect language changes, the need to change voices manually, and similar need as far as keyboard. Whine. The group is definitely worth it, but I cannot keep up!
The great Russian writer and teacher of nonviolence Leo Tolstoy wrote “Each of us is a diamond, which we can cleanse, or not cleanse. Insofar as we do cleanse ourselves, the eternal light shines through us.”
Our task is not to try to become the light, but to learn how to transmit that light which is eternal. Global meetings bear witness to the rich diversity of Friends throughout the world. Every Friend, every Meeting – all are multicolored pieces of glass, which, differing among themselves, are united into a beautiful stained glass window, which is the Society of Friends
Passing through this stained glass window, light, which enlightens all people, makes a beautiful, resplendent picture, by which the world becomes brighter. Our group of seekers and Friends from Russia, Latvia, England, and the United States, taking part in the Russian-language Salt & Light online course, is one of the colored pieces of glass. Realizing our place in the global family of Friends, we greet all participants in the
conference, hoping that you will realize your unity with the light and that, seeking inspiration, you will bring it to Friends all over the world, so that we may be faithful workers in God’s Kingdom, carrying light into the darkness.
ПОСЛАНИЕ РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ОНЛАЙН ГРУППЫ ПО
ИЗУЧЕНИЮ БУКЛЕТА "СОЛЬ И СВЕТ" ВСЕМИРНОГО
КОНСУЛЬТАЦИОННОГО КОМИТЕТА ДРУЗЕЙ (FWCC)
Великий русский писатель и учитель ненасилия Лев Толстой писал:
_"Каждый человек – алмаз, который может очистить и не очистить себя. В той мере, в которой он очищен, через него светит
вечный свет". _
Наша задача – не стараться стать светом, а научиться пропускать Свет
через себя. Всемирные встречи служат свидетельством богатейшего
разнообразия Друзей во всем мире. Каждый Друг и каждое собрание являются
разноцветными стеклышками, которые, различаясь между собой, соединены в
прекрасный витраж – Общество Друзей.
Свет, просвещающий всех людей, проходя через этот витраж, создает великолепную картину, которая делает мир светлей. Одно
из таких стеклышек – мы, Друзья из России, Латвии, Англии, США, принимающие
участие в русскоязычном онлайн курсе «Соль и Свет». Осознавая свое место в
глобальной семье Друзей, мы приветствуем всех участников конференции, желая им обрести единство в Свете и найти вдохновение, которое они принесут
Друзьям во всем мире, чтобы мы были надежными работниками Царства Божьего, неся свет в темноту.
RantWoman found it exhilarating to participate in this online study group. RantWoman thinks the way the epistle and translation came together was true Grace.
And RantWoman's penance for filling the inboxes of certain committee members with email was a lot of trouble keeping up with the wonderful rich flow. And we will not even talk about screen reader software that does not autodetect language changes, the need to change voices manually, and similar need as far as keyboard. Whine. The group is definitely worth it, but I cannot keep up!
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