Among FriendsNo 107: Summer 2007 Published by the Europe and Middle East Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation Executive Secretary: Bronwyn Harwood, 1 Cluny Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 4SW, UK. Tel: +44 (0)131 466 1263; [email protected] Finding the Prophetic Voice for our Time Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 1 Corinthians 14:1, NRSV It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God’s message. 1 Corinthians 14:1 TEV-Good News for Modern Man Welcome and greetings from Europe and Middle East Section to Friends from around the world meetings gather for nine days not only to conduct travelling to Dublin, Ireland, for the 22nd Triennial business but also to grow in the life of Christ and the of Friends World Committee for Consultation Holy Spirit by discovering together their common which will take place 11 – 19 August. And thank spiritual ground. you to the Irish Friends and the World Office team The work of the gathering is not only the who have been working so hard for many months administrative business of FWCC, but also the now to prepare for our arrival. exchanges and communication among Friends The Triennial is the business meeting for the Friends worldwide about the work of Friends in the world World Committee for Consultation. Every three and our joy in living our faith. It is a time to learn years, the representatives named by their yearly about each other and the challenges and successes of other yearly meetings. All the work arises out of worship and worship sharing discussion groups. Inside this issue: In Dublin we shall celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of FWCC. In 1937, after years of Church & Peace 2 concerned work to reconnect a fragmented Quaker Invitation to Spring Gathering 4 world, the Second World Conference of Friends News from Yearly Meetings and Groups 5 created the FWCC “to act in a consultative capacity News in Brief 7 to promote better understanding among Friends the Woodbrooke 11 world over.” Diary 12 (Continued on page 2) Page 2 Entre Amis Bayn Al-Ashab Onder Vrienden Ynter Church and Peace International Conference FWCC contd from page 1 held at Corrymeela, Northern Ireland, June 2007 This year the AGM was combined with an Today, Friends from yearly meetings and groups in International Conference. There were more than 75 nations continue this work. 100 participants, with some eight Quakers amongst The world office is based at Friends House in them. France YM, German YM, Switzerland London, England. It serves four main roles: YM and Britain YM (Quaker Peace and Social Witness) and FWCC-EMES are members, as well • Organise world gatherings, including triennial as a number of individual Friends. C&P brings meetings and consultations of Quakers world- together peace activists from the traditional Peace wide. Churches (Mennonites, Quakers and Brethren), • Support and maintain contact with the work Roman Catholic as well as Protestant communities, of the four cooperating, autonomous FWCC Fellowship of Reconciliation and Pax Christi groups Sections serving Africa, the Americas, Asia & from all over Europe, to share and learn from their the West Pacific, and Europe & the Middle East, experiences. and the Quaker United Nations Offices in New These encounters offer opportunities for a real York and Geneva. exchange of experience between the participants. • Coordinate the International Membership We benefited from the lessons learned by the long- programme, which joins isolated Friends and term involvement of the Corrymeela Community in worship groups to the wider Quaker community. reconciliation in Northern Ireland. We were given a • Promote an understanding of the world-wide very impressive and moving personal account from character of the Society of Friends, through Norman Kember of his experience as a hostage while staff travel, conferences, correspondence and in Iraq as a member of the Christian Peace Maker publications, and through ecumenical and Team. Alejandro Zorzin, a Mennonite theologian interfaith work on behalf of Friends. spoke on the theme and presented us with a biblical view of security and vulnerability based on Isaiah 32. Staying in touch Most revealing however were the visits we paid to Friends not attending the Triennial can still keep up some peace-building projects in the torn city of with events through the FWCC web-site – http:// Belfast itself. We saw with our own eyes the very fwccworld.org/triennial/live.shtml there is a blog- high walls which separate catholic and protestant page and there will be regular updates, photos and neighbourhoods…The paintings of the “provisional video posted throughout the week. armies” fighting one another for decades….One project was in a Methodist Church that actually was wedged into one of these separation walls, right in between the catholics and the protestants. Another was situated in a protestant neighbourhood of about 2500 inhabitants, with an unemployment rate of 65% (!!),in every street two or three people who had been killed during “the troubles” and some 400 maimed for life. The people involved in the project have already been working for years to educate and empower people to set up small businesses, get professional training and find employment, across Unter Freunden Entre Amigos Bland Venner Among Friends Page 3 Church and Peace International Conference held at Corrymeela, Northern Ireland, June 2007 the boundaries between the communities. sense of security, and having been aware of the The experiences people in Belfast shared with us were suffering have done too little to relieve it; particularly recognizable for the sizeable group of • that in a divided society suffering from violent participants from Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo and other conflict, true peace requires the transformation parts of former Yugoslavia. of relationship. This takes courage, the sharing Kees Nieuwerth, FWCC EMES Representative of stories and the investment of our time and resources; For the first time Church and Peace adopted the practice of writing and sending an “epistle” • that these conflict situations are deeply rooted in history and people’s emotions; Conference Message: • that true security calls for breaking down both At the Corrymeela Community Centre in Northern the inward or emotional and the outward or Ireland more than 100 participants from some physical walls that separate us; 13 different nations and many different church • that in the midst of conflict situations we are traditions and faith communities gathered for the called to follow a vision that takes us beyond 2007 International Conference of Church and Peace. the “enemy experience” with its fear and feelings The theme of our conference was: of insecurity and enables us to meet each other as “Not by might, nor by power…but by my Spirit fellow human beings; (Zech. 4:6) – security involves vulnerability”. • that in so doing we may be messengers of God’s During our meeting we explored pathways to true peace and will be strengthened by the knowledge security and visited church-related cross-community that we do his will; peacebuilding projects in the torn and broken • that true security requires us to work towards Northern Irish society. These visits proved to be a creating justice locally, nationally and real sign of hope! internationally, so that in the words of the What have we learned? Psalmist “Peace and Justice have embraced” • that security is a gift of God which calls for • (Psalm 85: v.10); a way of life in solidarity with all people and • that real security can come about only if we that requires the acceptance of some level of follow the call of Jesus to love our neighbours vulnerability; and even our enemies; • that we live on God’s earth and are entrusted • that we can allow ourselves to be vulnerable in with responsible stewardship; the living presence of God; • that in our world a child under the age of five • that we need to continue to call on all Christians, dies from hunger and malnutrition every five churches and people of goodwill to devote seconds; themselves to working for true peace. “Peace is • that 1000 people are killed every week by small my parting gift to you, my own peace, such as arms, most of which are owned by civilians; the world cannot give.” (John 14.:v.27). • that 95 % of the victims of war and armed Adopted unanimously by the participants of the conflict nowadays are civilians; Church and Peace International conference at Corrymeela, 16 June 2007. • that we have lived uncritically with a false Page 4 Entre Amis Bayn Al-Ashab Onder Vrienden Ynter A special invitation to all Friends in Europe and the Middle East Joint FWCC EMES/EMEYF Gathering, 20 – 24 March 2008 in Vienna This is a unique opportunity for Friends of all ages to meet others from across the region for four days of worship and learning, reflection on the theme, building friendships and ongoing links. This gathering in 2008 is a joint venture between Vienna worship group, Ewald Eichler and Jalka, Europe and Middle East Section of Friends World and representatives of EMES, Martine Kuipers Committee for Consultation and Europe and Middle (Netherlands YM) and Julia Ryberg (Sweden YM East Young Friends and replaces their separate and EMES Ministry and Outreach Coordinator), meetings usually held at this same time of year. and Bronwyn Harwood, Executive Secretary. There will be the usual places reserved for nominated Martine Kuipers of Netherlands Yearly Meeting has representatives of Yearly Meetings and groups who volunteered to act as registrations secretary. Please have some business to conduct but it also includes do help her by completing forms and getting them open places which can be applied for by any Friend.