Hello Friends.  Here is a brief update on the activities of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee (PSC).  Thanks to Katie Bliss, Meeting’s Newsletter Editor, for getting this into the February Newsletter.

The committee has been fortunate to have the strong participation of late of several active members:  Annette Breiling, Jim Carpenter, Olivia Evans, Buck Herring, Eleanor Milligan, Ian Tasker, and Jim Wagner (Clerk).  Lynda Osborne, Ben Swet, John Darnell and Katrina Darnell have also participated in recent months.  The committee has been meeting on the 3rd Sunday of the month at noon at the Meetinghouse, but it is likely that we will be moving to the 4th Sunday at noon, starting in February.  Please join us in our meetings and participate in our activities as we seek to facilitate Meeting’s witness on peace and social justice issues.  Your Light is always appreciated.

In January, the committee was a co-sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Potluck Dinner (held January 20, 2014 at the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick).  We spent a significant amount of combined person hours in helping to produce a good event.  Annette Brieling was the event’s moderator.  Meeting’s Puma Mbuyu was one of the scheduled speakers, speaking on the Beloved Community and us today.  Many others from Meeting were actively engaged in the evening’s dialog.  About 85 people in total attended, which was a good turnout.

The committee’s current focus is on three main topics:  1) Church-hosting of homeless families in support of Frederick’s Religious Coalition For Emergency Human Needs; 2) a book group discussion on “The New Jim Crow:  Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”, by Michelle Alexander; and 3) the joint AFSC and FCNL project entitled “Shared Security”, which is a new blueprint for U.S. foreign policy.  Please stay tuned to the Newsletter, listserv, website and Meeting announcements for the upcoming activities of the committee.  Thanks!     

Respectfully Submitted, 2/2/14

James P. Wagner, Clerk