News

By Wesley Mason Well, wasn’t there always a Publications and Distribution (P&D;) program? No, like everything else we had a beginning. While FGC always produced publications of some type, the genesis of the current Publications and Distribution Program seems to have been in 1972 when FGC first formed a Religious Education (RE) Committee. Previously, written…

Reviewed by Nils Pearson Culture of Peace: The Hidden Side of History, by Elise Boulding, published by Syracuse University Press, 2000 A scholarly and compelling book, this is no easy read. However, if you think that there is too much militarism, violence and war, too many people in prison and too many fast food restaurants; if…

By Pamela Haines For one lunch at the FGC Gathering, we were served rice and beans. The beans were gone when I went through the line so I got rice with bean juice. At each table there was information about Right Sharing of the World’s Resources, to which FGC donated the savings from that meal….

By Katrina Mason Editor’s note: The Directory of Traveling Friends is referred to interchangeable as the Traveling Directory and the Directory. Recently a thick letter came in the mail from a woman who, using the Directory of Traveling Friends, had stayed with us about two years ago. In the envelope was a photograph of flowers taken…

By Pat Fox The Publications and Distribution Committee came together for a weekend retreat February 19-21, 2001. We gathered at the Burlington Meetinghouse and Conference Center to finish our business plan, one that the committee worked on for the past year and would use for the next several years. Our working documents reflected aspects of…

By Sally Rickerman My offering is this alphabet of ministries–some frivolous, but most profound. AcceptanceBeingCaringDoingElderingForgivingGraciousnessHealingInsightfulnessJoyKnittingListeningMindfulnessNurturingOutreachingPrayingQuakeringReconcilingSingingThoughtfulnessUnderstandingVocalizingWritingXtending“Youngering”Zeal

By Barry Zalph, Louisville MM, Ohio Valley YM Five years ago, no one could have convinced me that I should “travel in the ministry.” As I understood it, traveling ministers had an extraordinary sense of the Divine presence and an undeniable leading to carry their witness to others. Neither of these descriptions fit me at…

Background by Deborah Fisch On March 17-19, 2000 a gathering of representatives from the affiliated yearly meetings of Friends General Conference took place at Bethany Hills Camp near Nashville, TN. The meeting was arranged by the FGC Traveling Ministries Program (TMP) for the purpose of worshipping together and sharing with each other about recognizing and…

By John Calvi The most sure way to get yourself into trouble is to offer to be of help. It works most of the time. It’s the kind of trouble that teaches the essences of spiritual life and cannot be replaced by reading or prayer. And the more desire you have to serve, the bigger…

By Laura Dixson The summer I turned sixteen, I was a teenager secure in my life, antsy for my independence (and drivers license), and annoyed because I was single. Then, I was nominated by Northern Yearly Meeting to be a representative to Friends General Conference, and attend Central Committee. At the time, I was struggling…

By Wally Winter Are Quakers boring? Some of us may be. In fact, all of us may be some of the time, but all of us, all of the time? Recently a First Day School teacher at our meeting announced that his class thought Quakers were “boring.” While reflecting on this blunt critique the other…

By Eileen Bagus with help from Hannah Branson Because children are important to Community Friends Meeting of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting we continue to keep thinking of new ways to make them feel a welcome part of the meeting family. Our youngest children, infants and toddlers, have a paid child care worker for worship hour…