Quaker Works, October 2025

This semiannual feature highlights the recent works of Quaker organizations. Categories include:

• Advocacy
• Consultation, Support, and Resources
• Development
• Education
• Environmental and Ecojustice
• Investment Management
• Retreat, Conference, and Study Centers
• Service and Peace Work

Advocacy

Friends Committee on National Legislation

fcnl.org

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) strives to maintain a steady commitment to peace, justice, and an earth restored as the Trump administration operates at a whirlwind pace sowing chaos. FCNL adapts as it develops new approaches to meet the moment.

On Capitol Hill, FCNL’s lobbying supports people in the United States and internationally. FCNL continues to draw attention to the impact of the administration’s dismantling of foreign aid; staff have been heartened that members of both parties are speaking out. FCNL celebrated a win for justice with the renewal and expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which helps many of those harmed by U.S. nuclear weapons testing. During the Spring Lobby Weekend this March in Washington, D.C., more than 300 young adults opposed cuts to medical and food assistance. In their 100 lobby visits, they shared how Medicaid and SNAP have impacted their lives.

FCNL now has Advocacy Teams in all 50 states and D.C. This year Advocacy Teams are campaigning to advance “Aid, Not Arms” in Gaza. This issue was also the focus for the young adult Advocacy Corps organizers, who concluded their program in May. Sixteen staff attended various yearly meeting sessions this year, connecting Quakers to FCNL’s advocacy and bringing Friends’ concerns to its work.

Quaker Council for European Affairs

qcea.org

Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA), based in Brussels, Belgium, brings Friends’ concerns about migration, climate, and peace to Europe.

Facing an ongoing politicization of migration in Europe, QCEA published the handbook “Moving with Dignity: a positive peace approach to migration.” Recognizing the close connection between violent conflict, peacebuilding, and international migration, the handbook proposes a peaceful approach to migration that prioritizes the happiness and well-being of all people.

QCEA also published “Addressing Conflict in the European Green Deal” to provide EU decision-makers with tools to resolve or transform potential conflicts associated with EU climate action.

With the war in Ukraine and the push for militarization across Europe, QCEA has been working to protect the right to conscientious objection in Europe. The organization supports conscientious objectors from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus in particular. This has included social media campaigning, engaging with EU officials, and coordinating efforts with other European civil society organizations.

In June, QCEA collaborated with Quaker Peace and Social Witness to hold a conference, “Faith in Action in a Time of Permacrisis.” More than 50 participants from across Europe gathered in Brussels to explore opportunities and challenges in advocating for climate justice, community peacebuilding, and alternatives to militarism.

Quaker United Nations Office

quno.org

For many Quakers, peace cannot truly exist when injustice persists. As contemporary injustice has roots in painful histories, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York has joined community peacebuilding efforts aimed at healing historical harm. QUNO is participating in ongoing discernment about the role of the United Nations in addressing historical oppression and supporting impacted communities in implementing restorative justice. In this work, QUNO collaborates with other organizations, including American Friends Service Committee, Canadian Friends Service Committee, and Friends World Committee for Consultation.

By participating in the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) and Permanent Forum on Peoples of African Descent (PFPAD), QUNO contributes expertise in dialogue and uplifts local perspectives. QUNO’s involvement in these initiatives also reflects efforts among Friends to engage with complex aspects of Quaker history. In the past, some Quakers took part in, or benefited from, the enslavement of Africans and their descendants. Others played active roles in “boarding schools” that practiced forced assimilation on Indigenous youth. QUNO emphasizes the importance of accountability and reconciliation in response to these past harms to plant seeds of justice and cultivate lasting peace.

Throughout 2025 and 2026, QUNO will continue these efforts and reflect on the approaches needed to heal historic harms.

Consultation, Support, and Resources

The Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts

fqaquaker.org

The Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts (FQA) is a loosely organized international group of Quaker artists, including musicians, writers, poets, visual artists, and those interested in supporting artistic work among Friends.

A writers’ group meets virtually once a month, and a group of mostly visual artists and musicians meets periodically also on Zoom to share work either in progress or completed. FQA also offers virtual workshops to members based on interest.

In early May, FQA sponsored an art exhibit at the annual gathering of Caln Quarter (part of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting), which was held at Camp Swartara in Bethel, Pa. Ten Quaker artists participated in the show, which included paintings, photographs, drawings, decorative paper, jewelry, and crocheting. The paintings and drawings by young artist Joana Fitz of Lancaster (Pa.) Meeting caught FQA’s attention. Some of Joana’s work was featured in the summer edition of Types and Shadows, FQA’s quarterly journal, which is available on the website.

Another art show is scheduled for late September as part of the annual TriQuarter Gathering of Friends in South Jersey, including Haddonfield, Salem, and Burlington Quarterly Meetings.

The group also cooperates with several local art organizations throughout the United States, assisting with mounting exhibitions and performances. It occasionally provides small grants of less than $100 to support local art events of particular interest to Friends.

Friends Couple Enrichment

friendscoupleenrichment.org

Friends Couple Enrichment (FCE) is a ministry to couples who desire deeper intimacy and wish to learn ways to strengthen their relationship.

Online and in-person workshops and retreats introduce the spiritual practice of “Couple Dialogue,” an experience grounded in the Quaker testimonies of equality, community, integrity, and peacemaking. FCE events have supported hundreds of couples over 50-plus years and are open to any committed pair, regardless of marital status, gender identity, or religious affiliation.

This year FCE has continued to provide workshops and support ongoing couples groups. A workshop for couples in their 70s and beyond ran for five days during the virtual FGC conference. In-person workshops were held across the country, including retreats with Live Oak Meeting in Houston, Tex.; Albuquerque (N.M.) Meeting; Live Oak Meeting in Salinas, Calif.; and Durham (N.C.) Meeting. In March, FCE held a weekend workshop for a non-Quaker community in Norman, Okla.

Participants from some workshops continue to meet afterward, either in person or virtually. One of these groups meets in Spanish and includes couples in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. FCE supports these ongoing groups.

FCE also welcomed two new couples to the FCE leadership training program.

Friends General Conference

fgcquaker.org

Friends General Conference (FGC) is a volunteer-led association of 16 yearly meetings and 12 directly affiliated monthly meetings in the United States and Canada.

With divine guidance, FGC nurtures the spiritual vitality of the Society of Friends by providing programs and services for Friends, meetings, and seekers.

In July, FGC presented the Young Adult and Youth (YAY) Gathering in Clarkston, Mich. Centered on the needs and gifts of peoples ages 0-35, it drew in 155 participants who met for play, spiritual practice, and deep connection. One Friend said: “The high school program was incredibly welcoming, it was well staffed and the perfect sized group. I got to know everybody. My workshop deepened my connection to God.”

During the summer, FGC staff and volunteers visited several yearly meetings, including Pacific Yearly Meeting, Illinois Yearly Meeting, South Central Yearly Meeting, North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

As of September, FGC staff and volunteers are coordinating the 2026 Gathering of Friends to be held July 7–12 at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. The theme is “A Window and A Door: A Prayer.”

FGC continues to host several Spiritual Deepening eRetreats and programs, including Poetry as a Spiritual Practice, Neurodivergent Friends Discussion Group, and the Gen X Discussion Group. FGC’s Ministry on Racism offers virtual and hybrid worship spaces for Friends of Color.

Friends Incubator for Public Ministry

friendsincubator.org

Founded in 2025, the Friends Incubator for Public Ministry is a deeply relational, creative, and educational support project for Quaker ministry. It is a Spirit-led, grassroots experiment in “reweaving the fabric of public ministry” inside of Quaker worshiping communities. Convened by Maryland Friend and public minister Windy Cooler, the project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Sandy Spring (Md.) Meeting and is guided by a diverse advisory board.

Rooted in the radical conviction that all are ministers, the project accompanies Friends, their elders, and meetings as they discern and step into authentic calls to Spirit-led public service. The project offers funded two-year fellowships for ministers, elders, and meetings; online and in-person accompaniment; shared writing and testimonies from public ministers; and free events.

The inaugural 2026-2028 cohort prioritized applicants from the U.S. East Coast, with the goal to expand to other regions in the future. This cohort will gather for their first retreat in April 2026 at Pendle Hill study center in Wallingford, Pa.

The Friends Incubator hopes to make its own work unnecessary once meetings can fully support and accompany all ministry on their own.

Friends World Committee for Consultation (World Office)

fwcc.world

In April, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) delivered a statement on behalf of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) and Quakers worldwide at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, echoing the World Plenary Meeting’s call to “disrupt oppression and work for reparative justice.” A follow-up virtual session on August 12 allowed Quakers to reflect on engagement with the Forum, which will next convene in Geneva next year.

In June and July, FWCC General Secretary Tim Gee visited Aotearoa (New Zealand), traveling in ministry before attending Australia Yearly Meeting, where he gave the Backhouse Lecture, which can be found on the yearly meeting’s website.

On June 8, over 100 Friends joined a global online worship hosted by FWCC Africa Section, blending programmed and unprogrammed traditions. Pastor Aaron Mupenda (Rwanda Yearly Meeting) spoke on “Who is My Neighbour?”, urging Quakers to transcend divisions and embody the Good Samaritan’s love—to be agents of love, mercy, and healing in a broken world.

On August 9, Friends gathered online for the world premiere of the 2024 World Plenary Meeting documentary, reconnecting with the global Quaker family and reflecting on the seeds sown during the meeting.

Public Friends

publicfriends.org

The mission of Public Friends is to ensure the future of Friends in North America by supporting and developing Quaker ministers to a professional standard.

In its first year of operations, Public Friends supported ministers by writing a comprehensive recording process intended for use by meetings and yearly meetings; it is free and available on the Public Friends website. The organization also provided monthly meetings for worship and mutual support for members.

Public Friends is now moving into the next phase, which involves an online community and program of collaborative events with national Quaker groups, including Friends General Conference, Pendle Hill study center, and Thee Quaker Project, supported by a Shoemaker Fund grant. Public Friends aims to give Friends ministers the tools and resources they need to succeed as professionals.

Quakers in Pastoral Care and Counseling

qpcc.us

Quakers in Pastoral Care and Counseling (QPCC) is an organization of Friends and others who are called into ministry in the areas of pastoral care, counseling, and chaplaincy. The group offers programming, professional development, and consultation in the work of spiritual caregiving.

QPCC has traditionally held an annual conference. Last year’s gathering, with the theme “What Sustains Us: Working in the Light,” took place in April 2024 at Quaker Hill Conference Center in Richmond, Ind., and online. 2025 marked only the second year since QPCC’s founding in 1991 that it did not plan a conference. In February, the organization held a virtual meeting for worship to discern other ways to sustain the work.

Since moving to more hybrid programming in 2020, QPCC has continued to build connections with online and worship groups across the United States and Canada. This year, QPCC has been hosting monthly Zoom worships for all members around queries related to spiritual caregiving and sustaining its diverse membership. A retirees group also meets monthly. These meetings are open to those who have some connection to professional caregiving roles or who serve their local meetings in pastoral care.

QPCC is led through a Steering Committee, which maintains a membership list, website, and private Facebook group for sharing updates, publications of interest, and discussion.

Quakers Uniting in Publications

quakerquip.com

Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) is an international network of Quaker authors, editors, publishers, and booksellers concerned with the ministry of sharing Quaker values in print and other formats. QUIP offers a website as well as spring and autumn informational meetings with plenary speakers, panels, workshops, business meeting, and time to share.

The virtual spring meeting, held in April, featured plenary speaker Cherice Bock, who presented on how she was led to minister through her writing on climate change and social justice. QUIP awarded two Tacey Sowle grants to writers from Kenya and Burundi, and shared new and recent publications as well.

The autumn QUIP meeting, scheduled for October 2–5, was a hybrid event based at Pendle Hill study center in Philadelphia. The plenary speakers explored spiritual writing and artificial intelligence. The gathering featured a panel of bloggers, workshops, sharing of new and recent publications, and the QUIP business meeting led by co-clerks Natasha Zhuravenkova and Emma Condori Mamani. Members of the editorial board of Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices celebrated the fifteenth anniversary. The Tacey Sowle fund, established to subsidize original works and translations in less affluent areas of the world, will distribute financial awards at a later meeting.

Development

Progresa: Guatemala Friends Scholarship Program

www.guatemalafriends.org

Progresa has been helping Guatemalans obtain university educations in Guatemala since 1973. Most of the recipients are Indigenous Maya from 22 languages and cultural groups. The graduates return to their communities bringing skills such as law, medicine, engineering, social work, nursing, and many more. The four in-country staff members support students in planning their community service projects. These projects help students develop their resumes and leadership skills.

At the August student conference, a former scholarship recipient provided training on how to support local government programs addressing problems such as water pollution, food access, health care, and electricity. The lasting networks forged at student conferences engage geographically dispersed students after graduation.

Guatemala simultaneously has the highest GDP in Central America and the highest rate of poverty, due to government corruption. Progresa graduates successfully live and work in their communities, avoiding the perils of immigration.

Education

Faith & Play Stories

quakerfaithandplay.org

Faith & Play Stories provides a unique resource for Friends meetings and Friends schools to help nurture the spiritual lives of all ages through stories of Quaker faith, practice, and witness.

“Finding Ourselves in the Story: Growing Faith & Play for Friends,” a two-year project supported by the Shoemaker Fund, continues to increase capacity for expanded training, publications, and the exploration of how Faith & Play can nurture spiritual community and revitalization for Friends in meetings and churches.

Between April and August, “Playing in the Light” (Godly Play and Faith & Play for Friends) trainings reached Friends across the United States and multiple yearly meetings: Chena Ridge Meeting in Alaska; at Ben Lomond Quaker Center in California; First Friends Meeting in Greensboro, N.C.; and Atlanta (Ga.) Meeting. Online workshops and Community Circles gathered storytelling practitioners for learning and fellowship, and a monthly e-newsletter shared blog posts and resources for the community of practice.

In May, new trustees joined the leadership of Faith & Play Stories, bringing additional skills, gifts, and regional representation. In July, the trustees and co-creators worked on three new stories during a retreat at Centre Meeting in Greenville, Del.

In September, Faith & Play Stories celebrated its twentieth anniversary with an online event that was joined by multiple regional hubs gathering across the country.

Friends Council on Education

friendscouncil.org

Friends Council on Education nurtures the Quaker life of schools; strengthens the network of support across schools; promotes Quaker-based learning and decision making through consultations, programs, and publications; and assists in the establishment of new Friends schools. The organization advances common ideals, expectations, and standards in alignment with the needs of students today. There are 76 member schools serving over 20,000 students.

Friends Council is considering how to support its schools during these disruptive and often divisive times, through affirmation of the equality testimony. This includes self-examination and the testing of ingrained behaviors and attitudes.

“New to Quakerism” workshops (formerly called “Educators New to Quakerism”) return this fall with renewed enthusiasm. The new title welcomes people from a range of roles throughout a school community.

“Equity and Justice” are now a distinct pillar of Friends Council’s Principles of Good Practice handbook—a key tool for outlining expectations of member schools through the membership renewal process.

While many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles in government and the corporate sector have been abruptly eliminated, Friends Council remains committed to supporting the work of DEI practitioners at member schools. This includes offering professional development and spaces for these often-solo practitioners to share their experiences, build community, and learn from one another.

Friends International Bilingual Center

centrobilingueinternacionalamigos.org/en/

The Friends International Bilingual Center (FIBC) in La Paz, Bolivia, is a Quaker center that offers educational programs for children, young people, and adults that are focused around human values and Quaker principles. Participants in the different programs experience spiritual and intellectual growth. Each class, workshop, or course is designed to integrate spirituality into participants’ daily lives.

As part of their spiritual formation, young Friends who are part of FIBC carry out service work projects to support Bolivian families who face the effects of climate change. Through the Food Security Project young volunteers distributed 125 pounds of seed potatoes per family in October 2024. More than 200 Indigenous families who benefited from this project had a good harvest in March 2025.

This year the center ran environmental and climate change workshops for high school students. In March, 75 students participated, divided into three groups at the public high school in the city of El Alto. The theme for the workshops was “Loving Our Planet Earth.” The students discussed the garbage problem in the city and the loss of Bolivian animals to extinction. In May, FIBC led the same workshops at the public high school located in an Indigenous community near the Andes. They talked about how their parents’ crops and houses were damaged by the extreme weather in their community.

Historic Fair Hill

historicfairhill.com

In the 1990s, Friends came together to restore a neglected Quaker burial ground where abolitionists and women’s rights activists had been laid to rest. Today, inspired by this history, volunteers take action with neighbors for social justice in one of the highest poverty areas of Philadelphia, Pa.

The site now serves as a community gathering place, outdoor classroom, and certified arboretum. The 150 trees on the property help to lower temperatures, and the gardens produce fresh produce shared at a weekly farmstand. Over the past year, more than 1,000 children were involved in field trips, nature studies, garden class visits, and community events. The organization hosted weekly Family Fun Days, a reading festival, and a summer youth internship program. Its annual Joy & Wellness Festival is scheduled for October 4.

The group’s mission extends beyond the grounds through its School Partnership program, which embraces literacy as liberation. This year, it will once again staff and operate four public school libraries, hire six bilingual parents as classroom literacy assistants, train 30 volunteer reading buddies, host eight family literacy workshops, and give away over 5,000 books for home libraries.

A planned building project will provide space to strengthen programs, supporting a shared vision of peace and justice for Fairhill.

Quaker Religious Education Collaborative

quakerrecollaborative.org

Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is a grassroots, volunteer network of Friends holding a sense of stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education.

In April, QREC held its annual hybrid conference, hosted by Atlanta (Ga.) Meeting. Spirit-led sharing across 20 yearly meetings in four countries included a panel discussion, workshops, and table displays focused on the gathering’s theme: “Called to the Table of Life-long Spiritual Formation.”

QREC continues to partner with other Quaker organizations and support ministries related to religious education and spiritual nurture. “Grandparenting Creatively in a Quakerly Manner” was a free online workshop co-sponsored by QREC and the Quaker Parenting Initiative. A community of practice group focused on the publication Walking in the World as a Friend: Essential Quaker Practices is thriving online. Two members facilitated an intergenerational consultation with Earlham School of Religion’s Quaker Leadership Center.

Communication with religious education practitioners is ongoing. Conversation circles meet online to share on diverse topics, which in recent months included ways meetings can support multi-faith families; intro to Quakerism for adults; and maintaining vibrant children’s libraries in meetinghouses. A conversation circle featured the revised edition of the teen curriculum “Conscientious Objection: Is This for You?” (published through Quaker House) and related workshops. QREC publishes a monthly e-newsletter, “The Tote Bag,” with announcements about new resources and upcoming events.

The School of the Spirit Ministry

schoolofthespirit.org

The School of the Spirit is a Quaker-founded ministry of prayer and learning that offers programs and contemplative retreats throughout the year. It is dedicated to helping all who wish to be more faithful listeners and responders to the inward work of Christ.

This past May a Contemplative Retreat was held in Racine, Wis., and an upcoming retreat is planned for October in Durham, N.C.

The school’s newest spiritual formation program began in May. The 2025-26 cohort is exploring how “God’s Promise Fulfilled” rejects and redeems the damaging logic of our culture’s addiction to domination, injustice, and exploitation. After an enriching first residency in May, the cohort embarked on their second residency in late August.

The second cohort of “Participating in God’s Power,” a year-long program designed to help its participants open deeply and powerfully to the Source, completed their residencies. Participants learned how to access clear guidance and work through internal resistance to faithfully following the direction of the Spirit, and to connect this grounding in Quaker practice to their actions in the world.

The nine-month Faithful Meetings program brings opportunities to Friends communities for spiritual and emotional intimacy grounded in Quaker faith and practices. Live Oak Meeting in Houston, Tex., and Chattanooga (Tenn.) Meeting are among those that completed the program in the past year.

Woodbrooke

woodbrooke.org.uk

Woodbrooke, based in Britain, continues to offer a wide range of courses and research programs, available both online and in-person, along with online meeting for worship held six days a week.

Recent months have offered opportunities for Friends to engage with questions of community, faith, and witness. In May, Emily Provance gave the 2025 Swarthmore Lecture, exploring how people can live in and sustain community, even when those communities are not chosen. Drawing on books of discipline from across the global spectrum of Friends, she offered a “sense of the meeting,” pointing to how all people, Quaker and not, might thrive together.

In June, the 2025 cohort of Eva Koch Scholars shared research on eco-spirituality, Quaker meetinghouses as hubs of spiritual and environmental witness, and African food preservation methods. Both the Eva Koch presentations and the Swarthmore Lecture are available on the Woodbrooke YouTube channel.

Looking ahead, Woodbrooke will continue to support Friends’ learning and reflection. Stuart Masters will deliver the 2026 Swarthmore Lecture; the renewed Equipping for Ministry program will begin a new cohort in winter 2025; and the learning program planned for the first half of 2026 aims to respond to the joys and challenges faced by Friends.

So far this year, Woodbrooke has reached over 1,900 participants through its learning programs, welcoming Friends from around the world.

Environmental and Ecojustice

Earth Quaker Action Team

eqat.org

Using spiritually grounded nonviolent direct action, Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) challenges corporations to turn away from fossil fuels and toward a livable future.

EQAT continues to take nonviolent direct action in the Vanguard S.O.S. campaign, focused on the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels. Joining EQAT in this campaign are American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Quaker Earthcare Witness, and other partners of diverse faiths.

This year, members of the Vanguard S.O.S. campaign have been calling on Vanguard to do three things: meet with campaign representatives; adopt a comprehensive Indigenous rights policy; and create fossil fuel-free versions of standard retirement products.

To make sure company leadership is listening, thousands of people have reached out to Vanguard decision makers. In the spring, about 3,000 people emailed Vanguard’s CEO. Some also called other Vanguard executives and board members. In June, a group of former Vanguard customers, concerned citizens, and people of faith went to Vanguard headquarters in Pennsylvania to deliver a letter of requests for company leadership. As the messages have so far gone unanswered, letters were hand delivered to the homes of Vanguard’s CEO and President/CIO.

EQAT and its campaign partners will continue to forge ahead for clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a safe climate in which to thrive.

Quaker Earthcare Witness

quakerearthcare.org

Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) works to nurture a spiritual transformation in people’s relationship with the living world, responding to climate, biodiversity, and justice concerns with grounded hope.

From March–July 2025, QEW mobilized Friends to defend the largest climate legislation in history through its “Protect Our Earth | Save the IRA” campaign: organizing action hours, targeted districts, lobby visits, and op-eds to pressure lawmakers to preserve key clean energy provisions critical to mitigating climate change.

The group also advanced the QuakerEarth Campaign, a decade-long initiative to unite and amplify Quaker environmentalism. A new Quaker Voluntary Service fellow will expand QEW’s global map and database of Quaker environmental action through phone banking Quaker meetings, organizations, and schools across the country.

QEW’s ongoing ministry includes monthly events, a quarterly newsletter, resources on environmental topics, and a mini-grants program for climate justice. The ministry combines humility and power to affirm the sacredness of all life.

 A pilot program called “Quaker Youth UN Ambassador” will start this fall, allowing young Friends to engage in the UN climate process. It will offer training, mentorship, and opportunities for faithful public witness.

Through all these efforts, QEW seeks to uplift Quaker environmental witness, inspire bold action, and lay the foundations for coordinated and prophetic campaigns in this critical decade for life on Earth.

Investment Management

Friends Fiduciary Corporation

friendsfiduciary.org

During the 2024-25 proxy season, Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) engaged over 50 companies on 30 different issues. FFC continues to engage the companies it holds, witnessing to widely held Quaker values, to improve corporate impacts on people and planet.

FFC engaged on the rights of workers in supply chains, including worker safety, livable wages, and freedom of association. FFC also promoted board and workforce diversity at companies held, ensuring talent acquisition processes in which candidates from previously untapped talent pools are reached.

FFC filed shareholder resolutions on equitable access to affordable medicines; and on human rights in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, particularly downstream use of the tech sector’s products and services. FFC also filed resolutions on climate financing in the banking sector, climate lobbying alignment, and best practice in governance through separation of chair and CEO positions.

Members of the FFC team have connected with more than 200 organizations, meetings, schools, retirement communities, and potential donors since the beginning of this year. Many shared funding challenges and decreased financial support from donors. During these unpredictable times, FFC continues to prioritize competitive financial returns and to facilitate charitable gifts by individuals in support of Quaker nonprofits and their missions.

Retreat, Conference, and Study Centers

Ben Lomond Quaker Center

quakercenter.org

Ben Lomond Quaker Center, located on over 80 acres in Ben Lomond, Calif., offers programs and retreats in line with Friends testimonies. The center strives to live in right order with all creation, especially the redwood forest where it sits in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Each year, the center offers a full calendar of in-person programs, camps, and more. Two June overnight summer camps (Quaker Camp and Teen Service Camp) were wonderful, and continue to grow.

The center’s annual Family Work Camp in August was a record-breaker this year, as over 100 people gathered for a week to work together on maintenance and improvements to the trails, grounds, and historic buildings. Participants also spent time enjoying one another’s company, singing, hiking, laughing, eating, swimming, playing, worshiping, and much more. The group included folks from 20 different Quaker meetings, with 20 teenage participants.

Friends Center

friendscentercorp.org

Friends Center, the Quaker hub for peace and justice in Philadelphia, Pa., opened its office building 50 years ago, in July 1975.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Friends Center planned a series of nonviolence trainings in the fall and early next year that are free and open to the public. The series started in September with a training led by Lewis Webb Jr. of American Friends Service Committee that focused on creating community safety beyond policing. Other planned trainings include how faith communities can support immigrants, led by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and Peter Pedemonti of the New Sanctuary Movement; building skills for spiritually centered nonviolent action, led by Central Philadelphia (Pa.) Meeting and Earth Quaker Action Team; and using creativity as a strategic tool for nonviolent action, led by Friends Center, Look Loud, and Rev. Rhetta Morgan.

Pendle Hill

pendlehill.org

Pendle Hill, a Quaker study and retreat center located outside Philadelphia, Pa., welcomed approximately 302 sojourners, 86 conference groups, 1,730 online and in-person program registrants, and 15,840 visits to hybrid meeting for worship between March and August.

The Spring Term resident student program took place over ten weeks filled with worship, community work, and learning opportunities, including “Publishers of the Truth,” a collaboration with the Quaker Leadership Center.

During this term, the campus was struck by a devastating storm on April 4, losing over 70 trees and suffering damage to six historic buildings. The community raised over $100,000 in storm recovery funds, which helped clear debris, make repairs, and prepare for future strong weather events. The storm came weeks after announcing Pendle Hill’s certification as a Level II Arboretum.

In August, a dedication ceremony took place with Sally Palmer to rename the art studio “Sally’s Place” in honor of her years of loving stewardship. Over 100 Friends and friends gathered, virtually and in-person, with Sally to celebrate. Also in August, artist Jay Fuhrman and Friends Kenneth Oye and Miyo Moriuchi met to honor 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with conversation around peace and healing in traumatic times.

Pendle Hill published four new pamphlets, with original pieces from Paul Buckley, Matt Rosen, Marcelle Martin, and Pamela Haines.

Silver Wattle Quaker Centre

silverwattle.org.au

Established in 2009, Silver Wattle Quaker Centre is located on a 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) property in Bungendore, Australia. Grounded in Quaker tradition, the center offers social and religious education in addition to support and preparation for witness and service.

Recent course offerings include the week-long “Thriving in Our Times: a survival guide for earth residents” led by Helen Gould and Rowe Morrow in early August; and a community, garden, and landcare sojourner session in late August. An eight-week Quaker Basics online course is taking place this September and October.

Upcoming plans for next year include strategic planning, re-structuring, internal renovations to improve accessibility, and upgrading staff accommodations. Course offerings will be mostly online with a limited number of residential courses. Sojourners are welcome as paying guests visiting for peace and spiritual nurture or as volunteers (working guests).

Service and Peace Work

American Friends Service Committee

afsc.org

Since October 2023, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has been providing food, water, and other lifesaving aid to Palestinians in Gaza. AFSC staff there have delivered aid to hundreds of thousands of people despite facing grave personal losses themselves. When conditions have allowed, AFSC and partners have conducted psychosocial support workshops for Palestinians in displacement camps and provided educational support for children.

In July, AFSC and other Quaker organizations issued a statement, “Quakers discern genocide is occurring in Gaza and urge courageous action.” AFSC is encouraging Friends communities to endorse this statement.

As immigrant communities face escalating threats, AFSC staff are working to support immigrants and advocate for humane solutions. Across the United States, AFSC staff are providing Know Your Rights trainings, supporting rapid response networks in communities targeted by ICE, providing legal services, and accompanying immigrants navigating court processes. AFSC also created yard signs that say, “Quaker communities are stronger with immigrants.” Friends are invited to display a sign outside their place of worship.

AFSC has joined with other organizations in the Vanguard S.O.S. Campaign. Vanguard is the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels. AFSC is encouraging Friends to pledge “Never Vanguard,” and boycott Vanguard until it shifts investment policy away from fossil fuel projects and starts incorporating climate justice into its investment strategies.

Canadian Friends Service Committee

quakerservice.ca

In this moment of increasing mistrust, misunderstandings, and contempt for one another, Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) has created a series called Weekly Tips for Better Conflicts. Shared on CFSC’s website, through a free email list, and across social media platforms, each week the organization offers a short video (most under one minute long) with a tip. The simple tips are based on best practices identified in academic studies and real-world peacebuilding. Over the course of a year anyone who chooses to can strengthen core skills to engage in conflicts in more constructive ways—ways that are most likely to get everyone’s needs met.

CFSC continues to be active in Ottawa, in particular lobbying around Indigenous peoples’ human rights issues, the conflict in Gaza, and a guaranteed livable basic income.

After major research, CFSC is getting ready to release a ground-breaking report on which companies profit from the Canadian carceral system. At a transformative justice conference in Victoria, British Columbia, a pre-launch presentation of the report generated so much interest that the room was not only packed but people were standing in the hallway trying to hear the presentation.

Friends House Moscow

friendshousemoscow.org

Friends House Moscow (FHM) works to promote peace and a just, fair, and caring society in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The group also shares about Quakers and Quakerism with Russian-speaking people.

During the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, FHM is sensitive to an important rule: do no harm. It does not publish names of individuals and organizations working in Russia. Most Russians are afraid to discuss the war openly. A few do protest; many share information about the invasion’s human cost. Every day, several are detained, fined, or sentenced to prison camps. Friends and colleagues report that work for peace goes on, despite the culture of “permanent war.”

FHM supports Alternatives to Violence Project initiatives in Eastern Europe. Russian conscientious objectors claim alternative government service (AGS) using Quaker resources. The steady numbers (4,000 again this year) may be due to wartime personnel shortages. It is also an indication that AGS has become normalized in Russian society. FHM continues to provide lessons for migrant children.

There are, in Russia and in the Russian language, now four groups meeting for worship and to study Quakerism, supported by FHM’s publishing program. Some materials are also used by educators working with neurodivergent young people, sometimes wrongfully institutionalized. Recently, two young people proudly reclaimed their civil rights.

Friends Peace Teams

friendspeaceteams.org

The Europe and Middle East Team alleviates suffering and oppression in areas of conflict and division (Ukraine, Chechnya, Palestine, Kurdistan); provides respite for those experiencing trauma; and shares practical tools for justice and peace.

Friends Peace Teams (FPT) is a Spirit-led organization that creates spaces for truth-telling, dialogue, healing, and nonviolent action for justice in 21 countries. In regional teams on five continents, volunteers of many different faiths, ethnicities, and cultures work together to create enduring cultures of peace. Every region engages in Quaker practice, Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), and Power of Goodness.

Peacebuilding en las Américas holds AVP workshops and Power of Goodness mini-workshops with children, youth, adults, and people incarcerated in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, and now, Cuba.

The African Great Lakes Team promotes peace, healing, and reconciliation across Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through grassroots programs and nonviolence training, it empowers communities to rebuild trust and harmony.

In the Asia–West Pacific region, FPT volunteers support youth Power of Goodness teams; demilitarization; eco-justice in Korea and the Philippines; justice and peace in Nepal, Indonesia, Papua, and Myanmar-Burma; and preschools, parenting, and peace libraries.

The North America Team shares resources for economic justice; offers AVP, Power of Goodness, and Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples workshops; and supports children’s peace libraries, internships, and public posting of Statements of Conscience.

Prisoner Visitation and Support

prisonervisitation.org

Prisoner Visitation and Support (PVS), cofounded by Quaker activist Fay Honey Knopp over 50 years ago, continues to provide a supportive presence to those in prison despite challenges and changes in U.S. federal and military prisons.

The mission of PVS is as vital as ever, yet growing needs make its work more urgent. The Bureau of Prisons is short of about 6,000 employees, leaving facilities understaffed and correctional officers without retention bonuses, union protections, or adequate resources. Staff are stretched thin, tasked with ensuring safety while also facing the strain of reduced mental health services, fewer medications, and diminished programs for prisoners.

These changes have hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Without access to recreation, social programs, or consistent mental health support, many prisoners experience increased stress and behavioral challenges, which adds to the load of already overworked staff.

This is where PVS steps in. For some incarcerated people, PVS visitors are their only link to the outside world. Through consistent, compassionate visits, volunteers remind them they are still valued members of the community and worthy of a second chance.

The organization’s goal for the last several months has been to provide a visitor for every incarcerated person who requests one. Right now, over 100 prisoners are waiting to be matched. The group is recruiting and training new volunteers to close this gap.

Youth Service Opportunities Project

ysop.org

Founded in 1983, Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP) is a Quaker nonprofit inspired by the international workcamp movement that began in the 1920s.

YSOP held a service project at New York Yearly Meeting’s annual sessions held at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in July. YSOP’s Connex program ran two sessions of intergenerational service work on Saturday and Sunday. The groups made no-sew blankets for families in need while engaging in meaningful conversations and breaking down stereotypes around aging.

YSOP Connex brings students and seniors together in small groups to connect, converse, and learn through in-person service projects. YSOP is committed to providing safe, shared spaces for intergenerational participants to share their thoughts and feelings and to learn from each other.