From bright_crow at mindspring.com Wed Mar 1 18:07:32 2006 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 17:07:32 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] SEYMpeace.org: Third Month Update Message-ID: <17392820.1141250852789.JavaMail.root@mswamui-blood.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, Please visit Southeastern Yearly Meeting's website for peace and social concerns at http://seympeace.org/ In particular, check out the new thought for the month and the"What's NEW?" items. Thank you, Mike From pennywright at earthlink.net Wed Mar 1 18:23:43 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 16:23:43 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] CORRECTION to location for memorial for Nelson Fuson Message-ID: <004301c63d7e$db3253c0$49a3d942@user2ih5nie4yp> Dear Friends, Pasted in below is the corrected location and time of the memorial for Nelson Fuson on March 18. Penelope Wright You are invited to attend a traditional Quaker memorial service celebrating the life of Nelson Fuson 1903 - 2006 Saturday, March 18th, 2006, at 12:00 Noon in the Fisk Memorial Chapel 17th Avenue North & Phillips Street Nashville, Tennessee 37208 Contact: Dan Fuson phone - 615-661-6634, or e-mail - danmfuson at comcast.net with many thanks for the support and contributions of Fisk University - Office of Alumni Affairs and The Nashville Friends Meeting Refreshments and social gathering to follow at Richardson House: Fisk University - Office of Alumni Affairs corner of 16th Avenue North & Phillips Street, Nashville, TN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pennywright at earthlink.net Thu Mar 2 11:05:07 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 09:05:07 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] FGC Gathering Registration on-line Message-ID: <003701c63e0a$be79db90$86a4d942@user2ih5nie4yp> Friends, If you are planning to attend FGC's 2006 Gathering in Tacoma, Washington, registration is now open on-line. As of yesterday 200 Friends had already registered and this year the maximum number that can be accomodated is less than it has been in previous years. www.fgcgathering.org will get you to the right spot. It is a relatively simple process. Penelope Wright SAYMA, FGC Representative -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Quakerkristi at aol.com Fri Mar 3 08:09:04 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 07:09:04 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] QUIT Message-ID: Dear Friends, I would like to attend the QUIT conference (Quaker Initiative to End Torture) in June, the weekend before Yearly Meeting. I am going to ask my Monthly Meeting if I may go as their representative. I wonder if I might also be able to represent other meetings in SAYMA or if there are others that are considering going. The registration, room and board will run about $230 and a flight may run close to $300. I'm considering asking for $ help for the flight. It's over a 10 hour drive from here, which is possible - I guess - if others want to hitch a ride and help drive. But that does push my time a little, so close to YM. Anyone know of others that are interested? Kristi Estes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pennywright at earthlink.net Fri Mar 3 12:32:50 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 10:32:50 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] ANOTHER correctio:n obituaty for Nelson Fuson Message-ID: <007001c63ee0$2cb69f00$9c471342@user2ih5nie4yp> Nelson Fuson was born in 1913, making him 93, not 103 when he died. Sorry for any confusion this error might have caused. Penelope Dear Friends, Pasted in below is the corrected location and time of the memorial for Nelson Fuson on March 18. Penelope Wright You are invited to attend a traditional Quaker memorial service celebrating the life of Nelson Fuson 1903 - 2006 Saturday, March 18th, 2006, at 12:00 Noon in the Fisk Memorial Chapel 17th Avenue North & Phillips Street Nashville, Tennessee 37208 Contact: Dan Fuson phone - 615-661-6634, or e-mail - danmfuson at comcast.net with many thanks for the support and contributions of Fisk University - Office of Alumni Affairs and The Nashville Friends Meeting Refreshments and social gathering to follow at Richardson House: Fisk University - Office of Alumni Affairs corner of 16th Avenue North & Phillips Street, Nashville, TN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nc_stereoman at charter.net Mon Mar 6 09:31:38 2006 From: nc_stereoman at charter.net (Steve Livingston) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2006 08:31:38 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] a good thing Message-ID: <440C39BA.6020608@charter.net> Dear Friends, I want to acknowledge the many very helpful replies I received after my recent inquiry about Meetings' "support funds". Thanks to all, and know that the sharing of your meetings' experiences has already been helpful in our effort to discover the way for us to handle our own "special needs fund". The quantity, and quality, of the responses is testimony to the value of the SAYMA listserv as a venue for sharing our lives and experiences as Quakers and Quaker communities. Steve From Quakerkristi at aol.com Mon Mar 6 18:07:37 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 17:07:37 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] FCNL Message-ID: <253.779063c.313e0ca9@aol.com> Just wanted y'all to know Memphis and Oxford's minutes on torture are now on the http://www.fcnl.org/ website (under civil liberties/torture) Kristi Estes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nmwhitt at samford.edu Tue Mar 7 09:54:29 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 07:54:29 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Jean Zaru Message-ID: <440D3C35020000F5000183EF@gw3.samford.edu> To All: The following is the text of a talk that Jean Zaru, long time Clerk of the Friends Meeting in Ramallah, presented to those of us who attended the Friends of Sabeel Conference in Pittsburgh on 24 February 2006. True to the Quaker spirit, Jean presented an inspiring message of non-violent resistance to the occupation and denial of human rights experienced daily by Palestinians living in the territories. Further, she challenges us to courageously expose the denials, lies and obfuscations of the powerful who seek the subjugation of the Palestinians. But hers is a universal message for all those who suffer as do the Palestinians. This universality is echoed in the African American spiritual: Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Glory Hallelujah! Sometimes I'm up, Sometimes I'm down Oh, yes, Lord. Sometimes I'm almost to the ground Oh, yes, Lord. Refrain: I never shall Forget that day Oh, yes, Lord, When Jesus washed my sins away, Oh, yes, Lord. Refrain: Yes, in knowing that Jesus knows there is hope for those who have been deprived of their humanity. But it is not just Jesus who knows, it is we who know. And in our knowing, there is hope. As the circle of those who know grows, so does the hope. So perhaps we need to work to enlarge the circle of the knowing, to bring light into darkness, to set the captive free so that we might sing Oh, yes Lord, I shall never forget that day, when your truth set my people free. Donald Peacemaking as a Journey of Transformation: Our Inner Strength & Public Engagement 24 February 2006 Friends of Sabeel Pittsburgh Conference by Jean Zaru Sisters and brothers, I have traveled here today to share with you my personal witness to peacemaking in my native land of Palestine, where to be actively engaged in the building of a culture of peace and nonviolence means to do so in a context of severe oppression, military occupation, and continued displacement. Friends, I come to you, representing a narrative of exclusion-- the denial of basic human and community rights of my people. From the heart of Palestine I have come, from the midst of an indigenous people, from a nation held in captivity. Nearly fifty-eight years ago, we were cast outside the course of history, our very identity denied, our human, cultural and historical reality suppressed. We became victims of an exclusivist agenda that usurped our rights, our lands, our water and confiscated our historical narrative, as well. We became victims of a colonialist program. More than 500 villages were either depopulated or destroyed in what became Israel, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians either as refugees or internally displaced persons. Today, Palestinians constitute the largest and the longest standing single refugee population in the world. Over five million of us are waiting to return home. Those who remained in what later became the state of Israel continue to experience exclusion and discrimination in their historical homeland. And those of us who, in 1967, came under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem have since been subjected to a unique combination of military occupation, settler colonization and systematic oppression. I have lived all my life in Ramallah, and more than half of my life under Israeli occupation but it was never as difficult as it is today. "Normal life" for Palestinians living in the occupied territories has disappeared. We are subjected to a policy of restrictions on our movement, a policy of intentional impoverishment, house curfews, random shootings, targeted killings, political assassinations, abductions, imprisonment, house demolitions, the illegal confiscation of our land and water resources and the destruction of our crops and thousands of our trees. More than 80% of our water in the West Bank is siphoned off; sometimes sold back to us, but at very high prices. So, you see, we are not only dealing with direct violence, but with structural violence that is political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental. There is, indeed, an endless battering of Palestinians on a daily basis that either imprisons us in our own homes or leaves us to live within fragmented communities separated from each other by endless walls, ditches and checkpoints, making the means of daily life --jobs, trade, education, health care-- all but inaccessible. The people, land, houses and trees have been brutally treated. Fear and insecurity is rapidly replacing compassion and trust. Relations have become hard and tense. For when almost every aspect of life is framed in oppression and humiliation, moral space is diminished. Our own humanity is threatened and role models for our children become hard to find. People are tired and depressed. They are traumatized by the violence that is perpetuated against them, which affects both their physical and mental health. And yet, despite all of this I also come here this afternoon with a message of hope. It is a message of hope embodied in the spirit and will of all those throughout the world who refuse to submit to forces of oppression, who refuse to submit to violence, injustice and structures of domination. Indeed, hope is revealed when truth is spoken. It is within this light that I share with you that the most basic form of deception in my context is the fabrication of a fake symmetry between occupier and occupied --between oppressor and victim. For me it is clear: the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem must end. It is illegal according to international law and furthermore, the occupation remains the most pervasive form of violence, human rights violations, and the immoral enslavement of an entire nation. It is the ultimate provocation at both the individual and collective levels. Nevertheless, no degree of violence --whether direct or structural-- can succeed in subjugating the will of a people or destroying their spirit when they are struggling for their freedom, dignity and the right to sovereignty on their own land. All attempts at intensifying the brutality of the occupation has only led to the escalation of the conflict and increased our determination to gain our liberty. Conflicts can only be resolved politically and legally, on the basis of parity of rights and the global rule of law. All, without double standards, should adhere to United Nations Security Council resolutions and international law, including the Geneva Conventions. No state is above the law. It is important to remind ourselves that the victims of oppression are not always blameless. For, too often, they themselves become the oppressors of others. They seem to forget that the humanity of the oppressor is violated at the very moment of oppressing another human being. Hence, the liberation of the oppressed and violated will also lead to the liberation of the oppressor. Jesus distilled from the long experience of his people that nonviolent resistance was a way of opposing evil without becoming evil in the process. He advocated for means that were consistent with the desired end; that is, a society of justice, peace and equality. He repeatedly spoke of the reign of God which is free of domination. We pray constantly for God's will on earth as it is in heaven. In other words we are calling for the reign of God. But how do we move beyond word to actualizing that reign? This is our challenge together. WHERE is God's reign? God's reign is wherever domination is overcome, wherever people are freed, wherever the soul is fed, wherever God's reality is known. WHEN is God's reign? God's reign is whenever people turn away from worshiping power, wealth and fame. It is whenever we insist on creating a society of equals. WHAT is God's reign? God's reign is the transformation of the Domination System into a nonviolent, humane, ecologically sustainable, livable environment which enables all creation to grow and live well. The reign of God cannot just be inner or outer; it must be both or it is neither. When I received the invitation to speak at this conference, for a moment I was excited about the possibility to be with all of you. But then remembering my last trip to Jordan (for I, as a West Bank Palestinian, am not allowed to fly out of the Tel Aviv airport) my heart sank. It should take less than one hour to travel from Ramallah to the one bridge that West Bank Palestinians are permitted to use to exit our country. However, when I crossed a few weeks ago it took 5-6 hours, and an additional 13 hours to cross the border itself and subsequently arrive in Amman. My friends, I could have flown to New York in the same amount of time! For you see, the tolls we pay are many. And even if I take this one, small example of crossing the bridge, it is difficult to fully describe. For the tolls involved in traveling under occupation drain our lives, impair our health, add to our financial burden and increase our separation anxieties, as neither leaving nor returning is ever guaranteed. The state of Israel has claimed that these measures are for security. And so I wonder whether they can, with all their sophisticated devices, check our hearts and minds as well. Can they see how we feel? Do they notice our pain? Or is this not part of the security check? Or not part of building peace with one's neighbor? So often I feel like screaming: We are sacred! We are part of God's creation! Why do you treat us like this? And other times I feel like crying out the words of the Psalmist: My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, But you do not answer; And by night, but find no rest. (Psalm 22:1-2) As I look at the people around me during the long waiting hours at the checkpoints or in the bus to cross the bridge, I listen to their conversations and I hear individual stories of pain, of families being torn apart, of despair and suffering, of longing and fear. Yet, hope is strengthened when I see the sharing of food and water, the compassionate offers to help the elderly and young mothers with children. Hope is strengthened when we see the divine quality in those with whom we differ and 'yes' even the divine quality in those who impose the persecution! Without a doubt, the way of transformation calls us to stand against the forces of death and evil, both within us, and around us. It challenges us to resist the temptation simply to re-arrange the furniture, whether that re-arrangement is in the structures of our psyche, or those of our planet. What is that inner force that drives us, that provides regeneration and perseverance to speak the truth that so desperately needs to be spoken in this moment in history? I am older, my health poor, my body fragile and yet, as do so many others, I believe that I have no choice but to bear witness to what is happening in my land, to expose the structures of violence and domination, to bring them out into the light, and thereby undercut their power. If I deserve credit for courage, it is not for anything I do here, but for continuing in my daily struggle under occupation on so many fronts, for remaining samoud (steadfast) and, all the while, remaining open to love, to the beauty of the earth, and contributing to its healing when it is violated. My friends, struggle changes us in profound ways. For the essence of struggle is neither endurance nor is it denial. Rather, the essence of struggle is the decision to become new rather than simply to become older. That is, within the essence of struggle lies the opportunity to grow either smaller or larger, to become more than what we already are or to retreat into becoming less. Indeed, the process of life itself may be found within this opportunity. For life is about movement. And everyday we either become more or we diminish. In the struggle, and in this particular struggle, we cannot give up. In so many ways, struggle gives life depth and vision, insight and understanding, compassion and character. It not only transforms us, but empowers us to be a TRANSFORMING PEOPLE, as well. It is vitally important that we insist on a prophetic ministry in today's threatened world, one that exposes the lies and myths that have been created, mainly by the powerful, to cover up the pain and grief of our world. This prophetic ministry should resist the monopoly of knowledge and the power. Rather it should struggle to forge a new discourse, one that includes critique from the margins. Therefore, it is essential that all engaged in such a ministry make contact in each and every place with the refugees, the displaced, the political prisoners, and the downtrodden. Spaces must be created for such people to share their stories of grief, as well as to express their anger and hope. Those who engage in prophetic renewal are called to be Truth Tellers, rather than people who remain silent or re-route the conversation. Contemporary culture is marked by the great cover-up. And this is certainly true in the case of Palestine. One of the most important tasks before us as peacemakers is to educate ourselves to be effective speakers, writers, teachers, and preachers, so that our silence is no more and our voice is informed. This task is especially important for half truths and lies fill government halls, institutions and the media, reminding one of the lament of the prophet Jeremiah, They all deceived their neighbors and nobody speaks the truth; They have taught their tongues to speak lies. (Jer 9.5) These are very hard days in Palestine. The settlement expansion and the construction of the Wall continue unabated. International law and UN resolutions sit collecting dust. While the political landscape has changed dramatically in recent weeks and global powers maneuver a response, humanitarian aid is used like a playing card without regard to ordinary families struggling to secure their daily bread. My friends, we have been working for a long time to end oppression and occupation and have, thus far, not secured our rights. It is discouraging. Fear and loss surround us, and many forces are at work to make us feel marginalized and disempowered. At best the work ahead seems overwhelming. What do we do? What actions do we take? Some of my people have opted to withdraw, that is to either withdraw internally or to both leave Palestine and withdraw internally. In fact, many have responded in this manner because they truly perceive their situation as intolerable. Regardless of the motivation, withdraw cushions us from feeling the full impact of our situation, and it also cuts us off from information and observations vital to our survival as a people. When we withdraw, our gifts and our perceptions often get buried. The realities of domination go unchallenged, leading neither to inner nor outer transformation. Other people have chosen to accommodate, comply or manipulate. When we manipulate, we have the illusion of being in control. We can reap some rewards, but in doing so we are accepting the system's terms, its unspoken rules and values, including the often negative values it accords to us. Furthermore, manipulation does not challenge the low value the system places on individuals. In order to manipulate, we cannot be ourselves, express our true feelings, or share our real perceptions; we literally mask ourselves. Manipulation may get us some of the system's rewards, but it neither liberates us individually nor transforms the structures of domination. The alternative is to RESIST. Resistance challenges the system's values and categories. Resistance speaks its own truth to power, and shifts the ground of struggle to its own terrain. Resistance is often thought of as negative. However, resistance is the refusal to be neglected. Today, Palestinians find themselves embedded in structures that neglect their humanity and human rights and only acts of resistance can transform these structures. And I, along with many others, have opted for the path of active nonviolent resistance. To resist is to be human, and yet resistance is not easy. It requires constant, hard work. Indeed, it is not easy to sustain the path of nonviolent resistance for years and years, over many issues. None of us can resist all the time, in every area of life. We must choose our battles, meaning we must choose the priorities of struggle. But the question remains: where do we find sustenance? How are we re-energized, how are we empowered to continue to go forward on the path of resisting structures of domination and establishing the reign of God, indeed establishing a household of life? I believe that we continue because something is so sacred to us, so sacred that it means more than our comfort and convenience. It might be God, or the Spirit, or the sacredness of life, or Mother Earth, or equality and freedom, or human rights and human dignity. Whatever it is and whatever we call it, it CAN nurture us. To be nurtured personally empowers and sustains us as individuals. But in the struggle we need community. We need each other and we need to build together a local and global movement for peace with justice, for the struggle is one. As a peace and solidarity movement, we have been accused of lacking a clear vision regarding the kind of future we want. I think we do have a vision, which includes diversity and pluralism, and rejects uniform dogmatic, exclusive formulations. We want a world of freedom and justice for all. In order to attain this, we need to mobilize people, but not around fear, anger or blame, nor out of guilt and shame. I believe that this is the moment to reinvent our strategies and our tactics to affirm and engage the possibility of moving people to act from hope and to act in the service of what they love. To create the world we want, we have to translate that hope and love into action; for faith without action is dead and useless. I have found that times of grief and anguish can actually strengthen our bonds. And now, in such times in this movement in Palestine and Israel and beyond, we need each other as never before. We need to treat each other well, to cherish and care for and support each other to become the community we imagine. Our solidarity must go deeper than we've ever known before. Solidarity means strengthening our openness and communication with each other, our willingness to bring everyone to the table, our practice of direct democracy, as well as our commitment to build broad based alliances and network with like minded people. It is now more necessary than ever to move from statements to direct non-violent action, like divesting from structures that enable the Occupation. Such action gives hope to the people in the forefront of the struggle. To vocally advocate for the implementation of international law and the protection of human rights gives hope, as well. But the ugly fact remains that Palestinians have always been viewed as "a problem" for the Zionist project, whether we were good or bad, violent or non-violent. Thus far, the so called peace process and initiatives have only proposed to minimize, not resolve the conflict which can, of course, only be accomplished by addressing the root injustices. Official Israeli policy has always been to not accept the Palestinian people as equals or to admit that their fundamental rights have been violated all along. Although a few courageous Israelis over the years have tried to deal with this other side of concealed history, most Israelis have made every effort to deny, avoid, or negate the Palestinian reality. This is, fundamentally, why there is no peace today. The essence of the Israeli government position contradicts itself. While the Jewish state publicly claims that it wants peace and security, it continues to create facts on the ground that guarantee neither one nor the other. And the United States government's virtually unconditional support to Israel coupled with the political support of right wing Christians does not make it easier. It is shocking to me that the Israeli government accepts and even welcomes the support of Christian Zionist groups who are pro-Israel politically and anti-Jewish theologically. Their theology must be rejected by all, because it is a violent, exclusive agenda that has no respect for any other group that differs with it. They demonize Islam, do not respect Judaism and tell me as a Palestinian Christian, I am not among the chosen, but among the cursed for I stand in the way of the fulfillment of the prophecy of God. As a Palestinian Quaker woman in the Holy Land, I have spent all my life confronting structures of injustice. These structures have been at work in a destructive way throughout our community and have caused both spiritual and physical suffering for many, including myself. I often come back to the same thought and wonder if there really is that of God or the indwelling divinity in every person, why is there so much evil in the world? Why is it sometimes so hard for us to see God in others? My inward struggle has heightened my awareness of global suffering which is, in turn, surely a reflection of the evils plaguing the human race. It has also opened me to God's redeeming love and activity. Clearly, involvement in any just action has a price. Therefore the question then becomes, "Am I ready to pay the price and share the suffering of others?" Suffering for me is bearable, if it is for the cause of liberation. For we not only move closer to liberation but within the very process itself we may find a new, beloved community with others and with God. I now understand that those who operate the structures of oppression are dependent upon the people they oppress and are equally in need of liberation and God's grace. Yet, it seems to me that most often the will and strength to end the oppression comes primarily from those who bear the oppression in their own lives and those who understand their livelihood to be intertwined and thus have made the commitment to accompany them in solidarity. We are called to conversion, to be converted to the struggle of women and men everywhere who have no way to escape the unending fatigue of their labor and the daily denial of their human rights and human worth. We must let our hearts be moved by the anguish and suffering of our sisters and brothers in Palestine, in Iraq and throughout the world. But how can we bear the pain, and where do we look for hope? Is there anything meaningful we can do to solve the political chaos and crisis in the world? Is there anything significant we can do to stop wars of all kinds? Let us take a look into ourselves. The outward situation is merely an expression of the inward state. It requires great self-denial and resignation of our selves to God to be committed to peace and to nonviolent action to bring about change. This technique may seemingly have no immediate positive effect, and it may indeed lead to outward defeat. Whether successful or not it will surely involve sacrifice of some kind. However, if we believe in nonviolence as the true way of peace and love, we must make nonviolence a principle not only for individuals but of national and universal conduct. We should always try to avoid feeling morally superior, because we know how soon we may stumble when we are put to the test. We may talk about peace, but if we are not transformed inwardly, if we still are motivated by greed or pride, if we are nationalistic, if we are bound by beliefs and dogmas for which we are willing to destroy others, there is no way we can have peace in this world. We, Palestinians, have gone through circumstances of great privation, anxiety and suffering. All these seemed at times to weaken my dependence on God, but what joy and hope I gain when I know, wherever I am, whether in affluent circumstances or in poverty, whether I have personal liberty or not, that I am under the guiding hand of God and that God has a service for me to render wherever I am. I see things differently now. I know that the oppressor is not freer than the oppressed. Both live in fear and do not have peace. Others cannot bring it to us. What will bring us peace is transformation at all levels *a transformation that leads to action. Our miseries are not going to stop because we disapprove. My misery will not stop simply because you or I disapprove. Rather, we must take action to bring about transformation of ourselves and the structures of domination. Our shrinking world makes us all neighbors and I am increasingly aware of two facts about ourselves as inhabitants of this world. One is that we are very different from one another in color, lifestyle, culture and belief. The other is that we are exceedingly alike. There is a fantastic range of common needs and desires, fears and hopes that bind us together in our humanness, and the well-being of each is interrelated with the well-being of all. Through the ages people have engaged in a search for ultimate meaning in life, but they have turned this search into a political conflict, into wars and death in order to secure the dominance of a particular ideology, religion or nation. Our age of unparalleled advancement in education, science and technology has also been an age of enormous violence. Meanwhile, the need for imaginative understanding, simple trust and creative cooperation was never more urgent. Maybe the time has come when we should unite in certain common affirmations of life. I offer the following: 1. We affirm that all forms of human power and authority are subject to God and accountable to people. This means the right to full participation in resisting oppression, the Occupation and more generally those powers and authorities that prohibit the processes of transformation towards justice, peace and the integrity of creation. 2. We affirm God's preferential option for the poor and oppressed. It is our duty to embrace God's action in the struggles of the poor and for the liberation of all. 3. We affirm the equal value of all races, religions, and peoples. All people reflect the rich plurality of God's creation. 4. We affirm that male and female are created in the image of God, and that we should resist structures of patriarchy that perpetuate violence against women. 5. We affirm that truth is the foundation of freedom. We should seek to communicate the truth in imaginative, prophetic, liberating and respectful ways. 6. We affirm that the only possible peace is one based in justice. True peace means every human being dwells in secure relatedness to God, neighbor, nature and self. ("The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." Isaiah 32: 17) 7. We affirm the land belongs to God. Human use of land and waters should release the earth to replenish its life-giving power, protecting its integrity and providing ample space for its creatures. We should resist the dumping of toxic wastes into the lands and waters. 8. We affirm that there is an inseparable relationship between justice and human rights. But it must be clearly understood that we refer not only to individual rights, but also to the collective social, economic and cultural rights of peoples. We will resist systems that violate human rights and deny the realization of the full potential of individuals and peoples. We will resist, in particular, torture, disappearances, and extra-judicial killings. 9. We affirm the presence of a spirit of hope and compassion available to all by which our lives may be more whole, more creative, more harmonious as we draw directly upon that power around us and within us and within all life. I have learned that the struggle for justice is one struggle, and that an action taken to subvert violence and strengthen human rights in one area is an action on behalf of people everywhere. Martin Luther King reminded us that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every where". I now understand even more than before that our global responsibilities and relationships have a local face, and no matter where we live, we can work for human rights and a culture of peace. The kinships we form as we as we do so serve as a prototype for a new community, one that knows no boundaries. Those of us committed to peace and justice whether with respect to the Palestinian experience or to any other issue, should not give up, for to give up is to give in and allow injustice to prevail. Rather, we must continue to fan the embers into flames of light; no matter how small they are, because these embers of light give hope to those in the forefront of struggle. And they will keep the work for justice and peace in the Middle East alive. From nmwhitt at samford.edu Tue Mar 7 11:32:30 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 09:32:30 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Jean Zaru Message-ID: <440D3C35020000F5000183EF@gw3.samford.edu> Friends: This was sent by D.T. Gordon--I did NOT attend the meeting. Nancy -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Nancy Whitt" Subject: [saymaListserv] Jean Zaru Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 07:54:29 -0600 Size: 33220 URL: From pennywright at earthlink.net Tue Mar 7 16:23:40 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 14:23:40 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Registration for Western Gathering Closed Message-ID: <007601c64226$ef505e90$4b471342@user2ih5nie4yp> Registration for Western Gathering ClosedAs one of SAYMA's appointed representatives to Friends General Conference I share the following with you. It is one of those good news/bad news stories, but be sure you read ALL the way through, for despite the subject line, registration is not totally closed. Penelope Wright Dear Friends, By now you may have heard that online registration for the 2006 Gathering has been closed. To our great astonishment, we received registrations for almost 800 Friends in the first six days. Since this Gathering is capped at 1,200 registrants, and we need to save spaces for 160 program leaders (workshop leaders, Junior Gathering staff, High School Counselors, etc) and their families, we have closed online registration as of March 6, 2006. We will be accepting paper registration forms from the Advance Program and Friends from the online waiting list as long as spaces remain. However, we expect to reach the maximum capacity for this Gathering very soon. While we are absolutely thrilled with this response to our first ever West Coast Gathering, we are also sad to realize that many Friends will not be able to attend. As a member of Central Committee may I explain to Friends that the decision to plan a Gathering for 1,200 (as compared to our typical 1,500-1,700) was based on considerable research and painstaking discernment, with the best information that we could collect at the time. In 2003 and 2004 the Long Range Conference Planning Committee undertook two surveys, asking regular Gathering attenders and Friends from the western yearly meetings about the likelihood of attendance at a western Gathering. Professional analysis of the results told us we could expect approximately 1,000 attenders. On top of this, in the past few years the Gathering has been under enrolled. Therefore, we were not concerned when the best site in the Pacific Northwest turned out to be Pacific Lutheran University, even though it could only accommodate 1200 people. So, with all this info, LRCP chose PLU and directed the Gathering Committee to plan a Gathering for 1,200 Friends. PLU will provide some marvelous features for a Gathering, but it has only 1,100 beds and one dining hall. Of course, we have looked for ways that we could include more people (e.g. more Friends staying off campus but attending workshops and programs each day), but the very tight limits on dining space, spaces for workshops and other Gathering events, the size of the auditorium for plenary sessions, not to mention the smaller number of workshop leaders, Junior Gathering volunteers, and other key volunteers lined up to help with this Gathering, preclude the kind of flexibility which we deeply wish we had at this point. In fact, we have had to contract with an adjacent church to secure space for some of our children's program. It is wonderful that interest in this Gathering is so strong. It is an affirmation of the tremendous work that has been done by volunteers, committees, and staff. We expect the 2006 Gathering to be a wonderful week with Friends of all ages from coast to coast coming together and getting to know one another. Based on the response we have received this year, it is likely that LRCP will consider planning another West Coast Gathering sometime in the not too distant future. Thank you for spreading this important message about the 2006 Gathering. Please hold us in the Light, as we prepare to go Swimming in Living Waters. In the Spirit, David Miller Lynne Phillips & Margaret Sorrell LRCP Clerk 2006 Gathering Co-Clerks Bruce Birchard Liz Perch General Secretary Conference Coordinator <<...>> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Quakerkristi at aol.com Tue Mar 7 17:55:58 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 16:55:58 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] CPT update Message-ID: <287.6aada9b.313f5b6e@aol.com> Please hold the family and F/friends of Tom Fox in the Light today. The latest hostage video showed only the other 3 hostages. Below is the statement released from CPT and updates are regularly made at www.cpt.org Kristi CPT Iraq Statement [in Arabic] CPT Iraq has seen the newest video released on Al Jazeera today showing three of our four colleagues held captive since November 26, 2005. We are glad to see Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden. We are unhappy that Tom Fox is absent from the video. We are concerned for the families of all our colleagues, but today we are especially concerned for Tom?s family and call on those who are holding our friends to reassure his family that he is well. Our other colleagues came to Iraq to oppose the occupation of Iraq and to work for peace for all Iraqis. We continue to hope and believe that all four of our friends are well and will be returned safely to their families and friends. Harmeet, Tom, Norman and Jim, along with all of CPT, continues to stand with the people of Iraq, many of whom suffer the loss and captivity of the ones they love. CPT reaffirms its commitment to continue its work for all humanity around the world. We wait for the day when Tom, Jim, Harmeet and Norman can continue their work for peace in the world. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nc_stereoman at charter.net Tue Mar 7 19:16:17 2006 From: nc_stereoman at charter.net (Steve Livingston) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:16:17 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] CPT update In-Reply-To: <287.6aada9b.313f5b6e@aol.com> References: <287.6aada9b.313f5b6e@aol.com> Message-ID: <440E1441.3050908@charter.net> Dear Kristi and other Friends, I have thought about Friend Tom Fox and his compatriots frequently since their capture, and followed their story closely. I join with Kristi and other concerned people of faith all over the world in holding them, and their work, in the Light. I read a longer statement from the CPT website this morning, it is still posted at http://www.cpt.org/iraq/response/06-07-03statement.htm. I wanted to share two quotes from that statement that address the value of having peacemakers rather than warmakers in an area where there is lethal conflict going on. First, according to the CPT statement Tom wrote on the day before he was taken, ?We are here to take part in the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. ...How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength, and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves.? The statement goes on to say Iraqis have asked us to tell their stories in our home communities, to share with them our own experiences of peacemaking, to assist them in building nonviolent institutions in Iraq, and to accompany them as they seek justice for detainees and others suffering from the oppression of Iraq. We seek to promote what is human in all of us and so to offer a glimpse of hope in a dark time. This hope springs from our own faith tradition. We have witnessed a similar hope within the faith traditions of the people of Iraq. The Christian Peacemakers epitomize a new paradigm wherein people are freed of the bondage of thinking in terms of "war" or "absence of war". If one hundred thousand of our troops had been replaced by ten thousand such peacemakers, the violence in Iraq would have long since abated. The path of peacemaking is a path we must take if we are to find the "Earth Restored" that we seek. Steve -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kcarlyle at main.nc.us Thu Mar 9 11:45:07 2006 From: kcarlyle at main.nc.us (Kim Carlyle) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 10:45:07 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] SAF -- No Fooling Message-ID: <014f01c64390$749dfb60$c567ec48@yourfulkl1oh2q> Hey Friend! It's time to send in your submissions for your favorite YM newsletter, the Southern Appalachian Friend. The due date for the spring issue is April Fool's Day (04/01/2006). As usual, please send news of yourself, your meeting, and the wider Quaker organizations for which you do volunteer work. Send essays, book reports, movie reviews, poetry, and cookie recipes. Also welcome are solutions to world problems, gripes, complaints, and lavish praise. Especially appropriate for this issue would be jokes (Quakes are such jovial folks). Don't be a fool! Avoid the holiday rush. Send your items BEFORE April 1. Thanks. Your faithful servants and newsletter editors, Susan and Kim Carlyle SAFeditor at sayma.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Evdavwes at aol.com Sat Mar 11 07:47:01 2006 From: Evdavwes at aol.com (Evdavwes at aol.com) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:47:01 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? Message-ID: <2f0.b9416a.314412b5@aol.com> Dear SAYMA Friends, I thought some of you might have some ideas about this. I am on an ad hoc committee creating a procedure for marriage for Asheville Friends Meeting. Our Meeting has in the past made marriage decisions on a case-by-case basis. We have not had an official procedure, but we have been aware of and sometimes cite SAYMA's Faith and Practice for guidance without having agreed that it will be "our procedure." Traditionally among friends the "Oversight Committee for marriage" oversees the ceremony. We are uncomfortable with the words "overseer" and "oversight." They describe well what is intended by an "oversight committee," but, as Friends may be aware, they are rejected by many African-American Friends because of their connotation regarding slavery. I wish the slavemasters had appointed "supervisors" or "managers" or "bosses" or "executive assistants" instead of "overseers." So what other words are there that we might use to describe the Committee that carries out a marriage? Supervision, Guidance, Eldering, Steering, Support? Sometimes we have used the phrase "Support Committee" to describe a com mittee that should be giving Guidance and Eldering to the person who is the focus of the Committee. But "Support" leaves out so much that is important to Friends -- the sense that one is not acting alone, but with the Guidance and Support of others who are seeking together to find the will of God. I'd love to have any thoughts on this, whether privately or on this list. In Friendship, David Clements %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% David Clements, Evan Richardson, Wesley Clements, Lila Richardson 43 Vermont Court, #G24 Asheville, NC 28806 828-285-0601 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From CLaMonte at aol.com Sat Mar 11 10:07:17 2006 From: CLaMonte at aol.com (CLaMonte at aol.com) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 09:07:17 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? Message-ID: <240.85de078.31443395@aol.com> In Birmingham Friends Meeting, we use the phrase Clearness Committee to refer to the wedding oversight process and the clearness for marriage process (see Chapel Hill Monthly Meeting's "Marriage Under the Care of the Monthly Meeting" for one description of the two processes). These functions are coordinated by our Ministry and Nurture Committee; we have never had two committees for the clearness, wedding, or follow-up process. See also Elizabeth Watson's Marriage in the Light: Reflections on Commitment and the Clearness Process, published by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, for an excellent discussion of the practical as well as the relational and spiritual aspects of commitment and solitude in a marriage. Connie LaMonte -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lingle at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 11 12:14:41 2006 From: lingle at bellsouth.net (Larry Ingle) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 11:14:41 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? In-Reply-To: <2f0.b9416a.314412b5@aol.com> Message-ID: I'm afraid my ideas may not coincide with those David Clements and Asheville Friends are concerned with. My short advice is that Asheville Friends should not change its use of "Oversight Committee" simply because some, both black and white, have criticized use of the term. Just because the word (more usually "overseer") was used during the period of slavery should not negate its usage by Friends. According to my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, the term "oversight" is one from middle English, which predates African-American slavery. It is defined as "the action or an act of overseeing something; supervision, inspection; charge, care, control." If that's not a useful definition of what an Oversight Committee does in a Quaker marriage ceremony, I can't think of a better one; David Clements is apparently having problems doing so as well. Moreover, the same dictionary has, as one of its definitions of "overseer": "a member of the Society of Friends responsible for the supervision of his or her congregation." Interestingly, the dictionary does not mention the use of the term on slave planatations. It strikes me that laying the term down is comparable to those who outlawed the sweat lodge ceremony from FGC's gathering merely because someone cried "racism" or "cultural imperialism." For what it's worth. Larry Ingle Chattanooga Meeting From: Evdavwes at aol.com Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:47:01 EST To: sayma at kitenet.net Subject: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? Dear SAYMA Friends, I thought some of you might have some ideas about this. I am on an ad hoc committee creating a procedure for marriage for Asheville Friends Meeting. Our Meeting has in the past made marriage decisions on a case-by-case basis. We have not had an official procedure, but we have been aware of and sometimes cite SAYMA's Faith and Practice for guidance without having agreed that it will be "our procedure." Traditionally among friends the "Oversight Committee for marriage" oversees the ceremony. We are uncomfortable with the words "overseer" and "oversight." They describe well what is intended by an "oversight committee," but, as Friends may be aware, they are rejected by many African-American Friends because of their connotation regarding slavery. I wish the slavemasters had appointed "supervisors" or "managers" or "bosses" or "executive assistants" instead of "overseers." So what other words are there that we might use to describe the Committee that carries out a marriage? Supervision, Guidance, Eldering, Steering, Support? Sometimes we have used the phrase "Support Committee" to describe a committee that should be giving Guidance and Eldering to the person who is the focus of the Committee. But "Support" leaves out so much that is important to Friends -- the sense that one is not acting alone, but with the Guidance and Support of others who are seeking together to find the will of God. I'd love to have any thoughts on this, whether privately or on this list. In Friendship, David Clements %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% David Clements, Evan Richardson, Wesley Clements, Lila Richardson 43 Vermont Court, #G24 Asheville, NC 28806 828-285-0601 _______________________________________________ Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association list-server: -- address to subscribe (get on the list-server) or unsubscribe (get off): http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma -- address to send message to everyone on list: sayma at kitenet.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nc_stereoman at charter.net Sat Mar 11 13:18:45 2006 From: nc_stereoman at charter.net (Steve Livingston) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 12:18:45 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Tom Fox Found Murdered Message-ID: <44130675.3020109@charter.net> Dear Friends, It is with great heaviness of heart that I bring this news. Tom Fox, the Christian Peacemaker of Langley Hills Meeting, who was captured last November by the "Swords of Righteousness Bridgade" in Baghdad, has been killed. CNN reports that Fox's body had two bullet wounds, his hands were bound, and there were cuts and bruises on his body that indicated physical abuse. According to ABC News, "The State Department continues to call for the unconditional release of all other hostages in Iraq". This of course is completely and utterly false. The State Department is calling for the unconditional release of all hostages /except the 20,000 or more being detained by Occupation forces/. These hostages, some of whom have been tortured and killed, are used by terrorists as a convenient excuse to capture, torture, and kill innocent Americans. Cynical warmongers claim that Fox and his compatriots were on a fool's errand. Nothing could be further from the truth, IMHO. It is the military that is on a fool's errand, one that has cost us over a half trillion dollars and 2,400 American lives. Anyone who thinks that Peacemakers are less safe because they are unarmed has forgotten what happened in Fallujah. On Nov 25, 2005, the day before he was captured, Tom wrote this in his diary: / "Why are we here?" We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls./ A true Peacemaker, Tom recognized that the first place to look for what stands in the way of peacemaking is within. Rest in Peace, Tom. May your legacy live on, and triumph, before it is too late for all of us. Steve -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nmwhitt at samford.edu Thu Mar 9 11:54:42 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 09:54:42 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Baby Boomers Conference in 2007 In-Reply-To: <001f01c64393$0face380$9b00a8c0@woodbrooke.local> References: <001f01c64393$0face380$9b00a8c0@woodbrooke.local> Message-ID: <440FFB62020000F500018A96@gw3.samford.edu> FN, Birmingham Quakers, Sayma: Pam Lunn is Senior Tutor at Woodbrooke College in B'ham, England. Below is an announcement of a Baby Boomer conference to be held in 2007. Go to: www.woodbrooke.org.uk I spent a term as Friend in Residence at Woodbrooke. I highly recommend sojourning there. They have many, many short-term programs. n. >>> "Pam Lunn" 3/9/2006 10:03:52 AM >>> Dear Friends Following my piece in The Friend, and email correspondence from you and others, we now have the weekend of 21-23 September 2007 in the Woodbrooke programme for this event. This won't have any detail publicised for a while, but I hope to put a brief 'preview' notice in the next Woodbrooke brochure (July 06), with more detail in the following brochure (January 07). I'm starting to talk with people about possible keynote talks or workshops - suggestions welcome. All best wishes Pam -------------------------------------- Pam Lunn On-Site Taught Programmes Co-ordinator Direct Dial: 0121 415 6778 Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre 1046 Bristol Road Selly Oak Birmingham B29 6LJ General Office tel: 0121 472 5171 www.woodbrooke.org.uk Registered Charity No.313816 From jhminshall at comcast.net Sun Mar 12 12:26:07 2006 From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall) Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:26:07 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: Fwd: What should we call an Oversight Committee? Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20060312112141.0236f008@comcast.net> From: Janet Minshall Subject: Re: Fwd: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? Cc: Dear David Clements, I served on Ministry and Counsel (now Ministry and Worship) at Atlanta Meeting for six or seven years, and as clerk of that committee for several years. During that time we developed a guide for the conduct of marriages under the meeting's care. We worked with the wording and the practice over a long period and the guidelines which were produced were filled with both love and with our perception of the tradition of Friends. I think Karen Morris, the former clerk in Atlanta, might have a copy of the older version that I helped develop as well as a newer one that has evolved since then. I believe "Caring Committee" or "Support Committee" would work well if you have a collective disinclination to use Oversight Committee. Since it is a new committee which is appointed to support each marriage under the meeting's care, the process of selection of that committee can easily be personalized to respond to both the spiritual and practical needs of the couple and the meeting as a community of Friends. Janet Minshall copy to At 09:31 PM 3/11/2006, you wrote: Dear Friendly Attender of the ACFWG, If you have any light to share, please contact David. Blessings, Free >X-Originating-IP: [64.62.161.42] >X-Original-To: sayma at kitenet.net >Delivered-To: sayma at kitenet.net >X-Greylist: delayed 301 seconds by postgrey-1.24 at kite; > Sat, 11 Mar 2006 11:52:06 GMT >From: Evdavwes at aol.com >Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:47:01 EST >To: sayma at kitenet.net >X-Mailer: 9.0 Security Edition for Windows sub 2340 >X-Spam-Flag: NO >Subject: [saymaListserv] What should we call an Oversight Committee? >X-BeenThere: sayma at kitenet.net >X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.7 >List-Id: Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association > >List-Unsubscribe: < http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma>, > < mailto:sayma-request at kitenet.net?subject=unsubscribe> >List-Archive: < http://kitenet.net/pipermail/sayma> >List-Post: < mailto:sayma at kitenet.net> >List-Help: < mailto:sayma-request at kitenet.net?subject=help> >List-Subscribe: < http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma>, > < mailto:sayma-request at kitenet.net?subject=subscribe> >Sender: sayma-bounces at kitenet.net > >Dear SAYMA Friends, > >I thought some of you might have some ideas about this. > >I am on an ad hoc committee creating a procedure for marriage for >Asheville Friends Meeting. Our Meeting has in the past made >marriage decisions on a case-by-case basis. We have not had an >official procedure, but we have been aware of and sometimes cite >SAYMA's Faith and Practice for guidance without having agreed that >it will be "our procedure." > >Traditionally among friends the "Oversight Committee for marriage" >oversees the ceremony. We are uncomfortable with the words >"overseer" and "oversight." They describe well what is intended by >an "oversight committee," but, as Friends may be aware, they are >rejected by many African-American Friends because of their >connotation regarding slavery. > >I wish the slavemasters had appointed "supervisors" or "managers" or >"bosses" or "executive assistants" instead of "overseers." > >So what other words are there that we might use to describe the >Committee that carries out a marriage? Supervision, Guidance, >Eldering, Steering, Support? Sometimes we have used the phrase >"Support Committee" to describe a committee that should be giving >Guidance and Eldering to the person who is the focus of the >Committee. But "Support" leaves out so much that is important to >Friends -- the sense that one is not acting alone, but with the >Guidance and Support of others who are seeking together to find the >will of God. > >I'd love to have any thoughts on this, whether privately or on this list. > >In Friendship, > >David Clements > >%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% > >David Clements, Evan Richardson, Wesley Clements, Lila Richardson >43 Vermont Court, #G24 >Asheville, NC 28806 >828-285-0601 >_______________________________________________ >Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association list-server: >-- address to subscribe (get on the list-server) or unsubscribe (get >off): http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma >-- address to send message to everyone on list: sayma at kitenet.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Quakerkristi at aol.com Mon Mar 13 16:41:47 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 15:41:47 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] An offering Message-ID: <197.51721af9.3147330b@aol.com> I wrote this prayerfully months ago, before Tom's death and it seemed too much to share. But I offer it up in memory of Tom Fox.....Kristi For Tom, Norman, Jim and Harmeet You have woken us up. You have made us look and know that this war Is not about them. It is about us. You are our braver brothers. We have cheered you on and wished you luck. We have passed the hat but not let it get too close. Love our enemies? You, Jesus, Gandhi and King are right. Yet we still manage to close our eyes and ears to so much pain. And it has not touched us so closely ?til now, For it hurts too much to imagine what it requires - And the power of war seems unmatchable. It requires God?s love - bigger than the pain. It requires God?s hope - bigger than deep despair. It requires God?s mercy - to meanness and confusion and assumed righteousness. Your lives show us it is possible. We see that faithfulness to the Divine Spirit may require more than we know we have. We seek to make your witness our witness. To live and work - so that we too may know - what love can do. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pennywright at earthlink.net Mon Mar 13 17:23:07 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 15:23:07 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Two items for your information Message-ID: <008301c646e4$530da9d0$d4a6d942@user2ih5nie4yp> Friends, In two capacities I offer these two items for your information. The first as one of SAYMA's appointed representatives to FGC and the other one from Nashville Monthly Meeting on behalf of Tom Fox, Christian Peace Team worker and Quaker, whose body was found near Baghdad last Friday. Penelope Wright FGC ITEM 10 March 2006 Dear Friends, The response to the 2006 Gathering of Friends has been absolutely unbelievable. Only 10 days after online registration began, and even as paper advance programs are being delivered, 800 people have registered and more than 700 others have expressed interest in attending. We had previously established an absolute cap of 1200, in light of available spaces. A small committee met by telephone conference this morning to brainstorm ideas for addressing this unprecedented situation. At this time, we are exploring several ideas that might allow more people to attend the Gathering. It will take a few weeks to know what ideas are actually viable, and to create ways in which to integrate new plans into our structure. At this time, we need to ask for your patience, and your prayers. We expect to disseminate information about space in the Gathering at the beginning of April. We need all available staff time to pursue expansion ideas. Please help us by refraining from email and phone inquiries about the status of individual registrations or progress on plans. Please let Friends know that we will add as many people as possible from the waiting list and received paper registrations once we see what possibilities exist. It is not necessary to send a paper registration if one has entered names on the waiting list. To conclude, we want to say that we are thrilled with the response. We never dreamed that so many Friends would register so quickly. We hear Friends loud and clear and want to honor your desires to a part of this historic first ever western Gathering. In peace, Margaret Sorrel & Lynne Phillips Dave Miller Liz Perch Co-clerks, 2006 Gathering Clerk, LRCP Conference Coordinator 2. Nashville Monthly Meeting will host a meeting for memorial for Tom Fox and to honore all peace makers. It will be at the Meeting House, Wednesday the 15th, at 5:30 PM, lasting about an hour. Please share this information with any Friends and friends that might want to attend. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vanregenmorterc at yahoo.com Mon Mar 13 21:22:34 2006 From: vanregenmorterc at yahoo.com (Christina Van Regenmorter) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:22:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: [saymaListserv] sayma Digest, Vol 37, Issue 8 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060314012234.33898.qmail@web61218.mail.yahoo.com> Memorial and Life Celebration for Tom Fox and Islamic and Christian Peacemakers 5:30pm Memorial 5pm Press Conference Nashville Friends Meetinghouse 530 26th Ave N, Nashville, 37209 Come join members of Nashville Friends Meeting, the Islamic Center of Nashville, and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center at the memorial celebrating the life and work of Tom Fox and Islamic and Christian Peacekeepers. "Do not do what you hate," Tom wrote in his weblog shortly before passing. His life and his death still call us to live lives of promoting justice and peace -- and to work to "get in the way" of injustice. Tom Fox, a Quaker from Virginia, went to Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker teams. As part of the CPT, he walked in the Baghdad streets without bodyguards, without guns, without any protection but his faith. In November, he was kidnapped and held hostage by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade. Last Friday, his body was found. Tom lived in Nashville for a period of his life -- attending Peabody School of Music in his 20's. He was also a devout Quaker and had connections to Nashville Friends Meeting (Quaker). Tom worked in Iraq creating Muslim and Christian peacemaker teams. His work continues around the world -- even as his life has ended Directions to Nashville Friends Meetinghouse: >From I-40, take:    Exit 207 (Charlotte Ave) if coming from North or West    Exit 209 (Church St/Charlotte Ave) coming from if East or South Turn West onto Charlotte Ave going away from downtown Nashville. Continue on Charlotte Ave. Take a Right onto 26th Ave N. Cross over the railroad tracks. You’ll see the Friends Meeting House immediately on your Left. From roeblingelizabeth at msn.com Tue Mar 14 11:50:25 2006 From: roeblingelizabeth at msn.com (Elizabeth Eames) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:50:25 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Friend on the Haitian Border Message-ID: Dear Friends, I am now in the capital of the Domincan Republic,Santo Domingo. I followed a leading to move down here from Asheville the beginning of last year. I am now focused on the border between this country and Haiti. I was blessed to find in the Traveling Friends directory the name of another Quaker family who are living here, from the Providence Rhode Island Meeting, who have been firm companions and a great anchor. Last week, I was able to travel into Haiti under the protection of one of the NGOs here, the Pan American Development Fund. I will be back up to the Northern Border in two weeks for the second cross border ecotourist fair. There is a startling contrast between these two countries, one a middle income but still developing country and the other- what some are now terming a ¨fourth world¨country. No electricty, no running water, little food production. Things are much calmer there now after the recent elections but there is still fear that the kidnappings and general disorder will continue under the leadership of Preval and the Lavalas party. There is a new free trade zone in Haiti, run by Domincans, working under contract to Levis and Sarah Lee. They have just signed an historic union agreement with Haitian workers, raising the daily wage to double what it was -now at $3.15 a day. It should be noted that over 80% of the people of Haiti live on less than $2 a day and that there are only 200,000 jobs there for a population of over 8 million. I am studying the issue from all sides, talking with locals and other NGOs, hoping that we may find a way into ¨some sort of ethical global capitalism. Can we start a race to the top rather than a race to the bottom? I welcome any contact from Friends or others who have an interest in globalization and in Haiti in particular. I join with Friends in mourning the passing of Friend Fox. I had occassion to work with some of the members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams on the Vieques Witness and have a deep and profound respect for their centered and worshipful witness. I am also very mindful that those of us who are called to go out and about in the world are grounded and supported by those of you who¨sit and wait¨ I ask that you hold me, and this Island and the poor of the developing world, in the Light. Many thanks Elizabeth Eames Roebling Asheville Friends Meeting From pennywright at earthlink.net Tue Mar 14 19:10:00 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 17:10:00 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fw: Directions to Fisk Memorial Chapel, Richardson House and parking Message-ID: <001d01c647bc$78624e10$d3a1d942@user2ih5nie4yp> For those of you who might not know how to find the Fisk Chapel (it is not possible to drive directly to it) and want to know where to park for the meeting for memorial for Nelson Fuson. Penelope ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Fuson To: 'Penelope Wright' ; tntbaum at comcast.net Cc: 'hector black' ; maarethoughton at bellsouth.net ; 'Kit Potter' ; 'John Rees' ; p_beziat at hotmail.com Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:49 PM Subject: Directions to Fisk Memorial Chapel, Richardson House and parking Directions to Fisk Memorial Chapel, Richardson House and parking. These directions are created assuming you are orienting yourself from Charlotte Avenue and 18th Avenue North. Or, leaving the Nashville Friends Meeting house and returning to Charlotte Avenue, turn LEFT (East, towards downtown) onto Charlotte Avenue and proceed to 18th Avenue North where you will turn LEFT (North) onto what will now be named "Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd". Proceed a couple of blocks and cross the bridge; you will pass Fisk's football field and gymnasium on your right. Turn RIGHT (East) at the next traffic light which is Jackson Street. Go 2 blocks and turn LEFT (North) on 16th Avenue North. At the next corner turn LEFT (West) on Phillips Street. The house on your right with the white picket fence around it is Richardson House where the reception will be held after the memorial service; we are having the gate on Phillips Street opened to allow parking on 17th Avenue, in front of the Fisk Memorial Chapel, from 11:00am to 3:00pm. One can park along Phillips as well as along 17th Avenue and the parking lots behind the Library and Race Relations (old President's House on Jackson Street, with parking lot entrance on Phillips Street. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Directions to Fisk Memorial Chapel.doc Type: application/msword Size: 28672 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Directions to Fisk Memorial Chapel.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 61966 bytes Desc: not available URL: From aCertainGirl at charter.net Tue Mar 14 22:12:15 2006 From: aCertainGirl at charter.net (Deanna Nipp) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 20:12:15 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fw: Grieving Tom Fox, Peacemaker Message-ID: <001901c647d5$e1d0ee10$8381ba44@D714S421> Grieving Tom FoxI thought Friends might be interested in this announcement honoring Tom Fox and the link it contains to a message from the Muslim Peace Fellowship. Deanna Nipp Cookeville Preparative Meeting ----- Original Message ----- From: The Fellowship of Reconciliation. To: Deanna Nipp Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:24 PM Subject: Grieving Tom Fox, Peacemaker Message from The Fellowship of Reconciliation FOR Grieves and Honors Tom Fox The Fellowship of Reconciliation grieves with the family, friends, and colleagues of Tom Fox, Quaker peace activist, who was recently killed by his captors in Iraq. But we will not turn our grief into hate. Tom's death was not an easy one, as he had apparently been tortured by those who kidnapped him, along with three colleagues from the Iraq Christian Peacemaker Team, on November 26, 2005. The kidnappers, a group previously unknown, twice before threatened the execution of their captives if their demands were not met. This time they carried out the threat. Tom is one of thousands of casualties of the tragic and violent fiasco in Iraq. His life was neither more important, nor less important, than any other single life needlessly lost. Indeed, it was Tom's commitment to humanize the dehumanized, to stand with the invisible and voiceless. We knew Tom. He was dear to us. That brings him to the foreground now. But, as Tom himself taught us, so very many whom we did not know have also died in this conflict. The human mind cannot quite grasp the reality of so many individuals: the scope of our hearts is therefore often small. But Tom cared about the depersonalized and discarded, and for their cause, he has sacrificed his life. In Memoriam Tom Fox A statement from the Muslim Peace Fellowship Tom was deeply affected by the madness and futility of the war in which he had willingly immersed himself. On August 30, 2005, dispirited by a sectarian bombing, he posted to his blog, "Is there something in life that will fill this vacuum and prevent this sad wearing away of the heart?" But by the end of the entry he had reaffirmed the profound conviction that had brought him into danger in the first place. "The only something in my life I can hold onto," he declared, "is to do what little I can to bring about the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God." Stirring words. To the cynical, they might now sound hollow. Tom, though, would disagree. After the 2004 kidnapping and murder of humanitarian Margaret Hassan (a tragedy eerily similar to this one, yet already nearly forgotten) Tom wrote a Christmas message that spoke of a "very clear image" that had emerged in worship: "... a land of shadows and darkness. But within that land candles were burning; not many but enough to shed some light on the landscape. Some candles disappeared and it was my sense that their light was taken away for protection. Other candles burned until nothing was left and a small number of candles seemed to have their light snuffed out by the shadows and the darkness. What was most striking to me was that as the candles which burned until the end and the candles whose light was snuffed out ceased to burn, more candles came into being, seemingly to build on their light." Tom's light will surely build. By honoring that light, we honor him and give true expression to our love and grief. Our best memorial to Tom, and our best support for Norman Kember (FOR England), James Loney and Harmeet Sooden, who are still held hostage, is to deepen our commitment to the way of peace. Contact: Rabia Harris. 845-358-4601 newseditor at forusa.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Share this message with your friends. http://ga3.org/forusa/join-forward.html?domain=forusa&r=O12ZN871tXrO& -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you received this from a friend, you can sign up for Action Alerts and eMessages from The Fellowship of Reconciliation This message was sent to reddeanna at charter.net. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL Action Alerts and eMessages from The Fellowship of Reconciliation, reply via email with "remove" in the subject line or use the following link: remove -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Quakerkristi at aol.com Wed Mar 15 19:04:27 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:04:27 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] "Tom's Last Journey" Message-ID: <1fc.1274d171.3149f77b@aol.com> Tom's Last Journey Copied from www.freethecaptivesnow.org/main.php ...Kristi CPT's Doug Pritchard writes in: The U.S. Embassy arranged for Beth Pyles, a member of the CPT Iraq team, to travel to Anaconda, and she was able to keep vigil with Tom for the next 36 hrs. until his departure. [...] Pyles was present on the tarmac at Anaconda as Tom's coffin was loaded onto the plane for Dover. She reported that his coffin was draped in a U.S. flag. This is unusual for a civilian, but Tom may not have been uncomfortable with this since he had always called his nation to live out the high ideals which it professed. Iraqi detainees who die in U.S, custody are also transported to Dover for autopsies and forensics. On this plane, right beside Tom's coffin, was the coffin of an Iraqi detainee. So Tom accompanied an Iraqi detainee in death, just as he had done so often in life. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moriah at preferred.com Thu Mar 23 14:00:31 2006 From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 13:00:31 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] IMP^o^ 202 "green" travel to Rep Mtg Message-ID: <01de01c64ea5$a3843a00$cb657642@SAYMA> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMP ^o^ Bulletin 202 For help with Earth-Friendly Travel to... ...Spring Rep Meeting in Birmingham ------------------------------------------------------ contact Bill Reynolds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (a standing offer from Bill Reynolds, Chattanooga FM, member of SAYMA Ecological Concerns Network) <|> For f/Friends who don't already have a ride-share organized, and could use a hand finding one, Bill Reynolds has volunteered to help organize car-pooling to the April 8 Rep Meeting in Birmingham. <|> If you're looking for riders, please let him know -- a) how many spaces are available in the vehicle b) where it will be leaving from d) general route planned c) when it will be departing e) when it will arrive at Rep Meeting f) when it will be returning <|> If you're seeking to 'hitch a ride,' please let him know ?? a) how many you are b) where you will be leaving from c) when you need to depart d) where you could meet a ride e) when you need to arrive at Rep Meeting f) when you need to return home <|> Bill Reynolds' contact info ?? cisland at aol.com, 423-624-6821, 3529 Dell Trail, Chattanooga TN 37411 ~~~~ end ^o^ ~~~~ postdate 032306 ~~~~ _______________________________________ IMP ^o^ ... "Information Made Present" is a bulletin service of the SAYMA office to provide practical details to our geographically-challenged Yearly Meeting via our list-server: semi-official information, bulletins that you can print, post, announce, publish, or pass around. Please address questions, corrections and additions to AdminAsst at sayma.org, 276-628-5852 (machine), or SAYMA Admin. Asst., PO Box 2191, Abingdon, VA 24212-2191. Thank you! ^o^ ----------------------------------------------------- To receive IMP^o^ bulletins, subscribe to the list server, sayma at kitenet.net. You can subscribe on the web at http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma. ------------------------------------------------------ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moriah at preferred.com Thu Mar 23 13:43:33 2006 From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:43:33 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] IMP^o^ 201 Rep Meeting "e-registration" Message-ID: <01dd01c64ea5$a2e20690$cb657642@SAYMA> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMP ^o^ Bulletin 201 Information needed to register electronically for Spring Rep Meeting ... ........................................................................................ but you still need to see a registration packet! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <|> You can register by email or phone for the Spring Rep Meeting scheduled for April 8 in Birmingham, AL. (Main session -- 9:30 am Central time; 9:00 AM opening worship.) <|> Please register by March 29, 2006. Everyone needs to be registered in advance, to help the lunch-planners. The person to register with is: <|> Connie LaMonte 4424 Linpark Dr, Birmingham AL 35222 205-592-2838 clamonte at aol.com <|> You will need to see a registration packet even if you register electronically. It contains maps, directions, agenda, and other important information. <|> If you don't have a packet, please -- -- check IMP^o^ 200, to see if one was mailed to you, or ... -- contact a person who was listed in IMP 200, or ... -- contact your meeting clerk, or ... -- visit www.sayma.org to download and print the materials, or ... -- contact the SAYMA office at 276-628-5852, AdminAsst at sayma.org <|> Meanwhile, IMP^o^ bulletin 200 will give you partial information. <|> Info needed for Rep Meeting registration: 1. If you need childcare please notify Kay Hogan Smith right away. Childcare is very limited. (205-595-9231, KHogan at uab.edu) 2. First & last names, gender (M/F), and address. 3. Purpose for attending: (a) Rep Meeting, M&N, Yearly Mtg Planning, other (b) child; please give name(s), age(s) and special needs of child(ren) requiring care. 4. Meeting or Worship Group name 5. Your contact info: area code + phone number (& e-mail address if you have one). If giving both, please indicate the preferred means of communication 6. Hospitality needed (place to sleep & light breakfast provided by local f/Friend): (a) Please indicate people who can share a room... (b) ...& those who can share a bed. (c) Friday night for (#) ____ people. Expected time of arrival: ______ (d) Saturday night for (#) ____ people. Expected time of arrival: ____ (e) Please say who is arriving when, if the folks above are not traveling together. (f) Any special needs? (Vegetarian, vegan, special diet, house without stairs, hills, wood smoke, pets, or a child-proof house, etc. ...?) 7. If you ask for hospitality, and your request hasn't been acknowledged by April 4, you can contact Connie LaMonte (clamonte at aol.com, 205-592-2838) if you want reassurance! 8. Cancellation: after registering, if you are unable to attend for any reason, please notify Connie as soon as possible at 205-592-2838, clamonte at aol.com. ~~~~ end ^o^ ~~~~ postdate 032306 ~~~~ ________________________________ IMP ^o^ ... "Information Made Present" is a bulletin service of the SAYMA office to provide practical details to our geographically-challenged Yearly Meeting via our list-server: semi-official information, bulletins that you can print, post, announce, publish, or pass around. Please address questions, corrections and additions to AdminAsst at sayma.org, or 276-628-5852 (machine; in-person Tu/Th 5-7:30p). Thank you! ^o^ ----------------------------------------------------- To receive IMP^o^ bulletins, subscribe to the list server at http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma. ------------------------------------------------------ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moriah at preferred.com Thu Mar 23 12:36:21 2006 From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 11:36:21 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] IMP^o^ 200 Rep Mtg ...mailbox near you! Message-ID: <01dc01c64ea5$a23b3f40$cb657642@SAYMA> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMP ^o^ Bulletin 200 Coming to a mailbox near you! Rep Meeting registration packets for -- ........................................................................................ -- April 8, 2006, hosted by Birmingham (AL) FM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <|> Registration packets have been mailed to the f/Friends listed below for the April 8 Spring Rep Meeting in Birmingham, AL. (Main session: 9:30 am; Worship: 9:00 AM) <|> Please register by March 29, 2006; you may register by e-mail, phone, or postal mail. The person to register with is: <|> Connie LaMonte 4424 Linpark Dr, Birmingham AL 35222 205-592-2838 clamonte at aol.com <|> Please see IMP^o^201 to find out what information to supply by email or phone in order to register. <|> You'll need to see a packet even if you register electronically (it contains directions, map, agenda, and other important information). If you aren't on the list below, please contact -- -- one of the people listed (2 people can register on one form) -- the SAYMA office AdminAsst at sayma.org 276-628-5852 or visit... -- www.sayma.org <|> If you could use help to arrange "green" travel (car-pooling) to Rep Mtg, please contact Bill Reynolds, cisland at aol.com. <|> If you should have been among the names below, and aren't, please let the SAYMA office know. Packets have been sent to f/Friends listed in the office as -- -- clerks/contacts for their meetings/worship groups -- SAYMA representatives from meetings & worship groups -- clerks & members of SAYMA committees -- SAYMA Clerks and Treasurer -- SAYMA's representatives to wider Quaker organizations -- SAYMA archivist & web manager, & SAF editors -- SAYF Admin Asst <|> If you're named below and don't need to be, please let the office know that too! <|> Mailed to, in meeting order... Grey Kirbach . . . . . . . . . . YAF Nicole Rennie . . . . . . . . . . YAF Elaine Ruscetta . . . . . . . . . . YAF Free Polazzo . . . . . . . . . . Anneewakee Gary Briggs . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Barbara Esther . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Joy Gosset . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Adrienne Labotka . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Steve Livingston . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Jennifer Walker . . . . . . . . . . Asheville Cathi Watkins . . . . . . . . . . Athens Janice Pulliam . . . . . . . . . . Athens Susan Cozzens . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Beth Ensign . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Carol Gray . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Sally MacEwen . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Ronald Nuse . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Martha Tate . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Perry Treadwell . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Ceal Wutka . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Mark Wutka . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta Tom Brawner . . . . . . . . . . Auburn Therese Hildebrand . . . . . . . . . . Berea Carol Lamm . . . . . . . . . . Berea Tim Lamm . . . . . . . . . . Berea Beth Myers . . . . . . . . . . Berea Connie LaMonte . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham Judy Prince . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham Kay Smith . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham Gail Fannon . . . . . . . . . . Boone John Geary . . . . . . . . . . Boone Melissa Meyer . . . . . . . . . . Boone Bob French . . . . . . . . . . Brevard Joan Williams . . . . . . . . . . Brevard Roy Taylor III . . . . . . . . . . Canton Gib Barrus . . . . . . . . . . Celo Jane Goldthwait . . . . . . . . . . Celo Joyce Johnson . . . . . . . . . . Celo Bob McGahey . . . . . . . . . . Celo Marmon Thompson . . . . . . . . . . Celo Ray Lewis . . . . . . . . . . Charleston Charles Schade . . . . . . . . . . Charleston Susan Wellons . . . . . . . . . . Charleston Heidemarie & Stephen Huber-Feely . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga Larry Ingle . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga Ellen Johnson . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga Chuck Jones . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga Bill Reynolds . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga Peggy Bonnington . . . . . . . . . . Clarksville Nancy Winfrey . . . . . . . . . . Clemson Sallie Prugh . . . . . . . . . . Columbia Harry Rogers . . . . . . . . . . Columbia Julia Sibley-Jones . . . . . . . . . . Columbia Annie Black . . . . . . . . . . Cookeville Lissa Friedman . . . . . . . . . . Cookeville Hazel Hall . . . . . . . . . . Cookeville Deanna Nipp . . . . . . . . . . Cookeville Gladys Draudt . . . . . . . . . . Crossville Dennis Gregg . . . . . . . . . . Crossville Tom Beeson . . . . . . . . . . Foxfire Errol Hess . . . . . . . . . . Foxfire Bob Keiter . . . . . . . . . . Foxfire Edie Patrick . . . . . . . . . . Foxfire Christopher Berg . . . . . . . . . . Greenville Scott Henderson . . . . . . . . . . Greenville Scott King . . . . . . . . . . Gwinnett Judy Guerry . . . . . . . . . . Huntsville Susan Phelan . . . . . . . . . . Huntsville David Ciscel . . . . . . . . . . Memphis Kristi Estes . . . . . . . . . . Memphis Ron McDonald . . . . . . . . . . Memphis Robert Pugh . . . . . . . . . . Memphis Bonnie Tinsley . . . . . . . . . . Murfreesboro Clerk . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Dick Houghton . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Jim McKeever . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Geoffrey Pratt . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Joyce Rouse . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Christina Van Regenmorter . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Penelope Wright . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Kim Carlyle . . . . . . . . . . New Moon / Swannanoa Susan Carlyle . . . . . . . . . . New Moon / Swannanoa Nan Johnson . . . . . . . . . . Oxford Sara Rose . . . . . . . . . . Royal Douglas & Jane Price . . . . . . . . . . Sevier County Lyn Hutchinson . . . . . . . . . . Sewanee Tony Bing . . . . . . . . . . Swannanoa Bob Welsh . . . . . . . . . . Swannanoa Bettina Wolff . . . . . . . . . . Swannanoa Sharon Annis . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Jim Hamill . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Kendall & Missy Ivie . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Ernest Lee . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Kathleen Mavournin . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Carol Nickle . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville Sharon Phelps . . . . . . . . . . West Knoxville ~~~~ end ^o^ ~~~~ postdate 082305 ~~~~ _____________________________ IMP ^o^ ... "Information Made Present" is a bulletin service of the SAYMA office to provide practical details to our geographically-challenged Yearly Meeting via our list-server: semi-official information, bulletins that you can print, post, announce, publish, or pass around. Please address questions, corrections, and additions to AdminAsst at sayma.org, or 276-628-5852 (machine; in-person Tu/Th 5-7:30p). Thank you! ^o^ ----------------------------------------------------- To receive IMP^o^ bulletins, subscribe to the list server at http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma. ------------------------------------------------------ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nc_stereoman at charter.net Mon Mar 27 10:43:52 2006 From: nc_stereoman at charter.net (Steve Livingston) Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 09:43:52 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Tom Fox Found Murdered In-Reply-To: <44130675.3020109@charter.net> References: <44130675.3020109@charter.net> Message-ID: <4427FA28.6070704@charter.net> Dear Friends, With the release of the three remaining Christian Peacemaker hostages in Baghdad, new evidence has emerged concerning the fate of our departed Friend Tom Fox. The three released Peacemakers report that they were not harmed in any way, and that they last saw Tom in early January. Furthermore, two CPT staffers report having viewed his body and found that there were no signs of torture. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that Tom was not harmed by his captors either, and that he was killed by some other parties. Christian Peacemakers have asked that all concerned individuals refrain from spreading the rumor that he was tortured. Steve From bright_crow at mindspring.com Fri Mar 31 10:39:16 2006 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 09:39:16 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] Fourth Month Update: SEYMpeace.org Message-ID: <2745522.1143815956919.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, It's a day early...but please visit the updated Peace & Social Concerns website of the Southeastern Yearly Meeting, and take a look at the Thought for Fourth Month, 2006: http://seympeace.org/ Thanks, Mike