Friends General Conference

There's still time to propose a workshop for the FGC Gathering, which will be July 13-18, 2026 at Illinois State University. Workshop proposals are due September 30!

Your workshop proposal will ask you to provide a detailed description of your workshop in 1000 words or fewer, as well as a short summary of 50 words and several other questions. Apply today!

https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/workshops/propose-a-workshop/

What can white Quakers do to work for racial justice in Quaker spaces? Chris Crass, a social justice educator and coach, describes some of the steps and framing for a group to become an anti-racist faith community. Read more in FGC's Spiritual Deepening Library:

https://www.fgcquaker.org/exercises/racial-justice-in-our-meetings/

Photo from Pexels.

Friends at Green Street Meeting in Philadelphia are returning $50,000 a year in reparations money.

See reporting from The Root:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fdealxi79uU

Learn about birdSEED, the housing justice initiative that works with Friends as a partner:
https://www.birdseed.org/



Street Friends Meeting Reparations

We're continuing our What Say You series, in which we ask folks about Outreach. Has your Quaker meeting ever offered its meetinghouse as a free community space for a non-Quaker group? If so, what did you learn from the experience? Do you feel that it brought life to your meeting, or to your space?

Do you wonder why your meeting has fewer children and young adults? Wondering why it’s a challenge to fill committees? On October 28, attend "The Water We Swim In," a workshop by Barry Crossno. Learn about the societal trends that affect Quaker involvement, from age demographics to demands on parents' time.

This program is 90 minutes long, and it's free to attend. Registration is open.

https://www.fgcquaker.org/event/water26-fall/?sd=1793160000

Are you prepared for the U.S. midterm elections? The Brennan Center documents that as of last May, at least nine states have enacted restrictive voting laws. Those states are Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia. Some laws will be in effect for the midterm elections.

Plan ahead for voting: Work with people in your area to ensure that folks understand any new ID requirements and, if voters are being systematically denied, make sure that local media, state officials, and allied organizations are aware.

This information comes from Election Defense Scenarios, a guidebook for people working to protect democracy. The guidebook is written by Daniel Hunter (a Quaker,) with guidance from A*O Communications. It has been endorsed by the Quaker Call to Action.

Election Defense Scenarios is available online as a PDF:
https://quakercall.net/election-scenarios?mc_cid=46a561e8eb

Or as a book:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/daniel-hunter-and-elizabeth-beier/election-defense-scenarios/paperback/product-2mn5vwz.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Friends, you can now pre-order Rex Ambler’s book "The Truth of Our Life," which will be released on October 20. We're excited! If you're curious about the Quaker experiment, if you love theology, and if you'd like to learn what liberating truth is and could be, this book is for you! The Truth of Our Life is published by Quaker Press of FGC.

"When the Quaker way first emerged," author Rex Ambler explains, "Christianity was the dominant cultural force in western society. Any alternative to the established Christian way had to struggle to maintain itself and even to survive." This book explores how today's world is "virtually secular," a society that adheres to some "very basic values of material progress and freedom of choice." When life gets difficult, what values tend to guide right action?

Available now for pre-order from QuakerBooks of FGC, ready to ship starting October 20th.

To pre-order a copy:
https://quakerbooks.org/products/the-truth-of-our-life-the-quaker-vision

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Why do some people return to Quaker meeting and others drop off? How can a Quaker community build an environment that is friendly to newcomers? Discuss these questions at the next "Weaving a Wider Welcome" retreat, which is back by popular demand. Rai Carter (they/them) and Zenaida Peterson (they/them) are co-facilitating as a dynamic duo. Join with Friends online on Sunday evenings, starting October 4.

This retreat runs for five weeks, and is part of FGC's Spiritual Deepening offerings. We're grateful to Zenaida and Rai as staff of for offering their expertise!

Register here:
https://www.fgcquaker.org/event/weaving-a-wider-welcome-eretreat-2/?sd=1791086400

Forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation: these things may be hard to find in some workplaces and families, but that doesn't change their importance. We'd like to recommend two books that help build a world of compassion.

Just Mercy, written by Bryan Stevenson, shares about standing up for people who have no voice. It tells about Bryan Stevenson's growth as an idealistic lawyer, holding systems to account for justice. Just Mercy is a New York Times bestseller.

The Forgiveness Garden is a children's book about two towns that fought for years before finding a way to break down walls between them. It's available as an audiobook. And if you have a couple of children with you -- or a whole First Day School class -- you can use free lesson plans developed by FGC volunteers to help children wonder, act out the story, or to sing songs that relate to its contents.

Just Mercy: https://quakerbooks.org/products/just-mercy-paperback-just-mercy-paperback?_pos=1&_sid=97bc3ee9e&_ss=r&variant=10593818183

The Forgiveness Garden: https://www.fgcquaker.org/exercises/forgiveness-garden/