‘No one said it was easy’, wrote Mary Lou Leavitt in the NFPB booklet published in the late 1980s. Peace is not easy, but on the other hand, to see wars being waged and money spent on weapons for no good reason is distressing and frustrating, plain and simple.
As we approached the anniversary of the invasion by Russian military of Ukraine, NFPB hosted an online space for reflection, exploring the complexity and seeking clarity and deeper understanding. Introductions had been prepared by four Friends, and a period of worship sharing gave space for participants to share their feelings – fears and deep desires for peace. The texts of the introductions are here. When NFPB members met again at the end of the month, they agreed to make these more widely available, and to look at further ways and opportunities for engaging and supporting Friends in finding what it is that they are led to say and to do. We shall share news of this work as we go forward.
The need for a different way of building peace and security underpins our continuing commitment to the work of Rethinking Security, and the Global Campaign on Military Spending.
The first of these have developed ‘Visualising Security’ workshops, which we are keen to offer to Friends and other groups. Read more here.
The Global Campaign on Military Spending , meanwhile, is preparing for Days of Action from mid-April. We shall be hosting an online zoom space for Quakers to learn a bit more and to share ideas for action on this on 21 March at 7:00pm.
Get in touch if you would like to be involved but are not free to attend this online meeting.