Peace and Social Concerns Committee meeting, 4/11/16

Present: Beth A (clerking), Adele S, Jane J, Scott R, Jan H, Frank G, Roger C, Daniel G

We started with a time of silence.

We agreed to change our regular meeting time to fourth Mondays.  Our next meeting will be on April 25, 2016, and Dan offered to clerk it.

Letter writing:  we cannot make an oral announcement on the second Sunday, which is now a no-announcement day.  We will try having letter writing on third Sundays starting this month, April 17. Beth will take charge of it that day.

Adele came to request our support for the AFSC which is having financial difficulties. Tuesday May 17 at 6pm is tentatively set for a soup and dessert potluck and a fundraiser, with Jeff N and Adele and Roxanne C present  to tell about activities at Western Mass AFSC and to encourage contributions.  Helper volunteers with Setup are: Beth and Scott, Cleanup: Jane, drinks: Beth.   When plans are definite we can help with publicity and in other ways.

Jan gave her presentation encouraging us to propose Right Sharing of World Resources for the Friends Concerns: Other Organizations (FC:OO) part of the budget.  We can report that we did not have complete unanimity on supporting RSWR but recommend it to the meeting.

Beth postponed her presentation for another FC:OO organization  until our next meeting, on April 25.

A subgroup of the Hampshire Interfaith Working Group for Refugees is planning an event on May 15, a panel presentation called “Friends in Faith,” with panelists Corey Sanders - UCC Greenfield, the Imam from the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, Tahaira Amatul-Wadud -  a Muslim attorney, and Rabbi Benjamin Weiner of the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA.)  On Sunday the meeting agreed to co-sponsor this event.  We agreed to take $50 from our budget to donate for the event.

The Pioneer Valley Interfaith Refugee Action Group recommends that we have a representative to it.  Ka may be interested, and also Frank.

Scott spoke of an event on May 4, 6-9 at First Churches, which is still in the planning stage.  It will bring two exiled Palestinians to the area to speak of their experiences.  This event is co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP,) and Scott, who is involved with arranging the event, suggested that we co-sponsor it also, and donate for its expenses. We agreed to both, the donation being $50.

The FCNL priorities were agreed and will be sent on to Miryam, who will send them on to FCNL perhaps after some modifications.  They are: (1) Eliminate subsidies to fossil fuel industries, in favor of renewable energy sources; (2) Make education leading to a fulfilling work life affordable for all; (3) Trim the military budget, converting the savings to humanitarian purposes. Stop making war profitable; (4) Repair our criminal justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation vs. punishment.  End mandatory sentencing; (5) End special campaign finance privileges for corporations and tax-exempt 501(c)(4) advocacy organizations, make all contributions open to public inspection.

We have been asked by the Clerk to propose a way to proceed on the BDS concern (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions.)   Scott and Susan R have a great deal of experience and knowledge in this area, and we asked Scott if he and Susan would be willing to help us find a way to educate ourselves and to confront the issues the BDS campaign raises, probably in the fall since it seems to be too late in the year to organize this now.  Scott agreed.

The May 7 event, planned by Beth and others, is coming along fine and is planned for 3-6pm (at least) - a Fair celebrating the good things going on in the valley  in environmental issues.  We agreed to cosponsor the Fair.

Frank, our representative to ION (Interfaith Opportunities Network) said that ION visitors will be coming on April 24 for our 10am meeting for worship.   ION tends to be an information sharing group, keeping each other informed about what’s going on in their congregations.  Frank thinks that it is unrealistic to expect ION to be politically active.

We closed with a time of silence.