Peace and Social Concerns Committee minutes of  11/21/16

Present:  Dan G, Jane J, Connie B, Roger C, Beth A

We began with silence, then reviewed a hefty agenda.

Friends Concerns: Other Organizations.  We reviewed the 5 organizations supported last year (Centro, Right Sharing, Cambodian Water, QVS, Nonviolent Peaceforce) We need to have someone on our committee take oversight of this for the current year. Nobody volunteered at this meeting. Meanwhile Dan will announce the FC:OO issue to the meeting.

Roger was designated as the contact person for the Newsletter editors.

A form has been created to help us find out when might be a feasible time for our committee to meet.  Those present filled out the form and Roger will contact others with the form, and he will tabulate the results.

It seemed that the experiment with computers used for letter-writing was a success and many people used the computers.  Connie and Dan will cooperate in hosting letter-writing on December 18.

Human Rights Day December 6, 6-8pm co-sponsorship: we agreed to co-sponsor it.  Roger will tell Martha that we co-sponsor it and he will make an announcement at the appropriate time.

Quaker Voluntary Service: A Boston staff person offers to have an information session about QVS in early December. We felt that this could be handled best by Young Friends, and Dan will send this notice on to Isaac.

Refugees: Ka could not attend but sent an informative email about what she has learned, including that there is a possibility of having a refugee family in Amherst.   We will invite her to write an article telling what she has learned about developments, for the next newsletter.  We want to know more about how our committee and meeting could help.  She may be willing to talk with people, for example after meeting some Sunday.

Rebecca Ray sent an email concerned with the new Sanctuary effort; she sent her message to Frank who is on ION, and Frank sent an email telling of discussions within ION.  We are supportive of the concern in Rebecca’s letter , and we hope that ION or individuals in it will suggest action for us.

Beth has talked more with Pat Hynes about the two-focus talk mentioned last month, but a date and details have not been set.

Roger will pursue the document, apparently from Quarterly Meeting, on BDS.  We do not have this document but Roger will work on getting is, so we can understand its call and suggestions.

We have an 11:40 reserved for February 26.  We need to consider at length what the focus should be.

We closed with a time of silence.