Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light (John 3:21), and, as George Fox wrote, the true belief overcomes. We are praying for peace and for awakening of conscience of people, so no one should dare to push a lethal button and fire the missiles on Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih killing children, and imprisonments for refusal to kill should stop. With a wisdom of divine guidance and Friendly discernment (Proverbs 15:22), at the meeting for worship with attention of the religious community of Quakers we approved the Advices and Queries of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukraine, the schedule of Meetings for Worship on Wednesdays and Sundays, also discerned matters of care about alternative non-military service in time of war and of better organization of our Christian life according to Evangelical commandments of love.
Introduction:
Friends, as the Gospel says, the hour is came to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). We will find peace and joy in silent worship during half an hour and will hear ministries led by Spirit. When you like to share your inward light, turn on the microphone and speak. Then we will have a meeting for worship with attention to business of our religious community. Our worship will be recorded and published, because disciples of Christ must be the light of the world that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).
Artem Denysov:
Friends, I would like to continue to pray with you and hold in the light our Friends in the United States, who are currently witnessing and protesting against the injustices of President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency DOGE regarding migrants, democratic institutions and the rule of law.
I would like to recite the words of the Gospel of John 3:19-21: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Yurii Sheliazhenko:
Friends, as I mourn the poor children who died from a Russian ballistic missile in Kryvyi Rih, after today’s sleepless night when ballistic missiles exploded in Kyiv, I am thinking that epic events are happening rather not on the streets, but in human souls.
Though streets are important, and I hold in the light those Quakers in United States who witness justice and ask God to save democracy this weekend.
But what is happening in individual soul matters the most. Think about it.
Somewhere far away, people obey a Kremlin dictator and press buttons, bringing death and destruction to the long-suffering land of Ukraine.
Somewhere, people try to make fools and force each other to become killers.
And somewhere else, people overcome fear and live peaceful, honest lives and help each other, despite all the madness of war.
People overcome fear and refuse to kill, even if they are threatened with prison.
These are people of different faiths and beliefs, many of them are Christians, but they all have one thing in common: the understanding that war is evil. They, like Quakers, do not wait for peace from those in power, but receive and spread around them the spiritual gift of a just peace, listen to their conscience, listen to the voice of Jesus in their hearts. How good it would be if everyone heard this voice, so that no hand would dare to press the button that brings death!
In the words of George Fox: “to the light in you I speak, that when the book of conscience is opened then shall you witness me and you all judged out of it. So God Almighty direct your minds who love honesty and sincerity, that you may receive mercy in the time of need. Your teacher is within you.”
You know that we published the translation of the opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional complaint about the lack of alternative non-military service of the Seventh-day Adventist, prisoner of conscience Dmytro Zelinsky, and we hoped for an end to the repressions for conscientious objection. There was already one verdict of acquittal that gave such hope.
But recently it became known about the new verdict of a Jehovah’s Witness in Lviv sentenced to three years in prison.
Today, 149 Jehovah’s Witnesses are in Russian prisons.
There are seven such prisoners of conscience in Ukraine.
I know an interfaith prayer list that already includes 607 conscientious objectors in difficult situations.
Let us pray for each of them.
Let us pray for everyone who listens to their conscience.
Dear God, please help each person to hear the voice of our Teacher in their heart.
Serhii Yamkovenko:
Friends, the word of God says in the book of Proverbs 15:22 that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. We need God’s wisdom in everything we do. Let us pray for good counsel, the counsel of the Spirit of the Lord, and counsel among us all.
John Reuwer:
I am very touched by my Friends here, who are under bombardment by the Russians and scrutiny by security forces holding America in the light. And it’s almost frightening to me to see how necessary that is.
There have been now people abducted by undemarked cars without charge and sent to foreign prisons known for torture.
And I found out this week that one of the men abducted and taken into that prison in El Salvador is a father that lives just a few miles from my house. And the government has said it was a mistake and they refused to bring him back. So, a hundred of us, many Quakers, protested at the courthouse, and the judge made the right decision, he said “Bring him back immediately.” But the government is not acting, and I believe that my fellow Americans have no idea whatsoever what to do if the government refuses to obey the law.
We really need light.
I must leave you to attend my own meeting locally here. Please hold us in the light. I don’t think Americans are aware yet of the danger we’re facing.
Blessings to all!
Conclusion:
John, we are holding in the light your community and people taken to El Salvador despite they done nothing bad, just are demonized by those who sow hatred, and we ask the spirit to give you light and give you strength to seek justice.
We are also glad to hear from Farooq that his community had a big and cheerful gathering, where all men, and women, and children enjoyed meals together. It is important witness for wellbeing of community.
Friends, thank you for the happiness of the worship together for peace in Ukraine and in the world.
Let’s uphold in the light all those who suffer from wars and other injustices.
Now, as it was previously announced, we will hold a meeting for worship with attention to business of our religious community. The draft agenda and draft minutes approved by the Care Committee were circulated in advance.
Meeting of Friends of Ukraine
6 April 2025
in Kyiv, online
Attenders: Artem Denysov, Liudmyla Holchanska, Oleksandr Ivanov, Farooq Javed, Ivan Kokhan, Vadym Korzh, Yurii Sheliazhenko, Andrii Vyshnevetskyi, Serhii Yamkovenko.
Agenda
1. Approval of the Advices and Queries of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukraine
2. Approval of the schedule of Meetings for Worship
3. Appointment of the Co-Clerk
4. Questions of the Care Committee
5. Questions of the Media Committee
6. Care about alternative non-military service in time of war
7. Care about good Ukrainian translation of the name of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Discernment
1. Approval of the Advices and Queries of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukraine
We approve the Advices and Queries of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukraine, published on our website.
2. Approval of the schedule of Meetings for Worship
We approve the schedule of our Wednesday and Sunday meetings for worship and other meetings for worship published on our website, and we ask our Clerk to care about keeping it up to date.
3. Appointment of the Co-Clerk
We appoint Artem Denysov as a Co-Clerk and ask him to take care of the meetings for worship on Wednesdays and keep the record of the names of attenders of the meeting, which will not be published and will be kept by the Clerks and the Care Committee as part of the history of the Meeting of Friends of Ukraine.
4. Questions of the Care Committee
We appoint Serhii Vedmediv and Ivan Kokhan to the Care Committee. Artem Denysov, Oleksandr Ivanov, Serhii Yamkovenko, Vadym Korzh and our Clerk Yurii Sheliazhenko continue their service in the Care Committee, as was discerned at the meeting for worship with attention to business on 27 October 2024.
5. Questions of the Media Committee
We ask the Media Committee, continuing its service in accordance with the discernment of the meeting for worship with attention to business of 15 December 2024, to develop an agreed algorithm of cooperation and a plan of publications in Quaker sources with observance of Quaker discipline, seriousness and depth and attractiveness of Christian spiritual information about the faith and life of the Religious Society of Friends in Ukraine and in the world.
6. Care about alternative non-military service in time of war
We ask our clerk Yurii Sheliazhenko to prepare for publication a report on the collected information regarding the preparation of the bill on alternative non-military service during the war, and also, in cooperation with the Care Committee, on the basis of previous discernments of the Meeting of Friends of Ukraine, to prepare and send an appeal to stakeholders.
7. Care about good Ukrainian translation of the name of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
At the request of the Meeting of Friends of Ukraine, our Clerk asked the Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for advice on the correct spelling of the name of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukrainian in accordance with the current standards of the state language.
The Institute of the Ukrainian Language informed us that the foreign word “квакери” [in English: Quakers] was transliterated into Ukrainian. This writing tradition has been recorded in dictionaries since the beginning of the last century. In this form, this English word was adopted not only by the Ukrainian language, but also by the Polish language (in Polish: kwakier). This form corresponds to the method of adaptation of loanwords common to all Slavic languages.
We would like to thank Iryna Anatoliivna Samoilova, a senior researcher of the Institute, candidate of philological sciences, for the answer to our request.
We ask our clerk Yurii Sheliazhenko to prepare informational material and a video blog “Квакери чи Квейкери?” regarding the translation into Ukrainian of the name of the Religious Society of Friends, taking into account the discernment of the meeting for worship with attention to business of 15 December 2024 and the opinions expressed by Friends on this matter.
Signed
Yurii Sheliazhenko, Clerk