With prayers for peace and a ceasefire, Ukrainian Quakers read the Epistle of the Annual Meeting of the Europe and Middle East Section of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, sang “I’ve got peace like a river,” recalled the wonderful meeting for worship offline in Kyiv that was joined by Friends from Europe, and the celebration of the International Conscientious Objection Day, also holding in the light all those suffering from war and other injustices, including the genocidal deportation of the Crimean Tatars.
Introduction:
Friends, good day. Next half an hour we will hold worship for peace in Ukraine and the world. The silence and words of ministry, that could be said by anyone, will deepen our connection with the divine light of Jesus in our hearts. The meeting will be recorded and published for people and for history, like all our days are written in the Lord’s book (Psalm 139:16).
Yurii Sheliazhenko:
Friends, we can rejoice: thanks to the peace talks in Istanbul, two thousand prisoners will return home, although it is sad that the delegation of the Kremlin tyrant put forward ultimatums in the spirit of his predecessor and idol Stalin, who on this day 81 years ago began to evict the Crimean Tatars from their historical homeland. However, history is full of diverse events, not only unpleasant ones, and today, on the occasion of International Museum Day, you can visit not only historical museums for free, but also museums of science, art, and toys. Thank God, this week was generally bright. This week we commemorated the International Conscientious Objection Day, sang songs from the Ukrainian Quaker Songbook, and enjoyed a remarkable meeting for worship in Kyiv. The spirit led us. If only we could experience such a divine guidance every day. We listen in silence not for silence itself but for the sacred message, and today it would be the epistle of the EMES annual meeting.
Epistle from the FWCC Europe and Middle East Section Annual Meeting held
30 April and 8-11 May 2025
How do we live together as a community of Friends in Europe & the Middle East?
It seemed good to us, having come to one accord. Acts 15:25 (ESV)
To Friends everywhere, greetings:
Dear Friends, Шановні Друзі – and in many other languages!
The Annual Meeting of the Europe and Middle East Section of the Friends World Committee for Consultation sends you our greetings, light and love.
At the wonderful assembly in Warsaw and online, nearly 80 Friends gathered from the diverse FWCC EMES area from Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, along with Friends from Kenya and the USA.
We come together as Friends, as individuals and as bridges. Our own histories and those of our countries and people live through us as we gather together to create a community for this weekend and for time to come. We are living in times of crisis and uncertainty in many parts of the world, yet we create together a model for how community can still thrive.
Emily Provance enlightened and moved us, speaking about Acts 15 as a story about discernment, and inspired us to look at what it means for a community to experience spiritual unity in the presence of big cultural and theological differences. We experience unity of purpose when we allow ourselves to be changed through listening for points of connection rather than for points of disagreement. Through this we can connect to that of God in everyone, get acquainted better, and encourage the inward light that could overcome even the deep darkness of suffering.
The wars in Ukraine and in Palestine have provided a heavy backdrop for our gathering; we feel deep grief for those who suffer, and we feel hope listening to stories of courage. We have heard of Friends within our section working to maintain the dignity and humanity of all people affected by war: those who fight and those who refuse; those free to stay true to their conscience and those persecuted; those who stay and those who flee; those welcomed in new countries and those who are turned away. Our peace testimony requires us to act. We ask all Friends to lend their support in whatever way they can.
Many of our meetings are young with few Friends. As we heard about the Council of Jerusalem, following the leadings of our faith sometimes requires us to reconsider our customs – maintaining traditions of the past while also welcoming and accepting the new. In light of our commitment to simplicity, what accessible modern ways can we adopt to take care of proper Quaker process digitally and online?
Communication within any group of people is essential to establish strong relationships and we continue to explore how we can do that better to include more people. During many occasions of worship, we were asked to talk slowly and make pauses, that was helpful for deep and inspiring ministries, and we are grateful to our faithful interpreters for their help in understanding each other.
God speaks through every community and there is always a sense of the meeting. How do we listen and follow the leadings of the spirit? The bells ringing in the stillness, like the heavenly ringtone, call us to connect more deeply with the Divine and with each other.
in Friendship, у Дружбі – and in many other languages
Signed on behalf of FWCC Europe & Middle East Section
Ethel Livermore
Clerk FWCC-EMES
Conclusion:
Friends, we conclude our meeting for worship with a plea for Divine guidance to direct the best efforts of people to achieve peace by peaceful means in Ukraine and in the world. We hold in the light all those who have suffered from mass murder and destruction, who are forced to participate in a war against conscience, whose families have suffered from the historical injustice of the genocidal deportation of the Crimean Tatars. With hearts full of love and hope, we say goodbye today and will see each other again at the next meeting for worship.