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SUMMER
2000 Deborah Seabrook
Woodstown MMIn 1992, after interviewing for a position with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and ending up as the second candidate, Asia Bennett called to set up an interview. Asia was the new Executive Secretary to Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas. I had never heard of FWCC before, but quickly I became an integral part of the organization.
FWCC has a total of four section offices: the Asia-West Pacific Section, the Africa Section, the Europe and Middle East Section, and the Section of the Americas. The World Office is located in London. The Section of the Americas is made up of North, South, and Central America, with the Section office located in Philadelphia. FWCC is made up of representatives from each yearly meeting and other groups of the Religious Society of Friends that are affiliated with FWCC.
For three years I worked with Friends from all over the world. Some of the things I learned were that there are evangelical Friends, that some meetings are programmed (meaning that they have pastors and sermons like “mainstream” churches), and that the largest number of Quakers in the world live in Kenya! It was a real education. One the chief aims of FWCC is to bring Quakers together across diverse cultures and traditions, seeking to find ways to dialogue across that diversity.
Having been raised Catholic, I was troubled by what I had seen in my early faith as an “I’ve-got-it-and-you-don’t” attitude. I became a convinced Friend in 1980 and formally joined my monthly meeting in 1998. I’ve always believed that God is available to everyone, and that people work it out differently. This was something to be nurtured and treasured, not shunned.
After three years, I left FWCC to pursue other things—mainly two small children. Although it was hard to leave FWCC, I knew that I would be back because I believed in what I had seen happening at the Annual Meeting and regional meetings: people being open and honest with one another though the forms of worship and the words they may use were different.
I have just returned from my first Annual Meeting as a representative to FWCC for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. I have come home with a renewed sense of commitment to the vital work that FWCC does. I cherish the opportunity to connect with other Friends, some new to FWCC and some old-timers. I’m especially blessed to have had the chance to experience God in new ways.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let me know.
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Last modified:
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
