In May 2016 Olympia Monthly Meeting hosted the annual meeting of Friends Peace Teams, a Spirit-led organization working around the world to develop long-term relationships with communities in conflict to create programs for peacebuilding, healing and reconciliation. FPT’s programs build on extensive Quaker experience combining practical and spiritual aspects of conflict resolution.
Each year on the Saturday of their annual meeting , FPT organizes PeaceQuest, a day long celebration in peacemaking techniques for folks in the area of the hosting meeting, members and others interested in joining them. We are lucky that in 2016 that was us! We were joined by FPT peace activists from all over the world and the USA for learning and celebrating peacemaking techniques for a day in peace-action training for service and opportunities.
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2016
Place: Olympia Friends Meeting, 3201 Boston Harbor Rd. NE, Olympia, WA 98506
Time: 8 am to 4:30 pm
PeaceQuest2016 was proud to honor and support the work of Friends Peace Teams including African Great Lakes Initiative, FPT-Asia West Pacific, and Peacebuilding en las Américas.
The agenda was:
8:00 to 9:00 AM–Registration, coffee and bagels.
9:00 to 9:30 AM–Meeting for worship
9:30 to 10:45 AM–Keynote Speaker, Nancy Irving
10:45 to 11:00 AM–Break
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM–First series of workshops
12:30 to 1:30 PM–Simple lunch included in registration fee
1:30 to 3:00 PM–Second series of workshops
3:00 to 3:15 PM–Break
3:15 to 4:30 PM–Peacemaking panel/Closing
Listen to the keynote address: “Letting our Lives Speak–Near and Far” by Nancy Irving, former General Secretary, Friends World Committee for Consultation–World Office:
Nancy has had three careers: with business trade associations, as a lawyer, and in management of Friends World Committee for Consultation. She is multi-lingual in Friends’ languages. Presently she lives in Lacey, Washington, is co-clerk of Olympia Monthly Meeting, a member of North Pacific Yearly Meeting, and serves as clerk of the 11th Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference [2016].
Interactive workshops ran in four tracks: Personal, Local, Global and Parent/Child.
The workshops were offered in two sessions – see the schedule below and much more information about each workshop attached to a flyer about this event here. (PDF format)
Workshop Schedule: Title. Facilitator(s)
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
1. Leadings/Ministry: Discerning, Supporting, Fulfilling and Laying Them Down When the Time Is Right–session I. Val Liveoak
2. Spiritual Hospitality and the Power of Visiting. Nadine Hoover
3. Water and Peacemaking: The Work of Friendly Water for the World. David Albert
4. Veterans For Peace–Exposing the True Costs of War and Militarism. Dennis Mills and Zahid Chaudhry
5. Harnessing the Power of Micro-Credit: Local and Global Connections. Lisa Smith
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
6. Leadings/Ministry: Discerning, Supporting, Fulfilling and Laying Them Down When the Time Is Right–session II. Val Liveoak
7. Power of Goodness. Nadine Hoover
8. Hands On–Building a BioSand Filter. David Albert and Wayne Medrud
9. Nonviolence and Jesus. David Bellefeuille-Rice
10. Listening–Prelude to Relationships, Negotiation, and Peace. Nancy Shippen
Registration:
The registration fee was $20. No charge for children up to 16 years of age (and childcare was offered to those who per-register children). Scholarships for adults were available if needed.
Olympia Monthly Meeting found accommodations for visitors from out of town.
For more information on Friends Peace Teams, visit their website, http://www.friendspeaceteams.org or call the FPT office at 314-588-1122. You can also contact David Zarembka at dave@aglifpt.org
This was a very special event! Download the flyer and workshop schedule – click here or on the image below to download it. 