Understanding the Peace Testimony

Resources for Those Laboring with Issues of Our Peace Witness
in the Aftermath of the Events of September 11th

On this page we hope to include resources, human, printed, and web based, to help meetings, individual Friends, and particularly young people under our care (teenage members and attenders of our meetings, Young Friends, Middle School Friends, and students at Friends schools) in discerning how we witness to God's love in a world in which we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by hate, violence and terror. In keeping with the purpose of this page, resources listed are those produced by Quaker organizations or organizations with which Quakers work closely. The one notable exception is a link to the primary resource for conscientious objectors: The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors ( CCCO). This page will be updated as new information becomes available or is brought to our attention, and we ask the reader's help in this regard. For literature, or to arrange a discussion facilitator or speaker for your meeting contact Gene Hillman.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting resources

A good place to start is the PYM site: " Concerning September 11, 2001" where can be found public statements of Philadelphia based Quaker organizations and minutes from threshing sessions and the November 10th called meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. There is soon to be available a discussion guide designed to help Friends and their meetings identify and address some of the issues, available by contacting Gene Hillman at the Yearly Meeting office. Meetings and schools experiencing conflict or differences around the response to this matter might contact Caroline Packard (215.241.7029) at Friends Conflict Resolution Programs for assistance.

The Yearly Meeting Library prepared several bibliographies for the special session on November 11, 2001. No fee library privlidges are extended (in person or by mail) to members and employees of PYM, employees of AFSC, and schools under the care of PYM or its Meetings. Students at Quaker schools should go through their librarian or Quakerism teacher. Others should pay the $50.00 membership fee, or use interlibrary loan. To borrow, call 215.241.7220 or e-mail [email protected].

Here are some more useful PYM links:

Pendle Hill Lectures

The theme of the Pendle Hill Monday Night Forum this fall has been "Discernment in the Aftermath of September 11." Of particular note are the talks by Thomas Jeavons, PYM's General Secretary, on "Terror, Tragedy, and the Quaker Peace Testimony" and Dan Snyder on "Nonviolence in Personal and Political Life".

Resources on Conscientious Objection

We suggest young people concerned with matters of conscientious objection visit the web site of The Center on Conscience and War. The CCCO has a "GI Hotline" for those already in the military, or signed up. CCCO also publishes materials not on the web and it would pay to call their Philadelphia office at 215-563-8787. The office is in Friends Center at 1515 Cherry Street. See also "A Guide for Friends on Conscientious Objection to War" published by Friends United Meeting. Part two of this guide has excellent information on the draft (note: dates used in the examples are ten years out of date, and the address for CCCO is too, but the information is still good).

Other Quaker Resources

Here are some links from other Quaker sources which may be of interest:

With suggestions and corrections, or for information and speakers, please contact:

Gene Hillman, for the
"Understanding the Peace Testimony Staff Working Group"
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
1515 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
(215)241-7182 or (800)220-0796, ext.7182