Canada - Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas

Voices of Young Adult Friends

Hazel Guindon (Monteverde Friends Meeting) – Monteverde, Costa Rica

As we continue learning how to expand as a faith community while including all voices, I want to express my deep appreciation for all the work being done—both locally and globally—to keep our diverse Quaker community alive.

Currently, I am on Vancouver Island, worshiping with friends near Duncan, where acknowledgment of the broader Quaker practice and FWCC was mentioned on World Quaker Day. That same weekend, I had a video call with Neyda from Bolivia and Fernanda from México, which inspired me to write a short article. I hope it encourages them to write about their own experiences, and I would be very curious to learn more about their perspectives on Quaker life. I ended up submitting a publication to Friends Journal, as Renzo has been motivating us to share our work in the journal’s Latin American part.

I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude for FWCC, especially the gathering in Arizona. I learned so much from that experience, and it has shaped the way I hope to approach future Quaker experiences. I feel deeply honored to be part of a non-programmed Quaker practice within the Latin American section. I admire how our meeting is growing, and I’m profoundly grateful we are part of a global network.

Thank you, truly, for all that you do!

With love and peace,

Hazel

Meg Cody (North Pacific Yearly Meeting) – Portland, Oregon

I wonder how the trials of young adulthood have changed over the decades. I find it hard to believe the current state of society is all that novel—there have been countless economic crises, wars, and billows of hatred rising up throughout the centuries. Have things really changed all that much? Is this really the “most difficult” time for young adults?

While these questions frenzy my mind over whether the world has always been on fire, it doesn’t negate the urgency I feel at present to find a way to make the world a better place.

I was spread so thin over the past year with responsibilities that moving with a quickness drowned out the small, still voice of Spirit. It was so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of opportunity, something which I find so challenging to navigate at this point in my life. I feel the surmounting pressure to balance my faith, career, and personal life—a ceaseless discernment of how to experience a connection with Spirit as I consider what it means to live a holy life.

It’s not Spirit that asks me to make money and pay my bills—that urging stems from my choosing to live in a capitalist society. But how I meet that end can be filled with Spirit.

I’m grateful to know I’m not alone in my struggle to navigate life’s many crossroads as I commiserate with other Quakers my age. Uplifting this community offers me comfort as I navigate endemic polarization between what I believe to be right and wrong, just and unjust. I’ve turned my efforts towards encouraging and empowering young adult friends in my monthly and yearly meetings, and am now led to forge a path for North and Latin American young adults to connect. And while I’ve encountered little resistance from the community in all of these endeavors, I find the challenge lies within myself.

It was an honor to be a part of planning opportunities for North and Latin American Friends to connect with one another. In this great, big, overwhelming world, it’s comforting to know there are Quakers everywhere showing up for that of God in everything. I feel my worries ease as more and more spaces for young adults to connect open across our section.

I’m stumbling along as I learn more about the cultural differences I have with Latin American friends. I’m embarrassed with every faux pas I make and grow frustrated with myself for not being more considerate. How dare I not know what I don’t know?

I turn these frustrations towards Spirit and recognize how I’m being led. I might walk along the path clumsily, but I continue to move towards Spirit’s light.

Spirit’s light is shining on a small and mighty group of young adults who are determined to build the future for young adult Friends as way opens. The first of four virtual gatherings was held on September 6th to facilitate introductions between young adults in the Section of the Americas. While it wasn’t a smooth planning process or program, it was filled with Spirit and opportunity. I’m excited to see how each event grows and changes from previous ones, and even more enthused about what might come of these connections.

The next events will occur on the first Saturdays of December, March, and June. Please share this opportunity widely! A registration form for December will be shared in the coming months.

Meg

Young Adult Friends Section Meeting Retreat Report

Young Adult Friends (YAFs, ages 18-35) serve a vital role in the health of the Quaker community. They carry the weighty responsibility of the future of Quakerism. They provide a bridge for Junior Friends to step into the larger Meeting. They bring energy and vibrance to gatherings. They steward what it means to be a Quaker.

Hosting opportunities for YAFs to be with one another builds a collective identity of Quakerism for this generation and becomes a foundation for what Quakerism will become. It also offers YAFs opportunities to engage with people going through similar experiences and learn to navigate those challenges from a place of inner light.

YAFs from across the Section of the Americas (SOA) were blessed with a unique and historic opportunity which was made possible by the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). In March, 18 YAFs from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, and Bolivia gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona for three days leading up to the SOA Annual Section Meeting. This gathering was the first of its kind, and was inspired by the spirit of connection sparked at the YAF Gathering prior to the World Plenary last August. It marked a powerful moment of cross-cultural fellowship and spiritual deepening among young Friends.

YAFs were grounded in their shared belief of honoring the light within each of us while celebrating the unique facets of our local, regional, and national expressions of our faith. The first activity together was to establish the following intentions to aid the navigation of this diversity.

To learn and respect the differences between our cultures and worship / Para aprender y respetar las diferencias entre nuestras culturas y adoración
Speak on behalf of yourself – use ‘I’ statements / Habla en nombre de ti mismo – usa declaraciones ‘Yo’
Seek unity in our diversity / Buscar unidad en nuestra diversidad
We’re learning from God through each other / Estamos aprendiendo de Dios el uno a través del otro
Every experience is unique and valued / Cada experiencia es única y valorada
Enjoy being in each other’s presence / Disfruta de estar en presencia del otro
In building trust with one another, we learn how to share our light / Al construir confianza entre nosotros, aprendemos a compartir nuestra luz

YAFs deepened their spiritual bonds through a rich tapestry of shared experiences. Throughout the gathering, YAFs stepped into roles of leadership by guiding workshops, facilitating worship, and greeting the day together on peaceful sunrise hikes. A memorable excursion to the Desert Botanical Garden, led by two gracious friends from Phoenix Monthly Meeting, offered a space for reflection and connection with the natural world. With open hearts and willing hands, YAFs also gave back to the Phoenix Meeting community, providing much-needed yard care for its smaller, aging congregation. YAFs led the entire community in worship on the final day of the Section Meeting—an experience many described as spiritually moving and left a lasting impression on all who were present.

What young Friends do now shapes the future of Quakerism. Opportunities for YAFs to connect amongst themselves are crucial for the discernment of their identity and emboldens the brilliance of Quakerism for generations to come. This event is just one instance of the commitment that FWCC has in supporting YAFs around the world to honor their presence, engagement, and visibility.

Inspired by the depth of connection and shared spirit they experienced, YAFs left the gathering with a renewed commitment to strengthening their bonds and expanding their presence within the wider Quaker community across the Section of the Americas. While this may have been the first event of its kind, it is clear it will not be the last. The seeds planted in Scottsdale are already taking root, and are nurturing a growing movement of young Friends ready to walk together in faith, friendship, and service.

Meg Cody

Loving our Neighbours across the 49th Parallel: Conversation with Friends across our Common Border

As a part of Canadian Yearly Meeting sessions, Glenn Morison of Winnipeg Monthly Meeting and Co-Clerk of the Representative Engagement Program Group of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas, organized an online Special Interest Group on June 13, 2025 called:

“Loving our Neighbours across the 49th Parallel: Conversation with Friends across our Common Border“

After a Welcome from Glenn and an explanation of the gathering by Glenn, Evan Welkin, FWCC Americas Executive Secretary (North Pacific Yearly Meeting), offered a reflection on the work of FWCC to build bridges and cross cultures among Friends, including through the initiative of World Quaker Day which takes place the 1st Sunday of October every year. This year, October 5, 2025, World Quaker Day’s theme is on Galatians 5:14: “Love your neighbour as yourself” There are resources to host WQD events in your meeting here and a further reflection from FWCC General Secretary Tim Gee on the theme here in this month’s issue of Friends Journal.

Glenn Morison then shared a bit more about his motivation for hosting this event as a frequent traveler to and from the United States from Canada, and how the current political situation has deeply affected him. He referenced an experience at the recent FWCC Section of the Americas meeting in which he felt called to minister about the relationship between the US and Canada and an Executive Committee member from FWCC said a delegation might come to Canadian Yearly Meeting to speak to this concern.

Chuck Schobert, a Friend from Madison, Wisconsin and member of the FWCC Americas Executive Committee, spoke about his experience of making apologies as a US citizen travelling abroad, and offered his apologies to those gathered during the gathering. He spoke of the need to resist unjust policies and also of reaching out directly to offer a different message.

After some Introduction of queries for consideration in our breakout rooms, Friends divided into mixed groups with US and Canadians to consider:

What is your name, where do you live and what is your special interest in being here?

Given the reality that Canada – USA relations are the worst they have been since the Pig War of 1859, what is on your heart? What are your fears and hopes? How does this impact you at your deepest levels?

On both sides of the border there have been people who have reported that the current climate has impacted the usual relations between Friends who tend towards a quietest approach and those who lean towards a more activist expression in their life and meeting. Is your meeting impacted by the current political climate? If so, in which ways? And how can we uphold one another in such a situation?

Considering the strained relations between Canada and the USA, what are your thoughts, fears, and hopes? Kazu Haga, a practitioner of Kingian Nonviolence and restorative justice, reminds us that “human beings are not the problem. It is the actions we take, shaped by our life experiences, which are influenced by our culture and larger systems beyond our control. We need to fight the structures and mechanisms that perpetuate harm. To change them, we must understand individual stories and the systems influencing them.” How can we listen to our neighbours’ stories and understand the systems that affect them?

bell hooks, a feminist teacher and theorist, states, “beloved community is formed not by eradicating differences, but by affirming them, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” How can we work towards creating a beloved community in our daily lives?

We closed the gathering with some brief reflections on the experience and an overall sense of thanks for the opportunity to have the conversation.

Dialogue Peace

Building the Future as Way Opens: Reflecting on our 2025 Section Meeting

Gathering of Friends from the 2025 Section Meeting

From March 20–23, 2025, 145 Friends gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona and 30 more connected online for the FWCC Section of the Americas Meeting. We came from all across the Americas and beyond, including the largest Latin America delegation in recent memory. Friends traveled from their homes in Bolivia, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, the United Kingdom, and the United States—to be together in the Spirit and celebrate our diversity in fellowship. The theme of our gathering, “Building the Future as Way Opens,” was drawn from Isaiah 43:19: “Look, I am doing something new! Now it emerges; can you not see it? Yes, I am making a road in the desert and rivers in the wasteland.”

And we truly saw something new emerge among us.

Throughout our time together, worship set the heartbeat of our days. Each morning began with early worship—quiet, grounded, Spirit-led. We experienced rich and diverse forms of worship led by Latin American Friends, Conservative Friends, and Young Adult Friends. Each voice, each style, was a reminder of how our varied spiritual practices all seek and serve the same Divine source.

Bible study sessions opened the scriptures in new ways, inviting us to listen with fresh ears and softened hearts. Home groups offered a space to reflect, laugh, and share stories across languages and backgrounds. In these small circles, we grew in our understanding of one another—not just intellectually, but spiritually and as members of a greater community.

In addition to worship and fellowship, we came together in workshops and business sessions, exploring how FWCC can live more deeply into its calling. After a successful campaign “Becoming the Quakers the World Needs”, we feel some fatigue on committees and in our fundraising efforts as transition, new programs and reorganization require more new energy.

We saw progress on new programming made possible by the campaign. We shared a beta version of our Digital Quaker Glossary, an evolution of a collaborative tool for making Quaker terms and vocabulary accessible to all in English and Spanish. We look forward to the next phase of this project, supporting our active Bilingual Services team to develop a certified interpretation and translation program. We also announced new partnerships on our digital map, offering a single source to find Friends’ projects as well as meetings, churches and worship groups around the world. Our Quaker Connect program launched in the days leading up to the Section Meeting and apprentices from meetings across the Section joined our gathering for the first time with new perspective and enthusiasm for what is possible in the Society of Friends. To witness their excitement and growing connection was to witness the future unfolding before our eyes.

Young Adult Friends brought great energy to the gathering, not only in their worship leadership but also in their fellowship. They explored the desert gardens together, shared meals and laughter, and took part in a service project for a local Friends meeting—offering their hands and hearts in service as part of a first-of-its-kind pre-conference gathering for young people across the Section.

Evan Welkin, our new Executive Secretary, introduced himself and set his personal experience within our gathering theme and what is unfolding in the Section. Joined by FWCC General Secretary Tim Gee, they both invited us to trust God and in each other as an unknown path unfolds before us in a time of uncertainty and great possibility. Our plenary speakers, Ana Gabriela Castañeda Aguilera and Debbie Humphries, built on this theme and reminded us of examples from scripture and our own lives when we are invited to do new things: how do we respond? We are excited that Ana and Debbie’s remarks will be printed for distribution soon.

We are, as ever, a community of Friends seeking unity across languages, cultures, and traditions. This gathering gave us the opportunity to treasure our diversity and to celebrate our shared commitment to God’s leading among us. There were long conversations over meals, joyful singing in multiple languages, and celebration over the work we are doing throughout the Section. Embracing Friends from across the globe, not just physically but spiritually, helped us find new ways to speak, to listen, to walk forward together.

The Spirit is doing something new among us. We came away from this gathering excited about projects that inspire and unite us, energized by the possibilities that lie ahead. We are also clear-eyed about the clear and present challenges in the world around us today. As we return to our home countries and meetings, may we continue to walk forward in faith, trusting that the road will open, and rivers will flow, even in the wasteland.

As Ana Gabriela shared powerfully with us during her evening plenaries: “Sometimes, it’s the very act of stepping into the unknown that prepares us in ways we never imagined.” Like the road in the desert or the river in the wasteland, this gathering reminded us that new paths are revealed when we walk forward in faith, trusting the unknown. We are all grateful for every person who made this gathering possible and for each Friend who took that leap. Together, we are building the future—as way opens.

Friends World Committee for Consultation Receives $1.125 Million Grant for Quaker Connect

The Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas—the global fellowship association for the Religious Society of Friends—has received a $1.125 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Thriving Congregations Initiative to help establish Quaker Connect, a program designed to reinvigorate the Quaker movement.

FWCC Americas recently hired Jade Rockwell as the program director. Jade joins FWCC Americas from West Elkton (OH) Friends Meeting, where she serves as Co-Pastor. She is pursuing a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis on Pastoral Ministry from Earlham School of Religion.

“I’m pleased to join FWCC Americas as the program director for Quaker Connect,” Jade said. “In this role I’m thrilled to dedicate my life work toward revitalizing Quakerism to reflect its beautiful diversity.”

“Quaker Connect is responding to the need of local Friends to develop a spirit of experimentation in partnership with God to support the members of their meetings and engage in issues important to their communities,” said Robin Mohr, Executive Secretary for FWCC Americas. “Quaker Connect will equip Quaker churches to be more clearly who they are meant to be: profoundly Quaker, deeply rooted, and highly visible in their local community. We are very pleased that Jade Rockwell has joined us at this pivotal point.”

Friends meetings and churches who wish to be considered for the first cohort of the Quaker Connect program should check the FWCC Americas website, QuakerConnect.org, for updates. The application period is planned to open in September 2024.

In the United States, the project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. An additional $200,000 grant from the Thomas H. and Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund will extend the program to Friends outside of the United States—from Canada to Bolivia—and enhance collaboration among Quaker organizations to support the growth and vitality of the Society of Friends.

Quaker Connect will be a structured network of Quaker meetings across the branches of Friends in the Americas. Each participating local meeting will nominate two to three Friends to join a cohort of other energized Friends in virtual workshops over a two year period. At the heart of the program, each meeting will choose one signpost of renewal that is lacking in their meeting, one Quaker, Christian, or FWCC practice to address the need, and take three months to try the experiment, and then initiate further experiments. Robust evaluation and communication processes are essential parts of the program. Quaker Connect is designed to adapt and seed the continuing revitalization of the Religious Society of Friends.

FWCC Americas is one of 104 organizations that has received grants through a competitive round of Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. Reflecting a wide variety of Christian traditions, the organizations represent mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, peace church and Pentecostal faith communities.

“Congregations play an essential role in deepening the faith of individuals and contributing to the vitality of communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We hope that these programs will nurture the vibrancy and spark the creativity of congregations, helping them imagine new ways to share God’s love in their communities and across the globe.”

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

About Shoemaker

The Thomas H. and Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund, established by the 1936 and 1953 wills of Thomas Howard Shoemaker and Mary Williams Shoemaker, is a private, trustee-managed foundation with five volunteer, self-perpetuating distributing trustees. Since the death of Mary Shoemaker, approximately $9 million has been distributed to selected charities, including Friends meetings and Quaker-related organizations primarily in the Philadelphia area.

In recent years, the Shoemaker Trustees have become increasingly concerned about the future vitality and membership of the Religious Society of Friends. As a result, the Fund has shifted its focus to organizations that are investing specifically in the growth and development of the Society of Friends. In this spirit, the Fund is providing major support for new and collaborative initiatives developed by organizations that provide leadership, innovation and resources which address this strategic goal.

About FWCC Americas

The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) is the global fellowship association for the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, also known as the Friends Church. In the Americas, the Quaker community extends from the Arctic to the Andes, spanning a rich diversity of regional cultures, beliefs and styles of worship. www.fwccamericas.org