Community Friends Minute on Conflict in Israel and Gaza

Quakers are led by Divine guidance to cherish peace, and to testify against all wars and the use of violence to pursue political ends. As members of the human family, we grieve with all those who are suffering from the terrible violence in Israel on October 7, 2023 and in Gaza and the West Bank and Israel since then.

We join with dozens of other Quaker Meetings across the United States to bring our historic Peace Testimony into living action by upholding the following truths:

Our shared humanity enables us to recognize and protect the Inner Light in everyone.
Violence has not resulted in lasting peace or security for anyone in the region.
Every Israeli and every Palestinian is a victim of this current violent outbreak which is an outgrowth of ongoing strife from before the British Mandate for Palestine in the 1920s until today. We mourn the losses and suffering that all have endured for decades.
In humility we admit that the United States has much peace and justice work to do at home, and that our country has helped perpetuate instability in the Middle East through military action and aid, diplomatic pressure, and lack of leadership.

Based on these truths we call on Palestinian and Israeli leaders and their foreign enablers, including the US government, to recognize the justice issues behind both Palestinian and Israeli territorial and national claims. Specifically, we call on the United States to:

Assist in establishing a mutual agreement among the partisan groups so Palestinians and Israelis can live either together or side by side in peace and safety.
Reject Islamophobia and anti-Semitism both at home and abroad. Fearlessly seek and value objective truth while tenderly protecting people’s lived experiences and honoring their right to have opinions. Study history so it is not repeated.
Address polarization and fear through cross-cultural dialogue.

We urgently call for:

An immediate ceasefire and end of unchallenged military aid.
Return of all hostages.
Ongoing humanitarian aid proportional to the need.
Respect for international law and accountability for human rights violations, including genocide.
Help from trauma-informed peace teams.
A global commitment to finding peaceful ways to resolve conflict.

Community Friends Meeting calls on each of us to work for understanding, seek opportunity for dialogue, repudiate violence, and remain steadfast in our commitment to peaceful resolution of this and all other conflicts.

Worship Information

Music starts at 9:45am

Worship starts at 10:00am

Infant Childcare starts at 10:00am

Religious Education (4+) starts at 10:15am

2nd Hour Sessions start around 11:30am

For those unable to come in person, attendance over Zoom is available. Families who plan to bring children to Meeting for Worship are asked to please contact Jim Rhein at rheinj@gmail.com ahead of time to make sure we are prepared. Please do not bring any children who have symptoms of illness to meeting.

We hope you can come in person, but would love to have you present in whichever way you can! Please use the Contact Information above if you have additional questions.

Our meetinghouse is wheelchair accessible. Childcare is available year-round. Religious education for children and teens is offered from September through May.

Following worship, except during parts of the summer, there is a 'second hour,' which consists of a potluck meal (first Sunday of the month), business meeting (second Sunday), adult education program (third and fourth Sundays), or sharing of a spiritual journey (fifth Sunday).

Children's Programming

Community Friends Meeting provides programming for children and teens during the school year to support their growing spiritual development.

Child care is provided for the youngest children during worship, upstairs in the nursery. Our child care providers are experienced Xavier students who have passed a background check.

Older children sit with their parents for the first 15 minutes of adult worship, and then they go upstairs to their classrooms for stories, lessons, and art projects. The teachers are volunteers from our meeting.

Quakers often call our Sunday school classes “First Day School.” We plan lessons for primary aged children (ages 4 to 6) and intermediate school aged children (ages 7 to 12) on themes of Quaker testimonies, Quaker history and exploring the Bible. Intermediate children also are introduced to the experience of centering into silent worship through guided meditation and opening to the Spirit. The children form close friendships at Meeting and look forward to their time together. When we have teens attending, we will have an adult leader to meet with them to share and discuss Quaker faith and practice in their lives. During the summer months, child care is provided for all ages during worship, including games, art projects, and outdoor play.

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