This Month's Birthdays:
June 1: Gwen Senio
June 6: Mary Malcom and
Justin Kane
June 7: Erin Senio and
Greg Humrichouse
June 8: Lisa Baum
June 12: Oliver Alvarez
June15: Judy Elyson
June 16: Tony Senio
June 17: Laura Scott and
Keith Hemingway
June 21: Don Swartzendruber
June 22: Eric Alvarez
June 28: Miri Glasson-Darling
and Simon Meren-Fuchtman
June 19: Jim Glasson
Why Peace Sunday?
Ask anyone - Quaker or otherwise - about the testimonies of the Society of Friends and chances are you will hear something about the Peace Testimony. You may have read about Quakers being Conscientious Objectors when being drafted in order to avoid direct combat. West Branch has a history of men who chose this type of peace testimony. But the peace testimony has a lot more to consider beyond wars.
This conviction of living a life in peace springs from a living Spirit within each of us that appeals to our capacity for love and goodness in ourselves as well as others. It's not to ignore the existence of evil in the world, but rather a way to recognize there is no effective way to combat evil with weapons which harm and kill those causing pain for others.
Living as a peacemaker has to do with the choices we make about the work we do, the relationships we build, the ways we participate in politics, what we buy, how we raise our children - our everyday lives. Here are some things we can do that can help foster a spirit of peace.
- Choosing and nurturing relationships which are strong and healthy enough to contain conflict when it arises and allows for its creative resolution.
- Purchasing goods from companies that do not support and profit from wars.
- Knowing where candidates stand on issues of war before going to the voting sites to cast our ballots.
- Seeking out our Quaker ancestors who worked for peace while striving to make life better for others. For example, many stood against slavery where few who were enslaved knew peace.
Like everyone else, Friends live in a real world and things that seem clear in the Sprit can translate into words or actions that seem muddled and imperfect. From time-to-time we fail, we are hurt and we hurt others. We can only choose to live day by day as if it were always possible to defend what we value and to resolve conflict without deliberate harm - in such a way that if damage occurs, healing is possible.
Peace...let's all choose to live our lives seeking to always choose peace over conflict, remembering that the God of Love within each of us is always there to lead us in the ways of peace through love.
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"West Branch Friends Church" page!
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Anniversaries
June 6: Blake and Bri Winder
June 19: Jane Cadwallader and
Geery Howe
June 26: Ben and Judy Clark