A Retreat to Focus Attention on Nuclear Weapons
Frederick Friends Meeting House
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
October 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis — when the Soviet Union and U.S. engaged in a tense standoff over the installation of nuclear weapons in Cuba. It is widely considered the closest the two superpowers ever came to nuclear war… until now.
When the BYM Working Group on U.S. Militarism and War was formed, the group decided that one of the issues it wanted to focus special attention on is nuclear weapons. This is more important than ever today.
On Nov. 5, we will meet for a few hours in order to increase our knowledge, become a closer community with the ability to support each other, and identify activities that our Monthly Meetings can do to help build a strong national movement to eliminate these weapons.
Continental breakfast will be available at Frederick Friends Meeting House, starting at 9:30. Our retreat will begin at 10:00. We will have lunch (please bring some cash to reimburse our hosts!), and then we will continue our discussions. We will end at 3 pm. Both Annette Breiling and Andrea Norouzi, who live near Frederick, are offering a place for anyone to stay overnight, if this is too far for you to drive round-trip.
While this retreat is being planned for our Working Group members, it is open to anyone who would like to join us. Please inform people from your local meeting about the retreat–and tell them that they are warmly invited to join the retreat. We have a very interesting agenda planned.
Quakers were at the forefront of the effort to end atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons (see article about “The Golden Rule” in the latest issue of Friends Journal: https://www.friendsjournal.org/historic-peace-activism-sailboat-golden-rule-to-make-another-voyage/). We can be in the forefront of a revived movement to finally eliminate these weapons and save life on earth as we know it from destruction.
Please RSVP to Jean Athey, jlathey@comcast.net. Your RSVP is important so that we can order sufficient food for lunch. You can also send any questions to Jean.