Annual New Hampshire Gathering of Friends. Join us in celebrating 35 years of NH AFSC Action for social justice The Past, the Present, and the Future

Annual New Hampshire Gathering of Friends
“All NH Friends”
Join us in celebrating 35 years of NH AFSC Action for social justice
The Past, the Present, and the Future

Saturday, May 22, 2010, 9:30 am -3:30 pm
Canterbury United Community Church-Parish House, 5 Center Rd., In the Center of Canterbury, NH

Program to include:

Putting our values to work for
Economic justice
Death Penalty Abolition
Fair Taxes
Youth Empowerment

And a visit to Concord Meetinghouse Construction

Exciting Programs for Elementary Children- Darcy and Katherine
and Jr. and Sr. High- Molly and Anna
(Must Pre-register for youth programs)

Contact Arnie Alpert with questions:

224-2407 or aalpert@afsc.org [1]

Save the Date: More information to follow!
Potluck lunch
Friends,
In the spring of 1975 Quakers decided to open a New Hampshire field office of the American Friends Service Committee.  Their vision and hard work enabled 35 years of action promoting social justice and peace based on Quaker principles of nonviolence, inclusion, equality, and simplicity.  We’ve been “letting our lives speak” and helping a lot of others do the same since then. 
Next Saturday, May 22, Friends (and friends of Friends) will celebrate AFSC’s 35 years of Quaker activism in New Hampshire at a gathering at the Parish House of the United Church of Canterbury.  Please consider joining us. 
Registration begins at 9:30 am, with a welcome and period of worship at 10.  From about 10:30 to about noon, Keith Harvey, Maggie Fogarty, Molly Messenger, and I will speak about the values that animate our work for social justice and peace, and which keep the AFSC such a vital force for change. 
After lunch, break-out sessions will look more closely at youth empowerment, the economy, other issues in New Hampshire (e.g. taxes, death penalty, immigration), and developments in the wider AFSC.  There will also be programs for children and care for your pre-schoolers if you let me know how many children are coming.  RSVP to me at aalpert@afsc.org [1] or call (603) 224-2407.
Once you find your way to Canterbury Center, the Parish House is just behind the Canterbury Store.
At 3 pm, there will be a field trip to the new Quaker Meeting House under construction by the Merrimack River in Canterbury. 
In addition, I want you to know that the AFSC web site is in the process of being re-designed.  The New Hampshire section is still a work in progress, but we have posted a couple of recent articles that highlight accomplishments in recent years.  One is about our “bird-dogging” of Senator Barack Obama in 2007, which we think contributed to his adoption of a position advocating the abolition of nuclear weapons.  The other recalls community and legal reaction to the arrests of immigrants in New Hampshire in 2005, a situation reminiscent of recent developments in Arizona.  Both were first published in the Concord Monitor.  Go to www.afsc.org/newhampshire [2] and look at the section called “Read About Our Work.”  And “bookmark” the site so you can return later to see what else we’ve added.
Best wishes,
Arnie Alpert,
New Hampshire Program Coordinator