Friends gather in the Andes
Tara Craig reports from the FWCC World Plenary in Peru
Four hundred Friends from around the world made a long and, for some, arduous journey to Peru‘s Sacred Valley last week.
Quakers from thirty-nine countries met in Pisac for the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) World Plenary, which ran from 19 to 27 January. They were warmly greeted by local Friends and the mayor of Pisac. At the opening ceremony, a local group provided the perfect background music as Friends gathered in the plenary room for the first time. Later, Friends sang a hymn composed for the plenary, ‘Vivir la Transformación’ by Noe Alanguia Canaza, clerk of the local arrangements committee.
The theme for the plenary, as reflected in Noe’s hymn, was ‘Living the Transformation: Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God’ (Romans 8:19). Friends signed up for one of four consultation groups for the duration. They chose from ‘Leadership and Ministry’, ‘Living Ministry Communities and their Growth’, ‘Sustaining Life on Earth’ and ‘Equipping FWCC’, which looked at changes the organisation may want to make in how it works in order to be more economically and environmentally sustainable. Each consultation group was asked to feed back to the plenary on the final day.
Much of the plenary focused on Young Friends, who represented a significant number of those gathered in Pisac. The Young Adult Friends Sponsored Programme for Action on Sunday 24 January saw Friends of all ages take part in activities such as swimming, litter-picking and Bible-reading.
Each of the FWCC sections took turns leading worship. The difference in styles was notable. The worship led by Section of the Americas: Latin America featured a lengthy but compelling sermon from Estuardo Nufio Vargas, a Guatemalan Friend. Hymns played a prominent part in this worship. ‘How great thou art’ (‘Cuan Grande es Él’ in Spanish) was particularly popular with the Peruvian and Bolivian Friends. The worship led by Section of the Americas: North America featured a calmer but no less impassioned sermon, with a Friend speaking of the importance of educating children in Quaker ways.
The worship session led by the European and Middle East Section (EMES) began with Julia Ryberg of Sweden Yearly Meeting speaking of her own experiences. She spoke movingly of how her husband‘s Meeting in Sweden provided consistency for her when she moved there from the United States. Julia’s talk was followed by ‘Experiment with Light’, a guided meditation led by Sue Glover Frykman, EMES clerk, who is also a member of Sweden Yearly Meeting. Despite unprogrammed worship being unfamiliar to so many, there was a great feeling of calm in the room, broken only by the sound of Friends fanning themselves as the temperature rose.
Workshops took place on four of the eight evenings. Friends were faced with difficult decisions, having to choose between topics as diverse as ‘Nonviolent communication, a way out of a dead-end street’, ‘How have colonisation, racism and white supremacy shaped African Americans’ experience in the Religious Society of Friends?’ and ‘Expectant Listening’.
The plenary, despite the glorious surroundings, was not without its difficulties. Pisac sits at 9,700 feet and several Friends struggled with the altitude. One Friend was taken to hospital in Cusco suffering from altitude sickness. Others, including several members of FWCC’s central executive committee, succumbed to a particularly unpleasant twenty-four-hour stomach bug. The pastoral care team and local doctors were kept busy. The former was much in demand throughout the plenary, not only for its listening skills but for its supply of biscuits and Yorkshire Tea, comforting for many when so far from home.
A number of Friends arrived late. A thirty-nine-strong group of Kenyans arrived three days late due to visa difficulties. They were greeted with great cheers and much applause. Others arrived without luggage and had to rely on Friends to donate spare clothes. One Friend took six flights to reach Pisac, while others travelled for more than thirty-six hours. The setting was so beautiful, with its mountains and hummingbirds, and the welcome so warm, however, that it will have seemed worth it.
Tara is the journalist for the Friend.
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.