San Diego Friends Meeting (Quakers)

06/17/2026

Last year the 4 global Quaker worships connected hundreds of Friends from all across the world with each other in silence, song, prayer and laughter. This year we continue with the global worships to connect even more Friends. The EMES led GQW will happen during the All Age Gathering on Wednesday, the 12th of August.

https://fwccemes.org/calendar/global-quaker-worship-hosted-by-emes-august-2026

06/16/2026

AFSC welcomes the signing of a new U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal—a step toward what we hope is lasting peace between the two countries.   
 
As negotiations continue over the next 60 days, both countries must act in good faith to keep the fighting from resuming. Congress and the Trump administration should also commit to a new era of diplomacy with Iran and move toward ending sanctions as part of a path to permanent peace.  
 
The same commitment to diplomacy must extend to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. For more than three years, the U.S. has failed to hold Israel accountable for its actions—with devastating consequences throughout the region. Israel can’t be allowed to act as a spoiler for this new agreement. U.S. policy must change. That means calling for an end to Israeli attacks and for full withdrawal from both Lebanon and Gaza.   
 
Now is the time for a reset in U.S. policy towards the Middle East. We must shift away from war, militarization, and apartheid—and toward freedom, justice, and equality for all people.

06/16/2026

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Stuart Masters addresses some big questions: Who are the Quakers? What do they have to offer? And do they have a future?

06/10/2026

This month marks 57 years since the Stonewall uprising in 1969, when a police raid of a gay bar in Greenwich Village incited a riot and days of protests, one of the catalysts for the gay liberation movement in the United States. And Quakers were there.

Quakers came out to the streets to give first aid to injured protesters. Then the next year, when gay rights leaders were organizing the first Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade to commemorate the Stonewall uprising, they asked Quakers to teach parade marshalls about nonviolent civil disobedience. Quakers were the first and only religious group to march in that first gay pride parade, and they have done so ever since.

Quakers are not a monolith, and to this day some are not LGBTQ affirming. But many Friends were and continue to be proud allies and members of the q***r community.

05/27/2026

A poem by Carole Mertz.

05/27/2026

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Today we honor Fred T. Korematsu, a man who practiced nonviolent resistance at the age of 19. In 1942, Korematsu resisted a racist executive order by refusing to leave home for a Japanese internment camp.

Executive Order 9066, signed by President Roosevelt, was in effect with its racist logic. The Lieutenant General at the time argued that “the very fact that no sabotage has taken place” from Japanese Americans proved that soon it would.

Korematsu's case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled against him. More than 30 years later, though, this court ruling was overturned. Toward he end of his life, he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his courage.

This is just a brief snippet. Read more about Korematsu's life here:
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/fred-korematsu-battle-against-internment-of-japanese-americans/

Photo credit: Gary Fong/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

05/27/2026

As a peace church, how to Quakers observe ? The answer depends upon the person. Some Friends take time on Memorial Day to reflect on the physical and emotional trauma that happens to all people affected by war. Some Friends teach or learn about Conscientious Objector status, perhaps by supporting young people in building their personal case file against war. Some Friends resist war by refusing to pay taxes, and some Friends look for ways to continue paying health care to veterans while resisting other war taxes.

As a Quaker, how do you intend to observe Memorial Day? Reflections are welcome in the chat.

This week's Vitality newsletter offered some food for thought. You can read it here:
fgcquaker.org/memorial-day

And, to learn about Conscientious Objector tips from Friends in New York, see their website:
nyym.org/content/conscientious-objection-war

05/23/2026

Next month is Pride Moth! Has your meeting ever set up a table at Pride? How did people interact with you as they walked by? What did you do to respond to wind, rain, or other surprises that can happen when running a booth outside? This post is part of our "What Say You" series in which we ask Friends (and newcomers!) about aspects of Quaker outreach.

And if you have marched in Pride, feel free to share a photo! We'd love to see your smiling faces.

If you're new to Quaker spaces, check out the public statements that Friends have made in support of LGBTQ+ rights. They're listed as "Minutes of Conscience," which are public statements that the Quaker meeting can get behind as a group.

https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcresources/minutes-of-conscience/lgbtq-concerns/