Resources
- Hard Questions – Quakers reflect on their testimony to peace in light of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Hard questions: Ukraine (PDF)
- In a statement on 24 February 2022 Quakers in Britain strongly condemned the invasion of Ukraine and called for an end to the fighting.
- Northern Friends Peace Board compiled a list of resources to increase understanding of the crisis and advocate peaceable action.
- Some prepared ministry on responding to the war in Ukraine was delivered to Meeting for Sufferings, the national representative body of Quakers in Britain.
Support spiritually
Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), the global Quaker body, has issued a unifying Christian call for peace. Anyone who agrees with its message can endorse it on FWCC's website and share it.
There are online meetings for worship about Ukraine:
- Friends House Moscow runs daily meetings on Zoom, at 17:00 BST.
- FWCC-Europe & Middle East Section runs regular meetings for worship. Full details can be found on FWCC's event calender (offsite link).
An ecumenical meeting for prayer:
- The Fellowship of Reconciliation, Church and Peace, Cymdeithas y Cymod and the Methodist Peace Fellowship hold weekly online prayers for peace in Ukraine at 7.30pm on Fridays. You can register here.
Russian peace-makers condemn the war in Ukraine
Russian peace-makers have shared a statement The Christmas Declaration of Russian Christian peacemakers (PDF) in which they condemn the war. They also call on Christians in Russia to resist it non-violently.
Give money
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is one of the main organisers of the humanitarian assistance. Christian Aid is part of DEC; it is the churches' relief agency of which Quakers in Britain is a sponsoring church.
The Bearr Trust , which supports grassroots health and welfare charities in Eastern Europe and has worked with Friends House Moscow, has issued a Ukraine appeal.
The Ukrainian Institute London has compiled a list of humanitarian charities which people can donate to. Some of the links from the Institute's webpages are to military sources, which we do not endorse.
Friends World Committee for Consultation – Europe and Middle East Section have in partnership with the British Friends of QCEA and the Central European Gathering (of Quakers) set up a mechanism for Friends to donate money for Quaker work with Ukrainians. You can find more information about it here.
Support refugees
In March 2022, the government announced a 'Homes for Ukraine' sponsorship scheme where members of the public can offer to host Ukrainian refugees in their own homes . There isn't a single Quaker view on whether or not to participate: the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network is compiling different Friends' perspectives on its website.
Our Ukraine forced migration page details all the information we have about the Homes for Ukraine scheme and offers some other ways we can support those fleeing violent conflict.
Support work for peace
Some ideas for peace action were outlined in a blog on our website. For example, Friends could consider:
- promoting peaceful alternatives on social media, by writing to your local newspaper, and/or by phoning talk radio stations (you may want to practice your responses to questions in advance with someone)
- organising a local meeting on the peace testimony, or a community-based conversation about building sustainable peace and security. Contact the Quaker Peace and Social Witness team at dixew@quaker.org.uk if you need help with finding a speaker or facilitator. Our partners at Rethinking Security have produced a resource pack (offsite link) that discusses some steps needed to organise a community-based discussion involving a broad range of people.
- taking part in citizen diplomacy to promote peace, good will and friendship with Russian people
- highlighting examples of peaceful or compassionate actions around the war, sharing them with your family and networks
Together with our partners, Quakers in Britain are continuing to promote alternatives to militarism and helping to build a culture of peace and nonviolence. Our partners in this work include:
- Quaker United Nations Office
- Rethinking Security
- Global Campaign on Military Spending UK
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Header photo by
Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash
