Quakers believe that war is never the right answer. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has troubled many people in Clinton County, and many are supporting our sister city of Merefa, Ukraine, as they’re looking to rebuild what Russian airstrikes destroyed.

Quakers in Clinton County have been instrumental in organizing support for Marefa, but Wilmington Friends Meeting wanted to give additional support to Ukraine specifically by funding peacebuilding work.

Mennonites, Quakers, and the Church of the Brethren are often collectively known as Peace Churches. Together, they believe that following Jesus means laying down arms and working to build God’s kingdom of peace on earth. Members seek nonviolent solutions, as Jesus did, to conflict at home and abroad.

Since there are few Quakers in Ukraine, Wilmington Friends Meeting sent $5,000 to support the work of the Mennonite Central Committee, which represents several Mennonite congregations in Ukraine and a number of peacebuilding efforts in Ukraine.

A donor offered to set aside $5 for every Peace Crane folded and displayed at WFM, in a show of continued support for the work of the MCC in Ukraine. If you drive by the building of Wilmington Friends Meeting on Mulberry Street, you can see the cranes lining up in the windows.

If you want to know more about the work of the Mennonite Central Committee in Ukraine, you can visit Wilmington Friends Meeting on Sunday, May 15.

Danae King, Donor Relations and Church Engagement Associate with the Mennonite Central Committee, will be the featured speaker at the 10 a.m. service and will be describing the work of the MCC in Ukraine in the following Sunday School hour.

All are welcome to come hear what Danae has to share. If you would like to join via Zoom, rather than attending in-person, email [email protected] to request the Zoom link.