Epistles from Quaker groups from around the world
FWCC is pleased to post Epistles we receive.
An Epistle articulates a collective sense of experience and how God has moved among Friends during a gathering, be it a yearly meeting session or an FWCC Section meeting, or a Young Friends gathering. It is approved by that group during a meeting for business. It is typically shared with yearly meetings so that they might read some of them out in meeting or publish some for people to read. It was historically, and continues to be, an important way for Friends and others to learn about each other in that which is eternal. They help us appreciate that we are part of a world family of Friends.Epistles have potential to facilitate understanding among Friends, and in this light, we ask that you read Epistles with an open mind and heart.
Please note that each meeting writes its own Epistle, and we do not alter or edit them; Friends with concerns are encouraged to address those directly to the sending meeting.
Here you will find the most recent epistles FWCC has received from each gathering. To read previous epistles, please check the archive.
If your Epistle doesn’t appear here, please send it to FWCC by email.
World Plenary Meeting Epistle 2016 English (19-27 January 2016)
Epístola de la Reunión Plenaria Mundial 2016 Español (19-27 de enero de 2016)
Most Recent Epistles Received
2020
Alaska Friends Conference (30 July – 2 August) (.pdf, 109kb)
Aotearoa New Zealand YM – Te Hāhi Tūhauwiri (.pdf, 2265kb)
Australia YM (4-10 July) (.pdf, 288kb)
Junior Young Friends’ Epistle (.pdf, 364kb)
Children’s Epistle (.pdf, 232kb)
Australia YM Responds to Messages of Concern Following Bushfires (22 January) (.pdf, 177kb)
Baltimore YM (27 July – 3 August) (.pdf, 206kb)
Britain YM (15 November) (.pdf, 55kb)
Canadian YM (8-13 August) (.pdf, 157kb)
Cuba YM (23 February) (bilingual/bilingüe English/español)
Europe & Middle East Young Friends Summer Gathering (19-26 July) (html)
FWCC Central Executive Committee (11-15 June) (.pdf, 93kb)
German YM (23-25 October) Deutsch (.pdf, 48kb) / English (.pdf, 18kb) / français (.pdf, 24kb)
Illinois YM (17-21 June) (.pdf, 172kb)
Indiana YM (23-25 July) (.pdf, 124kb)
Iowa YM (Conservative) (24-26 July) (.pdf, 187kb)
Lake Erie YM (30 July – 2 August) (.pdf, 75kb)
Monteverde Monthly Meeting (May) (.pdf, 224kb)
Netherlands YM (3 October) (.pdf, 128kb)
New England YM (1-9 August) English (.pdf, 269kb) / español (.pdf, 99kb)
New York YM (19-31 July) (.pdf, 100kb)
North Carolina YM (Conservative) (8-12 July) (.pdf, 589kb)
Ohio YM (3-8 August) (.pdf, 108kb)
Ohio Valley YM (17-21 June) (.pdf, 51kb)
Pacific YM (10-15 July) (.pdf, 93kb)
Piedmont Friends YM (24-26 July) (.pdf, 70kb)
Poland – All-Poland Gathering (14 November) English (.pdf, 18kb) / Polski (.pdf, 18kb)
South Central YM (24-27 September) (.pdf, 112kb)
Southeastern YM (10 June) (.pdf, 82kb)
Sweden YM (7 November) (.pdf, 90kb)
Wilmington YM (23-26 July) (.pdf, 103kb)
2019
Belgium & Luxembourg YM (15-17 November) (.pdf, 94kb)
Central European Gathering (12-16 April) (.pdf, 58kb)
France YM (25-28 October) (.pdf, 143kb)
Friends Church of North Carolina (2-4 August) (.pdf, 225kb)
Friends Church of Uganda (28 August – 2 September) (.pdf, 2.42MB)
FWCC Europe & Middle East Section Annual Meeting (2-5 May) (.pdf, 255kb)
Great Plains YM (30 May – 2 June) (.pdf, 163kb)
Intermountain YM (9-16 June) (.pdf, 76kb)
Ireland YM (25-28 April) (.pdf, 153kb)
Italian Friends’ Gathering (30 August – 1 September) (.pdf, 72kb)
Jamaica YM (9-11 August) (.pdf, 276kb)
Mexico General Meeting (16-17 November) English (.pdf, 69kb) / español (.pdf, 45kb). Photo of the group (.jpg, 616kb)
New Association of Friends (27 October) (.pdf, 85kb)
North Carolina Fellowship of Friends (10 August) (.pdf, 143kb)
North Pacific YM (17-21 July) (.pdf, 149kb)
Northern YM (24-26 May) (.pdf, 153kb)
Norway YM (.pdf, 70kb)
Philadelphia YM (23-28 July) (.pdf, 80kb)
Young Adult Friends’ Epistle (.pdf, 41kb)
Young Friends’ Epistle (.pdf, 40kb)
Middle School Friends’ Epistle (.pdf, 33kb)
Quaker Religious Education Collaborative, East Africa (16-19 January) (.pdf, 188kb)
Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) (28-31 March) (.pdf, 99kb)
Sierra-Cascades YM (24-26 May) (.pdf, 76kb)
Southern Appalachian YM and Association (13-16 June) (.pdf, 122kb)
Switzerland YM (7-10 June) English (.pdf, 116kb) / Deutsch (.pdf, 82kb)
Western YM (25-28 July) (.pdf, 658kb)
2018
Evangelical Friends of Kitale, Kenya (12-16 December) (.pdf, 23kb)
FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns) (summer) (.pdf, 4MB)
FWCC Asia-West Pacific Section Meeting (12-16 September) (.pdf, 203kb)
Friends Association for Higher Education (14-17 June) (.pdf, 208kb)
Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference (6-10 June) (.pdf, 258kb)
Quaker Council for European Affairs (5-6 October) English (.pdf, 78kb) / Nederlands (.pdf, 79kb) / Dansk (.pdf, 151kb)
Soy YM (22-26 August) (.pdf, 190kb)
2017
Chavakali YM (16-20 August) (.pdf, 102kb)
Japan YM (18-19 November) (.pdf, 115 kb)
Nairobi YM (30 August-3 September) (.pdf, 558kb)
Nordic Gathering (29 June-2 July) (.pdf, 167kb)
Ramallah MM (February) (.pdf, 493kb)
Sierra-Cascades YM (.pdf, 129kb)
Epistle of the “What Canst Thou Say?” Ministers & Elders Colloquium (6-9 October) (.pdf, 184kb)
2016
Baltimore YM (1-7 August) (.pdf, 176kb)
Central and Southern Africa YM (27 April-3 May) (.pdf, 46kb)
Denmark YM (2-3 April) (.pdf, 102kb)
Europe & Middle East Young Friends All-Age Gathering (30 July-6 August) (.pdf, 275kb)
Fellowship of Friends of African Descent Annual Gathering (12-14 August) (.pdf, 137kb)
Tanzania YM (24-28 August) (.pdf, 64kb)
2015
Tanzania USFW (December) (.pdf, 64kb)
2014
Bhopal YM (9 February)
Quaker Youth Pilgrimage 2014 (22 July – 21 August) (.pdf, 255kb)
2013
Alaska YM
Northwest YM (21-25 July)
2012
East Africa YM (4 September)
Epistles archive
