Schreiber!in.. Herbert MaIler Beate Vogel

Herbert Moner Josefttr. 39

55118Mainz

rei. 06131-669849

Email: herbert-moell~web.de

03.11.02

To Friends all over the world

German Yearly Meeting came together at Quakerhaus, Bad Pymtont, from 31st October to 3rd November 2002. 204 Friends and attenders took part, including 42 children and young people. We were happy to hear that Young Friends had formed a closely-knit group over the course of the year. Six Friends were accepted into membership, and this was celebrated in a new, refreshing and personal form.

In her Cary Lecture, Roswitha Jarman shared with us her realisation that the self must stand aside if the divine is to have space to operate. The driving force must be God's. It must be our aim to let love break through in our lives in the simplest and most practical tasks. Roswitha is herself personally committed to action in the crises area of the Caucasus. a region tom by hate and violence. She is active in helping. Mediating, reconciling, comforting and healing in the endless suffering there. She told us about her religious experience of the love “that I cannot talk myself into, but which I must fetch each day anew from the eternal spring.”

During the whole of our Yearly Meeting it was clear to us just how important reconciliation and forgiveness are in interpersonal relationships. How can we contribute to reconciliation in the world when conflicts in our small religious society sometimes seem so difficult to solve? Taking a preparatory session both in words and without words as our starting point, and with Roswitha's thoughts in our hearts and minds, we attempted in our business meetings to solve an internal conflict. At this gathering we were almost exclusively concerned with the controversial question of formal membership on the part of Yearly Meeting, or of separate committees of YM, in organisations whose ideals, aims and actions we may well support, but in which we might have to make certain compromises. In spite of our differences of opinion, we were aware of our affection and closeness to each other.

We greet you warmly, and wish for all of us that we may find the way to 1hat spring of love whence we draw our strength.

In the name of German Yearly Meeting,

Herbert Moiler (Schreiber)

Beate Vogel (Schreiberin}