Many years’ experience of striving to put my Quaker beliefs into practice has brought me to this conviction: we Friends have some precious tools and insights to help create the conditions for peace, stop the destruction of God’s natural environment, and enable the growth of a just society – to help bring the kingdom of God to earth….

The Spirit in whose presence we wait in worship empowers us. Quaker tradition and practice offer us many riches as well. For example, we understand that the same Spirit is in all people and that our task is to reach for it in others. We have a culture of learning and using mediation and other conflict resolution skills. And Quaker process in our meetings for business, with its implied reliance on setting aside our own egos in search of a higher Truth, offers a much needed model for those who understand only power politics.

Furthermore, most of us are deeply concerned about the world: we are relatively sophisticated about politics, mindful of the effects that our lifestyles have on the environment, and many of us pursue careers that allow us to make positive contributions. Moreover, most modern American Friends are blessed with resources that enable us to look beyond mere survival….

We can make a difference if we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, if we ground our work in that power about which Fox wrote. From that spiritual wellspring we can experience power, energy, and great joy as we do our part to help bring the kingdom of God to our precious world.

–Patience A. Schenck in Pendle Hill Pamphlet 383: Answering the Call to Heal the World