QiN Behind the News

AFSC Fun Bumper Sticker Challenge

2008-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia - The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is attempting to divert attention away from its own apparent internal funds misappropriation and influence like-minded folk of left-wing politics how to spend other people's money by promulgating a query on its new bumper sticker.

How would YOU spend it?

The AFSC has also issued a challenge to all Quakers to answer this question in detail and email a picture of their car's rear bumper to allow the AFSC Board to evaluate who truly is the most devoted Quaker in America. Extra points will be given if the bumper photographed is one of the most expensive foreign-made hybrid models in vogue. The winner of the contest will be installed as the new Clerk of the AFSC Board as long as s/he is a birthright member of the 1960's Aquarian Generation. This award will reinforce the fact that the most weighty Friends are those Quaker ministers who wear their hearts on their sleeves and who similarly wear their religion/politics on their bumpers.

$720 Mil could get you a very nice swimming pool in your back yard, but we don't want anyone putting down personal preferences. The question, as are most Quaker questions, is rhetorical, again meant to appeal to the conscience of professional politicians who might happen to momentarily take their minds off being paid off by lobbyists, and somehow take notice of our desperately littered moving or parked cars.

It's possible that AFSC already ran an internal contest in how each staffer would spend earmarked trust fund money on other things - like the already excessive executive salaries?

Call Pennsylvania Attorney General - Tom Corbett

2008-07-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Latest Update: 8/7/08

Dear Friend,

Those who would like to ask the Pennyslvania Attorney General to negotiate a public unsealed settlement in the Funds Misappropriation lawsuit vs. American Friends Service Committee can mention the Philadelphia Orphan's Court Docket # 1067 of 2007. Please see contact information for the Attorney General below.

To see the history of the case filings and schedule in this case.
Please see: Orphan's Court Division - Docket Access

Click: Display Orphan's Docket Report, Click: Accept, then Enter: 1067 in the first box and 2007 in the 2nd. Click: Submit

Here, one may log on to Philadelphia's wonderful web-based open government database for information about cases filed in the Philadelphia Orphan's Court. For those who would like to visit the Court in person to obtain copies of relevant court filings, go to the large building with the statue of Wm. Penn standing on top and go to room 415. Copies are $3.00 per page.

The meeting between attorneys and The Honorable Judge John Herron is scheduled for Tuesday, August 26 at 1:00 pm, and activist Friends moved to stand for Quaker Testimony of Integrity might well decide to convene an Integrity Vigil outside the chambers that day.

In Friendship,
Glenn R.

------

previously posted

A Pennsylvania Assistant Attorney General was contacted the week of 7/21/08 to inquire about the details of the investigation and court proceedings of a lawsuit against the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). This lawsuit alleging financial misappropriation was brought to light by a whistleblower reported in an October 2007 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This week, the Assistant Attorney General declined to confirm whether or not there is or is not an investigation ongoing even though the Inquirer reported that 14 funds worth $8MM managed by the AFSC would be audited as part of the investigation. The Assistant Attorney General did confirm that there is a meeting between the lawyers and the judge in this case scheduled for this August 2008.

Could there be a settlement in this case shortly?

We know that there are a substantial number of Quakers or Friends who feel that the American Friends Service Committee has long ago outrun its Quaker Guide, God, or the Spirit of Christ that Friends feel in unity with. We know that the AFSC spends very little of its $45MM annual budget on face-to-face ‘Service’ work. Quaker volunteers are not allowed to help, since AFSC is a union shop. What now exists in modern day is a neatly packaged Political Action Committee meant to support an agenda that divides, not unifies. There are very few Quakers on the AFSC staff and many Friends Monthly Meetings and Wider Bodies have broken ranks with the AFSC. The AFSC represents itself as a ‘Quaker’ organization when it feels the political, public relations or financial advantage to do so. The AFSC has recently changed its mission statement to demonstratively call itself ‘Quaker’, become more secular, and should now or soon be required by the IRS to make public its independent audit statements (Form 990) as does any other non-church non-profit in the Public Trust.

Any good cause starts as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket, according to philosopher Eric Hoffer. At what point in this continuum is the AFSC now after almost a century in existence and a severe decline in Friends’ membership. Do Friends have the ability to properly oversee this ‘institution’? Friends also know this condition as natural, and once spun off, an organization should have its own charter, however be known as un-affiliated with the Quaker Church.

Friends are urged to write or call the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Tom Corbett, to ask that the State of Pennsylvania, as part of any potential settlement with the AFSC, require the details of the findings and the settlement in the upcoming negotiations with the Judge, remain unsealed and public. The giving public in general deserves to know the truth about any financial misappropriation which has occurred at the AFSC. As well, Friends deserve to know what was found Friends were once called Publishers of the Truth. Modern Friends in no way can reasonably feel that secrecy in this case will serve the public or the historic or current Friends’ Integrity.

A. G. Corbett
Pennsylvania Attorney General

Phone: 215-560-2402 Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section
21 South 12th Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107

When this story broke: QiN 11/1/2007

Membership Decline

2006-11-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Welcome to a new sprouting of Quakers in the News –

QiN Behind the News.

For our first report - we go behind the news feature about the changing face of Philadelphia by Alison Lapp, of the Associated Press, which was printed in 17 regional newspapers in the United States between October 8, 2006 and today. The AP feature story begins:

PHILADELPHIA - Whether it's a result of the city's Quaker roots or its working-class character, Philadelphia has always cooked up a cuisine that's more meat and potatoes than experimental. Even the city's signature snacks - cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and water ice - appeal more to a sense of hometown pride than to an adventurous palate. But under this bland exterior, a flavor revolution has been brewing in South Philly. It's one that's fed by national immigration trends, the changing face of a neighborhood and, most delectably, tacos. (please see the full story)

Quakers in the News 11.1.2006 linked to one of these 17 publications (See Quaker History period ended 11.1.2006 ) and mentioned that Hispanic Evangelical Friends Churches were taking over defunct (unprogrammed) meetinghouses in Philadelphia" in a BEHIND THE NEWS editorial comment.

The revolution challenging the longstanding traditional food of Philadelphia could also be a metaphor for “ Spanish-language Evangelical Friends Churches which are taking over these defunct (FGC/Silent) Quaker Meetinghouses”.

The comparison turned out to be slightly untrue, in that the QiN Editor, on a deadline to publish the news summary for that period, had remembered a conversation with Louise Salinas, Associate Secretary, FWCC Americas - in this regard some months back and decided to use the plural – MEETINGHOUSES. This was possibly due to the remembrance of the conversation of such report which described the vitality and rapid growth of these Hispanic Friends churches.

It’s generally predicted that by the year 2050, 50% of the U.S. population will speak Spanish.

So - this happening in 2006 might not be so shocking if we put this news in this perspective. Listo? Adelante.

Subsequent to the publication of QiN Summary 11.1.2006 Louise Salinas wrote to the QiN Editor:

"…there are two Hispanic Friends churches in Philly: the first one that started is at 6th and Chelten Aves., in North Philly, and they meet in a Methodist Church that is also used by an African-American Methodist congregation. That Friends' group has been there for four years now. The second group to start is the one in West Philly at 42nd and Powellton, and they use an old Friends Meeting…."

Combined with the statistics that Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has declined in membership substantially in the last 50 years, the Editor made an assumption, which turned out to be slightly incorrect. Upon clarification with Louise, the Editor hereby makes a correction in that one defunct meetinghouse has been taken over by an Evangelical Friends Church which is Spanish-speaking. A second Evangelical Friends Church has residence in another church building in North Philadelphia, so in fact it did not take over a second defunct Friends Meeting, and there is not more than one defunct meetinghouse taken over by Evangelical Friends, who speak Spanish. I ask a question – How long until this singular example becomes plural? Maybe not in Philadelphia proper, but in general?

On that note, Louise Salinas also reports the following:

"....there is another Hispanic church using a Friends Meetinghouse. The pastor, Carlos Moran, has moved to Woonsocket, RI and his group now meets at Smithfield, RI Friends Meeting." (see this link:

http://www.institutoalma.org/directorio/Smithfield.html )

The Editor would like to thank one inquiring PYM Friend who wrote in asking for the addresses of the meetinghouses, saying he was familiar with one – at 42^nd and Powellton in West Philadelphia. If it were not for him, this column - QiN Behind the News - may not have started.

Declining membership of Quakers has been a reappearing item in the general interest published news reported in all regions in the United States, and it is possible that all ‘flavors’ of Friends are affected.

But an item relating to the un-programmed or silent Friends was featured especially in the QiN 9.1.2006 when problems at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting were aired in the Philadelphia press as well as 20 other regional newspapers across the United States. In the period before the Philadelphia YM story - two stories in the New York Times about (silent) Friends meetings - one in Rhode Island (Westerly Meeting/New England Yearly Meeting) - described how the meeting gave ownership of their building to a historical society, since they were unable to manage (with their declining membership). In the same period - Flushing Meeting/New York Yearly Meeting was reported having trouble taking ownership of the costs of its historic building and was applying for public assistance. Please see (Membership Decline – period ended 8.1.2006)

Coincidentally, Louise Salinas also says:

"… You might be interested to know that last month the 10th North American Hispanic Friends Conference took place in Philadelphia. …This is a growing group - Hispanic Friends in Philly - and it's noteworthy that the conference was held here when just 5 years ago there were no Hispanic Friends….."

To see a listing of more Spanish speaking Friends Churches across the United States, please see http://www.institutoalma.org/directorio/index.html

Most of us know how hard-working, responsible and important Latin American immigrants are to our economy and our culture. The AP feature article in so many newspapers across the U.S. states that Latin American food might spice up an otherwise traditional fare. We might be thankful for their arrival, and the 'spices' they bring to our own country and culture ? We could also take it as a wake-up call. But Friends, like anyone else, are not always in a good mood upon waking….

In Friendship,

Glenn

Editor