Our Ministries
Quakers strive to live our faith in all that we do. We have always held a vision of a world transformed. Our belief in the ultimate value of every individual inspires our social justice work. Some of us are involved in the work of Quaker organizations such as the American Friends Service Committee. Some join with members of other churches in the local chapter of F.A.I.T.H. (Fighting Against Injustice Towards Harmony). Some put our values into action in community organizing. All of us seek to create a world in which the sacred dignity of each person receives the care it deserves. We seek a world free of war and the threat of war. We seek a society with equity and justice for all. We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled. We seek an earth restored.
Refreshing our faith is about process, not task! When we sink into the silence and stillness, we are transformed by our encounter with God and our discernment of God’s leadings. We are transformed by using our gifts and living our ministry. In turn, our ministry helps transform the world. As a people, we are about listening, connecting, experiencing and being transformed personally, collectively, so that we see the world anew and act to correct its injustice because we can do no other.
F.A.I.T.H.
F.A.I.T.H. is a 501c3 organization comprised of 30 religious congregations in Volusia County. Though F.A.I.T.H. congregations differ in their racial makeup, socio-economic status and theology, they stand united in their commitment to fulfill God’s call to “do Justice.” Unlike direct service agencies or “mercy ministries,” F.A.I.T.H. does not work to help individuals with immediate needs. Rather, F.A.I.T.H. is a direct-action organization made up of “Justice ministries” that work together to address the root cause of community problems by using the power of organized people to hold public leaders accountable for fair and just policy. Mission Statement:
“We are an interfaith, Congregation-based Community Organization. Our member Congregations pledge to build powerful Justice Ministries within their own congregations and to work together to address the root causes of issues of injustice in Volusia County.”
Book Giveaways
Our Ministry of Books: A Public Challenge to Racism and Gender Discrimination: The Florida legislature passed repressive legislation in 2022 with the ironic title of the Individual Freedom Act, known as the Stop Woke Act, which has seriously impeded the teaching of Black history in public schools. Additional legislation, the Don’t Say Gay Act, has made it nearly impossible to counsel students who do not feel they fit the standard binary gender categories of male or female, nor does it allow teachers to call students their preferred names or pronouns if they differ from their birth name or gender. We are concerned that the teaching of real history would become “whitewashed” if devoid of teaching about slavery and its impact on U.S. history and culture. We are also concerned about the rights of non-binary, i.e., queer and questioning young people.
We became aware of the purging of books about Black history by Black authors and gender non-conformity from local school libraries, teachers’ classroom libraries, and from our county libraries. We started buying these books at library sales and thrift stores with the idea of having book giveaways at public events to put the books back into circulation and as an act of protest against book banning. We posted what we were doing on social media and began to receive donations of books from as far away as New York and San Francisco. People sent us cash towards the purchase of more books. We discovered that people all over the country were concerned about the book banning and the racist and anti-gay atmosphere emanating from Governor DeSantis, who had garnered a deluge of national media coverage while he was running as a potential candidate for the U.S. Presidency.
Our first major book giveaway was at the DeLand Juneteenth Celebration in Earl Brown Park, held on July 29, 2023, after the initial celebration was rained out. We gave away over 400 books that day to a very grateful crowd. Our experience convinced us that what we were doing was right and needed. Our success generated more publicity in the Daytona News Journal and the West Volusia Beacon. People read about what we had done when the News Journal story ran in Gannett newspapers. We were featured in an article in Friends Journal. We also posted extensively on social media. Donations of books and money to buy books came pouring in.
Our next book giveaway was on the Martin Luther King holiday on January 15, 2024. We set up our booth at an outdoor event with nearly 800 books. In just six hours, we gave away more than 600 books. Once again, we were moved by the public’s gratitude for making these books available, especially the books for children since this content was not available any longer in public schools. We decided to create an Amazon books wish list so people everywhere could buy books online we pre-selected and have them sent to us. With the help of the wish list, sympathetic librarians, and The Family Bookstore in DeLand, we amassed 1000 books for the DeLand Juneteenth Celebration on June 15, 2024. We bought additional booth space and created a Read Aloud corner with special guest readers from the community. Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of DeLand joined us in giving away nearly 700 books.
The legislation is being challenged by various civil rights groups as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Hopefully, these repressive acts eventually will be nullified legally and repudiated publicly. Until then, we intend to continue our ministry of books as part of our Quaker testimony of equality.
Homeless Packets
For several months DWG has been assembling packets containing food and hygiene items and distributing these to local homeless people. Packets are assembled after Meeting for Worship once each month and several people take packets to distribute in person to homeless persons they encounter.
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Make your check payable to DeLand Quaker Meeting and mail to P.O. Box 4074, DeLand, FL 32721.