Social Concerns Committee – Atlanta Friends Meeting

About Us

Membership: Members and attenders of the Atlanta Friends Meeting. Meetings are open to all that wish to attend. There are usually 5-7 members.

Terms: Three-year, non-consecutive terms.

Meetings: Meetings are usually held once a month, at a time chosen by the committee.

Purpose: This committee encourages and supports individual members and attenders in their social concern leadings. It plans and organizes the Meeting’s social outreach. Quakers for Racial Equality, and Green Friends are currently active examples of the kinds of subgroups that can be periodically formed under the wing of the Social Concerns Committee.

Duties:

1. Financial: Prepares an annual budget and presents it to the Monthly Meeting for approval. Items in the budget include support for projects, which involve meeting members and attenders, for community organizations when the Meeting is a member and for organizations and projects. Reviews requests for spending from the Social Concerns Fund, which is for projects involving the whole Meeting, or a number of Meeting members and attenders. Presents recommendations for use of the Fund to the Meeting.

2. Education: Informs the Meeting about social issues through forums, written articles and announcements.

3. Reports: Explains to the Meeting the process that led to a recommendation, as well as why some issues were not brought forward.

Upcoming Events

The Social Concerns committee meets second First Days in the Meeting room near the Zoom screen. All are welcome to attend, and share concerns. This meeting is hybrid and the link is the same as for Meeting for Worship. If you have questions, contact Karen Morris. Child care is available in the Nursery.

February 8th, 11:45 a.m. – meeting
March 8th, 11:45 a.m. – meeting
April 12th, 11:45 a.m. – meeting

Recent Events

Contact Us

Interested in learning more? Email us at afm.social.concerns.comm@gmail.com.

	Guns to Gardens at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church (a safe surrender event) Oakhurst Presbyterian Church provided an opportunity to bring unloaded firearm(s) stored in the trunk of a vehicle to Oakhurst Presbyterian Church (229 Second Avenue, Decatur) on Saturday, December 6, from 10 am to 1 pm. The donated guns will be dismantled and sent to RAWtools to be made into garden tools. This initiative was co-sponsored by AFM Social Concerns Committee.
	Forum with GA State Senator Elena Parent GA State Senator Elena Parent attended potluck and afterwards presented a forum about how citizens can bring about change. The discussion included bills passed by the Georgia Senate and House and signed by the Governor which will dramatically change education, immigration, and voting in the state, which take effect in the Fall. Topics included rule changes with vouchers for private schools, immigration concerns with deputized police and FBI, removing immigrants at $3,000 per day, unlimited power for the Public Service Commission which has raised GA Power bills., and concerns about purging voter rolls. State Senator Elena Parent was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2014. She represents the 44th Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb and Clayton Counties. Senator Parent serves as the Chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Education and Youth, Judiciary, Appropriations and Government Oversight.
	There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America The Social Concerns committee, joined by Quakers for Racial Equality, hosted a hybrid forum, a Book Talk, on Sunday, May 25th, at 11:45 am in the Meeting room and on zoom. Journalist and AFM attender, Brian Goldstone, author of There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America, spoke about his work which follows 5 Atlanta families who, despite holding full-time jobs, find themselves without stable housing. The book talk included a book signing with books available for purchase by A Cappella Book Store. View the book talk recording here, using passcode: *x^%6dE?**
	Wilson Omeldo, President of ABESUCHI, a youth organization in El Salvador, visited the Atlanta Friends Meeting and spoke at a forum following worship on Sunday, June 22th. Abesuchi was founded in the 1990s by AFM members Frank and Carol Cummings when they retired and moved to Suchitoto, El Salvador. Invited by the Social Concerns Committee, Omeldo provided a full report of the scholarship program for post secondary education.