A Reno group called Sierra Interfaith Action for Peace has been holding a monthly Peace Presence Vigil in downtown Reno since the United States started bombing Afghanistan in 2001.
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Category: Blogs
Georgia Dalto, an attender of Reno Friends, is currently studying and working in Kosovo to become a reconciliation facilitator.
I woke up at 7am, without an alarm clock. I looked out through my sleepy eyes, seeing the old wooden dresser with the broken handle. I never noticed before, but it’s splintered as if a bullet struck it a few decades ago when there was war in this village. Dust floated through the ray of sun slanting in through the high window, and I was grateful to the farmer who let me stay in the old house his grandparents built, and in which his father was born. This farmer, like so many others here, has since built a modern house for his own growing family, using a government grant that we helped him secure. But he left the old house standing, out of respect for his forebears.
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Marching Together with Pride
By Kristin Winford and the Reno Friends First Day School Students
Please join the First Day School and Reno Friends to march together in the Northern Nevada Pride Parade, Sat. Sept. 6. We will gather at the Meeting House at 8:00 a.m.; the parade starts at 10 am at California Avenue between Arlington Avenue and Virginia Street.
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The Arms of God
One of the members of our Quaker Meeting shared a message the other day during After Thoughts: “We are all the arms of God.”
That was it.
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Talking with Atheists
A few years ago, our Quaker Meeting got a call asking if we would like to participate in fundraising for the Student Atheist club at the university. The club’s idea was that churches and religious groups could “sponsor” a young atheist to come attend a service. It cost just $10 to sponsor a visit from one of them.
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Committing to Inner Peace
As 2025 began, like many of us, I pondered my New Year’s intentions. I’d read that polls show people are feeling more stressed, anxious and depressed in recent years. I’d noticed the same trend. I decided what the world needs most right now is more peace, kindness and hope, not more anxiety, anger and despair. So, I resolved to commit to lasting inner peace.
I work in the woods as a forester, and I manage our National Forest lands. This is a true story from a day in the woods last month.
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Residual Anger
I had the unique experience the other day of meeting someone who seemed to be free of residual anger.
He was my new grandson, just a few weeks old, so I guess it was not surprising. In truth, he seemed innocent of most human emotions. He did not cry, possibly because he was premature; apparently preemies don’t cry much until they grow into their lungs some months later. Still, his parents and I were amazed that he seldom complained, and when he did squawk at something we were doing (like trying to get his tiny arm down the sleeve of a fresh outfit), he immediately quieted down when the trauma was over. I looked at his father, my own son, and said: “It’s like the baby has no residual anger to tap into. When the bad thing goes away, life is just fine again.”
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After Thoughts
Many Quaker Meetings have a tradition of sharing “After Thoughts” at the close of Silent Worship, and Reno Friends is one of those Meetings. After Thoughts (also called After Words) are messages that people did not feel led to speak during the Silence but that they still want to share.
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Are Quakers Mennonites or Amish?
Every so often we get a call at Reno Friends Meeting from someone wondering if the Quakers are Mennonites or perhaps part of the Amish faith. I used to find these questions amusing, as if people thought we drove buggies, dressed in simple clothes, or wore colonial-style hats, like the guy on the Quaker Oats box. But it turns out the question is not that silly.