Friends World Committee for Consultation [FWCC]

Asia West Pacific Section [AWPS] Gathering in Seoul.

In mid-October, I travelled to Seoul with two objectives in mind. The first was to be able to be a part of the AWPS Gathering and the second was to introduce the Silver Wattle (SW) podcasts to our section. I arrived a day early so that I could recover from the airports and the flight and found the FWCC world body – the Central Executive Committee – had been meeting before the gathering,  and there was an overlap of a day, and I took advantage of the situation. The four sections of FWCC [ the Americas, Europe & the Middle East, Africa and AWPS] had 2 or 3 representatives present. I was able to speak with a Friend from Mexico who was really happy as she explained that she led monthly group discussions in her Meeting and was running out of ideas, so the podcasts would give her Meeting new topics for another 9 months. Michael Eccles [Europe] said that he would listen to them and publish an article in his section’s newsletter. Two Friends [from Kenya and Sth Africa] were pleased to be able to take the news back to their meeting. This was a great Blessing for the podcasts; I was able to reach out to all 4 sections of Quakers creating a worldwide audience. 

During the early part of our gathering, it became very obvious of the need to have translations of the content. There were about 25 to 30 Koreans present, and not all spoke English. So everything that was spoken was first said in English, then being spoken in Korean – sentence by sentence, but I also bore it in mind that I had to consider Spanish for Mexico, and all the European/Middle East languages. Our Producer – Holly Dhynes – is already investigating how to do this.

With the help of the translator and being able to project the SW webpage onto a very large screen, made my task of introducing the podcasts easy;   enthusiasm was apparent. I was able to introduce others to the other 3 sections, as well as individuals from England, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Philippines, India, Aotearoa, Kenya and South Africa. The need for translations was also emphasized in the draft of the AWPS Advices and Queries. Our section has a working draft toward a multi-lingual edition that will be presented to the Gathering in 2030. These draw upon the wisdom and practice of Friends across our diverse region and is printed in English, Hindi, Japanese, Filipino and Korean. QRM is encouraged to use this draft for reflection, worship and we are asked to consider questions such as – is it too long, too short, is there something that was missed or is there too much. I will be contacting Ministry & Oversight with the suggestion to share the document and have a discussion group after AYM in January.

I was also able to take 200 White Peace Poppies with me which Margid had prepared for me and they were snapped up very quickly, I tried to give everyone at least 3, 1 to wear and 2 to give away. Friends were extremely happy with the message of the poppies, and that message of Peace was spread through all four sections of FWCC.

One of the days there was spent on a trip to the border of South and North Korea  – the demilitarised zone [DMZ]. This was not my first trip to the DMZ, I wanted to see what had changed, if anything. As the coach drove the 25 or so kilometres from Seoul, one very soon became aware of the military in the area. There are approx. 650,000 troops [20,000 American] stationed within 100 k’s of the DMZ, with 750,000 Nth Korean troops on active duty. As you approach the border, you can see dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles parked ready for action, together with high barb wire  fences and lookout towers. The mighty Han river forms part of the border, along with mine fields along both banks of the river. There still is an active state of War existing today, neither side agreed to end the war, they just agreed to stop fighting, and there is a chance that it could start all over again. The DMZ Centre was set up, in my opinion, to remind people of the horror of war, the pain and suffering,  lives lost, the families broken up – with some in the North and others in the South – unable to meet for decades. It was meant to be a solemn reminder that there has been no peace pact between the two  adversaries. I was deeply saddened to see that there was now a ‘fun park’ attached to the site, which reminded  me of the Brisbane Ekka, which sort of cheapened the whole thing.

There was one event that took all of us [maybe 60 or so] out for supper – Korean style food and cooking. We sat at  long tables, 1 for fish, 1 for meat and 1 vegetarian food. On each table there were 3 butane gas rings and  a very large wok. The wok held a broth [that was boiling] and you were brought cabbage, bamboo shoots  and other vegetables and noodles and of course kimchi. You then had to cut the food with scissors and drop it into the broth along with some finely sliced beef.  The food which cooked very quickly was self-serviced into bowls and it was a typical ‘all you can eat’ Korean experience; lots of time for chatting while watching your food being prepared and cooked. We were one large community sharing our experience and food.

All the meals that were served in the  building where the Gathering took place, were vegetarian and a great variety of food,  prepared in many different ways, was well received.  There were about half of the Gathering staying at another property, just along the road, and we joined both groups in the large circle  in the main meeting room. The hospitality shown by Korean  Friends was wonderful, preparing morning tea for us with small cakes, fresh fruit and other goodies and making sure that we were able to enjoy the experience of the Gathering. The building where I was staying was quite modern,  in a very old part of Seoul with extremely narrow streets – barely wide enough for a car.  It was interesting to see how 2 cars approaching each other dealt with this. One would back up or turn into a driveway, letting the other vehicle pass in a friendly way. No shouting or honking of horns, just quiet acceptance of cooperation.

I found the Gathering to be very different to a YM gathering. I felt closer to those who came to the Gathering.  I feel part of that was because we sat in a circle, and this made a difference even during the business sessions. The Clerk’s table was part of the circle – when there was a discussion group meeting  the table was left empty. From morning to night, it seemed that whatever we were doing, a feeling of worship was quite evident. Conversations at mealtimes were always soft and subdued. I enjoyed the euphoria that was evident and I returned home all the better for attending the Gathering. I was also grateful for the successful launch to the world of the SW podcasts and the distribution of the Peace Poppies. I am grateful to QRM for their contribution to all the costs of this journey, without that I could not have gone. 

Please also read the AWPS Epistle included in Streamlines, 14^th November and visit www.silverwattle.org.au/podcast

In Love and Peace, Michael Corbett