Old Chatham Quaker Meeting: Iran Minute for Peace

Old Chatham Quakers along with other Quaker Meetings and Churches in New York and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey, joins with people of many faiths and moral conscience in decrying the ongoing and escalating U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, even as we oppose all wars, and the spiraling violence war sparks. Friends know as a matter of faith, scripture, and experience that war does not resolve differences, but rather ignites escalating rounds of violence. War harms and dehumanizes everyone and damages the Earth and all living beings.

We mourn the tragic loss of life. We mourn the financial cost of this war at about $1 billion or more per day, while the U.S. government cuts funding for life-sustaining aid around the world and cuts funding for education, healthcare, food, and other essential needs at home. We are commanded not to be arrogant with our wealth, but to be rich in good deeds and take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

We call on our elected officials to take action to stop funding the war, end the fighting, and direct the Administration to respect U.S. and international law, to undertake good-faith diplomatic negotiations to establish an immediate ceasefire and end the war.

We aspire to live in that Spirit that reaches across divides and takes away the occasion for all wars. This war inflicts trauma that will have damaging consequences for generations to come. We must acknowledge the harms and listen with compassion to all those harmed. Only then can we step into the healing that brings about a just world where peace is possible.

approved April 12, 2026‍