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Belief Statements ("Minutes")
BFM Statements of Belief are commonly called “Minutes”
- A “Minute” is a statement of belief that an individual or group would like to record for others to see, both now and in the future, about a certain topic, action, or person.
- At Bethesda Friends Meeting (BFM), each Minute is recorded in our Business Meetings, and each one is held as a permanent record of our Meeting’s convictions.
- A Minute will become part of the history of this Meeting. It can be used to stimulate thought and discussion among other Meetings and/or to inform various decision-makers beyond our Meeting of our deeply held beliefs.
Similar to a Minute, BFM might also write and approve a Statement of Concern or we might Join or Endorse a statement that is written by another organization.
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Statement of Concern over the U.S. Government's Language and Actions that Affect Immigrants On February 1, 2026, at Bethesda Friend's Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, the Peace and Social Justice Committee brought the statement below to our community for consideration. The statement regards recent developments that affect recently arrived persons to the U.S. The statement was accepted by BFM and expresses our concern over the United State Government's language and actions that are harmful to people in the US and that are often based on their national origins. "We express the highest concern for recent language and actions by the United States President and executive leaders attacking immigrants, including those singled out by nationality, and the pausing of legal processes such as asylum, permanent residence, and visa issuance. We believe that hatred and bigotry are contrary to our Quaker faith, and to our common humanity. We will continue our work to support people who are newly arrived, and increasingly vulnerable." |
Joining the DC Area Faith Leaders Statement on Immigration Enforcement Actions On February 1, 2026, at BFM's Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, our community approved adding Bethesda Friends Meeting to the list of DC-area faith organizations who have jointly signed a statement that denounces acts of state-sanctioned violence and that that affirms the sanctity of life and our shared commitment to justice and compassion.
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Endorsement of the statement “Quakers Discern Genocide is Occurring in Gaza and Urge Courageous Action” In 2025, eight global Quaker organizations discerned and came to unity on a statement to publicly witness for an end to violence and a call to peace and equality in Palestine and Israel. The call for endorsement and the names of the global Quaker organizations are currently posted on the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) website. BFM's Peace and Social Justice Committee brought the statement to our September 7, 2025, Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business for consideration by the Meeting whether to endorse the statement. The Meeting endorsed this statement. Here is the text of the statement. Within BFM, those who are curious or concerned about follow-up implications of this statement will meet with BFM's Peace and Social Justice Committee (P&SJ) to explore the several suggested concrete actions in the statement, with one being to "...Reach out in love to Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian communities, confronting antisemitism, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate while refusing to be silent in the face of oppression." |
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In support of transgender and nonbinary individuals At the July 13, 2025, Bethesda Friends Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, a Minute in support of transgender and nonbinary individuals was approved by BFM. Here is the text of this Minute.
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An Urgent Call to Protect Human Life and bring a Just Peace to Palestine and Israel At the January 7, 2024, Bethesda Friends Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, a Minute about the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel was approved by BFM. Please click here to read this Minute. |
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Privacy and the State At the July 17, 2022, Bethesda Friends Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, a Minute on "Privacy and the State" was accepted by BFM. Please click here to read this Minute. |
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Alice Paul and her Quaker Witness
On June 2, 2019, at the Bethesda Friends Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, the Peace and Social Justice Committee asked that the Meeting accept a Minute that related to an Alice Paul essay written by Roger Burns. The Minute was accepted as written below.
"As we approach the centennial of the 19th Amendment in 2020, which extended the voting franchise to American women as a matter of law, the Bethesda Friends Meeting urges friends around the country to lift up the story and example of Friend Alice Paul, who made such a major contribution to the passage of that Amendment. We believe that Alice Paul is an important and admirable example of Quaker values in action and social witness. To that end, we recommend that Friends read the essay “Alice Paul and Her Quaker Witness” by Roger Burns, which is an introduction to Alice Paul’s inspiring life and work from a Quaker perspective."
The essay "Alice Paul and Her Quaker Witness" can be accessed at this link.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) Peace Minutes
The Baltimore Yearly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committee works to bring to life the testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends.
- In August 2017, Baltimore Yearly Meeting approved this minute at their annual sessions:
"Minute regarding Consideration of US Renewed Military Action Against North Korea."
Please click here to read more details about this Minute and the BYM Peace & Social Concerns committee.
Selected “minutes” of Bethesda Friends Meeting
- Minute on Marriages under the Care of Bethesda Friends Meeting. Minute on Marriages (2015)
- Prevention and Peaceful Resolution of International Conflicts. Peace Epistle (1996)