Occasionally, Friends are moved to speak out on matters of Peace and Social Concern. We call these "Minutes" because they record a unaminous statement of concern.

Immigration Minute

The following minute was approved at the November 2008 meeting for business.

Multnomah Monthly Meeting concurs with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) that

The world should move toward becoming a global community that safeguards human rights and guarantees the economic opportunity of all people in their country of choice.

We thus believe that all persons who reside in our country should be treated with justice and equality which, at this time, too many in our state and nation are denied.

Many of those providing our food and clothing, building our homes, our bridges and roads, and caring for our children face arrests, raids, detention, deportation and separation from other family members. These U.S. residents contribute to economic, social and cultural life of Oregon but live in fear and often isolation.

Our Congress has been unable to agree on a much needed immigration reform bill and our state is bitterly divided on how best to address the problem of undocumented immigrants.

In accordance with our Quaker testimonies Multnomah Monthly Meeting of Friends believes that at this time we should at least offer compassion and support for those in need. The Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, spearheaded by the AFSC and local interfaith groups, is presently providing shelter and legal assistance as well as physical and emotional support to immigrants in our area.

At our November 2008 Monthly Meeting for Business, the Multnomah Monthly Meeting recommended that we become a recognized member of Oregon New Sanctuary Movement (ONSM), joining them in their work and in those activities as are in keeping with our beliefs and testimonies.

Death Penalty Minute

The following minute was approved at the February 2000 meeting for business.

"The central tenet of the Religious Society of Friends is that the light of God, as made manifest in Truth and Love, is revealed in every human being of every race and religion.

We are, therefore, convinced of the sanctity of every human life and unalterably opposed to the death penalty. The crime of murder rends us asunder. Violence creates fear, suspicion, and distrust. Bereaved families, friends, and communities are devastated by horror, sorrow and resentment. This impact is felt whether the death is caused by a lawless individual or by the state whilst carrying out a sanctioned execution.

Killing a person who has killed deprives that person of the possibility of remorse, of reform, and of making restitution. It violates our social conscience by denying us the opportunity for the reconciliation and forgiveness that we must create to heal the wounds inflicted by the interpersonal violence.

Multnomah Friends Meeting supports the Life for a Life Initiative. This will replace the Oregon death penalty with a mandatory sentence of 'true life imprisonment' (life imprisonment without the possibility of parole) for those
convicted of aggravated murder. Such a sentence will allow the convicted individual to live out the consequences of his or her actions and to mature in the dignity of being held really accountable.

We urge all people who believe in the Biblical commandment Thou shalt not kill' to join us in affirming the potential for good in each human life. Our Quaker conviction that the love and grace of God embraces every human being leads us to hope that, in the fullness of time, the mandate for uncompromising imprisonment will be reconsidered by Oregonians."