This is a short introduction to FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation), and how viewers of FCNL’s webpage (www.fcnl.org) may choose to enrich their personal lives by capitalizing on information and services provided by FCNL. This Quaker organization was started in 1943 during World War II. It provides Quakers and like-minded persons with a vehicle to translate their spiritually driven leadings into lobby actions that favor peace and justice within our world. You are encouraged to go directly to the FCNL webpage (www.fcnl.org) for detailed information regarding the history, purpose, and current offerings of FCNL (the oldest religious lobby organization in the US).
First time visitors of www.fcnl.org may be temporarily overwhelmed by its comprehensive, expansive makeup. However, one soon finds that there are specific features of the webpage that make it quick and easy for a person to immediately express their personal concerns to their congressional representatives.
The steps to follow are:
1) use www.fcnl.org to reach the FCNL home page,
2) on the banner line of the home page click “Issues” to compare your social justice concerns with the work of FCNL,
3) return to the banner line of the home page and click “Act”,
4) when the “Act page” appears do three things: A) click “Take Action”, when the heading “Join the Movement”appears proceed to register and thereby gain the names and email addresses of your congress persons, addresses that will automatically be attached to future letters you send, B) move to the right side of this screen and scan the writing opportunities, C) choose to either compose or edit a prewritten letter provided by FCNL,
5) send your newly prepared letter by clicking “Submit Selected Letters.”
Thus, in five steps and only a few minutes you have lobbied your congress persons. Thereby, joining thousands of other Quakers and non-Quakers across the US who have also used the FCNL webpage as a vehicle to act on their spiritual leadings. In this fashion FCNL unifies the effort of caring individuals to make this a better world for all through political action. Certainly not a new practice for Quakers since it is well known that in the 1600s Margret Fell lobbied King Charles II with letters sent from the Lancaster Prison during her 4 years of incarceration.
