The Fellowship of Reconciliation is composed of women and men who recognize the essential unity of all creation and have joined together to explore the power of love and truth for resolving human conflict. While it has always been vigorous in its opposition to war, the Fellowship has insisted equally that this effort must be based on a commitment to achieving a just and peaceful world community, with full dignity and freedom for every human being.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted September 21st as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We invite you to participate in our Virtual 2021 International Day of Peace Celebration. Join us for this event to further unify and bring peace to our community. See the flyer (link below) for free registration details.
For the thirty-third consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, December 1, 2019. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
2019 International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted September 21st as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We invite you to participate in the 2019 International Day of Peace Celebration at the Benjamin Franklin Stage area along with the Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR), the Riverside Interfaith Council, local interfaith groups and social justice advocates. You can go directly to the lawns in front of the Downtown Riverside Library at 11:45 am and enjoy words from community members, dancing and singing performances. Join us in this event to further unify and bring peace to our community.
The Sixteenth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 9, 2018, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 8:00pm.
For the thirty-second consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, December 2, 2018. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted September 21st as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We invite you to participate in the 2018 International Day of Peace Celebration at the Benjamin Franklin Stage area along with the Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR), the Riverside Interfaith Council, local interfaith groups and social justice advocates. You can go directly to the lawns in front of the Downtown Riverside Library at 11:45 am and enjoy words from community members, dancing and singing performances. Join us in this event to further unify and bring peace to our community.
The Fifteenth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 17, 2017, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
For the thirty-second consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 3, 2017. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We invite you to start the 2017 International Day of Peace Celebration with Glocally Connected and friends by going on the 3rd Annual Peace Walk. We will start at the Cesar Chavez Community Center at 10:30 am on September 21th and walk to City Hall, Benjamin Franklin Stage area where we will join the Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR), the Riverside Interfaith Council, local interfaith groups and social justice advocates. You can go directly to the City Hall at 11:45 and enjoy words from community members, dancing and singing performances. Join us in this event to further unify and bring peace to our community.
The Fourteenth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 18, 2016, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
For the thirty-second consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 4, 2016. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We invite you to start the 2016 International Day of Peace Celebration with Glocally Connected and friends by going on the 2nd Annual Peace Walk. We will start at the Cesar Chavez Community Center at 10:30 am on September 17th and walk to City Hall, Benjamin Franklin Stage area where we will join the Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR), the Riverside Interfaith Council, local interfaith groups and social justice advocates. You can go directly to the City Hall at 11:45 and enjoy words from community members, dancing and singing performances. Join us in this event to further unify and bring peace to our community.
The Twelfth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 13, 2015, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 8:00pm.
Annual Alternative Gift Fair
For the thirty-first consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 6, 2015. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
Sunday, November 1, 2015, at the Universalist Unitarian Church
(corner of Mission Inn Ave and Lemon Streets in Riverside, CA) at 10AM
Samantha Wilson Gupta will talk about her recent trip to Japan, via FORUSA AND JFOR, for the purpose of contributing to the thinking about Japan's Pacifist Article 9 of their Constitution, just as Japan is considering developing their military.
An evening with David Hartsough
Sunday, September 27, 2015, at the Universalist Unitarian Church
(corner of Mission Inn Ave and Lemon Streets in Riverside, CA) at 7PM
David Hartsough talks about his life as an activist, all over the world…from the Civil Rights movement to present day. David has written a book about his life: Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We will meet on Monday, September 21, 2015 at the Calvary Presbyterian Church's Peace Garden on Magnolia Ave at 14th Street next to Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, CA at 1:00pm.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We will meet on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the Gandhi Statue in the downtown Riverside Mall from 11:45am to 1:00pm.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
We will meet on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at the Gandhi Statue in the downtown Riverside Mall from 11:45am to 1:00pm.
The Ninth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 16, 2012, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
For the thirty-first consecutive year the Alternative Gift Fair will be held in Riverside on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2, 2012. Again this year the Universalist Unitarian Church and the First United Methodist Church are co-hosting this unique and festive event in First Methodist’s spacious Fellowship Hall, 4845 Brockton Ave. The Gift Fair is free and open to the public, offering a wide variety of Fair Trade items from around the world along with special gift ideas from selected local crafts people and artisans.
Olga Reyes Salazar brings a powerful testimony of the human costs of the drug war, militarism and gun trafficking, and of the growing movement to forge a different path in Mexico. Olga comes from a long-time activist family in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, in Mexico, and has lost six members of her family in the last three years.
Please join Olga in one of these upcoming events in Riverside, as she talks about the drug war and constructing peace in Mexico.
When: Saturday, Nov. 17, 7:00 PM Where: Community Settlement Association
4366 Bermuda Ave,
Riverside, CA
Olga has participated in the two "caravans of consolation," led by poet Javier Sicilia, that traveled from central Mexico to the U.S. border and to Chiapas near the Guatemala border. She also participated in the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity that traversed the United States in August and September.
Renowned Peace Activist Book-Signing and Talk
The Inland Action Network and the Peacemakers Coalition are sponsoring an evening with human rights advocate and author Blase Bonpane who will speak on “Communities Working Together: In Peace, Love, and Hope."
When: Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Where: Unitarian Universalist Church, 3657 Lemon St, Riverside, CA
Desserts and light refreshments will be served. Mr. Bonpane’s talk will be followed by a book signing of his latest work, Imagine No Religion.
A Special Conversation with Robert Broz - Quaker Projects in El Salvador
The El Salvador Projects Committee of Palo Alto Friends Meeting invites you to join us for a presentation and conversation with Robert Broz, Field Director of the Quaker Projects in El Salvador.
When: Monday, June 18, 2012 at 7:00 pm Where: Quaker Center, 4063 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA
Please RSVP: (951) 682-5364
Robert Broz has directed the El Salvador Projects for eight years. A citizen of both El Salvador and the United States, he lives in Suchitoto, El Salvador, where he is active in local politics and civic affairs. Robert and his wife operate a restaurant, a hostel, and a socially responsible tour service.
The El Salvador Projects include:
Scholarships for middle school and high school students.
Housing and financial support for college students.
Supporting librarians and specialty teachers in rural schools.
Day-long crafts workshops and social events for seniors, and reading glasses for elderly people.
Funding for workshops on alternatives to violence.
Equipment and training for construction of inexpensive, efficient woodburning cooking stoves made with local materials.
Inland Area Peace Parley #2
The Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR) is hosting a second Peace Parley on Saturday, May 12, 2012 in Riverside. It's a gathering of all peacemakers in the Inland area. This will be an opportunity for organizations to share information about their activities and to exchange ideas. One objective is to provide a way to collaborate on activities of common interest.
The Inland Communities Fellowship of Reconciliation (ICFOR) is hosting the first annual Peace Parley on Saturday, February 11, 2012 in Riverside. It's a gathering of all peacemakers in the Inland area. This will be an opportunity for organizations to share information about their activities and to exchange ideas. One objective is to provide a way to collaborate on activities of common interest.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation has exciting plans for 2012! Thanks to your support, we are building on the success of our recent campaigns and projects - as well as the momentum that the global movement for peace, justice, and nonviolent resistance has gained from the Arab Spring, Occupy Together, and other recent activist efforts...
The Eighth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 11, 2011, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
On Sunday, September 11, 2011, Paul Chappell, Peace Leadership Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, will be speaking at the Redlands United Church of Christ. Paul Chappell graduated from West Point in 2002. He served in the army for seven years, was deployed by Baghdad in 2006 and left active duty in November 2009 as a Captain. He is author of Will War Ever End: a Soldier's Vision of Peace for the 21st Century and The End of War: How Waging Peace Can Save Humanity, Our Planet, and Our Future.
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, a workshop on Nonviolent Conflict Intervention will be held at the Riverside Quaker Center. Please invite students, colleagues, and friends. to join us for our nonviolence workshop that starts at 8:30am for 4 hours. This half day workshop is designed as an introduction to the service learning project beginning at UCR and other local colleges. Students and community members interested in nonviolent conflict intervention, who want to help prevent and decrease violence in conflict situations are welcome to check this out!
ICFOR and the Department of Peace are co-sponsering a Peace Walk. Join us on September 25, 2010 starting at 10:30 am at the Riverside Main Library, 3581 Mission Inn Ave.
The Other 9 / 11
We will join with members of the community in an interfaith commemoration of "The Other 9/11." September 11, 1906 Mahatma Gandhi began his nonviolent struggle for justice. It's time for the hope of active nonviolence to achieve justice and peace. Join us on September 11, 2010 starting at 1:00 pm at the Riverside Main Library, 3581 Mission Inn Ave.
ICFOR is sponsoring a Nonviolent Conflict Intervention 10-week workshop with students from La Sierra University, University of California at Riverside/UCR, and Riverside Community College/RCC. The training takes place on the campus of La Sierra University on Tuesday evenings. We are using the curriculum from the Nonviolent Peaceforce. The course is being taught by Madelyn MacKay, Rose Monge, and Marilyn Sequoia, all members of ICFOR. This time we are not only collaborating with these colleges, but also sharing the concept of nonviolence directly with students who are earning credit for their participation in the classes as well as for associated "service learning" projects that may result. ICFOR will be the facilitator of these projects by connecting students with community organizations.
The national FOR's Colombia Program offers a powerfully informative and entertaining "Drug War Roadshow." Last August the Olympia FOR produced it for a live audience in downtown Olympia WA and we produced it at the local community access TV station for which the Olympia FOR has also produced hundreds of programs for the past 23 years.
We are happy to announce that our 43-minute production of the "Drug War Roadshow" is now posted on the internet so people can view from anywhere in the world. Click to watch the Drug War Roadshow video.
The Sixth Annual Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace
On Sunday, December 13, 2009, we will meet for a quiet, respectful, multi-faith event creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, honoring victims of past and current warfare and honoring peacemakers everywhere! The Candlelight Vigil takes place on the front sidewalks of the downtown Riverside Public Library from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
On Saturday, November 14, 2009, a workshop on Nonviolent Conflict Intervention will be held at the Riverside Quaker Center. Please invite students, colleagues, and friends. to join us for our nonviolence workshop that starts at 8:30am for 4 hours. This half day workshop is designed as an introduction to the service learning project beginning at UCR and other local colleges. Students and community members interested in nonviolent conflict intervention, who want to help prevent and decrease violence in conflict situations are welcome to check this out!
On Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 7:00 pm join us in embodying peace by Circle Dancing & Chanting together in the traditions of our many world religions. Everyone welcome. No dance experience needed.
By 10 am on Saturday, October 24, 2009 hundreds of people from Riverside and neighboring areas will hold signs along Indiana Avenue and Madison Street to signal their rejection of the Nazis of the "National Socialist Movement" and their racist ideas. A Nazi rally across the street will probably have more than the eight who showed up in September, but they will hardly have a mass presence. Organizers of the Rally Against Hate say their peaceful rally should have hundreds, for a massive rejection of racism and violence...
We are publishing the ICFOR’s Nonviolence and Peace Resource Directory for Riverside. Get your organization's statement of Peaceful and Nonviolent Intention and/or Actions for inclusion in the directory.
On Saturday, September 26, 2009, in response to a planned neo-Nazi demonstration at a day labor site in Casa Blanca, Riverside's historically Latino community, numerous community groups united to oppose racism in their city. Over 30 organizations endorsed the rally, which saw the participation of over 150 people who listened to and gave speeches, shared fruit and water, and enjoyed music and a strong sense of solidarity....
see article written by Ben Wood (one of the event's organizers)
The Other 9 / 11
We will join with members of the community in an interfaith commemoration of "The Other 9/11." September 11, 1906 Mahatma Gandhi began his nonviolent struggle for justice. It's time for the hope of active nonviolence to achieve justice and peace. The service is on Sept. 11, 2009 starting at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Riverside, 3657 Lemon St at Mission Inn Ave.
2009 Annual Juneteenth Celebration
ICFOR sponsored a craft booth at the 2009 Annual Juneteenth Celebration (celebrating the end of slavery in this country) for kids to make their own Peace Flags or Peace People out of cloth material and decorate them. The flags flying ON the booth are Peace Flags with the word/concept PEACE in 9 different languages. We also flew nearly 20 flags of the world's religions, as we are an interfaith organization.
Join us for a lecture and conversation with interfaith mediator, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. He is an advocate of a culture of peace and non-violence, and has worked to promote interfaith harmony among various religions in India. Members and leaders of all religions and spiritual paths are welcome to attend the free public event on April 16, 2008 at the Downtown Library Auditorium, 3581 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA from 6 - 8 pm.
Participants met at the Riverside Quaker Center on Saturday March 22, 2008 for a training session in Nonviolent Conflict Intervention (NCI).
We believe that basic training in Nonviolent Conflict Intervention Training should be as common as training in CPR. If someone has a heart attack, CPR can keep that person alive until the underlying cause of the attack can be addressed. NCI allows an individual, a relationship, or a community to survive without physical or emotional injury until the underlying cause of the conflict can be resolved.
The community met with special guest David Hartsough-- Co-Founder of Nonviolent Peaceforce, Sunday, December 2, 2007 from 4-7 pm at the home of Jane & Richard Block at 424 Two Trees Lane--at the foot of the Box Springs Mountain.
What can you say YES to when you say NO to war? Come hear of Gandhi’s Peace Army Today, a Conversation with David Hartsough, co-founder of NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE: Monday, December 3, 2007 3:30-5pm at UCR’s Humanities and Social Studies Room 1500.
On August 14, 2007, Linda Dunn and Marilyn Sequoia from the International Fellowship for Reconciliation on non-violent activism were interviewed by students from the MyGlobalVillage summer sessions at the California Museum of Photography an off-campus department of the University of California, Riverside, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Opt out of military recruitment information made available to high schoolers
On Nov 6, 2006, ICFOR members handed out information on students' and
parents' legal right to "opt out" of having student names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates automatically released to military recruiters as part of the No Child Left Behind law. We were able to make this information available at the Riverside County Dept of Mental Health's annual Anti-Stigma Conference at Raincross Square in Riverside, CA with eleven hundred students from the Inland Empire in attendance. Many seemed surprised to learn about their rights, even though it is required by law for school districts to make families aware of the "opt out" provision of the No Child Left Behind law. On Nov 11th the "opt out" material was dispersed at the Peace Festival at Riverside Plaza.
100 Year Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha: Peace Walk & Candlelight Commemoration
On Sept. 11, 2006 at 5:30 pm ICFOR sponsored a walk from Riverside's 10th street Martin Luther King statue to the Mahatma Ghandi statue. We commemorated the 100th year anniversary of Ghandi's creation of the nonviolent peace army that achieved massive social change employing nonviolent actions.
We were joined by performer April King (see bios) on Wednesday April 26th, 2006 at the Zacatecas Cafe in Riverside. This was an exciting opportunity for young activists to learn more about how to mobilize others for change on their campuses & in their communities
ICFOR sponsored Nonviolent Peaceforce's International Governance Counsel Member and Youth Coordinator, Hindolo Pokawa, on a four day speaking tour in Riverside, CA. Schools visited were Poly High School, North High School, Riverside City College, and University of California Riverside.
Read a summary of his visit as published in Nonviolent Peaceforce's newsletter Rumors of Peace, Volume VI, Issue 1, 2006.
Linda and Diane Dunn visited Sri Lanka as advocate team members for the Nonviolent Peaceforce presence there. Read an article about their visit written by Diane Dunn as published in the Nonviolent Peaceforce's newsletter Rumors of Peace, Volume VI, Issue 1, 2006.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation is a 90-year old international, interfaith movement with branches and groups in over 40 countries and on every continent. The F.O.R. focuses on campaigns advocating peace and disarmament, racial and economic justice and the training of youth and adults in active nonviolence. The membership of the F.O.R. includes Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and people of other faith traditions, as well as those with no formal religious affiliation.
Are you interested in becoming a member of F.O.R.? Click here to read about the principles we seek to apply to our lives and how to join the Fellowship of Reconcilition.