A message on World Quaker Day (10/4/26 ) from Velasco, Shared with Portland and Durham.
The text of Hebrews 12:14 is “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord”. This is the text chosen in the celebration of this years’ World Quaker’s Day. The theme is “Let peace be among us.” The connection between this verse and Quakerism isn’t casual: it summarizes the two pillars that have defined the Society from the 17th-century: the active pursuit of peace and holiness of life.
The Meaning of Hebrews 12:14
The verse contains two inseparable mandates:
- “Follow Peace With Everyone”: The word “Follow” implies an active and persevering, non-passive search. It refers to living in harmony, reconciliation and paying attention to what causes conflicts.
When the letter to Hebrews was written, believers faced systemic persecution, and there was conflict within the early church. The letter was an exhortation was not to respond in kind, but to cultivate peace as a part of a disciplined life focused on God.
- And “to be holy” – not through ritual or recognition by the world, but embracing the divine holiness that God produces in us through His Loving Presence (Hebrews 12:10-11). Without that transformative holiness, “no one will see the Lord”; that is, the purity of life is a condition for communion with the Divine.
The two mandates are united: peace with others is evidence of a life that seeks holiness, and true holiness manifests in peaceful relationships.
Connection with Quakerism
Quakerism, founded by George Fox in England in the 17th century, was an intentional return to a Primitive Christianity based on the direct experience of the Inner Light, or Truth. This direct experience caused lives to be transformed such that values like pacifism, integrity, simplicity, equality and justice were lived practices of life.
The two mandates in Hebrews 12:14 are part of our continuing lived experiences as Quakers. :
Peace: Quakers are historically known for their active pacifism, their rejection of violence and their work reconciliation and social justice. World Quaker’s Day theme 2026, “May Peace Be Among Us,” is inspired precisely by this verse (Heb 12:14).
Holiness: Not as ritual, or purity, but as a life transformed by the presence of God, which is reflected in integrity, simplicity and ethical coherence.
Quaker holiness is the pursuit of living “in the light” and letting that light transform every area of the life.
World Quaker’s Day
On the first Sunday of October the Quakers around the world celebrate World Quakers’ Day, recognizing their diversity and expressions of worship while celebrating the shared understanding of the intimate relationship with God.
This year’s invitation, in a world marked by environmental crises, conflict and injustice, is to be “makers of the word” (James 1:22): that peace is not just an inner feeling, but a concrete practice in words and actions.
Conclusion
Hebrews 12:14 offers Quakers—and every Christian—a clear roadmap: follow peace with all as an expression of a holiness that is not negotiated, because without it there is no vision of God. On World Quaker’s Day, this truth becomes celebration and a call to live peace and holiness in a tangible way, as a testament to the kingdom of God on earth.
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Velasco will also be reading the following excerpts from the original missionaries who founded the Cuban Quaker Churches.
Emma Phillips of Martinez
(Serene voice with soft Anglo-Saxon accent)
My name is Emma Phillips. I was born in America, but I don’t know exactly when; the archives never recorded it. What I know is that my whole life belongs to Cuba. Arrived at the Port of Gibara on November 14, 1900 on the steamer Olinda, along with my hubby, young Mexican Juan Francisco Martinez. We were part of the first group of quaker missionaries who stepped on this island.
Why did I come? Because I’ve seen the devastation that left the war of independence. The Northern Eastern region was submerged in ignorance and spiritual poverty. Quakers were talking about urgent material and spiritual necessity, and I felt that God called me to serve..
In January 1901, together with Maria Treviño, I organized the first school in Gibara. We were the first masters. He visited homes, evangelized home by home, and the work came to fruition. I then founded the Wilmington College in Puerto Padre, which became the starting point of private teaching that city. We also open schools in Velazco and Holguín.
Anecdote I’ll Never Forget: When Estrada Palma returned from exile in 1902 and landed in Gibara’s Bay, The young religious teacher, along with the population and her children’s choir, received him. It was a time of hope for everyone.
I devoted my whole life to education in Cuba. I died in Puerto Padre on May 16, 1946, and that day the city declared grief for separation Ultimate one of the most consecrated missionaries I’ve ever met.
—
Sylvester Jones
(Firm, preacher, juvenile energy)
I’m Sylvester Jones. I was born in 1875, I graduated from William Penn School in Iowa, and in 1900 I married May Mather. Shortly after, newlyweds, we embarked towards Cuba as pioneer missionaries.
What pushed us? Captain Baker from the United Fruit Company had told Zenas Martin, mission superintendent in Jamaica, about the “spiritual and ignorance” of the Cuban people. He Promised Financial Aid To Start Meetings Near Banana Plantations Planning To Establish. Several annual boards were interested, and in November 1900, just two years after the war with Spain, we set sail towards Cuba.
May and I are starting to work in Eastern Province. We founded schools and established the first congregations. I wrote a book, Friends Mission in Cuba, published in 1912 where I documented all the progress of the work.
In Cuba we face enormous challenges: illiteracy led to 75%, there was no system of public schools, and the Catholic Church controlled marriage and burial by law. But the Quakers didn’t come to impose; we came to serve.
Our son Louis was born in Cuba. We lost a daughter, Margaret Helen in 1904, a few days away from birth in Gibara. That was the toughest test. But we keep going.
—
May Mather Jones
(Warm, Maternal Voice, Determined)
My name is May Mather Jones. Married Sylvester in 1900 and departed almost immediately to Cuba as pioneering missionaries.
My main job was education and childcare. While Sylvester preached and organised, I taught, wrote letters to the Missions Board and carried detailed records of everything what we were doing.
I wrote an article titled “Quakerism in Cuba” where I described how we got to this island. He said he could start talking about bananas, sugarcane, “Remember the Maine,” the United Fruit Company, the war Hispanic American… Either way he came to the Cuban Amigos Annual Board.
Anecdote: In our early years, we celebrated cultures in a house on Maceo Street and Aricochea. 83 regular pre-preaching services are reported in a 1902 report. We were home, inviting people. Many didn’t know how to read so we read the Bible out loud.
We founded the Cuban Annual Board in 1927. Watching that seed become a national church was my greatest reward..
—
Mary of the Saints Treviño
(Young voice, with Mexican accent, full of vitality)
My name is Maria de los Santos Treviño, although many know me simply like Maria Treviño. I’m Mexican, and I arrived in Cuba at only sixteen years, on November 14, 1900, by the port of Gibara.
Why did a young Mexican embark on this mission?. Because I Believed In Friends’ Message. The Quakers invited me to join the group I would go to Cuba, and I said yes without hesitation.
In January 1901, along with Emma Phillips, I organized the first school in Gibara. We were the first masters. There we founded the “Friends” College.
A year later, when Estrada Palma came to the presidency, she landed in Gibara and I, along with the population and my kiddie choir I got it. It was a historic moment for everyone.
Then I founded the same school in Banes. Married Don Elpidio Bautista, and we had three children: Joaquín, Andrea and Cachita. Cachita, my daughter, came to be an extraordinary woman: teacher of Literature, friend of Eloísa Lezama Lima, and wife of José Lezama Lima, the greatest Cuban writer of the twentieth-century.
I never imagined my work in Cuba would have such a profound impact. But this is the work of friends: one sows without knowing how much fruit it will give.
—
Juan Francisco Martinez
(young, Mexican, shy voice)
My name is Juan Francisco Martinez. I am Mexican and arrived in Cuba with my wife, Emma Phillips, on November 14, 1900 steamer Olinda.
Emma was the missionary; I was her partner and support. We work together in educational work. In 1904 we settled in Puerto Padre, where she founded Wilmington College.
I don’t have much to tell about myself; my story is intertwined with Emma’s. I witnessed his relentless work, of his visits to homes, of his dedication to children. She was the main figure, the motor axis of everything.
I remember when in 1902 we wrote to the Missions Board saying we would stay in Cuba, even without pay. We couldn’t quit what we’ve started.
My life in Cuba was simple: to accompany Emma, to support school, to share faith. I didn’t look for recognition. But every time I see a child learn to read, I know it was worth it..
—
(All together, as in a quacoquier silence meeting)
Emma: We came because it was necessary.
Sylvester: We came because God called us.
May: We came to serve, not to impose.
Maria: We came to sow.
Juan Francisco: And the seed has grown.
Everyone: And the seed has grown. The Church of Amigos in Cuba is the fruit of that small group that landed in Gibara in 1900. We didn’t come to conquer; we came to love. And love, as the seed of the Gospel, knows no borders.