Throughout our history, the people known as Friends (or Quakers) keep rediscovering an essential and enduring truth: There is one who speaks to our most basic needs and most significant hopes—Christ Jesus the Lord. Both individually and communally, we are learning to know and follow the Voice that guides us in the way we should go. Together, we seek to understand and obey that truth which sets us free. As a people, we share in the experience of that powerful life which makes all things new. Maybe you are searching for an authentic and transforming faith and community to call home—if so, come in and join us as we seek to know and follow Christ.
The General Board of Friends United Meeting met in Richmond and by Zoom on March 2–4. The gathering opened with worship on Thursday evening as Karla Jay, Global Ministries Coordinator, referenced Acts 2 as she reflected on her experiences attending the recent Asbury revival. Kelly Kellum presented his report, highlighting several significant staffing transitions, including the current search for the Social Media and Web Specialist and Director of Advancement positions. He informed the board that the search for the Coordinator for North American Ministries is on hold until after the Triennial.
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The Friends Church in Kenya leadership held their annual FCK Leaders Conference at the Friends Theological College Kaimosi campus in mid-February.
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The theory behind establishing Belize City Friends Center was that socio-economic problems on the Southside were overwhelming and Friends alone would not solve them. Therefore, the Center was created to be a place for networking, to build relationships with organizations with diverse skills, expertise, and resources to solve these problems, which often manifested in the form of gang violence.
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The Belize Friends School was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from Quakerdale Foundation to assist in improving reading proficiency among its students. This year Belize Friends School is planning to hire a new teacher to specialize in this area. In addition, the educator we are targeting will be deeply involved in leading daily devotions and providing spiritual guidance and mentoring for our students.
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The Friends Theological College ministry van—dubbed “the white rhino”—finally got a new home and owner after it was recently put up for sale. The white rhino served the faculty and students for a whopping seven years, and it was time to bid it good-bye. Over those years it served as the main means of transport within and out of campus, ferrying students and faculty to various destinations to minister and also to run office errands.
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Recently, Daniel Lentirangoi sent us these short videos of children working on the construction of Baragoi Friends Church, in Samburu, carrying sand from a dry river to be used in the construction of the altar. In the second video, the children gather for lunch.
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Emily Provance writes about how Quaker communities might begin to think about caring for parents and families, based on the second year of the Quaker parent mutual support groups co-sponsored by Friends United Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Chief among her findings: Quaker parents feel profoundly isolated. "Some parents are literally alone...Other parents feel isolated despite not being literally alone. Parents in the group talked about the isolation of being the only Quaker in their geographic area or the only Quaker family in their meeting. They talked about the difficulty of developing deep friendships in modern society. They talked about their hunger for connections with parents in similar circumstances: other disabled parents, other single parents, other foster parents, other parents with shared custody arrangements. Facilitators heard it repeated again and again: 'I feel so alone.'"
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One of the conversations we have had this year at Belize Friends Church is about creating multiple sacred spaces for people with various needs within the church. I find that the Spirit is in this conversation. . . . Creating multiple sacred spaces can be an alternative to, or can supplement, the more traditional mobilizing of people to know and experience God by focusing on a sermon.
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Africa Programme Officer Shawn McConaughey writes about the multiple benefits of an entrepreneurial ministry training with pastors from the Samburu mission and some leadership from members of the Turkana mission who went through the same training several years ago.
Read MoreFriends United Meeting commits itself to energize and equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved, and obeyed as Teacher and Lord.
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