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Friends United Meeting invites our global fellowship to continue holding our Caribbean Quaker communities in prayer following the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which swept through the region last week. Jamaica’s western coast, from the Black River area across to Montego Bay, was hit especially hard, and images of the destruction have captured attention around the world.
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Pastors and recorded ministers from the New Association of Friends and both Western and Wilmington Yearly Meetings gathered for food, fun, fellowship, and fulfilling connections at Quaker Haven Camp in Syracuse, Indiana, October 20–23. The organizers of the retreat gave the gathering of around 30 the gift of time and space. With the days lightly structured around a series of small group encounters which anchored the experience in deep reflection and mutual care and support, participants were free to be as present as able. The small groups operated using an adaptation of the Prayer of Examen. The examen is an invitation to pay careful attention to how the Spirit is moving in each moment of our daily lives, using our attention as a magnifying glass with which to view the seemingly ordinary moments of our lives, seeking to encounter the Divine.
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Prayers for the People and Places of the CaribbeanWe cry out to You, oh God. It is your presence, your Holy Spirit we seek. We pray this storm be met with impediment and frustration and struggle; that it might diminish is size and strength. May your will be done. May in this moment of fear and worry and anxiety as the wind and rain batter the islands of Cuba and Jamaica, as our Friends find themselves in the eye of the storm may they feel the comforting arms of the Holy Spirit wrapped tightly around them in our prayers. May in the coming days our hearts be open to the call of compassion, community and concern. May we find ways to embody your love, oh God. Hear our prayer. —Michael Sherman, North American and Caribbean Ministries CoordinatorI t has been a long and devastating night for so many people in Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa, one of the most damaging hurricanes ever to strike Jamaica, made landfall, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Now the eye of the storm is on Cuba, one of the most vulnerable places I know.I invite the global community of Friends to hold all in harm’s way in prayer... praying for protection, peace, and strength amid this unfolding disaster. In the coming days, we will no doubt begin identifying opportunities to give generously in support of those most affected. Friends, thank you for your love and faithful concern.—Kelly Kellum, General Secretary
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How are we called to be Christ-like in our daily lives as human beings? How can we model Christ; where can we get started in our journey to love and aid in the restitution of others? These are some of the questions posed in Nicole Johnson and Michael Snarr’s Faithful Witness in a Fractured World. By amplifying the life and example of faithful Christians in the author's lives, Snarr and Johnson skillfully portray Christ-like individuals who can also serve readers as inspiration for their own journey.
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This Easter morning, I am inviting Friends around the world to take a photo of the sunrise where you are and post it to FUM’s Facebook page, #SnapshotsofHope. Let us know how you are celebrating Easter Hope this year!
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During my quiet time this morning I was thinking about what God is trying to teach me – teach us – during this season. It is my intent to grow from this, and to learn. At the same time I was thinking about how I can help the members of Wilmington Yearly Meeting, particularly this coming week as we should be preparing to celebrate the Resurrection.
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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.
Friends 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.