FUM News

John Muhanji, FUM Director of African Ministries, Takes Sabbatical

Friends United Meeting’s Director of African Ministries, John Muhanji, will be on a three-month sabbatical leave from March through May. During this time he will be a scholar-in-residence at Pendle Hill Study and Retreat Center in Pennsylvania for ten weeks, during which he will be able to share in the daily rhythm of learning, work, and worship with other program leaders and scholars. His main objective is to showcase the African voice in Quaker theology. In his absence all office and farm operations will be taken care of by the able staff at the FUM Africa Ministries Office. We wish John well as he takes time away to re-energize and hope that the time spent at Pendle Hill will give him access to experiences he would never be able to come across within his area of jurisdiction, and that the knowledge acquired during the program will be shared through written journals for the Quaker audience.

Ambwere Farm Welcomes New Manager

The FUM Sustainability Committee together with FUM staff at large are pleased to welcome John Kibet Sitienei who is joining the team in the capacity of Farm Manager at the FUM Ambwere Farm in Kitale, Kenya. John comes in with vast experience in farm technical operations. He holds a Masters in Seed Science Technology from University of Eldoret and has been privileged to work with Kenya Seed Company among other prestigious seed production companies in Kenya. He has made various achievements in his career and has worked as a team player level as well as a manager. Apart from farm operations he enjoys spending time with his his wife and four children. We wish him well as he joins the team in this third season of planting at the FUM Ambwere Farm.

Field Staff Changes in Belize

During the recent gathering of the General Board, FUM’s General Secretary, Kelly Kellum announced the resignation of Oscar and Miriam Mmbali, who serve as our field-staff in Belize. Seven years ago, Oscar accepted the call to serve in Belize as FUM’s church planting pastor. When Oscar and Miriam were married, she joined him in the ministry. In 2024, Oscar became the director of FUM-Belize.

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What Quaker Parents Say They Need

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.'"

Creating Multiple Sacred Spaces

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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An Enduring Truth

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.