FUM is sad to report the death of our dear friend. Mary Glenn Hadley passed away on Monday, July 20. Mary Glenn loved Jesus, the mission of the church, and Friends United Meeting. Mary Glenn will be remembered for her commitment to a life of prayer and a passion for missions. In her honor (and with her reluctant permission), FUM is pleased to announce the establishment of the Mary Glenn Hadley Endowment.
Read More
Recently, the African leadership of Friends World Committee for Consultation, Friends Church Kenya, and Friends United Meeting made a very unusual stop in their COVID-19 relief effort. They took some time to reach out to drivers who were waiting near where they were distributing aid to a Friends health clinic. Thanks to the generosity of Quakers in East Africa, the UK, and America, the team was able to hand out safety items like masks, sanitizers, and other needed supplies to the truck drivers. They listened to their stories and frustrations. They prayed with and for these drivers.
Read More
With support from FUM donors, Friends Theological College has raced forward into online learning. Donors provided the funding required to access the Moodle learning platform, and for the technological upgrades needed for Moodle to run smoothly. Funding came through for Moodle access and some other technological upgrades. FTC started with a MoodleCloud plan that was limited to 200 users, but as interest in e-learning grows among the students and faculty, it became clear that they needed to upgrade to the 500-user plan. With the support of generous donors, we were able to purchase that upgrade each early July. The June module began online with 141 students, with three from Uganda, two from Rwanda, and a good number from pastoral communities in Kenya. We are still exploring ways to assist students from Tanzania in enrolling in online learning.
Read More
In times of crisis, our purpose as people of faith becomes clear. Our purpose as Friends United Meeting is clear—we are called to connect the global community of Friends. Together we become a dynamic fellowship that is a vital witness to Christ’s abiding presence and love for the most vulnerable. Grounded in Christ, we are called to serve God’s creation. Your support is helping us connect Friends and serve God’s people.
Read More
As the world is suffering from the impacts of the COVID-19 virus, FUM is deepening our commitment to connect the global family of Friends and we are increasing our support for our most vulnerable communities. In response to this commitment, all of our field staff are serving in various ways. Concurrently, in a normal year, Field Staff would be using the North American summer traveling to our Meetings and Churches to raise funds to support their ministries. Of course, they cannot do that this year. Most importantly, the three-year terms of Oscar Mmbali and Robert Wafula are scheduled to be renewed in September 2020. The COVID-19 threat and associated travel restrictions are preventing them from traveling to raise their support.
Read More
On Thursday, June 17, Belize Friends School was able to host a small, in-person graduation ceremony while still complying with the Covid-19 public health directives for Belize.Six students graduated from the special Belize Friends School program, which is a small remedial alternative school for at-risk inner-city youth who have been unable to succeed in a traditional classroom setting. The school has been operating by remote learning since the middle of March. Since our students are among the most disadvantaged people in Belize, this involved loaning each student a smart phone with cellular data so that they could access the lessons being posted by their teachers. We praise God that this rapidly-deployed experiment in technology assistance within an impoverished setting has proven so successful, and that six of our students have graduated!
Read More