As we look towards the future of Friends United Meeting, one thing remains clear — the core of our Christ-centered mission and ministry priorities will not change. Our steadfast commitment to connect, energize, and equip Friends continues to anchor and inspire our work. Yet, the landscape in which we operate is shifting and it is becoming clearer that the manner in which we fulfill our calling may change as we respond to the growing and diverse needs of our community.
A Vision for Inclusive Global Partnerships
At the heart of our transformation lies our commitment to global partnership. FUM is embracing an inclusive approach to shared ministry work, recognizing the importance of collaboration and mutual respect. This commitment challenges us to rethink how we make decisions, allocate our resources, and report back to our members. As we expand our ministry into Latin America and beyond, becoming a bilingual community is not just an aspiration — it is an essential step towards deeper engagement and understanding among Friends across the globe. By truly listening to and embracing our global family, we can create a richer, more vibrant community.
Financial Sustainability and Local Empowerment
Financial sustainability is also on the horizon as we seek to ensure that all Friends can participate fully in FUM initiatives. By discerning viable business and investment opportunities within the regions we serve, we aim to empower local members to take part in and contribute to our ministries. A shining example of this is the Ambwere Farm in Kenya, which facilitates African Friends’ support for FUM’s efforts in the continent. By encouraging local participation, we hope to cultivate a self-sustaining network of support that enriches both local and broader FUM ministries.
Focused Support for Vulnerable Communities
Our commitment to vulnerable communities remains unwavering. FUM will continue to provide vital support, education, and spiritual hope in areas such as Belize, East Africa, and the Middle East. We recognize that these communities face unique challenges, and our mission is to stand alongside them, offering aid and solidarity in their journeys. In doing so, we hope to share the transformative hope that comes from Christ.
Supporting Renewal in North American Meetings
In North America, FUM is dedicated to equip local Meetings and churches through practical ministry support and renewal resources. As many congregations face the pressures of a changing societal landscape, it is our goal to help them find their footing and renewed hope. By providing tools, wisdom, and encouragement, we can foster environments where faith can flourish and communities can be revitalized.
Stewarding Our Diverse Community
As a broken and beautiful community, FUM is being called to steward our rich diversity with care. In a world often marked by stress and conflict, we aim to cultivate an atmosphere of mutual respect and love, remaining anchored in our shared calling and commitment as Christ-centered Friends. By centering our efforts on the ministry we are called to, we can foster a united front that not only withstands challenges but also serves as a beacon of hope and love.
A Hopeful Horizon
As we consider the future of Friends United Meeting, we are filled with hope. Change will come in the form of new individuals who answer the call to fulfill our mission, but our purpose remains unchanged. Together, with open hearts and a willingness to adapt, we can continue to be a Christ-centered community that actively engages with the world around us, inviting others to join us in this journey of faith, love, and service.
Embracing Unity Through Global Partnership, Kelly Kellum
Leadership and Resource Development, Michael Sherman
Holistic Evangelism, Karla Jay
Communications, Dan Kasztelan
Learning about FUM, Bill Eagles
Program Staff
Getry Agizah
Karla Jay
Rania Maayeh
Athina Major
Oscar and Miriam Mmbali
Michael Sherman
Robert Wafula
What We Do
Health and Wellbeing
Theological Training: Friends Theological College
Peace and Nonviolence Education
Supporting Vulnerable Communities
Meeting Health
Welcoming the Stranger/Neighbor
Evangelism and Church Planting
Need for Contextualization of African Quakerism
Looking to the Future
The Friends United Meeting community stretches far and wide across the globe. We are a collection of Christ-centered Quakers, embracing thirty-eight Yearly Meetings and associations, thousands of local gatherings, and hundreds of thousands of individuals. Joined together through our shared experience of God and united in common ministries, we form a beloved fellowship that is powerfully at work in our local areas and through cross-cultural service.
From the Caribbean to Palestine, Africa to North America and scattered places in between, FUM is building a global partnership in a season of history when much of the world is being stretched and strained by cultural, political, and geographic differences. An important part of our work and witness is to express the love and peace of Christ with one another, believing God is transforming us into a people who are more lovely and whole than we could ever be on our own. As we are powerfully energized by the Holy Spirit, equipped for faithful service and leadership; deeply connected to one another, we experience a unity that transcends our diversity.
— Colin Saxton
We are FUM
Anyone immersed in the work and community of Friends United Meeting knows how difficult it can be to explain FUM to others. We are a community of Friends, encouraging one another in faith. We are a publisher. We run schools, and provide resources for schools. We plant churches, deliver babies, and teach people how to filter dirty water. We teach adults how to read their native language, using the bible as a text. We spread programs that teach peace and conflict resolution, and facilitate trauma healing. We provide islands of green space in the urban density of Ramallah. We bring together small groups of people to talk with each other about how their congregations can flourish. We work to prevent election violence. We do so many different kinds of work, in so many different places, that it can be impossible to know how to answer the question, “What does FUM do?”
It’s not that we haven’t tried. Over the years we’ve published a dozen or more brochures that describe our work in this place or that place, we’ve published brochures about the people who do that work. We’ve used pages and pages in Quaker Life, our Connections bulletin insert, and now the weekly e-news, to describe work supported by and connected to FUM, all over the world. But we’ve never published a comprehensive overview of Friends United Meeting. With this issue of Quaker Life, we are.
Early in the 2000s, the FUM board decided on four priorities that would guide all of FUM’s work, directly and with partners: global partnership, leadership and resource development, holistic evangelism, and communications. The first section of this issue begins with explanations of what Friends United Meeting means when it uses those words or phrases, and also explores the way the FUM General Board works with each other and the staff to implement programs grounded in those priorities. The next section introduces the FUM staff whom, at present, are tasked with implementing FUM’s programs. And the last section explains the kinds of work that we do.
