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Friends United Meeting |
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December 2003
Commitments
By Retha McCutchen, FUM General Secretary
What can only Friends United Meeting do well? As a global community of Christians that spans North America and countries that were formerly mission sites of North American Friends, we are challenged to redefine the role of Friends United Meeting in the 21st century.
Recently I heard Jerry VanSant of Duke University address several hundred representatives of charitable organizations — both religious and secular. Dr. VanSant's message related to sustainability of projects started in the international development arena. I am excited to report that Friends United Meeting is on the cutting edge, making visionary changes in our approach to missions that move projects toward health rather than traditional dependence on the home office.
A study of General Board decisions over the past decade, coupled with focused planning of the past year, reveal a consistent voice about FUM's priorities: international partnerships, leadership training, evangelism and communications.
A consistent request to Friends United Meeting is for leadership training and Quaker educational materials. This is true whether we look at Kenya, Jamaica or the United States. It is essential that FUM develop a strategy that allows for convenient exchange of information between churches, yearly meetings and the central offices. Today FUM regularly receives requests for places of worship in geographical areas not served by FUM churches/meetings. Resources must be available to meet these needs.
According to Dr. VanSant, international partnerships describe the elimination or reduction of barriers to human interaction across national boundaries. For FUM, this is a paradigm shift away from traditional missions — North American Friends send, and "they" receive — to partnerships where all member yearly meetings make decisions and "sending" happens from all parts of FUM's constituency to the world. For example, imagine graduates from Friends Theological College in Kenya called to minister in Jamaica, Cuban doctors going to Lugulu or Jamaican teachers going to Ramallah.
To develop an international decision-making process will take time and coordination. The communications priority is at the top of the list as changes are suggested, made and implemented. Dr. VanSant made the point that technology has made international partnerships possible by opening doors of global exchange of information. Technology enables worldwide linkages, constituency mobilization, public information and fundraising in ways unimaginable in the very recent past.
God is leading FUM to build worldwide communication networks that will make genuine global partnerships possible.
Copyright (c) 2003 Friends United Meeting
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