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Friends United Meeting |
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April 2005
Commitments
Ever hear of River Teeth*? You will if you attend the FUM Triennial in Des Moines July 13-17. We are praying that the Holy Spirit will surround, fill and overflow Friends and visitors in ways we hadn’t thought to “ask or imagine.” The global scope of these meetings will add depth to our worship, fellowship and learning. The Triennial is another opportunity for God to shape FUM to speak the message of Christian Quakerism in our world.
River teeth are what are left of a centuries-old tree. This conifer first lives its life on a riverbank where it provides shade, food and protection to the river and bank. The tree becomes a log, the log begins to lead a kind of afterlife in the river. The breakdown of a river log takes a few decades. The waterlogged tree joins the rocks on the river bottom. Decomposition continues. The log breaks into pieces, the pieces become mud and mud washes downriver and often lodges someplace and becomes soil. New trees sprout from the fertile muck. The cycle goes on.
But, every downed tree has parts that refuse to participate in this cycle. These are the “knots” we see in trees and lumber. These are cross-grained, full of pitch and do not disintegrate like the rest of the log. They harden, and they last centuries, formed and shaped by the work of the river.
In God’s wisdom, Friends United Meeting was born in 1902. This tree is only one century old, still living by the riverbank of life, providing spiritual and physical food, shelter and protection to travelers on the river of life. God is calling FUM Friends to defi ne our corporate life together in ways that will change our shape, dislodge some branches, grind parts of us to muck in order to bring forth new life. A few Quakers are the “knots” that refuse disintegration. Whatever our role, however, we are all shaped by the fl ow of God’s Spirit.
I hope to see many of you in Des Moines.
God bless,
Retha
*The River Teeth concept comes from River Teeth by David James Duncan.
Retha McCutchen is general secretary of Friends United Meeting