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Friends United Meeting |
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June 2005
by Retha McCutchen, FUM General Secretary
I was recently introduced to the “Lund Principle” so named because it was adopted at a World Council of Churches meeting in a city named Lund! The WCC probably doesn’t realize this is really a Quaker principle!
“Do all things together except those things which conscience demands you do separately.”
We have a choice, personally and corporately, to worship and work together in those areas that do not compromise our faith. I believe this is what God calls us, as Christians and Quakers, to do. It is a higher calling than demanding my truth is The Truth. As a child, I was taught that Catholics were not Christian. Why? Because they practice their faith differently from us? Or that they interpret some Scripture differently from us? I personally know many Christians who practice their faith differently than Quakers, Baptists, Catholics or Pentecostals.
Scripture states “call upon my name and you are saved.” (Acts 2:21) A very simple foundation of our faith.
As we gather at the Triennial in Des Moines next month, God is calling FUM Friends to unite around all aspects of the worship and work of FUM except for those things which your conscience demands you do separately, and move forward in faith to respond to the world’s needs that God puts on our corporate agenda. This frees us to take up additional concerns on our personal, local or yearly meeting agenda.
Let’s admit that not all Quakers are FUM Friends. Friends United Meeting’s purpose is to energize and equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher and Lord. Friends work out this purpose through the four priorities set by the FUM General Board — evangelism, leadership training, global partnerships and communication. That’s what we’re about.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Des Moines.