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Friends United Meeting |
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October 2004
River Teeth for the Lamb’s War
By Retha McCutchen
The theme selected by the planning committee is found in Revelation—not the easiest book of the Bible to understand. Yet as Quakers, the concept “the Lamb shall overcome, for he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords” makes sense. That concept is the bedrock of who we are.
The angel explaining this vision to John seemed to know Revelation would be difficult to interpret. The angel begins verse 9 with the statement that “this calls for a mind that has
wisdom!” As we approach these days together here in Des Moines, this too calls for a mind that has wisdom.
Canby Jones and Oliver Kisaka are scholars. They will treat this text in a deep, scholarly and thoughtful way. I am not a scholar and will leave that exposition to them and just talk
about God’s call to Lamb-like obedience in the path God is leading Friends United Meeting—to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher and Lord—through the priorities of evangelism, leadership training, global partnership and communication.
Listening to one another and to the messages this week calls for a mind that has wisdom, and calls for minds willing to listen through the heart of the Spirit of Christ.
Howard Thurman was an African-American theologian writing in the 1940s, at a time in American history when he would most likely be ignored. In his book Deep River he challenges readers to think of life as being like a river—what he calls “a full and creative analogy.”
[God’s call for our corporate life together is a DeepRiver.]
Thurman writes: “The analogy is complete in the first place because a river has a very simple beginning. The Mississippi River, for instance, rises in the northern part of the United States, fed by perpetual snows; at its source it is unpretentious,
simple.”
[Five Years Meeting (forerunner to FUM) began with a simple structure—to support cooperative mission work, education and evangelism.]
“The river increases in momentum, in depth, in breadth, in turbulence as it makes its journey down the broad expanse of America, until at last it empties itself into the Gulf
of Mexico.…”
[Five Years Meeting grew, increased in momentum, until today FUM includes two offices, a magazine, publishing arm, bookstore, hospitals, schools, theological college and worldwide missions as simple as a village meeting in Turkana, Kenya to the complex institution of the Ramallah Friends Schools and everything in between.]
Thurman continues: “It is the nature of the river to flow; it is always moving, always in process, always on its way. There seems ever to be an infinite urgency that keeps the
waters on business bent. They may be caught here and there in swirling pools, or temporarily stilled behind a sudden dam, but not for long. Once again they take up their march to fulfill their destiny, to keep their tryst with the sea.” (Deep River, pages 66-67)
[An apt description of God’s call to FUM in 2005!]
David James Duncan expands on this analogy of the Deep River in his book River Teeth. Duncan describes River Teeth as the remains of a centuries-old tree and draws an analogy
between the life of the tree and a human life. This tree first lives its life on a riverbank where it provides shade, food and protection to the river and bank. The tree dies, falls into the river and becomes a log, the log begins to lead a kind of afterlife in the river. The breakdown of a river log takes only 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.
[I can see in my mind the many people who over the years have been a part of this life-giving soil from which new trees sprout—Arthur Chilson and Edith Ratcliff, Herman Otioko and Annis Carter, Eli and Sybil Jones and Charles Vincent. Names like—Wagoner, Kendall, Kimball, Abrikin, Smuck, Davis, Cain, Vernon, Wilcox, Lime, Gates, Mills…the list goes on and on.]
But, every downed tree has parts that refuse to disintegrate in this cycle of life and decay. These are the “knots” we see in trees and lumber. These are cross-grained and full of pitch and they do not disintegrate like the rest of the log. They harden. They last centuries, formed and shaped by the work of the river. Duncan called these River Teeth.
Duncan likens River Teeth to the time-defying knots of experience in our lives. These might be moments of shock, moments of violence or preposterous joy, moments that shape our memories and our lives.
Friends United Meeting is you! The offices in Richmond, Indiana and Kisumu, Kenya are not Friends United Meeting. When Five Years Meeting was established in 1902 the original wording says FUM’s role is: “Advisory supervision over the affairs of the denomination.” The assignment of the staff is to carry out decisions of the General Board, which now meets both in Richmond, Indiana and in Kenya—both clerked by the Presiding Clerk of FUM.
The number of representatives of these two sections of the General Board is about equal. All full member yearly meetings appoint representatives to the General Board. In the past, however, only those in or close to the United States were able to attend. Now, the General Board/Africa meeting regularly changes how we do business.
The decision of these two sections constitutes the complete decision of the FUM General Board. It’s exciting, empowering and sometimes a little unwieldy. Yet most people involved agree it’s worth the effort and we must commit to strengthen the voice of the General Board/Africa.
Friends United Meeting is Christian, as set forth in the Purpose Statement adopted in 1993….However, there are differing interpretations among us of what it means to define
and live a Christian life. Not what it means—I believe it is well understood the bedrock of FUM is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
But what does that mean to an individual on a journey of faith? To a church or meeting? To a group meeting as a yearly meeting? To yearly meetings meeting as FUM?
The larger the circle, the bigger the opportunity. Friends United Meeting is not called to do things like Bible studies, food kitchens or church planting which are best done on the local and yearly meeting level. We are called to do together things bigger than what might be done by each of us acting locally—like publish a magazine and books, undergird projects like the Lugulu and Kaimosi Hospitals or the Ramallah Friends Schools, or train pastors in Kenya. Corporately, we can provide the network to get boys off the street in Belize and buy building supplies in Cuba. We might even start a new work in someplace like Russia!
In the June issue of Quaker Life I wrote about the “Lund Principle,” so named because it was adopted at a World Council of Churches meeting in a city named Lund: “Do all things together except those things which conscience demands you do separately.”
This is good advice for us this week. We have a choice 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….
In these analogies, the river is made up of a variety of substances. Each piece either adds to or detracts from the value of the river. A disintegrating tree adds to the substance of a river where plastic bags and bottles detract.
In 2005 the debris that threatens to stop the flow of Friends United Meeting is dissention around the sexual ethics policy adopted by the General Board of Friends United Meeting in session in 1988 and reaffirmed in 1991—simply stated, the policy defines marriage as between one man and one woman and that sexual intimacy be confined to marriage. All staff of FUM must agree to live by and support this corporate policy…. This policy means that a homosexual person or a heterosexual single must agree to celibacy while employed at Friends United Meeting.
Folks, we are not going to agree about this policy. This diversity can be a strength or a blockage of Friends United Meeting. Our choice.
And don’t jump to the conclusion that whatever you think is what Retha is calling “blockage.” The diversity isn’t the blockage. It’s what we are willing to do with our opinion that is at issue—no matter what that opinion might be. Writing Deep River in 1945 Howard Thurman addressed our situation today. He wrote: “No one can live in a social order of which he does not approve without some measure of compromise.”
I think we all admit that the social order in which we live today is not something we approve wholeheartedly. The discrepancies between poor and rich, informed and uninformed are just two examples. Gender issues are hotly debated worldwide.
Thurman asserts that: “Direct and honest dealing make use of the technique of moral suasion (advice, persuasion) and moral appeal. It is the only force admissible. It can be only effective where there are both humility and courage. Lacking either or both of these, there can be neither honesty nor directness in the relations between the strong and the weak. It is in this area and at this point that the battle of Christian ethics is either lost or won.” (Deep River, p. 50)
….Thurman’s counsel—advice—says to me that I can offer my opinion, listen to your point of view, but the decision is yours….
During this triennium, every session of the General Board meeting in Richmond heard about this issue. As expected, some people think that was a good thing and some wanted to move on long ago. The minute approved frees the General Board to move out in the ministry God has called in our corporate life together….
While acknowledging the complexity of divisive issues and recognizing that as a whole FUM is not in unity on a solution, what do we do with what some call discrimination and others define as a Biblical standard?
The Christian diversity within Friends United Meeting causes me to recognize both interpretations are often faithbased. We are all a part of the river of life that is FUM. That river is flowing—Praise God! Being log jammed is the last place we want to be! The last sentence of the General Board minute challenges us to recognize the difficulty of cultural, economic, geographic, etc., differences. However, we remind ourselves as the General Board and we remind you, our constituents, that each member yearly meeting worldwide hears the voice of God. As Friends we seek to hear the totality of God’s word.
My prayer is that the only River Teeth among us are people devoted to prayer, not hardened Bible thumpers or ideological activists.
I’m speaking to this tonight because I have some experience with discrimination. No two experiences or types of discrimination are the same and I make no claim to the depth of experience of others. This is my personal journey throughwhat felt to me like discrimination.
My first realization of God’s call to ministry was as a child. I didn’t doubt. Being part of the Foursquare Gospel Church, founded by a woman, women in ministry was not a question as I later found it to be in broader church circles. In my limited childish understanding, being called to ministry meant either being a pastor or missionary. That was fine.
I was raised in Woodburn, Oregon—the berry capitol of the world! I started picking berries about age five. It was one of the best training experiences of my life….This early experience taught me two very important things that have affected my entire life: Work and saving of money opens doors and tithing pays spiritual dividends. Those two financial principles have been a part of my entire life.
A camp called Crestview overlooks the Columbia River Gorge outside Portland, Oregon. Picking berries enabled me to earn registration costs until I was old enough to work in the kitchen during kid’s camp to earn my way to high school camp. In that way, I got two weeks of blessing instead of one! I drank up the spiritual training and experiences of these formative years.
Christianity in my circles in the 1950s and ‘60s was a list of do’s and don’ts and I knew how to keep the letter of the law. And if I could keep it, anyone could. The down side of the self-discipline was arrogance and anger. There was not much grace in our theology. My biggest problem was what I knew about myself on the inside, not the external keeping of rules. And it ate at me….
Instead of graduating from high school and getting married like my older sisters, and too fearful of failure to follow my dream of a college education, this angry teenager turned her back on the knowledge of God’s call and bought a one-way ticket to Texas. God placed me in the hands of an aunt and uncle that liked me for who I am and were instrumental in shaping who I am today. They were healing people.
During 10 years of walking away from God, I married and had two wonderful children. As a New Year’s resolution in1973, my husband and I decided it was time to get our children in Sunday School. We visited neighborhood churches, one being Friends….to this former Pentecostal, the quiet was a bit frightening yet extremely healing. I sat on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen in the silence. It took ages to center into the silence.
The outstanding attribute of that church was grace. Love bounced off the walls. The Spirit of Christ was palpable in meeting for worship.
I kept asking questions. Instead of being told if I was right with God I wouldn’t ask questions, this Friends pastor never told me what to believe. He directed me to portions of scripture and books to read so I could formulate my own opinions.
In the midst of this radical spiritual awakening, contrary to everything I believed could be God’s will, I went through a divorce. Now, it’s the 1970s and 80s. I am a divorced female called to ministry in a climate where women in ministry is questionable, and divorce the unpardonable sin. There were, and still are, places where my ministry is not welcome. Often churches where I pastored eventually had a movement to remove me because “God doesn’t call divorced people to ministry.” None of these movements were successful, but I know what it’s like to be the subject of weekly meetings going on for months and with someone’s presumed interpretations of my personal life aired at one public meeting after another.
Discrimination. It was humiliating.
These were the years when many women were activists inthe women in ministry movement. That was
never my leading. In 1982, in the midst of the women’s lib stuff I wrote an article published in the Evangelical Friend magazine. It states something I believe more strongly today than I did in 1982:
“It has been my experience that God has created all the opportunities for ministry I can possibly handle at any given time. As I step out on faith in God, God guides, lifts, and provides the support needed for each situation. If I were granted any more ‘rights’ I don’t know what I would do with them! More rights usually lead to more work, you know.”
My personal advice, not any official Friends United Meeting advice, is that there are enough ministries to go around, and if one can’t feel comfortable working at FUM, God will open pathways of ministry that will be equally or even more spiritually rewarding.
…I believe my willingness to accept what jobs were offered, without demanding what the men received, is one reason there are women and divorced pastors accepted in Northwest Yearly Meeting today.
One friend on the Recording Committee debating my recording told me about their dilemma: “It’s easy,” he said, to be against divorce in ministry. It’s not so easy to be against Retha in ministry.” I was recorded.
Experience with one another leads to understanding and grace. This is why the General Board’s recommendation to inter-visitation is so important. One may never agree with another’s lifestyle interpretation, while still recognizing God’s work in that life—if we are willing to look and get to know one another. This is what grace is all about….
I am convinced that had I fought for my “rights,” I would not be where I am today. I would still be fighting that battle and discontented with my lot….
Revelation 22 states: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb… On each side of the river stood the tree of life, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
Friends, God is calling Friends United Meeting to participate in the healing of the nations.
Our calling corporately goes way beyond what individuals want, think or believe. Ours is a cooperative calling based on the leading of the Holy Spirit, discerned by your representative on the General Board to be evangelism, leadership training, global partnership and communication.
Pleas for leadership training arrive regularly from places like Jamaica, Uganda, North American, Russia and Kenya. We are called to do more than ever before. We cannot afford a logjam…
Friends United Meeting has been a flowing river for 103 years. Certainly there were times when the stream became clogged with debris and was ineffective for its purposes. Today, Friends United Meeting has broken loose from the logjam and is flowing out at an ever-increasing pace.
The 2002 Triennial held in Nairobi, Kenya changed who we are.
In the three intervening years Friends United Meeting…
•received its Kenya registration, making our presence there official;
•restructured the entire organization to create an Africa Ministries position equal to the long-standing North American Ministries position;
•hired an Africa Ministries representative, John Muhanji, who is a counterpart to Ben Richmond in North America;
•officially opened a regional office in Kisumu, Kenya;
•created a Communications Department;
•heard from the General Board/Africa the importance of Kaimosi Hospital and entered into a restructure agreement (and all that entails);
•acquired property in Belize, allowing for expansion
•received USAID grant for Ramallah Friends Schools for $400,000 and Lugulu Hospital for $450,000;
•hired a local director, Joyce Ajlouny, for the Ramallah Friends Schools;
•placed on location four additional field staff families—Patrick Nugent and Mary Kay Rehard, Andy and Lisa Stout, Eden and James Grace and John Hishmeh;
•named the first ever Kenyan field staff, Joshua Lilande, to teach in Ramallah;
•approved for future field staff service—Tim and Lisa Lowe and Johan and Judy Maurer
…and all this happened in addition to continuation of the normal FUM program!
These are the exciting programmatic results of hard, hard work by the General Board. The adoption of priorities of evangelism, leadership training, global partnership and
communication for this next Triennium are the things we are called to do together. These decisions have been prayed over, discussed, discussed again and again, refined and approved by the General Board meeting both in Richmond, Indiana and Kaimosi, Kenya.
All give strength and direction to the flow of the river that is Friends United Meeting. Jesus said: If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes
in me. (John 7:37b-38)
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Retha McCutchen is Friends United Meeting’s General Secretary.