|
Friends United
Meeting |
 |
 |
Quaker Life
|
| Between Friends | Contents |
|
By Katie Terrell, Editor I felt the call to ministry early on in life: reading my children’s Bible next to our wood burning stove on winter days, giving pretend sermons to my youth group the way some little girls play house, singing in church and feeling compassion in my heart for the men lining the streets with cardboard signs asking for money when my family and I went to Cincinnati Reds baseball games. Later on, as I was preparing to graduate college, I browsed Seminary catalogs, wondering if God was leading me in that direction. After a few years of searching I came across Earlham School of Religion’s Ministry of Writing program. As I read more about the program it dawned on me that ministry was more than preaching a Sunday sermon. We can minister through the written word, through our actions, our hugs and smiles, through art and music and all that we do and are. Maybe this is more obvious to individuals who have grown up in the unprogrammed tradition, without paid ministers, but it took me a little longer to come to an awareness that, because we all have the Light within us, all that we do is ministry. This is not to undermine pastoral ministry, only to acknowledge that Friends believe in the ministry of all believers. Working at Friends United Meeting has also allowed me to see new ways of ministry. It is easy to see how the role of our field staff in Ramallah, Kenya and Belize is ministry, as they work to further education, healthcare, etc. in less privileged nations. But the work we do in the central office in Richmond, Indiana, — editing and designing Quaker Lifee magazine, field staff newsletters and brochures; filing, copying and stuffing envelopes; shipping books; keeping the financials in order and ensuring that donations go to the designated funds — all of these tasks are ministry as well. As a reader of Quaker Life, as a member of a monthly or yearly meeting and as an individual who shares the Quaker testimonies of peace, integrity, community and equality, Friends United Meeting is your ministry. Inside this issue, our writers look at “Ministry Outside the Box” in a variety of ways. Karen Oberst (pp. 14–16) says, “Ministry outside the box. We think of this as a modern idea, yet we have only to look at Jesus’ ministry to know that the concept has been around a long time.” Kendra Chambers (pp. 18–20) and Adriana Cabrera (p. 21) look at ministry to women in prisons, while Debbie Humphries (pp. 24–25) teaches us to read Scripture deeply and not be afraid to ask the hard questions. Updates from Kenya (pp. 9–11) open our eyes to the growth possibilities that arise out of times of violence, and Jamie Lyons’ article (p. 7), “Pennies for Peace,” challenges even the smallest monthly meetings and worship groups to make a change (pun-intended). FUM’s Triennial sessions will be held this July in High Point, North Carolina, providing opportunities to participate in workshops (descriptions on pp. 12–13), listen to keynote speakers and gather informally with others whose lives are ministry, just like yours. I invite you to search your daily life for instances of ministry, to see just how prevalent ministry “outside the box” really is, in all that you do and are. |
14 Out of the Box with God 18 Elizabeth Gurney
Fry: 21 Teaching Outside the Box: 23 Our Hope for New Life _______________________________ 7 News from Friends United Meeting 17 Scripture for Living 22 Inspirations 26 Ask Tom 27 News 28 Peace Notes 30 Reviews 32 Passages 35 Classifieds 42 Perspectives _______________________________ This issue’s theme is “Ministry Outside the Box.” What is more outside the box than hosting a conference for young adults from every Friends tradition: Friends United Meeting, Friends General Conference, Evangelical Friends International, conservative and independent! The planning committee for this conference (to be held May 23–26 in Richmond, Indiana) is made up of Friends from each of these traditions and all are excited about the opportunity to bring Friends together in a spirit of unity. The planning committee gathered in Richmond in April to tour facilities, work on details and do teambuilding. Lots of outside-the-box thinking took place as they worked together to plan a conference where all Friends feel welcome. On the cover are planning committee members (looking a bit tired after several long days of meeting for business!): Emily Stewart, Katie Terrell, Sadie Forsythe, Micah Bales and Nathan Sebens. Planning committee members not pictured: Casey Kashnig, Faith Kelley and Maya Wright. Look for conference reports in the July/August issue of Quaker Life!
|