Quaker Life Navigation: ---- Select a Subtopic ---- Quaker Life Home Advertising Information Subscriptions Invitation to Writers E-mail quakerlife@fum.org Meeting Directory

FUM News

Sacred Moments by Sylvia Graves, FUM General Secretary
FUM Summer Mission Project: Honey Creek-New Providence Youth
William Penn Computer Club Donates Laptops to Belize
General Board Meets to Discuss Budget Concerns and the Future of Friends United Meeting
Considering the Future of the Children's Homes in Jamaica
Truth is Spoken at Great Plains Yearly Meeting
Tennessee Friends Host Wilmington Yearly Meeting
Brief Report of New York Yearly Meeting
Highlights from Indiana Yearly Meeting

Sacred Moments
By Sylvia Graves, General Secretary

Years ago it was reported by the camp manager in a Quaker Haven Foundation Board meeting that there had been some very unwholesome, if not illegal, activities going on in a little cottage located off Quaker Haven property, but near the boys’ cabins at Quaker Haven Camp. The manager was looking for someone to buy the cottage so the camp would have good neighbors. It would be a fix-up project. The words “fix-up project” make my husband Dale’s eyes light up, so we decided to buy the cottage if the price was right. We had prayed that if the purchase was meant to be, that God would make it easy on us. There wasn’t even a counter offer.

Dale started work to tear out the existing kitchen and a few walls almost before the papers were signed. We rather enjoyed trying to fix up the cottage without spending much money. We were delighted to be given a good kitchen stove from a friend of our daughter and we found a sink in the bargain bin at the local home improvement store. We bought unfinished cabinets to finish and install ourselves.

One day, Tom Mullen, one of our Quaker Haven Park neighbors, stopped by to see what we were doing and to welcome us as new residents of the Park. “Is thee allowing the testimony on simplicity to be thy guide?” he asked. We assured him that we were being frugal and working toward the goal of cleanliness and efficiency, not aesthetic beauty. “That is good,” he responded, “For I wouldn’t want thy cottage to be better than mine.” Doesn’t that sound so “Mullen-ish?”

Later that weekend, Tom and his first Nancy were sitting on a bench watching their grandchildren play on the Quaker Haven beach. We had a good visit. I asked if I could take a photo of them. It turned out to be perhaps the last photo of Nancy, for she passed away a short time later.

When we have personal encounters with people who have touched us in the ways that Tom has, every encounter is a sacred moment. I have read all of Tom’s books and heard him speak a number of times. He always leaves me with me a sense of perspective and peace about the struggles we endure. Helping us learn to laugh at ourselves and our Religious Society, to make the best of medical challenges and to take time to notice the little blessings in our daily lives is what Tom has done for me and for many others. We need more such encounters, encouragement and humor to lift us out of our serious nature.

FUM Summer Mission Project:
Honey Creek-New Providence Youth Help FUM Achieve Early Success for "Bikes for Boys in Belize"

FUM experienced an early success this year with its Summer Mission Project: Bikes for Boys in Belize! Our goal was to raise $6,000 for 40 bikes by the end of August, and thanks to your enthusiastic response we hit our goal in early July! The bikes will enable boys to not only get to Friends Boys School, but to high school and future employment. Because we want the boys to be able to keep their bikes, we have continued to collect funds above and beyond our goal for future classes of boys.

Honey Creek-New Providence Friends Church in Iowa shared with us their inspiring story of how “eight eager riders” were able to raise over $1,500 to support this project. Sunday School teachers Terry and Jane Beare wrote:

“When we heard about the Bikes for Belize project our Sunday School class was very enthusiastic. Here was a missions project made for them! The students range from third through fifth grade. They could all relate to the importance and fun of having your own bicycle. We decided to hold a bike-a-thon to raise pledges for the bikes. After announcing this project to the entire congregation, the kids immediately canvassed the church-goers, collecting money and pledges. No one could escape their eager excitement! The bike-a-thon was held in our church parking lot to avoid any dangerous traffic. Each student would ride the marked course around the perimeter of the lot. Their goal was to ride as many laps as possible in one hour’s time. … Eight eager riders took their task very seriously and peddled steadily for an hour. At the end of that time, more than 350 total laps had been completed! … On the morning we devised this project, our Sunday School lesson was how Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. Just as this small offering was multiplied, the faithful efforts of our kids were rewarded many times over, and with God’s help they were all able to contribute more than they ever dreamed possible. It is with much joy and satisfaction that we are enclosing this check for $1,529.65 to purchase bicycles for the children of Belize.”

It is with gratitude that we thank Emma, Dana, Andrea, Holly, Jacob, Ty, Vince and Ryland of Honey Creek-New Providence Friends, and the many others who participated in the Summer Mission Project this year. You have given the boys in Belize a brighter future with your generous donations!

William Penn Computer Club Donates Laptops to Belize

In mid-February, the Belize Friends Boys School was broken into and the students’ laptops were stolen. This was a great loss for the students. Computer classes are critical for employment opportunities. Upon hearing the news from Ron Bryan, superintendant of Iowa Yearly Meeting, the William Penn Computer Club refurbished four laptops and donated them to the Friends Boys School. Among those working on the project were Darryl Smith, Jon Stevens and Landon Wubbels. We are very grateful for their donations of time and expertise as well as the laptops.

General Board Meets to Discuss Budget Concerns and the Future of Friends United Meeting
By Sylvia Graves, General Secretary

Several members of the General Board came early to the June 8-11 sessions so they could tour the facilities of Wilmington College, site of the 2011 Triennial Sessions. Plans are well underway and we hope hundreds of Friends will mark the dates of July 27-31, 2011, on their calendars and plan to attend. The theme is “Transforming Lives: Romans 12:2.”

Also early in the sessions was a presentation of concerns from the superintendents of Iowa, Indiana, Western, Wilmington and North Carolina who are urging the General Board to address some of the difficulties of FUM and propose some practical changes to improve our effectiveness. Further work on those changes is to be deliberated by the Executive Committee, Trustees and Finance Committee in a special session to be scheduled in September. Some of the concerns noted are theological and cultural differences, financial stability and facing the challenges of being global partners. Board members again affirmed the Orthodox Christian Quaker origin of FUM as an identity that has not changed.

Minutes of Southeastern Yearly Meeting regarding their relationship to FUM were read. At their April sessions, SEYM approved the continuation of their suspended membership from FUM. The Board approved acknowledging receipt of those minutes and communicating our love to them.

Friends United Press has reprinted A Life of Search, by D. Elton Trueblood, and is publishing a new edition of A Sincere and Constant Love: An Introduction to the Work of Margaret Fell, edited by T.H.S. Wallace. The 40th anniversary of Friends United Press was celebrated in May with a Deal-of-the-Day on our online shopping center to bring awareness to the site as well as to the wide variety of items for sale on that site, which now include African crafts.

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Quaker Life. The magazine will have a new look in September as we move the magazine to a new printer and new paper, resulting in a cost savings that will enable us to maintain current subscription prices. The Quaker Life advisory committee met to consider themes for 2010 which will be made available soon.

A review of the Strategic Plan for FUM that was developed two years ago revealed that many of the goals have been accomplished, yet there is still much to do. The Board separated into focus groups to address the four areas of the plan to note areas of progress and select just one or two more priority goals that can be accomplished in the next year and a half before it is time to develop a new plan for the next five years.

In financial matters, the new budget was approved but calls for a transfer of $50,000 from the endowment in the coming year to subsidize the budget. With reductions in current projected income from member yearly meetings, other sources will be needed to fund our current programs. Salary reductions, a cut in staff hours and the use of a trust fund for mission administration will also help accomplish a balanced budget. It is hoped that an improving economy will result in an improved situation for FUM next year.

The General Board gave approval for the Trustees to continue the process of gathering information and then discern the advisability of developing a section of property on thecampus of the Ramallah Friends Upper School. The proposed development would include parking spaces, shopping areas and office space and serve the purpose of providing income for the school in the next decades. The RFS Board has been exploring the feasibility of this idea for many years and the FUM General Board has now received drawings, cost analysis and proposed design and contractors, so the decision to proceed is imminent. If approved, the project would be financed by the U.S. Government USAID Department of Overseas Private Investment Corporation and not by FUM. Ramallah is currently a thriving city where there is much development, both commercial and residential, and the value of the RFS property, as it sits in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, has become significant.

Sam and Becky Barber, their four children and the family dog arrived safely in Belize in April after several months of successful fund- and awareness-raising among Friends in the U.S. They are adjusting to the culture, the climate and the management of the Friends Boys School. They were grateful for Pat Shrock’s presence and assistance upon their arrival, and have participated in graduation activities and several field trips with the boys.

There are continuing challenges with the management of Kaimosi Hospital in Kenya. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in January between East Africa Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting that grants management responsibility to FUM also included a commitment of a $50,000 subsidy for the hospital this year. That figure includes help with salaries through the Adopt-a-Nurse program. There is also a need for $10,000 to help with shipping around $350,000 worth of medical supplies/equipment from the World Medical Relief agency.

Ann Riggs has been appointed to serve as principal of Friends Theological College for the coming academic year. Funds for her support have been slow in coming, but a large gift under discernment from Baltimore Yearly Meeting will make it possible for her to be on her way in August. Her ministry can only be sustained, however, by more donations.

Other challenges to Friends Theological College include the need for increased staff salaries. Three of nine teaching staff members have resigned to take higher paying positions elsewhere.

Parallel efforts are making great progress in developing curriculum to teach Peaceful Problem-Solving in both the Kenyan secondary and primary schools. Lon Fendall, director of the Center for Peace and Justice at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, has led a team of educators who traveled to Kenya to collaborate with Kenyan educators to develop a curriculum intended to be ready for implementation this fall in upper level Friends schools. Mary Glenn Hadley, Charlotte Stangeland and Marlene Pedigo are working on a curriculum for younger students. Charlotte will be conducting workshops in Kenya in August to present what has been written so far and gather input on the program from teachers there.

The General Board will reconvene in Richmond, Indiana, October 15-17, 2009.

Considering the Future of the Children's Homes in Jamaica
By Terri Johns, FUM Program Manager

Because of a generous donor from Western Yearly Meeting, I was able to attend a joint meeting of the Friends Education Council (FEC) and Jamaica Yearly Meeting (JYM) Executive Committee in late June.

The meeting was held to consider the future of the properties at Swift-Purscell Boys Home and Lyndale Girls Home. As reported in the last issue of Quaker Life, both homes have been temporarily closed. The FEC and JYM committee members came together to discuss options for the grounds. At the end of the meeting, we learned that we didn’t have enough information to make a final decision, but the options were narrowed down to three. Different individuals were charged with obtaining more information and hard facts about the three options.

Option 1: Lyndale Girls Home needs quite a bit of repair before it can be usable as a home. A group is interested in renting the grounds in exchange for some building repair and a small rental fee. This would relieve some of the burden of repairs from FEC, but we were not clear about the mission of this interested group. The clerk asked for more detail.

Option 2: Swift-Purscell Boys Home needs the least amount of repair in order to reopen as a home for boys. Because much of the destruction happened in the older boys’ quarters, it was recommended that if the home does reopen, it would do so with much younger boys. Before the home can bring in the boys it needs to have the approval of several government and safety organizations. This would require some repairs. The clerk asked that FEC bring back a written proposal of all the necessary changes that need to be made in order to get approval.

Option 3: The Continuation Building across the road from Swift-Purscell has been looked at by the Ministry of Education as a possible location for additional high school facilities.

Whether this was in the form of a second high school in Highgate or a continuation school, it was not clear. There was mention of a proposal letter about this arrangement, but no response has been received. The clerk asked a committee member to pursue this further. If this is a possibility, a written proposal with a time-line and requirements would be necessary.

While we didn’t make a final decision, we did have some lively discussions, a great time of socializing and a wonderful meal. FEC is scheduled to meet in September and again in November. A called meeting of FEC and JYM has not yet been scheduled.

Truth is Spoken at Great Plains Yearly Meeting
By Katie Terrell, Communications Editor

The theme of this year’s annual sessions of Great Plains Yearly Meeting (GPYM) was: “The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Us! Isaiah 61:1 - Luke 4:18.” During my Sunday School lesson I shared that I was very excited to be among Friends who were so biblically literate, but I was going to have a hard time addressing all of the verses between Isaiah and Luke in an hour. They laughed with me, because GPYM Friends have a sense of humor. To prove this, on the first day of sessions they asked for volunteers for the “extracts committee.” For us first time visitors the clerks explained that two or three people were in charge of collecting humorous phrases and anecdotes spoken during the sessions, which would then be recorded in the official minutes. Never has another committee made me want to read through past minutes of annual sessions before, but this one did!

State of Society reports were read on behalf of each of the monthly meetings that are part of GPYM. In those reports I felt tremendous honesty. They weren’t attendance reports of this year’s chicken barbeque or discernment reports about the need for new carpeting. Instead, they included questions that they were wrestling with: What is God calling us to? How do we reach out to the community and draw more children to our meeting when our energy is low and we fear change? Are we actively seeking God? Those Friends inspired me to speak truth when I was asked to share the state of Friends United Meeting, not just the triumphs that we have achieved this year, but the hard questions and the struggles that we too face: What if we can’t pay teachers and nurses in Kenya? What will happen to the children’s homes in Jamaica? Will budget cuts mean an even smaller staff in Richmond, or fewer issues of Quaker Life magazine?

I was lifted up by Friends in Great Plains. They prayed with me, shed tears with me and encouraged me in my ministry by promising to write for Quaker Life, by writing checks to FUM and by sharing their passion for the work we do. I hope that they too felt encouraged by my presence, because even though they are small in number, they are big in heart, and I pray that God will continue to bless them richly. In the words of their own ministry and counsel, “In Christ we dare to hope.”

Tennessee Friends Host Wilmington Yearly Meeting
By Kim Newlin, FUM Development Officer

The 118th annual sessions of Wilmington Yearly Meeting were hosted by their Friendsville Quarter and convened in picturesque east Tennessee from July 9-12. Friends from Ohio and Tennessee came together under the theme, “Listening is an Act of Love.” (James 1:19-20)

Business sessions were held at Maryville Friends where the Young Friends Yearly Meeting served lunch each day. Larry Fowler, pastor of Friendsville Meeting, was our worship leader for the sessions. He brought messages of encouragement and reminded us that we are to gather first in the name of Christ and all works must come from that place.

Friday evening, Friends gathered at the Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville for dinner, fellowship and sharing. Patti Kent, from Music City Friends in Nashville, Tennessee, played her violin, and Christian and Louise Grandoullier spoke about their service through Wycliff Bible Translators. For more than 20 years, the couple has been working to translate the Bible into one of the native dialects of the people of Niger. Louise was a long-time member of Jamestown Friends in Ohio and has recently returned after having lived among the Nigerian people.

Saturday’s meetings for business included a memorial service. Friends shared precious stories and memories of those whose names were called.

Friends at Ballplay hosted the Saturday evening event. What a joy it was to drive through the beautiful Tennessee countryside on the way to the meetinghouse. Our hosts provided a wonderful dinner, followed by the annual Peace Lecture.

Business sessions were concluded just prior to Meeting for Worship at Maryville on Sunday morning. Two Wilmington pastors were formally recognized for their gifts of ministry. Dan Kasztelan, campus ministry coordinator at Wilmington College, and Jackie Speicher, pastor of Xenia Friends in Xenia, Ohio, both received certificates from the yearly meeting.

Lois Hackney, outgoing presiding clerk of the yearly meeting, was recognized and thanked for her service. Doug Haag will be the new presiding clerk. Friends from Wilmington Yearly Meeting will meet again for business in Wilmington, Ohio, July 22-25, 2010.

Brief Report of New York Yearly Meeting
By Sylvia Graves, General Secretary

New York Friends gathered at Silver Bay on Lake George for their 314th annual sessions with attention to the theme, “Equality: Living into the Testimony.” It seems that NYYM Friends are not afraid to tackle some tough issues, as they have been studying in depth the issue of racism among Friends for the past few years. Sessions for discernment prompted Friends to speak about their own attitudes and struggles with acceptance of others. Donna McDaniel and Vanessa Julye, the authors of the newly released book, Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship, presented some not-so-comfortable historical facts about how Friends have denied membership to black people in their meetings as well as entrance to Quaker schools.

Inspiring Bible study sessions were led by pastors in New York Yearly Meeting and emphasized texts that can empower those who have been oppressed. Committees on Indian Affairs, Black Concerns, Prisons, Young Adults Concerns and Concerns of the Aging worked to address many of the issues of our society.

A PowerPoint presentation about the global ministries of New York Friends through Friends United Meeting seemed to broaden the perspective of many Friends who were otherwise ready to pull away from FUM. NYYM Friends saw that schools, hospitals and peace-building work in countries such as Belize, Cuba, Israel and Kenya offer a variety of ways to empower people to live better and more whole lives.

A very real concern of NYYM Friends is the cost of attending yearly meeting sessions at Silver Bay. Whereas the benefits of having a resort area that provides opportunities for swimming, boating, sailing lessons and crafts encourage some families to attend yearly meeting while they are on vacation, the expense also prohibits many Friends from coming. NYYM is working to resolve this conflict as they want to be better stewards of their resources.

Highlights from Indiana Yearly Meeting

Some decisions from yearly meeting sessions:

• New questions for spiritual growth on “Sacramental Living” were approved for inclusion in our Faith and Practice.
• 2010 program budget was approved maintaining the current assessment of $73 per active member. Missions goals for 2010 were also approved with a goal of collecting $75 per member.
• Approval was given to call Doug Shoemaker as general superintendent for another three-year term.

Other yearly meeting highlights:

• Doug Bennett, president of Earlham College, and Doug Shoemaker, IYM superintendent, made a joint presentation proposing a newly defined future relationship between Earlham and IYM to be discussed further at next year’s sessions.
• $552 was given to the yearly meeting offering for Sam and Becky Barber, directors at Belize Friends Boys School.
• The FUM report was given by Katie Terrell, communications editor; Ben and Jody Richmond, outgoing principals of Friends Theological College; and Ed Nicholson, a member of the FTC support team.
• Van Wert Quarterly Meeting was announced as winner of this year’s Woolman Award for their collective work on a variety of social concerns projects.
• Ministry and Oversight recognized individuals from 13 meetings with “Certificates of Recognition” honoring their service in their local congregations. Those honored were Martha Hill (Arba), Clyde Monroe (Back Creek), Maurice Shugart (Bethel), Bruce Munden (Charlottesville), Curt Long (Jericho), Wade Beatty (Knightstown), John and Jenny McCormick (Liberty), Tom Krughoff (Little Blue River), Barb Kolp (Lynn), John Klemann (Richmond First Friends), Tom and Shirley Harper (Sycamore), Mike and Sue Scamihorn (Wabash) and Walter Mills (Winchester).
• Debi Howell (Farmland), Lucy Price (West Richmond/West Elkton) and Damon Seacott (Bethel) were presented certificates of recording in a special worship service.
• Dan Bauer was presented a gift certificate from IYM in recognition of his 25 years of service as Quaker Haven’s food service director.