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Friends United Meeting |
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July/August 1999
News from Friends United Meeting
Ambassadors for Christ Seminar, 1999
New Books: On John Woolman and Wilmer Cooper
Ramallah schools welcome I.B. program, Haddens
Friends Theological College Graduates Six
Belize Boys Graduate
Belize Boys School has closed its year out with good news for nearly all of its students. About half of the boys applied to one or more of the high schools. The other half applied to CET, a local vocational school. Only two students failed to apply anywhere. The school is seeing a poorer rate of attrition than last year. More than 50 students started the year, but only 39 boys remain.
Here is news about last year's graduates. About five out of six boys are still enrolled in high school and nine out of sixteen are still enrolled in CET. The CET numbers may be higher, as some high school students who failed to get accepted into high school may have opted for vocational training instead. The boys have done very well at attending their required interviews, for which we are not permitted to prompt them.
One youngster especially inspired us. He is dyslexic, and an absolute non-reader, but he had the highest score on our non-verbal IQ test. His problem was explained, and he is doing exceptionally well. Of the nine students who took the non-verbal IQ test, seven improved upon retaking the test. Reading is still a weak point for most of the boys.
We took in some Spanish-speaking students, and they are doing terrifically. All three of them are in the top six in the class. We are making a difference in the lives of a few.
Florence Peery
Grant Received
In related news, the Belize Boys School recently received a grant from the Anna H. and Elizabeth M. Chace Fund, of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The grant will assist the School in purchasing school uniforms; a copy machine; and a mainframe computer and network equipment which will allow its computers to be linked together. This will allow students to work inter-actively with teachers and each other as they improve their skills. The computer networking will also be of great assistance for evening classes on basic computer skills, word processing, and simple business skills which the School now offers to parents and community members.
Ambassadors for Christ Seminar, 1999
"A Peacemaker's Response to Violence and Conflict"
This year's seminar marks the second piece of a three-year focus on our calling as followers of Christ to be reconcilers "in our world, our country and our community." In Second Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul states that, "God has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us! So we are Ambassadors for Christ."
Washington, D.C., will serve as the platform upon which we live out our role as Ambassadors. The monuments, museums and political landmarks of D. C. will serve as the classrooms for our discussions on war and peace. Participants will visit the U.S. Capitol, the White House, several of the Smithsonian Museums, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Ford's Theatre, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Monument, and more.
Rich Swingle will be our main speaker and seminar coordinator with the assistance of Friends Committee on National Legislation and William Penn House. Each day will begin and end with a time of worship.
Total cost will be $190.00. This includes quad rooms at the Holiday Inn Capitol in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. Registrations will be due September 1, 1999, and must include a $53 payment. The remainder will be due October 1.
Woolman and Cooper Books
Two new Friends
United Press titles will be available at the Triennial: John Woolman:
Quintessential Quaker by David Sox and Growing Up Plain: The Journey
of a Public Friend by Wilmer A. Cooper.
David Sox's biography of John Woolman is the first one to be published in almost thirty years. The author's intent is twofold: to encourage readers to delve into Woolman's Journal, a classic in its own right, and to set Woolman's life and ministry into the social, religious, and political context of the mid-eighteenth century.
In Growing Up Plain, Wilmer Cooper draws on personal
experience and theological training to tell the story of Conservative
Friends-the "plain people of Quakerdom"-and their impact on
his life. Readers can look forward to anecdotes from Wil's childhood among
Conservative Friends in Middleton, Ohio, and to his assessment of how
Conservative Friends fit into the Quaker historical and theological "mix."
Field Workers To Visit
The following FUM field staff will be in the United States for the Triennial Sessions this summer. If your meeting has a particular interest in one of these mission fields, contact the FUM office to see if they might be able to visit.
Jan Armstrong and Ray Downing (Lugulu Hospital)
Maia Carter (Ramallah)
Allyn & Holly Dhynes (Ramallah)
Nancy Maeder (Ramallah)
Rich & Sandy Davis (Friends Theological College)
Mike & Kay Cain (Belize)
Steve & Marlene Pedigo (Chicago Fellowship of Friends)
Dwaine & Becky Williams (Jamaica children's homes)
Isaiah Bikokwa, a mission partner, working in Samburu, will also attend the Triennial sessions and be doing visitation this summer.
FUM's own "Y2K bugs"
Friends United Meeting's 1986-era accounting software's days are numbered (literally), but replacing it with a new system that can operate beyond December 31, 1999, has been more complicated than any of us imagined.
Outgoing business manager Krista Nicholson recommended Blackbaud Accounting, an industry standard for non-profits. Mary Jo Mulloy was in the business office less than a month before taking another job at a 60% higher salary. Her successor, Nancy Wooten, continued the Blackbaud installation but resigned effective June 7, the day I returned from a three-month leave. She had contracted with consultants to help with the installation; by June 7, their bills exceeded $44,000, more than twice the cost of the software. Since the installation project was brought back in-house under the leadership of World Ministries' Retha McCutchen and Matthew Keller (with assistance from auditors Ness & Co.), progress has been rapid. As of June 21, the system is finally becoming operational. We had been without financial reports for six months!
Nancy stated in a letter that she circulated widely, "...I have given the organization my full-time and attention in order to approve its financial accountability. However, it appears that the current management does not support my efforts to affect the changes necessary to accomplish this goal." In a mailing to FUM's General Board, I responded, "We wholeheartedly shared the same goal, but it seems to have become quite clear that we did not agree on the implementation, and especially its costs and duration."
Our lack of financial reports slowed down administration and fundraising. For a while, Carolyn Rhoades, our excellent bookkeeper, was practically back in the pencil-and-paper era. Now that most of the struggles are behind us, I'm looking forward to the enhanced reporting and project management that the new system promises.
Johan Maurer
Ramallah schools welcome I.B. program, Haddens
After two years of intensive preparation, the Ramallah Friends Schools were approved to implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. IB is a rigorous, high-quality course of pre-university studies. The program emphasizes broad-based academic achievement; the development of analytical and critical thinking skills; and the promotion of international understanding and responsible citizenship, all of which match well with the values of the Friends Schools. The Ramallah Friends Schools are the first educational institutions in Palestine to implement this program.
In late February, several RFS faculty members joined more than 200 teachers from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa at IB training workshops in Amman, Jordan. Peter Kapenga, History Department, noted "The IB program says that excellence means a broad exposure to all disciplines. Students have to take courses in all areas to graduate."
FUM received with regret, but understanding, the decision of Jim and Deborah Fine to return to the USA after their excellent year of service. We are delighted to announce that Laurie and Marilyn Hadden, who preceded the Fines, will be returning to their posts.
Mahmoud Amra and FUM staff
Friends Theological College Graduates Six
On March 27, 1999, six graduates were recognized at the Friends Theological College (FTC) commencement ceremony. Four students-Antony Kundu, Elly Lugwili, Morris Mudelwa, and Judith Ngoya-received diplomas for completing a three-year program of study. Two students-Wycliffe Wanjala and Johnstone Lidoro-completed a one-year certificate program.
"It was a small class," said Rich Davis, FTC Principal, "but we see a great deal of leadership potential in these graduates. We were enriched by them, and honored to be a part of their educational journey."
Copyright (c) 1999 Friends United Meeting
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