As we prepare for a New Year, Friends United Meeting will be adjusting to several staffing transitions. We are sad to report that Colin Saxton has submitted his resignation. Colin returned to Friends United Meeting to serve as FUM’s Director of North American Ministries, with responsibilities of advancement and overseeing ministry priorities among North American Friends. In addition, he continued to do part-time work for Everence Financial Services.
Read MoreOn November 27, 2023, Iglesia de Los Amigos Ciudad Victoria celebrated their 150th anniversary. It was a time of joyful celebration and sorrow as they remembered many of their ancestors that are no longer among us. During the service, the youngest family member went up to share how many generations their family had been in the church. Most of the church had been members for three to five generations. There were many tears among the attenders as they remembered their great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles praying in that sanctuary, or weddings, funerals, and baby dedications.
Read MoreThe story reminds us that we can be the drivers of the bus, or passengers in the bus: drivers because we have leadership positions to help steer the congregations or meetings; passengers because we could be part of those being directed by the leadership...
Read MoreEmily Provance writes about how Quaker communities might begin to think about caring for parents and families, based on the second year of the Quaker parent mutual support groups co-sponsored by Friends United Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Chief among her findings: Quaker parents feel profoundly isolated. "Some parents are literally alone...Other parents feel isolated despite not being literally alone. Parents in the group talked about the isolation of being the only Quaker in their geographic area or the only Quaker family in their meeting. They talked about the difficulty of developing deep friendships in modern society. They talked about their hunger for connections with parents in similar circumstances: other disabled parents, other single parents, other foster parents, other parents with shared custody arrangements. Facilitators heard it repeated again and again: 'I feel so alone.'"
Read MoreThroughout our history, the people known as Friends (or Quakers) keep rediscovering an essential and enduring truth: There is one who speaks to our most basic needs and most significant hopes—Christ Jesus the Lord. Both individually and communally, we are learning to know and follow the Voice that guides us in the way we should go. Together, we seek to understand and obey that truth which sets us free. As a people, we share in the experience of that powerful life which makes all things new. Maybe you are searching for an authentic and transforming faith and community to call home—if so, come in and join us as we seek to know and follow Christ.
Friends United Meeting commits itself 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.