Global Ministries Coordinator Karla Jay and North American and Caribbean Ministries Coordinator Michael Sherman recently traveled from the Friends United Meeting’s Richmond office to attend the inaugural Quakerdale Ministry Fair, held on September 18. Founded in 2018, Josiah White’s Quakerdale Foundation is a nonprofit organization that describes itself as “faith-driven and community-focused, seeking to impact our world for the gospel by serving as Christ serves.” The foundation provides grants and consultation assistance to nonprofits that support children and families. The Ministry Fair served as an opportunity for Quakerdale’s ministry partners to see each other and the kinds of work each organization is doing to impact their community.
Read MoreAs the world’s attention remains focused on the unfolding crises in Gaza and southern Lebanon, the resilience and struggles of those living in the West Bank—particularly in Ramallah—remain alarmingly under-reported. Among those profoundly affected by these ongoing tensions are the families, staff, and students of Ramallah Friends School, who daily navigate the uncertainties and fears of this war.
Read MoreThe Fall 2019 issue of Quaker Life, on justice, is in the mail and on shelves now. In the Bible, justice has to do with land and labor and family structures; with ownership and employment; with widows, orphans, and immigrants; with food and water and housing; with access to God at the Temple—with everything, material or spiritual, that is required for a human being to thrive. God cares for ALL of what God has created, and therefore shows a special regard for the weak and the marginalized for whom society cares less. And since God shows a special regard for the weak and the poor, a corresponding quality is required of God’s people. God’s people must also be especially concerned with equity and fairness in society and economy, with guaranteeing every creature’s access to the necessities of life: to water, food, health, respect, attention, kindness, helpful community, and the opportunity to draw near to God. As a foundation for life together, justice is a vast and widening gyre, and our authors in this issue explore the theme from many angles.
Read More“What is this community worth to you?” By “community,” I mean the spiritual family that sustains, nurtures and inspires us in our faith. It includes those mentors, teachers, and examples who spur us on toward love and godliness. I am referencing the faith laboratory in which we get to practice (often with great regularity!) the essential disciplines...
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.