FUM News

General Secretary Kelly Kellum Spends a Week in Belize City

Friends United Meeting General Secretary Kelly Kellum spent this past week in Belize City, Belize, visiting the ongoing ministries of FUM-Belize. The purpose of his trip was to accomplish two important events. One was to host a dinner in honor of Frank Tench, who retired as principal of Belize Friends School this summer. The other was to be present as the new principal, Antoliana Budna, began her tenure with the school. At the dinner, Kelly Kellum presented a gift to Mr. Tench acknowledging the invaluable contribution Mr. Tench has made to the ministry of Belize Friends School. A recreational woodworker, Kelly hand turns pen bodies on a lathe. The pen he presented to Mr. Tench was made from a North Carolina tree that came down in a storm. As a meteorologist and a collector of pens, Mr. Tench was touched by the significant personal connection of the gift. The next evening the Belize Friends School board met for the first time this school year. With Kelly present in Belize, it served as an opportunity to provide a formal welcome to the newly reconvened school board and give support for the introduction of the new principal.

Friends Theological College-Kaimosi Supports a Well-Managed Self-Sustaining Farm

Ever wonder what it would be like to walk out of your backdoor with a basket in hand and pick fresh food from the farm? This isn’t just a dream but an attainable reality at the Friends Theological College-Kaimosi with a well-managed self-sustaining farm. Living off nature’s bounty with minimal trips to the grocery market is the order of the day in Kaimosi. The agricultural set-up at the institution says “No, thank you,” to external resources as much as possible, but rather embraces nature’s cycle and biodiversity. This has been achieved by careful planning and efficient use of space, raising livestock as well as growing high-yield crops.

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FUM Journal

Ask Tom: on leadership

How have Quaker ideas about leadership changed over time? Do Quakers have leaders? Do Quakers want leaders?

Along the Way

For the fourth of July, my son and I took a short road trip to Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN. We had put this trip off for far too long. The rainclouds followed us to the park, and we both decided we didn’t care—the rain was warm and the thick forest kept much of the water off of us.

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An Enduring Truth

Throughout 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.