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“Friends, meet together and know one another in that which is eternal, which was before the world was.” —George Fox, 1657 (Britain Yearly Meeting Faith & Practice) In the mid-1990s, during our Mennonite Central Committee assignment in Uganda, Pam and I got invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at the home of an American couple who worked for another Christian agency in Kampala. We found a dozen people there waiting to dig into a meal that looked amazingly like Thanksgiving feasts we had enjoyed at Grandma’s house back home. The hosts had somehow come up with a turkey in a country where we’d never seen one before. We were able to imagine for a couple of hours that we were in the U.S. celebrating with family. Before praying to start the feasting, the host did the “American thing” and asked everyone around the table to name a blessing for which they were thankful. The guests did the “American thing” by telling mostly about new vehicles or computer equipment they had obtained with great difficulty, care packages recently received from family, or other material things which made their lives a bit easier in a place still mostly foreign to them. There was no football on TV, but the afternoon was a nice “taste of home.”
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A large group of USFW and Quaker Men representatives from North Yearly Meeting recently made a visit to Samburu Friends Mission that marked an important milestone for the Samburu community and Friends alike, as it fostered unity, understanding, and collaboration. Samburu Friends Mission is a ministry under North Yearly Meeting but it is very far away and often feels isolated. The Samburu people deeply appreciated the time, care, and fellowship extended to them during this visit. This connection has initiated a promising journey toward a stronger bond in evangelism, service, and spiritual growth. Together, we are now even more determined to support and strengthen one another in our faith and mission work. With gratitude and anticipation for our continued journey together, Felix Lekuyie Samburu Friends Mission Director
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The clerk of the FUM Board (Sarah Lookabill) has decided that the North American and Caribbean Region of the Board will meet in Richmond from March 6-8, 2025. Rania Maayeh, RFS Head of School and and Kelly Kellum, General Secretary have advised Sarah Lookabill that it is not advisable for the General Board to continue plans to host our Spring meeting in Ramallah, she approved. We did not decide to cancel the planned trip to Ramallah lightly, especially considering the tradition of hosting a General Board meeting at one of our field sites every triennium. The clerk has decided that the North American and Caribbean Region of the Board will meet in Richmond from March 6-8, 2025. Kelly Kellum is currently making arrangements to visit with a much smaller group on a pastoral care and solidarity trip to Ramallah during the first week of April.
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Friends United Meeting sends Living Letters trips to Cuba annually to experience the life and witness of Cuban Quakerism. We hope to encourage Friends, to worship with Friends in Cuba, and to receive encouragement from Friends on the island. We also hope to bring our Friends in Cuba basic items, like over-the-counter medication. If you would like to send us items to carry with us, you may donate via our Amazon Wish List here: https://bit.ly/FUMCUBA or scan the QR code! We also invite your prayers for safe and fruitful travel January 7-15. Thank you Friends!
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As 2024 winds down it is important to reflect on the year that is passing. Friends United Meeting has invited a variety of Friends to share their thoughts on gratitude. As David Steindl-Rast the Catholic theologian said “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful,” so we too shall take time to be grateful. This week's reflection is from Margaret Fraser, who served as executive secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas. She now lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On a Saturday in mid-November, eighteen Quakers from Frederick Street Meeting in Belfast took the cross-border Enterprise train to Connolly Station, Dublin, two hours away. At Connolly we were greeted by two members of Eustace Street Meeting and guided on the light rail and on foot to the Eustace Street meetinghouse in Dublin.
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The Friends Church Tanzania (FCT) Annual Conference officially began on October 23 under the theme “Rebuilding the Broken Walls,” inspired by Isaiah 58:12, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Over 300 delegates attended, many of whom were participating in a Quaker conference in southern Tanzania for the very first time. The excitement was contagious as delegates arrived from across Tanzania—from Mwanza, Kahama, Manyara, Iringa, Morogoro, Tabora, Sumbawanga, Kyela, Dar es Salaam, and even from neighboring Malawi and Zambia. The joy of these new connections and friendships filled the air.
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