To be a true Friend of Jesus in this election cycle is to be mindful of the temptation that we all have to retreat into our comfortable and defensive rhetorical silos. To be a Friend this election cycle is to spend time with those who see things differently and to really listen for the concerns, hopes, fears and wounds beneath the words.
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This past weekend the Vassalboro Quarterly Meeting of Maine held their annual “Fall Gathering” at Friends Camp in China, Maine. The day was centered around Luke 8: 5-8, considering how Friends in Maine are tending to good soil in order to welcome the seeds of the Holy Sower—especially in relationships with Native Wabanaki peoples and building bridges of healing in Maine.
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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.
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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.
Read MoreWhat do these times require of us—specifically this election cycle? What these times ask of us is what is always asked of us. But these times—this election season—somehow feels more challenging. I suggest that what these times require of us is our imagination, that we know our convictions, that we act with humbleness, that we hope without attachment to outcome, and that we love.
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Classes for the 2024–2025 school year began on August 29 at Ramallah Friends School in Ramallah, Palestine. On social media they wrote: “As we welcome students back today for the new school year, we’re thinking of the 625,000 students in Gaza who won’t be returning to their schools soon. Amid the challenges facing our society, Ramallah Friends School begins its 155th academic year with a renewed determination to build the next generation of Palestinian leaders.”
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