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Report 2000
Affiliate Reports
Friends United Meeting
Friends United Meeting is an association of Friends meetings and ministries in 11 countries. The Board and staff of Friends United Meeting work together with Friends at the local and regional levels to administer international and cross-cultural ministries and to provide consultative services, Friends books and curriculum, and resources for evangelism and spiritual renewal.
Our purpose statement was adopted in 1993: “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.”
In 1999, our Triennial business sessions, open to all Friends, took place in Williamsburg, Virginia. Participants worshiped, encouraged each other, considered reports from staff and committees, and were challenged by such speakers Elias Chacour (founder of Mar Elias College in Ibillin, Galilee, Israel) and our own field staff colleague, Steve Pedigo, and World Ministries director, Retha McCutchen. For the new 1999-2002 Triennium, the sessions agreed that the task of building stronger relationships of equality and mutual accountability among the full constituency, including those in the former mission fields of Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America, would be a high priority. The 2002 Triennial sessions will take place in Nairobi, Kenya.
World Ministries’ international program continues to be strengthened by addition of field staff. David Romberger joined the team in Belize, and Dwaine, Becky, and Sarita Williams joined the team in Jamaica. The Williamses have begun weekly prayer times with staff at the Lyndale Girls and Swift-Purscell Boys Homes and Sunday visits to churches of Jamaica Yearly Meeting in addition to daily administrative duties. This summer, Colin and Katherine South of Britain Yearly Meeting will begin service at Ramallah Friends Schools, with Colin serving as the new director.
The growing edge for FUM in reaching unreached people is in Samburu, Kenya, where Michael Wasike and Joseph Malongo joined Isaiah Bikokwa in fulltime ministry. New churches, dispensary and nursery schools were established in cooperation with Samburu people. A gift of land by two local farmers made a new church, school and dispensary possible. Turkana Friends Mission, Kenya, built three rental houses from grant proceeds as one way to support their outreach ministry in poor villages. As a trial program, Friends Theological College senior students participated in a field experience program. Kenya field staff Rich and Sandy Davis reported: “The experience was positive for all seven students and each of them have been offered permanent positions as a result of their good performance.”
As 1999 drew to a close, Chicago Fellowship of Friends acquired full ownership of their building in downtown Chicago. This will allow countless opportunities for ministry to their rapidly-changing Cabrini Green neighborhood.
Volunteers bring an added dimension to World Ministries work. Sixteen North Americans helped Cuban Friends complete the new meetinghouse at Bocas. (Another team in January 2000 helped re-roof the Velasco meetinghouse and parsonage.) Following the work of the FUM team at Lugulu Hospital, Mukasa Onyango, hospital administrator, wrote: “We want to thank you most sincerely for having hatched the idea of volunteer work team. Their coming rein forced the relationship between FUM, the Hospital, and the local (Friends) community here. We would like to reaffirm that this program should be retained and participation encouraged both overseas and here (Kenya).”
During 1999, FUM received grants for work at Friends Theological College, Lugulu Hospital, and Turkana Friends Mission in Kenya and the Ramallah Friends Schools in Palestine.
With Mary Glenn Hadley’s retirement after 12 years as Associate Secretary of Meeting Ministries, Friends United Meeting began a conversation with yearly meeting representatives about how best to serve the needs of local meetings and churches. Out of the discussions came a new name—North American Ministries—and a North American Ministries steering committee to guide, with General Board approval, the direction of this work.
We are grateful for the opportunity to support the spiritual life of meetings and churches in 1999 as:
- 40 Friends pastors and administrative leaders attended the 1999 Leadership Consultation in July.
- 125 churches and meetings participated in the 1999 Chain of Prayer.
- Vacation Bible School students surpassed their $4,000 goal by contributing $11,182 for medical equipment for children at Friends Lugulu Hospital in Kenya.
- 50 students and volunteer leaders attended the Ambassadors for Christ Seminar in Washington, D.C.
Quaker Life, which is published ten times a year, continues to cover major news of Friends, from the appointment of South African Friend Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge as deputy minister of defense to Quaker war-tax cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Topical issues concerned racism, evangelism, and right- to-life concerns. Devotional and biblical features included the serial publication of the first chapter of Richard Foster’s newest book, Streams of Living Water.
During the year we conducted a carefully randomized survey of our readership that resulted in a re-design of the magazine part way through the year. Our goals remain the same: To “inform and equip Friends” by providing a way for us to tell each other our stories of God working among us; to strengthen our identity and community as Christians and specifically as Friends; and to keep our constituency informed of FUM news in order to keep FUM accountable and to motivate support.
Friends United Press continues to publish books by and/or about Friends that focus on Quaker distinctives and how those distinctives inform our faith and our daily practice of that faith. We actively seek cooperative publishing and marketing arrangements to increase sales and cut costs. This year, a sophisticated presence on the Internet (www.fum.org) became a priority in our strategy for increased visibility among Quaker and non-Quaker customers. To keep inventory in line, we turned to an on-demand printer for production of selected titles.
Friends United Press published five new titles in 1999, two of which were co-published with Sessions Book Trust in York, England.
by Wilmer A. Cooper sold more than half its print run of 2,000 within six months. Wilmer was a delightful presence at book signings at the Friends General Conference Gathering and FUM Triennial.
- Growing Up Plain: The Journey of a Public Friend
Life-Work: A Career Guide for Idealists by Quaker author William Charland, falls somewhere between his own Idiot’s Guide to Changing Careers (Macmillan) and Marsha Sinetar’s Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow. Look for workshops by Bill Charland on finding meaningful work. Royalties from Life-Work benefit Friends Theological College, Kaimosi, Kenya.
A Winding Road to Freedom by Randall Wisehart is an adventure story for middle school age and above set on the Underground Railroad.
John Woolman: Quintessential Quaker (with Sessions) by David Sox places the life and ministry of John Woolman within the social, religious, and political context of his contemporaries. David Sox will come stateside to lead workshops on John Woolman in Fall 2000 or Spring 2001.
The Clouded Quaker Star: James Nayler (with Sessions) by Vera Massey is a creative look at the dramatic life of this early Quaker leader.Quaker Hill Bookstore experienced record off-site sales at the Triennial sessions in Williamsburg, Virginia: Quakers are certainly avid readers! Of our total 1999 sales of $404,754 fully 44% consisted of curriculum sales, far exceeding general books (21%) and Friends books (7%). Mail-order sales declined somewhat, possibly reflecting web-based booksellers and Christian publishers’ entry into Internet sales as well as deep-discount sales through general retailers such as Wal-Mart. Along with Friends United Press, the Bookstore is increasing its own presence on the Internet. The Quaker Hill Book Club has a page for announcements and online ordering, with a listing of the Bookstore’s Quaker titles to be added soon.
Administration and Finances: 1999 was a difficult year for several reasons, including high staff turnover in the business office, and unexpected problems in converting to new financial and database software. It was almost the end of 1999 before we had reconstructed 1998’s financial picture. Owing partly to unusual expenses for equipment, software, and consultative services, we stretched our credit line to the limit and eventually had to dip into undesignated funds held by the Trustees. By year-end, the picture had improved considerably, thanks in part to the generosity of many Friends who were aware of our situation. Most of the bugs had been ironed out of our systems, and although we ended the year with a deficit, it was far smaller than we feared earlier in the year. We expect that we will not have similar one-time expenses again for another 1000 years! In any case, to strengthen internal disciplines and external accountability, we will no longer staff our business functions 100% in-house and will be contracting with an outside accountant for the year 2000. Our 1999 audit is going much faster than 1998’s did and should be ready well before Indiana Yearly Meeting Sessions.
Despite 1999’s administrative difficulties, the programs and ministries continued at a high level of quality, which is a testimony to the dedication of our staff and volunteers at home and in the field, and to the power of prayer.
This is my last opportunity to report to Indiana Yearly Meeting as general secretary; my service ends July 31, 2000. Indiana Yearly Meeting has been so supportive of FUM and of me personally—there is no way to express my gratitude adequately. God bless you all, and keep the faith!
Johan Maurer, General Secretary
