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Energizing, Equipping, and Connecting Friends
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Friends United Meeting E-News

July 7, 2021

Rania Maayeh (at right), new Head of School for Ramallah Friends School, speaks with FUM General Secretary Kelly Kellum and members of the RFS Board of Trustees before a recent Board meeting.

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In this issue:

A Cup of Coffee in Palestine

 

         


Palestinians are known for their generous hospitality, and every social occasion or business transaction begins or ends with a cup of coffee. For the past ten days, I had the opportunity to travel in Ramallah, in company with Max Carter and Richard Statler, members of the Ramallah Friends School Board of Trustees. During the visit, I was graced to share cups of coffee with shopkeepers, board members, RFS staff, government officials, and friends. The former Clerk of the Ramallah Friends School Board taught me that it is appropriate to share a cup of coffee before getting down to business. I am also learning that when my host offers a cup at the end of a visit it is a signal that it is time for me to leave. Fellowship, laughter, and jokes are shared; humans connect; relationships are deepened; new bonds of friendships are formed over cups of coffee. It is rare for these kinds of exchanges to occur over Zoom.

After months of travel bans, lockdowns, the recent 11-day war, and with special permission issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, and Consulate in Atlanta, the way opened for us to travel to Ramallah. There were multiple reasons for the trip. After eighteen months of Zoom meetings, the Board of Trustees was planning their first in-person meeting. As part of the financial sustainability plan, the Board has been working diligently to complete a new employee handbook to outline rights and benefits for new staff members. It was vital to finalize this work in order to hire the staff needed for the upcoming school year. The Board met, shared coffee, and approved the handbook.

It was also important to be on the ground to support the Head of School transition. Friends United Meeting is grateful for Adrian Moody’s service at RFS. Adrian has done much to improve the academic standards and financial position of the school. Additionally, during the past month Adrian worked to prepare Rania Maayeh as the incoming Head of School. After months of conference calls, it seemed important for me to express my gratitude for his service, and not do it remotely.

On July 1, Rania Maayeh was inducted as the new Head of Ramallah Friends School. Because the search and selection process happened virtually, it seemed significant to affirm her appointment in person. It was a blessing for me to be able to spend extended time with her, hear her vision and hopes for the school, and watch her respond to the concerns of the community. It became clear to me that RFS is in good hands under her leadership, and I urge the FUM community to hold Rania in prayer as she assumes this significant position.

While Rania is well known in Palestine, the visit allowed Board clerk Mazen Karam and me to present Rania as the new Head of School to several key government leaders, including Dr. Marwan Awartani (Minister of Education), Musa Hadid (Mayor of Ramallah), and Azzam Ismail (Mayor of Al-Bireh). Over a cup of coffee, Mayor Azzam Ismail spoke of his love for Ramallah Friends School. He and his children are graduates of the school. He told us that when he was a young boy, he contracted polio and was not able to attend classes. For four years, the Friends School sent teachers to his home to teach him at his bedside. He said that the Friends School did not give up on him and for that he is grateful. 

Why did we travel to the region following the 11-day war, amid the rise of Covid concerns, and when we had to appeal to every agency to get permission to enter? It was to connect with people in person, and share cups of coffee.

Gratefully,
Kelly Kellum 

 Update on Covid in East Africa
 


Kisumu under an early evening curfew.

It’s two weeks and counting since the Kenyan government imposed restrictions on gatherings and an earlier curfew in the country’s Western and Lake Basin regions after a spike in coronavirus infections. Kenya’s Ministry of Health declared Kisumu County among the thirteen counties considered a hotspot zone, with 60% of the country’s new infections. This region includes the majority of Kenyan Quakers. The current surge in infections in the western region is partly blamed on the National Independence Day event hosted in Kisumu County in early June, and also on confirmed cases of the highly-transmissable delta variant first reported in India.

This is the first time the government has issued such restrictions in this region. As we continue to fight this monster without a face, we at the Africa Ministries Office continue to work in shifts to reduce contact among our staff and walk-in guests. We encourage more people to use our online platforms for interaction and limit our meetings to virtual connections. The surge in Covid deaths within Kenya has turned out to include the names of people we know. The Quaker community in Kenya has lost many friends we never imagined we would lose. 

We need to be our brothers’ keepers to curb the spread of the virus, through sanitization, hand washing, avoiding groups, and putting on masks. The government of Kenya has introduced a 7 pm to 4 am curfew, and a ban on public gatherings that includes face-to-face church meetings and the closure of non-food markets. These will continue for several more weeks within the Western and Lake Basin regions.

Even as we are taking the necessary precautions, reports from the Kenya Medical Research Institute forecast that for the next six months we should be experiencing a fourth wave of infections as a result of the variant that originated from India and was reported in Kisumu. This variant is gaining more dominance within the country and we are uncertain about what to expect.

Despite our uncertainties there is some light of hope with the roll-out of the imported vaccines. The first small wave of vaccines covered less than 4% of the population.  We expect a mass rollout of more vaccines to begin by the end of this month. In a recent presidential address, the Kenyan government announced plans to import the vaccines in bulk and make Kenya a supply hub for East and Central Africa. Even though some Kenyans have formed fictions about the vaccines, the government plans to vaccinate as many willing citizens as possible. We are hoping that our lay leaders and clergy will be able to get vaccinated, as well as to educate and encourage congregations to take up this vaccine. 

It has been hard to get reliable updates on Covid information from other East African countries, such as Tanzania and Uganda, but when one country is affected the rest are affected, also, since we share borders and live as one community. Currently, life sounds fairly normal in Tanzania and people are free to move around and gather. Friends are just being cautioned to observe safety precautions as they are able. Meanwhile, the situation in Uganda is quite severe. Schools are closed, and public movement and transportation are severely restricted. Since there is already a lot of poverty in Uganda, each restriction has serious ripple effects on the economy and on people’s livelihoods. They ask for our prayers. 

We continue to hold each other in prayer, and with the hope that Friends will be a bright light in this darkness. Please pray with us that Covid-19 will be history soon.

 A Letter from Ramallah

 

              
                     Rania Maayeh with Kelly Kellum and the mayor of Ramallah, Musa Hadid.

From Ramallah Friends School, Rania Maayeh writes:


I want to thank Adrian Moody for his ministry and service during his tenure as the  Head of Ramallah Friends School. I also want to say that I am in awe of the incredible support that has been shown to me by Kelly Kellum, the Board of Trustees, and the general RFS community consisting of students, staff, faculty, parents, and alumni. . . . Over the past month, I have begun working on campus each day to learn and listen intently about the school’s successes, achievements, and growing pains. From the minute I entered campus, I was reminded of the tremendous energy the RFS community holds. I have met with a number of different stakeholders including trustees, FUM representatives, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. I also attended meetings with the Minister of Education and the mayors of Ramallah and El-Bireh to garner support for the school’s mission. As I continue to listen and understand the needs of RFS, I hope to begin developing goals and strategic plans that are rooted in the school’s Quaker values and mission to Palestine. I am grateful of everyone’s support and commitment to RFS and I hope that you will hold me in the light as I navigate this new role.

Read Rania’s complete letter here.

July Prayer Focus:
Equipping and Energizing Friends
 

Our mission statement commits Friends United Meeting to “Energize and Equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit.” This year, FUM is renewing our partnerships with member Yearly Meetings and Associations to support Meetings and churches, strengthen local leaders, and provide opportunities to expand the mission and deepen the spiritual life of Friends. Guiding FUM’s commitments to our members are two seasoned and respected leaders, John Muhanji and Colin Saxton.

In January 2021, we welcomed Colin Saxton back to FUM as the Director of North American Ministries. He is launching a series of new ministries to support the spiritual health of North American Friends. Through his work with Everence and the Lake Institute, he will provide stewardship and generosity resources for Yearly Meetings and local congregations. In the coming months, you will learn about other workshops, renewal opportunities, and resources to support North American Meetings and churches.

John Muhanji also has a new ministry focus. While he continues to serve as the Director of African Ministries, other staff members are now overseeing the daily operations of the office. This frees John up to focus on leadership development, fundraising, and mission mobilization among Africans. He is working to equip the new African Missions Committee. This year, you will learn about new outreach strategies and leadership opportunities to support the ministries of our African Yearly Meetings and churches.

Spiritually equipped leaders and energized Meetings and churches are God-given pathways for the hope and light of Christ to transform lives and change the world. This is why Friends United Meeting is making a commitment to serve our members in new ways. This is a season of new life for Friends United Meeting, and it is exciting to prayerfully anticipate the possibilities that will spring forth.

Please pray for these new ministries:

  • Pray for John Muhanji and Colin Saxton as they work to support leaders
  • Pray for spiritual renewal among Friends
  • Pray for our Yearly Meeting leaders, superintendents and secretaries, clerks, and pastors
  • Pray for our Meetings and churches as they respond to new realities
  • Pray for the work Colin is doing to connect African Friends in North America
  • Pray for the work John is doing to support the development of the African Missions Committee

USFW “Quinquennial” Conference
will be Virtual

 

The Executive Committee of the United Society of Friends Women International is inviting you to participate in a “virtual triennial” that will be held via Zoom. It might even be called a “Quinquennial (five years) Conference,” because we have not met since the 2016 Triennial that was held in Iowa. The conference theme will be “Resting in His Shadow,” which is the theme for the 2021–2022 Blueprints program year.

The virtual session is scheduled for 16 & 17 July, 2021.  Spanning multiple time zones, each session is limited to no more than three hours, and will begin at the following times each day: 

  • 8:00 AM Pacific Time
  • 9:00 AM Belize Time and Mountain Time
  • 10:00 AM Jamaica and Central Time
  • 11:00 AM Cuba and Eastern Time
  • 6:00 PM Palestine and East Africa Time

All registration for the Quinquennial will be online, and can be found here https://bit.ly/USFWI2021_registration. After registering, attendees will receive by email the Zoom link for the conference and other materials.

There is no registration fee, but if you would like to help with the expenses of the virtual conference—especially the airtime charges for overseas representatives to connect to the sessions—you may give here https://donorbox.org/2021-usfwi-triennial. You may also send donations directly to treasurer Rita Mintmier, 6354 Lewis Davis Road, Randleman, NC 27317 

Friday’s devotional speaker will be Nikki Holland, director of FUM’s Belize Friends Ministries. Friday’s business will include, among other items, the nominating committee report, handbook and bylaws revisions, recognition of non-profit status, and recognition of new Yearly Meeting and regional societies. Saturday’s devotional speaker will be Dorcas Otieno, FUM Living Letter to Tanzania, and FUM Global Ministries Coordinator Karla Jay will give an update on FUM field staff and ministries. Saturday’s business will include memorials and the installation of the new USFWI executive committee.

This will be a unique opportunity for all to participate in a conference without the worries or expense of travel. We hope there may be some time for visiting and making and renewing of acquaintances.  After the year of Covid-19, we can find rest and refreshment together “…in the shadow of the Almighty.” 

 Answering “That of God” in Everyone—A Quaker Life Excerpt


“A second thing that happens as we seek to ‘answer’ that which is ‘of God’ in the other is that our focus changes from agendas or human strategies to simply focusing on the spiritual heart of the other. Beyond words, we find ourselves attending the feelings of others. What are their concerns? How are they feeling led? How are inward and outward challenges fulfilling or thwarting their callings and hopes in life? God is at work in all these concerns—within others and within ourselves. In that sense, we share a pilgrimage as seekers of the truth and believers that God’s provision and guidance are real. Even conversation with a so-called ‘enemy’ is transformed radically when we address that person’s engagement with God’s truth within his or her own conscience . . .”

—Excerpted from Quaker Life, Volume 5, Issue 4, Spring 2021, page 12. “Answering ‘That of God’ in Everyone,” by Paul Anderson.

Purchase a single copy of the latest issue of Quaker Life or subscribe here.

Next International Prayer Gathering
this Friday

 

Prayer centers us in the light of God’s relentless presence, empowers us with life-giving hope, and renews us in abiding love. For these reasons, we invite Friends to pray. FUM’s next International Prayer Gathering will meet on Friday, 9 July 2021 by Zoom and  WhatsApp:

  • 9:00 am – Pacific US
  • 10:00 am – Belize
  • 11:00 am – Jamaica/Central US
  • Noon – Cuba/Eastern US
  • 7:00 pm – Palestine/East Africa

It is a blessing to gather as a global community, to hear the voices of Friends, and to pray together. 

Access Information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81401601535
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 814 0160 1535
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/k8mW8zJ10

 A Book for Summer Reading

 

“I readily admit I am a mystery reader—most often of the ‘cozy’ variety, meaning fun characters and situations without too much violence and horror. But I am even more a lover of spiritual writing. Memoirs are my favorite, where I see the individual life with God and the personal wrestling with how to meet daily life while in touch with the More Than Daily.

“It was therefore an absolute joy to be able to work with Patricia Thomas in re-working her first self-published novel into the latest offering by Friends United Press. Here was the delight of a set of characters I wish I knew in person, whose journey through the intrigues of mystery I enjoyed, while at the same time experiencing how the protagonist lives out her life of faith through the prism of Quakerism’s unique gifts—and chuckling along watching the rest of her world trying to make sense of her uniquely Quaker oddities. If you appreciate exploring with another Friend how to live our unique faith during contemporary challenges of all kinds, I highly recommend I Was a Stranger!”
— Kristna Evans

Shop for Patricia Thomas’ I Was a Stranger on the FUM Bookstore.

E-book version to become available in late summer/early fall!

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Greensboro First Friends Meeting, an established Quaker meeting located in Greensboro, North Carolina, is seeking candidates for the position of full time Pastoral Minister. Applicants should be deeply rooted in the historic faith and practice of Quakerism, while also being open and sensitive to current leadings of the Spirit in our midst.

Please submit all resumes with a cover letter and/or inquiries regarding the position to pastorsearch@firstfriendsmeeting.org. Some info is available at www.FirstFriendsMeeting.org

Resumes and/or inquiries will be reviewed as received. We will begin the discernment process on August 11.

We want our pastor to facilitate leadership from within the members of the meeting and to continue to strengthen our successful small group ministries that demonstrate our eagerness to learn and grow. We want our pastor to be able to honor and respect the strengths of other staff members and to be able to collaborate well as a team facilitator. We want our pastor to be a strong leader, but not a total administrator. We want our pastor to focus on teaching and encouraging members in the different roles of ministry; we do not want our pastor to be solely responsible for any role of ministry. We want our pastor to be well versed and grounded in knowledge of long-held Quaker faith and practice, and we want messages to be Biblically based, but currently focused.

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The FUM MissionFriends 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.

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