Historic Meetinghouse Reopens
for Waiting Worship
A group of Indiana Friends have reopened the Sugar Grove Meetinghouse in Plainfield, just west of the Indianapolis Airport, for a monthly hour of waiting worship after the manner of Conservative Friends. Among these Friends it is worth mentioning Tom Roberts who is descendant of Friends that were members of Sugar Friends Meeting Conservative. The time to meet was chosen with a view to letting Friends worship at their home meetings in the morning and then travel to Sugar Grove without pressure to hurry. The Meetinghouse, a sturdy brick building erected in 1870, was home to Western (Conservative) Yearly Meeting from the time of the Wilburite-Gurneyite separation of 1877 until the laying down of the Conservative Yearly Meeting in 1962, after which the Wilburites deeded it to Western Yearly Meeting (FUM) with an endowment for its maintenance. The Friends now reopening it express gratitude to the Trustees of Western Yearly Meeting for permitting its use for waiting worship again.
Waiting worship after the manner of Conservative Friends is much the same as the more widely-known “silent worship” of modern Friends. Friends gather for worship with the understanding that the One we seek to be gathered, guided, corrected, strengthened, and enlightened by is Jesus Christ, our Teacher, Ruler, and Savior. Whether we sit out the hour in silence, or preach, pray, prophesy, or sing aloud, or hear others do so, we share the expectation that all are doing their best to be obedient to Him: “When gathered with Christ Jesus who is the Head of the Church, Friends expect that there will be no speaking unless it is oracular. No one is to speak except to speak the words of God and in the power of God.” — Wallace, Smith, Smith, and Berk, Traditional Quaker Christianity, p. 81. Here “oracular” is an allusion to 1 Peter 4:11, which in the New Revised Standard Version reads (in part), “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God,” but which the King James Bible translates “let him speak as the oracles of God.” People sometimes make mistakes in discerning whether their speaking is truly at God’s command. We generally trust God to correct them lovingly when they’ve made an honest mistake. God finds ways to do that.
The Meetinghouse is at 6998 East County Road 600 South. Exit northward from Interstate 70 at Exit 66 (State Highway 267, “Quaker Boulevard,” and turn left (westward) onto Hadley Road at the first stoplight. Travel 1.5 miles on Hadley Road, past a traffic circle at South Center St., over White Lick Creek and past Blue Heron Lake. Immediately after a second traffic circle at Sugar Grove Road, where Hadley Road’s name changes to County Road 600 South, an unmarked right turn takes you into the driveway of the Meetinghouse and its adjacent Sugar Grove Cemetery. Enter the Meetinghouse from the wooden porch on its west side. Please be silent as soon as you step over the threshold.
Waiting Worship is held on the third Sunday of each month at 2:00 pm.
|
|
New Church in Maralal
To date, all of the churches in Samburu Friends Mission have been rural meetings for worship, most of them starting under a tree and eventually coming to meet in a building that doubles as a community preschool or constructing a sanctuary. But something different is happening, and a new church has been planted in Maralal town, the county seat of Samburu!
Being the county seat, there are Friends from all over Kenya who have come for government or business jobs and have had no Friends church to help them feel at home. There is also an increasing number of rural Samburu Friends who now work and stay in town and have wanted a church to attend when they aren’t in their village. This year in a very grassroots method, the mission agreed to move pastor Edward Mukongolo (who is from Western but has served SFM for 20 years) to Maralal and he began canvassing door to door around some neighborhoods. Once they gathered a few folks, they began meeting for worship in homes and by June they had secured a temporary but wonderful class room at the local polytechnic.
As they grow and make plans for the future, one attender has offered a “long term loan” on a plot in town where they can put up a temporary structure that will give stability for the time it will take them to fundraise for land and a building which is more costly in town. We (Shawn and Katrina McConaughey) recently had the pleasure of worshipping with this growing new group. There was an enthusiastic group of about 30 people from various tribes and backgrounds and we sang and shared together in a blend of Swahili and English. Shawn preached on the Gift of the Holy Spirit and it was our pleasure to pray a prayer of dedication for a group of people who want to be a witness of Hope and Light and a blessing to the community of Maralal town.
|
|
|
FUM’s Virtual Yearly Meeting Table Display
 FUM is providing a virtual display table as Friends are gathering virtually for conferences, monthly meetings, and annual sessions. Click to download information about FUM’s ministries and project partners. Sign up for FUM’s weekly e-newsletter. Make a commitment to support FUM’s field staff. Here you will find all of the information you would find if FUM staff set up a display table at your gathering. The information on this page is intended to be printed, emailed, and shared with others.
The display table can be found here, on the FUM website.
FUM Richmond office staff will be traveling to attend in-person Yearly Meetings in North America. You can find these staff members at these Yearly Meeting sessions:
- Colin Saxton and Kelly Kellum — Western Yearly Meeting, July 23–25
- Colin Saxton — Indiana Yearly Meeting, July 29–31
- Karla Jay — Iowa Yearly Meeting, July 29–August 1
- Karla Jay — Friends Church of North Carolina, August 13–14
|
|
Letter from Friends Theological College
From FTC, Robert Wafula writes:
One cannot conceal the excitement exhibited among our leaders as they trickle into campus through the FTC main gate to go through our “new normal” screening to abide by the WHO’s advice as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19. Each module takes three days covering 15 class hours. Therefore, for one to receive a certificate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, one must have covered a total of 45 class hours. Graduation for the first group will be on October 22, 2021. The yearly meeting leaders do not only draw knowledge from FTC, but they are also ready to contribute and get their hands in the soil to make FTC greener by planting trees. Here is what Alfred Wasike, our campus director of Communication, who is also a Bachelor of Theology degree student and General Secretary of the Friends Church, Uganda posted on the FTC Facebook page on July 11, 2021:
 As the world prepares for the historic United Nations Climate Change Conference in the UK [Glasgow, Scotland] in November 2021, environmental conservationist, Dr. Robert Wafula led senior African Friends Church leaders to plant more trees at the Friends Theological College, Kaimosi, Kenya.
Read the entire letter here.
|
|
|
International Prayer Gathering
Each month Friends United Meeting continues to invite the global community of Friends to unite in prayer. This invitation was first issued at the start of the COVID pandemic as travel became restricted, in-person gatherings were prohibited, schools closed, and churches and Meetings adopted new ways to gather for worship. While Friends around the world continue to struggle with the pandemic, Friends are also eager for a return to normalcy. Whatever the new normal will be, we are committed to continuing to call Friends to pray.
The next International Prayer Gathering is scheduled for Friday, August 20 at the following times:
- 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
Join us on Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81401601535
Meeting ID: 814 0160 1535
- +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
- +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keFj4O5vCO
|
|
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
|
|
|
Continue Supporting Our Friends in Cuba
In the last issue of the e-news we invited the FUM family to pray and support our brothers and sisters in Cuba. This week we received the following distressing report from a member of Cuba Yearly Meeting:
“The situation is difficult. I think if the embargo doesn’t stop, we will not survive. The brothers of the Church have not been in the riots. We are concerned about the violent situations that have taken place. We call for peace, understanding and dialogue. And for there to be no confrontations. We believe in the ‘Spirit that takes away the occasion of all war.’
“On the other hand, I have two sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law with Covid and the Health system is doing everything they can. They are in schools converted into hospitals, but there are few medicines. It seems to me that if the embargo is not stopped, with so many needs, illness and lack of medicines, we will not survive.”
Friends in Cuba are courageously responding to increasing unrest and challenges in the country. Cuba Yearly Meeting has issued a declaration of peace.
Ways you can help:
- We ask Friends to pray for Cuban Friends. Pray that Cuban Friends will experience God’s strengthening love and courage during this time of trial.
- Contributions to FUM’s Solidarity Fund to support the ministries of Cuba Yearly Meeting. Friends can mail checks to the FUM office or give online. African donors can give through the AMO paybill #514608 account “Cuba.”
- And we encourage American Friends to reach out to their members of Congress urging them to lift restrictions against humanitarian and medical support for Cuba.
|
|
A Word from Howard Thurman
There is a quiet courage that comes from an inward spring of confidence in the meaning and significance of life. Such courage is an underground river, flowing far beneath the shifting events of one’s experience, keeping alive a thousand little springs of action. It has neither trumpet to announce it nor crowds to applaud; it is best seen in the lives of people who do their work from day to day without hurry and without fever.
— Meditations of the Heart
Shop here for other Howard Thurman books on the FUM Bookstore website.
|
|
|
|
|
