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Friends United Meeting |
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January/February 2001
News from Friends United Meeting
"Feed My Lambs"
Who Should Feed the Little Ones If Not You and I?
By Sandy Davis
Spiritual growth, just as physical growth, must be keenly supervised early in life if one is to mature properly. This has been the main concern of the Kenyan National Sunday Church School Committee for the past five years since Mary Glenn Hadley and Linda Brock initiated its conception. For this reason, the above theme from John 21:15 was the focus of the first ever Kenyan National Sunday School Conference sponsored by Quakers in August 2000.
The Committee has worked faithfully since 1995 to develop a curriculum to be used by the Kenyan Quaker Sunday Schools of each village meeting throughout the country. Led by Clerk Margaret Ngoya, the Committee members representing each of the fourteen yearly meetings met four times a year to gather materials for inclusion in the lesson plans. Pastor Ngoya selected a sub-committee of five to complete Volumes I and II--Jessca Anusu (Nandi YM), Jane Lugan'ga (Vihiga YM), Marcelline Mirembe (Vokoli YM), Elizabeth Yano (East Africa YM), and Sandra Davis, (FUM Representative). A contribution through FUM made possible the printing of the first volume of 52 lessons in January 1999. Income from the sales of Volume I allowed for the publication of the second year of lessons in January, 2000. The Kiswahili translation of the first volume, which Elizabeth Yano states "is in great demand for the teachers in the rural areas," was published in November 2000 with future plans to produce the third and final volume of lessons by 2002.
With the publication of the curricula, the Committee continued its plan to make the materials and training accessible to all Sunday School teachers throughout Kenya, from the village meeting level to the yearly meeting level. Thus, this first national conference was held in August, 2000 at the Kaimosi Teachers' Training College, where the Kenyan Quaker mission originated nearly 100 years ago.
The Sunday School co-coordinators from each of the 14 yearly meetings solicited the attendance of those most involved with teaching children in the village meetings. Unlike other conferences in Kenyan Friends' circles, the attenders were the actual teachers rather than the church leaders. As Elizabeth Yano has well said, "Even though these teachers do a wonderful work in our meetings, they are not recognized nor given any opportunity to participate in church activities [conferences]." Most of the attenders had never been to a conference/workshop. Even some non-Quaker Sunday School teachers attended because of the excellently planned program.
According to Nelly Mugoha, a student at Friends Theological College who attended the conference, the purpose of the conference was to emphasize "that the foundation of the church depends on how we are raising up these little children in the gospel of Christ." She added that many Christians have had the wrong opinion that Sunday School "is only for the little children" and in Kenya, children are often overlooked in the church. In many churches, they are relegated to another young person who is responsible to keep them entertained and quiet during the worship service. Another Friends Theological College student, Reuben Wamalwa, said, "the delegates found a new perspective of the Sunday School unlike the previous doctrine of 'children teaching children.'"
Retired teacher and current Sunday School Coordinator for Vokoli Yearly Meeting, Marcelline Mirembe pointed out, "The teachers were en-lightened on various topics and enjoyed sharing the practical teaching methods such as group discussions, dramatization, music, poems, and video shows," as "various subjects were taught by experts including the effectiveness of a lesson presented by Gilbert Akenga, practical ways to teach effectively by Elizabeth Yano, the use of creative visual aids by Sandra Davis, the importance of a lesson plan by Japheth Pepela, the use of music and verse memorization by rep-resentatives of Child Evangelism Fellowship, and more. This was also an opportunity for the Sunday School teachers to become more familiar with the use of the Volumes I and II of the Sunday School curriculum."
In the past several years, disunity among Kenyan Quakers has caused strained relationships between yearly meetings. However, Simon Oyiengo remarked that this conference joined the delegates from every yearly meeting to "share and be lifted spiritually, mentally, and socially for our common good in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Reuben Wamalwa said the conference "looked like a Silver Jubilee of the Quaker Church" and likened it to the collapse of the Berlin Wall signifying the reunification of Germany.
A team spirit of love, peace and unity existed among the teachers as they worked together in group discussions. Referring to the time when there was only one yearly meeting in Kenya, most delegates were saying, "let us teach the young ones that one day they will worship God together as before."
Elizabeth Yano, who teaches at the Friends Theological College and is a main speaker at many conferences throughout East Africa, stated she felt the conference was the most successful one she had ever attended because of the freedom the attenders had to express concerns and the well-planned activities. "It is my prayer the Sunday School curriculum development may reach every person, young to old, so that we may present every person mature and perfect in the Christian faith."
Marcelline Mirembe also said, "My teaching was positively transformed from the conference because I am now able to provide more information to teachers of Sunday Church School in my yearly meeting."
At the closing session, main Speaker, Pastor Solomon Nyongesa gave an inspiring message based on the theme and encouraged the teachers to go and tend to their little ones back at home. And delegates went home saying, "let us continue meeting once in awhile so we can share our experiences of teaching Sunday School and progress in our yearly meetings."
Simon Oyiengo summed it up when he said, "The futureÉlies in the training of the Sunday School child."
Cuba Friends Celebrate Centennial
By Daniel T. Thames, Pastor, Battle Forest Friends Meeting, North Carolina
Since it was hot even in November, the meeting room windows were open. Teenagers across the street were talking and listening to music, similar to interests easily associated with teenagers from any other part of the globe. If I had been in any part of the United States, this music would not have seemed so out of the ordinary. But, traveling to Cuba to attend the celebration of 100 years of Friends' work there, I did not expect a meeting for worship to be disrupted by the sound of Britney Spears singing "Baby One More Time."
I encountered Quakers, who loved God and worked hard at the ministry God gave them. Friends in Cuba have had a difficult 100 years, going through difficult times that might be compared to those of early Friends. Yet, in the midst of persecution, whether direct or indirect, they have persevered. This hallmark of the first 100 years made the celebration so much sweeter.
Two centennial hymns, written just for this occasion, were sung with such gratitude and joy. When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, shackled with chains, they too began singing (Acts 16:13). Although I was not present in this Philippi prison, I would imagine it sounded very similar to the Cuban Friends singing their centennial hymns. There was a joy present that nothing could diminish.
On November 14, 1900, five missionaries stepped onto the island of Cuba at the town of Gibara and people began gathering, a journey likened to the journey of Paul to Macedonia after he received a vision of a Macedonian man standing and calling to him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Attenders were reminded that vision alone accomplishes little; yet, when vision and effort are combined, then vision becomes reality. The youth present at the meetings were encouraged to answer like Isaiah, "Here am I, send me."
But the whole church must listen to God's call and be ready to answer. The answer to this call can be seen as taking up certain responsibilities. People must continue to pray, requesting a new vision for the next 100 years, and with those visions in sight, Friends must do something to make the vision work and make the vision real.
The theme recognized the work of the past 100 years and complemented the focus on the future of Cuba Yearly Meeting. In Exodus 18, Israel is in a period of transition following the Exodus from Egypt. As Moses tries to solve all the problems for the Israelites, his father-in-law reminds him it is not healthy--there must be more people to help share the load; he cannot do it by himself. He then gives Moses this advice: "show them the way in which they are to walk and the things they are to do." The Centennial Committee wisely turned this advice into a request from the people back to God--show us, Lord.
May all Friends join with Cuban Friends in turning toward God for a new vision, and for assistance with the effort needed to make that vision a reality, knowing that everyone must work together to accomplish God's good work.
Journal Entry
By Linda Kusse-Wolfe
Morning worship began with Psalm 222 read aloud, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me..." We, in a full meetingroom, are standing, arms outstretched, cruciform, as the first eleven verses go by. How heavy my arms feel by the eighth verse, leaden and useless. It is a lonely feeling, even though I am surrounded by others. At verse twelve we are instructed to put our arms around each other as the remainder is read. An older Cuban Friend is on my right, a Young Friend on my left. What a joy to be connected rather than weighted and lonely. Finally the last verse is read, "Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it." Amen and amen.
Highlights
By Marian Baker, Clerk, 2002 Triennial Program Committee
Highlights of Cuba Yearly Meeting's 100th anniversary celebration included:
- Carefully researched presentations on the history of Friends work in
Cuba
- planning a banquet, followed by ringing of church bells and prayer at
midnight,
- baking a birthday cake in the shape of the Gibara meetinghouse,
- creating a pinata in the shape of the ship in which the first missionaries
arrived,
- holding a sunrise worship on the beach where the missionaries first
landed,
- feeding the crowd of 500 on the big day,
- forming a national Young Friends choir of almost fifty of the best singers,
- making a crib and baby clothing to give to the first baby born November
14 in the town of each of the five original meetings, plus
- arranging for travel and accommodations of the 45 overseas visitors!
It was all done with the radiant joy of Christ shining through their tired faces!
Another 100th celebration of Friends missionaries' work will take place in Kenya in 2002 where the next FUM Triennial will be held. Friends have a great legacy to be thankful for, yet a mandate to go forth and spread God's love into other parts of our world--including our own backyards!
A few suggestions for all Religious Education Committees--plan some events for all ages about the work in these two countries. Cook Cuban or African food. Get one of the FUM delegates who attended the Cuban celebration to visit your meeting.
"Let Your Life Speak"
By Julie Terrell
Chosen as representatives of Wilmington Yearly Meeting, my father, David, and I were also representatives of our family. Eva Terrell was an early missionary to Cuba and her brother Clayton Terrell aided in the construction of the meetinghouse at Puerto Padre.
One of the moments I will never forget was on the stroke of midnight on the centennial day, when the meetinghouse bell at Gibara began to ring. A real sense of victory filled the meetinghouse as all the Friends began embracing one another. Crying and rejoicing through song permeated the air.
On the Quaker Youth Pilgrimage three years ago, I read the words of George Fox "Let your life speak" on the plaque at Firbank Fell. That statement has never been as clear to me as it is now after my time in Cuba. I am now twenty years old and a student at Earlham College. I was very inspired by the service of the younger adults in the monthly and yearly meeting in Cuba. These Friends are close to my age and are actively ministering in monthly meetings.
I am grateful for the mission work of my ancestors in the early 1900's. First for being servants of Christ to Cuba and because they unknowingly enabled me to experience fellowship among Cuban Friends now which has brought mission work back into my own life.
Copyright (c) 2001 Friends United Meeting
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