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Friends United Meeting |
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May 2005
by Retha McCutchen
FUM General Secretary
Saturday: Today Friends United Meeting presiding clerk and staff met with members of the Uganda Evangelical Friends Church — a FUM associate yearly meeting. These are the most encouraging Christian Quakers one can meet. They exude the love of Christ.
In this age of instant communication, we were unexpected guests because I used an old, incorrect email address. The trail to the meetinghouse led us single fi le through a banana grove. Meeting early not to confl ict with a wedding, these Friends were welcoming and gracious. In embarrassed kindness, they talked of the neglect of Friends United Meeting since the 2002 Triennial. Lack of communication from FUM led them to join Evangelical Friends International. Yet they still desire relationship with their mother, Friends United Meeting.
This is a progressive yearly meeting, located in East Africa. Their general secretary is a woman named Grace. She shook my hand and said, “We are two.” These Friends are focused--their priority is evangelism. (This is the same priority FUM set as its number one goal in February 2004.) Members are actively involved in Alternatives to Violence (AVP) programs, a refl ection of their commitment to Christ’s reconciliation.
We were accompanied (and guided!) to this remote location by Stephen Wamboka. Stephen graduated from Friends Theological College under the leadership of Rich and Sandy Davis. He is now general secretary of Uganda Yearly Meeting and a church planting pastor in Mbale Town.
Sunday: Stephen, Rose and baby Grace took us to “bless” their church. We stood in a circle, holding hands under a thatched roof with no walls. People brought grass mats to sit on during worship services. John Muhanji, African Ministries Representative, began singing: Alleluia, Praise/Praise you Jesus, Praise you Jesus/Assante Jesu, Assente Jesu/You are Worthy, You are Worthy. The Spirit of God was awesome in that place of worship.
May we never again neglect a portion of the FUM constituency — no matter how remote or through over involvement in the busyness of life. People are the most important task.
My prayer is that FUM’s priority of communication may create a climate where we honor and respect all peoples with timely communication, regular visitation and reciprocal involvement in the life and ministry of Christian Quakers worldwide.
God grant us wisdom.