QL Jan/Feb 2012 :: Friends United Meeting

Between Friends

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Katie Terrell Wonsik, Communications Editor Recently I took my nieces and nephew to the park. Of the five, Kaylee is the least adventurous. She’d be happy to sit in a swing for hours while the rest monkey around on a jungle gym, climbing and twisting and jumping and falling. But on this particular day she had her sights set…

The Tyranny of the Metal Gods

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Joe Scola The cell phone, iPad, Twitter, Facebook and all the rest of the sometimes motley crew of social media are devouring the free time of 21st-century Christians. Hearken back to the seemingly Paleolithic era before the advent of modern social networking innovations and new techno gadgets that cast an ever-increasing spider web of social high-tech connectivity. It seems…

Simplicity: A Multiplicity of Meanings and Practices

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Emma Condori-Mamani, Quaker Life intern Quaker testimonies are summed up in the acronym SPICES: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship. Friends give living meaning to each letter of this acronym. I recently spoke with five Friends to learn more about how we live the testimony of simplicity. Abigail Pratt-Harrington, Leigh Eason, Stephen Angell, Jestimore Musombi and Lois Jordan (left, from…

A Question of Teaching

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Jim Wasserman The changes were many when I left the practice of law to become a teacher, but central to both careers is the art of posing the proper question. Many other professions, including doctors, insurance adjusters and repairmen, involve asking about a multitude of matters, yet with these other fields the main purpose of inquiry is for the…

The Secret Place

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By J.W. Christopher In the stillness, the solitude, I know you are waiting for me, In the place where I most love to be. My sanctuary, a secret place, a meeting place, a most special place, The place where I know I am most free. I find you there always, my true friend, and counselor, And faithful to me you…

A Quaker’s Long Way Home

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By George Eastburn “In 1802 the Miantonomoh was captured and condemned by the Spaniards at Valparaiso. Nantucket lost one of her ships about the same time, which was engaged in whaling and sealing, as the former had been. She was named the Trial, and was commanded by Thomas Coffin, the father of the late lamented Lucretia Mott. Nothing was ever…

Sacred Moments

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

After nearly six years on staff with Friends United Meeting, Sylvia Graves retired at the end of 2011 her position as general secretary. Sylvia’s untiring dedication to FUM has been invaluable — from her regular visits to our project partners around the world, speaking at local meetings, creating PowerPoint presentations to keep you informed between her visits and so many…

FUM Welcomes New General Secretary Colin Saxton

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

Colin Saxton will assume his new role as FUM general secretary on January 1. He comes to FUM from Northwest Yearly Meeting in Oregon where he has served as pastor, adjunct professor at George Fox University and superintendent of the yearly meeting. Staff members in the FUM-Richmond office quizzed Colin in preparation for what life will be like with a…

Ramallah Friends School Hosts Model United Nations Conference

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Joyce Ajlouny, Ramallah Friends Schools Director In October, while the international press was focusing on the controversy that arose with President Abbas’s United Nations bid for Palestinian statehood and the emerging debate, students at the Ramallah Friends School decided to hold their own mock United Nations conference. Building on their experiences attending several Model UN (MUN) conferences worldwide, our students…

2011 Highlights and 2012 Hopes for Belize Friends School

Posted on 2 January 2012 by terrijohns | 0 Comments

By Sam Barber, Belize Friends School co-principal Let’s first review a few highlights from 2011. In March we had a group visit from College Avenue Friends, Iowa. They painted the fence, built new stairs and a landing and held an optometric clinic at the school. Later in March a group came from Bethel Friends, Indiana. They painted the upstairs classroom,…