E-mail letter to Quaker Life
March 5, 2005
Dear Friends,
It is only a little over four months before we gather together in Des Moines for the Triennial. I am excited to be participating as a representative of New England Yearly Meeting in my first FUM Triennial. Since my convincement 31 years ago, my life has been beautifully guided by the Spirit and enriched beyond measure by my association with Friends. Over the last 30 years I have been led to serve as clerk of my meeting, clerk of Worship and Ministry, recording clerk of Membership Care (formally Overseers), and member of Pastoral Care committee.
Friends, as I prepare to join you at the Triennial I am deeply troubled that much of what I have been called to do would not have been possible in the FUM context because I am a lesbian.
As we gather together, can we be open to the power of the Spirit and led in discernment and continuing revelation? Will we each be open to seeing our lives speak of God's power regardless of our differences? Friends, NEYM representatives to the Triennial are being sent to witness to our individual and corporate understanding of the Truth. Will we be welcomed and loved as your neighbor? My prayer for us is that when we leave the Triennial each of us will have experienced that "our faith has been strengthened and recharged by God's presence in our worship, work and fellowship." Friends, we have work to do. Can we "mind the Light"?
Margaret Hart
(General Secretary's note.) I first met Margaret Hart at the 2004 FWCC Triennial in New Zealand. We enjoyed conversation together. Margaret carries a concern about an FUM hiring policy on sexual ethics that sets a standard for staff to confine sexual intimacy to marriage, defined as between "one man and one woman." She expresses a concern that is not hers alone.
The FUM General Board, both in the U.S.A. and Africa, have heard this concern and spent time in prayer and sharing during the past triennium. After much prayer and discussion, the following minute was written by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Board/Richmond in October 2004 and affirmed by the General Board/Africa in March 2005:
Friends United Meeting is no more and no less than its constituent yearly meetings worldwide. As members of the General Board, we work diligently to hear all of our constituents and we take seriously all of the voices we hear. We take seriously the messages from Baltimore Yearly Meeting and we value its representatives to the FUM General Board.
Because of this (1) we are greatly heartened by Baltimore Yearly Meeting's considerations and movements toward intervisitation between Baltimore Yearly Meeting and other yearly meetings. (2) We would encourage all yearly meetings in Friends United Meeting to accept their visits and (3) to reciprocate. (4) We encourage Baltimore Yearly Meeting and all other yearly meetings who become active in intervisitation to inform the Executive Committee through their representatives.
There are many important issues causing concerns among Friends, gender issues being one of them. Because of the seriousness of the issues, including Minute 88-GB-52, we realize that a resolution, if there is one, may be long in coming. It is only through seeking God's will together that we hope to find a place to stand. We realize the difficulty of cultural, economic, geographic, etc. differences. However, we remind ourselves as the General Board and we remind you, our constituents, that each member yearly meeting in North America, Africa, the Caribbean, as well as the monthly meeting in Ramallah, hears the voice of God. As Friends we seek to hear the totality of God's word.
Again we are greatly encouraged by the movements of God's Spirit in Baltimore Yearly Meeting and hope that intervisitation brings Friends closer together. Appendix P, October 2004
I offer an invitation for all Friends attending the Triennial to come in an attitude of worship, and listen as Jesus speaks to us as a corporate body comprising 28 yearly meetings worldwide. Let us accept and celebrate the diversity among us.
The General Board directed discussion to be by intervisitation within and between yearly meetings. Let's honor that direction and allow the Holy Spirit to move among us as we speak Christ's love and forgiveness in our world. Therefore, Quaker Life will not be printing additional letters to the editor on this subject at this time as we allow personal conversations and intervisitation to build relationship and understanding.
