Purpose – “Friends United Meeting commits itself to energize and equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher and Lord.”

Meetings of the General Board – July 16-19, 2007 the board met in Plainfield, IN and included a two-day retreat for Board Members to consider the identity of Friends United Meeting. The sessions were held prior to USFWI/Quaker Men Triennials to encourage attendance from outside the USA. Much deep and sincere sharing occurred during this time.

October 11-13, 2007 the board was hosted by New England YM at Deerfield, MA surrounded by the autumn colors and with a chill in the air, but with warmth in our hearts. Review of the strategic plan already revealed progress toward many goals. In response to allegations that FUM is hostile toward homosexuals a minute was approved stating that God loves all people and FUM condemns the threat of physical or emotional violence against any person. A Task force was appointed to oversee FUM’s management obligation to Kaimosi Hospital.

February 8-11, 2008 meetings were hosted by the FUM office staff at headquarters in Richmond, IN. Discussion of FUM’s future commitment to the Kaimosi Hospital resulted in offering a 2-year extension of management responsibility, to be considered by EAYM and discussed when the General Secretary and Presiding Clerk visit Kenya in April. Another item discussed was possible development of property owned by Ramallah Friends Schools that would earn revenue for the school. Also, of great importance was the inspired response to the violence in Kenya by Kenyan Friends and a report of a recent visit to survey the potential ministry in Belize.

April 11 and 12, 2008 representatives from the Kenyan and Uganda yearly meetings met in Kakamega, Kenya. Presiding Clerk, Brent McKinney, and General Secretary, Sylvia Graves attended and witnessed an increasing level of responsibility being accepted as the African board formed these committees to coordinate the efforts to support ministry there: Education, Leadership Development, Health Issues, and Missions & Evangelism.

October 8-11, 2008 will include a day and a half of orientation for new board members as well as an extensive review of progress on the strategic plan. The meeting will be in Richmond, IN.

Personnel - Following the resignation of Patricia Edwards-Konic as Quaker Life and Friends United Press editor in November, Katie Terrell and Shari Veach were appointed as Co-Managers of the Communications Department. Katie’s title is Communications Editor and Shari’s title is Communications Designer. They have hired Heather Meade to serve as a part-time Communications Assistant.

Paul Smith is retiring as of June 30 after serving seven years as FUM’s Financial Director. Barbara Smith (no relation) has been promoted to the position of Manager of Finance and Office Operations. To focus on financial development, Kim Newlin, from Western Yearly Meeting, joined the staff on June 1.

It will be recommended at the July 2008 triennial sessions that Sylvia Graves serve as General Secretary through the next triennium.

Communications - With a new editor and the addition of 8 pages to Quaker Life, the magazine is offering a wider variety of articles and more news about FUM programs and activities taking place among our member yearly meetings. Two new books have been published this year: A Brief Memoir of Elizabeth Fry, edited by David Goff and Enduring Hope: The Impact of Ramallah Friends Schools written by Patricia Edwards-Konic with inserts by Max Carter.

Much work has been done by our own staff to update the FUM website and to develop an “online shopping cart” that provides easy ordering from the publications catalogue. We hope you visit the FUM website (www.fum.org) often to get news, prayer concerns, and learn about resources that can assist your meeting’s ministry.

Global Ministries - In Belize, Mike and Kay Cain are wrapping up their many years of service at the Friends Boys School with plans to retire but live in Belize. The coming year will be a transition to new leadership as it can be arranged and assessing resources for increasing FUM ministries there.

There are still many government restrictions that limit our activities in Cuba, but FUM did arrange for a work team to visit in February to assist with the improvements at the Retreat Center in Holguin. New England YM also partners with Cuba YM to support Friends there.

We are trying to arrange a meeting with many of the stakeholders (Friends Education Council, Jamaica Yearly Meeting, Christian Service International and FUM) for Friends ministry in Jamaica so we can clarify the role of FUM. With the fire at Swift-Purcell Boys home last February, the recent temporary closing of the Lyndale Girls Home, and the need for leadership training for Jamaican pastors, we will be making an organized effort to address those opportunities. Thanks to North Carolina Yearly Meeting for taking Friends to conduct Bible Schools and to other individuals and monthly meetings who provide support to JYM.

At Ramallah Friends Schools, there is excitement in the air for the addition of a kindergarten center and auditorium at the elementary school. The funds for this improvement have come from alumni and from grants. The FUM General Board is considering a proposal to develop property along the sports field at the secondary school which will be commercial enterprises that produce revenue to support the school. Continuing improvements to the campus are being funded through the USAid/ASHA grants. Because of the rigorous curriculum and excellent preparation students receive, RFS graduates are being accepted in prestigious colleges and universities in the USA and elsewhere. Joyce Ajlouny has been in the US doing graduate work this year but will be returning to RFS in August.

In Kenya, besides coordinating the activities of fifteen yearly Kenyan meetings and one in Uganda, John Muhanji and Eden Grace also oversee six “partner projects” supported by FUM: Friends Theological College, Kaimosi Hospital, Lugulu Hospital, Turkana Mission, Samburu Mission and Lindi Friends School in Nairobi. The establishment of the Kisumu office three years ago was none too soon, and the staff there has been so effective, that the demand on their time and attention has grown beyond their capacity. Eden Grace’s role of managing all funds channeled through the Africa Ministries Office would keep her occupied enough, but add to it the supervision of the ASHA grant at the Lugulu Hospital, and acting as finance overseer at the Kaimosi Hospital until the appropriate people are in positions to do that, Eden has been a master at multi-tasking. She has been very grateful for the help of Judy Davis, nurse from Iowa, and Lisa Stewart from Southeast YM who have volunteered time to help her.

The violence that broke out following the elections spurred the Kenyan Quakers to positive action and has resulted in over $125,000 worth of aid from caring Friends everywhere being channeled for relief efforts there. In mid January, Friends organized the Friends Church Peace Team to take supplies and counseling to camps of displaced people. The FCPT has earned such respect that in May, government officials asked that the FCPT go to communities where people had been chased away or had run in fear and prepare those communities to receive them back. The process of reconciliation will be long-term and it is hoped that contributions for peace-making will continue to come forth.

As of June 1, there is still not clarity about what will be asked of FUM in continuing support for the Kaimosi Hospital, but in the past two years, approximately $70,000 has been forwarded for hospital renovations and salaries. The improvements are obvious, the hospital is gaining respect in the community and business is picking up.

At Friends Theological College, the accreditation process is well underway and student enrollment is booming so that additional and improved facilities are needed. In April construction was started to build a new administration building. The old one will be renovated into a student dormitory. Thanks to Indiana and Western Yearly Meetings for their extra support for these improvements. The call from God and FUM for Ben and Jody Richmond to serve as interim principal seems to be inthe Divine Plan as their skills have been well matched to the challenges this year.

Lugulu Hospital is enjoying new equipment furnished by a grant from USAid/ASHA.and it has contributed to its increased business and effectiveness in the community.

One of the great challenges to FUM is providing adequate financial support for our field staff. Funds for projects, buildings, and programs seem to come when needed, but most of our staff ministry accounts are not adequately supported. One goal for the coming year is to provide a wider knowledge base of that need so that ministry overseas, which is stressful enough, can flourish.

Triennial Sessions - July 9-12 in High Point, North Carolina Friends from all over Friends United Meeting will gather forfour days of inspiration, business and fellowship. John Punshon, Landrum Boling, Tom Hamm and John Muhanji will be among the featured speakers. Field staff and others will provide a rich variety of workshops. We expect over 300 Friends to attend, including 60 or more from outside North America.

Financial Picture - Friends United Meeting General Board and Staff have made huge strides in recent years to function within our financial means. Tough steps taken to close down the bookstore and to reduce the number of staff have paid off, and have brought about a much better financial picture this year. Still, the week-to-week expenses are barely affordable and at times we need to borrow from the bank to make payroll commitments. Part of the General Board strategic plan is to define ways of ensuring the long-term financial stability of FUM, so one strategy is to appoint an ad-hoc committee to study the responsibilities of FUM membership. It is hoped that by having this discussion, God will teach us new ways to persuade all Friends in Friends United Meeting to own and support these ministries.

Thanks to the General Board - Many General Board members will have completed their terms as of the triennial sessions. We will be looking at many new faces that represent various backgrounds as we gather the new board in October. We appreciate the good work of the current board and their sincere efforts to represent their Yearly Meetings while doing the work of Friends United Meeting. We are thankful for the service of Brent McKinney who will complete six years as presiding clerk. The African Friends have found him especially encouraging and inspiring in his annual visits there and wish the rules could changed to keep him as clerk beyond his term.

Please Invite Us - There are several on the Friends United Meeting office staff who are good presenters and can come to your meeting to speak and share about the FUM ministries. Please call us. We’ll be happy to come for a missions meeting, USFW or Quaker Men gatherings, be a worship speaker, or whatever gives us the chance to help your people know that FUM belongs to them.

Sylvia Graves, General Secretary

Financial statements often list an organization’s assets without really giving a statement of the organization’s value. If the perception of the current state of Friends United Meeting is based on its financial struggles and the constant debate over a theological center, then we are missing the bigger picture. The assets of Friends United Meeting include thousands of dedicated people who work to spread the Word and Love of God as taught by Jesus, tenacious commitments to mission work in far away parts of the world, and a Quaker heritage that provides a foundation for us to live and teach the testimonies. The investments people make in the ministry of this organization are difficult to measure, and the resulting influence that has spread across the globe is beyond our calculations. There are many who believe the value of Friends United Meeting makes it worth our renewed commitment for the future.

At the June board meeting, a day and a half was set aside to begin the process to develop a three to five- year action plan for Friends United Meeting. Members of the board had received a set of questions prior to the meeting and our facilitators, theTompkins Group from North Carolina, had compiled the responses for a starting base. We discussed mission, vision, and strategies that would help determine our direction as an organization. The discussion was candid and the facilitators kept us to the task. We agreed the next step of designing the plan must be taken to get wider input. The questions will be made available to everyone in FUM. The responses will be considered at the October board meeting. After some more processing, it is hoped that the action plan can be ready for approval at next February’s board meeting.

The board approved setting up “advisory committees” for each mission field. Five to eight people will be promptly invited to act as a support team to our field staff. They will become “experts” on the issues, challenges, needs, and situations in which our staff work. They will act as advocates for the work and help raise support when it’s needed. They will be a sounding board to the staff on the field and in the Richmond office that will help when decisions have to be made. This idea will be reviewed next June to evaluate its effectiveness.

While he was in the USA to take classes at Earlham School of Religion, many of you were privileged to know John Muhanji and hear him speak of his work through the African Ministries Office. He, along with Eden and James Grace, has made great strides in the coordination of the sixteen yearly meetings in Kenya (and one in Uganda). One of their desires is to start a newsletter that will go to all the 2000 monthly meetings. It is hoped that after a one-time start up investment of about $5500, the Africans will see its value and subscribe. The newsletter will be produced in the Africa office, though articles in Quaker Life will be made included when appropriate. James Grace has been involved in the much needed oversight of work at the hospitals at Lugulu and Kaimosi.

There are currently 66 students at the Friends Theological College in Kaimosi, Kenya. Patrick Nugent reports that the new meetinghouse is underway, thanks to a generous donor, and that there is a vision for a new administration building and a larger library. Patrick will be in the USA this fall and would like invitations to your meetings. However, Mary Kay must stay in Kenya to continue her schooling

Enrollment at Boys School in Belize was down this year, due to diminished recruitment efforts. However, things are looking up for next year. Andy & Lisa Stout are now home at Wabash, IN after Andy had to have back surgery. He is doing well, though, and hopes to return to mission work at a later date. Meanwhile he is employed by Whites Residential & Family Services. Mike and Kay Cain will also be home this summer and plan visits in California and Colorado. FUM is still looking for a person to start a church in Belize City and/or La Democracia and looks toward the building of a much needed high school in the next few years.

Eighty-two students graduated from the Ramallah Friends School on May 28. All of them have plans to attend college and about 1/3 of them will come to US schools which include Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Earlham, Guilford, and others. We credit the good counseling work of John Hishmeh for many of those connections. Director Joyce Ajlouny planned a special ceremony for the 100th graduation that included graduates representing the past eight decades “passing the torch” through the current graduates and on to representatives of the future. Those who lit the torch for the next centennial included the FUM general secretary, symbolizing the future commitment of Friends United Meeting.

Quaker Life issues are now being printed six times annually. They contain a removable color center section that can be used for teaching about the FUM mission work. The Friends United Press is now able to “print books on demand” and is using that capability to publish books that have been out of print for several years.

The annual fund campaign of last year resulted in increased giving by individuals, yet fell short of the goal by about half. This year’s campaign efforts will tell the whole story of the work of Friends United Meeting, spelling out opportunities for support in all areas of mission including the administrative needs. A power point presentation is available to help present the images Kathy Sawyer has been telling people about. It is hoped that church groups and meetings everywhere will have Kathy come tell the FUM story.

With hearts sympathetic to the financial needs of Friends United Meeting, the FUM board approved travel in Kenya in February of 2007 to meet with members of the board in Africa and to visit the sites of the field work. Money from a trust fund designated for missions and/or mission education will help pay for this trip. This trip is to strengthen the relationship between the Africans and the rest of FUM as well as demonstrate our commitment to keep connected to the work there.

One of the urgent concerns of Friends United Meeting is the condition of the Kaimosi Hospital. Earlier this year, the deed of the hospital was transferred back to FUM from the yearly meeting that has held it for several years. The hospital is in great need of refurbishing, including a new roof ASAP. Some funds have already come forth for this purpose. We will be requesting a grant from USAid/ASHA but those funds will be long in coming.

The greatest need for FUM presently is financial support for our field staff and general fund. Somehow there seems to be good support for projects, yet every field staff budget is under funded. Please pray for this need and invest whatever you can to support our workers. We must take good care of our assets.

Sylvia Graves
Interim General Secretary

The Friends United Meeting General Board met three times in 2004. It faced four issues: dealing with the Baltimore Yearly Meeting concern in a way that did not fracture FUM, starting an office in Africa, returning to financial viability, and implementing the vision adopted last year. For a brief history of FUM, consult the FUM Representatives Report in the 2004 Yearbook.

To process the BYM concern about its personnel policy, the Executive Committee of the Board is handling the issue. At each General Board Meeting, the Executive Committee met with Baltimore Yearly Meeting General Board members. (All three BYM Board members attended the three Board meetings.) The Executive Committee has endorsed our Yearly Meeting's intervisitation plan and suggested that other Yearly Meetings welcome BYM members to their sessions and exchange visitors with other Yearly Meetings. New England Yearly Meeting approved a Minute of Exercise last year; they should consider a final version this year. Both Southeastern and Canadian Yearly Meetings have protested FUM's personnel policy.

FUM now has an African office; given that more members of FUM live in East Africa than in North America, it is vital that there be an office in Africa. In December, John Muhanji (Nairobi Yearly Meeting) was appointed FUM Representative. He will be assisted by James and Eden Grace (New England Yearly Meeting). A location in Kisumu has been selected.

FUM has been spending more on a current basis than it has been receiving. It does have its financial processes in order, but getting the costs in line with the income remains a challenge. Because of this, FUM's unrestricted reserves have been reduced to $200,000. It does have significant Board restricted and temporarily restricted funds, but FUM does not have a large endowment. Progress toward financial viability has been frustratingly slow, but there has been progress.

At its February 2004 meeting, the General Board approved a four-part vision statement; the difficult October 2003 meeting on this concern was discussed in last year's report. There are four components, Evangelism/Outreach, Leadership training, Global partnerships, and communication.

• Evangelism: "We invite people everywhere to know the joy and power of life in Christ. Through publications and the Internet, we support the outreach work of our member Yearly Meetings and we connect inquirers to existing Meetings for Worship. We encourage the formation of new worship groups with a program of communications and mentoring. We support local Friends in discerning God's call to new mission outreach."
• Leadership training: "For Friends, leadership is always understood in the context of the gathered community that comes together in unity to discern the will of God. Leadership, therefore, requires both servanthood and bold obedience to Jesus, our living Teacher and Lord. Friends United Meeting brings leadership groups together to learn from each other and for training. In projects around the world Friends United Meeting equips children, youth, and adults with skills for leadership, discernment of good and evil, and the spiritual depth to speak to the condition of people with compassion and truth. FUM encourages and trains Christian leaders to work with love, integrity, and accountability for the Kingdom of God."
• Global partnership: "Friends from the United States began overseas missionary work over a hundred years ago. They are now outnumbered by Friends in East Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. As a faithful international community, we seek to model the body of Christ. We recognize that we are dependent on each other and need to receive each other's gifts. We work together to celebrate the Kingdom of God among us in genuine global partnership."

  The General Board is genuinely interested in making Friends in Africa equal partners. One problem is that neither North Americans nor Africans are wealthy enough to travel to the other continent for three General Board meetings a year. There is a seven-or-eight-hour time difference, so remote conferencing is also difficult. Improving partnership continues to be a concern. The General Board approaches this by asking Friends outside of the United States how they want to partner. Another aspect of the problem is the greater wealth of North American Friends.

• Communication: Outreach, leadership training, and global partnerships require a program of effective communication. Friends United Meeting is committed to:
  • Proclaim Friends' vision to seekers and connect those who respond to the community of faith by professional, inspired use of the media including the Internet.
  • Present the discipleship implications of our faith; mentor strong faith communities by publishing books, pamphlets, and curricula.
  • Promote global partnership by creating international versions of our periodicals and providing accessible and cost-effective materials for leadership training.
• Other items: FUM joined a new ecumenical group, Christian Churches Together in the USA. To some extent, this organization bridges the National Council of Churches of Christ, National Association of Evangelicals gap. The website of this group is http://www.christianchurchestogether.org.

Senior FUM staff have three-year appointments that coincide with the Triennium (2004-08). The General Board re-called Retha McCutchen as General Secretary, Colin South as Global Ministries Director, and Paul Smith as Financial Services Director. Ben Richmond will retire from FUM at the end of this (2002-05) Triennium.

Friends United Meeting is a program of Friends - a cooperative program of twenty-six Friends Yearly Meetings in Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Kenya, and the United States. The 27th Yearly Meeting, Uganda Yearly Meeting, will be received at the 2005 Triennial in July. Friends United Meeting is committed to energize and equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher and Lord. Our priorities are evangelism, leadership training, global partnership, and communication.

The past year was focused on living into the above four priorities adopted in 2004. There are several items of note.

1. The Africa Ministries Office, located in Kisumu, Kenya was officially opened on 21 March 2005 with a day of celebration and dedication. Prior to that date, the Africa Ministries staff (John Muhanji, Africa Ministries Rep from Nairobi YM, and James and Eden Grace, field staff from NEYM) had accompanied FUM's US-based leadership (Brent McKinney, Retha McCutchen, and Colin South) in a series of visits with Yearly Meetings in Kenya and Uganda. At those visits, Kenyan Friends expressed appreciation for the creation of the Africa Ministries Office, and shared the ways that they envisioned partnering with FUM to enhance the ministries of Friends. The fruits of these discussions in the form of provisional short, medium and long-term plans for the work of FUM Africa Ministries can be read at http://www.fum.org//worldmissions/blog/2005/03/africa-ministries-office-powerpoint.html
2. The Christian Faith of Friends, a pamphlet written by Ben Richmond, is available and widely used by Churches/Meetings with Friends United Meeting. These are available by calling FUM at 765/962-7573.
3. A task group met to evaluate Quaker Hill Bookstore in view of the priorities of evangelism, leadership training, global partnership and communication. The group identified increased mail order and Internet sales as essential to meet the needs of the Friends market.
4. New beginnings…
   1. The General Board, meeting in Richmond, Indiana and Kaimosi, Kenya approved a three-year study of the Kaimosi Hospital with the view toward future acceptance as an FUM project.
   2. General Board/Richmond sent Johan Maurer (former FUM general secretary) and Colin South (Director of Global Ministries) to study feasibility of opening a new FUM work in Russia.
   3. A catalog of Quaker titles available through Quaker Hill Bookstore distributed to Friends Churches/Meetings.
   4. Two Friends from Kenya will serve as FUM field staff at Ramallah Friends Schools in the 2005-06 school year - Joshua Lilande as teacher and Henry Mukwanja as Friend in Residence.
5. Books, Engaging Scripture by Michael Birckell and Signs of Salvation by Benjamin Richmond were published. These books are available at www.quakerhillbooks.org.
6. As the official publication of Friends United Meeting, Quaker Life is published ten times a year with articles "to inform and equip you to know Jesus Christ." The web site continues to be a great outreach tool that brings requests by Friends and non-Friends for sample copies and new subscriptions. To read Quaker Life articles and to subscribe go to http://www.fum.org/QL/index.html
7. FUM received the resignation of Ben Richmond effective July 2005. A search is in place to fill the North American Ministries Representative's position.
8. Updated financial software for a nonprofit was installed and data transferred. This change reflects the new organizational structure to include departments of Global Ministries and Communication and enable FUM to monitor budget in light of priorities.