To Friends everywhere: What will be the future of Friends in the 21st Century? What must we do and be to truly undo the blockages that keep the Living Water from flowing in us and through us individually and corporately? Do we know what purposes God would have us serve? How do we communicate across cultural and language lines? Who will lead and how will we lead?
Western Friends have a special opportunity to address these questions at one or more of the four consultations to be held early in 2014:
Although the formats for each weekend will reflect the culture and traditions of the host site, much of the content and consultations will be on the same topics. Coming off of the 6th World Conference of Friends in 2012, we realize that much more must be done to connect Friends, cross cultures and change lives and we need to do it together in South, Central and North America.
The Sacramento consultation will have the following workshops:
More details are available at http://fwccamericas.org. Worship, celebration and opportunities to develop deeper relationships will ground these consultations. Please encourage Friends to participate in these consultations so that Living Waters continue to flow unrestricted for Friends throughout the hemisphere as they Serve God’s Purposes. The expectation is that these Friends will return to their home yearly meetings, associations and monthly meetings and churches and continue these conversations.
While registration is open, and all interested Friends are invited, each yearly meeting and association of Friends are asked to send their usual FWCC representatives. There will be no FWCC Section of the Americas Annual Meeting in 2014. These extended consultations will take the place of the annual meeting.
This consultation is just one example of the ways that Western Friends are working together, across the branches of Friends. In 2007, Sacramento Friends Community Church and Sacramento Friends Meeting joined together to provide scholarships for high school students in Kenya. Every child in Kenya must pay tuition in the amount of about 500 U. S. dollars to go to high school since there is no free public education. The students are directed to the program by Quakers in Nairobi who are trying to assist poor families and orphans who can not afford to go to school. Every year the Church and Meeting each support one student. In addition, Friends through earmarked donations support one or two additional students, Students are supported each year until they graduate. In addition, some Friends also provide support for students who are in college or technical school. The students are in contact by letters with the Church and Meeting. Recently two Friends from the Meeting and Jim Healton, Church Pastor, were able to visit with the students during trips to Kenya. We look forward to seeing what Love can do as we move forward after the consultation in March.
May the Light of God’s Love live in you,
Alicia Aguirre, Friends Community Church, Sacramento
Alyssa Nelson, Davis Monthly Meeting, Pacific YM Youth Program Coordinator
Brian Young, Berkeley Friends Church
Dorothy S. Grannell, New England YM, North American Clerk, consultation planning committee
Jim Anderson, Chico Monthly Meeting
Jim and Tyla Healton, Friends Community Church Sacramento, co-clerks, local arrangements committee
Jim Updegraff. Sacramento Monthly Meeting, co-clerk, local arrangements committee
Louise Salinas, Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas
Robin Mohr, Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas