... Minute_of_Exercise Materials on the Minute of Exercise from
New England Yearly Meeting 2004

[Return to BHFM Main Page]

Ministry and Counsel Committee is gathering resources that may help us in our discernment on the Friends United Meeting Personnel Policy.  

Background:

Report to BHFM Business Meeting, 6/5

Overview of the issue, prepared by Alana Parkes for our newsletter.


Documents:

The Minute of Exercise and Ben Richmond's History of the Personnel Policy of Friends United Meeting    This includes the relevant text from the FUM personnel policy.
    
Margaret Hart's email to Quaker Life and the response.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting Epistle of Concern, 2004

FUM Personnel Policy, and [Some] Resultant Correspondence  from 'The Canadian Friend'




A Report to Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, Business Meeting, 6/5/05
by Lisa Graustein, for Ministry and Counsel

NEYM is a member of two larger Quaker organizations – Friends General Conference (FGC) and Friends United Meeting (FUM). FGC is made up of US and Canadian Yearly Meetings that tend to be more on the unprogrammed/liberal Quaker spectrum. FUM has member Yearly Meetings and affilated Meetings in the US, Cuba, Jamaica, Belize, Bolivia, Kenya, Tanazania, Uganda, Brundi and Rwanda, which tend to be programmed, more conservative and Christian.

At the 2002 Triennial in Kenya, many of us learned about FUM’s personnel policy. This policy contains a clause that states that all employees who are not in a heterosexual marriage, must sing a celibacy contract for the duration of their employment. This upset many Friends – as it is seen as discriminatory against LGBTIQ Friends and straight Friends who are not married. This concern was raised at Sessions last summer. NEYM Ministry and Counsel has created a working party to work on this issue. At Sessions, a minute of exercise was drafted about the issue and has been sent out to all the meetings in the Yearly Meeting.

A minute of exercise is not a “final” minute, but rather a minute to encourage threshing, discussion, prayer and exploration of the subject. It is a way to begin to discern the sense of the gathered body – in this case the Yearly Meeting. Like its name implies, it is a way for us to “exercise” on the issue in preparation for “the” minute.

Beacon Hill is particularly engaged in this issue as Margaret Hart will be traveling to this summer’s FUM triennial carrying this concern. The Graces were very clear in their hiring process that they were not in unity with this policy and have been clear with FUM who their family is. Lisa Graustein was a worship-sharing group leader at the last triennial, at which the then clerk of Baltimore Yearly Meeting was disinvited from serving as a worship-sharing group leader because of his sexual orientation.

Ministry and Counsel is bringing this minute of exercise today  - not to discuss it – but to hear what the meeting needs to know more about or the related issues it would like to explore in discerning on this topic.

In response to this report, Friends at the 6/5 Business Meeting raised issues, questions and concerns:

Issues/questions/concerns/etc. that were raised:
    Need more background on the application of the policy towards staff vs. volunteers
    What do we do with our donations to FUM? Is this giving to a discriminatory corporation? Is this giving money to family? How does that make a difference?
    The policy refers to a “Sexuality Testimony” – what is that? What does it say? What is FUM’s thinking on the topics of sex and sexuality?
    What is the history? What are the times that Friends have come close to splitting over issues, but haven’t? What happened in those situations?
    Why is it important that we as Quakers work together? Why is it important for us to stay engaged with FUM?
    This policy is about sex. What do we think about sex? What do Quakers think about sex?
    What are the next steps?
    This is a different personnel policy than it used to be. How has the FUM personnel policy evolved? What is the process of change?

An article by Alana Parkes for our newsletter

Concerns about FUM’s Personnel Policy

You may have heard people talking about their concerns about Friends United Meeting’s (FUM) personnel policy. Here is some background information and where New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) is in responding to it.

Who is FUM?
Friends United Meeting is an umbrella organization of yearly meetings around the world including 26 yearly meetings in Canada, Kenya, Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States. New England Yearly Meeting has been a member since FUM’s inception. FUM’s global ministries include Lugulu hospital in Kenya and the Friends School in Ramallah, Palestine. Beacon Hill members Eden and Jim Grace work for FUM in the African Quaker Vision ministry.

What is FUM’s hiring policy?
In 1991, the General Board Executive Committee approved an “Organizational and Personnel Policy Manual” with the following section on sexuality and homosexuality:

Friends United Meeting holds to the traditional Friends testimonies of peace (nonviolence), simplicity, truth speaking, community, gender and racial equality, chastity, and fidelity in marriage. It is expected that the lifestyle of all staff and volunteer appointees of Friends United Meeting will be in accordance with these testimonies.

Friends United Meeting affirms the civil rights of all people. Staff and volunteer appointments are made without regard to sexual orientation. It is expected that sexual intercourse should be confined to marriage, understood to be between one man and one woman. (minute 91 GBEX 18)

Where are we now?

A concern was raised from the floor of the 2004 sessions of New England Yearly Meeting in August, that the above policy discriminated against gay and lesbian Friends as well as all Friends sexual active outside a heterosexual marriage. In response to this concern the following minute was drafted and approved.

Minute of Exercise on FUM’s Personnel Policy

New England Yearly Meeting Friends gathered at our annual sessions reaffirm our belonging to Friends United Meeting, not only as co-founders, and firmly led co-participants in its ministries, but as Friends whose faith has been strengthened and recharged by God’s presence in our worship, work, and fellowship with FUM Friends. FUM remains one of the most important places where we meet Friends who challenge our beliefs, and where African, Latin-American, Middle Eastern, and North American Friends meet face to face, growing in love and understanding. Since the 1940s when we were called to re-unite our previously separated Yearly Meetings, and since the early ‘90s when we developed special bonds of love and mutual ministry with Cuba Yearly Meeting we have learned to live with our differences, and we have come to feel how painful it would be to live in isolation from other Friends.

At the same time that we cherish our membership and participation in FUM, many of us are troubled by FUM’s personnel policies and practices, which excluded non-celibate gays and lesbians, and unmarried heterosexual couples from leadership roles. Within NEYM we have struggled for years with same-gender marriage, and while support is not universal, we have watched as Friends’ understanding of the truth has grown to include the belief that an individual’s sexual orientation is no measure of their ability to express God’s love through committed long-term relationships.

In the same vein, over the years we have grown to understand that God’s gifts of ministry and leadership are bestowed with no consideration of sexual orientation or marital status. Indeed we have been blessed countless times by the ministry and leadership of those who would not be allowed to serve under the FUM policies.

While some are hurt, and some are angry, we are ALL troubled by the lack of unity on this issue. In the interest of creating a more perfect world, Gospel Order requires us to seek together for God’s will, and for the love, which has been wounded by our differences.

We invite the FUM Board to come again to New England, to work among us, to worship and be hosted by all of us, to see our lives speaking. We make ourselves available to be invited to worship and testify among FUM Friends, and among other yearly and monthly meetings about these concerns.

As we continue discernment within NEYM, we ask the administration of FUM to consider, as we have at NEYM 2004 sessions, “Who is your neighbor?” Jesus taught us that love and compassion for the neighbor who does not look like us is more important than the written law.

Friends approved the minute.

NEYM Ministry and Counsel established a working party to further consider the issue and to hear back from monthly meetings and individuals. They have provided the following questions for worship sharing or for written responses.

1. What gifts is the Spirit trying to give us in raising this concern at this time?

2. What might we gain from a fuller understanding of FUM and its racial, cultural, theological and economic diversity? How would a fuller understanding of FUM’s diversity increase our understanding of Quaker witness worldwide.

3. When we disagree, how can we all speak our truth and stay in loving relationship?

4. Are you as an individual concerned about FUM’s personnel policy? What are your particular concerns?

5. Is your meeting unified in a concern about this policy? What is the range of concerns in the meeting?

6. How do you feel about the fact that FUM’s policy denies to non-celibate gays and lesbians, regardless of their marital status, and to all non-celibate unmarried heterosexuals the possibility of living out a volunteer or employment ministry to which they feel called?


An email from Margaret Hart and a reply from Retha McCutchen, General Secretary of Friends United Meeting from 'Quaker Life', June 2005.  This appears here in its entirety, with permission from Margaret and Retha.  Please obtain their permission before you quote it, in whole or in part.

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
(formerly 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 dis-
cernment 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 you 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 triennial.  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 condtituents,
that each member yearly meeting in North America, Aftica, 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 clcebrate 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


This page was last updated on 7/10/2005.  It is maintained by Sarah Spencer, for Ministry and Counsel Committee, Beacon Hill Friends Meeting.


[Return to BHFM Main Page]

Problems or questions about this page: Email the webservant