raveling ministry was an intrinsic part of the Religious Society of Friends from early times until recent history. It was Friends traveling under the leading of the Spirit who brought the revelation of the Inner Light of Christ to the colonies. Later it was Friends traveling with concerns that took the message of equality for all people to the meetings and settlements across North America. Seasoned Friends carried concerns of their meetings, as well as news of family and F/friends across this continent and to meetings all over the world. Local meetings nurtured the spiritual gifts of their members, helped discern clearness, and provided oversight for Friends when they felt called to travel in this way. Friends grew in the Spirit and stayed connected with each other across the miles. The goal of the Traveling Ministries Program is to reweave that web of spiritual connection.

For more information about the TMP contact Deborah Fisch, Traveling Ministries Program Coordinator, 3400 Kingman Blvd, Des Moines, Iowa 50311, 515-277-2189 or deborahf@fgcquaker.org.

A Faithful Experiment Blossoms
By Deborah Fisch. "Discernment and faith continue to be key words for the work of the Traveling Ministries Committee and Program. Through God's continuing grace, the TMP, since its inception, has been blessed to be able to help arrange approximately 155 visits by 42 Friends to monthly and yearly meetings, worship groups, and individual Friends living at a distance from other Friends."

FGC Letters of Travel and Traveling Minutes
 
Traveling in the Ministry as a Spritual Companion
By Jean-Marie Barch. "Without question, the experience of being held in the Light by a companion or group of companions while being open to Spirit’s leadings in the discharge of a ministry is like no other experience for me. There is the physical sensation of being attended to, of being spiritually fed which is akin to those deepest moments in a covered meeting when I feel filled and surrounded by God’s grace and love."

Ministry Travels in Canada
By Lynne Phillips, Argenta Monthly Meeting, British Columbia.Travel in the ministry, you say? In Canada, you say? Imagine your yearly meeting with members living 8,895 km apart. This is reality for Canadian Yearly Meeting

Quaker House, A Kind of Ministry
By Chuck Fager. "In this latter respect, I think this form of “traveling ministry” is much less like the disinterested labors of John Woolman or Lucretia Mott than those of more recent but also venerable Friends like E. Raymond Wilson or Rufus Jones. Rufus, for instance, traveled uncounted miles among Friends and others drumming up support to get the AFSC off the ground."

The Many Gifts I Received from the Traveling Ministries Program
By Vanessa Julye. " was surprised when I received a letter from Deborah Fisch inviting me to participate in FGC’s Traveling Ministry Program (TMP). I spent several weeks discerning if, in fact, I had a ministry. I decided to ask my meeting, Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM), to appoint a clearness committee to help me discern: if I had gifts to share with FGC’s Traveling Ministry Program..."

Religious Educators as Traveling Ministers? Sure, Why Not Send the Whole Committee!
By Becky Phipps. "The variety of ways that Friends reach out to each other in our wider Quaker community is as varied as our gifts of ministry. The FGC Religious Education Committee, for instance, travels to Friends’ meetings en masse. Three times a year! This practice expands our committee’s capabilities for ministering to the Friends we are led to serve."

Traveling in the Ministry
By Kenneth Sutton. "This experience brought home to me a surprising lesson. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. “Traveling in the ministry” seemed to be all about God, spirituality, faithfulness, and well, ministry. And it is. But it’s also just plain traveling. I’d like to share some observations based on that trip and others."

Pictures from FGC's Nuturing the Meeting Community Conference
Rosholt, Wisconsin, September 19-22, 2002. How many ministries and ministers can you find?

FGConnections Fall 2002 Home