Whats our history?
George Fox, the founder of the Friends Church was born in a little village called Fenny Drayton in England. His parents had a strong religious inclination. His father Christopher Fox was a weaver by profession while his mother Mary Fox was a house wife. George Fox's family and community at large helped him grow into a young man who was serious with the things of God. After searching for the true religion for a long time, God made a way for him and he began preaching publicly in 1647.
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First Quaker Church
The first ever Quaker Monthly Meeting was set up in Nothern England from where coordination was done to reach out to the rest of England and the world. Because of the beliefs that Quakers had, coupled with the religious and political systems of the day, George Fox and many other Quakers were imprisoned.
While some died in prison, many others including George Fox came out to continue with their Quaker way. The charges against them ranged from causing disturbance, blasphemy, to refusing to swear oaths of allegiance to the king/country. George Fox later died in 1691.
Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly and Village Meetings
In the beginning, the meetings of did not have clearly defined connections with each other. Since they had some commonalities, they would share together in fellowship once in a while through visiting preachers and support to one another. In 1672, the Yearly Meetings were begun in London. Quarterly Meetings had begun earlier and had even preceded the Monthly Meetings. Each of these levels was to ensure that members were served well and that their issues were well taken care of. Monthly Meetings created opportunities for the persecuted Quakers to take stock amongst their numbers and see if there are any who had died or so. The Village Meetings in Kenya may not trace their origin to England but to colonial Kenya. In the Early 1920s and 1930s, missionaries, with the help of indegenous Christians put up villages in which African Quakers lived. These villages offered education, Christian teachings and places of refuge.
Quakers In the World
Quakers have a long tradition of being active in, and seeking to make a difference to, the world in which they find themselves. In their actions they seek to put Quaker testimonies such as equality, peace and integrity into practice, as best as they can. Quakerism emerged in England in the 17th Century, a time of rapid political and religious change, as a form of Christianity that emphasized the direct relationship between people and God. Quaker forms of worship developed which focused on the group encounter with the divine, rather than on dogma or creed. Worldwide, Quakers (who also use the name 'Religious Society of Friends', or just 'Friends') currently number around 900,000, with the majority in Africa and the Americas and considerable diversity among us in religious observance and the words used to express spiritual experience. Spiritual insights, often called “testimonies”, tend to unite Quakers worldwide. They spring from deep experience and have been reaffirmed by successive generations of Quakers. These testimonies are to integrity, equality, simplicity, community, stewardship of the Earth, and peace. They arise from an inner conviction and challenge our normal ways of living. They exist in spiritually-led actions rather than in rigid written forms. They are not imposed in any way and they require us to search for ways in which we can live them out for ourselves. Our commitment to non-violence in thought, word and deed is based on the idea that all human beings have something of the divine within us. This idea can be described, in the words of founder George Fox (1624-1691), as "answering that of God in every one" and “seeking the inner light” in each person. Quakers in Kenya collaborate with quakers in Africa as well as globally through various quaker associations including but not limited to Friends United Meeting, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Triennial meetings, World gathering, World Council of Churches, Quaker United Nations office.
Beginning of Quakers In Kenya
The three young missionaries who introduced Quaker faith to Kenya in 1902 are; Arthur Chilson, Willis Hotchkiss and Edgar Hole. They landed in Mombasa, Kenya on 24th June of the same year. They took a railway ride to Port Florence (present day Kisumu) where they met a District Commissioner, Charles Hobley who guided them until they found a settlement area in Kaimosi where they set up a mission station called FRIENDS AFRICA INDUSTRIAL MISSION on 10th August 1902. Its main objectives were to witness Christ, give medical care and educate the locals
Some of the early converts include; Daudi Lungáho, Joseph Ngaira, Joel Litu, Andrea Agufuna, Peter Wanyama among others.
Several other mission centers were later set up. They include; Vihiga, Lirhanda, Lugulu and Malava.