Epistle from Southern Africa Yearly Meeting – St Augustine’s Heritage Guest Farm Conference Centre
4-8 January 2025
We send warm Greetings to Friends all over the world.
Many spiritual journeys take us through difficult and winding ways to a place of beauty and joy. As 2025 dawned, Friends began travelling, by ‘plane, by bus and by car meeting decayed roads, faded road signs, missed turnings, difficult border crossings and very hot temperatures, all deemed well worth the effort to reach the warm welcome and fellowship of Friends at St Augustine’s at Modderpoort on the border of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Friends hailed from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Western and Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Lesotho, with visitors from Britain, Kenya, and Sweden. Lesotho Friends played an important role in helping with pre-meeting arrangements, in welcoming Friends, and arranging an excursion across the border into Lesotho.
Our theme for the meeting was “What binds us together, what pulls us apart.” The “us” in the theme relates not only to our Quaker community but to the broader society in which Southern African Quakers live and breathe. Each morning began with a Meeting for Worship, followed after breakfast with Worship Sharing in small groups which provided an opportunity to explore mindfully how the ‘still small voice within’ guides us in our daily practice of Quakerism.
Yearly Meeting was a hybrid one to cater for those who could not join in person. Our theme was truly tested by the difficulties the technical team faced as they battled with intermittent electricity, stormy weather, poor and fluctuating connectivity. Intended to bind us together, technology seemed determined to pull us apart, but the technical team were equally determined to bind us together with those online.
Sipho Nsimbi from the Bulawayo Meeting gave the Richard Gush Memorial lecture this year. Born of Salvation Army parents she and her seven siblings were given names of personal traits that they were supposed to live up to as a collective group, making them an interdependent collective group. Sipho began training as a nurse but within nine months was offered a scholarship to study sociology in Britain where she worked as a social worker for two years after graduation. She married there and returned to Zimbabwe with her small son. She has served on the Board of Hlekweni and has been a SAYM Co-clerk. Currently she is an SAYM Elder and a Co-clerk and Treasurer of Bulawayo Meeting.
With her inspirational theme, “Love in Action – Bringing Hope for Healing a Wounded World,” Sipho reminded us of who we are, the journey that Quakers have been on in Southern Africa and the powerful work that Friends have done and could do, not only in Southern Africa but in the world. Her words took us into the heart of division but brought hope. At the core of Quaker unity – what binds us together and connects us – is our willingness to “constantly seek,” to seek the path to “righteousness and service to others” and ultimately to be the “ocean of light and love” to dispel the “ocean of darkness and death.” We have a mandate not to separate ourselves but to connect with the world.
Reports from the ten local SAYM meetings were received. While the increased participation and energy of Young Friends in the SAYM community is stimulating a sense of optimism, it was evident from the local meeting reports that many meetings are experiencing a reduction in numbers. This raises the on-going need for making ourselves known. It was also clear from concerns raised that, as a Quaker family, we need to address and resolve on-going differences – the issues that divide us. However, as Sipho pointed out to us, “Our differences can be our strengths,” and on difficult issues, we endeavoured to speak truth to each other with kindness.
Since 2021 the Finance Oversight Committee has carried out extensive work to clarify and restructure the finances of SAYM and was able to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date explanation of the SAYM financial architecture, together with the income and expenditure. Given that financial competence has become imperative in the modern world, SAYM, together with the local meetings, must focus on mainstreaming financial competence and building financial institutional memory throughout the organisation.
In 2024 SAYM was privileged to host the World Plenary Meeting of the Friends World Consultative Committee. Planning for this event began in 2019 and SAYM Friends, together with Friends from Africa and other International Friends, shouldered the challenge, persevered through the COVID pandemic, and delivered a successful WPM in August 2024 which was attended by Friends from 59 countries and 95 yearly meetings. This meeting piloted a hybrid format which was so successful that the decision has been taken to hold the 2027 WPM fully online. Friends present who had also attended the WPCC meeting enjoyed sharing their reminiscences. Young Friends also presented a vibrant and enthusiastic account of their intervisitations with Young Friends in African countries outside of Southern Africa and of their participation in the World Plenary Meeting.
Each evening, we were treated for five- and ten-minute talks on a variety of topics reflecting the varied personal interests of Friends. Special Interest groups were also offered, giving Friends the opportunity to share some of their concerns and community involvements.
Friends offered a variety of early morning wellness sessions which included breath work, aquaponics, hiking – all opportunities to offset the long hours of sitting in Meeting for Worship for Business. The Children’s programme provided powerful ministries in nurturing and caring. Among other activities, the children practised meditation and – using the Quaker testimonies as a guide – learned about peace, equality, truth and integrity, and homelessness.
The Young Friends carried out their own programme in parallel with the general meeting, and provided the following account:
Beloved Friends – we, the Young Quaker Friends gathered with joy, gratitude, and open hearts. Our time together was a testament to the power of community, love, and spiritual growth.
We were grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and welcome new ones. Our shared experiences, from worship sharing to the Death Café, fostered a sense of belonging and support. We appreciated the warmth and wisdom of our elder Friends, who shared their insights and guidance with us.
Our gathering was a celebration of life, love, and spirituality. We grew together, learned from each other, and deepened our understanding of Quaker values and practices. The World Plenary Meeting reflections, special interest groups, and the main programme offered us a rich tapestry of experiences, inspiring us to continue on our spiritual journeys.
As we part ways, we will carry with us a renewed sense of hope, connection, and purpose. We recognized that our roots in the Quaker tradition run deep, and we are committed to nurturing and growing our faith community.
To our fellow Young Friends, we offer these words of encouragement: may you continue to seek, learn, and grow in the Light. May you find joy, comfort, and guidance in our Quaker community. And may you remain open to the transformative power of love and spirituality.
We have been bound together in love, friendship, and fellowship. Now we pull apart as we return to follow our mandate to connect with the world.
Gregory Mthembu-Salter and Benonia Nyakuwanikwa
Co-clerks, Southern Africa Yearly Meeting