Who We Are

Friends in Christ is a small group of spiritual travelers. Some of us have journeyed from life without God to life with Christ. Some of us have sought people who live their faith and not just preach it. Through living with Christ, all of us are finding loving relationships and the energy to help heal a broken world. We seek to serve ethnically diverse groups of seekers and finders looking to Jesus as the doorway to God and an energetic, loving life.

We are an entirely volunteer ministry at this time. Not only do those in leadership not get paid for this ministry, they contribute much of the funding for the ministry.

Friends in Christ is formally unaffiliated at this time. However, we have received assistance from a few Quaker-related agencies from time to time.

Founders

Friends in Christ was started by a few people who felt the call to this ministry. The three most active in its founding were:

John Smallwood's background includes many leadership positions within the Religious Society of Friends, including Clerk of Representative Meeting for Baltimore Yearly Meeting, and Clerk of the School Committee for Friends Community School. He has led numerous workshops and retreats over the years. He is a member of Langley Hill Friends Meeting. He has worked as a teacher and an attorney, and is now retired. He is married, has two children, and lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Bill Samuel also held many leadership positions within the Religious Society of Friends, including Clerk of Adelphi Friends Meeting and member of the Executive Committee of Friends United Meeting. He is a graduate of the On Being a Spiritual Nurturer program of the School of the Spirit. Adelphi Friends Meeting formally acknowledged and affirmed Bill's calling to work with Friends in Christ. Bill joined the nondenominational Cedar Ridge Community Church in 2005. He also attends midweek meeting for worship at Sandy Spring Friends Meeting from time to time. He currently works full-time for the Federal Government. He lives with his wife in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Lincoln Cory grew up in the Religious Society of Friends and remained active in it until a few years ago. He is currently a member of the Arlington Church of the Brethren. He is a retired nurse who lives with his wife in Vienna, Virginia.

Current Leadership

We operate on a shared leadership model, seeking to recognize and nurture the gifts in each person who participates in the ministry. We have Coordinators who are responsible for overall coordination and planning, but each small group determines its own direction. Current Coordinator is Bill Samuel, described above. Longtime Co-coordinator Diane Reynolds moved to Ohio in August 2008. Diane has a Lutheran background, is a member of Cedar Ridge Community Church, and now attends Stillwater Friends Meeting. Professionally, she is a freelance journalist. She is married, has three children at home, and lives in Barnesville, Ohio.

Advisory Committee

In the spring of 1999, Friends in Christ established an Advisory Committee. We did this for two reasons. First, we felt the need to broaden our discernment process for the key issues involved in our outreach efforts. We also sought to have a group with varied experiences to provide greater perspective. Second, we wanted to assure our donors and funders that our decision making process involves a variety of perspectives and people with established records as persons of discernment and good judgment. Although our Advisory Committee does not involve itself regularly in our planning and direction, they remain committed to support of the ministry.

The current members of our Advisory Committee are:

Georgia Fuller, speaker and workshop leader.
Thomas Jeavons, General Secretary, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends*
Frank Massey, Gifts Discernment Coordinator, Guilford College*
Ben Richmond, Interim Principal, Friends Theological College, Kaimosi, Kenya, a ministry of Friends United Meeting
Marcy Seitel, teacher, Friends Community School*
Michael Wall, Pastor, Southview Friends Church*, Charlotte, NC