The Friends Evangel — Central Yearly Meeting of Friends

Welcome to the new Friends Evangel site! We just completed Central Yearly Meeting, and one of the things discussed was the changing of the format of the Friends Evangel from a printed copy to an online format. This is our first online issue! We look forward to many more in the future. We appreciate your patience as we convert to this new forum.

We trust you enjoy this first article as well as some pictures from Yearly Meeting 2022. In the future , we will continue to share news and updates from our churches as we have done in previous issues.

Encourage One Another

“Encourage each other and give each other strength”

I Thessalonians 5:11, NCV

Caleb and Joshua returned from their scouting mission full of courage and exhorted the people to go up at once and take Canaan. But their ten fellow spies gave an evil report, and the people said, “Our brothers have made our hearts melt” (Deuteronomy 1:28). So, disheartened and afraid, they turned back and wandered for forty years, till all of that unbelieving generation perished, except Joshua and Caleb.

Thus we learn the importance of encouraging rather than discouraging one another. How shall we do this?

(1) By keeping in such close communion with God that our inward peace and the joy in our hearts bubble out in hearty, helpful testimony wherever we meet a brother or sister.

(2) By talking more about our victories than our defeats and praising God for what He has done and what He has promised to do.

(3) By dwelling more upon the good than the bad in other people.

(4) By being aware of the burdens upon our leaders, and not being too quick to criticize, but more ready to pray for them.

The glorious work of encouraging others is for all. The weakest of us can at least say with loving zeal, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).