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Editorial Voice

April 2006

During the mid-1940s, a Friends pastor's wife noticed a young girl as she walked home from school each day. The woman prayed for, befriended, and ultimately invited the child to attend church with her. The pastor's wife was Alice Fitzsimmons. The girl was my mother, Inez Smith. A new Kingdom legacy began soon after as my grandmother attended and believed with her daughter. Many years later, my grandfather also entered the Kingdom.

Several years ago, I was the speaker for Northwest Yearly Meeting's women's retreat. During the retreat, a couple of women approached me with a golden cup and saucer in their hands. The women were members of Alice's family. The cup and saucer were gifts from Alice to me as a reminder of how simple obedience had linked our families together through fifty years.

I grew up knowing Alice. My husband and I were her pastors for a while in Texas. But I didn't know this story until years later, after Alice had passed away. The golden cup and saucer sit on a shelf in my grandmother's hutch in our living room-an ever-present reminder of lives forever changed.

I know there are many stories like this among Evangelical Friends-perhaps thousands. In this issue of The Voice, we will share a few. As you read, remember your own story-how God worked in your life and in the lives of your family to bring you to this day. The story may not be totally positive. Pain may be linked to your memories as it is with some of mine. But remember that God has been involved all along the way. Look for evidences of his hand in your story as you read these.


-Becky Towne, Senior Editor