Friends in Mahoba, Kulpahar and Charkhari, all Monthly Meetings of Mahoba YM, originally came from Chhatarpur, Nowgong and Damoh in Madhya Pradesh. They had moved to Mahoba YM area as a result of marriage, employment and business. They began as part of BMMS. However, due to being in different states, distance and a desire to be an independent group, they separated and have been accepted by AWPS as a Yearly Meeting.
Rachel Metcalfe, an English Friend, came to India in 1866 as a pioneer missionary representing the newly-formed Friends Foreign Mission Association, London. She started sewing work with just one girl. Mid-India Yearly Meeting has developed from the work of the British Friends who followed Rachel in this central part of the country.
Mid-India Yearly Meeting has been fully independent since 1953 and has responsibility for three schools and other community services which grew up as part of the mission. Two schools are of Higher Secondary standard, the boys’ at Itarsi and the girls’ at Sohagpur. A new venture is an English/Hindi Primary School at Itarsi.
The Central Office of the Yearly Meeting is at Itarsi, which is an important railway junction almost in the heart of India and developing very rapidly. Some members are employed in the railway service or in other government departments; some are teachers in Friends schools or in government schools or in private schools; some are nurses (most of them are now government employees); some were weavers once at Khera (Itarsi) but now there are none, the next generation having taken up other jobs.
Young people’s meetings and women’s meetings are organized by some monthly meetings. Sunday schools and meetings for worship are held regularly in each monthly meeting. Quaker study groups or Bible study groups and seminars are arranged by the Yearly Meeting. In addition to the regular unprogrammed meetings for worship, some meetings arrange programmed worship to meet the needs of members of other denominations. Nowadays many of our young people after their education are going out of this area in search of their livelihood.
There are at present six monthly meetings. The Yearly Meeting is held during Dashra or Diwali festival holidays.