NOTE: The deadline to submit reports has been extended to April 29, 2024
Warm greetings from the Ministry and Care Committee of Quaker Life Council. We trust this communication finds you well, grounded in Spirit and in your community of faith. All meetings are invited to submit their Spiritual State of the Meeting Reports for 2023 no later than April 15, 2024. We look forward to learning about your meeting and having the opportunity to share that learning more widely. Reports will be carefully read by members of M&C to guide our work in the next year and inform the Spiritual State of the Meeting Report for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. To learn more about how these reports are used and how they are typically composed, see these advices. If you have further questions, please contact us at ministryandcare@pym.org.
We hope meetings will include in their report responses to the queries below, which M&C has drafted both to stimulate your thinking and to focus on areas where we would especially value your information and input.
Over the past year, within your meeting community:
- how is Spirit moving in your worship, and how have you nurtured deep, Spirit-led vocal ministry?
- how have you fostered an environment in which members and attenders of all ages and abilities know they are loved, cared for, trusted, and respected?
- how have you sought to be neighbors and in relationship with other communities, and how have you been changed by these connections?
- how have you been called to address issues of social justice, inclusivity, and difference, both within your meeting and in the wider world?
We would also like to facilitate sharing resources and best practices across the yearly meeting. To this end, consider the list below of topic areas that arose in last year’s Spiritual State of the Meeting Reports. In which areas does your meeting have a success story or advice to share with other meetings? In which areas does your meeting have particular concerns or need for support from the yearly meeting?
- Care of Worship (e.g., How can we get more/fewer people to offer vocal ministry?)
- Outreach and Inclusion (e.g., How do we welcome newcomers warmly without overwhelming them?)
- Adult Education Resources (e.g., How can we learn and share about our faith outside of worship?)
- Families and Children (e.g., What religious education resources are available to use?)
- Youth and Young Adults (e.g., How can we create a welcome space for youth and young adults in the meeting?)
- Witness (e.g., How do we walk our talk as Friends?)
- Committees (e.g., How might a different committee structure be helpful to our meeting in conducting our business?)
- Quarters (e.g., How can being part of an active Quarter have an impact on meetings and individuals?)
- General Questions or Needs (e.g., Could someone visit my meeting?)
Finally, the Climate Change Sprint group would like to hear from you about your meeting’s work on climate change:
- How has the Spirit guided your work on climate change?
- How has your meeting addressed the action areas identified in the Climate Change Sprint Report: Activism, Education, Reducing Carbon Footprint, and Finances?
- Has your meeting appointed a Climate Witness liaison? If not, why not?
Again, please plan to submit your report by April 15, 2024 using the online form.
submit your meeting’s report →
Please also send a copy to the clerk of your Quarterly meeting if that is the custom in your Quarter. Please contact them directly since the Quarter’s deadline may differ.
We look forward to hearing how the movement of the Spirit is faring in your meeting.
With gratitude and blessings,
Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch, Clerk
On behalf of the Ministry and Care Committee of Quaker Life Council
Image Credit: Princeton Monthly Meeting
