Clear Creek Friends Meeting News

• Donate Food for the Community Food Pantry:  Richmond’s Community Food Pantry, a non-profit organization comprised of representatives from Richmond churches, needs donations of canned, jars and dry foods to meet the growing needs of our community. Clear Creek Friends Meeting has participated in this effort through individuals bringing food to donate on the first Sunday of the month and through other volunteer efforts. Currently Larry H is taking our first Sunday donations to the Food Pantry.  If you have food that has been sitting unused in your cupboard or wish to purchase something to donate, please mark your calendar to bring it on first Sundays.  The biggest need is for canned fruit, peanut butter and jelly.  If, on the other hand, you are in need of extra food to meet your financial needs, please speak to Jane Stowe or our clerk Dave Garman in order to obtain the necessary voucher to be able to pick up the free food.  You may also make a donation to the Food Pantry by making a check out to Clear Creek Meeting and earmarking it for the Food Pantry.
• Donate Used Stamps to Quaker organizations: Used stamps can be brought to Clear Creek Meeting on Sundays to put in a small box; they will then be sent by Jane S to the Quaker Missions Project of Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting in care of Brad Hathaway, PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739-0795. Stamps may be left on their envelopes or not; they may have more value if left on. This project has provided over $50,000 to Quaker organizations, including Right Sharing of World Resources.
• Donate to Right Sharing of World Resources: Roland K writes that individual donations to RSHW were 10% lower this past year though they are still managing well. This established Quaker nonprofit organization with its office at Quaker Hill makes loans to individuals living in poverty in India, Kenya, and other countries to fund small micro-enterprises to help them and their communities get back on their feet.  Check out their website at www.rswr.org.  If you care to donate, send your contribution to:  Right Sharing of World Resources or RSWR, 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, Indiana 47374-1926.  For questions call 765-966-0314.

Clear Creek Friends Meeting now has its own website and domain name.

Check it out at: www.clearcreekfriends.org

Feedback is encouraged, and can be sent to webmaster AT clearcreekfriends DOT org.

The following was brought to Meeting for Business by Ministry and Oversight (M&O). It grew out of concerns brought to M&O and discussions in M&O about those concerns. It was brought to Monthly Meeting for Business asking for it to be considered as a recommendation, and requesting feedback and direction. It will be considered again at August Monthly Meeting for Business, to determine if we feel we have the desire, energy, and commitment to move forward. Friends are asked to forward any thoughts about this to M&O prior to next Monthly Meeting for Business.

There have been concerns raised about the ebb and flow of attenders, the lack of welcome that new attenders sometimes feel, and the lack of children and young families. New and younger attenders bring energy, but it takes work to foster them. Clear Creek members sometimes feel overwhelmed by the needs of the many occasional attenders, and that can make it hard to be welcoming.
Without being welcoming, we are unlikely to see our numbers grow. We have often had the attitude that people will find us, and if we are right for them, they will stay. However, we have seen many just drift away. We have not been able to meet their spiritual needs.

M&O raised the question: what would it take to increase our numbers?

Many ideas came forth. We may have an opportunity to change meeting time and have use of the meetinghouse for longer on Firstday if College Meeting changes its time (a current possibility). That would open the possibility for meals after meeting, and the possibility of speakers that draw a wider audience.
What would happen if we approached this with intentionality as a meeting? Without expecting the burden to fall on a few members or committees, but if the meeting as a whole decided to try to grow? If we took a semester, or a school year, and made a commitment to try to grow? If we invited new faculty to meeting (as West Richmond does), if we invited friends and acquaintances to come to meeting with us (as many churches do)?

We bring this as a recommendation for consideration and as a request for input and commitment from the meeting.