Clear Creek Friends Meeting News

Because our original date for Quaker Quest, Feb. 6th, was cancelled due to snow, M&O has rescheduled the event for Saturday, Feb. 20th, 9am-4pm. Friends are asked to let Jana S (or any member of M&O) know again whether you are able or unable to attend for this new date. Also, please let Mary G know again what food you can provide for the potluck lunch.

All local members and attenders are urged to attend this event sponsored by Clear Creek Meeting. This is an exploratory session for us to find out what Quaker Quest is (a structure first developed in the U.K. for both inreach and outreach for local meetings) and to see if we might want to sponsor some public Quaker Quest sessions in the future. It will include a sample panel with Clear Creek members and time for sharing with one another. Please make it a priority to attend!

1.    The meeting opened with a reading of the Queries for the 10th Month. Eleven Friends were present. Friends reflected on our use of resources and its effects on the environment.
2.    Treasurer’s report: Income for the ninth month was $1370 and expenses were $190. This is the end of our fiscal year. For the whole year we had a surplus of $696 when special contributions were included. The budget for next year was presented for second reading. Changes from first reading were the addition of $1000 for Quaker Quest and $700 for partial reimbursement of costs and labor for the cabinet that Dan S built. This revised budget was approved by the Meeting.
3.    Nominating Committee report: They are working on filling a list of positions that will be open in January. One name was brought for first reading: Larry H for the Simple Burial Committee through 2011.
4.    Ministry and Oversight: The committee has received a request from Anna Margaret B and Emmanuel G to be married under the care of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting. M&O is forming a clearness committee for them. The committee also received a letter from Keith S requesting a transfer of membership from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting to Spokane Monthly Meeting. M&O recommended approving this transfer and it was approved by the Meeting. The clerk will send a letter of transfer to Spokane Meeting. The committee received a request from Doug G, pastor of First Friends Meeting, that Clear Creek Meeting host the Christmas eve service for the 3 Richmond Meetings at Stout Meetinghouse this year. M&O recommended accepting this. This would mean that Clear Creek would plan the service and invite the other Meetings. In addition, since this is during Earlham break, we would have to make sure that heat was on in the Meetinghouse and snow (if present) was shoveled on the paths to the Meetinghouse. The Meeting approved moving forward with this.
5.    Children’s Religious Education: It is different this year since the children, on average, are younger. There is not a set curriculum, but the teachers are ably developing things as they go.
6.    Peace and Social Concerns: They have purchased a set of DVDs with the help of West Richmond Friends that will be available for our use and will be stored at West Richmond. She also reported that Open Arms Ministries is now opening on a permanent basis to help coordinate ministries by local religious organizations. P&SC has invited the director, Judy Jackson, as well as Sue Axtell, to the after meeting discussion on Oct. 25th.
7.    Jerry K reported on a covenant that is being developed by Earlham College in relationship to Indiana and Western Yearly Meetings. Jerry will develop a threshing session to explore whether Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting might also want to be involved. If there is a feeling that we should move forward on this, it would be brought to monthly and quarterly meetings. Contact Jerry if you are interested in pursuing this issue.
8.    The minutes were read and approved.
9.    Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

The meeting opened with a period of silent worship. Fourteen Friends were present. The clerk read the Queries for the third month and Friends reflected on how we foster community within our Meeting.

• Treasurer’s report: income for the second month was $1066 and expenses were $1683.

• Nominating committee: recommend that David G remain as clerk for the rest of this year.

• M&O: Drafts of the State of the Meeting report and a memorial minute for Mary M were presented. The memorial minute was approved as written. Some revisions were suggested for the State of the Meeting report. A revised version will be brought next month for final approval.

• M&O report part 2: In the process of corresponding with distant members and attenders, we have received several requests for transfer or withdrawal of membership. Sam G has requested a transfer of membership from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting to Sandy Springs Monthly Meeting in Maryland and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This transfer was approved by the Meeting. Jon L has requested a withdrawal of membership and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This withdrawal was approved by the Meeting. Lisa N has requested a withdrawal of membership and M&O recommended acceptance of this request. This withdrawal was approved by the Meeting.

• Children’s Religious Education: thanks to all who are helping with the children. The schedule is filled for now.

• The Clerk read a letter from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Richmond thanking us for the lunch we provided.

• The Clerk reported that Kelly Burke, as director of Campus Ministries, is proposing a year long trial of holding College Meeting at 1 pm. This would give us the opportunity to change our time of worship and other activities. Several suggested changes were discussed. M&O will consider these and bring a proposal next month.
• The minutes were read and approved. Meeting closed with a brief period of waiting worship.

David G, Clerk
Dan S, Recording Clerk

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.