Mindfulness Reminders
for Good Friends Process
 Quaker Earthcare Witness is a group of North American Friends exploring the spiritual basis of environmental concerns. Because we live at great distances from one another and gather for business only twice a year, we find that good Friends process is essential if we are to be an effective organization. We offer this pamphlet to our members prior to each meeting and hope it will be of use to other Friends groups as well.
Prior to a meeting
About six weeks before the meeting...
- Have you communicated with committee clerks and the organization's clerk to help them formulate agendas for the upcoming meeting?
- Have you evaluated proposed committee actions:
- Is the committee clear that the proposed action speaks to the spiritual aspects of our concerns? Have you included a statement that identifies the spiritual nature of the action?
- Are proposals clearly formulated for presentation to the whole group?
- If the action involves funds, have you developed a budget?
- If the action requires cooperation from other committees, has the clerk communicated this to the appropriate committee clerks?
- If you are a committee clerk, have you given the organization's clerk an idea of how much time your committee's report will require? Of how much time the committee needs for its meetings?
- If you are a committee clerk and the upcoming meeting is the Annual Meeting, have you prepared a proposed annual budget for the finance committee and sent the finance committee clerk a copy?
- If you are clerk of the entire group, have you made sure there is space on the agenda for worship and worship sharing? For group time in the out-of-doors? For guests and Yearly Meeting representatives to share their enthusiasms, concerns, and insights?
- Have you remembered to return the meeting registration form to the appropriate person/office by the requested deadline?
Just prior to the meeting...
 Have you gone over the agenda (which hopefully will arrive within two weeks of the meeting) and made sure that you and your committee are fully prepared for the meeting?
- Are committee reports written up and ready for distribution?
- Have you prepared an adequate number of handouts of materials you want to share with the group?
During the meeting...
- All our meetings are meetings for business and worship. We are reminded of Friends' practice, during both business and worship times, of:
- Leaving space between speakers.
- Speaking clearly and with brevity.
- Rising when we speak (moving us away from "an invitation to conversation," making us more answerable to our condition, and helping those with hearing difficulties).
- Allowing others to speak before we speak again.
- Allowing the clerk to recognize us. before we speak during meetings for business
- During worship, speaking only when led by the Spirit.
- Do we leave space for "afterthoughts" at the rise of Meeting? This is the time to share reflections that may not have risen as full "messages."
- Are we remembering to gather in silence and gratitude before meals?
- Are we remembering to open and close our business meetings with worship?
- Are we aware of guests and new people at our gatherings and remembering to welcome them and include them in our meetings and informal interactions?
- Do we also hold in the Light those of our members unable to be present? Group greeting "cards" are often well-received.
- Are times and dates of committee meetings clearly posted at our gatherings, so that newcomers are able to attend as desired?
- Are we aware of the need to speak slowly when simultaneous translation is occurring?
- Are we remembering that each of us is responsible for the spiritual nurture of our organization?
- Are we remembering to come together in joy, sharing our common love for one another and this glorious Creation in which we dwell?
- Are we leaving space for the Spirit to lead us during our times together?
After a meeting...
- Have you read the minutes of the meeting as soon as they arrived (hopefully within a month after a meeting)? Have you made note of corrections?
- Are you aware of the commitments you have made at the meeting, and do you have a plan to fulfill them?
- Have you reviewed the functions of the committee(s) you are on, to make sure you understand its mission?
- Do you reply promptly to clerks on ideas, requests for information, help, etc.?
- If you are a clerk, do you have the names and addresses of all members of your committee?
- If you are a clerk (or the recording clerk for a committee), have you written up the minutes within two weeks after a meeting and sent them to the entire committee?
Other QEW pamphlets on spiritual nurturance
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