Conference call was held on Sunday, May 4th 2014.
Clerk of consultation: Warren Ostrom, University Friends Meeting
Queries*
1. Do we actually want new people to become part of our group?
2. How do we spread the word that we exist, what we are about, where and when we meet, and that newcomers are welcome?
3. Are there some types of people we deliberately turn away? Are there some needs, such as provision of translation or childcare, which we aren’t prepared to provide?
4. What guidance do we provide so that a newcomer will know what to expect in Quaker worship, and how to enter into Quaker worship??
5. What makes it easy for someone to feel at home with us? What makes it hard? What do we do intentionally to help newcomers feel that they belong?
6. Would a newcomer notice God/the Spirit/love present among us?
7. How ready are we to spend time listening to a newcomer’s struggles, and to offer our presence, concern and help?
8. How ready are we to tell what Quakers are about, and our own personal stories about becoming or remaining Friends?
9. What follow-up, if any, do we do with new people who have attended our meeting once? Who have attended several times and then stopped coming?
10. What opportunities do we provide to newcomers for helping with the work of the meeting, and for working along side other members of the group?
11. What do we do to sustain our vitality, both as a place of worship and as a human community, for both established attenders and newcomers?
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* Underlined queries were discussed in conference call. Others were not.