Patapsco Friends Meeting

Guidelines for Scheduling First Day Noon Events

Approved 4/7/2012

Dearly beloved Friends, these things we do not lay upon you as a rule or form to walk by, but that all, with the measure of light which is pure and holy, may be guided: and so in the light walking and abiding, these may be fulfilled in the Spirit, not from the letter, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.                                                                                 –  Advices, Elders at Balby, 1656

Introduction

Patapsco Friends Meeting (PFM) strives to encourage the spiritual development of its members and attenders (“Friends”), and nurture Quaker faith and practice in today’s world.  To that end, various events are planned and presented during or after simple meal.  All Friends are encouraged to propose new events and participate in those offered.  An Events Calendar was created to help coordinate and advertise the various offerings.

Our purpose is to outline the process for coordinating and publishing PFM First Day noon events.  These guidelines apply to all events conducted by PFM, other than standing events such as Meeting for Business, or events initiated by the Business Meeting.  One such event is the occasional hosting of the Quarterly Meeting by PFM.

Procedure

The work and decision making of Quaker Meetings is most effective when seasoned first by committees before bringing to the whole body.  Hence, Friends are encouraged to submit ideas for sessions to any PFM standing committee.

Alternatively, session proposals may be submitted to the Clerk of PFM who will direct the proposal to the appropriate committee.

The chosen committee will be responsible for working with the proposal originator to season and develop the proposal.

After proper seasoning in committee, the proposal will be brought to Business Meeting for discussion and approval.  If approved, the proposed session or event will be sent to the Calendar Keeper for addition to the Noon Events Calendar, and to the webservant for addition to the online calendar.  Where appropriate, also provide information to the webservant describing details of the event to be included as a description to the calendar item and as a posting to the web site.  If the event is appropriate to open to the public, also notify the Advancement and Outreach committee to discuss additional publicity options.