by WebPost | Dec 17, 2014 | Adult Spiritual Education
Jean Jones Andersen’s passion for spiritual education led her to leave our community funds to support adults in taking classes, retreats, workshops, etc. to further their spiritual education. If you have an idea, vision, or leading towards some kind of spiritual growth opportunity—spiritual formation retreat, classes, etc.–and you need funds to make it happen, the members of the Adult Spiritual Education Committee–clerk Mary Fran Hughes-McIntyre, Bette Gilchrist, Betsy Brinson, Monica Shaw, and Leslie Shiel–invite you to submit your request–a letter to our committee–explaining the project and asking for what you need.
You may leave your letter in the ASE mailbox at meeting house, mail it to Richmond Friends Meeting, 4500 Kensington Avenue, VA 23221-2301 (c/o Adult Spiritual Education Committee), or email one of the committee members.
by WebPost | Dec 17, 2014 | Adult Spiritual Education
The committees of Ministry and Worship and Adult Spiritual Education invite you to….
….Save the date! Saturday, February 28th 2015……for a Winter Retreat day at The Clearing!
Lynn Domina, poet and teacher, will lead us in a day of finding spiritual and creative expression through writing, surrounded and inspired by the lovely quietude of the Clearing in winter. Regardless of previous writing experience or aspirations, this will be a day all can enjoy.
Divine Words: Writing Your Spirituality
Those flashes of transcendence—many of us have experienced one or two. Those dark nights of the soul—most of us have also survived those. Those ordinary moments that fill our days—we move through them, remembering and forgetting and remembering. We describe our experience to others and try to make sense of it for ourselves.
During this retreat we’ll explore how writing can help us discover, express, and deepen our spirituality. The day will be structured so that participants have ample time to write as well as to share. We’ll also look at excerpts from the work of writers often thought of as spiritual—and maybe some we’d never thought to call spiritual. The facilitator will provide many prompts and examples, and the day will be designed so that everyone can benefit.
Lynn is the author of several books, including two collections of poetry, “Corporal Works” and “Framed in Silence”, and the editor of a collection of essays, “Poets on the Psalms”. She teaches English at the State University of New York at Delhi, in the western Catskills, and she is also an M.Div. student at the Earlham School of Religion. She lives with her family in a 200-year old home with lots of plumbing problems.
by WebPost | Dec 17, 2014 | Children and Religious Education, Minuted Decisions
Child Safety Policy—Approved Final Policies
Ad hoc committee members:
Trustees: Ada Hammer, Gordon Davies, Sanford Hostetter
Nursery: Janet Thoroman
RE: Catherine Roseberry, Diane Bowden, Barb Adams
Advising: Steve Bricker
Background
The RE committee and Nursery coordinators have had general guidelines for what we do, but in the last few years our insurance company has sought more explicit protocols from their insured churches, including BYM and Quaker Meetings, aimed to prevent the opportunity for, or allegations of, child abuse. This culminated in a recent mandate from them to administer criminal background checks on people that work regularly with children. After receiving this mandate, Denna Joy, clerk at the time, suggested we review what we have in place, and in September 2013 the ad hoc committee was created and given this charge:
As clerk of Richmond Friends meeting, I recommend the creation of an ad hoc committee to review and refine guidelines, policies and processes that address child safety in our Meeting. The impetus for this review is new mandates by meeting’s insurance company, which includes criminal background checks on those who work directly with children. This committee will work to develop policies to ensure alignment with these mandates. At the conclusion of their review, the committee will prepare a report for Meeting, and work with the Clerk to determine what aspects would need to come to Meeting for Worship for Business for approval.
So we have been meeting and rigorously discussing since then. This past spring, with Barbara Hulburt’s guidance, it was decided that we would separate the presentation and approval of the policy regarding criminal background checks from the rest of the policies. The Trustees, who the ad hoc committee had decided would be responsible for administering the background checks, presented that policy to Meeting and it was approved in June 2014. Today we present the rest of the policies for the approval process.
Thoughts on Child Safety Policy
Richmond Friends Meeting dearly loves and cares for our children and protecting them is without a doubt a priority. We would say our Meeting is a safe and welcoming place for children. So to take a magnified look at child safety – preventing child abuse – is challenging at the very least. Most of us have personal, professional, political and spiritual experiences and perspectives that inform us in this discussion. And they are often accompanied by strong emotions – worry, dissonance, distrust and fear – while at the same time offering opportunities for insight and growth. Ours was a thoughtful and deliberate process and we grappled with a number of difficult issues, weighing what is reasonable and speaks Truth to us with what might be expected.
Someone mentioned during an earlier discussion in June that while social constructs, like background checks, provide some level of safety, they cannot replace empowering children, parents and the adults responsible for them. While Meeting has accepted the necessity and benefits of incorporating some of these constructs, we need to continue to explore other factors of a truly safe environment. It’s hoped that once we’ve concluded our charge and incorporated the heightened awareness prompted by these policies, we will move beyond them and focus on the positive face of this process – a more involved, loving and caring community.
The Policies
The ad hoc committee has worked to craft policies and guidelines that address a number of aspects of the safety of children that are realistic and doable given the size and structure of our Meeting. We have the policy document – the What – which is what we are bringing for approval, and we also have guideline documents – the How – from each committee and position that is involved in supporting them: Nursery, RE, Care and Counsel, and Building and Grounds and the Trustees guidelines which were shared in the spring.
Submitted by Barbara Adams
Editor’s Note: The following policies were approved at business meeting on 16 November, 2014.
Richmond Friends Meeting Child Safety Policies
Richmond Friends Meeting believes that all people deserve to be treated with dignity, kindness and respect. We are committed to creating a safe, nurturing environment, especially for our children. To ensure the greatest protection for children and the adults that work closely with them, we have adopted the following policies, appropriate for our meeting size and structure, which acknowledge the Light within us all.
- Criminal background checks are administered for adults who serve in roles with frequent and ongoing interaction with children (See Child Safety Policy: Criminal Background Checks, approved by Meeting June 15, 2014). Occasional volunteers, working with at least one other adult, are not required to have a criminal background check.
- We believe that two trusted adults, with cleared background checks, provide the safest oversight of children. We intend to provide this in all settings with children. If two such adults are not available, we will ensure alternate arrangements that provide the greatest protection.
- Meeting’s facilities used by children are regularly inspected and maintained for appropriate accessibility and safety (See B&G Guidelines).
- Parents, Meeting volunteers and paid child care workers collaborate to know and understand the medical and emotional needs of children, to limit the spread of illness and to respond quickly and effectively to illness and injuries.
- The RE and Care and Counsel Committees, Nursery Coordinator(s) and Clerk of Meeting will collaborate to enact a sensitive, effective process to address concerns or allegations of any misconduct. On receiving a concern, the committee clerk or coordinator responsible will document it in writing and will report promptly to the Clerk of Meeting. Together they will determine the next response or action to be taken, following guidelines specified by the State of Virginia, where applicable.
- Once adopted, these policies will be reviewed after one year, earlier if necessary, and thereafter as needed. Reviews will be initiated by the Trustees, and include the RE clerk, Nursery coordinator(s) and others deemed appropriate.
Note: The procedures to support these policies are specified in guideline documents for the committees or Meeting positions involved, including the Trustees, Religious Education, Nursery Coordinators, Care and Counsel, and Building and Grounds.
by WebPost | Sep 22, 2014 | Adult Spiritual Education
Several men in our Meeting have expressed an interest in having another Men’s Retreat at The Clearing this fall. The retreats are held under the broad oversight of Ministry and Worship. A small committee plans and facilitates the retreat.
This is an invitation to all men in the meeting to come to a retreat this fall, from about 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on a Saturday. Please let Jim Thoroman know if you are interested in coming. Also, let him know if you would like to join three or four others for lunch to plan the days activities. (Dan Shaw has already agreed to help with planning and Juan Whittington is always involved.)
Please respond with best October, November, or early December Saturday dates by Saturday, Sept 27 so we can choose a date. With the new heating system at the Lodge, we can meet comfortably even if the weather is cold!
Send email replies to Jim . He and Dan Shaw can answer any questions you might have.
For more information about The Clearing, see The Clearing page on RFMs website at https://www.richmondfriendsmeeting.org/
Past retreats have been enjoyable and satisfying. Hope to see you there!
by WebPost | Sep 22, 2014 | Adult Spiritual Education
Jean Jones Andersen was a lifelong student of the Bible, world religions and spirituality. In her later years, she initiated and facilitated many spirit-led groups in her home which she called “Questers Lodge”, including dream work, Jungian studies, Islamic studies, and the multi-year Education for Ministry. She also started Bible Workbench, for years a weekly gathering at 9:30 at our Meeting.
Jean always challenged us in our spiritual journeys, but above all she led by example. She invited others into her home, her life, and into the process of her dying. Many of us grew intellectually and spiritually thanks to her programs. Many were deeply touched by her and by her encouraging us to “trust the process.”
When she passed away in 2009, she left Richmond Friends Meeting a generous bequest that she intended to be a challenge regarding the future of adult spiritual education in our Meeting. Her bequest became our Adult Spiritual Education Fund, which has since helped us expand our library, engage workshop leaders, continue Bible Workbench, give scholarships to Quaker conferences and sponsor longer term programs, like “The New Jim Crow” series. As a result RFM committees have been inspired to work together and invigorate adult spiritual education in our Meeting.
The Adult Spiritual Education Committee now plans to collect memories of Jean, which we will compile and preserve in our policy and procedures manual. This will assure that as the years pass, Friends will continue to know and appreciate the many ways that Jean inspired our community.
We invite you to remember Jean, write something about your experiences with her, and send written memories to Monica Shaw of the Adult Spiritual Education committee.