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Montreal Quakers
 

Building deeper relationships at meeting


If you’d like to be more involved but you’re not sure how, perhaps the best thing to do is to express this feeling to the clerk, nominations committee, Ministry & Counsel member, or just ask around. Sometimes we are simply unaware of your wish. Here are a couple of other suggestions:

  • Inquire about our crafts or first day school.
  • Add our meeting calendar to your calendar (instructions).
  • Often after meeting we stay and chat and go out for lunch. Join us, or invite someone you like for coffee to chat more.
  • Volunteer with us. Some of our members have been volunteering at:
    • Homeless shelters
    • Teaching art to refugee children
    • With community groups such as Solidarity Across Borders and non-profits such as Council of Canadians
  • Joining a committee is a great way to know us better and contribute to the life of the meeting community.
    • If one of the committees might interest you, feel free to inquire.
    • If you don’t see a role that might interest you, perhaps ask anyway: there are many fascinating ways to join and serve Quakers in Canada, at interfaith groups, in North America, the UN, and the world. That list is only the beginning.
  • Do you know about larger Quaker gatherings?

Asking vs. being asked

If you’ve been with us for a while, hopefully someone has discussed many of these items with you. If we haven’t approached you, it may be because:

  • We’re a volunteer organization; we may not be as pro-active as some places with paid staff due to limited volunteer energy.
  • It is completely against our values to pressure people into serving on committees or membership. We are leery — sometimes too leery — of arm-twisting, sometimes hesitating quite a bit before bringing up some of these topics, particularly membership.
    • We want the Spirit of love, and not a sense of obligation, to guide decisions.

We know it’s awkward to ask. We hope you’ll be patient with us. Knowing your interests helps us welcome you better, so thank you.