2015 August Stewards Minutes

       Present:

Stewards: Marjory Bankson Peter Bankson, Kevin Barwick (designated worship leader), Ken Burton (recorder), Pat Conover, Cynthia Dahlin, Michele Frome, Judy Lantz (dinner angel), David Lloyd (angel), Sandra Miller, Trish Nemore (angel), Brenda Seat, Keith Seat, Vincent Shepherd (dinner angel), Deborah Sokolove (moderator), Jacqie Wallen.

Absent: Margreta Silverstone.

Guests: Larry Rawlings.

Housekeeping: Stewards will meet on Sunday, September 13 at 5:30pm (Conover-Nemore house)

Moderator: David Lloyd               Worship: Sandra

Notetaker: Marjory                      Angels: Judy & Trish

Ken announced that Celebration Circle would be meeting on Tuesday evenings beginning in September and continuing through May. This is to allow Michele to attend meetings while also participating in the clinical aspect of her second CPE unit. (Subsequent to the meeting, CC determined to meet at 5:00 on Tuesday evenings to permit members to participate in the School of Christian Living.)

Worship consisted of the reading of the Stewards commitment statement preceded and followed by silence.

Additional Member(s) for the SLT: Brenda

Brenda announced that she and Trish, the current SLT members, were ready to have additional members. The process for doing this will be a follows:

• • A Discernment Team will be appointed by Stewards.
• • The Discernment Team will issue a Call. This will be based on conversation with the   existing  SLT members, insights gleaned from the wider Seekers community, and prayer.
• • The Discernment Team will evaluate responses to the call and make a  recommendation to Stewards regarding additional SLT member(s).
• Marjory, Peter, Deborah, Sandra, and Larry volunteered to serve on the Discernment Team, and other Seekers members may be added later.

• Takoma Park Folk Festival: Larry

• Larry reported that we are now registered to participate in the festival.
• A concern was raised about our ability to participate because the memorial service for Jacqie’s son, Eric, will be held at Seekers at 1:00 on the same day as the Festival.
• For this reason we decided not to participate this year. Stewards expressed appreciation for  Larry’s efforts to support our involvement in this important Takoma Park community event.

• Jacob Folger Update: Brenda and Trish

     Jacob’s request to return was discussed, but the consensus (with one member standing aside) was that this would not be good for Jacob or the community, and Stewards agreed to have Brenda draft a letter to be sent to Jacob to that effect.

Children’s Program:  Trish

     The Children’s Team report is attached. Now is a time of challenging transition both in membership of the team and in the needs of the children.

Outreach Discussion:  Part 1: Keith and others

     This was the introductory planned discussion about what we mean by “outreach” and how we do it. We were asked what our experience with outreach has been prior to Seekers and ways that we see Seekers doing outreach now.

     Among the ways that we do outreach now, the following and many others were mentioned.

Carroll Café

Space ministry

Front window display and box of flyers

Takoma Park Folk Festival participation

Art Hop

School of Christian Living

Web site

Individual conversations

Mark’s Kitchen

Individual involvement

Sharing financial resources

Books written by Seekers

Bokamoso

Books mentioning Seekers

Articles in journals

Professional conferences

Wild Goose Festival

Outreach in the C of S context

Sacred Conversations