March Stewards Minutes 2011

STEWARDS MINUTES

March 6, 2011 

Present: Keith Seat (moderator), Peter Bankson (worship), Sandra Miller (recorder), Marjory Bankson (angel), Trish Nemore (angel), Brenda Seat, Dave Lloyd, Will Ramsey, Kate Cudlipp, Pat Conover, Cynthia Dahlin, Lewise Busch, Deborah Sokolove, Jacqie Wallen, Jill Joseph, Ken Burton
Absent: Margreta Silverstone

Housekeeping: Next meeting, Sunday April 3rd – Dave Lloyd (moderator), Deborah Sokolove (worship), Trish Nemore (recorder), Jill Joseph (angel), Cynthia Dahlin (angel)

Time and Space Update: Deborah
Time and Space sought Stewards’ counsel concerning a request it had received for payment for services that had been offered initially on a volunteer basis.  After much discussion, Stewards recommended that the requester should be directed to the Holy Spirit Fund for financial assistance.

Sunday School Update
Trish read pertinent sections the Seekers document “Who we are” and the Commitment Statement, and then asked Stewards to close their eyes and reflect.  Rich offering of individual experiences of and with the children followed.  Trish offered some children’s group and personal reflections on what it means to the children and to us to spend time engaged with the children.  She talked about Summer Sunday School taught by mission groups, and that the children’s group members are open and willing to offer resource help and guidance.  They recommend continuing the Children’s Word through the summer as a positive transition time from Circle Time to Sunday School that reinforces a known structure for the children and has the benefit of making the children calmer at the beginning of the Sunday School time.  Trish reminded us that Summer Sunday school operates, for mission groups, as part of their commitment to holding the whole of Seekers rather than as an activity they do out of call.  Trish will circulate to mission group moderators a sign up sheet for summer Sundays.

Two Stewards to Share: Cynthia Dahlin and Brenda Seat

Guatemala Pilgrimage Update
Marjory invited Stewards who had been on previous pilgrimages to share the one thing they brought back.  Marjory has looked at lots of world service pilgrimages and found that the Guatemala pilgrimage is different than most because it is not just about the immediacy of building a school, but is also about building infrastructure.  This is the first time that Seekers is sponsoring the trip and so the questions arise –
•    what is the value of the pilgrimage to Seekers
•    how does Seekers pick up the essence of what Faith at Work used to do
•    how do we offer venues of follow up with the pilgrims
•    how do we engage, or do we engage, other organizations working for peace and justice in Guatemala
As far as practical matters, the trip is over-registered and there are more teens on the trip than ever before.  the Smith-Estradas are going again so Annie will have company.

Kate’s Dreams about the Becoming Church model:
Kate started by saying that she has questions and no answers, but is experiencing a yearning for egalitarian circle akin to Stewards with a wide range of diversity that gather together to look for God.  She hopes that there are other Seekers with this same yearning.  In the weekend conference held at the Festival Center Kate learned that –
•    the spiritual support groups are based on a 12-step model with an explicit Christ element
•    diversity within a group is intentionally maintained
•    not about one person helping another or part of the group helping the other part of the group – it is about deep sharing and listening
Kate is looking to Seekers for –
•    support and accountability for her next steps in exploring a Becoming Church type circle within Seekers.
•    help in understanding the 12-step model
•    discernment about how we could have this in our midst

Seekers Newsletter: Brenda
The question came up in SLT “how do we share Circle Time news with the wider community – people who might have missed Circle Time.  They have engaged Liz in the conversation.  They are considering using newsletter software to reinstate Soundings in a new way.

Soul Talk