How to Get More Involved in Boulder Friends Meeting
By attending Meeting for Worship, you become a part of the Boulder Meeting community and a welcome participant in our other activities. Join us each Sunday after worship for refreshments and conversation during the half-hour fellowship time. After fellowship, stay on for the Program Hour or an occasional potluck lunch. Members, attenders, and visitors are all encouraged to attend our Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business after fellowship on the second Sunday of each month.
Learning Opportunities
Weekly Program Hours: On Sundays after worship and fellowship, programs address many spiritual, social, and personal issues. See Calendar or Miscellany for upcoming topics.
Occasional programs, talks, and group discussions: Committees often organize special activities for the Meeting. See Calendar, Miscellany, or bulletin boards for announcements.
Potluck supper discussions: In March-April each year, small groups meet in private homes to discuss a series of questions proposed by the Ministry & Worship committee. Sign up to attend one that is convenient for you.
Adult education classes, offered annually: Quakerism 101 is a short course introducing Quaker practice. Quaker Studies is a 4-month course offering deeper study and discussion of Friends’ faith and practice, history, and involvement in the world. Other classes and discussion groups may start spontaneously, inspired by interested Friends and open to all. Watch for announcements in this website or Miscellany.
Volunteer Opportunities
Our Meeting community functions thanks to the willingness of all to pitch in and take responsibility for the maintenance and vitality of the Meeting. We have no designated minister or other paid staff (except for child care and coordination of the children’s program), so volunteers shape all aspects of Meeting life. By joining a committee, you get to know other Friends and contribute to the dynamic life and development of the Meeting. We actively recruit new committee members in February-March to begin serving on May 1, but you can volunteer at any time.
Find a committee or task that interests you in the lists (“Internal” and “Outreach”) below. Contact the committee’s convener (or another committee member) if you would like to visit a committee meeting or learn more about its current activities. Names and contact information are available in the Meeting Directory.
Internal Life of the Meeting
Adult Education/Program Hour Committee coordinates the multiple aspects of adult religious education. It fosters the familiarity of members and attenders with Quaker thought and history, provides an opportunity for sharing each others spiritual journeys and religious insights, and provides a forum to present concerns and activities in which individual members/attenders are involved.
Building and Grounds Committee helps the Meeting make decisions regarding the building, furnishings, and grounds. It is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Meetinghouse and grounds, and it arranges workdays for upkeep and improvement.
Fellowship Committee plans and coordinates all social and fellowship events of the Meeting, such as fellowship after meeting and potlucks for special occasions.
Finance Committee responds to inquiries from Business Meeting and advises the Treasurer on policy and bookkeeping issues and questions that may come up as the Treasurer seeks to fulfill his/her duties. The Committee may also take on special projects to assist the Treasurer, as requested.
The Friend at the Door greets everyone as they enter the Meeting house for Sunday Meeting for Worship, helps to welcome and orient newcomers, and helps in the foyer during the first 15 minutes of Meeting. Volunteers usually, but not always, fill this role for a month.
Grief and Bereavement Committee makes sure that support and assistance is offered to any Meeting member or attender who is suffering from the loss of a loved one. This support does not have to be provided solely by committee members. Committee members may call on those in the community who are close to the bereaved person or qualified in other ways.
Higher Education Fund Committee seeks to provide scholarship assistance for members or regular attenders of Meeting, or their children, who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university. The committee administers a permanent fund, solicits applications, evaluates requests, and chooses recipients.
Library Committee works to provide an inviting, organized, easily accessible space for browsing, reading, and selecting materials. The committee orders books, periodicals, videos, and audiocassettes and adds them to our collection.
Miscellany Mailing Committee meets monthly, usually on a weekday, to assemble, staple, and mail the Boulder Meeting newsletter, the Miscellany.
Quaker Activities Assistance Committee recruits, encourages and helps members and attenders to participate in various Quaker activities. They encourage Friends and Young Friends to apply for funds and decide what funds should be provided.
Religious Education Committee facilitates the education of the children in Quaker faith and involves families in the life of Boulder Meeting. It plans First Day School and other programs for the school-aged children. Childcare is offered during meetings of the REC. (Note: Committee membership is not necessary to teach or to volunteer.)
Web Advisory Committee recommends guidelines on management and use of the Meeting website, advises the Webmaster and Web Developer on content and organization of the website, and contributes to updating and maintaining the website as interest and talents permit.
Outreach: Social Action and Service
Indigenous Peoples Concerns Committee seeks to understand and respond constructively to concerns of indigenous peoples. For years it has worked with the Lakota people of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Recently the committee focus has broadened to include indigenous concerns elsewhere in the world.
International Service Committee generally takes an interest in international issues of poverty, economic development, and the fair distribution of resources. Recently it has focused on fostering a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources with local Sudanese refugees, as well as specifically helping two Sudanese women integrate into US society.
Peace and Social Justice Committee endeavors to maintain awareness of the Peace Testimony and of issues of social justice (such as racism, poverty, classism, ageism, sexism, and discrimination of all sorts). The committee organizes or recommends activities for Friends in response to these concerns.
Service Committee helps the Meeting identify and respond to needs for assistance, both within the Meeting and in the Boulder community at large. The committee watches for and follows up on needs of individuals within the Meeting, as well as organizing outreach and assistance to various community organizations.
For further information about any of the above activities, contact clerk@boulderfriendsmeeting.org.
