Berkeley Monthly Meeting of the

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Articles of Incorporation

Officers

Representatives

Liaisons

Committees
Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee
Adult Education Committee
Environment Committee
Finance Committee
First Day School Committee
Hospitality Committee
Kitchen Committee
Library Committee
Ministry and Oversight Committee
   Subcommittee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness
   Subcommittee on Final Affairs
   Subcommittee on Marriage and Personal Ties
   Subcommittee on Quaker House
Newsletter and Directory Committee
Nominating Committee
Nursery Committee
Peace and Social Order Committee
Property Committee
Teen Group Advisors
Visiting Committee

APPENDICES
I.   Recommended Schedule for Meeting Business
II.  Statement of Purpose by First Day School Committee
III. Past Activities Sponsored by Hospitality Committee
IV.  Library Procedures
V.   Producing the Newsletter and Directory
VI.  Use of Our Buildings
VII. Scholarship Committee (inactive)
VIII.The Beginnings of Berkeley Friends Meeting
IX.  History of Quaker House
X. . Some History of First Day School

(i)

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

That we, the members of the Berkeley Society of Friends, have on this day voluntarily associated ourselves for the purpose of forming a
non-profit religious corporation under the laws of the State of California.

I.

The name of said corporation shall be the Berkeley Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

II.

Said corporation shall be organized for the following purposes:
a. To promote the interests of Christianity and morality and to disseminate religious and moral principles.
b. To acquire and hold property for religious and church purposes and for a burial ground.
c. To maintain a meeting for worship of the Berkeley Society of Friends at the meeting house of the said corporation at the place
hereinafter stated.
d. This corporation does not contemplate pecuniary gain or profit to the members thereof.

III.

The principal office for the transaction of business shall be located in the City of Berkeley, County of Alameda, State of California.

IV.

The names and addresses of the persons who are to act in the capacity of directors until the election of their successors and who shall be
designated as trustees are as follows:
[Names of original trustees were listed.]

V.

This corporation shall have perpetual existence.

VI.

The annual election of trustees will be held at the time of Monthly Meeting, 7th month (July), at the Meeting House of the Association at
Vine and Walnut Streets, Berkeley, California.  (Amended Monthly Meeting, 11th day, 1st month, 1987)  (Originally adopted by Monthly Meeting, 1948)

(ii)

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I OFFICERS

The officers of the Berkeley Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends are the Clerk, Alternate Clerk, Recording Clerk, Alternate
Recording Clerk, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Recorder, and Archivist. Terms for all officers are one year.

CLERK
The Clerk presides at business meetings, and gathers the sense of the Meeting in the making of decisions. The Clerk sees that the instructions of
the Meeting are carried out in all matters pertaining to the accomplishment of its business. The Clerk is an ex-officio member of the Committee on Ministry and Oversight, is one of the Trustees, and acts as clerk of the Trustees.

ALTERNATE (ASSOCIATE) CLERK
The Alternate Clerk takes over the duties of the Clerk in the absence of the Clerk and is available to the Clerk for assistance and consultation.
The Associate Clerk is an ex-officio member of the Committee on Ministry and Oversight and of the Trustees.

RECORDING CLERK
The Recording Clerk takes minutes of business meetings, types the minutes, and prepares one copy each for the Clerk, the Recorder, the
Newsletter editor, and the Meeting bulletin board. The Recording Clerk is an ex-officio member of the Trustees.

ALTERNATE RECORDING CLERK
The Alternate Recording Clerk takes over the duties of the Recording Clerk in his or her absence or serves on alternate months.

TREASURER
The Treasurer keeps the records of money collected and sees that all bills are paid and that expenses generally fall within the budget. The
Treasurer prepares a monthly report for business meeting and a financial statement for Finance Committee as directed. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the Trustees and of the Finance Committee. If a requested expenditure will be over the budgeted amount the Treasurer takes the matter to Finance Committee for consideration and approval.

RECORDER
The Recorder keeps the membership records of the Meeting. The Recorder also handles the exchange of correspondence with other meetings in the case of of a transfer of membership, and reports the membership rolls to the statistical clerk of Pacific Yearly Meeting once a year. Records may be kept at the Recorder's home, but should be accessible to members.

ARCHIVIST
The Archivist is in charge of the permanent records of the Meeting, and is responsible for their preservation and accessibility. These will include
the minutes of business meetings, copies of the newsletter, papers, clippings, records of committee meetings and their activities, and matters of historical interest to the Meeting and its members. Most records will be stored at the meeting house unless being worked on by the Archivist.

TRUSTEES
The Trustees of the Meeting consist of the Clerk, the Alternate Clerk, the Recording Clerk, the Treasurer, and the Clerk of the Committee on Ministry and Oversight. The Trustees represent the Meeting in all business transactions. The Trustees act only as instructed by the Meeting. The clerk of the Meeting is clerk of the trustees. For purposes of corporation law, the chief executive officer shall be the clerk of the Meeting, the secretary shall be the Recording Clerk, and the chief financial officer shall be the clerk of Finance Committee. The Trustees meet on the occasion of business meeting in 7th month, and name officers at that time, in satisfaction of legal requirements.

BANK SIGNATORIES
The following officers shall be the signatories on checks written on meeting accounts: the Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer, the clerk of the
Finance Committee, and the clerk of the Meeting. One signature shall suffice on checks.

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II-A REPRESENTATIVES

Representatives are chosen by the Meeting to represent the Meeting to various Friends' bodies and other agencies. These change from time to time.

COLLEGE PARK QUARTERLY MEETING
The representative to College Park Quarterly Meeting attends each Quarterly Meeting during the year and reports back to Berkeley Meeting. The representative may be instructed to carry concerns of Berkeley Meeting to Quarterly Meeting.

EAST BAY SANCTUARY COVENANT
The representative to the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant attends their meetings and reports back to the Meeting, keeping the Meeting informed of
sanctuary needs and activities.

ECUMENICAL CHAPLAINCY TO THE HOMELESS
The representative to the Berkeley Ecumenical Chaplaincy to the Homeless represents the Meeting on the governing board of that body and brings its concerns back to the Meeting for action.

FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION OF CALIFORNIA
Two representatives are nominated to the Friends Committee on Legislation of California Executive Committee to represent the Meeting and to report back on matters on which the Meeting may or should act. The representatives are ex-officio members of the Peace and Social Order Committee.

PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING
Two representatives are nominated to Pacific Yearly Meeting to serve overlapping two-year terms, so that one new representative is chosen each year. The first year of the term of each representative shall be as observer, and the second year as full representative. In the event that the full representative is not able to attend Yearly Meeting, a past representative or observer should be nominated for a one-year term as representative. The representatives are expected to present a report to business meeting as soon as practicable after Yearly Meeting.

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II-B LIAISONS

A liaison is appointed to an organization in which the Meeting has an interest but to which it does not send a representative. In the event that the
Meeting has a member on the governing board of the organization, a liaison is not needed.

AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
The liaison to the American Friends Service Committee keeps the Meeting informed of actions, events, and well-being of that body.

BEN LOMOND QUAKER CENTER
The liaison to Quaker Center keeps the Meeting informed of the actions, events, and well-being of that body.

SIERRA FRIENDS CENTER (JOHN WOOLMAN SCHOOL)
The liaison to Sierra Friends Center keeps the Meeting informed of the actions, events, and well-being of that body.

FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION
The liaison to the Friends Committee on National Legislation keeps the Meeting informed of the actions, events, and well-being of that body.

FRIENDS HOUSE
The liaison to Friends House keeps the Meeting informed of the actions, events, and well-being of that body.

UNITY WITH NATURE
The liaison to the Pacific Yearly Meeting Committee on Unity with Nature keeps the Meeting informed of projects and action concerned with preservation and stewardship of the Earth. Such information should include actions and issues from the national committee, now called Earthcare Witness.

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III. COMMITTEES

Several committees are appointed to enable the Meeting to prepare and carry out its business. Membership on all committees is open to all members and attenders of the Meeting except that only members may serve on the Committee on Ministry and Oversight. Clerks for committees are nominated by the Nominating Committee, except for the clerk of Nominating Committee who is designated by the Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee. Terms for all committee members, including clerks, are one year except for Ministry and Oversight members, whose terms are three years, and for Nominating Committee, whose terms are two years.

All committees should keep records of their meetings and activities during the year. These records should be given periodically to the archivist.

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AD HOC COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The three members of the Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee are nominated from the floor of business meeting in 11th month and approved at that meeting. One of the three is named as convener.

Members of the Ad Hoc Committee should be regular attenders of meetings for worship and meetings for business. In order to ensure rotation of leadership in the Meeting, they should not be members of the current Nominating committee or members of the current Committee on Ministry and Oversight. They should not nominate themselves to serve on the new Nominating committee.

The Nominating Committee consists of six regular members and two alternates. The Ad Hoc Committee nominates three new members each year to serve for two years on the Nominating Committee. The Ad Hoc Committee also nominates the two alternates and the clerk of the Nominating Committee, who must be a member of the Meeting. These nominations are reported to business meeting in 12th month for approval.

Guidelines for selecting Nominating Committee members

The nominees to the new Nominating Committee should comprise a balanced representation of the Meeting as a whole. Nominees should also be regular attenders at meetings for worship and at business meetings. They should have a wide acquaintance with the Meeting's members and attenders and their resources. Attenders may be nominated to the Nominating Committee.

The Ad Hoc Committee gives a copy of the job descriptions of the officers of the Meeting and of the committees (including a copy of the job description of Nominating Committee) to the new clerk of Nominating Committee.

The clerk of the Meeting is responsible for ensuring that the convener of the Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee has a copy of this committee description.

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ADULT EDUCATION COMMITTEE

This committee has responsibility for the ongoing education of members and attenders of the Meeting. The Committee provides opportunity for timely discussion of issues and of concerns of members, and helps newcomers understand Friends' faith and practice. This is usually accomplished by setting up forums and discussion meetings.

For a few years now the Committee has presented a program several times a year called "Introduction to Quakerism for Newcomers" based on a course developed at Pendle Hill.

In past years at least one member of the Committee on Ministry and Oversight was required to be on the Adult Education Committee. This practice was discontinued about 1995.

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ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

The Committee on the Environment will facilitate and support the Meeting's collective and individual concerns about the effect our human activities have on Earth's ecological balance, resources, and the well-being of life on our planet.

The Committee will study the work and literature that has been developed in the fields of ecology, energy use, social change, global change due to human activities, and preservation of biodiversity. It will plan and coordinate events to help the Meeting understand these processes. The Committee will be a liaison between Meeting and other organizations working for the well-being of our planet. The Committee will work with the Meeting to explore the relationship between Quaker testimonies and environmental concerns, and to examine individual and corporate behavior in its relation to care for the environment.

When courses of action seem desirable or necessary to be taken by Meeting as a whole, the Committee may bring proposals to business meeting after due seasoning.

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FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Finance Committee is responsible for considering all financial matters connected to the business of the Meeting, and makes recommendations to business meeting for approval. It prepares the annual budget for consideration and approval by the Meeting, and may take any steps it deems necessary to see that the budget is met, through fundraising letters, use of bequests, or other appropriate means. It advises the Treasurer in applying established policies, and in setting up schedules and appropriate procedures for meeting the financial obligations of the Meeting. It names the person to make the annual audit of the Meeting's financial records. It is responsible for the secure placement of the Meeting's reserve funds.

The Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and clerk of the Property Committee are all ex-officio members of the Finance Committee.

When requests come to the Meeting which are over the approved budget, they will be referred to the Finance Committee, which may consider them through the use of a subcommittee consisting of the clerk of Finance Committee, another member of the Finance Committee selected by the clerk of the Committee, and the Treasurer. They season the request and bring it back to business meeting.

During the budget process, Finance Committee receives a report from Property Committee on major projects for the Meeting in order to incorporate these into our budget for each coming year. These projects may include major structural changes to our buildings, the purchase of other buildings, or building on other sites in Berkeley. (However, in 1974 the Meeting approved laying down plans for new buildings for the indefinite future.) The Committee will decide whether to propose these as budgeted items or to recommend using
our reserves.

The Finance Committee, together with Quaker House Subcommittee of Ministry and Oversight, will determine the amount of contribution to be made by the assistant resident of Quaker House.

Finance Committee may invest reserve funds without requiring the approval of the Meeting for each transaction. Investment plan guidelines for the
Meeting's reserve funds are shown on the next page.

The normal calendar for Finance Committee activities is as follows:
    * 3rd month (March): Fiscal year begins; audit of previous year's books.
    * 4th month (April): Report by the Treasurer at business meeting on investments; first fund appeal letter.
    * 9th month (September): Review investments; begin budget planning.
    * 10th month (October): Prepare second fund appeal letter to the membership.
    * 11th month (November): Send second fund appeal letter to the membership.
    * 12th month (December): Prepare new budget for 1st month business meeting.
    * 1st month (January): Present budget, print in 2nd month Newsletter.
    * 2nd month (February): Budget should be approved at business meeting.

Investment Plan Guidelines for Meeting Reserve Funds

A. The investment of reserve funds shall be made consistent with our needs for liquidity and capital preservation. Investments shall be consistent with the Quaker testimonies of equality, simplicity, peace, and community; and, whenever possible, will serve as an extension of our social outreach.

B. Sufficient working capital shall be maintained in the checking account and money market account to cover the needs of expected expenses. These expenses will include 50% of the annual budget, the reserve fund for maintenance and repair, the Sharing Fund, and the Scholarship Fund. The relative amount in the checking account versus the money market account is at the discretion of the Treasurer.

C. Unsecured loans shall be limited to $75,000 or 30% of our assets, whichever is lower. This amount is intended only as a maximum. Loans shall have a fair market return, equal to, at minimum, the prevailing money market rate, or preferably the current one year certificate of deposit rate. (In conventional finance planning practice, devoting 10% of reserves to unsecured loans is considered high. Berkeley Meeting members have requested that we use our reserves as an extension of our giving by making low interest loans to appropriate nonprofit organizations. The Finance Committee recommends that unsecured loans should normally be only 10-20% of our reserves. Should a serious need arise, we could loan up to 30%.)

Loans with an interest rate below money market rate shall not exceed $10,000 or 5% of the portfolio and shall be considered a partial gift. Future
loans should have a repayment schedule and should not be open-ended.

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FIRST DAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

The First Day School Committee plans and carries out the programs for the children, usually from 6 to 11 years old, who attend our Meeting. A junior high group has sometimes been formed, and for the last few years we have had a thriving teen group. The Committee has the following responsibilities:
1. Work with parents and teachers to provide experiences helpful to the spiritual development of the children of the Meeting and to their understanding of Quaker testimonies, history, and practices of worship and decision-making.
2. Make provisions for any necessary child care during meeting for worship when there is no First Day School, e.g. holidays, summer.
3. Provide suitable personnel for First Day School.
4. Buy supplies and teaching materials needed for the program and send bills to the treasurer.
5. Assume responsibility for special programs, such as Christmas, Easter, family days, picnics, etc.
6. Assist teachers to maintain an attractive classroom, organize books and materials, and provide training as feasible.

In Appendix II is a statement of purpose which was developed by the Committee in 1995. In Appendix X is a narrative summary of the recent history of the children's education program for the reference by the committee.

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HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Hospitality Committee is to bring together "members and attenders, young and old, in love and mutual care." The committee also assists the Meeting, committees, Quarterly Meeting, and Pacific Yearly Meeting in providing hospitality for special occasions, by arranging housing or meals as needed, in cooperation with the Kitchen Committee. Howard Brinton suggests in "Guide to Quaker Practice" that the Meeting should aim at a pattern of human relations among its own members that could be an ideal for society as a whole. The Hospitality Committee's contribution to the spiritual life of the Meeting is to provide a warm atmosphere and well-run social events which help individual members and attenders to feel at home in the Meeting community. The Committee should examine from time to time whether its activities really promote community within the Meeting and are not merely routine functions.

The Committee should also know various elements of the Meeting (young people, young parents, single parents, isolated persons, the elderly, etc.) and learn their particular social needs in order to suggest or initiate ways to fulfill those needs.

Special attention should be given to finding easy and comfortable ways for newcomers to fit into the Meeting and into the work of this committee.

Practical chores should be divided among committee members and willing members of the Meeting at large. The Committee as a whole should meet to do creative planning for its work.

Because other committees of the Meeting have gatherings and special affairs, it is appropriate for the Hospitality Committee to plan only a few
activities each year, scheduling these to avoid too many activities in any one month.

The Hospitality Committee gives the Newsletter editor timely notices of its activities and ensures that the activity is announced after meeting
for worship.

As the Meeting changes, the activities that are appropriate will also change. A list of activities put on by Hospitality Committee which have had
success at various times in past years is given in an appendix.

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KITCHEN COMMITTEE

The Kitchen Committee is responsible for the maintenance and use of the kitchen facilities in the Education Building.

The duties of the Committee include the following:
1. Prepare refreshments for the hospitality hour after meeting for worship.
2. Take charge of meals on pot luck days and other gatherings of Friends. (Volunteers for the simple meal before business meeting are chosen
at the previous business meeting.)
3. Organize cleanup of the kitchen area after use by the Meeting, and ensure that other groups keep the area clean.
4. Organize work parties for special cleaning events such as changing shelf paper, cleaning the oven, etc.
5. See that supplies such as soap, sugar, coffee and tea, and also clean dishes, towels, etc., are always on hand.
6. Check on equipment and its condition, and report any important needs to the Meeting.
7. Help the Hospitality Committee at the time of special events of the Meeting.

It is expected that the Committee itself will not do all of the cleanup but will involve members and attenders on a rotating basis.

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LIBRARY COMMITTEE

The Library Committee manages the Meeting's lending library, orders and catalogs new, replacement, and donated items, and assists members and attenders in using the materials. The Committee also orders and stocks pamphlets and educational materials for sale and for use at Meeting activities.

Specific duties include:
1. Assist with the use of the library, particularly by having a committee member present after meeting for worship while members and attenders are looking for materials, and consult with committees and Meeting groups on request. The library will not normally remain open for use past one hour after the rise of meeting for worship.
2. Obtain suggestions for new books and materials, and accept orders from other committees. The Committee normally makes the final decision on books that will be part of the lending or reference library, whether bought or donated. (If the Committee cannot reach clearness in a particular case, the matter may be referred to Ministry and Oversight.)
3. Catalog new acquisitions in accordance with the instructions in Appendix IV. They may also be announced in the Newsletter from time to time.
4. Keep fresh stock of pamphlets and magazines in the foyer. The library receives several categories of periodicals (Quaker, non-Quaker, paid subscriptions, free) which are processed according to the instructions in Appendix IV.
5. Provide a place for returned books, and replace the book cards with a note of the date when returning books to the shelves.
6. Send notices or make phone calls to those who have kept books more than two months.
7. Keep a non-circulating book of the Newsletters for the past 5 years available for use. Keep an updated copy of this Handbook also available for
reference. Give appropriate material to the Archivist.
8. Hold cleaning or work parties as needed to maintain the materials in good condition. Normal cleaning of floor and windows is done by those
responsible for general janitorial activities.
9. Prepare the library portion of the Meeting budget as requested by Finance Committee, and clarify new or changed items to the Finance Committee and business meeting. The budget should provide for all expenses, including books, periodical subscriptions, cards, card pockets, tape, stickers and stamps.
10. Give all bills and receipts to the Treasurer, who may provide checks to accompany mail orders when necessary or advantageous. Appendix IV
contains a detailed list of current procedures for the Library Committee in carrying out its duties.

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MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

INTRODUCTION: General Responsibilities of the Committee

I. MEMBERSHIP
1. Admission to membership
2. Transfer of membership
3. Membership of children
4. Oversight of the membership
5. Termination of membership
6. Continuing membership

II. SUBCOMMITTEE ON MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL TIES
1. Oversight of marriages
2. Counseling
3. Encouragement of personal ties

III. SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINAL AFFAIRS
1. Preparation
2. Assistance
3. Memorial meeting
4. Memorial minute

IV. SUBCOMMITTEE ON QUAKER HOUSE
1. Responsibilities
2. Selection of Quaker House resident(s)
3. The Meeting's responsibilities to the resident(s)
4. The residents' responsibilities to the Meeting

V. SUBCOMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVENESS

VI. CLEARNESS COMMITTEES

VII. SPECIAL FUNDS
1. Sharing Fund
2. Scholarship Fund
3. Barbara Nelson Fund (Educational Assistance Fund)
4. Fund for concerns
5. Travel Fund for attendance at Pacific Yearly Meeting
6. PYM Fund for help to non-registrants for the draft
7. Quarterly Meeting Scholarship Fund

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INTRODUCTION: General Responsibilities of the Committee

The Committee on Ministry and Oversight consists of nine members of the Meeting nominated for overlapping terms of three years, with three members nominated each year. Members may be re-nominated to the committee. The Clerk and Alternate Clerk are ex-officio members.

The committee has general oversight of the spiritual and corporate life of the Meeting. In searching for insight and clarity concerning meetings for
worship and for business, present practice is to open the first part of each committee meeting for members and attenders to present their concerns. Since the committee often considers sensitive matters, the rest of the committee meeting is closed. Minutes are kept of each meeting by the clerk of the committee and passed to the next clerk.

In overseeing the spiritual life of the Meeting the committee seeks to inspire members to faithful attendance at meetings, to quiet, prompt and
reverent assembling for worship, and to appropriate and worshipful speaking at meetings. When necessary, two members of the committee should counsel a person whose speaking in meetings causes concern.

The Committee considers ways of deepening our worship, including planning retreats and worship or fellowship groups. It should contribute to the annual State of the Meeting report an appraisal of the spiritual condition and needs of the meeting for worship.

The committee also has the overall responsibility for educating our young people in understanding Friends' principles and testimonies, as carried out by the First Day School Committee.

Ministry and Oversight should be ready to counsel and provide loving attention to all individuals within the Meeting, both those who ask for it
and those who do not. It should be sensitive to inner needs as well as to actions that cause concern.

It needs information on the resources for counseling within the Meeting and in the wider community. For this purpose, Ministry and Oversight maintains a list of community agencies and resources prepared and updated by its Subcommittee on Marriage and Personal Ties.

As part of its oversight of the corporate life of the Meeting the committee encourages all members in the faithful performance of their duties. It ensures that all Meeting functions are clearly understood and performed. To this end, it maintains guidelines of duties and responsibilities of officers and committees, and periodically updates this handbook on Meeting procedure.

The committee is responsible for all matters pertaining to membership, for overseeing marriages under the care of the Meeting, and for attending to final affairs upon the death of a member of the Meeting. To assist with these duties, the Meeting has established four subcommittees whose members and conveners are designated by M&O. These subcommittees are described in subsequent sections.

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I. MEMBERSHIP

1. Admission to Membership

Admission to membership follows these procedures:

The letter of application is read by the Clerk to business meeting as soon as possible after it is received. The applicant is invited to be present when
the letter is read. Then the letter is given to the clerk of M&O. It is the responsibility of members to get to know the applicant so they can make an
informed decision regarding the applicant. At its next meeting, M&O will select a membership clearness committee, one of whose members belongs to M&O. The names of the membership clearness committee are reported by M&O to the following business meeting.

The membership clearness committee begins to meet with the applicant before the next business meeting, and reports back to Ministry and Oversight when it believes its visiting is complete. After discussing the committee's report, and if it recommends acceptance, M&O brings its recommendation to the next business meeting. Final action by the Meeting is deferred until the following month.

If there is any impediment to accepting an applicant, this usually becomes apparent early in the clearness process. Then the applicant may be requested to wait several months, to read Quaker literature, attend meetings, search heart and mind - whatever is needed to remove the impediment. The process should be so thorough that disapproval should not be expected at the business meeting.

When a new member is accepted, the Meeting appoints a committee to plan a welcoming event, usually called a welcoming committee. The Recorder supplies the new member with a membership form to be completed. The Clerk forwards to the Recorder the new member's letter of application and the report of the clearness committee which become, along with the membership form, a part of the Meeting's permanent record.

Encouraging Applications for Membership

Although no one should feel pressured into seeking formal ties with the Society of Friends, it is a function of M&O to suggest this step to faithful,
longtime, and serious attenders who have not taken the step of commitment. Care for the spiritual welfare of the attender will determine the appropriateness of raising the question of membership. The committee should try to open the way to a fuller responsibility and fellowship, and to explore stumbling blocks if these exist, or help the Meeting to understand and respect the attender's desire to continue that status.

Guidelines for membership clearness

Ministry and Oversight has found it useful to articulate a set of guidelines for membership clearness committees, in order to give reasonable consistency to our procedures for admitting new members, and to improve the experience of visitation for both committee members and the prospective new member. The aim is not to require that all applicants be treated alike, but rather to help us avoid the divergent practices of committees that have sometimes been observed (and criticized) in the past. Below are the practices we recommend to all concerned with the privilege of admitting members into our Meeting and the Religious Society of Friends. These guidelines supplement the advices on new memberships in PYM Faith and Practice, and it is assumed that committee members will approach the visitation with the Faith and Practice in mind.

Ministry and Oversight Procedures on Membership

The clerk of M&O keeps a record of those who serve on clearness committees, in order to rotate those asked and to spread out participation in the process.

Ordinarily, M&O names two members of the Meeting at large and one member of M&O, with alternates, and specifies a convener for the clearness committee. Care should be taken to ensure that there is a balance between empathy for the prospective member and objectivity in exploring that person's commitment to the principles of Friends. The clerk of M&O gets acceptances by the appointees and alerts the clearness committee to any circumstances involved in the application that may require special attention.

The clerk of M&O sends to each member of the clearness committee a copy of the letter of application and a copy of these guidelines. The clerk of M&O also reports the names of the clearness committee at the next business meeting.

When the clearness committee is clear, they bring a recommendation back to the next regular meeting of the Committee. This report is in written form and is confidential. If more than one meeting with the applicant is needed, this fact is reported to M&O by the member from M&O on the clearness committee.

M&O then agrees on a recommendation, which it reports to business meeting. The final decision is laid over to the following month's business meeting.

Clearness Committee Procedures

If the letter of application or any unusual circumstance raises a question in the mind of a committee member, the committee may want to discuss such a question before meeting with the applicant.

All members of the clearness committee must meet with the applicant at the same time. A member of the committee cannot approve the application in advance of the visit or in absentia. If a committee member finds it impossible to meet within a reasonable time, M&O should be asked to replace the member.

It is usually best for the visit to take place in the applicant's own home.  The clearness committee may meet more than once with the applicant. Following the visits, the committee agrees on a recommendation and on its report to M&O. If the clearness committee has difficulty reaching agreement, it meets with the full committee to resolve the issues.

The clearness committee asks the applicant not to attend the business meeting in which M&O makes its recommendation, or the subsequent meeting in which final action is taken on the applicant's admission.

Visitation

The meeting of the committee with the prospective member is a time for worshipful exploration of spiritual values. Although the clearness committee will be concerned with the preparation of the applicant, the committee approaches the meeting with the realization that reaching a decision to ask for membership is a religious milestone for the applicant. The committee must judge whether the applicant is ready for full participation in the Meeting community. The purpose of the visit is to gather a sense of the applicant's seriousness of commitment, length and depth of association with Friends, and understanding of Friends' ways, including our manner of doing business. (It is essential that the applicant have direct experience, and not simply reading knowledge, of how meeting for business functions.) Other concerns include familiarity with the
history of Friends, commitment to the testimonies, including the applicant's attitude to military service and relation to the draft, and possible impediments, such as dual membership or prior religious commitments, or other family interests and obligations, if the decision to seek membership is not shared by the family.

Finally, the clearness committee and M&O will reach a recommendation mindful that we are all seekers, that no one of us is a finished product, and that we can trust in the growth of the new member in the company of Friends, as we trust in our own further shaping in God's hand.

2. Transfer of Membership

Membership in the Society of Friends is held in a Monthly Meeting. When a member wishes to transfer membership to Berkeley Friends Meeting, the Friend first writes a letter to the old Meeting requesting the transfer. Then the Friend writes a letter to Berkeley Monthly Meeting asking for transfer of membership to Berkeley Meeting.

These letters are read at the respective Meetings upon receipt so that members of both Meetings are aware that the transfer is proceeding.

The overseers of the old Meeting will consider the request for transfer of membership, and if everything is in order, they will make a recommendation to the old Meeting for approval of the transfer. The old Meeting then prepares a Certificate of Transfer of membership and sends it with any related records to Berkeley Meeting.

Ministry and Oversight Committee of Berkeley Meeting will consider the request for transfer of membership only after the Certificate of Transfer and membership records have been received from the old Meeting. Membership continues in the old Meeting until Berkeley Meeting sends that Meeting the Acceptance of Transfer form.

The 1985 PYM ^B and Practice states that "the originating meeting is obligated to inform the receiving meeting of any special problems experienced with a transferring member." The clerk of Ministry and Oversight of Berkeley Meeting will request the old Meeting to provide information, if any, about problems related to a transferring member.

Upon receipt of the Certificate of Transfer and membership records, Ministry and Oversight will appoint a small committee to visit the transferring
member, after the manner of a new applicant for membership. If Ministry and Oversight is satisfied with the application for transfer, it makes a recommendation to the next business meeting that the transfer be approved.

When approved, the Friend is recorded as a member of Berkeley Meeting, and the Clerk sends a completed Acceptance of Transfer form to the clerk of the old Meeting.

If Berkeley Meeting finds grounds for serious concern about the transfer, the Clerk returns the Certificate of Transfer and the related membership records to the old Meeting, with an explanation for the denial of transfer. If the Friend still wishes to pursue the transfer, consultation between the overseers of the two meetings is in order.

At the time of the approval of the transfer, the Meeting appoints one or more Friends to give a welcoming party. Berkeley Meeting sometimes holds joint welcoming parties for two or more new members or transfers.

3. Membership of Children

A baby or a child of the Meeting is welcomed into the Meeting with a special celebration where the child is acknowledged as a "child of the Meeting." Any parent may register a child as a "child of the Meeting." The recorder will list the child as such in the membership rolls.

When a child who is a regular attender at Meeting or First Day School reaches the age of 12 (or thereabouts), the Meeting may recognize that young person in a special way to make him or her feel welcome among us.

When a child of the Meeting is able to take on a mature commitment, usually about age 16, the young person is encouraged to apply for adult membership. The procedure is the same as for any other application for membership.

If, when the young person reaches the age of 25, he or she has not become a member, he or she is asked again concerning interest in becoming a full member. If the person is not interested, his or her status becomes that of an attender (or ex-attender if there is no longer any relation to the Meeting), and that person is no longer listed as a child of the Meeting.

Ministry and Oversight extends its loving care to all our children, to those informally related to the Meeting as well as those with formal ties.

The following table outlines the formal connections of child members with Berkeley Meeting:

"Child of the Meeting" Requested by Quaker parent at birth or when parent enters Meeting Special recognition Requested by child at about age 12 by registered "child of the Meeting," or by the child of an attender or member Adult membership Encouraged by Meeting when a junior member or child of the Meeting reaches age 16 Attender status If the young person has not assumed adult membership by age 25, his status as child of the Meeting will be terminated by the Meeting.

4. Oversight of Membership

Oversight of membership is an ongoing responsibility of M&O. The guiding principle of oversight is care for the continuing, rewarding, and mutual relationship of the member and the Meeting. In a small meeting the participation
and personal needs of individual members are known, but in a large and diverse meeting such as ours an effort is needed to keep in touch with those who are absent over a period of time.

While all of us share responsibility for each other, it is a special function of M&O to be aware of non-participating members and to take appropriate initiative to inquire about the well-being of such persons. Where there is a
personal need, M&O tries to be responsive. Where there may be a lessening of interest, M&O tries to find out how to satisfy the member's expectations of the Meeting and to learn from this interchange. At all times M&O should respect an individual's privacy and should understand the need for occasional periods of withdrawal from meeting activities.

Oversight of the membership includes encouraging persons to share responsibility for the work of the Meeting through serving in offices or on committees, leaving to the Nominating Committee the specific task of matching members' interests with the Meeting's needs.

The Finance Committee is responsible for making known the Meeting's budgetary needs, but M&O's oversight of distant or inactive members may call for a reminder that each unsupported membership is a cost to the Meeting that detracts from our ability to respond to pressing social concerns.

5. Termination of Membership

Termination of membership is a concern of M&O. This action is recommended to the Meeting as a last resort when it is necessary to recognize that a member has become separated from the Meeting and that a relationship to the Meeting no longer exists. The request for termination preferably comes from a member; when a meaningful relation has ceased, the person who no longer feels part of the Meeting should take the initiative to end the formal tie. Then M&O carefully consults, in person or by mail, with the member wishing to withdraw. If there is unhappiness with the Meeting, M&O tries to meet the dissatisfaction and to bring it to the attention of the Meeting. Finally M&O may recommend to the Meeting that the request for termination be accepted, and the Meeting may do so. A person who has terminated membership is free to reapply at a later date. We should realize that separations, which may be painful, are not in themselves failures. They may be a necessary part of spiritual growth that we as individuals and as a Meeting are called upon to accept.

Lapsed members who do not take the initiative to terminate their membership present M&O with a different responsibility. M&O has the duty to see that our formal rolls truthfully represent commitment to the Society of Friends. We should not continue to list (and to support) Friends in name only who have actually dropped out of association with the Meeting. On the other hand, inactive members should not be discontinued if they still identify themselves as Friends in a meaningful way. In dealing with this delicate problem, M&O operates with tenderness toward those for whom membership still has spiritual significance in spite of being out of touch, at the same time that it respects a concern for truth by seeing that our formal rolls and our actual membership coincide.

6. Continuing membership

From time to time the clerks of M&O and of the Meeting, the treasurer, and the Recorder may compile a list of distant, missing and inactive members. Then M&O will form an ad hoc Subcommittee on Continuing Membership, composed of one member of M&O and two other longtime Meeting members, with a convener designated by M&O.

The list is reviewed by the Meeting. The Subcommittee then receives the list from the clerk of M&O and contacts these separated members. Distant members should be written to, and local inactive members should be visited in order to explore their continued relationship to the Meeting. Names of local members who would like to be active but are unable to be, are referred to the Visiting Committee. When release from membership seems appropriate, this information is brought to M&O for a recommendation to the Meeting.

In its contacts with inactive members, the Subcommittee should be sensitive to any dissatisfaction with the Meeting, and report this to the full committee.

Back to Ministry and Oversight
II. SUBCOMMITTEE ON MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL TIES

This subcommittee is intended to express the concern of the Meeting for the well-being of members and attenders who are married or considering marriage, living together as couples or as families, or in family-like groups, or who may have problems in these relationships. The subcommittee also cares for those living singly who may wish to be enriched with more personal relationships. Three functions of Ministry and Oversight are delegated to this subcommittee: oversight of marriage under the care of the Meeting; friendly counseling on relationships of concern to members or attenders; and encouragement of personal ties to enhance the spirit of community within
the Meeting.

The subcommittee is appointed by M&O. It consists of six persons, at least one of whom is a member of M&O. The subcommittee members serve overlapping 3-year terms to provide continuity, two persons being named each year. The subcommittee meets regularly in a spirit of consecration and love, in order that members may be ready to minister to others when called upon, and to carry out its assigned functions.

Qualifications for the subcommittee are like those for M&O. Those named should be active members of the Religious Society of Friends and should represent a variety of backgrounds. They should strive to develop those skills and exemplify those qualities that are needed for personal ministry and spiritual guidance. They must be careful in keeping confidences. They should be aware of personalities and relationships among the members and attenders and be alert to individual needs.

The ability to listen without judgment and with the gift of spiritual insight beyond doctrine are especially valuable. Other desirable qualities in
subcommittee nominees are warmth, sympathy, approachability and practical resourcefulness. (See Faith and Practice.)

1) Oversight of Marriage: In 1994, Berkeley Meeting affirmed its intention to consider equally and without reference to gender all applications for
marriage under its care. Those seeking marriage under the care of Berkeley Meeting may apply to the Clerk or to the clerk of the Committee on Ministry and Oversight. Applications are welcome when at least one of the couple is a member or regular attender. If neither is well-known, the Meeting is reluctant to accept the marriage under its care but may provide counsel and may allow a meeting for worship at which marriage vows are exchanged.

The request is taken promptly to the Subcommittee on Marriage and Personal Ties. As soon as practicable, the Subcommittee selects at least one of its members and other members of Berkeley Meeting to form a marriage clearness committee, usually consisting of three or four persons. This committee (like a membership clearness committee) is named by the Subcommittee without advice from the couple, but with sensitivity to their personal life style. The request, with the names of the couple and of those on the marriage clearness committee, is announced at the next business meeting.

The marriage clearness committee is responsible for exploring with the couple the "clearness" of the proposed marriage under the care of the Meeting. In the context of marriage, "clearness" historically meant absence of impediments to the union. In our present usage the word has been extended to mean the couple's serious commitment to each other and to the Meeting that takes them under its care.

The marriage clearness committee meets with the couple as often as necessary. Individual counseling by a member of the clearness committee may be provided on request. Suggested areas to be discussed with the couple can be found in Faith and Practice.

When its work is done, the marriage clearness committee reports its findings to the full subcommittee. If the marriage clearness committee is not united, the couple is so advised privately, and is offered further counseling. Then the Subcommittee determines what action should be taken; if disunity continues despite the best efforts of Friends, the matter is referred to M&O for any further action. The outcome, favorable or not, is reported without personal details to the next business meeting.

When the Subcommittee has unity that the Meeting should take this marriage under its care, the recommendation is taken to meeting for business by M&O. Members of the marriage clearness committee should attend this meeting. The Clerk will notify the couple of the action taken by the business meeting. If Meeting concurs, an arrangements committee is named to schedule and assist in the marriage. This committee is chosen in accordance with the wishes of the couple and includes a member of the Subcommittee, or another Friend with experience in the good order of Friends' meetings for marriage.

All active members and attenders of the Meeting should be notified and encouraged to attend the marriage. Formal invitations are unnecessary. Other friends and relatives of the couple are gladly welcomed in the meeting for worship in which the marriage takes place. Arrangements should be consistent with Friends' testimonies of harmony, simplicity, and community.

The phrase "under the care of the Meeting" means little unless both the couple and the Meeting accept a commitment to mutual care and openness. It is expected that, as difficulties arise, the couple will seek the counsel and support of the Meeting.

The Subcommittee will keep a record of the membership of marriage clearness committees in case further contact between the couple and the committee seems desirable. Since the clearness committee already knows some of the couple's life histories, they should particularly be available and keep in touch. However, the Meeting as a whole is called to maintain the bonds of friendship, caring, and common purpose which the marriage has acknowledged.

2) Counseling: Members of the Subcommittee should make themselves available to hear problems expressed by those who are living together. It should express the loving concern of the Meeting for all affected persons, both adults and children, upon separation or dissolution of a marriage. When a relationship is broken by death they should help surround the survivor or survivors with the loving care of the Meeting. Any member or attender of Berkeley Meeting may privately ask a member of the Subcommittee for counsel. Also, the subcommittee may take the risk of intruding into private matters and offer its service to those under stress. When a subcommittee member is not able to respond promptly or appropriately, he or she should arrange for another to help the person in need. The Subcommittee as a whole may consider individual cases, and may refer them to the full committee, to the Visiting Committee, or to other sources of assistance.

Confidentiality must be maintained in these endeavors.

Those in need should not be referred to professionals while their care is within the competence and stamina of members, but the Subcommittee should know its limitations and be prepared to refer to professionals those who have problems beyond its competence. To this end it can gather literature that may be helpful to those in crisis, and compile a list of counseling resources in the Meeting and in the wider community. M&O should have access to these resources.

The Subcommittee should be alert to situations where a clearness committee could help the person or persons work through concerns or personal confusions. Persons requesting a clearness committee should do so through M&O.

3) Encouragement of personal ties: The subcommittee takes a leadership role in forming social and special interest groups which enrich friendships and personal ties among our members and attenders. Beyond participation in meetings and social concerns, a sense of community is nurtured when we know and appreciate each other as individuals. The Subcommittee on Marriage and Personal Ties carries the concern of Ministry and Oversight that we share our lives more fully with one another.

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III. SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINAL AFFAIRS

To carry out its responsibility for Friends and attenders at the end of  life, Ministry and Oversight appoints a Subcommittee on Final Affairs, composed of two or more members or attenders, at least one of whom is also on M&O. The Subcommittee's functions are: to help Friends and attenders prepare their hearts, loved ones, and affairs for this inevitable conclusion, to assist at the time of death, to arrange memorial meetings, and to compose memorial minutes.

1. Preparation: The Subcommittee makes these forms available in the library and on request: Durable power of attorney for health care (empowering a person other than an attending physician to control terminal care), and Instructions to the Meeting on its role in the person's final affairs. Copies of instructions to the Meeting will be kept, in confidence, by the clerk of the subcommittee.

The Subcommittee works with the Library Committee to select and present materials on death, dying, loss and grief. The Subcommittee may conduct open meetings at which final affairs are discussed. Also, the Subcommittee will prepare and maintain guidelines covering actions that may need to be taken by individuals, the Subcommittee, or the Meeting at the time of death. Copies will be kept in the library and offered to those in need of the information.

2. Assistance at time of death: Unless constrained by specific instructions, the Subcommittee will approach the terminally ill, or those (usually next of kin) closely involved with the terminally ill or deceased, and with attention to the guidelines, offer such services as the Meeting can at that time provide.

3. Memorial meetings: When a memorial meeting is requested, a member of the Final Affairs subcommittee, or a person chosen by them, is named as coordinator; an ad hoc committee clerked by the coordinator may be named if necessary. The coordinator or ad hoc committee will work with those bereaved to meet their needs
and those of the Meeting, as way opens.

Money for the memorial meeting may be spent from the Ministry and Oversight
budget on request, either by the ad hoc committee or by the coordinator with
approval of the clerk of Ministry and Oversight. The Treasurer will credit any
reimbursement to the M&O budget, but no more than the amount spent. Additional
money received should be accounted as an undesignated contribution to the Meeting,
or as the donor designates. There will be no direct charge for use of Meeting
premises, nor for the services provided by the Meeting, if the deceased, or the
bereaved, is a member or regular attender.

4. Memorial minutes: A memorial minute briefly expressing main aspects of the
life of a member or attender may be written by one or two friends of the deceased;
in any case, the Final Affairs subcommittee ensures that a minute for a member
is completed as soon as practicable and presented to the Meeting for acceptance.
After acceptance, copies are given to the recorder of the Meeting, to the editor
of the Newsletter, to the clerk of the Yearly Meeting Ministry and Oversight
committee, to Friends Bulletin, and (if appropriate) to Friends Journal. The
minute is not usually completed before the memorial meeting, and may well derive
material from testimony given there.

5. Completion: Within a few months of the death of a Meeting member or attender,
the Subcommittee closes out its file on the deceased person. The Recorder's copy
of the memorial minute, the letter of application for membership, and any other
documents of historical interest (such as news clippings) then go into the Meeting's
permanent archives. The deceased member's instructions on final affairs are not
preserved.

Back to Ministry and Oversight
IV. SUBCOMMITTEE ON QUAKER HOUSE

A Subcommittee on Quaker House has been established as a subcommittee of
Ministry and Oversight. M&O will appoint four members of the Meeting to serve
three-year terms on this subcommittee, with the possibility of reappointment.

The Quaker House Subcommittee will assume responsibility for Quaker House.
Areas of responsibility include the function and appearance of the building,
the responsibilities and roles of the residents, and the role of Quaker House
in Berkeley Meeting.

The Quaker House Subcommittee will consult with other committees as
appropriate. Clear communication with the residents and consideration of their
concerns will be a central aspect of the Subcommittee's role.

The Subcommittee will be aware of maintenance needs of Quaker House, and
will establish priorities for identified repairs. It will work with Property
Committee and others involved to ensure that repairs and other work on the house
and grounds are accomplished efficiently in a manner that is sensitive to the
needs of the residents.

Emergency repairs will be handled by the residents in communication with
the clerks of the Subcommittee, the Property Committee, and the Meeting.

Meeting use of Quaker House will be arranged in coordination with the
Subcommittee and the residents.

1. Selection of Resident(s): Process and Criteria
A. Policies regarding operations at Quaker House will be established by
Ministry and Oversight, in consultation with Property Committee and Finance
Committee. Because of the inaccessibility of Quaker House, we will not hold
meetings in Quaker House which are announced as open to the entire Meeting or
to the public.
B. The Subcommittee, together with any continuing resident, will interview
applicants for residency and make recommendations to Ministry & Oversight, which
will then take the recommendation to business meeting for approval.
C. Criteria for choice of resident
1. Meeting seeks Quaker House residents who, through their presence
and in their dealings with those whom they contact, willingly act as
the Meeting's representatives to the public.
2. We expect their participation in the life of the Meeting, including
worship and business meetings.
3. We encourage residents to search for their own ways of rendering
service to the Meeting, according to their own vision.
4. We ask for a commitment of at least two years.

2. The Meeting's Responsibilities to the Residents
A. The Meeting will provide a communication vehicle through which residents
may inquire, suggest, or convey concerns to the Meeting or entities
within the Meeting.
B. The Meeting will:
1. See that Quaker House is clean and in good repair.
2. Provide an operating stove, refrigerator, two heaters, water heater,
and an answering machine.
z 3. List furnishings in the House which are Meeting property.
4. List defects or damage existing at the time residents move in.
C. The Meeting will obtain and provide furniture needed for Meeting
functions that may take place in Quaker House.
D. The Meeting will make major repairs brought about by normal wear and
tear.
E. The Meeting will pay the garbage, water, and Meeting phone bills.
F. The Meeting will respect the residents' privacy, providing adequate
notice about repairs to Quaker House and before scheduling Meeting
events at Quaker House.

4. Residents' Responsibilities to the Meeting
The Subcommittee and the residents will prepare a detailed list of duties.
The residents will:
A. Assume general oversight of Meeting property at all times,
including nights and weekends.
B. Respond promptly to unforeseen circumstances in a friendly way,
in keeping with the ideals of Friends.
C. Maintain good relations with neighbors and frequenters of the
neighborhood.
D. Maintain a schedule for use of all Meeting buildings.
E. Handle requests for rental of the buildings in accordance with Meeting
policy, and collect rents or donations. They should refuse rental or
re-rental for cause, or for failure to meet Meeting policies. They should
consult with Property Committee when needed to interpret Meeting policy.
F. Keep keys to the buildings, supervise use and return by renters,
Meeting groups, and authorized Meeting members.
G. Guard and supervise care of buildings, and instruct building users in
proper procedures.
H. Receive mail and distribute to mailboxes in the Education Building.
I. Directly answer Meeting phone calls or take messages; refer callers
to appropriate Meeting members.
J. Share downstairs of Quaker House for occasional Meeting functions.
K. Keep house reasonably clean and orderly. Keep Quaker House grounds
clean, uncluttered, trim, and sufficiently watered to prevent loss
of permanent plantings. They should help at work parties if requested.
L. Assume once-weekly janitorial duties or arrange in consultation
with Property Committee.
K. Help to select the assistant resident.
L. Supervise the assistant resident.

5. Financial Arrangements
1. Convey rents and contributions to the Treasurer.
2. Pay PG&E bills, sharing with the assistant resident.
3. Provide own private phone, or share the cost of the Meeting phone.
4. Provide own furniture as needed beyond that provided by the Meeting.
5. Assume responsibility for minor repairs as needed. Assume responsibility
for any major damage caused by residents. Consult with Property Committee
on repairs as appropriate.
6. Be ready for Property Committee to do agreed repairs to Quaker House
during regularly scheduled work party hours. Access to Quaker House for
the purpose of repairing the premises at any other time will be cleared
with the residents in advance.

5. Responsibility of the Assistant Resident
A. Contribution. The assistant resident contributes a monthly amount,
to be determined by Quaker House subcommittee in consultation with
Finance Committee.
B. In case of resident's absence or incapacity, assumes duties of the
resident. The assistant resident relieves the head resident one weekend
per month and at other times by agreement.
C. At all times, as appropriate, assists in monitoring maintenance and
security of Meeting property, shares responsibility for general cleanliness
of Quaker House, assists resident in duties requiring more than one person,
and performs other services as needed.
D. Assists in promoting neighborhood awareness of Meeting policies regarding
Meeting properties, especially Meeting House steps and parking areas.
E. Like the resident, is the meeting's representative to the public and
z the neighborhood.

Back to Ministry and Oversight
V. SUBCOMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVENESS

z This subcommittee of Ministry and Oversight is appointed to study and make
recommendations to the Meeting regarding making the Meeting and its gatherings
fully accessible to and inclusive of all persons, whether by changes to the
Meeting property, by providing special equipment to assist those with limitations,
or by structuring our proceedings and interactions so as to increase our sense
of community.

Three or more persons shall be appointed by Ministry and Oversight to this
subcommittee for one year terms. At least one of the members of the subcommittee
shall be a member of Ministry and Oversight. Any member of the subcommittee may
be reappointed to the subcommittee in the succeeding year.

The Subcommittee meets as needed and as asked to by the Ministry and
Oversight committee. Reports of its findings and recommendations will be made
in a timely manner to the full committee for final recommendations to be forwarded
to a subsequent business meeting. The Subcommittee may consider matters other
than those directed to it by Ministry and Oversight.

Back to Ministry and Oversight
VI. CLEARNESS COMMITTEES

The spiritual strength of a Meeting finds important expression through
the loving community of its members. It is appropriate to the development of
this spiritual life that members of the Meeting should feel free to approach
the Meeting for assistance in dealing with major turning points in life,
including such matters as career decisions, lack of funds to live on, terminal
illness, withholding of taxes, marriage, separation, or divorce. One way the
Meeting can respond to this need for help is through a clearness committee,
appointed by Ministry and Oversight Committee in conjunction with, and at the
request of, the individual or individuals seeking help.

A clearness committee meets with the individual or family, not as
professional counselors or as friends discussing a problem and giving advice,
but rather as caring Friends, drawing on the resources that bind us together
in our meetings for worship.

Maintaining a spirit of openness and prayerful waiting, clearness committee
members seek to help the individual become clear about an impending decision
by serving as a channel for divine guidance. They are there to listen without
prejudice, to help clarify alternatives and their implications, to facilitate
communication if necessary, and provide emotional support as an individual or
family seeks to find God's will. The size of such a committee and the number of
times it meets with those seeking to make a decision depend on circumstances.

Committees come into being when those seeking clearness approach a member
of Ministry and Oversight, or the M&O committee as a whole, and ask that a
clearness committee be arranged for them. M&O then tries to understand and
clarify the reason for the request. If it is agreed that a clearness process
is appropriate to meet the need, M&O suggests potential members for such a
committee. More potential members should be suggested than will be needed
since the person or persons requesting help will make the final selection, and
of these not all will be available. Those who are asked to serve should feel
free to decline the responsibility. The clerk of M&O will contact the suggested
members and designate a convener.

In forming a clearness committee, Ministry and Oversight considers these
questions:
* Does the committee have a good range of age and experience?
* Is the committee too large or too small to be effective?
* Can members of the committee work well together and put aside
personal biases?
* If it is a family decision, do all the members of the family
involved feel comfortable with the committee? It is not necessary
that all members of the family be in accord with seeking the help
of a committee in reaching a decision, but the committee must keep
all members of the family in mind and be careful not to take sides
or even to appear to take sides against a family member who
refuses to participate in the process of seeking clarity through a
z committee of this nature.
* If there are children involved, is the committee cognizant of
their needs?

M&O may want to ask persons outside the Meeting community, such as members
of Yearly or Quarterly Meeting Ministry and Oversight committees, or others with
special resources, to serve on clearness committees.

The convener will be responsible for clerking, coordinating arrangements
for meetings, and for reporting progress to M&O. At the first meeting the
committee should define with those seeking clearness the approach to be used,
the approximate time period before progress will be evaluated, and the degree
to which confidentiality is desired.

Members of the clearness committee may choose to meet without the person,
couple or family seeking clearness in order to clarify among themselves what
has been said and what issues need to be addressed.

After the agreed interval of time (e.g. three or four meetings) the
committee, together with the person or persons seeking clearness, should
determine whether progress is being made, whether individuals on the committee
still feel able and willing to continue, and whether those seeking clearness
should be referred for professional counseling. It is important to recognize
when a problem is beyond the resources of the committee so that other approaches
can be initiated.

All concerned must understand that the decision finally reached is not
either sanctioned or condemned by Ministry and Oversight or by the Meeting.
The clearness committee is intended to help with the process, but the decision
is the responsibility of the individual or family concerned.

Several pages of helpful questions and advices to members of a clearness
committee can be found in the New England Yearly Meeting handbook, Living with
Oneself and Others (1978), copies of which are in the Meeting library.
Persons asked to serve on such committees are referred to this resource, from
which excerpts were freely adapted for this section.

Back to Ministry and Oversight
VII. SPECIAL FUNDS

Ministry and Oversight has responsibility for three Meeting funds: the
Sharing Fund, the Scholarship Fund, and the Barbara Nelson Fund. There are also
funds managed by Pacific Yearly Meeting and College Park Quarterly Meeting. The
role of Ministry and Oversight differs in relation to these various funds.

1) The SHARING FUND provides care for the material needs of members and
long-time attenders of the Meeting. Administered with strict confidentiality
by the Committee, this budgeted fund enables the Meeting to be of assistance
to those seeking financial help because of special circumstances. The Sharing
Fund is used to meet personal problems of members and attenders; other funds
are available to support social concerns carried by Friends.

The Sharing Fund is administered entirely at the discretion of M&O,
although M&O asks Finance Committee approval of amounts involved. Requests
for use of the Sharing Fund are not reported to business meeting.

The person requesting assistance may do so by writing to the clerk of
the Committee or by coming to an M&O meeting in person. A personal appearance
is preferable, as questions and answers may be more informative than correspondence.
Everything pertaining to the individual's identity and situation is held in
confidence. Even in requesting Finance Committee approval of funds, or in the
treasurer's report to the Meeting on the status of the Sharing Fund, only
dollar amounts are mentioned, not the circumstances.

Complete trust and tenderness in discussing the problem are the means to
reaching a satisfactory outcome. It may become apparent that some other solution
than giving money would be beneficial, such as a clearness committee, or visitation,
or professional advice.

If financial help is the final decision, it may be in the form either of
a loan or of an outright grant, depending on factors such as the purpose of the
funds or the ability of the person to repay. Loans are desirable, as the return
of the loan replenishes the Sharing Fund and makes it available for other needs.
If a loan is made, it is advisable at the outset to set a schedule of repayment,
even if only small monthly amounts are possible. Persons assisted should report
to Ministry and Oversight at regular intervals.

If a loan is made, a record is kept by the clerk of M&O and the treasurer
of repayments. If necessary, the clerk reminds the borrower of the obligation.
The treasurer gives an annual statement to the borrower and to M&O of payments
received and the balance of the loan.

2) A SCHOLARSHIP FUND is also maintained by the Meeting in order to help young
persons to attend Friends' schools. The scholarships are grants, not loans;
however, the Meeting welcomes repayments to the Scholarship Fund as the recipients
are able to do so.

3) The BARBARA NELSON FUND was established using a bequest to the Meeting by
our beloved former member Barbara Nelson. Its purpose is threefold:
a. To develop leadership in the meeting;
b. To encourage members and active attenders to do Quaker studies, or
attend workshops and retreats which will enrich their spiritual
lives and help them nurture the spiritual life of the Meeting; and
c. To undertake other studies which may be of direct benefit to the
Meeting.

The Barbara Nelson Fund differs from the Educational Assistance Fund in
that applicants may apply and will be considered on the basis of how the studies
or workshop will benefit themselves and the Meeting, rather than on the basis of
their financial need. Both the interest and the principal may be used in the
allocation of grants from the Fund.

Members and attenders will be actively encouraged to make use of the Fund
in keeping with its purpose. Letters requesting such use will be received by
Ministry and Oversight for consideration and decision as to whether to make a
grant from the Fund.

4) A FUND FOR CONCERNS was approved at the 1979 Yearly Meeting of Pacific
Yearly Meeting. For more information about this Fund refer to Faith and Practice
of PYM. The Ministry and Oversight committee is charged with approving requests
to this fund and forwarding them to the Yearly Meeting.

5) A TRAVEL FUND is maintained by Pacific Yearly Meeting to help members and
attenders attend its meetings. A recommendation from a Monthly Meeting is
required to use this Fund, and Berkeley Meeting has delegated to its Ministry
and Oversight committee the responsibility for developing this recommendation.

6) A NON-REGISTRANTS FUND is also maintained by Pacific Yearly Meeting to help
non-registrants for the draft. The use of this too has been delegated to Monthly
Meetings for a recommendation, and by Berkeley Meeting to its Ministry and
Oversight committee.

7) A QUARTERLY MEETING SCHOLARSHIP FUND is also available for young people to
attend John Woolman School or Sierra Friends Center; this too requires the
recommendation of a Monthly Meeting and has been delegated by the Meeting to
the Ministry and Oversight committee.

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NEWSLETTER AND DIRECTORY COMMITTEE

The Newsletter and Directory Committee is responsible for putting out the
meeting Newsletter once a month, except in August, and also for the annual
directory of members and attenders.

The third Sunday of each month has been the usual deadline to submit items
for the Newsletter. The Newsletter is printed during that week, and on the 4th
Sunday after meeting for worship, Friends assist in folding it and addressing it.
One committee member takes care of the mailing.

One member of the Committee has usually handled the maintenance and printing
of the directory, and another committee member has taken care of the mailing,
usually the same as handles the mailing of the newsletter.

Detailed procedures which have been set up for the production and mailing
of the Newsletter and the directory are given in Appendix V.

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The Nominating Committee finds people to carry out the business of the
Meeting. It consists of six members and two alternates. The Ad Hoc Committee
to Nominate the Nominating Committee nominates three new members each year for
two-year terms and two alternates. The Ad Hoc Committee also designates the
clerk of Nominating Committee, who must be a member of the Meeting. Nominations
to the Nominating Committee are approved at business meeting in 12th month.

The Committee nominates officers, committee clerks, representatives, and
committee members. It does not nominate the subcommittees of Ministry and
Oversight.

Its nominations for the Clerk, Alternate Clerk, Treasurer, and members of
Ministry and Oversight are always (and for clerks of committees, usually) members
of the Society of Friends. The clerk of the Meeting is not appointed to committees
except as an ex-officio member but may participate in committee work.

The Nominating Committee tries to place each person in the position where
he or she feels most able or willing to serve the Meeting. It strives to achieve
continuity of leadership on committees without ignoring the need for change.
To further these goals the Committee should:
1. Check with clerks of committees to discover who has been active.
2. Check with all active members of committees to find out if they
wish to continue serving in the same capacity.
3. Be sure each nominee understands the work of the committee and has
made a commitment to serve.
4. Never exclude someone from a committee simply for the sake of
rotating the membership.
5. Be alert to new members and attenders who may wish to serve on
committees.
6. Not nominate its own members to Ministry and Oversight without
special approval at business meeting. In such a case, that member
of Nominating Committee resigns from Nominating Committee when the
final nominations slate is approved; one of the alternates then
becomes the functioning member of Nominating Committee.
7. Not nominate its own members as officers without special approval
at business meeting. In such a case, that member of Nominating
Committee resigns from the Committee when the final nominations slate
is approved; one of the alternates then becomes the functioning member
of Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee may make nominations to fill committee vacancies
as they occur, without waiting for the vacancy to come first to the attention
of meeting for business. All nominations are approved by business meeting.

The Nominating Committee gives copies of the descriptions of the duties
of committees and officers to each designated clerk or officer.

The report of the Committee is presented to business meeting in 2nd month,
with additional nominees in 3rd month. The nominations are published in the
4th month Newsletter. The report is presented to business meeting in 4th month
for approval in 5th month. The new officers and committees begin their work in
6th month.

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NURSERY COMMITTEE

The Nursery Committee provides for child care during meetings for worship
for infants and children up to age 5. Specific duties include the following:
1. Provide persons to oversee the children. The committee hires one
or two persons for this purpose, and solicits volunteers from Meeting.
2. Maintain the supplies for the nursery, including refreshments and
drawing materials.
3. Check the condition of the nursery and equipment and bring significant
needs to the attention of the Meeting.
4. Provide child care for other Friends' functions such as threshing
meetings and Quarterly Meeting.
5. Introduce children to some of the practices of Friends, e.g. silence
before snacks, non-violent resolution of problems.
6. Create a community of parents of young children. This is a great help
to young parents, especially first-time parents.

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PEACE AND SOCIAL ORDER COMMITTEE

zz This committee keeps the Meeting informed about peace and social concerns
and recommends appropriate action. It may be one committee or two, depending
upon the number of actively committed members in these areas and the directions
of Meeting interests at the time. The committee may at times form ad hoc
subcommittees to deal with special issues.

The first function of the Committee is to process information relating to
peace and social order concerns. The Committee provides literature and bulletin
boards to enable Meeting members and attenders to inform themselves. It may
also plan seminars or study groups.

Second, the Committee alerts the Meeting when it feels that individual or
corporate action would be an appropriate Friends' witness for peace or justice.

z Third, the Committee "seasons" concerns before they are brought to business
meeting or after a request from business meeting. It is desirable for members
and attenders to bring social concerns to the Committee before bringing them to
business meeting to enable this seasoning process to work. Members are free to
act as individuals or groups according to conscience, but they should not claim
to represent the Meeting without prior approval of business meeting.

Fourth, the Committee supports and guides existing action by Meeting members
and other groups, according to its capacity, especially acting as a channel
between the Meeting and Friends' organizations such as AFSC and FCL, and the
Peace Committees of Quarterly and Yearly meetings.

Fifth, the Committee suggests how the Meeting should spend the funds which
are budgeted for local outreach. The primary requirement for eligibility for a
contribution from Meeting is that the organization's goals and methods are
consistent with Friends' beliefs. Other factors are a) that a member or attender
of Meeting participates in its activities; and b) that it has difficulty obtaining
adequate funding from other sources.

Finally, the Committee follows through on concerns that the Meeting has
undertaken in the area of peace and social order, seeing that they are carried
through or duly laid down with the approval of the Meeting.

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PROPERTY COMMITTEE

The Property Committee is responsible for the general care and maintenance
of Meeting property, including buildings, furnishings, and grounds. The committee
also determines policy for the use of our buildings, especially the Meeting House
and the Education Building. The clerk of Property Committee is an ex-officio
member of Finance Committee.

The Property Committee is in charge of planning big projects (e.g. a new
roof) to be described in a document called "Long Range Plans." A copy will be
given to Finance Committee when the annual budget is being prepared.

The Committee supervises the janitor and will meet with that person to
discuss various aspects of his work and remuneration.

The Committee should report to business meeting at least twice a year.

The Committee also maintains a Property Committee file containing reports,
contracts, estimates, architectural drawings, records of conversations with the
janitor, documents related to the rental of our buildings, and so forth.
A list of current policies relating to the use of our buildings and a copy
of the application form are given in Appendix VI.

Care of Property

The Property Committee should:
1. Check thoroughly and regularly the condition of all areas, inside and
outside. Major improvements or changes are brought as needed to the attention
of the Meeting. Maintenance, repairs and improvements are done by or arranged
by the Committee.
2. Sponsor regular work parties to undertake the work not assigned to
the caretaker, and not requiring professional skill.
3. Obtain suitable furnishings for the buildings and provide for their care.
Keep an inventory of all furnishings.
4. Recharge fire extinguishers regularly.
5. Have the piano tuned as needed.
6. Provide storage and security for audio-visual and other equipment.
7. Maintain a supply of wood for the fireplace.
8. Keep a log of all repairs, improvements and major expenditures,
showing date, work done, cost, and any followup needed.

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TEEN GROUP ADVISORS

From time to time Berkeley Meeting has had an active teen group which has
met in Quaker House during meeting for worship. One or two adults served as
advisers to this group, usually volunteers or selected by the group itself.
The actual running of the program was left to the teens themselves as much as
possible.

Teens from Strawberry Creek Meeting have also participated in the teen
group. In recent years because of fewer teens in Berkeley Meeting and many in
Strawberry Creek Meeting the focus of energy has shifted to that meeting. But
at present (2004) the focus seens to be shifting back to Berkeley Meeting.

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VISITING COMMITTEE

The Visiting Committee coordinates and provides visitation to members
and attenders of the Meeting, as an extension of Ministry and Oversight's
function of care of the membership. At least one member of Ministry and
Oversight shall be designated to serve on the committee.

The Committee's primary concern is to provide or arrange for personal
visits to members or attenders known to be sick, lonely or to have special needs.
Secondary concerns of this committee are to:
1. Try to know the various individuals of the Meeting: young,
elderly, single parent, etc.
2. Keep informed of visits made by other Meeting members and
attenders who may know the needs of other individuals connected
with the Meeting.
3. Make the names of committee members known to the Meeting through
the Newsletter, so that people who may need the attention of the
committee can contact them.

Although transportation for isolated or incapacitated members has usually
been arranged informally by people in the Meeting, the Visiting Committee should
coordinate this service if necessary.

It is understood that the Visiting Committee does not discharge for each
and all of us our responsibility to care for one another.

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APPENDIX I. Recommended Schedule for Meeting Business

JUNE  a) New officers and committees begin to function June 1
   b) New directory (flexible)
   c) Report of Quarterly Meeting
   d) A gathering of clerks of committees is useful
JULY  a) Annual meeting of trustees as required by state
   b) Newsletter for both July and August
AUGUST  a) No Monthly Meeting
   b) Pacific Yearly Meeting: representatives attend
SEPTEMBER a) Peace and Social Order discusses local outreach
   b) Property Committee report
OCTOBER a) P&SO recommends local outreach contributions
   b) Quarterly Meeting - 3rd weekend
   c) Volunteers plan Thanksgiving dinner and Thanksgiving worship
NOVEMBER a) Finance Committee annual appeal (flexible)
   b) CPQM representative report
   c) Volunteer for Christmas card mailing
   d) Volunteer to convene Christmas meeting for worship
   e) Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate the Nominating Committee
      selected from the floor at Monthly Meeting
DECEMBER a) Finance Committee prepares a draft budget for January Newsletter
   b) Renewal of Bulletin subscriptions
   c) Ad Hoc committee reports on new Nominating Committee;
   d) Monthly Meeting approves new Nominating Committee and its clerk
JANUARY  a) Finance Committee presents draft budget to monthly meeting
   b) Quarterly Meeting - third weekend
   c) Monthly Meeting decides method for preparing State of the Meeting report
FEBRUARY a) Final approval of budget for new fiscal year March1 through February 28 or 29
MARCH  a) Representative Committee of Pacific Yearly Meeting meets first weekend;
       Representatives attend
   b) Report of PYM Representative Committee (flexible)
   c) Nominating Committee report in April Newsletter
   d) Draft of State of the Meeting report presented to Monthly Meeting
   e) Property Committee report
APRIL  a) Final report of Nominating Committee presented
   b) Meeting approves State of the Meeting report and sends to
      Quarterly Meeting
   c) Additions may be made to Nominating Committee report
MAY   a) Approval of final Nominating Committee report
   b) Newsletter notice of scholarship fund for PYM attendance when
      personal finances are limited
   c) Recommendation for new committees to meet in June
   d) Quarterly Meeting - 3rd weekend

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APPENDIX II. Statement of Purpose by First Day School Committee, 1995

The future of the Meeting lies in its children and it is the
responsibility of the Meeting to shelter them, teach them and cherish
them within the Meeting community. We must pass on to them Friends'
values, commitments, beliefs, and history. They should know about the
sufferings of Quakers in the past, and what it means to be a Friend
today. We must show them that they are part of a community, and let
them know what that means to them now and in the future.

1. Quaker values:
Truth: What the words mean
Simplicity: How those values grew in Quaker thought
Community: Their application in Friends' history
Equality: How we are today
The Light within: Listening to God
The Peace testimony

2. Quaker stories and histories that illustrate Quaker values:
How we began;
What actions caused us to be different?
Quaker heroes;
Why did Quakers get into so much trouble?

3. Explanations of other religions, the differences between Quakers
and others, to help Quaker children relate to others.
Many paths to God
Different ways to follow the same light
The Old Testament: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Later differences
Visits to synagogues or mosques or other churches
Buddhism
Hinduism

Quaker identity

The children should know that this is a Quaker meeting and should perhaps
even identify themselves as Quakers. We hope to teach them a sense of Quaker
identity and at the same time a feeling of inclusiveness.

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APPENDIX III. Past Activities Sponsored by Hospitality Committee

1. Greet people as they arrive at Meeting for Worship.

2. Welcome newcomers personally after rise of Meeting for Worship and
at hospitality hour.

3. Acknowledge visitors as they leave the meeting house.

4. Contact newcomers and encourage them to participate in the life of
the Meeting through committees or attending special functions.

5. Talent night.

6. Art and craft show of members' and attenders' work.

7. Neighborhood potlucks.

8. Meeting potluck Thanksgiving dinner after worship.

9. Newcomer breakfasts.

10. Small group luncheons for newcomers.

11. Family night with games, songs, etc.

12. Lunch gatherings

13. Singles group.

14. Community breakfast.

15. Birthday cake on the first Sunday of each month (now done by
volunteer from Meeting).

16. Christmas celebration (usually with First Day School Committee).

17. Meeting picnic.

18. Refreshments for a special occasion, e.g. recital by a Meeting
member or talk or slide show by member or attender.

19. Name tags at hospitality hour or other function.

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APPENDIX IV. Library Procedures

Cataloging

1. Determine the Library of Congress number from another library
(e.g. Swarthmore's) using the Internet. Use original cataloging
when appropriate numbers for our library's use are unavailable.
2. Enter date (author, title, subjects, responsibility, publisher,
added entries, notes, etc.) into the database or into the script
devised to translate to the database.
Print cards for the shelf list, author, title and subject references
and labels for the spine, borrower's card, and inside pocket. File
catalog cards.
3. Use the Meeting's address stamp and library stamp on title page, inside
front and inside back cover. Paste book pockets in the back.
4. Remove any dust jackets. Place the spine labels on the spine if possible,
at a uniform distance (about 1/4 in.) from the bottom. Put the spine label
on the lower left of the front of the book only if the printed number is
wider than the spine. The white margins of the label can be wrapped around
to the front and back. Place clear label protectors over spine labels.
Paste the labels on the borrower's card on inside pocket.
5. Shelve books.

Library Checkout

1. No one is to check out a book without seeing a library representative.
2. Members and attenders listed in our directory may borrow books by filling
in name and phone number on the borrower's card. Anyone not listed in the
directory must include an address on the borrower's card.
3. Date due slip in book and borrower's card are stamped: for books,
2 months; for pamphlets, 1 month.
4. Borrower's cards are filed in the wooden box on the desk.

Periodicals

1. All materials should be date stamped except for newsletters from other
monthly meetings.
2. Other meetings' newsletters are punched with the three-hole punch and put
into the green (some blue) binders kept at the bottom of the periodical
shelves. The most recent is put on top. When the binder is full, discard
all but the last six months.
3. After date stamping, non-Quaker publications are put in the current periodicals
rack in alphabetical order. Issues received over six months ago are discarded.
4. After being stamped with the date and the Meeting stamp, Quaker publications
are shelved in alphabetical order on the top half of the periodical shelves.

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APPENDIX V. Producing the Newsletter and Directory

General

1. The deadline for items for the newsletter is the 3rd Sunday of each month.
The editor collects all items from the newsletter box and keyboards the text
of the newsletter and outlines the items for the calendar. She reviews possible
conflicts and verifies uncertainties. The newsletter contains:
a. Calendar of scheduled events:
Monthly Meeting;
Quarterly Meeting (third weekend in January, May and October);
Pacific Yearly Meeting;
Other regular committee meetings or activities
b. Report on monthly meeting for business
c. Reports from committees and outside but related agencies, such as AFSC
d. Articles and announcements by members and attenders
e. Annual reports:
Proposed budget, published in February;
Nominees for officers and committees, published in April;
Local outreach, as requested by Peace and Social Order committee.
The editor sends the text of the newsletter to the co-editor. The recording
clerk sends the minutes of the previous Monthly Meeting to the co-editor for
editing.

Since the advent of computers communication among those concerned has
usually been by e-mail or disk. However, the newsletter can be successfully
produced without such reliance on technology.

2. The co-editor formats all items and creates the month's calendar. She edits
the minutes of monthly meeting, changing them into "notes," omitting some
housekeeping details and making other adjustments to fit the newsletter format.
She can do this using a home computer.
She takes the completed master copy to a copy shop where the Meeting has
an account for copying. Either she picks up the completed copies or delegates
someone else to do so before the fourth Sunday's meeting for worship. She submits
the signed receipt from the copy shop to the treasurer.

3. A file of names, addresses and telephone numbers of members and attenders
and their children is maintained from which both the newsletter labels and the
directory can be printed. This file also contains information about recipients
of the newsletter who are not in the directory and persons listed in the directory
who do not receive the newsletter.

4. One committee member collects all address changes and new requests for the
newsletter from the box and corrects and adds them to the mailing labels and
prints them out prior to Sunday's meeting for worship. They are grouped by zip
codes.

5 One committee member supervises the folding and addressing process and
verifies that the newsletters are properly prepared for mailing. She or he
then takes them to the Post Office on Monday. She confirms with the treasurer
that there are sufficient funds in the Meeting post office account to cover
the cost of the mailing.

Preparation for Mailing the Newsletter

The newsletters are collated, folded, labeled and sorted with the assistance
of volunteers after the rise of meeting on the fourth First Day of the month.

Each month committee members organize the work, show people how it is done,
and check the final bundles.
1. Rubber bands, Post Office code labels and other supplies are kept
in the upper drawer of the file cabinet in the Education Building.
One committee member is responsible for keeping supplies on hand.
2. Set up one table in the Education Building before meeting.
3. Put four sets of newsletter pages on the table so that people can
fold from each side of the table. Apply scotch tape to folded
newsletters.
4. Cut address labels into sections for each area code. Each area
code is identified by a label.
5. Ask helpers to put on address labels from one sheet at a time and
then to put a rubber band around that batch and tuck the zip code
label from the top of the sheet under the rubber band. If members
want to take their newsletter with them, have them remove their
address labels from their zip code sheet.
6. Put leftover copies for visitors in the box near the visitor's
book in the meeting house entryway. Place one copy in the box
beneath the south window of the library, for the permanent file.
Post another copy on the bulletin board in the foyer next to the
double doors leading into the meeting room. Post another on
bulletin board next to refrigerator in the Education Building.
7. Put away all supplies and tables, clean up as needed, and close
the Education Building. Turn off lights and make sure outside
doors are locked.

Producing the Directory

The directory is printed annually, containing names and addresses of
members, attenders, and other Friends. Special updated interim issues may be
printed for officers and committees.

Up to 1970 the directory file was kept on 3x5 cards and the labels were
printed using an addressograph and addressograph plates. The directory itself
was printed by Ted Freedman, a member who owned his own printing press. In about
1973 the cards and labels were combined into a single file and put on a mainframe
computer from which both the labels and the directory were printed for a few years.
In about 1978 the file was converted to its present format and transferred to a
microcomputer. The same person has handled this now for 31 years.

Beginning about March of each year, the directory keepers need to begin
assembling updated and accurate information for the directory, which is presently
printed in June of each year. This will involve announcements after meeting,
calls to persons who are presently listed, but who should possibly be removed,
and every attempt made to add persons who are newly active attenders and to
obtain changes of address and phone numbers. Address information is obtained
from returned newsletters. New children should be listed. The guest book should
be scrutinized for relevant information. The current membership list should be
obtained from the recorder so that everyone can be correctly marked as a member
or not.

The directory can then be printed from the file, assembled into a booklet,
copied, collated and folded by a print shop, and mailed in the same fashion as
the newsletter. (That's the easiest part.)

Preparing Bundles for Mailing

(The person doing the mailing may want to do this job at home.)

Check each bundle and (1) count the items, (2) record the count on a
separate sheet, (3) make sure the bundle has only the same zip codes in it,
(4) add a second rubber band lengthwise around the bundle, (5) attach a
colored Post Office code label in the lower left corner of each bundle.
Remove Meeting's temporary zip code label.

Post Office code labels are as follows:
D = All labels in the bundle have the same zip code.
3 = The first three numbers of the zip code are the same
for all labels in the bundle, e.g., 94601, 94605, 94611.
A = All other California zip codes that don't fit into the D or 3
categories.
MS = Mixed states, i.e. all out-of-state addresses in U.S.

Letters outside U.S.A. are sent by first-class mail.

A bundle should have at least 10 newsletters in it. Bundles with fewer
than 10 newsletters with the same zip code may be combined with a larger batch,
changing the Post Office label from D to 3. It is preferable to divide large
unwieldy batches into two bundles, each with the same P.O. coding. Maximum per
bundle should be about 20.

Mailing the Newsletter and Directory

The newsletter is mailed at the Berkeley Main Post Office on Allston Way
near Milvia under a non-profit organization mailing permit.
1. Fill out 2 copies of USPO form 36O2N. See sample attached.
2. Take newsletters to the Main Post Office Bulk Mail Section at rear
of the building, far left door. Inside the mail room are white
plastic trays. Put all bundles in one 2-ft. tray. (Sometimes one
needs an additional 1-ft. tray.)
3. The bulk mail clerk, who does the weighing, fills in the form and
gives you a receipt (which is a duplicate copy). Give the receipt
to the Meeting treasurer.
Ask the mail clerk for more rubber bands, code labels or forms if
our supply is low.
4. The Meeting has a bulk mail account. The mail clerk will tell you
how much money is left in the account. If it is less than $100,
leave a note for the Meeting treasurer, who will mail a check to
the Post Office.

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APPENDIX VI. Use of Our Buildings

Applications are available at Quaker House from the Resident. Guidelines
for use by outside groups are as follows:
1. The following can be given permission without special approval by
the Meeting:
All Meeting activities, and the following Friends' groups and
functions:
College Park Quarterly Meeting
Pacific Yearly Meeting
Friends Committee on Legislation of California
American Friends Service Committee
Any groups or functions specifically designated by the Meeting.
2. Extended use by non-Meeting groups (rentals) is not be permitted.
(A long-standing exception to this has been in the case of Alcoholics
Anonymous groups.)
3. Activities for personal gain are not permitted, or activities for
which a fee is charged.
4. Building users and renters must leave the buildings in good order:
Folding chairs should be returned to storage.
Tables returned to original location.
Table and counter surfaces cleaned.
Trash placed in the trash receptacles provided.
Dishes, flatware, bowls, cups, etc., used for the activity, to be
washed, dried, and placed back in the appropriate shelves and
cupboards.
Heat to be turned off, burners checked on the stove, and lights
turned off
Buildings will be opened only by the Resident, or by members designated
to hold building keys.
5. Sleeping on the premises will be allowed under the following
conditions:
At least one adult member of the Meeting must be present when
there is overnight sleeping.
If the group does not include such a member, use will be conditional
on such an adult being available from the Meeting, or a responsible
person designated by the Meeting.
6. Questionable applications will be referred by the Resident to the
Property committee.

The current application form for use of the Education Building is
shown below.

APPLICATION FOR USE OF EDUCATION BUILDING
BERKELEY FRIENDS MEETING
2151 VINE STREET, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94709

1. Name of group applying: ____________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

2. Contact person and phone number: ___________________________________________

3. How did you find out about this space? _____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. References: ________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

GUIDELINES FOR USE OF THE BUILDING

1. The use of the building must be consistent with the principles of the
Religious Society of Friends.
2. Smoking and alcohol are not allowed in the building.
3. The building is available from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. at the latest.
4. Groups using the building are responsible for seeing that the room is left
clean; that the lights, heat, and stove are turned off, and that the chairs
are stacked against the wall. Please do not leave food in the refrigerator.
LOCK THE DOORS!
5. The bulletin boards in the building are for the use of the Meeting only.
If you want to leave literature, please put it on the literature table.
6. Use of the driveway is not included except for loading and unloading.
7. Permission to use the building does not imply endorsement of the group by
the Meeting. Advertising by the group should not contain any reference to
the Meeting except to designate the place where the event is to be held.
8. Meeting discourages long-term regular use of the building.

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APPENDIX VII. Scholarship Committee (inactive)

The Scholarship Committee has been responsible for the Scholarship Fund
and the Educational Assistance Fund. However, this committee was laid down
about 1991, and the responsibility for these funds has been given to Ministry
and Oversight committee.

The Scholarship Fund is intended to help children of members and attenders
to attend any Friends secondary school. The scholarships are grants, not loans;
however, Meeting welcomes returns to the Scholarship Fund when the recipients
are able to do so.

The Educational Assistance Fund is meant to assist Meeting members and
attenders to attend Quaker-organized activities such as programs at Pendle Hill,
Ben Lomond, or Friends family camps. Contributions from the Fund are grants,
not loans. Recipients are encouraged, however, to repay the Fund when they are
able to do so.

Attenders of short-term programs are expected to share their experiences
with the Meeting in forums or study groups.

The Scholarship Committee has set the following criteria for eligibility
for the Educational Assistance Fund:
1. Application deadline shall be June 15 each year.
2. Applicants should be members or long-time attenders and active in
the life of the Meeting.

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APPENDIX VIII. The Beginnings of Berkeley Friends Meeting

by Ralph W. Powell, April 1972

Our meeting directory dated Oct. 1960 contained a brief history of the
Meeting by William James. In Sept. 1959, E. Joseph Willets, Jr. of 478 Ferne Ave,
Palo Alto, evidently an heir of Dr. Elizabeth W. Griscom, had sent to Clarence
Cunningham, then clerk of this Meeting, material from her files regarding the
early history of the Meeting. He also donated back numbers of the "Intelligencer"
going back a hundred years. I do not know what became of them, but the file was
passed on to Russell Jorgensen when he became clerk, and is now in the file case
in the Meeting House basement. I doubt that William James had seen it when he
wrote his "Brief History." Most of what I have written is based on the Griscom
material.

William James said "Soon after the turn of the present century Friends met
in the home of Dr. Elizabeth Griscom of Berkeley" and it is probably true that
the organizing meeting was in her home, but it was not until 1914, and the weekly
meetings for worship were held in San Francisco until some time in 1915, when
they moved to Oakland. It was emphasized that they were "Friends of both
branches" but J. Bernard Walton, General Secretary of Friends General Conference
had supplied lists of Friends in the Bay Area which we still have.

College Park Association of Friends was incorporated May 15, 1889. Its
By-Laws as amended May 4, 1918 said "The Association may at its discretion
constitute and establish meetings for worship and the transaction of local
business; such meetings to be known as monthly meetings. These shall be
coordinated with each other under this Association." Amendments adopted May 10,
1941 said "All Friends who are members of the Monthly Meetings affiliated with
the College Park Association of Friends are members of this Association" and
"Non-Friends who wish to become members of the Society of Friends may do so by
joining any of the affiliated Monthly Meetings." Berkeley (or Oakland as it was
then) was the first group outside of San Jose established in this manner, but I
do not know when it was done. Evidently it was not later than 1920. (See note
at end of article.)

I think Palo Alto and San Francisco were the next meetings established but
I don't know their dates either. And I do not know who, if anyone, authorized
the establishment of College Park Meeting in San Jose. Our oldest minute book
starts in Oct. 1928, but we have a guest book back to 1921. The first record
that I find of a member being admitted by convincement was Feb. 23, 1930.

Beginning in 1915 the meeting met every First Day in the "Starr King" hall
of the Y.W.C.A. at 1515 Webster St. in Oakland, and it was called the Oakland
Meeting. But in 1920 they found that the room was not always available and they
had to arrange other unsatisfactory meeting places and began to talk of buying
a lot and building a meeting house. In late 1920 or early 1921, their clerk,
Edward A. Wright, on his own, paid $50 down on a lot 3OxlOO ft. on 24th St. in
Oakland which was to cost $1,700, and offered to advance the money to buy it,
"a portion of which would be my contribution and the balance I would take my
chance of being paid back if contributions enough came in." But he was taken
sick in March of 1921 and died soon after, and apparently the Meeting did not
feel that the lot was large enough. His sketch of what he thought could be
built there is in our files. A memorial written by Lydia Cox which is in our
files, shows him to have been a very remarkable man.

On Feb. 10, 1921, Dr. Griscom wrote to Mary Whitson at the AFSC storeroom,
15th and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia about the possibility of getting financial
help from the Jeanes Fund. The latter discussed the matter with Jane P. Rushmore,
who composed a suggested draft of an appeal to be sent to Horace Roberts, clerk
of the Representative committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Race St.) which
was to meet Mar. 18, 1921. The draft was revised and sent to him and then printed
in a form that could be used for appeals to individuals and other groups. We
have a copy. It is signed by:
Dr. Elizabeth W. Griscom, 1149 Oxford St., Berkeley, Calif
Donald Erskine, 516 29th St., San Francisco, Calif
Lillian A. Smith, 4041 Maybel St., Oakland, Calif
Robert W. Clark, 1612 Walnut St., Berkeley, Calif
Edward A. Wright, 3342 Chestnut St., Oakland, Calif Clerk

Donald Erskine was the father of Andrew Erskine. William James names
Andrew and his wife Hannah (whose portraits hang in our library) as members of
the original group and Mary Underhill Hall may have been one. (Technically
Andrew was never an official member. He was five years old when his father
joined Dublin Meeting and grew up thinking he was a member also. Later when
asked to apply for adult membership he refused.) Anna Cox (daughter of Charles
E. and Lydia Cox who were members of College Park Meeting) came to Mills College
in 1917. She married Howard Brinton in 1921. William and Anna James came in 1919.
I believe Peter Gulbrandsen did not join the group until about 1926.

The answer from the request to the Samuel Jeanes Fund finally came in a
letter dated Dec. 18, 1921. "While our committee is united in a desire to bring
about a condition of unity between the two branches the wording of the paper
which accompanied the donation of this fund is such that we feel that our hands
are tied. But if you can establish a meeting of our branch of Friends, so that
title to the property is with our branch we could then appropriate money from
the fund for your need." (The donation of $100,000 which established the fund
had specified that it was "for Friends of that branch" of which Samuel Jeanes
was a member.) The letter suggested that Oakland Meeting become a preparative
meeting under Orange Grove Monthly Meeting which belonged to Concord Quarterly
Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Race St.). No mention is made of College
Park Meeting. Was it not set up by any Yearly Meeting?

But during 1921 the Oakland Meeting had started to collect a building fund.
The College Park Association had authorized Charles E. Cox of 147 Belvedere St.
in San Francisco, one of their members and perhaps their treasurer, to set up a
fund for Oakland Meeting. He reported June 2, 1921 that he had already received
$265 and that it was deposited in the Mutual Building & Loan Ass'n. ("that James
Bean was President of so long") and that it would draw 6% interest.

On June 17 the fund had grown to $310.

On Jan. 17, 1922, Robert Wm. Clark wrote to Dr. Griscom that he had had
lunch that day with Charles Cox and found that the fund had grown to $1,026.73
and that they were expecting $500 from the Charleston Estate whatever that was,
and hoped for $1,000 from the Anna Cope estate (evidently the $1,000 mentioned
on page 3). Cox thought they could raise $1,500 locally but Clark thought they
should not count on more than $1,000 and that they would need $2,500 from "the
rest of the country." Robert Clark had looked at a lot 85 ft. wide on Russell
near Fulton for which they wanted $2,800, and one 75 ft. wide on Howe between
Ellsworth and Telegraph for which they wanted $2,500, but he felt they should
not pay over $1,800 if possible so that they would have $4,000 left for a building.
No mention is made of the site at Walnut & Vine although he lived only a block
from it.

On Feb. 7, 1922 they sent out a letter saying "Dear Friend: The members of
Oakland Friends meeting plan to hold a special meeting on First Day, 2nd month
12th, with the object of bringing together all Friends and those interested in
Friends that are within reach, feeling that such a gathering will be helpful in
bringing us in closer touch with one another, and in helping us all to realize
more fully our responsibilities as members of the Society of Friends. (I do not
know whether the letter was sent to members of Berkeley Friends Church.) The
meeting for worship is at 11 A.M. followed by a luncheon at 1 P.M. to which all
are cordially invited as guests of the meeting." There was to be a second
session at 2 P.M.

Evidently at about this same time, a second appeal letter was sent out, of
which we have a printed copy. It has no date, and mentions no particular site.
It says they have already collected and promised about $3,500 and that a visiting
Friend who attended the meeting last summer has given $500 and offers $1,000 more
if enough can be raised before the first of Fourth Month next (1922?) to make
the sum $6,000. From William James' "History" I gather that this Friend was
Charles Cope of Germantown, PA., and that the $1,000 he offers is the $1,000
from the Anna Cope estate mentioned above. The appeal is signed by Donald Erskine,
Clerk.

A letter from Ella K. Barnard of West Grove, PA, correspondent in this
country for the London Friend, dated Sept. 27, 1922, asks for news of Oakland
Meeting. Dr. Griscom's draft of a reply, undated, says "We have purchased a
building in Berkeley that has been used as a chapel. With a few alterations
it will be very well adapted to our use and in appearance is not unlike a
Friends Meeting house. Some of our Eastern Friends are making active efforts
to help us complete the fund necessary for the purchase and we hope to be in
our new home early in the year [1923]. The change from Oakland to Berkeley will
bring the meeting nearer to most of our members, as well as within reach of the
University of California where there are about 10,000 students, some more or
less interested in Friends. A young Friends Assoc. has recently been organized
under the leadership of Wm. C. James and their meetings are attracting a good
number of interested young people."

Although the agreement to purchase the present property was evidently made
as early as Sept. 1922, the first written record I find is a receipt issued
Nov. 1, 1922 by the Mason-McDuffie Co. for $200 "as additional deposit and part
payment upon - - a church on the northeast corner of Walnut and Vine Streets."

The next is a receipt from the same company dated 12/29/1922 for $3100.00
"$3000 of which applies on purchase of NE cor. Vine and Walnut Sts., Berkeley".
My guess is that the firm was acting as agent as well as escrow people and that
the $100 was their fee. As the Oakland-Berkeley Meeting was not incorporated,
the purchase was in the name of the College Park Association of Friends. Apparently
the purchase price was $5,500. We have a letter dated Dec. 30, 1922 from the
Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church to the Berkeley Commercial & Savings Bank of
Berkeley giving them (to hold) a deed to the NE corner of Walnut & Vine made out
to the College Park Association of Friends of San Jose. This was to be held
until the bank received $2,500 plus 7% interest with a time limit of Sept. 1, 1923.
Apparently Charles Cox was already in the East on a fund raising trip and he
returned with $1,800 which was paid on Jan. 4, 1923 to Mason-McDuffie and on
Jan. 10 to the bank. The final payment of $700 was made on Feb. 10, 1923 by
funds raised locally.

They tore out the pulpit which had been in the northeast corner, repaired
the plumbing, tinted the inside walls and did some outside painting, but I find
no mention of a fireplace in the 1923 accounts, so evidently it was built later.
Meetings began to be held here in 1923, but I have not found the exact date. When
purchased, the building was only one story and the basement was not excavated
until 1949-50. A printed appeal letter was sent to all meetings in the U.S.
asking for help in this project in 1950. It said that they had already spent
about $1300 and needed that much more to finish the job. Otto Heck tells me
that they received only one contribution, $5.00 from a small Meeting in
Pennsylvania. Harriet Schaffran tells me that Andrew Erskine, out of his small
resources, paid the rest of the cost. But before the war an addition had been
built on the east side of the building, and during the war it was used by a
representative of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors for draft
counseling. Later it was used for the First Day school. On May 3, 1958, the
house at 2153 Vine St. was purchased for $11,500 and in 1960 the small garage
beside it and the addition on the east of the Meeting House were torn down, and
the Education Building began straddling the lot line between the two properties.

(Note: Since Ralph wrote this in 1972 the two oldest minute-books of the Meeting
have been found. They tell us that the first meeting in the new meetinghouse
was on February 4, 1923, and that the first business meeting was on February 25,
1923. They do not reveal on what date Oakland Meeting was approved as a new
monthly meeting. The first membership application received was from Margaret
Stanislawski, mother of Daniel Stanislawski, in 1917.

(Mary Underhill Hall is not mentioned in the minutes until 1925, the same year
in which Peter Gulbrandsen is mentioned for the first time.

(These books also reveal that Hannah Erskine, whose portrait is in the library
and whom many of us remember even today, was the first clerk of the meeting,
from 1917 to 1920 and 1922 to 1928. She served again as clerk from 1929 to 1936.

(These two old minute-books have been transcribed and are expected to be printed
some day. They tell a charming story of the growth of Berkeley Meeting.

(The very first gathering for transacting business was on December 31, 1916.)

(The parentheses are written by miriam berg.)

Back to Table of Contents
APPENDIX IX. History of Quaker House

Quaker House was purchased in 1959 with the intention of demolishing it along
with the meeting house and erecting a new building with a large meeting room,
more space for children's education, off-street parking, and apartments on the
second floor for elderly Friends. The Education building was built in 1960 as
a preliminary step in this plan, with the design of its being incorporated into
the new structure. The plans for this structure are still in our files.

In 1961, however, Ralph and Maude Powell came here to live in Quaker House with
the understanding that they would live there for the rest of their lives. They
acted as caretakers, gracious hosts, and calendar keepers for the Meeting.

With the passage of the years it became clear that the original plan of tearing
down Quaker House and the Meeting house was no longer the desire of the Meeting,
and we concentrated our resources on bringing those two old buildings up to code
so that we could enjoy them for many more years and also keep the Powells living
in Quaker House. No meeting has been so blessed with a resident couple as
Berkeley Meeting was with Ralph and Maude Powell.

Ralph Powell died in 1976 after an automobile accident. In 1983 we realized
that Maude Powell needed in-home living assistance; she had been helped by her
grandson and his wife, but they were leaving. The Meeting started to look for
other live-in help to take on the chores that Maude was no longer able to do,
either for herself or the Meeting. Before such persons were found, Maude moved
to Friends House in Santa Rosa. The Meeting then decided to find caretaker-hosts
to carry on the work that the Powells had done for so long. Maude herself passed
away in 1987, ending an era in Berkeley Meeting's history.

An ad hoc committee appointed by Ministry and Oversight and representing
Property, Finance, and Ministry and Oversight was assigned to interview applicants
and make recommendations to M&O. M&O then took the recommendations to monthly
meeting for approval.

The first resident host-caretakers were Laura Magnani, Eric Moon, and
Zachary Magnani Moon.

The Meeting established an ad hoc committee consisting of the clerk of
the Meeting, the clerk of Property committee, the treasurer, and, for continuity,
the clerk of Property committee (at the time these arrangements were developed,
Mary Ellen McNelly, now Anna Lucas). This committee functioned as a support
group and grievance committee for the first hosts. When Eric left, the committee
chose as assistant hosts Marilyn Miller and Gazella. When they left, Laura and
the committee chose Nancy and Mike O'Sullivan. When they left, Laura and the
committee chose Richard Berryman as assistant. After a year, Laura asked to
become the assistant and Richard Berryman became the resident host-caretaker,
with Laura still present acting as assistant. All of these changes were reported
and approved by Ministry and Oversight. After Laura left, Eric Reed was chosen
as the next assistant resident.

In 1992 it was decided by Ministry and Oversight that the subcommittee
should be a regular subcommittee of itself. For a few years the membership of
the subcommittee continued to be ex-officio, composed of the clerk of the meeting,
the treasurer, the clerk of Property committee, and an appointee from Ministry
and Oversight. Eventually it was decided to have all the members of the
subcommittee appointed by Ministry and Oversight for three-year terms. The
subcommittee reports regularly to Ministry and Oversight.

Back to Table of Contents
APPENDIX X. Some History of First Day School

The size of the child population of Berkeley Meeting has varied from
one small class to six classes of children from kindergarten through
high school. Around 1950 one class met in the library. Later, the
downstairs was developed to provide 2-3 classrooms. The Education
Building was built to meet the needs of classes during the time of a
large child population, the "baby boom."

Until about 1969 First Day School met from 10-11 a.m. with the
following classes and curricula:

Kindergarten
1st and 2nd grades - New Testament
3rd and 4th grades - Old Testament
5th and 6th grades - Quakers, varied
Junior high - Other religions
Senior high - Met at various times and places

During this period an adult discussion group met at the same time.
From 11 a.m. until noon a volunteer showed films to the children who
were not ready to go to Meeting.

In 1969, First Day School began to meet from 11 to 12 during the
meeting for worship. Since that time the First Day School Committee,
together with parents and children from kindergarten through 6th, has
met at the beginning of the year and decided what they wanted to do.
Rather than assigning the program to teachers, the committee, parents,
and children took most of the responsibility, meeting during the year
only as need arose.

Periodically, there has been a program for children to visit in the
home of a member of the Meeting once a month in order to become better
acquainted with Friends and their backgrounds. On the remaining First
Days, a regular program continued.

For a long time First Day School took place from 11:15 to noon.
Children spent the first 15 minutes in meeting for worship with
adults. The advantage of that schedule was that the children all came
to class at the same time. Late arriving adults waited for the
children to leave and found a seat. Now for several years children
have come into the meeting about 11:45 or 11:50. The advantage of this
schedule is that they enter a more gathered meeting, hear some vocal
ministry, and are there during introductions. They often report on
what they did during their class.

Other past or continuing activities include:
the children have sent out a newsletter;
from 1970 to 1972 two high school age Friends sponsored a Junior high
group in Quaker House or elsewhere;
in the eighties, a group for young adolescent girls was started. It
grew into a teen group for both sexes, monitored by an adult
committee.

From 1975 to 1977 a separate children's meeting for worship was held
each Sunday, 11:00 to 11:10. Then children went to classes, two
classes in 75-76, one class in 76-77. The curriculum in 75-76 dealt
with living skills, relating to others, dealing with emotions, such as
love, anger, thankfulness, etc. In 76-77 the curriculum dealt with
Bible stories and Friends' traditions. Some service projects were done
in both years: trick-or-treat for UNICEF, Christmas sharing, gifts.
Special events included a St. Nicholas Day party at the Marinissens,
Easter Egg hunt at the Hortons, end of school year picnics, and
beginning of school year breakfasts.

In 1977-78 classes were divided into two groups, kindergarten through
2nd grades and 3rd through 6th grades. The older group studied Quaker
history, performing several short plays for the whole Meeting. The
younger group studied Quaker values and traditions. Home visitation
once a month was reinstitute. Teachers took turns of one or more
months duration. David Leonard was moved to teach Quaker history for
seven months. Friends General Conference materials were purchased to
assist teachers in planning their program. Special celebrations
include a traditional German style Christmas Eve with the Leppmanns, a
Seder with Betty Bacon, a family picnic day.

More recently curricula covered subjects related to Quaker
testimonies, including the newer Unity with Nature, peace issues,
Quaker history. FGC materials have been used somewhat, but more often
teachers develop their own lesson plans and activities. Each year
there are some service projects.

Currently, attendance varies from 2 to about 8 children from
kindergarten through 4th or 5th grades. The junior high age children
are not attending very much.

A thriving older teen group met regularly in Quaker House until 1998.

Curriculum for 1997-98 was based on Children around the world. It
included creation myths from many cultures and creation stories by the
children, a Christmas play, a unit on children in wartime with fund
raising to help Bosnian children. The plan for 1998-99 is to study
stories from the New Testament in the fall. Application of old values
to the present will follow. Crafts, dramatizations, and activity will
be included. Our main problems at this time are the usual: irregular
attendance, staggered arrival of children. Meeting seems to like to
hear from the children during announcements.