Strawberry Creek: Communications Committee

Communications Committee Job Description

I. Purpose

The purpose of the Communications Committee is to broaden and deepen our spiritual and community life by providing news and information about the Meeting, maintaining a library of books and other recorded materials, connecting with the world and wider community of Friends, and facilitating communications through the use of computer technologies, as well as printed materials. To accomplish these tasks, the committee is composed of three work groups: Electronic Communication, Library, and Newsletter.

The Electronic Communication Work Group is responsible for computer and internet resources of the Meeting, including the Meeting's web sites, web groups, and other computer resources, such as blogs and databases.

The Library Work Group supports the Meeting’s religious education by maintaining a library of books and other materials pertinent to Friends’ testimonies.

The Newsletter Work Group is responsible for publishing and distributing the Meeting's monthly newsletter.

II. Committee and Work Groups Composition

The Committee will be composed of a clerk and at least four members and/or regular attenders with a concern for Friends’ use of communication media and technology to broaden and deepen our spiritual and community life. The Electronic Communication Work Group includes individuals with a wide range of computer skills, and no one should be discouraged from service due to a lack of computer knowledge. The Meeting's Web Coordinator, Database Keeper, and Recorder serve on the Communication Committee and the Electronic Communication Work Group as ex-officio members. Library Work Group members serve as sources of information about Friends’ publications - experience with Quaker bibliography and any library experience is desirable, though not required. The Newsletter Work Group consists of a newsletter editor and one or two individuals responsible for the printing and distribution of the newsletter. Individual committee members may serve on more than one work group if they wish to do so.

III. Term length and time commitment

The term is one year, following the usual schedule of nominations from June through May, renewable. Members of this committee may spend from an hour to several hours per week, as appropriate, on a variety of tasks described below. The work groups meet either monthly or as needed. The committee as a whole meets once every three months - normally in September, December, March, and June.

IV Duties of the Communications Committee

During its quarterly meetings, the Communications Committee meets in worship to discern the communications needs of our meeting and how best to meet them. The committee also discusses and makes recommendations to Meeting about communications policies, expenses, and coordination.

Once a year the committee reads and responds to Advices and Queries, as directed by the Worship and Ministry Committee. This includes reading of the selected Advices and Queries at the Meeting for worship on the first First Day of the month and presenting the committee's responses at the Meeting for business.

V Duties of the Electronic Communication Work Group

The work group reviews current computer, web site, and Internet communications issues, including whether the publicly accessible web documents are up to date and adequately represent Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting.
The work group consults and works closely with the Care of the Meeting Community Committee and the Worship and Ministry Committee in order to carry out its mission of employing computer technologies to deepen and broaden our spiritual and community life. Work group members will work together to decide what activities may best assist community members to adopt uses of computer technologies that could deepen and broaden the spiritual life of the Meeting.
In consultation with the Recorder, Newsletter Work Group, Database Keeper, LibraryWork Group, and others, the work group determines how to enhance and maintain relevant meeting documents and archival materials. Archival materials may include writings on Quaker history and spirituality, the annual meeting calendar, newsletters, State of the Meeting reports, documents distributed at meeting for business, and minutes of meetings for business. The group works particularly closely with the Meeting's Recorder, because several of these electronic files will be official second copies of the Meeting's historical records, and the Recorder will be concerned that these documents are stored appropriately.
Work group members with appropriate skills help Friends to access electronic documents and archives.
The work group considers ways to make web groups more useful and easier to use.
The work group members provide basic information about connecting to web groups, sending email messages to groups, and controlling the frequency of email delivery.
When possible, work group members make themselves available to teach and consult with others about use of Strawberry Creek Meeting computer and software tools.
The work group publicizes the Strawberry Creek Meeting web pages, web groups, and related Internet resources via the newsletter, bulletin boards, and periodic verbal announcements.
The work group makes electronic information, such as web pages, content postings, email discussions, applications, and announcements, available to meeting members who lack computer access and want to have such information via printed materials and summaries.
The work group reports to the business meetings, as needed, about how our meeting and its committees are using computers and how those uses enhance or detract from the life of the Meeting.
The work group reviews web site content to make sure that it is presented in a manner that accurately reflects the Meeting, is useful to readers, and is suitable for electronic media -- particularly web pages and other materials that are available to the general public.
The work group communicates and implements the Meeting's policies regarding how electronic tools are used and moderated.
The work group develops and supervises rigorous privacy and security policies.
The work group develops and disseminates recommendations about appropriate use of our email list, web pages, and other communications.
The work group provides support to the Web Coordinator with her/his duties to monitor Meeting web groups and listservers and enforce policies for appropriate use.
The work group helps the Web Coordinator to determine who is appropriate to join and participate in Meeting web groups and listservers and on taking appropriate action in situations of improper use that may include removing or banning a participant.

VI. Duties of the Library Work Group

Work group members maintain the Library cart and are responsible for the check-out and check-in materials.
Work group members respond to seekers’ inquiries.
The work group orders materials for Adult and Children’s Education and requests Meeting budget support for those purchases.
The work group maintains a catalog of materials for safekeeping, organization, and retrieval. This includes developing an electronic database that is accessible to all and locating overdue materials so that others might use them.
The work group publicizes contents of the library collection to increase awareness of these materials by the Meeting community. This may include announcements at the rise of meeting, postings to the Meeting bulletin board, and reviews and articles in the Meeting's newsletter and web sites.
The work group develops collaborations with neighboring meetings to share resources and encourage mutual use of materials.

VII. Duties of the Newsletter Work Group

The newsletter editor word processes and formats the monthly meeting newsletter, working with the other members of the group to print and distribute the copies to the Meeting community. The editor maintains the Meeting calendar and works with the Web Coordinator in publishing the calendar and meeting news on the Meeting's web site at http://strawberrycreek.quaker.org. The editor works with committee clerks and representatives in the scheduling of meeting events.

The monthly newsletter is published eleven times per year, with a combined summer edition that includes the seventh and eighth months. Deadline for submissions is on the last First Day prior to the next month's edition. The newsletter normally includes:

monthly calendar of events
items contributed by meeting members and attenders
advices and queries for the month
minutes of Meeting for Business prepared by the Recording Clerk
other meeting documents, such as the State of the Society Report, Nominating Committee nomination lists, and other committee reports
other contributions, such as letters and announcements from other monthly meetings, College Park Quarterly Meeting, and Pacific Yearly Meeting

The paper version of the newsletter is photocopied and delivered to Meeting for Worship at least one week prior to the monthly meeting for business. Friends who do not retrieve a paper copy at Meeting for Worship receive a copy in the mail. Friends may opt to receive the newsletter by e-mail. Electronic versions are formatted in plain text (TXT) and Portable Document Format (PDF) for e-mailing and posting to the Meeting's web group. Extra copies of the paper version are placed on the information table.

The distribution team coordinates with the Database Keeper to generate postal address labels for the paper version and e-mail addresses for the electronic version. The group maintains the newsletter mailing list, which is distinct from the Meeting Directory.

Newcomers and visitors are invited to receive the newsletter for three months when signing the Meeting's guestbook. The Newsletter Work Group checks the guestbook at least once each month for people requesting to receive the newsletter. At the end of the trial period, the distribution team sends a letter advising the subscription will end unless the recipient asks that the subscription continue. If there is no response to the letter, the subscription is dropped from the mailing list.

VI. Committee Records

The Committee will maintain a set of records that include its job description, calendar of activities, reports to Business Meeting, and other materials as needed.

VII. History

Previously Electronic Communication and Resources (ECAR), Library, and Newsletter functioned as separate committees. ECAR was originally created as a subcommittee under the care of Oversight Committee, and the subcommittee’s job description was presented at business meeting on 5-9-04. The ECAR job description was updated on 3-12-06.

Strawberry Creek MeetingRELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS