riends who travel as volunteers for the FGC Traveling Ministries Program (TMP) carry with them FGC letters of travel. Many, if not most, also carry a traditional minute of travel from their own meetings. Both letters indicate that a clearness process has been used in determining the rightness for the Friend to travel in the ministry. The TMP, however, makes a clear distinction between the letter of travel it provides and the traditional travel minute issued by a meeting. The issuing of a travel minute is the responsibility of the monthly or yearly meeting where the Friends holds membership. It indicates the meeting is in unity with the Friend and that the Friend is called to travel in the ministry. It also indicates a commitment by the meeting that it will provide continuing care and require accountability from the Friend as long as the leading to travel in the ministry continues. While the TMP does do follow-up with its volunteers, the TMP cannot give the same kind of support that a meeting can offer, nor does it want to duplicate that meeting's responsibility.

Both letters also serve as ways to introduce and commend to the visited meeting's care the traveling Friend, explain the reasons for the visit, and extend loving greetings. They provide both a means for the visited meeting to return greetings and a way to indicate if the Friend has been faithful in his/her service. This is accomplished when the clerk of the visited meeting endorses the minute or letter on behalf of that meeting.

Members of the Traveling Ministries Committee have been blessed to receive endorsements that have expressed loving appreciation for the visits by TMP volunteers. A representative sample has been selected to share with Friends (see below). The names of the visitors and meetings have been removed so that Friends can focus on the words and work of the Spirit. Endorsements will also be posted on the TMP page of www.fgcquaker.org where there is an article explaining the use of traveling minutes and letters of travel in more detail.

Responses from different meetings to the Traveling Ministries Program after receiving a visitor. "The visiting Friend encouraged us to speak of our experiences of the Divine and to listen to others with tenderness. As a group which does not customarily share at this depth,we were challenged, but found the experience one which helped us see ourselves and others in a new light." "We enjoyed their insight and reflections in our worship sharing group on peacemaking and the United Nations." "We much appreciated this Friend's insightful ministry, her stories,her keen interest in us, her ability to listen and reflect back." "We are grateful for their affirming presence, as some of us often feel isolated as Friends. They were a great help developing and initiating a worship-sharing program at the state penitentiary. This was a major step in realizing the fulfillment of a two-year leading." "It was wonderful to hear Christ's name and message brought into this time of sharing." "The visiting Friend's open and disciplined process and queries helped our meeting come together and share our spiritual longings and hopes for community together." "We have been faced with issues that we needed to address and that we had not come to terms with.This Friend's insight has helped us find some clarity about these issues of spiritual community." "They brought with them a candle from their home meeting which was lit during our final worship together, and we felt your presence supporting them and us as we seek to create a more loving community here."

 

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