Travel Procedure for Members
of the Religious Education Committee
Friends General Conference Religious Education Committee

Although not all of us do formal visits or present workshops, we agree that all of us, as we speak with others about religious education, are in a sense doing the work of this committee.

Process for filing requests for visitors and workshops

  1. When a request comes to the office, often the staff and clerk can determine who should be sent. In the past, Committee members wrote what topics they felt comfortable facilitating. We need to keep an updated list.

  2. When a Committee member receives a request to make a visit and/or give a workshop and will need financial assistance, the member should take it to the clerk and staff. If no financial support is needed, the clerk and staff should still be notified because the Religious Education Committee offers a variety of support including a travel minute sent by the clerk, printed materials to give as a gift to the host meeting, prayer support, and the names of other FGC representative who may be present. It the member is unclear whether or not she or he is the right person to respond to this request, and there is time, it should be put in the agenda of the next Religious Education Committee meeting. If there is inadequate time the clerk and staff, and others they ask, should help discern who should be sent.

  3. In any event, when a member of the Religious Education Committee makes a visit or gives a presentation or workshop, there should be a travel minute sent by the Committee clerk, a written report to the Committee after the visit, and the travel minute with its written comments/endorsement by those visited should be returned to the clerk at our next meeting.

  4. It is useful to have a companion on a visit, either another member of the Religious Education Committee, someone from FGC, a person from the place being visited, or some other suitable Friend.

(We have not yet built into this situation a way to discern if the person is doing the work of the Religious Education Committee in a way we feel comfortable with having it done.)

Process for Dealing with a Leading to Visit Certain Friends or Meetings.

  1. Although a leading may arise at any time or place, there are several things to bear in mind.

      •   a true leading will persist over time

      •   it will bring joy

      •   the one led will be able to let go of the ultimate outcome (i.e. lack of ego involvement)

      •   way will open

  2. We assume that unless there are mitigating circumstances, the leading should be tested in the member’s home monthly meeting, and ongoing clearness and support should be provided there.

  3. A member who feels she or he has a leading to travel should test it in her or his local meeting. She would then send to the clerk and staff a written account of the leading and how it has been discerned thus far.

  4. A small clearness committee is named by the Religious Education committee to work with the person who has a leading. (It is helpful to explore how the person understands God at work within her or him.)

  5. The clearness committee reports back to the Religious Education Committee by the First Month meeting so funds can budgeted for the following fiscal year. The clearness committee should bring the request for funding to the Religious Education Committee. Fortunately, now our budget is generous enough and flexible enough that, for unusual circumstances, money may be available in a current year.

  6. If it seems right to proceed, a support committee is named to continue working with the individual as the leading becomes clearer and way begins to open.

Travel Procedures for Members of the Religious Education Committee, page 2

  7. It is helpful for the support committee and others on the Religious Education Committee to encourage local Friends to attend workshops or meetings planned by the visitor, to invite and encourage local Friends to attend workshops or meetings planned by the visitor, to invite additional invitations while the visitor is in the area, and so on. Additional support is given by the Religious Education Committee in the form of prayers, printed materials to give as a gift to the host meeting(s), and other ways as might become apparent.

  8. The clerk will prepare a traveling minute in advance for approval at the meeting of the Religious Education Committee preceding the travel, if time allows. The minute shall be carried with the visitor, who should request that comments be written on it at each place visited. It shall be returned to the clerk of the Religious Education Committee to be read and minuted at the next meeting.

      9.         After the visit, the visitor shall prepare a written report and also make an oral report if such is requested by the Religious Education Committee.