There is Still a Great People to be Gathered!
A Collection of Thoughts about Outreach
By Jan Greene, New York Yearly Meeting

How well do we understand the origins, evolution and current state of Quakerism, and its relationships to other faiths? How well can we articulate our understanding? Is joy the missing ingredient in modern Quakerism? Are our meetings a climate where people can grow spiritually? Does our faith touch our lives daily in a process of continuous conversion? Or have we gotten stuck, enjoying meeting as a cozy place where we are not bothered by the forgotten persons of the wider society?

Why have we been reluctant to share our faith? Has our message lost its value? Certainly not. How is it then that Friends retreated from a very active, prophetic kind of outreach, making their beliefs public at the risk of life, limb, and liberty, to our current position where outreach is low on our list of priorities, even actively opposed by some? For when we place a low priority on outreach we suggest either that our message isn't that important, or that somehow the rest of the world couldn't appreciate it, or that Quakerism is only for the select few.
         - Outreach Handbook of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

What Do We Mean By Outreach?
         Outreach is the natural result of the second great commandment that we love our neighbors as ourselves. It grows out of the spiritual attitude of caring and can take many forms, limited only by our imagination. It results from the actions of individuals and of meetings.
         Outreach is the relationship with a neighbor which makes that neighbor want to visit 'the church from which you get your friendliness'-it is the sign Gwynedd Meeting puts out on the highway inviting passersby to an upcoming Visitors' Day; it is the ads which State College Meeting puts in local papers telling something of what Friends believe; it is the invitation to a meal extended to a meeting visitor; and it is the attractively displayed pamphlets on the table in the meetinghouse. It is also the social action of the American Friends Service Committee; the political action of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the conflict resolution of the Friends Suburban Project, and the peace education program of a Monthly Meeting.
         Outreach can be the unconscious result of a radiant spirit and it can also be the result of carefully planned strategy and actions. It represents a concern of Friends which has been growing in our consciousness in recent years and many meetings are calling for guidance in strengthening their outreach."                  
         - Howard Bartram

"There are people who could breathe new life into our meetings and, when they do find us, this is exactly what happens. But for every one who finds Friends, there are ten (a hundred? a thousand?) who drive past our meetinghouses, talk with us in our workplaces, save their Susan B. Anthony dollars, and still don't realize that Quakers are still around."

Mary Glenn Hadley, from Friends United Meeting, advises Meetings that are concerned with growth to study their communities. What outreach programs do you presently have? What other churches are present and what services and programs do they provide? Are there needs in the community that are not being addressed that your Meeting could respond to? Are there non-spiritual interests (e.g. sports activities, classes in arts, crafts, gardening, music, etc.) that could bring unchurched people into your meetinghouse, who might, therefore, become interested in Quakerism? Are there other activities that will highlight Quakers and your Meeting so that people in your community will become aware that they have an alive and welcoming meeting in their midst?

Mary Glenn also advises Friends to take a look at our Meeting as though we are discovering it for the first time. How hard is it to find your meetinghouse? Are there signs on the roads around that show the way? Is there a clear sign at the meetinghouse that identifies it, shows the time of services, and lets people know that visitors are welcome? How does it look-clean and cared for, as though it is an important place for members and attenders? Is there adequate parking and/or public transportation? Is it clear where to park, and what door one should enter? Are visitors warmly welcomed? Mary Glenn suggested that the most important person for outreach may be the Greeter, and the best person for that position is probably your newest regular attender, who best remembers what it is like to be a new person in your meeting. One study suggests that most visitors to churches decide within the first 15 minutes whether or not they will return to that church. Do you have a guest book which has space for addresses and telephone numbers of visitors? Is there a procedure in your meeting for visitor follow-up, i.e. a timely card or letter or call, letting them know that the meeting hopes they will return? Ben Frisch suggests making a "visit" to your own Meeting, and reporting to your Meeting your observations.

Friends have always emphasized the ministry of all members and the social concerns aspect of the gospel. It is very good that many of (our) attenders are already active in a number of outreach ministries. There are, however, two major questions which we, as Friends, have not always answered well.
         The first is whether our outreach is done as charity in the social work sense, or is it done as part of an invitation to join us in the community of faith? Even when we say that we would like to be invitational, are we willing to make the changes necessary in how we "do church" for newcomers (who may be educationally or economically different from us) to feel a sense of ownership?
         The second is whether, once our members have felt impelled by God to give of themselves in service, they are upheld in their ministry by the church? Our many committees and lack of focus (may) drain energy away from ministry, and add additional management burdens onto the shoulders of those who should be in the business of ministry. Is there a process by which these outreach ministries can be authorized and blessed by the Meeting in a manner which is not stifling to the ministry or draining to the Meeting?
         - Mary Glenn Hadley

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