Background: Inreach is about meeting the spiritual needs of the people who are already part of your meeting community. It is about nurturing a spiritual community where individuals are connected to each other and to God, Spirit, Light, or That Which Is Eternal. As a result, people feel supported in their faith. Inreach also helps meetings grow. Visitors who walk through your doors can sense the vitality, spiritual depth, and connection you share. Because of this, some may think, “Ah yes, this could be my spiritual home.”
This activity invites Friends to consider what it takes to grow and sustain spiritual community. Together, the group will create a plan for offering inreach activities that deepen connections with one another and with Spirit.
Plan for this discussion to take about 30 minutes. Afterward, the Adult Religious Education Committee or an ad hoc inreach group may find it helpful to schedule another meeting. During that meeting, they can create an inreach plan based on what was shared in this conversation.
Begin: Invite the group to settle and enter into worship.
Introduce the topic: Take a moment to think about what it means to build spiritual community. What practices, activities, or ways of being together help create a strong spiritual community?
Write the questions below on flipchart paper and collect answers as shared by the group:
What is required to build or deepen spiritual community? What does inreach (spiritual deepening) look like in a meeting?
[Possible responses: trust and vulnerability, time for worship, openness to grace, opportunities to share spiritual journeys, personal spiritual practices, exploring Quaker faith and practice, authenticity, supporting one another through struggles, sharing vulnerability, building connection, accepting growing pains, developing real friendships, and making time for fun….]
Note: Many of these practices reflect the characteristics of a healthy meeting. By making time for these connections and intentionally inviting Spirit into shared activities, your meeting can strengthen relationships. In addition, Friends can grow through shared spiritual experiences.
Ask: What types of inreach opportunities would we like to experience together as a meeting?
On flipchart paper, collect answers as shared by the group. You may mention the range of opportunities that this toolkit includes, such as book discussion groups, 30-
60 minute whole-meeting activities offered on Sundays before or after worship,
intergenerational activities, small groups for sharing and explore spiritual practices, Bible Study groups, exploring Quaker faith and practice, one-on-one Spiritual Friendships, more frequent retreat/renewal time together, or mid-week worship opportunities.
By the end of this conversation, Friends will have a clear picture of the inreach opportunities they want to share together. They will also understand what best fits their lives and availability so they can create a custom inreach plan.
Note to Inreach Committees: To encourage spiritual deepening and relationship building, it’s important to start all inreach activities with worship, to agree to shared norms of confidentiality, to meet in the same small groups for a period of time (6 weeks to 3 months), and to create multiple opportunities to share personal stories.