Committees

Providence Meeting Committees

Having no paid ministry, members and attenders of the Meeting keep it functioning and vibrant through our involvement on committees. The current membership of committees is posted on the bulletin board of the meetinghouse. If there is a committee that you would like to join, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee.

Care and Counsel Committee provides pastoral care of the Meeting membership, when requested, and is interested in the spiritual and physical well being of individual members. The Committee responds to inquiries for membership, reviews transfers, and establishes clearness committees on matters of membership, marriage, or other specific requests for assistance from members and non-members. Members and attenders are warmly invited to speak with any of the Committee members for assistance.

Childcare Committee coordinates childcare providers during meeting for worship and during special events. It serves as the oversight committee for designated childcare givers and serves as a liaison between staff and parents.

Communications Committee coordinates the various channels by which members of the Meeting community communicate with each other. These include the newsletter, mailings, the calendar of events & activities, the website, e-mail, and the bulletin boards in the meetinghouse. The Committee also coordinates the publication of the Meeting directory, which is designed to provide contact information on members and attenders as well as information on the Meeting’s committees and history.

Finance/Scholarship Committee prepares the annual budget of the Meeting, makes recommendations for managing various funds, and solicits contributions in support of the budget. It also considers requests to help support tuition for members’ children at Quaker schools and for adult attendance at Quaker conferences.

Graveyard Committee manages the maintenance and operation of the graveyard by issuing certificates of ownership, assisting families and burial services in finding lots and burial sites, and handling paperwork to confirm burial records for the state. In performing its duties, the Committee coordinates upkeep of the graveyard with the Property Committee.

Landscape Committee is responsible for the care and maintenance of trees and other plantings around the Meeting’s grounds. The Committee also works to define standards for maintaining the aesthetic and historic character of the Meeting’s landscape plantings. The Landscape Committee cooperates with the Property and Graveyard Committees in the overall upkeep of the grounds.

Library Committee cares for the Meeting’s collection of books, selects and acquires new books to keep the library current, and provides information about the library to encourage its use by both members and attenders.

Memorial Committee extends the sympathy of the Meeting to families at the time of death. The Committee guides arrangements for a memorial meeting for worship, if one is requested.

Nominating Committee proposes names of persons to serve as officers and members of committees of the Meeting and seeks to bring each member into the service of the Meeting.

Peace and Social Action Committee seeks to serve our 300-year-old Peace Testimony by connecting Meeting concerns with wider Quaker and global human concerns about war, violence, exploitation and repression, using resources which educate, spiritually enrich, and help us to network and act where necessary with other religious and non-religious groups which share our non-violent values and methods of reaching our goals.

Program and Outreach Committee nurtures newcomers and offers programs in order to share Quaker information and experiences with the larger community. The committee plans events such as covered-dish suppers, arranges volunteers for coffee hour after meeting for worship, and encourages small social gatherings for meals and discussion in members’ homes.

Property Committee keeps the meetinghouse and grounds in good order. With Monthly Meeting approval, the committee arranges for repair and replacement of the Meeting’s property. The committee works cooperatively with the Landscape and Graveyard Committees to ensure uniformity in the upkeep of the entire Meeting property.

Religious Education conducts First Day School, the Meeting’s religious education program for children. The committee also carries out the Meeting’s concern to develop pathways to spiritual discovery and to promote knowledge and understanding of the faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends among teen and adult members.

Trustees manage and control the assets and operation of the Meeting corporation. The charter of Providence Meeting provides for seven trustees, who must be members of the Meeting. Officers are appointed at an annual meeting of the Trustees. All members of Providence Monthly Meeting are automatically members of the Corporation.

Worship and Ministry maintains the spiritual life of the Meeting, the quality of the meeting for worship, and the religious development of its members. Members of the Committee seek to deepen their own preparation for religious service and to share their experiences with others in the Meeting. They encourage and support others in their efforts to be sensitive to divine promptings and to share them at Meeting, and endeavor to provide opportunities for reflection and preparation outside of and in support of weekly meeting for worship. Seekers and members facing religious problems are encouraged to contact members of this Committee.