Friends General Conference

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How a Meeting functions

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the Inner Workings of our Meeting

Meeting for Worship forms the center of the spiritual life of the Meeting. We find immediate application of Friends practices in the Meeting for Worship for Business. It is during a Meeting for Business where practical matters are considered such as how we might support a protest against unjust circumstances in our society, what are the priorities for our Meeting's annual budget, who will work on our Web site, and whether our religious education programs are fulfilling and meeting our needs. So the Meeting for Business is a practical application of Friends' practices.

What this means is that a decision is not made by voting or majority rule. Rather, we have a desire to understand the Truth of a matter and reach Unity as a group.  Unity may sound like consensus.  Consensus is Unity's secular cousin. The differences can be subtle. Unity may include spiritual leadings and insights, listening deeply to each other and the nudging of the Spirit, as well as possibly yielding one's views to those of the group, if that is where listening to the Spirit leads us. When Unity is achieved, the Clerk of the Meeting will sumarize a Sense of the Meeting and ask for approval. "Approve" is then heard by those in attendance and a Minute is recorded that captures the decision made in Unity.  When the process is practiced in a worshipful manner, this decision-making process is very rewarding indeed.  When a Minute is approved, it is usually referred to a Committee for action. If Friends are not comfortable that the Meeting has found Unity, the proposed Minute is not approved and prayerful consideration continues.

Additional information can be found in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice, a book that covers many practical topics of interest to Friends. Copies are available at Harrisburg Friends Meeting.

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Harrisburg Monthly Meeting is member of Caln Quarter.  Caln Quarter consists of nine monthly meetings. Quarterly Meeting for Business are held each quarter of the year and consider business brought forth by monthly meetings.  Caln Quarter also organizes and annual retreat during the first weekend of each May.

Harrisburg Monthly Meeting and its members are also members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting consists of 105 monthly meetings that are organized into 13 quarters (like Caln Quarter).
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Officers in our meeting: In addition to naming clerks or co-clerks for each committee, the monthly meeting also approves a clerk, recording clerk, treasurer, and recorder to serve the entire meeting. 
Committees are the formal groups that work on behalf of the Meeting. Membership for most committee includes both Members and Attenders of the Meeting. Most committees in our Meeting have more inward-looking responsibility to care for Meeting members and attenders, to ensure we have a meaningful and worshipful environment, to provide religious education programs for our children and adults, to care for the finances and property of the Meeting, and to reach out to members and attenders and welcome them into service of the Meeting. Two of our committees have an outward focus dealing with the connections between the Meeting and the groups that use our Meetinghouse and dealing with groups and organizations of interest to Friends. A brief description of each of our committees is listed below.

In addition to committees, working groups are less formal yet still have an important role in the work of the Meeting. Working groups have formal and informal members that focus on a narrow topic or area. When that work is completed, the group is laid down.  If the working group finds the work needs to continue, then either its responsibilities become part of an existing committee or a new committee is formed. We have two working groups in our Meeting.

  • Financial Working Group: This group supports the Meeting's treasurer in various financial questions or issues that arise from time to time. Discussion of financial policies may start within this group before moving on to Stewardship Committee and the Meeting for Worship for Business.
  • Fall Retreat Working Group: This group organizes the Fall Retreat (usually occurs during the first weekend in October). It is a time when the Meeting Community gathers for an extended period of time together for a workshop, games, social time, and worship.

Financing the Meeting is primarily based on donations from members and attenders. The very practical need to pay the utilities and other bills are met from contributions. However, tithing is not required nor is a collection plate passed. People (members and attenders) contribute as they are able to meet the needs of the Meeting and the programs and causes it supports. Except for discretion around contributions (who contributes what is not shared nor discussed), nearly all other financial activities of the Meeting are openly discussed, reported on, and available for review and comment. Financial decisions are the responsibility of the corporate Meeting.

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