 November/December 2000 (XXXVIII 5) |
nterim Meeting decided in June 1997 to test whether Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's pattern of dwindling membership could be turned around by an infusion of funding through a five-year experiment. The Membership Development Support Fund was created to provide resources at the Monthly Meeting level for projects to increase and strengthen membership.
What have we learned in three years of grants for outreach and in-reach activities? A striking finding is that the most effective form of outreach is a personal invitation to meeting for worship from a Friend who knows the potential attender. First steps can be simple. Friends attract new attenders when they speak about their faith and testimonies with non-Friends in their daily lives, and show real interest in the spiritual lives of others.
Grants for basic needs such as Meeting signs, telephones and answering machines, phone book listings and newspaper advertising have in general not brought an influx of visitors saying they came because they saw the sign, or the ad in the paper or phone book. These projects raise the Meeting’s profile in the community, and in combination with other forces may draw new attenders far into the future.
Outreach that shows results in the short term is often very particular to a Meeting and its surrounding community. Successful projects often are those which begin by asking “What’s special about our Meeting; what unique talents and interests do our members possess; and what groups can we reach out to as potential new members?”
Frankford Meeting in Philadelphia identified neighborhood children and young families from the Meeting’s school as potential new members. They held a series of supper events fostering fellowship with Meeting members and focusing on topics of interest to that group such as Quaker education, respecting children, and conflict resolution. They began offering childcare during meeting for worship. In one year, adult membership increased by 10% and their First-day School increased by 130%!
Wrightstown Meeting (PA) recognized that involving teens in the Meeting will strengthen membership in the future. They developed a Teen Nights program that draws Quaker teens and their friends from many Meetings. Saturday night sleepovers are followed by participation in meeting for worship on Sunday morning. Families of new teens have become attenders as a result.
Fellowship and fun recur as themes in successful projects. Sometimes Meetings need to strengthen their members and build a more vital Meeting community first before they are ready to attract new members. Successful projects develop when they ask “What do we need as a Meeting; what would help us grow spiritually, or what would make us a stronger community?”
Sadsbury Meeting (PA) realized that because it was far from Philadelphia, its members and attenders did not feel connected to the Yearly Meeting and other Quaker organizations located there. They decided it would be a lot of fun to rent a bus, tour current and historic Quaker sites in Philadelphia, gain first-hand knowledge of the resources available to Friends, and get to know each other better. They engaged multi-talented Quaker tour guide Michael Van Hoy, encouraged others from the community and nearby Meetings to join them, filled a bus and succeeded in strengthening and increasing membership!
Bucks Quarterly Meeting (PA) challenged the “Are there still Quakers around here?” public misperception with a two-day "Quaker Heritage Celebration," an event that occurred simultaneously at every meetinghouse in the Quarter. Friends orchestrated very effective advertising and advance press coverage. Each Meeting developed its own program, and turnout was astounding. The sheer mass of Quaker presence in Bucks Quarter that weekend demonstrated that modern Quakers are alive and well. The programs showed that Friends are creative, diverse, interesting and welcoming. The message got out that Quaker history and ideals are everyone's heritage. Saturation works, if you have the energy, skills and resources to pull it off.
As we begin year four of this five-year experiment, membership in PYM has increased for the first time in at least 20 years. As Meetings evaluate their projects and share lessons learned, the Membership Development Support Granting Group hopes to understand better and report on what works, what does not, and why.
Financial resources in the form of Membership Development Support grants have contributed to increased and strengthened membership. Commitment and courage are powerful resources too. If we have the courage to share our faith and testimonies with non-Friends in our daily lives, and invite them to join us in worship on Sunday, we will engage in the most effective form of outreach! Perhaps the increase in our membership also reflects the degree to which Friends have committed to outreach as a value, and have become more enthusiastic in welcoming attenders into the life of our Meetings.
Carol Walz
Mount Holly Meeting (NJ)
PYM grant coordinator
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM