12 Members, Term: 4 years. Reports monthly. Hosts in September and Homecoming.
Generally meets monthly. For reasons of confidentiality, service on this committee is limited to members of Newtown Meeting. The following persons are also members of Care and Counsel, ex-officio: Clerk, Assistant Clerk of Meeting, and a representative of the Financial Oversight Committee.
Purpose
Newtown Care & Counsel committee attends to the wellbeing of the meeting community and provides pastoral care for members and regular attenders who have physical, emotional, financial and/or spiritual needs by listening, providing emotional support and the care listed below. In addition, the committee is responsible for clearness for membership and marriage and outreach to inactive members.
Pastoral care includes:
A. Care of members in need, including referrals to community resources;
- Visits home-bound members and frequent attenders, as well as the ill or bereaved;
- Keeps in touch with inactive distant and local adult members;
- Sends cards or notes to members at times of significant lifetime events, including births, illness, loss, graduations and other personal challenges;
- Coordinates meals and other support in times of need;
- Maintains and delivers the Healing Quilts to those in need of comfort;
- Coordinates with Inreach/Outreach Committee regarding care of attenders;
- Arranges transportation to MFW when needed and possible.
- Provides Clearness Committees and active consideration before presentation to Monthly Meeting of all applications for membership, releases and transfers;
- Welcomes and introduces new members;
- Does outreach to Associate members who have turned 21.
- Maintains contact with young adult members;
- Reviews Recorder’s report for accuracy;
- Emergency preparedness: Care and Counsel will maintain a list of those who might need additional assistance before or after a weather emergency. Care and Counsel (with the Recorder) will maintain a map of member residences so that people who might be affected by a localized emergency (such as a power outage) can be contacted;
- Appoints Committees of Clearness for all marriages under the care of the Meeting; assists and advises in appointing a marriage committee, accomplishing the marriage, if requested, and maintains marriage reference materials. See A Quaker Marriage.
- Appoints Clearness Committees as requested/needed to assist Friends with issues that arise in their lives or within the meeting.
- Plans and conducts (in collaboration with Worship & Ministry) Circles of Care as requested.
- Presents Hicks prints to members and frequent attenders who turned 21 on Christmas Eve, refreshments.
- Present flowers to babies born in last year to members (or grandparent members) on Easter.
- Assist members in applying for financial and other assistance from Quaker sources or through the NMM Friends in Need fund*. (ie Quaker Aging Resources, John Martin Trust, Case Management, Counseling)
B. The committee is responsible for the oversight of the following activities:
a. Assists Recorder with Membership Directory, as needed.
b. Organizes September opening brunch and Homecoming refreshments.
c. Maintains supply of Meeting plates and Hicks prints. (Library supplies Faith & Practice, letterhead is printed on demand.)
d. Collect a list of babies born in the past year and home-based members at Easter- given flowers. Maintain list of Associate members and 21 year olds (from Recorder).
e. Report to Meeting for Business as needed and present annual report in December.
*The Friends In Need Fund “provides help to members* of the meeting in need of financial aid as funds available to the Committee permit. C&C also encourages Friends to contribute to the “Newtown Friends in Need Trust” (a separate endowed fund of the Meeting).” *and long term active attenders in special circumstances. Examples might be rent assistance while displaced by a fire or assistance with medical bills.
Click here for C&C Procedures
Rev 2.26