Getting More Involved

University Friends Meeting publishes 

• a monthly newsletter, Gleamings, to the Google Group gleamings@ufmseattle.org; 

• a weekly newsletter, First Day Bulletin, to the Google Group first-day-bulletin@ufmseattle.org and 

• a mailing list, Announcements, to the Google Group announcements@ufmseattle.org.  

In addition, we publish 

• preparatory materials for our Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business  to the Google Group monthly-meeting-materials@ufmseattle.org,

• final minutes of our Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business to the Google Group, monthly-meeting-final-minutes@ufmseattle.org,

• an annual State of the Meeting Report to the Google Group state-of-the-meeting-final-reports@ufmseattle.org, and 

• Minutes, statements by UFM on matters we care deeply about, to the Google Group minutes@ufmseattle.org.

You can use any of the following three ways to sign up:

• Request to join via Google Groups: Bulletin Group, Gleamings Group, Announcements Group, Monthly Meeting Final Minutes Group, Monthly Meeting Materials Group, State of the Meeting Report Group, Minutes Group.

• Fill in your name and e-mail address on the sign-up sheet by the office door

• Email a request to office@ufmseattle.org

Adult Religious Education is on hiatus for July and August. Sessions will resume in September.

To Join a Committee

To get involved in a committee, contact Nominating Submissions with your interests.  

Committee Descriptions

Adult Religious Education

Plans First Day 9:30 a.m. discussion hours.

Arts

Arranges art shows in Meetinghouse and fosters the creative spirit in UFM.

Care and Counsel (*)

Provides pastoral care of Meeting. Oversees marriages, memorials and memberships.

Care Subcommittee

A subcommittee of Care and Counsel which oversees care committees formed to assist members and attenders of Meeting.

Community Building

Develops opportunities for new and longstanding members of Meeting to get to know one another and to build a strong sense of community.  Sign up to host coffee and treats on Sundays here.

Coordinating

Consists of the Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Recording Clerk, Treasurer, and representatives of all Meeting committees. Prepares agenda for Business Meeting.

Education

Education Committee provides childcare and activities for children and young people of the Meeting community.

Facilities

Maintains building and grounds. Serves as chief liaison with facilities manager and caretaker.

Finance

Works with the Treasurer to manage finances of Meeting.

Gardening

Spend some time once a week keeping up the plants around the Meeting House.

Junior Friends Advisers

Work with teenagers of Meeting, approximately once a month.

Library

Buys and keeps track of books and publications for reference and circulation.

Nominating

Ascertains interests of Meeting member and attenders and consults with officers and committee clerks to recommend people to fill UFM positions.

Peace and Social Concerns

Seasons Friends’ concerns for peace and social justice and refers to Monthly Meeting. Current focus on homelessness.

Personnel

Works with appropriate committees to hire employees and oversees relationship between Meeting and its paid employees.

Scholarship

Works with UW Finance Office to select scholarship recipients. Disburses Educational Trust.

Worship and Ministry (*)

Fosters and strengthens the spiritual life of Meeting by nurturing Meeting for Worship and the spiritual growth of individuals in Meeting.

Worship Group Oversight

Consists of representatives of UFM and worship groups with responsibility for communications with oversight of worship groups under UFM’s care.

Officers and Representatives

Clerk (*): Conducts Meeting for Worship for Business, responsible for overall well-being of Meeting.

Recording Clerk: Prepares minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business and Coordinating Committee.

Statistical Clerk: Prepares and keeps records of membership.

Treasurer:  Oversees receipt and disbursement of all funds along with the bookkeeping.

Representative to the Church Council: Represents UFM with Church Council of Greater Seattle.

Representative to NPYM (North Pacific Yearly Meeting) Steering Committee: Participates in decision-making for North Pacific Yearly Meeting, report to/from UFM; meets 3 Saturdays in Portland, meets twice at Annual Session in August.

Representative to NPYM Ministry and Oversight (*): Requires experience with Worship and Ministry/Oversight. Meets once in May plus works during Annual Session during August.

Representative to PNQM (Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting) Continuing Committee: Conducts ongoing work of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting, reports to/from UFM; meets at Quarterly Meeting in September and April and once in winter.

Representative to FCWPP (Friends Committee on Washington State Public Policy): FCWPP lobbies for Quaker concerns. Meets at Quarterly Meeting in September and April and once in late fall.

Contact for FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation): Facilitates communication between UFM and Friends Committee on National Legislation regarding national issues of concern to Quakers; serves ex officio on Peace and Social Concerns Committee.

Contact for AFSC (American Friends Service Committee): Facilitates communication between UFM and American Friends Service Committee regarding issues of peace and justice; ex officio on Peace and Social Concerns Committee.

NOTE: * = Must be a member of Religious Society of Friends to serve in these positions.

Although the Meeting provides a regular childcare worker, our safety policy requires that a second adult should always be present. Your participation provides safety to the children as well as an opportunity to meet other people in the worship community. A background check is necessary. Please give your name, address and date of birth to our  office manager: office@ufmseattle.org or (206) 547-6449 Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/EcEAUwz 

Social Hour is making a comeback! 

For now, we will be gathering in the courtyard and hope to move back into the social hall when appropriate.

The new-and-improved Social Hour will look a little different:

1. If folks sign up and make coffee, Great! Yay and Thank You! If they don't, there will be no coffee.

2. Social hour will only be scheduled on 1st and 3rd Sundays for the time being as we experiment with its return. Sign-up times are available for the rise of both in-person worships.

3. If you've never set up for social hour or made a giant pot of coffee at UFM, consider asking someone who is signed up if you can help them and learn.

4. Clean-up is part of the duty for whoever signs up! Consider asking a friend to help lighten the load. (Washing dishes will not be part of clean-up as we will be using compostable cups for the foreseeable future.)

5. Baked goods are not a requirement, but we all know how appreciated they can be. If you feel led to provide any munchables, please do so. If you don't, we are still grateful for the beverages and your time.

6. Kristina Bartleson will be doing the purchasing of supplies, so please let Kristina know if you notice anything running low. 

Use this sign-up form to help set up, clean up, and provide any snacks or sweets you are moved to bring.

Thank you for signing up to help!

We meet monthly in a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business to consider the variety of concerns that face us as a corporate body. These include such things as participation in community and world affairs and requests for membership. The Meeting for Business is guided by the Meeting Clerk and proceeds according to Quaker tradition, with no action taken unless our prayerful consideration leads us to unity.  For more information about Quaker decision making, read our Clerking Workshop Handout  or pick a Quaker process book to read from our Clerking Workshop Resources Handout.  You can also read Sacred Decisions: Consensus in Faith Communities written by a member of our community to understand how we make decisions.

Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business convenes out of silent worship around 11:30 on second Sundays and closes with an opportunity for conversation over a light lunch

The "book of discipline" that Quakers use, called Faith & Practice, is written and published (and periodically revised) by each yearly meeting, comprised of multiple affiliated monthly meetings like ours. Since UFM is affiliated with North Pacific Yearly Meeting (NPYM), we use NPYM's Faith and Practice, available for free on the NPYM website (in both html and pdf form), for purchase in paperback ($18) from Western Friend, or in ebook form ($7-$8) for Kindle on Amazon and for ePub readers on Barnes & Noble and Kobo.    

University Friends Meeting maintains a library with a collection of over 1,400 books and other materials relevant to Quakers, including periodicals and Pendle Hill Pamphlets, which provide short essays on various aspects of Quaker thought and practice.

You can view our online catalog here. 

We also welcome you to drop by and browse before or after our regular worship hours on Sundays. 

For more information about visiting the UFM Library or reserving books online, please email the Library Committee. 

North Pacific Yearly Meeting (NPYM)

University Friends Meeting is part of Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting (PNQM), which includes Friends Meetings in Washington and Northern Idaho. The Quarterly Meeting gathers for retreats and sharing twice a year, in the spring and autumn.

Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting, along with Montana Quarterly Meeting and Willamette Quarterly Meeting (Oregon), make up North Pacific Yearly Meeting. NPYM is an independent Quaker denomination, not affiliated with any national organization of yearly meetings. NPYM meets once a year, usually in July, for fellowship and business.

For more information about NPYM or the Monthly Meetings and Quarterly Meetings which are part of NPYM visit their website at North Pacific Yearly Meeting.

Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting (PNQM)

Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting of Meetings and worship groups meets in the Fall and Spring of each year at the Lazy F Camp, near Ellensburg in Central Washington. The program begins on Friday evening and ends with lunch on Sunday. Responsibility for planning and registration rotates among the Monthly Meetings of the Quarter. Forms and more information are available at the University Friends Meeting by the office and by visiting the PNQM website.