Policy on Funding for Individual Spiritual Activities

Approved 10 November 2002

Salmon Bay Meeting recognizes the important role that spiritual enrichment activities can play in the life of the Meeting. Through sending our members to enrichment sessions or sponsoring their ministry and service activities, we broaden what we offer our members and attenders and thus increase the spiritual depth of our Meeting. We recognize the role that enrichment can play in growing leaders, in retaining our young people and in supporting our members and attenders in their leadings. Through providing support for enrichment activities, we hope that our Light will be articulated to a wider audience and that our connection to the wider Quaker community and the community at large will be increased.

The purpose of this policy is to encourage individual Friends to recognize opportunities to apply for spiritual enrichment funds. The following criteria are for guidance, based upon activities currently identified by Salmon Bay as desirable to fund, but they are not an exhaustive list. Salmon Bay Meeting recognizes the uniqueness of individual leadings, though Friends who wish to apply should consider whether the activity they have in mind meets the spirit expressed in the following criteria:

1. The funding will be for Salmon Bay Meeting business or for purposes which will directly benefit the Meeting, such as leadership training, for example, a workshop for a clerk or prospective clerk about clerking.
2. The funding enables a person to have a "once in a lifetime" chance for spiritual growth, such as Pendle Hill attendance, or a first time opportunity (such as attending FGC for the first time).
3. The funds will be used to retain the interest of a participating child, teenager, or young adult in the Religious Society of Friends. Salmon Bay Meeting is committed to giving Meeting children at least one opportunity during their middle school or high school years for attending FGC or some other Quaker gathering where a peer group will exist. The goal shall be to fund the program fees for such an event, but Meeting may choose to fund a sponsor (in the event that the family has sufficient funds but not time to attend themselves) or some other need.
4. The funding is requested for a project or activity that is under a Meeting release to do ministry or service, following a leading. This includes social concerns projects, ecumenical work, or other ministry that articulates or demonstrates our Light to a wider audience. In such a case, we encourage the creation of a committee of elders supporting the project, who will shepherd the request and its administration.
5. The funding is to attend or create a Quaker or ecumenical event, which will indirectly benefit the Salmon Bay community or the community at large, by increasing spiritual depth and enriching the individual or the community. We especially encourage first time requests.

Process for applications

1. Friends who seek funding for individual spiritual activities will submit a letter to Ministry and Worship outlining the desired activity, the financial need (including any other funding obtained or pending), and their proposal to the Meeting.
2. Ministry and Worship will create, if needed, a clearness committee with at least one representative of M&W to labor with the individual in order to refine the proposal. This will be in addition to any clearness process the individual has already undertaken to reach clearness of the leading.
3. When the proposal is in a form M&W feels ready to recommend to Meeting, M&W will bring the proposal to Business Meeting for a decision in the good order of Friends.
4. The funding will come out of the fund for such proposals, currently called "Scholarships" which is not a line-item budgeted amount.