Still Evolving

In Dinopoly, instead of Jail and Just Visiting, unlucky archeologists go either to Nearing Extinction or to Still Evolving. RantWoman favors Still Evolving for many situations.

RantWoman apologizes but that childish excursion is almost as close as RantWoman wants to go in public to the irreverent, seriously BAD FRIEND formulation she most recently came to about our Meeting's walk with the Safest Sex Offender on the Planet and the issue of our Meeting being basically a community of all manner of mortals subject to all manner of moral lapses. The Safest Sex Offender is not to commit more offenses; no one else gets to commit such offenses either.

RantWoman got to that zone of irreverence, yea an appearance of trivialization by turning over some concepts related to ministry; some associated circumstances need more seasoning off blog. For now, though, RantWoman needs to stick closer to something she actually feels clear to blog about, what if anything to do about our Meeting's current announcement about our walk with the Safest Sex Offender on the Planet. Understand, the views here are Light as it has come so far to RantWoman. RantWoman's experience is that parallel Light is not automatically delivered to others and RantWoman is most assuredly not in charge of what may yet happen with further discernment.

The text of the current weekly announcement
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2011/01/evolution.html

Options that come up in conversation:

Eliminate the announcement entirely; report at some kind of extended intervals to Business Meeting. Leave small adjustments and weekly details to, say, a support committee. Maybe keep our information sheet about the ministry with all the other print on hand. (If we are getting all wacked out, make ourselves a website for the 21st century and put the info sheet on the website.)

To RantWoman the announcement seems kind of self-congratulatory, though RantWoman also wishes it had at least a few words referring to something about traditional Quaker witness. Some people find it restimulates old traumas. It kind of misses the point about what it might occur to RantWoman to say about other Meeting resources for a variety of events that occur from time to time in the life of our Meeting that have nothing directly to do with the Safest Sex Offender on the Planet. Heck, we could use the space in the bulletin to remind people to turn off their electronic devices and to speak up when delivered of vocal ministry.

Edit the announcement severely. RantWoman might suggest something along the lines of the following, though some other things would have to evolve too.

Friendly REMINDERS:

• Since 2002 our worshipping community has included an individual who is a convicted, non-predatory sex offender. He has graduated from the treatment portion of an alternative sentencing program which requires him to participate in a religious congregation. Now he continues treatment voluntarily, and remains under supervision by the Department of Corrections. He is with a chaperone at all times while on our grounds. He may be worshipping with us at 9:30 on 2nd and 4th Sundays and at 11:00 on 1st and 3rd Sundays. he may attend adult discussion at 9:30 on 1st and 3rd Sundays. For information about other times when he may be present with a chaperone, contact.... For more information about this specific ministry see yellow informational flyer on the table outside the office.
• We are a community working to provide a welcoming spiritual home for survivors of abuse as well as this offender. We are a safer place for both children and adults because of the awareness and education that this ministry has produced.
• We strive to nurture individuals' spiritual growth, to be a community free of abuse, to deal in a spirit of love and integrity with conflicts of all kinds, and to speak openly of our concerns as we walk together as a community.
• If you have questions about these ministries, about something you have observed or something you have experienced among us, or about traditional Quaker forms of witness including prison ministry and restorative justice, we invite you to ask a member of either the Oversight or Worship and Ministry Committees.