A Shortage of Business Meeting Experiences?

All RantWoman all the Time MINUS RantWoman

 

In support of the latest Episode of All RantWoman All the Time MINUS RantWoman, about which more separately, RantWoman

 

1.     Had a really good time inventorying some Even More and Better Confrontational Bitch options.

 

2.     Took stock of leadings, energy, schedule conflicts, thoughts of teamwork (as in NO WAY is RantWoman going to be able to handle… on her own anyway so, t-t-try teamwork”)

 

3.     Decided no way in hell was she going to avail herself of the option of worshipping nearby at Quaker House if only because a member of the alleged Care and Accountability Committee scheduled Quaker House without asking RantWoman her thoughts, conveyed the information to a third Friend and only realized his Oops when RantWoman wrote a tart email. And what if RantWoman had chosen to sit with someone for whom several steps at the entrance to Quaker House are completely inaccessible or only accessible if there are people with strong backs available for accessibility assistance. (Abundant further tirade available about ableism among the Care and Accountability Committee.—Can anyone imagine why the word “angry” might come along somewhere in here?)

 

4.     Assessed bus schedules and possibility of visiting Beloved Curmudgeon Friend who lives in a retirement community on the same bus route and is always WAY happy to cheerlead for RantWoman.

 

5.     Worshipped, for the first time EVER actually at Salmon bay Friends!

 

RantWoman was well led.

 

1.     Salmon Bay Friends worships in the Phinney Neighborhood Center. RantWoman goes there from time to time for community events and loves the intermingling of community and faith experiences, as if Let Our Lives Speak.

 

2.     In case RantWoman was going to suffer a shortage of Business Meeting experience in her life, it turned out also to be Business Meeting at Salmon Bay, and on a schedule accommodating further RantWoman thoughts. Business Meeting graciously received RantWoman’s recommendation to put the worship time on the homepage and to update the name (and probably link) of an organization that changed its name more than a year ago. Business Meeting also later graciously received a suggestion that besides a sign they consider some kind of welcome cards to help route newcomer questions to the appropriate committee.

 

3.     RantWoman recommends a further physical accessibility note: the path from the nearest bus stop to an entry on the same level as where worship is held is entirely level. Accessible entrance info should include this info as well as the info that people who arrive in cars and have to park down a level in the parking lot need.

 

4.     Has RantWoman mentioned, in say, the last 10 minutes how helpful introductions are for helping the likes of RantWoman make connections? One Friend during introductions and pronouns spoke of discernment about use of “they.” RantWoman then gave her standard “pronouns are an essay question” comment and expressed interest in talking more about “they” discernment. RantWoman had a quite enjoyable conversation with that Friend during the break between worship and Business Meeting. RantWoman loves singular “they” for gender neutrality but is aware that “they” carries other connotations for some people.

 

5.     Introductions supplied a couple who are about to teach a course on touch and consent for 9-10 year-olds. Ambassador Thwack the variably behaved white cane insisted that he is NOT an invitation to “Grab the Blind Person and Bless Them” and RantWoman suggested that the trainers pay special attention to consent issues for any kids with any kind of mobility aid such as crutches or wheelchairs as well as canes.

 

6.     One Friend asked “…not at your own business meeting…?” and Burst out laughing when RantWoman mentioned “Co-clerk of … Not an Idiot Friend…disinvited….“ Laughter is probably not a balm to Not An Idiot Friend. Sigh.

 

7.     Friend Clerk did a great job of reading the agenda on the flip chart. RantWoman was not entirely attentive but attention is RantWoman’s problem.

 

8.     At one point during Business meeting RantWoman did her standard jump in without being recognized Annoying RantWoman Behavior. The clerk quite appropriately provided the information RantWoman really needed: the clerk saw RantWoman’s raised hand but other people had their hands up too. Madam Clerk at RantWoman’s Meeting is really good about providing information about other people’s hands as she recognizes people. RantWoman continues her ardent prayer that she might be called to speak less if thoughts on her mind will make it out of other people’s mouths at her own Meeting. RantWoman realized that it might also be useful to encourage Friends first to Speak Up and  to speak of Access needs as well as pronouns during introductions. RantWoman for her part will think about some elevator speech boilerplate to describe her own access needs.

 

As for the rest of the day, stay tuned….

 

PS Dear Readers, one member of the Care and Accountability committee is always saying “tell us what works.” RantWoman has written of the last Care and Accountability Committee meeting elsewhere. Homework for anyone who reads this: can you identify moments in this post where something either clearly works or clearly does not work for RantWoman or for others?

Apology Required

Setting the Scene, with thanks to the dance between process and content

RantWoman has been well fed yesterday with phone, text, and email leadings. RantWoman would prefer to be running on more sleep than she currently is, but rantWoman tried and going back to sleep did not happen. There IS an apology, actually more than one, here, but around RantWoman,the Friend due an apology sometimes has to wait in line.

RantWoman also acknowledges that this post is everything that drives people nuts about RantWoman communications: way too many threads in one package. RantWoman finally figured out sometimes it is good to break things down after she did the big scary message thing to RantMom, RantMom and Little Sister both yelped VERY Loudly, and RantWoman got it into her head that RantMom was mostly doing FINE about finding other info streams telling her the same things RantWoman was trying to tell her.Today RantWoman has the time she has. Breaking things down can come.

RantWoman HUMBLY thanks EVERYONE who has contributed to evolution reflected in this post.

 

RantWoman notes a LOVELY young couple who attended Midweek for Worship. It was to say the least VERY awkward to speak of the upcoming Business Meeting schedule, about which RantWoman is DEFINITELY not the best person to ask. Nope, you do NOT get any clues to who the couple is.If they come, they will have to speak up for themselves. And if the Holy Spirit moves well with and among Friends, RantWoman prays that Business Meeting will be one of those OH WOW events that sometimes amazes newcomers instead of realization of many paths to Oh YUCK.

 

Apology: The After Worship Version

 

Dear Not an Idiot Friend

 

THANK YOU for responding fairly promptly last night to RantWoman’s texts! Thank you for candor in your own words instead of secondhand from a young adult Friend.

 

RantWoman sincerely apologizes for hurting your feelings. RantWoman humbly apologizes for complete inability so far to find nicer words than Idiot to contain her concerns about difficulty reaching you by phone, text, email. RantWoman WILL keep trying on the editorial front. RantWoman also gratefully acknowledges some very important recent improvement in communications access. RantWoman will be texting some further questions in the morning.

 

And where is God in all this?

1.       God is RantWoman’s impetus to get up and try again.

2.       Around RantWoman God is certain that RantWoman’s time effort, and emotional status are every bit as important as those of Not An Idiot Friend and the fabric of our community.

3.       RantWoman is going to season the question of the Battle of the PTSD all stars and what might help to create a space where there is room for all to be heard and to grow. RantWoman observes that she has made REPEATED requests to cut out secondhand mush and creat places for people to talk. RantWoman notes that the BEST suggestion of effective process came via the Boys and Girls Club: adult gets the kid combatants together, asks people what happened, encourages apology and usually winds up with apology on both sides. In the interest of editorial conciseness RantWoman will be referring questions about the difference between this and current practice to her Dial-a-Tirade service for now.

4.       Around RantWoman God is sure we are all still supposed to be worshipping together., though RantWoman also commends her recurring message about how spending (the time it takes) to figure out how to worship together is better than bomb threats.

5.       RantWoman herself presently is at high risk of just running screaming from the room, with shrieks of Lies Lies Lies thrown in as a bonus. However, RantWoman COMPLETELY unites with the thought expressed by MULTIPLE topical committees that present practices ARE NOT WORKING. As RantWoman said last month, let us nurture what is working and quickly jettison what is not working.

6.       God is sure there is much hurt and that if we cannot now sit with all the hurt, we can grow together to do so.

7.       God reminds RantWoman rather firmly that overuse of the word idiot is in fact very abelist and RantWoman will strive to cut back on those grounds as well.

 

Before Worship version A

 

RantWoman! Just because it’s daylight does not mean you are getting to the apology that is wanted.

 

Yeah. And RantWoman is tempted just to apologize for not losing her temper sooner or in more colorful terms.

 

RantWoman!

 

Let’s try

 

Dear Not an Idiot Friend, RantWoman has been trying to make meaningful contact for, like, years.Meaningful contact like by phone IN DAYLIGHT, not at your late-night dinnertime, not at 9pm the Saturday before Meeting for Business, By Phone, after no more than say TWO texts.  But if the word “idiot” is what finally got your attention, Praise Jayzus!

 

RantWoman! You do both love this Meeting, RIGHT? So WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE so you can get along and the Meeting can flourish?

 

Dear Not an Idiot Friend, I am sorry I hurt your feelings. May we please try again to work together?

 

 

Before Worshjp Version B

RantWoman started to address Not an Idiot Friend . Words poured off her keyboard and (GULP!)  RantWoman’s message manglement service kind of went haywire. Below are the results. Please hold us all in the Light.

 

Dear Not an idiot Friend

Thank you SO much for FINALLY reading your email. I have been trying to get your attention for YEARS by email, multiple texts to get to a phone call, phone call…. Rarely do correspondence get acknowledged.  But if the word “idiot” is what finally got your attention, PRAISE GOD.

 

Here, digesting from an even longer document is this Quaker Meeting that I THINK we both really value and some comments from RantWoman about what the long affiliation has meant to her..

 

Here is this clerk who is working very hard and whom RantWoman DEEPLY esteems.

 

Thank you for sending this committee to yell at me instead of talking to me yourself.

Sorry but your comment in business meeting needs to get in line behind wonderful powerhouse older woman beginning chemo and the big changes in the U District.

You and I have already had one exchange where we both minimized each other’s perspective.  Honestly, probably not a thing we should try a steady diet of, but if a little minimization leaks in every now and then, maybe we can just cope, call it out, and work through.

 

I am happy to take responsibility for lashing out in the moment in Business Meeting IF you would like I would also be happy to apologize for not losing my temper sooner or in more colorful terms.

 

But ya know, if we both SAY we care about this Meeting, what can we do going forward so we do not get tangled up in arguments like this?

 

In Light and Faithfulness

 

RantWoman

 

 

 

Random allusion to Barclay and other snarky comments just because.

RantWoman wishes she could promise to lay down the Still Didn’t Get The Memo Committee on Email Immoderation at the Association of Bad Friends, but if anyone is interested in how RantWoman threads the line between literature scholar, spiritual accompaniment, and crisis line in email, there might be rich opportunities for learning.

 

And for those who still insist on further “…apology…,” may RantWoman suggest a year-long romp through language, theology, and 17^th century history and thought as delivered by Barclay’s Apology?

 

 

Dear Friend Who Growls at RantWoman

Dear Readers,

RantWoman is not sure every bad idea that muddles through her head needs to be committed to electrons but RantWoman is seasoning....

RantWoman is pondering whether she has some kind of unusual gift. Besides ableism,  RantWoman seems to be particularly adept at evoking gaslighting, bullying and feeling blown off from members of Care and Council. RantWoman is pondering what would happen if she just said “look Friends, y’all are doing just a fabulous job of plowing into family landmines related to The Famous Sex Offender Announcement. What can you suggest???? Or is Care and Counsel ony for everyone but RantWoman?”

 

Luckily RantWoman has Resources, besides an awesome Mental Health Practitioner.

 

If all are lucky, RantWoman’s sarcasm filter WILL kick in, at least long enough to pen the following item addressed to a Weighty Friend.

 

A blast from the past for no obvious reason

Dear Friend who thought Growling at RantWoman would help,

 

Remember Sudoku? Remember you said you did not LIKE Sudoku? RantWoman is considering retroactively telling you to take that up with God. Time was, Sudoku in Meeting for Worship was a heaven-sent path away from weird headaches and toward adjustment to dramatically changed vision.

 

 

 

Dear Friend who thought Growling at RantWoman would help

Thank you for talking to Friend S about Worship and Ministry’s request that I not attend Business Meeting. A couple feedback items while I season various pieces. If anyone just need to stop here and hold in the Light, please do.

1.     I want to hold the issues of people who cannot be in the room with me, but “It’s about the community” one refrain I heard implies I do not care about the community. “We need time to heal” also annoys me because I do not get a choice about timeline and taking a break. I am not particularly motivated to deprive the community of the experience of figuring out this pray and worship together thing. Friend S says your thought is for people to figure out something helpful. Some of the time I want to bless that.  Some of the time I wonder how the heck are people going to figure out what works FOR ME without me in the room. For now I will add “Nothing about us without us” to my list of concepts to include in a list of terms and resources which I have heard a clear request for. Some of the time, I want to point out numerous points where thinking about more than one person yields approaches that provide everyone a sense of small things they can do that matter.

 

2.     Right now I am frustrated about a community piece because Madam Clerk wants people working on disability actually to meet before we come to Business Meeting. Based on communications so far I want to do things in different order and see whether I can convince someone besides the three people who volunteered that the project will be fun just based on business meeting. I did mean to schedule phone or email moment before this business meeting but that did not happen.

 

3.     I get there are issues of losing one’s temper, but for you or Friend S or anyone else with more or less normal vision to say “it’s not about the blindness” is ableist. I collect LOTS of articles about the roles vision plays in communication. I had a wonderful very helpful conversation one time with Friend J about her mother and macular degeneration and a whole bunch of annoying blind person behaviors which urk, I have enough vision to be annoyed by AND not enough vision to avoid myself. Talk about the bonus plan. Anyway my point: it’s not ONLY about the blindness sort of kind of unless one also figures that being triggered out of one’s mind is somehow separate from blindness too.

 

4.     Care and Accountability committee told me Madam Clerk asked me to sit down several times in December. Madam Clerk remembers me standing a lot and I DO feel like I had plenty of space to speak, too much if one counts losing my temper with Not an Idiot friend. I had COMPLETELY blacked out any request to sit down. You said something about I was too triggered AND needed to leave. I WAS triggered but that is exactly why it was unsafe for me to try to leave. I appreciate astute questions that came up in conversation with two wise young Friends about that topic. I meant it about not very safe for me and for anyone around me. However, I also automatically bristle at “someone gets triggered so they must leave,” which also has sorry precedent from life on Worship and Ministry. What the #$($@( kind of wimpy God are we talking about that cannot help with these rough spots?

 

5.     Except for Friend K talking about Nominating committee and not realizing I was talking about before he was on the committee and you talking about Dec vs November minutes. I could not tell you who said what about the minutes editing conversation. I do not know whether it is good or bad that I decided it has to be okay that a bunch of listening and info chunk bookkeeping I do most of the time completely shut down. I suppose it is okay to feel enough safety to live with that, except for continuing issues with silencing in minutes AND I get that it is very distressing for others to watch triggering. Some people who run meetings though are better at breathing and letting things settle than others. I decided I could not even pay attention to that partly because  Madam Clerk gets to deal and I also hit a fabulous “go talk to your counselor point which business meeting does not particularly get to solve until I distill the piece that belongs there as with my flashback in worship Sunday.

 

6.     I do not know whether it is obvious to Friend PK, but I get really badly triggered in C&A committee meetings sometimes. I can kind of articulate some things that happen because of it but the short version, to be repeated in multiple contexts would be “if you want RantWoman to get triggered less in Meetings then take her advice about how to cut down on the triggering. That is part of the impetus behind an accessibility focus committee AND I need space to articulate my thinking about that but not here for time reasons.

 

7.     Sunday the C&A committee were exactly at the same place as Nom Comm years ago was when they decided everything to do with disability was off topic. The only thing Nom Comm wanted to talk about was why won’t I resign. On top of your “it’s not about the blindness” thread, Sunday I made multiple attempts to talk about an email where I gave people opportunities to think about some what works what does not work points, In particular One item I sent was about physical accessibility issues getting to a really great event. I tweeted the organizer and she was great. She said I was not the only blind person who complained and then I am sorry that happened and we will try to do better in the future. That was EXACTLY the right thing. Some version of that apology would go a LONG way for me around Meeting, but I also am peculiarly stuck about needing to hear such in a speaker’s own words and I do not know what to do with that wish

 

8.     all anyone at the C&A meeting wanted to talk about was “will you stay away on Sunday.” I consider it great progress that by the end of the meeting at least some people were willing to think about a half and half scenario.

 

9.     I do feel like I need to think about someone I trust to sit next to me sometimes. Young Friend D mentioned having someone I trust sit next to me and she is one of the people I would ask to do that except she is only unevenly in business meeting. So I am trying to think about other names and not automatically clicking. But agreeing IN ADVANCE is important.

 

10.                        In C&A we also had to me annoying comments about minutes, comments which do not need Dial a tirade right now but as a multiple time recording clerk I kind of have strong opinions about. I do quaintly think minutes can help people see month to month if progress is occurring about things that might need more attention than one Friend’s record it for a hundred years standard.

 

Love and Blessings!

 

RantWoman

 

Stargazing for Jesus on Epiphany--with Genghis Barbie

RantWoman is TRYING to take a break from matters roiling her soul. But God served up various moments.

RantWoman stopped outside her Meeting to wait to greet a Friend RantWoman will dub Snake Charmer Friend. Long ago when RantWoman was first dealing with her midlife manifestation of DNA lotto, she happened to wind up on many car rides with Snake Charmer Friend. Snake Charmer Friend is the person who first suggested RantWoman get a service python. Snake Charmer Friend always spoke very fondly of his wife, Mrs. Snake Charmer Friend who NEVER came to Meeting until recently. Snake Charmer Friend is recovering from a broken hip. Mrs. Snake Charmer Friend now brings him regularly. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. We don’t want to scare her away.

 

While RantWoman was waiting with Ambassador Thwack the poorly behaved white cane for Snake Charmer Friend to walk from the car to the doorway another Friend came by and asked whether RantWoman was standing guard against the infidels?

 

Come to think of it, NO. Suppose the infidels need the transforming power of Quaker worship????

 

Stay tuned for where RantWoman is going with that. In the meantime it is epiphany, and the world needs Genghis Barbie.

Laura Jean Truman: Stargazing for Jesus on Epiphany

Gratitudes, never forget

RantWoman needs to offer a list of gratitudes. They run heavily though not exclusively to the technological.

 

A recent email from Friends Journal that had lovely topical alt test with the pictures.

 

Features in RantWoman’s Meeting newsletter, Gleamings, and recent Western Friend issues that make it MUCH easier for RantWoman to skip around and not have to listen to the whole issue if she only wants to read one article.

 

The local FCNL advocacy team: RantWoman cannot participate much in person for schedule reasons, but RantWoman really digs email and conference calls. RantWoman appreciates both the work content AND different articles and comments team members, including RantWoman exchange. RantWoman appreciates the advocacy team info flow because it is targeted and focused. RantWoman has much less time to read and browse than she would prefer. Plus search results often involve reading a lot of extraneous material to get to the main content. A simple email with links is SO much easier.

 

To Ashley W for the Church of Mary Magdalene. RantWoman has not followed every zig and zag but RantWoman appreciates that there are electronic traces available in various media streams at least for awhile. RantWoman trusts that way will open for the next chapter in Ashley’s ministry.

 Gratitude to one Friend who says RantWoman made him feel safe when he first came to Meeting, and to that Friend and another for time with tea and care.

 

Gratitude to EVERYONE, especially Madam Clerk, who is hanging in there despite…

 

Gratitude to one Friend who intervened VERY helpfully a number of years ago about a housing issue.

 

Surely there is more.

 

Now what?

IN light and Faithfulness.

Angelic? Intense and Challenging

Someone asked RantWoman and others recently about communities. It was one of those situations where RantWoman could go on for hours but opted to yield the mike after only a few minutes. RantWoman is not sure what if anything she said about “the blindness community, but here goes with a few vignettes, the sorts of presence RantWoman also sometimes winds up worshipping with during Meeting for Worship

Angelic

RantWoman has been lamenting the passing last spring of one of her favorite angelic troublemakers.

 

Below is a sample blog post.

https://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2015/10/advocacy-gratitude.html

 

Angelic Troublemaker served countless roles. For instance Angelic troublemaker was on the WA Human Rights Commission when the first two cases filed under the WA antidiscrimination law were filed against organizations that serve the blind, by blind job seekers. She said the commission had NO problem finding in favor of the complainants.

 

https://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2015/11/fun-facts-and-rcw-4960.html

 

RantWoman’s last Angelic Troublemaker story, at least for now: Angelic Troublemaker told a story about one time taking a plane somewhere. The flight attendant said something about “I hope you do not think the extra blanket is because we think you will wet your pants.” Rantwoman is not sure to whom one complains about blatantly discriminatory behavior on airplanes, but Angelic Troublemaker reported that she got a new china cabinet out of the legal settlement.

 

One striking thing about Angelic Troublemaker’s memorial: there were MANY, many rich stories but there was absolutely no mention of any kind of faith tradition.

 

[RantWoman notes the 2018 passing of another pillar of the blindness community, Marlaina Lieberg, and still another pillar of the disability community, long time director of the Governor’s Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities, Toby Olson. In other words generational shift is a big theme in more than one strand of RantWoman’s life.]

 

Could Rub People the Wrong Way Friend

Next RantWoman summons memory of Could Rub People the Wrong Way Friend, a member of RantWoman’s Meeting and before her retirement a case manager for the Department of Services for the Blind. One of this Friend’s coworkers was also a fixture at Meeting. Besides quietly looking out for Could Rub People the Wrong Way Friend, he made xylophones, and lectured anyone who would listen about the difference between astronomy and astrology  

 

At about age 40, Could Rub People The Wrong Way Friend  had suffered two detached retinas and made a job transition from industrial physicist to social services case manager. RantWoman does not think it was a smooth transition. Could Rub People the Wrong Way Friend’s name came up at some point on the Council of the Blind email list and not exactly with fond recollections. Could Rub People The Wrong Way Friend earned her nom de blog because her former colleagues remembered her exactly the same way RantWoman does: “was a no-nonsense person who could rub people the wrong way.” Could Rub People the Wrong Way friend, in RantWoman’s memory read the Bible and served on Worship and Ministry

 

The Next generation

In fact Could Rub People The Wrong Way Friend is not remembered fondly at all in one of her client’s now-grown families sopecifically for giving mediocre / bad parenting advice that made a bad situation worse. Could Rub People The Wrong Way friend’s imperfections in her role notwithstanding, the now adult siblings, brother and sister are incredibly resilient and RantWoman is really grateful both to know them and to feel like some kind of an extra auntie in the family. Brother is part of the sound crew; he and his wife have two kids, and his wife is a great committed focused mom. Plus she appreciates it when RantWoman says that email list busybodies do not know what they are talking about as far as family housing suggestions. RantWoman, as of this writing, is not sure whether wife will, after a truly atrocious experience with her guide dog at a restaurant will be doing the necessary complaint filing about the restaurant or will just be avoiding the place like the plague in the future.

 

The sister, hereby dubbed Housing Advocate Extraordinaire, from the family also uses a wheelchair—and posts more than it would occur to RantWoman to post all over Facebook, a sort of mixed blessing as far as walking alongside lots of hard medical struggles with frequent references to prayer. And hey, RantWoman has a blog. RantWoman has now two years in a row been sighted guide at Convention, official jargong for the annual event, for the sister who uses a wheelchair. RantWoman has a number of stories of guts and focus, but her favorite one is here.

http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2018/11/congratulations-to-star-center-founder.html

 

So what are the takeaways, besides a lot of “let our Lives Speak” intersecting with important paths to progress that benefit many people?

 

Uhhh, RantWoman is still an intense and challenging person.

 

RantWoman hangs out with lots of other intense and challenging people.

 

Being an intense and challenging person is, um, a survival skill and an absolute necessity, so how about people not take it personally!

 

 

Both of those points seem to be part of RantWoman’s call.

A survey:? Careful what you ask.

RantWOMAN, can you possibly pretty please dial back the level of insufferable even a TINY bit? …

 

No. It’s winter but think evergreens, and celebrate holiday abundance.

 

…And the world wants thank you notes.

 Noted. And RantWoman needs to talk about surveys, and apparently to go on at great length. RantWoman does thank any intrepid reader who wades in. RantWoman has also put in headings and invites readers to skip around as needed.

 

 

Bless us oh Lord for RantWoman truly has MUCH to be thankful for, and not JUST thank you ever so much bless your heart gratitudes one sometimes must exude. More on gratitudes separately.

 

Surveys

First RantWoman is called to wade into the matter of Surveys, surveys in general and a survey in her Meeting. Here is apologia to the general case of what happens when RantWoman collides with a survey, almost any survey. But please read through because there are RESULTS that still, to this day, make RantWoman absurdly happy even though she is not racking up nearly as many frequent flyer visits as she was a good while ago.

 

https://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2018/12/survey-me-again.html

 

 

The Worship and Ministry Survey

RantWoman thanks Friends for the link to the electronic version of the Worship and Ministry Survey. RantWoman hopes that her electronic offerings will at least be more legible than if she were to tackle paper with fat pen in scribble font with a whole bunch of None of the Above, How about…, and It Depends comments, as well as discomfiting suggestions about questions that Really Need To Be There.

 

RantWoman is reproducing the substance part of the survey here for sort of selfish reasons: If RantWoman tries to have a conversation about everything that fries her brain with just one person, the results will not be great happiness on either side. If RantWoman blogs on Planet RantWoman, everyone can read and maybe even speak to points they either resonate with or violently disagree with.

 
 RantWoman means it about interest in comments though RantWoman’s name is not attached to next steps and it might make sense to address Worship and Ministry directly. In any case, RantWoman moderates comments so comments might not appear instantly. RantWoman does have a higher tolerance than seems to be the expected norm in her Meeting for rhetorical excess. Plus if RantWoman’s Excessively Plain English to Quakerese filter misfires with appalling frequency, RantWoman expects to bear with others who may be afflicted with similar challenges. Be advised, this is the internet though, and RantWoman’s sense of spiritual accompaniment may include asking others with different gifts and letters behind their names than RantWoman to look at specific items. NO GUARANTEE about responsiveness but RantWoman may ask.

 

The Suggested Topics

How do new folks get involved at UFM

Quaker History

Quaker Decisionmaking

Discernment

Elders and Eldering

Ministries

Leadings

I

 

Suggest Topics that would help with my work at UFM

Work? A committee? That sounds like too much commitment. What can I do that will matter week to week. Hint: rantWoman has a LONG list of suggestions but does not see data collection that would work with RantWoman’s suggestions.

Introduction to Quakerese. How ever am I supposed to complete this survey if I do not understand the terms?

Quakers and disability

Conflict resolution isn't just for people who like "couples counseling" vocabulary

Cultivating the peaceable email kingdom. Tips, tricks, and guide to all the different boilerplate in people’s email footers

Recognizing Deal With it NOW issues and dealing with them.

Quaker Alphabet Soup, perhaps as brunch with real soup.

 

Suggest topics that would help with my spiritual development

Cultivating a spiritual practice.
What do we mean spiritual accompaniment?

 

Suggest topics of Social Concern

nuclear weapons and proliferation issues, livable cities, what is going on around the U district?

 

 

Omitted Here: A Series of Questions about timing

(time of day, day of week and months of the year.)

The answer about timing is IT DEPENDS.

 RantWoman is currently busy until mid afternoon on first and third Saturdays but would love the idea of brunch sessions other weeks.

RantWoman would love to talk about something in conjunction with midweek worship

 RantWoman can usually say something sensible about day of the week issues on a reasonably close time horizon. RantWoman suggests people with a leading to organize sessions about specific topics offer options that work for their schedule and choose based on responses.

How about one sunday a month at 11:00 and people who want worship go to 9:30?

 

Are there questions you wish we had asked?

Would you like the opportunity to rank your interest in the topics?

Sure as long as I also get to be snarky and admit my interest might depend on who is presenting.

  

Would you maybe interested in offering to lead a session on one of the topics proposed here?

What are your childcare needs and preferences, separate childcare or child supportive space as part of a session?

 

What accessibility measures will help you participate as fully as you can? This might include a mic, chem and odor free or mold free space, or many other considerations.

 

RantWoman would be called to ramble extensively about availability of content in forms it is easy for RantWoman to access. But RantWoman also relies a lot on Just Ask a Human and sometimes wings it without doing any reading at all.

 

 Probably this is more than enough for tonight?