Richmond Friends Meeting is a diverse community of seekers. We welcome all who wish to explore Quaker principles, testimonies and way of worship.
If you wish to consider membership after attending Meeting and participating in our community, this may be helpful as you continue your quest:
We suggest that you attend Meeting for Worship on a regular basis, become involved in committee work, and participate in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business in order to fully understand the meaning of the commitment to become a member. Members of the Committee on Care & Counsel will be happy to suggest books and other readings that may illuminate your path.
If you are led to seek membership, begin by submitting a letter to the clerk of Meeting with a personal statement of why you wish to request membership in the Religious Society of Friends. If you wish, describe the journey that led you to this point.
Next, the clerk will submit the letter to the Care & Counsel Committee. A few RFM members will become your Clearness Committee. They will meet with you at your convenience to discuss your letter and your readiness for membership. Based on the report of the Clearness Committee, the Care & Counsel Committee
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may discern that you are ready for membership or members may suggest additional steps that will help you prepare for membership.
After the committee approves the membership request, the recommendation will be brought to the next Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. There, it will be held over for a month so that Friends who may not know you will have an opportunity to become acquainted. At the following Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, the application will be brought to the entire community for final approval.
We seek to make this a loving and welcoming process. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask any member of Care and Counsel, or Lynda Perry, clerk of meeting, for further guidance.