Red Cedar Friends Meeting

What are Friendly 8s?

The Hospitality Committee has in the past sponsored this activity, in which Friends are organized into groups of 8 who gather to have dinner and socialize informally. Each group determines its schedule and meeting places. Groups are likely to be organized in the fall of the year; if you’re interested, watch for announcements in the newsletter and at rise of meeting.

What is Meeting for Business?

Once each month, Friends gather at the Meetinghouse for Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. We gather at 12:15 and include worship-sharing and queries related to Friends’ faith and practice. Meeting for Business includes reports from the Clerk and committees. If there are decisions to be made as a body, we make them during Meeting for Business. We try to finish by about 2:30. Childcare is provided.

Are there other regular meetings?

Meeting for Worship for Healing (Meeting for Healing) is held a the meetinghouse on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 pm. The purpose of this gathering is to hold people in the Light who are requesting healing. The Red Cedar Friends Meeting has had a monthly Healing Prayer  since February 1994, and all are welcome. Generally, there are eight to ten of us who faithfully come together to hold individuals or concerns in the Light. Generally, we aim to keep our list of requests to around eight. These requests are then put into our Gathered Worship as is led by our Clerk. Towards the end of our worship, folks are encouraged to name individuals or requests and so expand our worship to include many more than the original requests. We find that as the evening progresses, the worship deepens.

We often follow up and check in with folks who have been held in the Light. We aim for Wholeness, recognizing that a situation might be part of a larger picture. We each approach the Light as we are individually and corporately led, and we are careful to pray as someone would wish. We therefore, don’t pray in judgment or condemnation. We also don’t pray for someone who does not wish for prayers. At the end of the evening we often share our individual and corporate experiences. Sometimes the conversations continue well into the evening. Sometimes the closing of the worship is hard to do. It is all a blessing. Feel free to join us also in prayer from wherever you are.

Learn more about Meeting for Worship for Healing:

Do I need to be invited or ask someone if I can go?

You may want to tell the host or hostess that you are coming, but it’s not necessary. These meetings are open to everyone. Don’t be afraid to come–you will be welcomed.

How do I find out where a meeting is?

Speak to the person hosting the meeting for directions to their home. If you need help finding that person, ask anybody.

Are the activities announced after Meeting open to everyone?

Yes.

What is a Clearness Committee?

A clearness committee is a group of about five people that can be convened at the request of an individual to address spiritual concerns or personal issues and to assist individuals in finding a way forward. They meet at least once, but meet more often as needed. Also, Clearness Committees are formed to clear a person or couple for recording membership or marriage.

Clearness Committees for membership are arranged by the Membership and Outreach Committee; other clearness committees are arranged by Worship and Pastoral Care. If you are interested in having a Clearness Committee, contact the clerk of these committees.

I think I recognized RCF Friends holding signs by the road! Was that an RCF activity?

Yes, you might see us holding signs by the road. Sometimes the activity might be sponsored by RCF, but it could be another group. Quakers are very active community wide.

Are there other Quaker activities in Michigan?

Yes, you can learn more at the Quaker Organizations page of this website.

Can newcomers go to Quarterly or Yearly Meeting?

Yes. It is a great way to get to know Quakers from all over Michigan and the Midwest, and to better understand Quaker practices

What are these events like?

They combine worship, Meeting for Business and social and educational activities. They usually have a theme or topic, which is published beforehand. Quarterly Meeting offers a children’s program at the spring and fall meetings, both on Saturdays. Youth programs, during a long summer weekend at Yearly Meeting, are wonderful. Children form friendships at Yearly Meeting that carry over from year to year.

Will I see anyone from RCF?

There are always at least a few people from Red Cedar going to Lake Erie Yearly Meeting; carpooling is not unheard of. Our Green Pastures Quarterly Meeting representative attends all the GPQM business sessions, along with a few other Red Cedar Friends. The opportunity to meet Friends from other Michigan or Great Lakes communities is a good reason to attend Quarterly Meeting or Yearly Meeting.

What if I want to make a donation?

We have a box on a small table in the meeting room. If you don’t see the donation box, ask the Clerk to direct you to the Treasurer. You can also mail donations to: Treasurer, Red Cedar Friends Meeting, 1400 Turner Street, Lansing, Michigan 48906.

Are there other ways to donate or help?

There are many ways to serve the Meeting. If you wish to join a committee, or discuss other possibilities, see the Clerk or a member of Nominating Committee, or listen to announcements to learn about activities and hear requests for help.