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Steps Toward Membership (approved April 22, 2007)

Becoming a member of the Quaker Intentional Village-Canaan (QIV-C) happens through a process of mutual clearness and spiritual discernment.  The prospective member determines that joining is the right thing.  The community also becomes clear that it is right for the community for the new member to join.  A member of QIVC is someone who has been through this process, has signed a membership agreement with QIV-C, and has begun payment of the financial obligations associated with membership.

As an aid to bringing about this sense of clearness, we have established some simple steps toward membership:

1. An interested person should initially contact the Membership Committee (send e-mail to qiv-c@qivp.org or call 518-758-8236) for information, come to a Friday night potluck, an Open House, a work day, and/or a QIV-C monthly meeting to get to know the current members as well as our process.

2. When the initial contact person, in consultation with the Buddy Coordinator, senses serious interest in an inquirer exploring membership in the community, the Buddy Coordinator will inform the inquirer about the buddy system and ask if they are interested in having a buddy.  The buddy will be available to answer questions and provide guidance in the membership process, and assist the inquirer in getting acquainted with the group and life of the community.  The interested person should also begin to participate as fully as possible in the life of the community by regularly joining in communal meals, participating in community activities, attending business meetings, attending committee meetings, and working on committee business.  This gradual process allows the community to get to know the inquirer as the inquirer is getting to know the community.

3. After a person has been involved for a substantial period of time and feels ready to move forward and become a prospective member, he/she should inform the Membership Committee via a letter of intent (in both paper and electronic format). The letter should express his/her desire to become a member of the community and explain the reasons.  In this process, the interested person should understand that it may take the community longer to “feel ready to move forward,” since the community process involves the whole group coming to a decision, not just one or two people.

4. When the community feels the time is right, the Membership Committee will inform business meeting it is forming a Clearness Committee and, at the same time, provide names for the Clearness Committee. Clearness Committees are composed of three or four Members and Advisors of QIV-C, and have the role of examining in depth the mutual clearness of the community and the applicants for membership.  When the Clearness Committee has met with the prospective members sufficiently, it then brings forward a recommendation to business meeting, where the community either approves the new membership or not.  At the time the Clearness Committee is called, the applicant needs to pay a prospective-member’s non-refundable application fee (currently $1500 for a two-adult household or $1000 for a single-adult household).

5. The person approved as a member:
• signs the Membership Agreement
• pays the buy-in fee
• selects a house lot
• begins payment of his/her share of the annual operating budget of QIV-C

Contact: qiv-c@qivp.org

Quaker Intentional
Village - Canaan
235 Bradley's Crossing Rd.
East Chatham, NY
12060

Copyright © 2006 QIVP/QIV-C