Visiting Friend Toolkit

Everything you need to bring FCNL’s message of faith in action to meetings and churches across the country: a volunteer handbook, a guide to visits, a resource toolkit, and more!

Volunteer to Serve as a Visiting Friend

People talk to each other at the 75th Anniversary celebration.
Bond Photography

Handbook

Guestbook

Report Back

Request Help

1. Before the Visit

Connecting: Using Quaker Contact/clerk/pastor contact information provided by staff, send an email introducing yourself and ask to set up a date for you to join for worship and stay to give a presentation to share your FCNL experience or facilitate priorities discernment with Friends. Find a Visiting Friend visit outreach email template here. Follow up via email and phone as necessary until you receive a reply.

Virtual logistics: If “traveling” to visit Friends virtually…

  • Confirm the date/time and agenda for your visit with the community member supporting your visit.
  • Request the Zoom connection details so you have what you need to join on the day of your visit.

In-person logistics: if traveling to visit Friends in-person… 

  • Confirm the date/time and agenda for your visit with the community member supporting your visit. 
  • Inquire about hospitality: Is it possible for you to stay with the clerk or another member of the community? If not, book accommodations as needed. 
  • Make travel arrangements.
  • Collect all itemized receipts for reimbursement.

2. During the Visit

There is no specific FCNL prescription or one right way to lead a presentation, workshop, or other program as a Visiting Friend. We each steward different gifts and leadings and have had different experiences with witness, advocacy, and Spirit-led action with and beyond FCNL. The Visiting Friends Program seeks to recognize, nurture, and draw out that rich wisdom and perspective each of us brings into the lives of Friends.  

There are three essential components:  

  1. Share your journey with Spirit-led action and FCNL
  2. Listen and talk with Friends, answer questions, hear their conditions and leadings
  3. Based on what you hear, recommend a few concrete ways Friends can draw on FCNL as a resource to accomplish their goals and live out their faith in new/deeper ways.

Beyond these three essential pieces, the presentation is yours to craft drawing on your own personal voice and creative vision, the array of FCNL resources and materials available to you through this Visiting Friends Toolkit, and consultation with staff.  

See the Handbook for a fuller sample presentation framework some Visiting Friends have found helpful in the past. We encourage you to take what is useful to you and leave the rest. 

Resources:

3. After the Visit

Visiting Friends