SOS Organization 

Statement of Purpose

Seekers of Silence is an ecumenical and inter-faith gathering of men and women, coming together to listen. We listen to God in silent prayer, we listen to presenters, who speak about a topic related to spirituality, and we listen to each other in small group sharing. Participants come from a variety of religious traditions. All are welcome!

Structure

The founders of Seekers of Silence wanted the simplest possible organizational structure. As a result, we have no president, no board of directors, no elected positions, no bylaws. But we do have an informal structure. The following, with a few modifications, is based on our actual practice and various documents.

Leadership

1. Coordinator
   1. Oversees overall functioning of SOS.
   2. Coordinates selection of topics/presenters with Program Team.
   3. Presides at all monthly meetings and twice-annual Organizing Committee (OC) meetings.
   4. Introduces, or arranges for someone else to introduce, presenter/program.

2. Treasurer
   1. Maintains SOS bank account and keeps SOS books.
   2. Collects donations after each meeting and deposits in SOS account.
   3. Writes checks as needed to pay presenter honorariums, facility rental, other bills.
   4. Keeps Coordinator and OC apprised of financial status.

3. Secretary
   1. Keeps minutes of meetings.
   2. Submits minutes to Coordinator for approval.
   3. Sends minutes to Communications Team for distribution to OC.

4. Archivist/Historian
   1. Keeps all written records of SOS meetings, including attendance sheets, program schedules, etc.
   2. Keeps other important documents and papers related to SOS.

5. Organizing Committee
   1. The Organizing Committee includes the positions listed above as well as the leaders of the teams described below.
   2. The OC meets at least twice a year to approve the presentation schedule and deal with other SOS matters as needed.
   3. Decisions are made by consensus.

Volunteer Teams

1. Program Team (formerly “Presenter Team”)
   1. In consultation with Coordinator, create the list of programs, presenters, and dates of presentations.
   2. Contact presenters to obtain information including:
      1. Title of presentation
      2. Personal bio
      3. Recent photo (mugshot or candid)
      4. Special needs (such as seating arrangement, A/V equipment, flip boards, piano, etc.)

2. Kitchen Team
   1. Arrive early to prepare coffee/tea and set up tables for food.
   2. Take care of refreshments for break and food for potluck lunch.
   3. Check with core participants to see what food they plan to bring.
   4. Clean up (with help of others) kitchen and vestibule area after lunch.
   5. Make sure the areas we used are as they were when we arrived.

3. Technical Team
   1. Set up audio/visual equipment as needed.
   2. Arrange chairs (if needed), tables, lecterns, etc., for presentation.
   3. Ring chimes at beginning and end of meditation periods.

4. Meditation/Silent Prayer Instruction Team
   Instruct newcomers who request help with meditation.

5. Communications Team
   1. Maintain SOS website.
   2. Send meeting announcements to media.
   3. Send reminder to entire mailing list before each meeting.
   4. Handle other communications chores as requested by Coordinator or team leaders.

6. Hospitality Team (formerly “Greeting Team”)
   1. Greet people as they arrive, ask them to sign in and get name tag.
   2. Explain our sign-in sheet for newcomers and introduce them to SOS participants.
   3. Ask newcomers if they would like to have instruction on meditation- silent prayer and, if so, introduce them to the Instruction Team leader.