There is no entrance test for admission to the Fellowship of Solitaries. All who find themselves engaged in the search for God mentioned in the paragraph The call to solitude may join. The Fellowship is ecumenical, but has no official connection with any church and is thus in no way committed to decisions churches make about, e.g., whether women may be priests, or what kind of sexual activity is or is not Christian. Members are encouraged to stand back from such issues and to lift them and those involved in them to God that God's will may be done.
People may join the Fellowship either as Members or Associates who all pay an annual subscription which is at present £5.00 in the UK, overseas £7.00. Cheques are acceptable only if made out in sterling and drawn on a UK bank, as bank handling charges are very heavy. (For American enquirers, if you cannot get hold of sterling cash without too much extra expense, twenty American dollars ($20.00) in bills will be acceptable, as bank charges on currency are less than on cheques.)
The only difference between Members and Associates is
as follows:
- Members receive the Newsletter published three times a year, and
also receive the List of Members so that they may be prayerfully
aware of each other in their different paths and to make contact with
each other if they so desire. The distribution of this list is at their
wish restricted to Members.
- Associates also have the Newsletter
distributed to them, but do not appear in the List of Members, and
do not have this list circulated to them.
It is important to point out that the Fellowship is not a religious
lonely-hearts club, nor is it primarily for those recently widowed
or bereaved, though it does and will number such people among its
members. The question to ask is that asked by St Benedict of the
would-be monk: Am I really "seeking God" in
the kind of way outlined in The call to solitude?
If the answer is no you will almost certainly find that the Fellowship
is not for you. If it is yes, you may well find it helpful to join
us.
If after a careful reading of this material you feel moved to join
us, may I please have your subscription. Cheques should be made
payable to Fellowship of Solitaries. If
you wish to become a Member may I also please have the sort
of entry you would wish to see against your name in the List of Members (maximum 35 words). For your guidance a copy of my own entry appears below.
Eve
Baker Writer. Former
Bookseller (retired). Married to
Anglican priest (retired). At present living a semi-reclusive life.
[postal address: - not shown on this web page]
email: [email address not shown
on this web page]
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