M·u·s·t·a·r·d ·S·e·e·d 

In an effort to foster what we understand to be a biblical model of community, the Client Services Committee, under the authority of the Mustard Seed Board of Trustees, has prepared some simple guidelines and expectations that will govern family relationships at the Mustard Seed. Many of these guidelines and expectations specifically refer to the Group Homes; however, they should be interpreted in principle to apply to all aspects of Mustard Seed ministry programs.

1. Access to the Group Homes will be made available only after scheduling a specific time with the House Parents and only if an appropriate staff person is present in the home. Please make every effort to schedule visits to the home during a time when the House Parents are available; otherwise, contact the Client Services Director prior to arriving on campus for availability.
2. Family members and guests of the Seedsters are not permitted to enter the House Parents’ Apartment without the explicit invitation and presence of the House Parents.
3. Family members and guests of the Seedsters will not enter any other room of the group home without specific House Parent approval. Family members and guests should not rummage through the home or through the personal property of the Seedsters or staff members. Presence in and access to the Group Homes is limited to the respective Seedsters room and personal effects.
4. Under no circumstances should any family member or guest of a Seedster make any modifications to the aesthetics or permanent fixtures of the home without approval from the administration.
5. Appropriate kindness, dignity and respect for the authority of the House Parents specifically, and all staff generally, must be demonstrated at all times in both word and deed by the families and guests of the Seedsters.
6. As a Christian community for mentally challenged adults, the Mustard Seed must be able to rely upon the families of the Seedsters for mutual support, edification, and partnership; therefore, basic trust in the governance, administration, and programming of the Mustard Seed must be demonstrated by the families.
7. Our passion is for the Seedsters, but let it be stated openly that in all likelihood we will not always handle matters the same way that all of the parents and families of the Seedsters would handle them. When such times of disagreement arise, families are asked first to defer to the Mustard Seed, and then to bring their disagreement to the attention of the staff with a willingness to listen and remain supportive without becoming quarrelsome.
8. Families of the Seedsters are expected to demonstrate the same standards and disciplines of Christian community at the Mustard Seed as they would at their church. Hence, let us share in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
9. Finally, Mustard Seed families are expected to respect and abide by the policies of the Board of Trustees and decisions of the administration, even if they personally disagree. Families are expected to work out differences through the administration before contacting the Board of Trustees. All official correspondence to the Board of Trustees should be directed to the Board through the principle office, whereupon the correspondence will be presented to the Board President for consideration.

The aforementioned list of guidelines and expectation should not be construed to be an exhaustive list; rather, it establishes a general tone of professionalism, respect, and character that will be expected to distinguish any future relationship between the Mustard Seed and the families of the Seedsters. Unwillingness to abide by the aforementioned guidelines and expectations will be considered by the administration as a voluntary withdrawal from enrollment from the ministry programs of the Mustard Seed.