Although a new ad hoc committee, we are standing on the shoulders of the Ad Hoc Committee on Renewal and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Function of New York Yearly Meeting, representing some years of a sequence of discernments on the good functioning of the Yearly Meeting, not primarily for its own sake, but as may best reflect and meet the needs of monthly and regional meetings. We would like to think that this represents the nurturance of all of us, whether active in Yearly Meeting or worshiping only in one�s local meeting.
Our hope is to use well this opportunity to revisit what the previous committees have provided, not to be redundant, but to lead to specific recommendations that come from the marrow of our discernments of many years.
The charge to the committee is to �test with monthly and regional quarterly meetings the recommendations and suggestions put forward in the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the function of NYYM as presented at the annual gathering at Silver Bay, July 2001. Through this testing and their own discernment process the committee is further charged to revise the recommendations with a view to achieving greater unity about the steps to be taken to serve the renewal of the Yearly Meeting.�
We wish to invite Friends into our worship over staff and structure concerns and have set aside the afternoon committee time at April Representative Meeting for this purpose.
We have oversight of the Ad Hoc Committee on Committees, also established at Silver Bay 2001. Representatives from this committee will be joining us at Representative Meeting as well. They report that they are making progress in thinking about how to simplify Yearly Meeting�s committee structure in ways that will enhance the ministry and witness of the Yearly Meeting.
In reviewing the major areas of concern identified by the previous committees, we established subcommittees to investigate Communication, Youth Support, Ministers and Released Friends Support, Relationship with Farmington-Scipio Region, and Staffing. Each subcommittee has further reviewed the previous explorations and recommendations, and have been testing their findings with relevant committees and meetings. The Ad Hoc Committee has also established a contact person with each of the coordinating committees so that we can remain mutually informed of relevant changes and minutes.
Although a thorough examination of our findings and recommendations will be reported to the Yearly Meeting at Silver Bay 2002, we bring to your attention the following two concerns:
1) The Communication Subcommittee brought forward the following minute, approved by the Committee 3/9/02. We will be seeking approval of this minute from the Yearly Meeting.
Minute on Decision Making of New York Yearly Meeting Clerk between Gatherings
All major decisions are made by Yearly Meeting Friends gathered as a body, in a regular meeting for worship with a concern for business, at regular annual or interim sessions of New York Yearly Meeting.
A perceived need for action or communication may arise between regular sessions, for which waiting for the next gathering may not seem timely. In such a situation, the clerk may take whatever action he/she deems appropriate, with the advice of senior staff and members of Yearly Meeting Liaison Committee, to the extent that these individuals are accessible, as well as others such as may be appropriate. These decisions are to be in accord with traditional Friends testimonies, with Faith and Practice, in light of earlier relevant decisions of the Yearly Meeting, and in the light of Divine guidance.
The clerk shall report this decision to the next meeting for business, for its information and consideration, at which time the meeting for business has responsibility for further decisions on this issue.
Note: this minute refers to, and is in addition to, the Fourth Edition Handbook of Yearly Meeting Organization and Committees, 2000, page 3, section 3a, last sentence, second paragraph. The minute will need to be considered for the next revision of the Handbook.
2) The Subcommittee on Staffing provided ample justification from the previous Ad Hoc Committee report to recommend to the committee that we move ahead with suggesting a reinstatement of the position of general secretary. The committee anticipates such a recommendation to be made at Annual Sessions 2002. The general secretary would provide both ministry and guidance to Friends and their monthly and regional meetings and leadership of the staff in implementing the priorities of the Yearly Meeting. Such priorities would include:
We also anticipate recommending the authorization of a search, conducted as in the past, under the General Services Committee. The search committee should be named by General Services Coordinating Committee and include a representative from each of the other sections and from the Ad Hoc Committee on Staffing and Structure. We wish to hold up the idea of the general secretary position as one of serving out of spiritual calling, as identified in Tucker�s Structural Incongruities in Quaker Service.
We will be meeting with Financial Services and members of the Personnel Committee to develop budgetary recommendations to provide funding for such a position, also establishing salary guides and benefit recommendations.
Although the committee agrees that even with a general secretary the Yearly Meeting will be understaffed, additional staff and whether they would be located in the Yearly Meeting office or in regional meetings, whether such discussion ought to wait until we have a general secretary or equivalent approved by Yearly Meeting, these issues are still waiting for way to open.
More will be forthcoming. We look for your guidance and for Divine guidance to prepare our next steps.
Respectfully submitted,
Joanna Komoska, clerk
-- on behalf of the Ad Hoc Committee composed of Jeffrey Aaron, Miriam Brush, George Rubin, Kate Lawson, Deborah Wood, James O�Barr, Milford Lester, Thor Rhodin, Dale Jacobs (and Rebecca McKenzie, co-opted) Ad Hoc Committee on Committees is composed of Margallen Fichter, clerk, Herb Lape, Thomas Martin, Anne Wright, and Stanley Zarowin.