Nominations Committee
As an aid to Friends considering a committee position, we have provided the following descriptions of LEYM Committee Requirements. These are available as a pdf file, or in the MS Word format should you like to download a copy.
LEYM Committee Requirements
Advancement and Outreach Committee
1. Job Description: Nurture and encourage small meetings, new meetings, and worship groups within LEYM. Committee members are encouraged to visit LEYM worship groups, preparative meetings, and monthly meetings and to report on their experience.
Support meetings in attracting and welcoming new members and attenders.
Keep an up-to-date list of the monthly meetings, preparative meetings, and worship groups within LEYM along with contact information for clerks and conveners.
Work with groups interested in forming new monthly meetings or with meetings that are being laid down.
With the Publications & Archives Committee, oversee the LEYM web site.
2. Meeting Schedule: The Committee meets at Representative Meeting, Yearly Meeting, and for a Saturday meeting in the fall. If committee members find that they cannot travel to a Saturday meeting, they could possibly be included via a phone call, e-mail, and/or a conference call.
3. Gifts and Talents: Interest in helping meetings reach out to seekers; interest in nurturing meetings and worship groups. Also helpful: An ability to talk about Quakerism and Quaker practices in positive terms; experience with a variety of meetings. Committee members work on projects of personal concern. This could be writing a Bulletin article on a particular topic, working with meetings, finding resources for supporting meetings or outreach, or any other service individuals are led to do and the committee supports.
4. Committee Communication: Between meetings, committee members communicate occasionally via e-mail or regular mail. Members are expected to respond to requests for input on drafts of articles or other items.
Ministry and Nurture Committee
1. Job Description: A member of this committee should have an interest in nurturing the spiritual life of the Yearly, Quarterly, and Monthly Meetings. Our tasks have included developing queries and selecting quotes designed for the spiritual nurture of our local meetings; developing and offering the Spiritual Formation Program; sponsoring the 12-step meeting at the June gathering; planning and offering workshops for the members of the Ministry and Nurture committees of the local meetings and worship groups; consulting with M&N committees of local meetings; working with other committees on nurturing the spiritual life of meetings and worship groups; nominating Friends of the YM for spiritual study at Friends' institutions.
2. Meeting Schedule: We plan on meeting four to five times through the year: face-to-face at Representative Meeting in March; face-to-face at Yearly Meeting gathering in June, beginning on Thursday afternoon; two phone meetings of about 1 1/2 hours each; and a possible off-site face-to-face meeting in the fall. Because it is difficult for the committee to move forward in its work without a consistent membership, it is hoped that all members will attend the committee meeting at both Representative Meeting and Yearly Meeting. The other meetings will be scheduled to accommodate members' schedules.
3. Gifts and Talents: The committee makes use of a variety of gifts, not all of which will be held by any one individual. These include holding the committee in the Light as it works, taking notes of our meetings, noticing the pastoral needs of Friends at the annual gathering, using a computer, listening to and working with diverse opinions, organizing events, developing programs, and bringing spiritual depth to the discernment of the committee.
4. Communication: We review meeting responses to the queries and state of the meeting reports, and receive other information from the clerk through e-mail. Our phone and off-site meetings are scheduled using a free internet scheduler; thus it is preferred that members have access to e-mail and the internet. However, other forms of communication can be accommodated for any member taking the initiative to contact the clerk.
Peace Committee
1. Frequency of meetings: meet at Representative Meeting and during LEYM committee meeting times.
2. Communication: Be in e-mail contact throughout the year.
3. Useful talents: Awareness of issues pertinent to peace committee and the ability to relate these issues to the Yearly Meeting.
4. Time Commitment: Could be several hours a week keeping up on issues but not that much time needed for communicating among members.
Publications & Archives Committee
1. Job Description: The committee is responsible for publication and distribution of the Annual Records and the Bulletin (thrice yearly). In cooperation with Advancement & Outreach, the committee maintains the web site. Current practice includes publishing a Directory of all members and attenders of monthly meetings, preparative meetings, and worship groups within the Yearly Meeting every two years, though continuation of this practice is under discussion. The committee sends copies of its publications to the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College. The committee clerk occasionally forwards announcements to contact persons at monthly meetings and worship groups; the web site also provides current announcements.
2. Frequency of Meetings: We meet only at Representative Meeting and Annual Meeting.
3. Useful Gifts and Talents: These include the ability to write clearly, with attention to detail, and knowledge of maintaining and expanding a web site.
4. Committee Communication: The committee communicates mainly by email. Although email to the entire committee is infrequent, there is considerable email between the committee clerk and individual members working on specific projects (Annual Records, web site, Bulletin, and Directory).
Youth and Children Committee
Consult P&P for Job Descriptions.
1. Frequency of Meetings: Be at Representative Meeting and co-ordinate with adult program and Site people. Be at all of LEYM, arrive early and leave late.
2. Communication: Be in e-mail/phone contact during the year and maybe meet ahead of LEYM to plan your age group's program. A one day meeting should be enough.
3. Talents: Be organized, be flexible, like kids, be patient, be a good team member, be good at co-coordinating, especially for Fall Retreat.
5. Time Commitment: Representative Meeting and all of LEYM and time between to get supplies organized.