Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is composed of 12 persons, with at least one from each Quarterly Meeting. One-third of the Committee is nominated each year by the Interim Meeting for appointment by the Yearly Meeting. Quarterly Meetings may suggest the names of suitable persons from their membership to serve on the Nominating Committee.

The Committee recommends to the Yearly Meeting in session the names of persons to serve on committees and in other offices for which no other means of nomination has been herein provided. Unless otherwise specified, a three-year term is suggested for all committee members, one-third of the membership of a committee being appointed each year to serve from the close of the Yearly Meeting sessions at which they were appointed. Persons may be appointed to an office or committee for no more than six consecutive years, unless longer terms are specified.

Nominations may arise in the Nominating Committee, or may be suggested to the Committee by Quarterly or Monthly Meetings, by clerks or members of established committees, or by any member of the Yearly Meeting. Normally, persons eligible for nomination are members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. However, the Nominating Committee may nominate Friends from other Yearly Meetings who are sojourning among us. On the recommendation of a Monthly Meeting, the Committee may nominate an active attender, except that appointments to other Friends’ organizations must be limited to members of the Society of Friends if the applicable bylaws so specify.

In general, committees charged with a nominating function do not nominate any of their own members; in general, Friends should attempt to serve the Yearly Meeting on no more than one standing committee at a time. However, these principles should not prevent the nomination of a particularly well qualified Friend as a representative to an outside body or as a member of an ad hoc committee, after the Nominating Committee has given due consideration to other qualified Friends. Nothing in this Manual should be interpreted as barring any Friend from serving in a specific capacity when special circumstances warrant.

Friends appointed to the Nominating Committee may complete a term already being served on another committee; and a Nominating Committee member may be nominated for service on another committee immediately on rotation off the Nominating Committee.

In order for the business and concerns of the Yearly Meeting to be effectively carried forward, it is desirable for committees to be representative of various age groups and interests and for Friends to become acquainted with various aspects of Yearly Meeting affairs. It is the duty of the Nominating Committee to evaluate the qualifications of Friends for committee service and to endeavor to be informed about the functioning of Yearly Meeting committees, in order to ascertain at what point a committee assignment or a change of assignment might benefit a Friend, the Yearly Meeting, or both.

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Manual of Procedure, August 2005

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1) Looking at your committee description in the BYM Manual of Procedure: What is the most meaningful, enduring or vital part of your committee’s charge? Where is the energy, the Spirit, in it?

Nominating Committee sees its mission as matching personal leadings and abilities with committee needs. The Manual of Procedure does not provide a “mission statement” explicitly. The closest comments we could find were:

• from paragraph 2: “The Committee recommends to the Yearly Meeting in session the names of persons to serve on committees and in other offices for which no other means of nomination has been herein provided.” and
• from the final paragraph: “It is the duty of the Nominating Committee to evaluate the qualification of Friends for committee service and to endeavor to be informed about the functioning of Yearly Meeting committees in order to ascertain at what point a committee assignment or a change of assignment might benefit a Friend, the Yearly Meeting, or both.”

2) How does the Committee seek to accomplish this vital work? What vision does this move us toward?

Nominating Committee seeks to recognize and develop gifts of BYM Friends by encouraging and supporting them to find committee service that matches their skills, talents and leadings. The Committee assigns members to liaison with several Yearly Meeting committees or representative groups to learn their needs and to follow up with Friends who may be willing to serve on that committee. The Nominating Committee envisions BYM as a spiritual community that invites its members into meaningful participation through committee service as led by the Spirit.

3) What can we do best at this level, rather than at our monthly meetings or through national or international organizations?

The Nominating Committee facilitates the opportunity for Friends to develop their gifts and to pursue their leadings in a wider community of Friends among whom they can find greater opportunities to connect with Friends pursuing similar leadings or concerns.

4) How does the work of your Committee enrich, influence, or change Baltimore Yearly Meeting as a whole? Where do you see that work taking us as a Yearly Meeting?

By identifying Friends (1) whose spiritual journeys may be enhanced through committee service, and (2) who possess gifts needed among us, we hope to enable the work of the Spirit among us through strong, well-functioning committees. In addition, Friends who serve on a committee with others with whom they share a common concern are knit together in ways that strengthen the Yearly Meeting

Have you ever wondered how the Religious Society of Friends continues to thrive and change? The secret is Spirit-led Friends willing to dedicate time, energy, and hard work.

Serving on a BYM committee can be a very special experience. It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful work, deepen Quaker roots, and widen horizons by working with Friends from over 50 Monthly Meetings. The growing knowledge and inter-visitation experience you gain strengthens your Monthly Meeting as well.

Are you good at organizing, administration, or finance? Then consider Program Committee, Stewardship and Finance, Educational Funding Resources, Trustees, or Camp Property Management.

Are you good at outreach, fundraising, or representing Friends? How about Friends World Committee for Consultation, Advancement and Outreach, Friends House Trustees, FGC or FUM representative, or FCNL Board?

Do you like to work with children or youth? Consider Camping Program Committee, Religious Education, Youth Programs, Sandy Spring Friends School Board.

Do your gifts lie in care of Friends, environment, or advocacy? Why not Ministry and Pastoral Care, Peace and Social Concerns, Indian Affairs, Criminal and Restorative Justice, or Unity with Nature?

Are you good with detail and writing? What about Manual of Procedure or Faith and Practice Revision Committees?

Service is a three-year commitment, beginning at the August Annual Meeting this year. Most committees meet together at Interim and Annual Meetings as well as undertaking various activities throughout the year. See BYM’s website (www.bym-rsf.org) and the Yearbook for full descriptions.

To discuss further the gifts you may bring to the various openings, contact the clerk of a committee that interests you or a BYM Nominating Committee member: Barbara Thomas, Annapolis; Jason Eaby, Nottingham; Bronna Zlochiver, Sandy Spring; Charlotte Boynton or Rebecca Rawls, Langley Hill; Andrei Israel, Washington and State College; Nancy Moore, Stony Run; Catherine Tunis, Herndon; Flossie Fullerton, Sandy Spring; Kat Darnell, Frederick; Dave Treber, Dunnings Creek; Molly Tully, FMW; or Laura Nell Obaugh, Hopewell Centre.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting Service Opportunities

Have you ever wondered how the Religious Society of Friends continues to thrive and change? The secret is Spirit-led Friends willing to dedicate time, energy, and hard work.

Serving on a BYM committee can be a very special experience. It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful work, deepen Quaker roots, and widen horizons by working with Friends from the 40 Monthly Meetings and 7 preparative Meetings. The growing knowledge and inter-visitation experience gained strengthens the Friend serving and your Monthly Meeting as well.

Areas of interest and service include administration, ministry and pastoral care, peace and social concerns, children and youth, advancement and outreach, and representing BYM at various Friends organizations. See BYM’s Web site (www.bym-rsf.org) for full descriptions.

Service is a three-year commitment, beginning at the August Annual Session this year. Most committees meet together at Interim Meeting and Annual Session as well as undertaking various activities throughout the year.

To discuss further the gifts you may bring to the various openings, contact your Monthly Meeting Clerk or a BYM Nominating Committee member: Barbara Thomas, Annapolis; Charlotte Boynton, Langley Hill; Kat Darnell, Frederick; Jason Eaby, Nottingham; Flossie Fullerton, Sandy Spring; Andrei Israel,State College; Nancy Moore, Baltimore Stony Run; Laura Nell Obaugh, Hopewell Centre; Molly Tully, Friends Meeting of Washington; Dave Treber, Dunnings Creek; Cathy Tunis, Herndon; and Bronna Zlochiver, Sandy Spring.

BYM Committee Opportunities

Have you ever wondered how the Religious Society of Friends continues to thrive and change? Friends’ Meetings depend on Spirit moving through you to open the way. Getting involved in Yearly Meeting committees and activities is one way to open to Spirit.

Serving on a BYM committee can be a special experience. It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful work to deepen Quaker roots and to widen horizons by meeting Friends from the 53 Monthly Meetings throughout BYM and visiting their Meeting Houses. The growing knowledge and inter-visitation experience gained strengthens the Friend serving and your Monthly Meeting as well.

Areas of interest and service include administration, ministry and pastoral care, peace and social concerns, children and youth, advancement and outreach, and representing BYM at various Friends’ organizations. Please see BYM’s website (www.bym-rsf.org) for full descriptions of each committee.

Service is a three-year commitment, which begins at the August Annual Session this year. Your Monthly Meeting clerk will be collecting indications of interest and communicating those to a member of the BYM Nominating Committee. Alternatively, you can express your interest directly to one of the following Nominating Committee members: Charlotte Boynton, Langley Hill; Ramona Buck, Patapsco; Jason Eaby, Nottingham; Andrei Israel, Friends’ Meeting of Washington; Nancy Moore, Stony Run; Barbara Thomas, Annapolis; Cathy Tunis, Herndon; or Bronna Zlochiver, Sandy Spring.

Annual Report 2004

Our committee met four times this year, in November at Frederick Monthly Meeting, in February at the home of Rod and Caroline Pelton (Goose Creek), in March at the spring Interim Meeting at Bethesda Monthly Meeting, and in June at the Summer Interim Meeting at Deer Creek Monthly Meeting. By phone, through e-mail, and in conversations, we collected information from and about Friends who might be interested in serving the Yearly Meeting in various ways. We discussed ideas about such service with Friends whose names were suggested, and prepared about sixty names of Friends to nominate to the Yearly Meeting at its Annual Session.

Our committee observes that, in the right time and with the right placement, Friends are joyfully generous in their service to the Yearly Meeting and to related Friends’ organizations.

Ruth Flower, Clerk