Meeting for Sufferings: Nominations
Changes to Central Nominations Committee and the Committee of Clerks have been considered by Meeting for Sufferings
MfS returned to the issue of nominations processes, which it had considered in November 2018. Recording clerk Paul Parker presented a draft terms of reference for a new committee, with the provisional name of ‘Gifts for Service Committee’, which would combine the work of the Central Nominations Committee (CNC) and the Committee on Clerks (CoC). ‘It’s about looking at the gifts people bring and the opportunities for service and how to marry those,’ he said, adding that both committees were happy with the change. He noted that it will be up to Yearly Meeting in session to make these changes. The role of Sufferings was to check that what is proposed is what they had envisaged in their prior considerations.
The new committee would work in ways that try to capture the best processes from both committees, especially the handing on of knowledge as membership changes. But one Friend expressed concern that historical knowledge can be quickly lost, and there needs to be a system for retaining that collective memory written in to the terms of reference. Another Friend said that this could be achieved by adding a reference to consulting Friends more widely. She noted that terms of reference can always be changed as needs arise.
A Friend who serves on CoC felt that ‘“Gifts for Service” is a rather contrived name’, and asked whether the committee itself could think about its name. ‘For me, the test of a name is whether I can translate it easily into Welsh, and I’m struggling with this one.’ MfS agreed, and the new committee will retain the name Central Nominations Committee.
One Friend asked that MfS be given a list of the tasks that CNC carries out to ensure that everything is carried across.
Another expressed concern about the phrase that the committee ‘uses a corporate discernment process…’ in the terms of reference, saying that this was a misunderstanding of what discernment is, and it was agreed that this phrase would be amended.
MfS accepted the recommendations that CNC should take on the work of CoC and that the committee should establish ‘subgroups and standing search groups, with additional Friends brought in to serve as needed. This will enable expertise and capacity to nurture Friends before and during service’.
MfS forwarded the matter to Yearly Meeting.
