Ensure a strong foundation to provide a healthy structure that is grounded in the Spirit!
Recently Admin found joy and fulfillment! Here’s how:
- Giving energy to the Property Committee to support monthly meetings with their wide variety of knowledge and needs
- Implemented a sprint to explore a multitude of ways to communicate about how Friends can be involved in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
This is a current or upcoming project or interesting thing Admin is working on:
- Deepening its practice of listening to Friends and meetings
- Increasing its members’ intervisitation practices
Admin functions at its best when there are people serving on it who have these skills or experiences:
- Know Quaker principles and practice.
- Maintain an active and grounded spiritual life and have the ability to articulate their ministry of administration.
- Understand the greater strategic directions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
- Have strong communication skills and be able to communicate complex administrative information clearly and with joy.
- Be willing to travel to monthly meetings, council meetings, and events
- Demonstrate an ability to deal with healthy conflict and to collaborate with others. Be able to make hard decisions, to say “no” when necessary.
These are the areas of expertise needed by some in the Council:
- The law and legal processes
- Accounting and finance
- Personnel
- Property
- Fostering deep spiritual connection and experience
The realistic time commitment of members of Admin Council includes:
- Attend council meetings monthly on Saturday mornings
- Read agenda materials prior to meeting
- Join a committee
- Attend Sessions
- Possibly participate in short-term projects
- Terms: a term is three years, renewable once
Membership:
- Members of councils are named by Nominating Council and approved by Friends at sessions.
- Admin Council ideally has 15 members and currently has nine
Overview
With divine assistance the Administrative Council maintains the health and integrity of the finances, property, personnel, and long-term vision of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. It ensures that resources are well managed in a sustainable manner.
The members of the Administrative Council are nominated by the Nominating Council and approved by the body of the yearly meeting. The Administrative Council will consist of not more than fifteen appointed members. The General Secretary, Clerk, and Treasurer of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting participate in the Administrative Council in an ex-officio capacity. Members may serve two consecutive three-year terms. The General Secretary may invite staff members to attend meetings as needed. The clerk may invite the rising clerk to attend meetings as needed.
Scope of Authority
The Administrative Council holds full authority and responsibility for managing the affairs of PYM except for the authority and responsibility assigned to the Quaker Life Council or reserved to yearly meeting in session, the yearly meeting officers, or staff. Its authority and responsibility shall include, but not be limited to: property, finance, budget preparation, audit, investments, development, grant-making, personnel and periodic strategic planning.
In addition, it holds authority and responsibility for:
- Appointing and laying down its own committees as needed, assigning responsibilities, and appointing committee members who need not be members of the Administrative Council but are asked to do related work and, when it wishes, appointing clerks to those committees.
- Holding committees and other structures under its care accountable to their charge.
- Collaborating with Quaker Life Council on matters of budget, planning, and communications for improved connections between Friends.
- Providing advice and support when requested for the General Secretary and clerk, as needed.
- Communicating the activities of the Administrative Council and the yearly meeting to the people of the yearly meeting on a regular and consistent basis, so that Friends in the yearly meeting may always know the business before the Council.
- Bringing the matters of its substructures to the agenda of business meeting as needed, in consultation with the presiding clerk.
- Attending and reporting to yearly meeting at annual and continuing sessions.
- Implementing the PYM strategic directions; initiating strategic planning.
- Naming the clerk of the Nominating Council and the appointments to the Nominating Council which are not named by the Quarters. These appointments are brought to yearly meeting in session for approval.
- Performing annual evaluation of the General Secretary; manage the hiring, supervising, and terminating of the General Secretary; collaborating with the Nominating Council on the appointment of a General Secretary search committee.
Members
- Andrew Anderson – Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia
- Terry Cooke – Haverford Monthly Meeting
- Charles Devers – Salem Meeting
-
Jeanne Elberfeld, Clerk – Reading Meeting
- Kruskal Hewitt – Media Monthly Meeting
- Neil Holzman – Camden Meeting
- John Marquette – Lehigh Valley Meeting
- Carter Nash – Harrisburg Monthly Meeting
- Cathy Toner – Downingtown Meeting
- Tom Zemaitis, Ex Officio, Treasurer – Moorestown Meeting
- Nikki Mosgrove, Ex Officio, Presiding Clerk – Trenton Meeting
- Christie Duncan-Tessmer, Ex Officio, General Secretary – Chestnut Hill Meeting
- Linell McCurry, Staff, Chief Financial Officer – Lansdowne Meeting
- Salvador Orellana, Staff, Deputy General Secretary
