At our Winter Retreat at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting on January 3-5, 2019, the Young Adult Friends community created and approved the following minutes of appreciation for our outgoing Young Adult Friends Clerking team.
Minute of Appreciation for the service of our outgoing Clerk, Rachel Griffin-Snipes
The Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting thank Rachel Griffin-Snipes for her two years of service as YAF Co-clerk. Rachel’s groundedness, dedication to and care for the community, and her positive energy helped to guide us through times of change, both within our community and in the world. Rachel helped guide all of us (including our coordinator Meg) through the coordinator transition, helping our retreats continue to feel like home.
Minute of Appreciation for the service of our outgoing Clerk, Eleanor Barba
Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting thank Eleanor Barba for her service to the community as a co-clerk. She is always a funny and graceful leader, and furthermore, she is someone that many in the community have felt comfortable confiding in, no matter the circumstances. She worked closely with her fellow clerking team members and with our coordinator, and took changes in stride, using them as a chance to make the community a better place. She also kept an “umbrella view” of all the things going on in the community. We appreciate that Eleanor is continuing to serve the community as co-clerk of pastoral care.
Minute of Appreciation for the service of our outgoing Recording Clerk, Andrew Thompson
The Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting thank Andrew Thompson for his two years of service as YAF Recording Clerk. Andrew’s spirit-led listening, attention to detail, and faithful recording of our business helped to guide us through times of change, both within our community and in the world. Andrew understands that changes are not always bad, and helped reassure us that we could retain our sense of community during leadership transitions. Andrew willingly took on additional roles outside his appointed position as recording clerk, such as pastoral care.
Minute of Appreciation for the service of our outgoing Pastoral Care Clerk, Jeff Rosenthal
The Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting thank Jeff Roenthal for his service as YAF Pastoral care co-clerk. In such a variety of ways, Jeff is a wearer of many hats. Jeff’s empathy, compassionate listening, and care for the community helped to guide us through times of change. Jeff brings a calm and collected presence to our community, and understands when silence is valuable in conversations. Jeff’s deep involvement in Young Friends and Young Adult Friends helped him build relationships with community members, and he provided a stable and friendly presence during our coordinator transition. We are excited to have Jeff continue his work on the pastoral care committee.
Minute of Appreciation for the service of our outgoing Pastoral Care Clerk, Carl Stanton
Young Adult Friends thank Carl Stanton for his service to the YAF community as a co-clerk of Pastoral Care. He has worked thoughtfully and with a commitment to Quaker process, and especially to the ways our structures can be used faithfully to build community. He was also deeply open to thinking about his own role in relation to the rest of the clerking team, and even shifting roles with wisdom and with an eye toward what the whole community could do best. His continuation on the clerking team, in the role as recording clerk, is appreciated.
The Young Adult Friends of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting enthusiastically welcomed a new clerking team at our October 2019, Retreat; Catherine Campbell and Mary Tierney serve as Co-Clerks, Kimani Keaton and Eleanor Barba serve as Pastoral Care Co-Clerks, and Carl Stanton serves as recording clerk.