As Friends do not have a traditional minister and staff, Meeting acts through its committees. From a Business Meeting of the whole to a Relief Committee with three members, activities in Quakerism are accomplished through Committees.
Committees have either a clerk for a long standing committee such as Ministry and Counsel or a convener for a short-term committee such as a Clearness Committee. Like all Quaker activities, committees begin and end in silent worship and members await the leading of the Spirit in the transaction of business. Committees are therefore forms of worship that are Spirit-led.
In order to ensure a democratic distribution of authority, the clerk and other members of committees serve only for a specified length of time. All Meeting members and attenders may be asked to sit on committees, depending upon their leadings and the discernment of their gifts by the Nominating Committee.
Anyone with a leading for service to the community should contact the Clerk of Nominating or any Member of the Nominating Committee to make that leading known.
POSITIONS & COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR 2020 (All positions are for one year, renewable except for the Nominating Committee terms which are for two years, staggered terms, renewable once, and Ministry & Counsel terms for 3 years, renewable once, staggered terms.)
CLERK: Jane Alexandre
ASSISTANT CLERK: Bernard Winter
TREASURER: Stephen McDonnell
ASSISTANT TREASURER: Bryan Oettel
FINANCE COMMITTEE: Charlene Ray, Pamela Wood, Bart Dominus
MINISTRY AND COUNSEL: Ed Elder, Karen Taborn, Tom Goodrich (2nd Term to 2023); David Fletcher (1st Term ends 2021); Charlene Ray (2nd Term ends 2021); Jerry Reisig (partial 1st Term ends 2021); Ron Rieder, Jason McGill, Pamela Wood (1st Term to 2022)
RECORDER FOR MEMBERSHIP/HISTORIAN: Helen Garay Toppins
NOMINATING: Mason Jenkins, Peter Beck (1st Term to 2021); Bryan Oettel, Robert Renwick (1st Term to 2022)
COMMUNICATIONS AND WEBSITE: Kathy Stackhouse, Bryan Oettel, Scott Blumenthal, Derek McIver
LIBRARIAN: Sally Campbell
LIBRARY: Corona Machemer, Richard Schmidt, Jane Alexandre
PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS: Corona Machemer and Robert Schwab (Co-Clerks)
FRIENDS' COMMITTEE ON UNITY WITH NATURE (FRIENDS EARTHCARE WITNESS): Tom Goodridge
FIRST DAY CAREGIVERS: Ernie Buscemi, Sally Campbell, Tom Goodridge, June Tano
FIRST DAY COORDINATORS: Richard Schmidt, Pamela Wood
RIVERSIDE SPACE: Jason McGill
HOSPITALITY: Joyce Richardson (until April 2020), Charlene Ray, Richard Schmidt, Bryan Wigfall
ARCH VISITORS: Sally Campbell, Kathy Hinton, Dot Savage, John Tweddle, Charlene Ray, David Fletcher, Schuyler Osborne, Bryan Wigfall
COMMITTEE FOR PRISON MINISTRY: Stephen McDonnell, Ernie Buscemi, David Fletcher, Helen Garay Toppins, Pamela Wood
REPRESENTATIVES TO FRIENDS GROUPS
FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION (FCNL): Kathy Stackhouse
AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE: Pamela Wood
POWELL HOUSE: Charlene Ray
YOUNG ADULT FRIENDS: OPEN
PENDLE HILL: Stephen McDonnell
NEW YORK YEARLY MEETING: Pamela Wood
NEW YORK QUARTERLY MEETING: Ed Elder
FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE: Sally Campell
MORNINGSIDE APPOINTMENTS TO NEW YORK QUARTERLY AND YEARLY MEETING COMMITTEES (Nominated from the Quarter or Yearly Meeting)
AUDIT AND BUDGET: Kathy Stackhouse, Charlene Ray
RELIEF: John Slater
CEMETERY: Bryan Oettel
TRUSTEES OF QUARTERLY MEETING CORPORATION: Katherine Alford, Bart Dominus
COMMUNICATIONS: Bryan Oettel, David Britton
EDUCATION FUND AND PHOEBE ANNA THORNE SCHOLARSHIP: Bryan Wigfall
MINISTRY AND COUNSEL: Ed Elder
NYQM JOINT NOMINATING: David Britton
FRIENDS SEMINARY SCHOOL: Lee Rada
GREAT LAKES REGION (AFRICA) EDUCATION: Corona Machemer
COMMITTEE FOR DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN ALLOWED MEETING: Sally Campbell, Richard Schmidt
YEARLY MEETING MINISTRY AND COUNSEL: OPEN
YEARLY MEETING RIGHT SHARING OF WORLD RESOURCES: OPEN
YEARLY MEETING COMMITTEE ON DISCERNMENT: Peter Beck