Baltimore Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

 

Subject: Charge to Ad Hoc Search Committee

Name of Task Group: Search Committee for General Secretary                     

Date:  January 13, 2006

Appointed by: Supervisory Committee of Interim Meeting, December 2005

Authorized by: Interim Meeting, October 2005

Thank you for your willingness to serve the Yearly Meeting in this most special capacity.  Our future depends on your listening to candidates for the position, to individuals and meetings and most of all, to God.  The Search Committee will be upheld in prayer by the entire Yearly Meeting.  May our loving support and confidence under gird your work.

As a temporary committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, you are expected to work within the good order of Friends as illustrated in BYM’s Faith and Practice and Manual of Procedure.   

 

Mission: 

The Search Committee for General Secretary is charged to bring forward to June 17, 2006 Interim Meeting the name of a candidate to serve as General Secretary of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. 

Authority and Responsibility:

Search Committee has the authority to organize the recruitment and selection process in any manner appropriate to the committee needs and congruent with spiritual discernment and good personnel practices. 

Committee members are asked to bring to the process their individual gifts and experience.  We trust that each member will contribute to the gathered wisdom of the group.

 

Individual members receiving charge:

 

Katherine Smith, Maury River                                                       Ramona Buck, Patapsco

Nancy Clark, Baltimore-Homewood                                              Janet Eaby, Nottingham

Andrei Israel, Friends Meeting of Washington                              Katrina Mason, Bethesda

Eric Uberseder, Dunnings Creek                                                    Francy Williams, Frederick

 

Clerk of committee:  Katherine Smith

Time Frame:

We hope that the committee will be able to fulfill its charge by mid-June.  We recognize that God’s time is not always our time. Close on-going consultation with Supervisory Committee should include discussion of the time frame for presenting a candidate.

 

Resources allocated to enable the committee work:  

Financial:   Baltimore Yearly Meeting will provide funding for advertisements, to prepare and distribute materials, hold conference calls and meetings, phone and/or transport candidates to interviews.  Howard Fullerton, interim General Secretary will facilitate financial arrangements, and office support. 

Administrative:  Michael Cronin, clerk of Interim Committee, has offered to serve as “staff” to the committee, providing administrative support and consultation.  This support includes, but is not limited to, collecting useful documents, placing ads, etc.   

Documents: 

·         Minutes of the most recent previous General Secretary Search Process (1988)

·         October 18, 2005 letter from Presiding Clerk and Interim Committee clerk announcing the vacancy and initial steps in the search process and providing preliminary queries to Monthly Meetings plus all responses received from monthly meetings

·         Draft Position Summary (for broad circulation); for the committee’s use: Job Description of previous incumbent; and draft detailed job functions as prepared by Supervisory Committee in December 2005

 

Groups receiving reports and responsible for review of the committee:

Supervisory Committee and Interim Meeting

Reporting will include monthly update to Supervisory Committee with more frequent consultation as needed; a report to Interim Meeting March 25

 

Who is consulted as committee proceeds?

·         Monthly Meeting consultation has been requested by Supervisory Committee, and is to be completed by mid-February.  The results will be available to Search Committee

·         Supervisory Committee will consult with Yearly Meeting Staff prior to February 11.  A report will be available to the Search Committee. 

·         Called Interim Meeting February 11 (snow date February 25) for individual and meeting consultation, for approval of the Position Summary, and permission given to Search Committee to implement changes in the Position Summary as directed by Interim Meeting, subject to approval by Supervisory Committee.

·         Clerks of Interim Meeting and Baltimore Yearly Meeting should be informed and consulted with faithfully as the work of the search committee proceeds.

 

Additional information:

No member of the search committee shall be a candidate for General Secretary.

Public advertisements have been placed in Friends Journal and Quaker Life; information will be on the BYM web site and other electronic venues as appropriate.

 

Supervisory Committee will establish terms and conditions of employment.