ad hoc Healthy Organization and Purposeful Evolution (HOPE) Committee Annual Reports

The text of recently received Annual Reports are below, with the most recently received at the top and older reports below. To jump to a particular report, simply click the year listed below.

2017 Report

The creation of an ad hoc Faith and Practice Process Clarification Committee (F&P PCC) was approved at Tenth Month 2016 Interim Meeting with this minute:

Baltimore Yearly Meeting establishes an ad hoc Faith and Practice Process Clarification Committee, which is asked to bring forward a proposal for a first reading at Interim Meeting in March 2017 to 1) offer changes to the Manual of Procedure entries relating to Faith and Practice and 2) provide more detailed guidance to the Faith and Practice Revision Committee (F&PRC) on how to approach its work. A second reading of its proposal would come to Interim Meeting in June 2017. If Interim Meeting reaches unity on a way forward at that time, the ad hoc Committee would be laid down, and the Nominating Committee would be asked to bring names for the F&PRC to Annual Session.

F&P PCC membership was open to all who expressed interest. In addition, the Presiding and Interim Meeting clerks recruited additional members to expand the age and regional diversity on the committee. Committee membership fluctuated for the first couple of months then settled to eleven members, including both the Presiding and Interim Meeting clerks.

The F&P PCC was slower getting off the ground than anticipated. Our first meeting was in January 2017, with five additional meetings occurring from late January through July. We met in person at the BYM offices, often with one or more members calling in. Our discussions were spirited, as we had a wide diversity of opinions about faith, practice, and process. We also held three listening sessions in April. To facilitate participation by as many people as possible, we scheduled the sessions across the Yearly Meeting. Two were held in conjunction with Stewardship and Finance Committee’s apportionment meetings at Oxford Friends Meeting and Floyd Friends Meeting. The third was at Bethesda Friends Meeting.

We reported on our work at March Interim Meeting and made some preliminary recommendations regarding the Faith and Practice Committee, including that it be a standing committee with six to ten members and that “Revision” be struck from the Committee’s name. We heard some comments and suggestions at Interim Meeting and received additional ones via e-mail. Interim Meeting asked Nominating Committee to bring the names of six people prepared to work on Faith and Practice to Annual Session

We gave an update on our work at June Interim Meeting and brought suggested language to replace the current description of the Faith and Practice Committee on page 14 of Manual of Procedure. We again heard a variety of comments and suggestions in response to our report and recommendations.

At Annual Session, we will present for approval revised language to replace the current description of the Faith and Practice Committee in the Manual of Procedure. We will also share a set of advices for the Faith and Practice Committee, should it be appointed at Annual Session. The advices are based on the listening sessions, feedback received at Interim Meetings, comments submitted though fandp@bym-rsf.org and directly to committee members, and our committee’s own discernment. We expect that additional comments and suggestions from the floor will be included in the Annual Session minutes.

Having completed the work described in our charge, we ask that the ad hoc Faith and Practice Process Clarification Committee be laid down at Annual Session.