WINTER 2003If you light a lamp for somebody,
it will also brighten your own path.
he Salem Quarter Steering Committee has been pondering several issues for the past few months and would like to present them to the Quarter. We would ask that individuals not respond at this time, but to listen, then carry this message home to their monthly meetings and return in December with their collected thoughts and suggestions to help the Steering Committee in our work.
1. Identity:
- Who is the Steering Committee and whom do they work for? This is an offshoot of the Coordinator’s evaluation and deserves reflection on an individual basis, by the monthly meetings, and by the Quarter as a whole.
- Does the Steering Committee merely “meet with the Coordinator, our only paid employee, to plan activities for when all the meetings in the Quarter assemble”?
- Has the function of the Steering Committee evolved from a Coordinator Steering Committee to a de facto Salem Quarter Interim Meeting?
- Do the individuals who make up the Steering Committee represent themselves or their respective meetings at Steering Committee Meetings?
- Should there be term limits on the Steering Committee members to help maintain diversity among the members?
- Is there sufficient communication between the monthly meetings and the Steering Committee?
- How do the individual Monthly Meetings express their ownership in, or their commitment to the Salem Quarter Coordinator Program and the Steering Committee?
Action: Individuals and Monthly Meetings are asked to reflect on the above questions and to open a dialog with the Committee to help prepare a current job description for the Committee and for the representative members.
2. Salem Quarter Coordinator:
- Is the Coordinator an employee of the Quarter who facilitates PYM programs within Salem Quarter, or is the Coordinator an employee of PYM who facilitates Salem Quarter programs?
- Does the use of PYM as a legal employer hinder the effectiveness of the Coordinator Program in Salem Quarter?
Action: Individuals and monthly meetings are asked to reflect on the above questions and to share their feelings with their representatives to the Steering Committee.
3. Communication:
- Is there sufficient communication between the Steering Committee and the monthly meetings to keep the Meetings in the loop?
- Is there sufficient communication between the Steering Committee and PYM?
Action: Individuals and Monthly Meetings are asked to reflect on the above questions and to share their feelings with their representatives to the Steering Committee.
4. Relevance:
- Is the work of the Coordinator and the Steering Committee still relevant in the lives of the Meetings the members and attenders?
Action: Individuals and monthly meetings are asked to reflect on the above question and to offer suggestions as to how we can adjust our programs to stimulate existing members to involve them in meaningful ways and to help attract new people to fill our meetinghouses.
Conclusion:
The Steering Committee has been involved in some deep introspection and is in need of clearness from the Quarter. We ask that you return to your respective monthly meetings with these questions and begin a dialog with us which will strengthen the Quarter for years to come.
In peace,
Frank Lenik, clerkRETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Last modified:
Thursday, March 11, 2004 at 09:44 PM
