Newtown Monthly Meeting

Committee Handbook

January 1, 2004

Revised June 2004 (for new Building and Grounds Description)

Revised July 2004 (to remove Chandler Hall Board Representative)

Revised October 2007 (to add Technology and Information Management Committee)

“Am I ready to offer assistance as part of my religious community serving its members? Am I equally willing to accept graciously the help of others?”
[Faith and Practice, 1997, p. 208]

Introduction

Committee Hosting Responsibilities

Monthly Meeting Officers

Clerk Term: 2 years

Assistant Clerk Term: 2 years

Controller for Operations Term: 4 years, starting July 1

Treasurer for Endowments Term: 4 years, starting July 1

Recorder Term: 4 years, Reports in January

Announcer (2) Term: 1 year

Monthly Meeting Committees

Auditing Committee 3 Members Term: 3 years

Buildings and Grounds Committee 12 Members Term: 4 years

Care and Counsel Committee 12 Members Term: 4 years

Conference Grant Committee 3 Members Term: 4 years

Financial Oversight Committee 7 Members Term: 4 years

Friends in Need Committee 6 Members Term: 4 years

Library Committee 6 Members Term: 2 years

Newsletter Committee 8 Members Term: 3 years

Newtown Friends School Committee Term: 3 years, starting July 1

Nominating Committee 9 Members Term: 3 years

Peace and Service Committee 4 Members Term: 2 years

Religious Education Committee 10 Members Term: 2 years, starting July 1

Adult Religious Education Committee 4 Members Term: 2 years, starting July 1

Scholarship Committee 3 Members Term: 4 years

Technology and Information Management 6 Members Term: 3 years

Worship and Ministry 15 Members Term: 4 years

Ad Hoc Committee on Conflict Resolution

QUARTERLY MEETING APPOINTMENTS

Quarterly Meeting Representative (1 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Budget and Nominating Committee (2 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Chandler Hall Auxiliary (1 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Friends Boarding Home and Village Committee (2 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Friends Camp Association (3 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Oversight Committee (1 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Worship and Ministry (1 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

YEARLY MEETING APPOINTMENT

Interim Meeting (1 from Newtown) Term: 3 years

Charter for Newtown Friends School

Queries from Newtown Meeting to the Newtown Friends School Committee

BY-LAWS OF NEWTOWN MONTHLY MEETING OF FRIENDS

Introduction

Since Newtown Monthly Meeting has no professional, paid staff, the life of the meeting depends on voluntary involvement and commitment. The Meeting has formed several committees and positions to ensure the continuity of the Spiritual, as well as the Operational, goals of the meeting.

Members and attenders are encouraged to understand the roles and nature of the committees, to utilize them if the need arises, and to know where they can contribute their talents most effectively. Hence, this handbook.

This handbook lists the duties of officers and committees of Newtown Monthly Meeting as of January 1, 2004. The Meeting may, from time to time, appoint additional committees, revise the duties of standing committees, or lay committees down.

It is the policy of Newtown Monthly Meeting that no member of any Meeting Committee may serve more than three consecutive full terms. A minimum of two years must elapse before being eligible to be reappointed to that committee. Monthly Meeting sets the term limits for our appointments to Quarterly and Yearly Meeting.

Attenders are welcome to serve on any committee not restricted to Meeting Members. Committees that are open to attenders are indicated in this handbook; all other committees are limited to Meeting Members. More details are given with the Nominating Committee’s description.

Committee Hosting Responsibilities

Committees take turns hosting our monthly covered-dish meals. They take responsibility for:

Setting up tables and chairs

Providing hot and cold beverages and cups

Bringing main dishes; chilling or heating food until the meal

Checking supplies

Cleaning up

Please see the Assistant Clerk if you have any questions. Schedule for Covered Dish Lunches:

	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Jan.	Worship & Ministry	Library, Camp Onas	Nominating	NFS	Building & Grounds
Feb.	Audit, Adult R.E., Scholarship	Worship & Ministry	Library, Camp Onas	Nominating	NFS
Mar.	Financial Oversight	Audit, Adult R.E., Scholarship	Worship & Ministry	Library, Camp Onas	Nominating
Apr.	Peace & Service, Friends In Need	Financial Oversight	Audit, Adult R.E., Scholarship	Worship & Ministry	Library, Camp Onas
May	Newsletter	Peace & Service, Friends In Need	Financial Oversight	Audit, Adult R.E., Scholarship	Worship & Ministry
Jun	Religious Ed	Religious Ed	Religious Ed	Religious Ed	Religious Ed
Jul and Aug	No Friendly First Shared Meals in July and August
Sep.	Care and Counsel	Care and Counsel	Care and Counsel	Care and Counsel	Care and Counsel
Oct.	Building & Grounds	Newsletter	Peace & Service, Friends In Need	Financial Oversight	Audit, Adult R.E., Scholarship
Nov.	NFS	Building & Grounds	Newsletter	Peace & Service, Friends In Need	Financial Oversight
Dec.	Nominating	NFS	Building & Grounds	Newsletter	Peace & Service, Friends In Need

Monthly Meeting Officers

Monthly Meeting Officers (Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Controller, Treasurer and Recorder) must be members of the Meeting.

Clerk Term: 2 years

Reports Annually to Monthly Meeting in November, Quarterly Meeting in November.

Ideally, the Clerk is both servant and leader. The Clerk sees to the management and good order of the affairs of the Meeting and is responsible for a general oversight of the Meeting activities. Specifically, the Clerk:

1. Conducts all business sessions of the meeting and carries out the instructions of the Meeting in all matters pertaining to the complete accomplishment of its business:

Prepares the agenda and conducts the meeting in a worshipful spirit;

Ensures administrative compliance with the wishes and/or business decisions of the meeting;

Ensures that those charged by the Meeting with new tasks or specific actions are informed of their responsibilities;

Defers a matter to a later time when there is no clear sense of the meeting, and takes care that matters held over appear in a later agenda.

2. Receives and properly acts upon all correspondence directed to the Meeting, and promptly dispatches all letters or documents whose drafting has been entrusted to the Clerk.

3. Serves as ex-officio member of all committees and attends when appropriate.

4. Signs legal documents to which the Monthly Meeting has given approval, as executive officer of the Meeting, and represents the Meeting at ecumenical or other functions when called upon to do so.

5. Closes Meetings for Worship, or appoints another member to do so.

Full description of the functions of the Clerk are contained in Faith and Practice.

Assistant Clerk Term: 2 years

1. Records the minutes of Monthly Meeting and sees that they are passed on in good order or properly stored.

2. Reads the appropriate Query at Monthly Meeting, and once each month during Meeting for Worship.

3. Reminds committee clerks of their responsibility for hosting the monthly covered dish lunch.

4. Assists the Clerk in any way possible when called upon, and acts in the absence of the Clerk by presiding at Monthly Meeting, picking up the mail, etc.

5. Acts in the name of the Meeting whenever the Clerk is unable to do so.

6. Normally becomes Clerk at the end of the two year term.

Controller for Operations Term: 4 years, starting July 1

1. Receives, holds, accounts for, and when properly authorized, disburses funds for the Operating Fund and other funds as assigned by the Financial Oversight Committee. Authority to disburse funds for certain line items is contained in the approved operating budget. Other disbursements shall be made only on authorization of the Monthly Meeting, the Clerk, or the appropriate committee chairperson.

2. Provides, when called upon, financial data to the Financial Oversight Committee for financial reports and budget preparation. Reports quarterly to Monthly Meeting.

3. Submits the books of account for annual audit by the Auditing Committee.

4. Acknowledges receipt of all donations over 250.00 from Meeting Members.  Acknowledges receipt of all donations from attenders and other non-members.

5. Serves as alternate to the Treasurer for Endowments.

6. Is a member ex officio of the Financial Oversight Committee.

Treasurer for Endowments Term: 4 years, starting July 1

1. Receives, holds, accounts for, and when properly authorized, disburses funds for the endowment funds, income funds relating thereto, and other funds as assigned by the Financial Oversight Committee. Disbursements shall be made only on authorization of the Monthly Meeting.

2. Provides, when called upon, financial data to the Financial Oversight Committee for financial reports.

3. Prepares and submits reports to Monthly Meeting in March and September.

4. Submits the books of account for annual audit by the Auditing Committee.

5. Acknowledges receipt of gifts to the endowment; provides annual written cumulative report of all gifts and bequests.

6. Serves as alternate to the Controller for Operations.

7. Is a member ex officio of the Financial Oversight Committee.

Recorder Term: 4 years, Reports in January

1. Maintains the records of births, deaths, admissions, removals, marriages and any other pertinent statistical information relating to the Meeting membership.

2. Certifies and transmits at the direction of the Meeting such information to a requesting member.

3. Transmits to PYM changes in membership information.

Announcer (2) Term: 1 year

1. </