One thing that Lake Forest Friends Meeting is known for is nurturing and developing Quaker leaders. Over the years, we often find our Friends not only in leadership positions at our meeting but at Illinois Yearly Meeting, Friends General Conference, and Friends World Committee for Consultation. It isn’t easy to say “yes” to these roles. One can feel very vulnerable sitting behind that Clerk’s desk. One reason that I think that Lake Forest is able to develop leaders is the continual love and support that we give to our clerk and committee conveners. I know that some of this is from relief that someone else has volunteered. Others of you may be thinking, “Yeah, right.” But in my experience, I have received so many thanks from different people that I always feel appreciated. I have also been given some helpful criticism which I have tried to incorporate in my work.

Lake Forest Friends Meeting provides good examples of leadership for newer Friends as well as mentoring and nurturing. I have been influenced by the weighty Friends from when I was growing up. Moving to Illinois as an adult, I found Lake Forest Friends in 1985. Allie and Lew Walton were still active in the meeting then. Later Daryl and Blanche Frey (Bert’s parents) always seemed to me to be quintessential Friends. There is something that I recognize in these leaders even if I can’t quite name it.

I remember when I was a young adult Friend, Elizabeth Mertic, then clerk, took me under her wing and taught me how to take minutes. That started a long long succession of mentors, too many to name. All were willing to take time to guide an emerging Friend. As I get old, learning about leadership is still a priority for me. When I meet Friends from other meetings it isn’t long before we are discussing how our meetings handled different leadership issues.

However, the most important key for training our Quaker leaders I think is in knowing that we are all ministers. Though we may ask someone to sit behind the clerk’s desk during our meeting for business, we are all participating in Quaker process. The community is searching for the way forward. It is not up to the clerk or committee convener to make the decisions. The clerk gets to see and identify the energy in the room and then tries to name the sense that we are in Gospel Order. Leadership in such a situation becomes a joy.

Pam Kuhn, March 2020