There are several committees and positions that serve the needs of the FGC Adult Young Friends group at the Gathering, and keep it running smoothly. We nominate new members to these committees each year. AYFs (age 18-35) can indicate their potential interest in serving in any of these roles during registration.

Co-Coordinators

Co-coordinators clerk the AYF planning committee, attend Gathering Committee meetings, pick out-trip location and organize other AYF activities, coordinate with high school planners, look at AYF program evaluations (please fill them out at the end of the week), and work to guide the conference planning process so that next year people will bring up different concerns. The co-coordinators are invited members of Long Range Conference Planning Committee and are responsible for writing a report for the October meeting of LRCP about how the AYF program went, drawing both on evaluations and the planning committee’s experiences. Co-coordinators receive full workgrants to compensate them for the time and energy that they put into this work. Co-coordinators serve staggered two-year terms.

Co-Clerks and Alternate Co-Clerk(s)

The co-clerks serve staggered two-year terms, during which they must attend a clerking workshop, plan agendas for the business meetings, and clerk the business meetings. The alternate co-clerk(s) serves during the Gathering in the absence of a co-clerk.

Recording Clerk and Alternate Recording Clerk

The recording clerk serves a one-year term, during which the person must attend a clerking workshop, takes minutes at the business meetings, works with the co-clerks to prepare agendas, and keeps the minutes of the AYF. The alternate recording clerk serves during the Gathering in the absence of the recording clerk.

Nominating Committee

The core group of two to five Nominating Committee Members serve a one-year term. This group may be supplemented with volunteers. Nominating Committee will bring a proposed slate as well as proposed alternates to the second Meeting for Business of the following year. The community will then have until the following Meeting for Business to bring their concerns to the Nominating Committee.

Naming Committee

Naming Committee members serve one-year terms. They select the following year’s Nominating Committee through the same process Nominating Committee uses to select the members of our other committees

Planning Committee

The Adult Young Friends Planning Committee is a subcommittee of the FGC Gathering Committee. Planning committee members serve one-year terms, during which they attend Gathering Committee and AYF planning committee meetings (2 meetings a year, usually in September and May), aid co-coordinators in planning the AYF program, select the naming committee and fill other volunteer positions.

Nurturing Committee

The purpose of Nurturing Committee is to listen to and nurture the AYF community as a whole, with particular attention to inclusiveness. The members of this committee are available during Gathering to hear concerns from individuals and to report those concerns to the committee where they are discussed as a group, and addressed as the committee sees fit. Select members of the proposed committee are available to hear concerns not related to the AYF community as a whole and to provide support to those in need of personal care and attention; these are pastoral care members. The committee reports to AYF meeting for business as necessary, no less than once per gathering, regarding any concerns brought to the committee as they deem appropriate.

Nurturing Committee is comprised of nine members, three of whom are chosen for pastoral care positions, in addition to their roles as committee members. Members of this committee serve staggered three year terms. In addition, one nominee from each class is also asked to serve as pastoral care for their time with the committee. Members of this committee should be representative of all aspects of the AYF community, with particular concern for age, sex, life stage, social group, and location. It is left to the discretion of the committee members to choose their own convener(s). We have a concern that the size of the committee may lead to voices not being heard. We also have a concern that this committee meet in a Spirit-led, worship-sharing environment. We encourage all Friends’ committees to invite the Spirit into their work, and we believe it to be especially important for the Nurturing Committee.

AYF Sub-Committee of FGC Long-Range Conference Planning (LRCP)

LRCP makes policy and has primary responsibility for the annual Gatherings. (The program for each Gathering is planned by a separate committee.) LRCP finds and arranges for sites, appoints clerks and key people for the programs, approves details of Gathering budgets, and does publicity and promotion for each Gathering, as well as making policy. (Source: FGC Blue Book)

AYF reps to LRCP are members of LRCP and its AYF subcommittee (usually 2 meetings a year in October and the spring). The AYF subcommittee of LRCP considers long-term policy and direction for the AYF community as well as seasoning items sent to them by AYF Meeting for Business. AYF representatives to LRCP should report to the AYF business meeting each year on the activities of the AYF sub-committee of LRCP, LRCP, and FGC Central Committee.

AYF reps to LRCP representatives serve staggered three-year terms, during which they are “invited members” of the FGC Central Committee (this has some technical meanings). In this role, the reps attend a Central Committee meeting in October and an LRCP meetings in Second, Third or Fourth Month of each year. If an invited AYF member of LRCP misses two consecutive LRCP meetings, without notifying LRCP, the individual will be considered to have resigned from LRCP.

Support Group Leadership at the FGC Gathering

The goal of a support group is to create a smaller and safer environment in which it is easier to get to know people on a deeper level, to nurture each other, and to grow together. It is a small group, preferably 10 or fewer, meeting multiple times throughout the week that may use discussion, worship-sharing, games, and other community-building activities to strengthen existing friendships and to create new ones.

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