Committee Roster 2008-2009 (last updated 09/28/2008)

“Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and then thou wilt feel the principle of God turn thy mind to the Lord God, whereby thou wilt receive his strength and power from whence life comes.”
–George Fox, 1658

Westtown Monthly Meeting Committees for 2008-2009
(call Peter Lane with changes)
* indicate committee clerk

Clerk (1 year)..................................................... Kevin Gallagher 07
Assistant Clerk ................................................. none at this time
Recording Clerk (1 year).................................. Margaret Haviland 07
Recorder (1 year).............................................. Laurie Worth 07
Treasurer (3 years)........................................... Branin Boyd 09
Assistant Treasurer (3 years). ......................... Don Koenig 09

Auditing Committee: Term 3 years. Reports 9th month.
Sam Wagner 09, Elson Blunt 10.

Education Committee: Term 3 years. Reports 2nd month.
Patti DiGiacomo 10, Sam Wagner 09, Joe Marchese 08.

Finance Committee: Term 3 years. Reports 3rd month.
Taylor Boyd 06, Bruce Harrison 08, Tom Haviland 08, Isabella Harrison 10, Sara Kehew 10, Juliet Lane 10, Janny Sterrett 09, *Tim Sterrett 09, Treasurer and Ass't Treasurer, ex officio.

Library Committee: Now under Pastoral Care & Concerns. Reports 6th month .
Heather Huberty, Janny Sterrett, Joyce Colket.

Newsletter Committee: Now under Pastoral Care & Concerns. Reports 4th & 10th month.
Patti DiGiacomo, Susan Reese, Tom Haviland, Marc Dear.

Nominating Committee. Term 3 years. Reports 5th month & 6th month.
Karen Gallagher 08, Barbara Marchese 10, Denis Nicholson-Asselin 10, Susan Reese 06, Laurie Worth 09, Peter Lane 08.

Oak Lane Day Care Board: This board finds it own members. Westtown MM is represented (Cheryle Oshman-Blunt, Susan Waterhouse)

Pastoral Care and Concerns Committee. Reports Monthly.
*Marc Dear, Mitch Beaver, Nancy Bernhardt, David Brown, Margaret Brown, Bruce Harrison, Isabella Harrison, Margaret Haviland, Juliet Lane, Peter Lane, Alice Long, Joe Marchese, Susan Reese, Norm Robinson, Susan Waterhouse, Lillian Yeh, Clerk of Meeting, ex officio.

Peace and Social Justice Committee. Reports 11th month.
*Nancy Hoffman, Paula Kline, Judy Nicholson-Asselin, Paul Spiegel, Margaret Brown, Heather Huberty, Jon Evans, Dave Dobbins, Shelagh Wilson Dobbins, Linda Dunis-Forrester, Marc Steel, Deb Wood.

Worship and Ministry Committee: Reports monthly. (No set term; membership by invitation.)
*Rebecca Mays, Tom Brown, Tom Haviland, Eric Mayer, Denis Nicholson-Asselin, Virginia Sutton, Anne Wood, Alan Wright, Hoy White, Alan Wright, Aminda Baird, Jessie & Branin Boyd, Tom Sherwood.

Standing Committee on Clearness for Marriage: Functions now under Pastoral Care & Concerns.

APPOINTMENTS:

Interim Meeting Representative. Term 3 years. Reports 11th month.
Rebecca Mays 10.

Quarterly Meeting Nominating Committee. Term 2 years. Reports 3rd month.
Peter Lane 08.

Quarterly Meeting Planning Committee. Reports 1st month.
Peter Lane.

Quarterly Meeting Tuition Fund Committee. Reports 2nd month.
William Goulding.

Religious Council of West Chester. Term 1 Year. Report 12th month.
Rebecca Mays.

Committee Charges

Pastoral Care and Concerns Committee

The PC&C members are responsible for the operational care of the Meeting and for the pastoral care of the members and attendees of the Meeting. Meets monthly except in the summer. Committee members must be members of Westtown Monthly Meeting.

1. Pastoral care includes: visiting shut-in, ill or bereaved members. Providing in-home Meeting for Worship, meals, transportation, childcare and other assistance at times of crisis. Sending cards or notes to members at Christmas and at times of significant lifetime events. Maintaining contact with members who are inactive or who live at a distance. Helping to resolve conflict within the Meeting. Helping to identify the concerns and priorities of the Meeting, and channeling those concerns to the appropriate working group. Providing aid to member families at the time of severe sickness and/or death.
   
   
2. Membership duties include: giving preliminary consideration of membership applications, transfers, releases, resignations and requests for marriage before presentation to Monthly Meeting. Nurturing attenders.
   
   
3. Overseeing functions of the meeting, including but not limited to the following: reviewing the agenda for Monthly Meeting for Business. Reviewing requests for clearness committees. Maintaining address lists, phone chains and committee handbook. Facilitating events such as: Hymn Sing, Lake Suppers, Monthly Meeting suppers. Custodial functions related to preparing for and cleaning up after Meeting for Worship. Refreshments after Meeting for Worship. Inviting new faculty members of Westtown School and attenders to Monthly Meeting suppers.

Peace and Social Justice Committee

The Committee is responsible for building a bridge between the individual concerns and involvement of those in the Meeting community and the Meeting as a whole. It seeks ways for the Meeting to support the leadings and social concerns activities of individual members.

1. Keeps before Friends the need to develop international understanding and support for the institutions of peace.
   
   
2. Supports in any way appropriate those who are endeavoring to be faithful to the Friends' Peace Testimony.
   
   
3. Informs the Meeting about social problems on community, national and international levels, and presents opportunities for individuals to become involved in solutions.

Worship and Ministry Committee

The Committee's primary purpose is to support, nurture, and enhance the overall spiritual life of the Meeting through formal and informal discussions both in and out of committee meetings and through silent and verbal ministry in the Meeting for Worship. The Committee meets monthly and gathers twice a year with Pastoral Care & Concerns for a combined meeting. The Committee also meets with Westtown School's Student Religious Life Committee.

To attain their goals:

1. They gather regularly to worship in order to deepen their (and our) individual and corporate spiritual lives.
   
   
2. They engage in outward discussions for greater clarity on specific topics connected with the nature of worship.
   
   
3. They consciously commit themselves annually to the work of the Committee.
   
   
4. They uphold the life of the Meeting for Worship by supporting ministers of all ages, encouraging them.
   
   
5. They openly discuss concerns and difficulties that arise from the experience of Meeting for Worship as a praying community composed of Westtown School faculty and students and Westtown Monthly Meeting members and attendees.
   
   
6. They believe on faith that something good can come from even negative moments experienced in a Meeting for Worship held with a religiously diverse student body.
   
   
7. They encourage open dialogue about Meeting for Worship with adults and students.
   
   
8. They sponsor adult education forums to help the spiritual lives of members and attendees.
   
   
9. They help explore the various steps in spiritual discipline, and identify kinds of spiritual behavior within our individual and corporate journeys.
   
   
10. They help define spiritual issues for further explorations through worship sharing sessions, retreats, and other appropriate forums.
    
    
11. Mindful of that place where "words come from," they remain conscious of the important role that the Committee must play in feeding the roots for the overall spiritual mission of the Monthly Meeting.