In March of this year, the Administrative Council laid down the policy it had approved on lobbying and advocacy in favor of a new process of listening and collaboratively building an approach to the issue with Friends in the yearly meeting. An update will come to the body at Annual Sessions on July 6th. In the meantime, this story provides information on the steps and conversations that have happened so far.
A sprint (a short-term project with a specific charge and set of outcomes) was set up to engage all Friends who are interested in the issue and to result in a proposed policy. The charge of the sprint is:
This sprint will craft a spirit-centered, well-seasoned draft lobbying policy that is grounded in our faith and practice. The policy will meet the needs of PYM Friends whose ministry is grounded in advocacy, the needs of the PYM community, and our responsibility to maintain PYM’s resources and nonprofit status. The draft policy will be arrived at through a two-stage process:
a) Making space for many PYM Friends to share and listen to diverse experiences of spirit-led activism and advocacy and responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the institution of PYM.
b) Crafting a draft policy based on the listening.
The draft policy will be brought to the body for consideration and approval.
Administrative Council asked three members and the presiding clerk, with support from staff, to see this charge through with PYM Friends. This core group is responsible for the logistics of keeping the process moving. A working group which includes up to seven additional people is responsible for crafting a policy.
The core group set up three listening sessions for Friends to share and hear from one another on the subject of lobbying and the yearly meeting. At each session Friends were invited to respond to a query: In the context of continuing revelation, how might the Spirit guide me to affirm, adjust, and evolve my perspective on Spiritual leadings while participating in and honoring the corporate discernment of PYM Friends?
118 people registered for the one or more of the three sessions and 98 attended (there were some people who registered for and/or attended more than one of the sessions). There were a number of common themes among Friends’ sharing, including:
- Importance and urgency of ensuring effective, strategic social justice (policy) change and its alignment with Quaker testimonies
- Need for accompaniment in change-making work
- Concerns about the process leading to the policy
- Questions about and understanding of IRS rules and their relevance relationship to PYM
- Fear and frustration, lack of trust and unity
- Gratitude
- Hope for recovery and reconciliation
The working group was then formed; eight Friends who attended at least one of the listening sessions and who represented a variety of view points were asked to participate and six agreed to serve. The full roster includes:
- Jeanne Elberfeld (clerk; core group; admin council)
- Carter Nash (core group; admin council)
- Kruskal Hewitt (core group; admin council – Kruskal stepped off when the working group was formed)
- Melissa Rycroft (core group; presiding clerk)
- Jean-Marie Barch (working group; Quaker Life Council)
- Debbie Murray-Shepard (working group; Quaker Life Council)
- Lynn Oberfeld (working group)
- David Leonard (working group)
- Martha Bryans (working group)
- Michael Homans (working group)
- Linell McCurry, Salvador Orellana and Christie Duncan-Tessmer (staff; core group)
The working group has held one meeting and is calendaring more for the summer months. At their first meeting the group first spent some time getting to know one another. Then, their discussion was structured by 3 queries which they focused on one at a time:
- What are the needs of PYM Friends whose ministry is grounded in advocacy and activism?
- What are the needs of the PYM community for advocacy and activism?
- What is our responsibility to maintain PYM’s resources and nonprofit status?
The working group then began to summarize the common ground and the points of concern and disagreement. They also identified what additional knowledge or understanding is needed, such as what is the actual risk to PYM posed by lobbying.
The Sprint will meet regularly to work through the process of education, understanding and discernment. Their goal is to have a draft to discuss with Administrative Council in the fall and to bring to Continuing sessions in November.