Committee Descriptions
These descriptions are for Friends who are considering serving on a Lake Erie Yearly Meeting committee, or who want to know which committee to contact about a concern. For who is serving now, see the current Committee Members List.
- About LEYM Committees
- For Committee Clerks
- Advancement & Outreach
- Annual Meeting Planning:
- Finance
- Ministry & Nurture
- Nominating
- Peace & Justice
- Publications & Archives
- Currently dormant: Earthcare · High School Teen Retreat Program
About LEYM Committees
Committees carry out work that a small group can do more easily than the whole Yearly Meeting. They may carry out specific tasks, think through issues, or bring proposals to the full body for a decision. Committees with budgets spend them within guidelines set by the Yearly Meeting, and some committees oversee funds.
Lake Erie Yearly Meeting has nine standing committees. One of them, the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, is made up of three committees that plan our summer gathering together. Committee members and clerks are named by the Nominating Committee. Clerks convene meetings, see that records are kept and reports are made, and make sure the work gets done.
- Terms: Unless noted below, members serve three-year terms and no more than two consecutive terms on the same committee.
- Open meetings: Meetings of Advancement & Outreach, the Annual Meeting Planning committees, Ministry & Nurture, Peace & Justice, and Publications & Archives are open to any Friend. Finance and Nominating meet by invitation.
- When committees meet: Most committees meet as needed, especially to prepare for Representative Meeting in the spring and Annual Meeting in June. Many now meet by Zoom.
- Interested in serving? Let a member of the Nominating Committee know. You can find its clerks in the Nominations Slate.
For Committee Clerks
If you clerk an LEYM committee, these will help:
- A Guide for LEYM Committee Clerks (PDF, 2026): where to find what you need, working with your committee, Executive Committee, reporting to the Yearly Meeting, and how to present an item for decision. Also available as a Word document here.
- Policies & Procedures: your committee’s full charge is in section III.C.
- Nominations Slate: current members and terms for every committee.
- Annual Records: past committee reports, minutes, and the budget.
- Suggested Best Practices for Virtual Meetings (PDF, Friends General Conference, 2020): tips for clerking by Zoom.
Questions? Start with the presiding clerk, or contact the Digital Communications Facilitator at leymworker@gmail.com.
Advancement & Outreach Committee
Supports meetings and worship groups in attracting and welcoming new members and attenders. It works with worship groups ready to become monthly meetings and with meetings wishing to change their status or be laid down.
Members: six suggested, two named each year.
- Encourages worship groups and new monthly meetings through correspondence and visits.
- Helps monthly meetings take a worship group under their care.
- Counsels groups that want to become monthly meetings, arranges visiting committees, and brings recommendations to the Yearly Meeting.
- Counsels meetings wishing to change their status.
- Shares resources and feedback on outreach and welcoming. See Resources for Outreach and Welcoming.
Annual Meeting Planning
The Annual Meeting Planning Committee is not a separate committee. It is the three committees below, which coordinate their work to plan Annual Meeting.
Adult & Family Program Committee
Plans everything at Annual Meeting except the business sessions: the theme, the schedule, and the program. (Policies & Procedures calls this the Program Committee.)
Members: six suggested, two named each year.
- Sets a theme and arranges plenary speakers, workshops, and evening programs.
- Works with the presiding clerk on times for business sessions.
- Arranges worship, worship sharing, and recreation, remembering that spiritual growth, nurture, and fellowship are central to our time together.
- Publicizes the program through the Bulletin and website, oversees it during Annual Meeting, and gathers Friends’ feedback afterward.
Arrangements & Site Committee
Responsible for everything about Annual Meeting that has to do with the site, and for registration.
Members: six suggested, two named each year.
- Sets the time and place of Annual Meeting at least two years ahead, and works with the host site on lodging and meals.
- Prepares registration materials and conducts registration.
- With the other planning committees, arranges rooms, equipment, and orientation materials.
- Greets newcomers, helps Friends find their way around the site, responds to needs during Annual Meeting, and handles checkout.
Youth & Children Program Committee
Nurtures children and teens at Annual Meeting and at the fall K-12 Youth Retreat.
Members: 12 to 16 suggested, including a clerk and assistant clerk, a leader and assistant leader for each age group, and a Fall Retreat clerk and assistant clerk. Clerks serve two years, the first as assistant clerk.
- Develops programs for children of all ages, including infants and toddlers, and sets age groups based on registrations.
- Recruits teachers and helpers (drivers of children must be 21 or older) and hires childcare providers as needed.
- Organizes the fall youth retreat.
- Gathers references for volunteers who work with young Friends, as required by LEYM’s child protection policy.
Finance Committee
Plans and manages the Yearly Meeting’s finances, proposes an annual budget, and advises on investments.
Members: three, one named each year, plus the treasurer ex officio. Meetings are open to the Yearly Meeting clerks and Friends invited by the committee.
- Develops financial policies with the treasurer for the Yearly Meeting to consider.
- Recommends the budget to Representative Meeting, including the mileage rate and the pay and hours of contract workers.
- Sets the recommended share per member for monthly meetings.
- Reviews unusual expense requests, and works with the planning committees to set the Annual Meeting registration fee.
- Arranges an annual audit. See Financial Policies & Reimbursement Forms.
Ministry & Nurture Committee
Supports meetings and worship groups as they seek to strengthen their meetings for worship and the spiritual vitality of Friends. It encourages each meeting to reflect each year on its spiritual condition, and it oversees LEYM’s Spiritual Formation Program and the Yearly Meeting’s care for traveling ministers.
Members: six suggested, two named each year, plus one member appointed by each monthly meeting.
- Holds in care the spiritual life of the Yearly Meeting.
- Works with local ministry and nurture committees, including workshops and consultation when asked.
- Prepares the annual query and receives State of the Meeting reports.
- Oversees the Spiritual Formation Program.
- Reviews ministry scholarship requests, oversees the Traveling Ministries Fund, prepares travel minutes, and can recommend a Friend for a Cooper Scholarship at Earlham School of Religion.
Nominating Committee
Identifies Friends who are willing and able to carry out the many tasks that let the Yearly Meeting act as it is led. It proposes a slate at Annual Meeting and fills vacancies during the year.
Members: six suggested, each from a different monthly meeting, two named each year. New members are proposed at Annual Sessions by a Naming Committee. Meetings are open to the Yearly Meeting clerks and Friends invited by the committee.
- Discerns and secures nominations for officers, the Bulletin editor, committee members and clerks, representatives to Friends organizations, and visitors to nearby yearly meetings.
- Advises the Yearly Meeting when a committee may need to be laid down.
- Publishes the complete list of appointments after Annual Meeting. See the current Nominations Slate.
- Keeps records of terms so that no one serves more than six consecutive years on a committee.
Peace & Justice Committee
Helps Friends understand matters of peace and justice and work toward a more peaceful and just world.
Members: six suggested, two named each year. Each monthly meeting is encouraged to appoint a representative who can bring its concerns to the committee.
- Shares information with monthly meetings about actions and concerns for peace.
- Invites meetings and worship groups to consider corporate witness.
- Helps the Yearly Meeting express its concerns to policy makers, the media, and other organizations. See Resources for Peace & Justice.
Publications & Archives Committee
Oversees the Yearly Meeting’s print and web publications, and sends Yearly Meeting records to a Quaker archive.
Members: four suggested, plus the Bulletin editor ex officio.
- Supervises the LEYM Bulletin editor, and each year selects and supervises the Annual Records editor.
- Edits minutes of Representative Meeting, Annual Sessions, and Executive Committee for the Annual Records and website.
- Gathers summaries or recordings of the plenary and workshops for the Annual Records.
- Reviews the Policies & Procedures manual each year and makes sure the latest version is posted.
- Sends LEYM records to the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College.
Currently Dormant
These committees remain in Policies & Procedures but have no members at present. If you feel led to help revive one, please speak with the presiding clerk or the Nominating Committee.
Earthcare Committee
When active, the Earthcare Committee helps Friends reflect on how we live and move toward better stewardship of the earth. It gathers and shares information on earthcare concerns and on the work of monthly meetings. LEYM continues to name a representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness. See Resources for Earthcare.
High School Teen Retreat Program Committee
When active, this committee holds in care the spiritual life of LEYM’s high school youth. It engages and supports a paid coordinator of teen retreats. It has three adult members and two high school members. The committee and the teen retreat program are both currently dormant. Younger youth and teens are welcome at the fall K-12 Youth Retreat.
Updated September 2026, based on LEYM Policies & Procedures (January 2026) and the 2026 Nominations slate.