Meeting of Committee Clerks, 25 June 2026
What was the meeting?
Every now and then the Recording Clerk organises a gathering of clerks of national committees, for the purposes of communication between committees, and the sharing of experience, insights and best practice. Prior to this one, the last such gathering was in September 2023.
What happened?
At this meeting the group heard from all the committees represented: Britain Yearly Meeting Trustees, Quaker Peace and Social Witness Central Committee, Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations, Yearly Meeting Agenda Planning Committee, the Programmes and Prioritisation Committee, the Quiet Company Board of Directors, Quaker Life Central Committee, and Quaker World Relations Committee. The Quakers in Britain Senior Leadership Team were also present.
Each committee was invited to give a snapshot of their work, helping the group to understand what key issues had been dealt with on recent agendas, and what the committees expected to be addressing in the near future. This sort of exchange helps to build a picture of work across the organisation as a whole.
The group then spent time considering the arrangements for the July 2026 session of Yearly Meeting, and the opportunities and challenges presented to the various committees with the new multiple-session yearly meetings. Some time was spent considering how and when committees might communicate to APC when they have items of business which they may wish to forward to YM.
The work of the new Programmes and Prioritisation Committee (PPC) was introduced and its working relations with Trustees and other standing committees were considered and explored. The PPC will aim to contribute to governance and resource allocation across the centrally managed work, with a focus on strategic level evaluation and planning.
Finally, the meeting heard an update on proposed amendments to committee terms of reference, so these remain up-to-date and accurate working documents.