IMYM Faith & Practice, 2009, pp 68-76

INTRODUCTION

 Intermountain Yearly Meeting emerged from Intermountain Friends’ Fellowship in 1974. The regional meetings were created separately by their constituent monthly meetings. Both the yearly meeting and the regional meetings exist at the pleasure of the monthly meetings and their worship groups. Intermountain Yearly Meeting has come to be organized and administered in ways that reflect the status of the monthly meeting as the fundamental organizational unit and the source of unity in all decisions. Annual gatherings are structured to emphasize the spiritual both in fellowship among those attending and in business sessions.

AFFILIATIONS

 Intermountain Yearly Meeting is a member of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) and actively affiliates with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Currently, affiliation with Friends General Conference (FGC) is being explored. The yearly meeting becomes a member of or affiliated with another Friends organization only after several monthly meetings have become active in the affairs of that organization and bring to the yearly meeting a request for membership or affiliation. 

MEMBERSHIP

 Members of the yearly meeting’s monthly meetings are also members of the regional meeting, the yearly meeting, those Friends organizations of which the yearly meeting is a member, and the Religious Society of Friends worldwide. Members are responsible for the decisions and actions of their yearly meeting. 

ANNUAL MEETING

 The annual gathering of Intermountain Yearly Meeting is a spiritually enriching occasion as Friends seek guidance from the Light Within and share their diverse insights and concerns for service in the larger world. This gathering is held at a time and place determined by the yearly meeting on the recommendation of the Continuing Committee, which has responsibility for overseeing all details of the planning. Yearly meeting attenders consider ways in which spiritual guidance, truth, witness, and friendship have been expressed over the past year and how these expressions may be extended in greater measure to those who come to us as seekers. The annual business sessions of Intermountain Yearly Meeting are held during the annual gathering. During these plenary sessions, the work of the appointees, committees, and officers of the yearly meeting is reported. The yearly meeting clerk, with the assistance of the Continuing Committee, develops the agenda for the annual business meetings. Between annual gatherings, the Continuing Committee and the Executive Committee carry on the work of the yearly meeting, based on guidance provided at the annual business sessions and in accordance with the “Guide to Procedures of Intermountain Yearly Meeting.”

Relationships of Monthly Meetings, Preparative Meetings, and Worship Groups with the Yearly Meeting

Monthly meetings, preparative meetings, and worship groups are directly affiliated with Intermountain Yearly Meeting upon the acceptance of their written request.

 A new monthly meeting, preparative meeting, or worship group may be established with the assistance and oversight usually of the nearest existing monthly meeting of Intermountain Yearly Meeting. A worship group or preparative meeting may transfer from the care of one monthly meeting to another using the same procedures as for an individual transferring membership. Should a worship group or a preparative meeting be laid down, any residual responsibilities and real or fiduciary property and records are transferred to the monthly meeting having its care or to one or more other monthly meetings, as may be agreed with the responsible monthly meeting. Similarly, should a monthly meeting be laid down, the disposition of its remaining responsibilities and any property, real or fiduciary, becomes the responsibility of the regional meeting unless it is inactive, in which case they would go to the yearly meeting.

Monthly meetings affiliated with another yearly meeting may also become associated with Intermountain Yearly Meeting upon acceptance of a written request. Meetings should clear such action with their yearly meeting before requesting such association. Mexico City Monthly Meeting of Pacific Yearly Meeting has been associated with Intermountain Yearly Meeting since Intermountain Yearly Meeting’s beginnings.

The yearly meeting provides guidance and discipline in faith and practice for its monthly and regional meetings and worship groups regarding their affairs and relationships with the yearly meeting and with Friends everywhere. In all matters, such guidance is descriptive and not prescriptive. The yearly meeting endeavors to maintain inclusive practices and procedures, always knowing that the monthly meeting is the fundamental unit in the affairs of the Religious Society of Friends.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE YEARLY MEETING

Assisted by the treasurer, Intermountain Yearly Meeting’s Finance Committee prepares two budgets: one for the annual gathering, which is self-supporting through a registration fee, and the other for the general operations of the yearly meeting, which are supported by an assessment on the monthly meetings based on the number of adult members according to the latest census. These budgets are reviewed and approved by the Yearly Meeting and again, at its winter meeting, by the Continuing Committee.

The annual gathering budget provides adequate child care, an inspirational program for young and adult Friends, and a smooth but simple administration. 

The general operating budget supports travel and related expenses of: 

• yearly meeting officers to attend meetings of the Executive and Continuing Committees
• members of the Faith and Practice Committee
• representatives appointed by the yearly meeting to FWCC, FCNL, and AFSC
• representatives attending meetings of the Friends Peace Teams Committee and meetings of the corporation board of Western Friend. 

Travel expenses to meetings of yearly meeting committees are the responsibility of the meeting or group making the appointment, except in cases where Intermountain Yearly Meeting makes other arrangements. 

Rather than including support of FWCC, FCNL, and AFSC in the yearly meeting’s budget, Intermountain Yearly Meeting calls on its monthly meetings and worship groups to contribute directly to these organizations. This helps avoid the need to increase the annual assessment. Similarly, it leaves to the monthly meetings decisions about allocating from their budgets financial and nonfinancial resources to other worthy groups that might otherwise approach the yearly meeting for support.  

Intermountain Yearly Meeting’s annual assessment is a contribution from each of its affiliated monthly meetings of a per capita amount based on the number of adult members reported by the monthly meeting in its most recent census. The count of adult members includes both resident and nonresident members whose memberships are held by the monthly meeting. Sojourning members are included in their home meeting’s count. Attenders are not included in the assessment. This method of calculating the assessment is designed to be an even-handed way of arriving at each monthly meeting’s share of budget responsibility. The per-capita assessment rate, as recommended by the Finance and Continuing Committees, is considered and approved by the yearly meeting in its annual sessions as part of the review of the budget.  

In addition to the assessment, payment of which is the responsibility of the monthly meetings, contributions may be made directly to the treasurer of Intermountain Yearly Meeting by meetings, groups, and individuals at any time.

BRINGING CONCERNS BEFORE THE YEARLY MEETING

There are four ways a concern may come before Intermountain Yearly Meeting’s business sessions for consideration: by placement on the agenda by the clerk; by minute from a monthly or regional meeting; by minute from a yearly meeting committee; or from the floor when recognized by the clerk. All formal communications to the yearly meeting regarding matters of substance are in the form of minutes adopted by meetings or groups.

The clerk and the Continuing Committee, in their planning process, develop an agenda including matters that need to be addressed at the annual business session. It is expected that other concerns that may come before the yearly meeting be considered and approved previously by a monthly or regional meeting or the committee responsible for the concern. Such concerns should be described in a written minute delivered to the yearly meeting clerk in a timely fashion. The clerk, in consultation with Continuing Committee, then places the concern on the agenda. 

 In considering concerns brought before them by their members, monthly meetings should exercise care that their own discernment is adequate and that, if forwarding the matter to another meeting, they are not evading their own responsibility for reaching unity. This may involve consideration at more than one sitting of monthly meeting for business. In cases where urgent action is not called for, it might also be wise for a monthly meeting to seek the counsel of its regional meeting before forwarding a concern to Continuing Committee or the yearly meeting clerk. It is also recommended that the resources, implications, and actions involved in carrying out the concern be clarified early in the consideration process.

Committees of the yearly meeting may bring minutes either to the clerk or directly to the floor of the annual business sessions. As with concerns of monthly meetings, Intermountain Yearly Meeting committees are advised that they also should exercise care that their own consideration has been adequate and that their members have reached unity before bringing the matter to yearly meeting. The clerk and the Continuing Committee may place on the agenda all such matters that reach them in a timely fashion.

The yearly meeting clerk may entertain a minute or concern from the floor of a plenary session. Before such a concern is laid before the plenary session for its consideration, the clerk usually consults with the clerk of the Continuing Committee about the impact or unintended consequences that potentially could arise from the resulting action. The concern may be acted upon or may be referred for study and consideration at another annual gathering.

THE ROLE OF THE GUIDE TO PROCEDURES

Prior to developing a Faith and Practice, the yearly meeting created “The Guide to Operations of Intermountain Yearly Meeting” (now called “The Guide to Procedures”), which contains detailed information about the functions of yearly meeting committees, roles and responsibilities of officers, terms of service, nominating procedures, and other matters. The Guide also covers qualifications of Friends who serve the yearly meeting, detailed procedures for the nomination and appointment of officers and committee members, and how travel to committee functions is to be paid for. The Guide is considered a manual of procedures rather than a statement of faith and practice. The Guide and special applications of its topics may be found on the Web at www.imym.org.         

DISCERNMENT OF CLEARNESS FOR SERVICE TO THE YEARLY MEETING

Regarding discernment of clearness to serve the yearly meeting in various capacities, Intermountain Yearly Meeting follows this process for nominations:

Members of the Nominating Committee are responsible for approaching Friends concerning possible service to the yearly meeting. They make clear the duties involved in the position and explain the nominating process. A written job description (from “The Guide to Procedures of Intermountain Yearly Meeting”) is given to the prospective nominee. When two (or more) persons are to work together closely on an assignment, they should be consulted about the proposed arrangement. It is made clear that the yearly meeting as constituted in its annual sessions, not the Nominating Committee, makes appointments. The Continuing Committee can act for the yearly meeting when the latter is not in session, as described in the Guide. This makes it possible to make appointments at the Continuing Committee’s mid-winter meeting when necessary.

Prior to accepting a yearly meeting nomination, nominees are strongly encouraged to engage in a clearness process within their monthly meeting, preparative meeting, or worship group to assist them in seeking the answers to the following queries:

1. How does the position relate to the nominee’s spiritual leading into service? What spiritual support might the nominee need from his or her meeting?
2. Given the duties of the job and the nominee’s personal attributes and abilities, is there a good match? How does it fit the nominee’s gifts? Does it offer the nominee potential for personal growth?
3. What circumstances might affect the nominee’s ability to serve? What are the nominee’s commitments within and outside of his or her meeting? Will these commitments interfere with the nominee’s ability to carry out the proposed service to the yearly meeting? 
4. To perform the duties of the job, what assistance will the nominee need from his or her meeting? For example, will the nominee’s meeting need to host committee gatherings? Does the nominee have duties within his or her meeting that will need to be laid down or assumed by others? Might the nominee need help from his or her meeting to meet childcare or other domestic responsibilities if travel is involved in the committee work?

COMMITTEES OF INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETING

The functions and appointment procedures regarding the following Intermountain Yearly Meeting committees are established and described in “The Guide to Procedures of Intermountain Yearly Meeting” (see www.imym.org). However, the yearly meeting may create or lay down committees as it sees fit. As of this printing, the committees are as follows:

• Executive Committee
• Continuing Committee
• Nominating Committee
• Finance Committee
• Watching Committee
• Operations Committee
• Ministry and Counsel Committee
• Long-Range Planning Committee (inactive)
• Intermountain Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice Committee
• Committee for Oversight of Western Quaker Workcamps(formerly AFSC/IMYM Joint Service Project) 
• Committee to Revise the Guide
• Committee on American Friends Service Committee
• Committee on Friends Committee on National Legislation
• Committee on Friends World Committee for Consultation
• Committee on Migrant and Border Concerns (no longer a committee, but still meeting as an informal group)

OFFICERS AND APPOINTEES OF INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETING

The roles and responsibilities of the following officers and appointees of the yearly meeting are also described in “The Guide to Procedures of Intermountain Yearly Meeting.” The yearly meeting may create other offices and appointments as it sees fit to enable smooth administration.

• Clerk
• Recording clerk
• Continuing Committee clerk
• Recording clerk of the Continuing Committee
• Registrar
• Treasurer
• Clerk of the Finance Committee
• Clerk of the Nominating Committee
• Clerk of the Ministry and Counsel Committee
• Historian-Recorder
• Clerk of the Faith and Practice Committee
• Convener of worship sharing
• Convener of interest groups
• Coordinator of children’s yearly meeting
• Clerk of the Watching Committee
• Coordinator of Senior Young Friends program
• Coordinator of Junior Young Friends program
• Coordinator of operations
• Book sales support coordinator
• Advocate for Friends with different abilities/kitchen liaison (may be split into two jobs as needed)
• Members (3) of the corporation board for Western Friend. Representative to Friends Peace Teams Project