My first BLQC Board meeting
Today I went to my first meeting of the Ben Lomond Quaker Center Board. At lunch, fellow Board member Eric M. (no relation) asked if I would blog about it. I’d hate to disappoint a fan, so here it is. In exchange, Eric, I expect you to leave a comment. You don’t have to have a Blogger account to comment. If you’re still unsure, then read my early post on “How to Comment”, also available in the side links, for instructions.
So I heard before I even started that this is one of the highest functioning Boards around. The highest praise came from a staff member; “The meetings are like six hours long, but you’re less tired when you leave than when you got there.” I can report that I still felt like going for a walk when it was over. However, next time, I’ll bring better shoes and bug spray.
My first meeting gets high marks for congeniality, making expectations clear, depth of engagement of Board members, and sticking to the allotted time on the agenda. Before my first meeting, I received a pass-down binder with Board minutes, committee and staff reports and the by-laws. I got an agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the last meeting by email. I even received a welcome phone call from the clerk and an orientation email. Very nice. At the meeting, I felt respected, welcomed and listened to. What more could a new Board member want?
The Board and staff have just finished a successful major capital campaign and the institution seems to be in good shape. How refreshing. At this point in Quaker Center history, the Board is actively preparing for a change in Directors. A lot of time, thought and hard work has gone into this transition and it seems to be proceeding smoothly. What a concept. Some people are leaving on good terms and others arriving in good order. Again, what more could a new Board member ask for?
Locally, I think it is fairly well known that my husband and I thought seriously about applying for the new Directors position. But with the help of a clearness committee from our Meeting, we decided not to apply at this time. Around the same time that clearness was arising about that, the opportunity to join the Board appeared and Way Opened. I still have some superficial sadness about the decision not to apply but a deep down sense of rightness. Not every clearness committee ends the way you expected it to. I think it’s a Garth Brooks song, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
P.S. If you are local, I'm happy to talk about this but please don’t bring it up around my children. Thanks.
So I heard before I even started that this is one of the highest functioning Boards around. The highest praise came from a staff member; “The meetings are like six hours long, but you’re less tired when you leave than when you got there.” I can report that I still felt like going for a walk when it was over. However, next time, I’ll bring better shoes and bug spray.
My first meeting gets high marks for congeniality, making expectations clear, depth of engagement of Board members, and sticking to the allotted time on the agenda. Before my first meeting, I received a pass-down binder with Board minutes, committee and staff reports and the by-laws. I got an agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the last meeting by email. I even received a welcome phone call from the clerk and an orientation email. Very nice. At the meeting, I felt respected, welcomed and listened to. What more could a new Board member want?
The Board and staff have just finished a successful major capital campaign and the institution seems to be in good shape. How refreshing. At this point in Quaker Center history, the Board is actively preparing for a change in Directors. A lot of time, thought and hard work has gone into this transition and it seems to be proceeding smoothly. What a concept. Some people are leaving on good terms and others arriving in good order. Again, what more could a new Board member ask for?
Locally, I think it is fairly well known that my husband and I thought seriously about applying for the new Directors position. But with the help of a clearness committee from our Meeting, we decided not to apply at this time. Around the same time that clearness was arising about that, the opportunity to join the Board appeared and Way Opened. I still have some superficial sadness about the decision not to apply but a deep down sense of rightness. Not every clearness committee ends the way you expected it to. I think it’s a Garth Brooks song, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
P.S. If you are local, I'm happy to talk about this but please don’t bring it up around my children. Thanks.
Labels: BLQC, meeting work, myjourney
posted by Robin M. at 1:34 AM
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3 Comments:
robin
this is a nice post and i hope you keep us posted on how the board works out for you.
peace
rebecca
...high marks for congeniality, making expectations clear, depth of engagement of Board members, and sticking to the allotted time on the agenda. Before my first meeting, I received a pass-down binder with Board minutes, committee and staff reports and the by-laws. I got an agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the last meeting by email. I even received a welcome phone call from the clerk and an orientation email.
Heck, this sounds like how ANY board of ANY organization ought to be operating, not just a Quaker one! ...But ya gotta work on that acronoym, Robin. To a midwestern Friend like me, "BLQC" looks like an enormous typo, not an abbreviation for a Friends group.
How about BenLoQC? smile But my guess is that "BLQC" is already engraved in the minds of previous and current directors, board members, and workshop participants, not to mention on letterheads, return envelopes, and annual reports.
Seriously, I hope your gifts are put to good and faithful service there, and that you feel well used, too.
Blessings,
Liz, The Good Raised Up
Hey Rebecca - I'm just sorry that my bimonthly trips to Ben Lomond won't overlap more with your stay.
Liz - I totally agree. I've never been on a Quaker board before, but I've staffed a few non-Quaker ones, and this was both one of the best Quaker committee meetings and one of the best board meetings I've ever been to, religious or secular.
And the acronym for the full name of the corporation is only used in occasional written references, as a searchable abbreviation for a blog post title, or a del.icio.us tag, or nominating committee shorthand for example. Around here, folks would usually say "I'm going to Quaker Center this weekend", or simply "to Ben Lomond" which is technically the name of the town Quaker Center is in but is frequently used as a synonym.
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