YM24 Elders

YM24 Elders

The role of the Yearly Meeting elders
YM elders establish and maintain the spiritual quality of meetings, holding the gathered stillness in Meetings for Worship, and in the formal sessions and preparatory sessions considering business.  

The elders who are allocated for a particular session arrive early to centre down before others arrive.

Elders have the responsibility to maintain the worshipfulness, or spiritual quality, of the meeting. On occasion this might mean steering the meeting back on track or making a judgement about whether to intervene in worship or ministry. This is only done as a last resort but is a necessary responsibility and must be done with tenderness for any individual and the gathered meeting.

Meetings of YM24 Elders
There are a variety of challenges in being an elder on-ground or online. 

A meeting will be held ahead of Yearly Meeting to share prior experiences and challenges. Those who are new to being an online elder and those with more experience are all encouraged to join this session.

A meeting of the whole group of YM24 Elders will take place early before Yearly Meeting to choose a convenor and organise a roster. A more experienced elder may be paired with someone less experienced.

There will be another meeting early on the first day of Yearly Meeting to discuss the role, ask questions and check the roster. 

YM24 Elders

CRQ: Mardi Naulty and Michael Bayles
NSWRM: Liz Field
QRM: Filippe Oliveria (from Monday), Frances Long (online)
SANTRM: Harald Ehmann, Wendy Hartley
TRM: Sally O’Wheel
VRM: Jane Hope and Susan Nelson
WARM: Tonya Jensen
Rainbow Friends: Liz Shield (RF, VRM) and Isaac Brady (RF, FORM, QRM)
ONLINE: Julie Webb (SANTRM); Jan Blakeney (TRM), Maggie Storr (TRM); Rose Griffith (NSWRM); Maxine Barry (RF); Clint de Young (WARM), Frances Long (QRM).

Due to the hybrid online environment for YM24 please note that:

YM24 Pastoral Care Committee will be the first contact point for any Safe Quaker Community matters.

QA Child Protection Committee, Ronis Chapman and Lorraine Thomson, will be the first point of contact for Child Protection concerns.
(phone numbers: Ronis 0402 745 548, Lorraine 0405 468 154)