'C' is for Clerk/Clerking . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

"C" is for 'Clerk/Clerking.' OK, this is an easy one, maybe . . .

Friends/Quakers use the term 'Clerk' instead of 'Chair/Chairman' for the individual who is the head of a committee or group. Now I really got messed up when it came to Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) - as they have an 'Executive Secretary' at the Section level and a 'General Secretary' at the World level - this confused me for a bit, but I've figured it out now, I think. When I use the term 'Clerk' with my non-Quaker friends they think I'm some sort of 'secretary' or 'scribe' . . . they have no idea what I'm talking about, so I have to stop and explain to them.

In the past I have served multiple terms as the Clerk of the Christian Education Committee in my Meeting. My first term began with just my second year on Christian Ed, my second year on any committee within the Meeting, with a phone call from Francis, the previous year's CE clerk, congratulating me on having been nominated/approved to serve as the clerk for the coming year! Say what??? You can't be serious!!!! When did this happen?????

Seems that since we hadn't met in December and she needed to let the Clerk of the Meeting know who the CE clerk was going to be for the upcoming year - she called all the members and somehow I was it! I really had no clue what a clerk did, other than run the meeting, and I had no idea how to do that . . . I was still trying to figure out what CE did in the first place! Francis told me that she'd help me . . . great I could use a lot of help! Did you catch on . . . I was never 'asked' if I would or could be Clerk, I was told I was the new Clerk! I was truly blessed to have been mentored by Francis in my first Clerking position . . . she was a great teacher.

Well, I made it through my first year, and the next four years after that as well - completing my six years on CE before having to change committees or sit out for a year. I chose to sit out for a year - CE was hard enough for this convinced Friend with little ones. I repeated this cycle of six years on and one year off CE for several terms, ending only a few years ago. And I have not agreed to go on another committee since I left CE.

Now, don't think of me as neglecting my 'duty' as a member of the Meeting, not so. I have been the Representative from my Meeting to the Weekday Religious Education Board for over 14 years now - one of those positions that has no term limit, and have been serving as an elected Director to that Board and an Assistant Teacher for the last 12 1/2 years. So, I do feel that I am doing my part - and I rather like being a committee of one . . . in that it means I don't have another committee meeting to go to, only the monthly Board Meetings! I am free to talk to myself whenever I feel the leading to! Oh, and the 'bonus' here is that I'm not required to make monthly reports to Monthly Meeting for Business, but I do make short reports a couple of times a year.

I am, however, currently serving as a Clerk, and how did I get into the current Clerking position? I didn't go to the 2010 Annual Meeting in Maryland, instead I joined the meeting via Skype and I had connection issues, I just love to hate technology! There are some different versions of how this happened - the official minutes say that 'Luanne agreed to be clerk,' the notes sent out the Monday following the meeting said 'Luanne was talked into taking over this role,' and then there's my version . . . I was 'railroaded!' Take your pick on which version you prefer, I'm sticking to mine.

So, what committee is it that I am Clerking, and why when I live in Central Indiana would I have need to go to Maryland for a committee meeting? I am the Clerk for Friends Committee on Scouting, an affiliate of Friends World Committee for Consultation/Section of the Americas(FWCC), but more about them perhaps in a later Quaker Alphabet post, as this post is about Clerk/Clerking.

I knew that Clerking this committee, on an international level, would be nothing like Clerking the CE committee in my local Meeting. Clerking is a serious job and not everyone can or should be a Clerk. Being a Clerk, and being a good Clerk takes a lot of practice and help from Friends. I am extremely grateful for all the help from my Friends over the years as I've tried to figure out how to Clerk this committee. I've also found several really good article on the Internet on Clerking that I've read and found very helpful.

I know that what I've done, and how I've done things, are not the way they've been done in the past - as it's not my way. I was brought up using Robert's Rules of Order, a hard habit to break. I've also had a hard time sometimes cutting off a conversation that has gotten off the point, but I'm working on this and I think I've gotten better with it.

I've learned over the years, with other groups I am and have been a apart of, that communication is huge. So I do tend to send out a lot of emails - and sometimes they do get a bit long and most of these do go out to the whole committee - few go to smaller groups that may have a particular interest in or are working with a particular piece. Keeping everyone informed as to what's going on, keeping them 'in the loop,' makes them feel part of the group, let's everyone see what all we've got going on and I believe gives them more opportunities to see what they might be able to do for the group.

I've also been working to include more Friends in the work that the committee has to do - I've sought out Friends that weren't doing anything on the committee and contacted them and asked them if they would be willing to do x, y or z for the committee. I don't think anyone has turned me down, yet. I'm reminded of the old saying 'many hands make light work,' and it's so true. While some Friends may ask 'What can I do to help?' there are others who sit back just waiting for someone to ask them to help. It's been wonderful getting to know these Friends and it has lessened the workload of others on the committee that just kept adding more tasks to what they were doing.

Being a Clerk takes time. Sometimes there's nothing much to do, and I wonder what am I forgetting. And at other times it seems that the more I do the more that seems to need to be done. I do think that Clerks need to know how and when to delegate tasks to others - to let go and let someone else do some piece that needs getting done. And along with that a Clerk needs to know when they've got enough on their plate and can't take on another project - either within that committee or elsewhere in their life.

Clerking this committee is an interesting challenge, and I don't mean that in a bad way. This is such a diverse group of Friends, representing the different branches of Friends as well as so many different Scouting and Guiding programs - currently we have members in the United States, Canada and Kenya - and we're looking for Friends from other parts of the world to join us. It's been a rather educational experience for me.

 

I'm finishing up my fourth year as Clerk of FCS, and as I sit here writing this post I have been reflecting . . . it's been an amazing four years - I've learned a lot about Clerking and feel I've grown a lot as well along the way - and I have a lot more to learn! A Clerk can't do the job alone, she/he needs a lot of support from the rest of the Committee or Meeting in order to do the job. I've also been truly blessed by the Scouting & Guiding Friends I've gotten to know along the way - from those who are members of the committee and those parents I've had conversations with about our awards. Thanks Friends!

At times having to explain all this gets rather amusing - like two years ago, when I told the Boy Scout District Executive that I was the 'Clerk for Friends Committee on Scouting.' I even explained it to him, in great detail what that was all about, and about a month later, he was emailing me and asking me "So exactly what is it you do again?" Lots of laughs! I think he and some of the other Professional staffers in my Council now understand what I'm involved in and a bit about what I do. I'm not really sure that too many at my Girl Scout Council know and/or understand what I'm doing.
 

So, a recipe to go with this post???? Well, so as not to get in trouble for this one beginning with the wrong letter, I will give you one that begins with a 'C.' I have made this one for my FCS Friends the last couple of years for Friday night dinner and as the Chair, for the last who knows how many years, for the January Monthly Meeting meal at Mooresville Friends Meeting. The first time I took this to Church I expected to take home most of it - if for no other reason than the hot dogs in it - my Meeting at the time was mostly over the age of 65! That didn't happen! I was lucky to get a bowlful to eat that day! My 6 quart crock pot was scraped clean! Last month was the first time I took any home - expect because of the cold temps that kept many away from worship or sent some straight home after worship. It's a good one for all my F/friends and family members out there who are freezing right now, and it's really easy!

Corn Chowder

This is the original recipe that was to serve 2

 

1 can creamed corn (15 ounce)                     1 cup milk

1 cup hash browns (the diced ones)               2 hot dogs - sliced thin

salt & pepper to taste

(I also add some onion powder & dehydrated onions - again to taste)

Mix all together in a small sauce pan on medium to low heat, until potatoes are cooked through. Stir frequently - if the heat is too high it will scorch on the bottom!

Now, when I make this for a crowd . . .

6 cans of creamed corn (15 ounce)             6 cups of milk (more or less)

2 - 32 ounce bags of hash browns

2 pounds of hot dogs (10 regular sized hot dogs)

salt, pepper, onion powder & onion flakes to taste

Mix corn, milk and hash browns together in a large (8 quart) pot and cook on the stove until the potatoes are nearly cooked. Stir frequently - if the heat is too high it will scorch on the bottom! I then pour into my 6 quart crock pot and add the sliced hot dogs and mix. Continue to cook on medium - low for a couple of hours. Keep a watch on it here too, and stir every 20-30 minutes.

Seriously, when I do this for a crowd . . . who measures! At least not the milk part of it. And I tend to not add a lot of salt & pepper - opting to let others add more to their liking.

I love to mix in some shredded Colby jack or mild cheddar cheese in mine! Serve with French bread, crackers or even a grilled (toasted) cheese sandwich.

Enjoy!