Burlington Friends Meeting has no paid staff. The work of the Meeting is shared by members and clerks of the Meeting’s committees, who are appointed by the Meeting as a whole. Here are descriptions of the committees with contact information for the committee clerks. For a more detailed description of the responsibilities of each committee and officer, see the Job Descriptions page.

  • Presiding Co-Clerks
    • Attend to the overall life of the Meeting. They arrange the agenda for and preside at the Business Meeting. The Presiding Clerks shepherd the schedule of tasks for the Business Meeting throughout the year.  They also sign official Meeting documents, consult with clerks of Meeting committees, and maintain links among our Monthly Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM), and other Quaker and community groups. 
       presiding_clerk@burlingtonquakers.org
  • Recording Clerk
    • Writes and keeps minutes. The Recording Clerk works closely with the Presiding Clerk to structure Monthly Meeting for Business. 
      Currently, the Recording Clerk’s responsibilities are shared by the presiding co-clerks.
  • Recorder
    • Keeps permanent records of changes in the status of members, such as births, death, marriages, membership applications, transfers, and withdrawals.
  • Treasurer
  • Ministry and Counsel Committee
    • Oversees the worship and spiritual life of the Meeting, seeking to support and nurture God’s will in our lives. This committee has oversight of Meetings for Worship on Sunday mornings and Wednesday at noon. Other responsibilities include planning for religious education of adults, preparation of the annual State of Society Report, and appointment of clearness and oversight committees for marriage, membership, and other matters requiring Friends to reach clearness for themselves and the community.
    • Ministry and Counsel also provides for supportive care of all members and attenders. This care may include transportation, meals, and visits to the sick and hospitalized.  Standing support committees provide a sounding board and ongoing encouragement for individuals who are in challenging situations.  Temporary support committees are convened for a shorter time to help a person who faces a particularly difficult life situation.
      ministry_counsel@burlingtonquakers.org.
  • Children’s Religious Education Committee
    • The Children’s Religious Education Committee plans and implements the First Day School / Quaker Kids program, which runs during the school year.  Our primary mission is to support kids of all ages, their families, and the meeting community to help kids and families integrate into the life of the Meeting.  We try to transmit Quaker values and testimonies through fun activities and modeling. first_day_school@burlingtonquakers.org
  • Communications and Tech Care Committee
  • Hospitality
    • Coordinates the refreshments and cleanup for Sunday Meeting for Worship. This committee is not active at the moment.
  • Peace and Justice Committee
    • Purpose: The Peace and Justice Committee seeks to learn from and interface with the larger community to act on political and social justice issues from a Quaker perspective. We are compelled by the responsibility to act with integrity to address injustices in our community, in our region and in the world.  Based on our spiritual grounding and belief of honoring that of God in everyone, we seek to:
      • deepen our capacity as individuals and as a collective to respond with discernment to injustices perpetuated in our community and in the larger world
      • learn from and participate with the larger community in which we live
      • educate the Burlington Friends Meeting on the complex issues facing our community
      • act on political, social justice and earth care issues from a Quaker perspective on behalf of the Burlington Friends Meeting. 
    • What we do and how we do it:
      • We hold meetings for people to learn about peace and justice resources, activities, and events and offer an opportunity for people to share their gifts and callings.
      • We communicate with committee members and the Burlington Friends Meeting community about peace and justice resources, activities, and events.
      • We also encourage and support people to follow their individual leadings on peace and justice work.
      • We plan and organize peace and justice collective actions to bring to Burlington Friends Meeting for consideration and discernment  We include clerks of Ministry and Counsel and co-clerks of the BFM in discernment when we are called to action. 
    • Time Commitment: The Peace and Justice Committee meets from 8:30am to 9:30 am on the first Sunday of the month.
      Peace_Justice@burlingtonquakers.org.
  • Small Potatoes
    • Small Potatoes is an interfaith hunger relief ministry based at Burlington Friends Meeting (BFM) since 1987.  Teams of volunteers from churches, Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, and other community organizations prepare sandwiches on Fridays in BFM’s kitchen and serve them, along with other food, at the First Congregational Church in Burlington on Saturday mornings when larger food relief organizations are closed.
      Our Small Potatoes Committee oversees week-to-week operations and coordinates finances with the BFM Treasurer.
  • Finance Committee
    • Works to ensure the fiscal soundness of the Meeting through development of the annual budget, appeals for donations, and disbursement of grants and loans. finance@burlingtonquakers.org
  • Young Adult Friends
    • A group between 18 and 35 years old (give or take a few years) who gather to enjoy each other and offer service together. This committee is not active at the moment.