Kimberly Spence, Clerk of Atlantic City Area Friends Meeting never thought a casual visit to her gym would lead her and other local Friends from ACAFM and Barnegat Monthly Meeting to join a Martin Luther King March, but it did. On a brisk winter morning, Kim shared a casual chat with Collins A. Days, Sr. Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Atlantic City about her Quaker practice and a bit of history of how the Religious Society of Friends have long been involved in abolition and civil rights. Collins, who also serves as Chairman of the Atlantic City MLK March committee, sponsored by the AC branch of the National Association of Advancement for Colored People (NAACP), invited Kim to participate in the January 15th MLK March, marking the beginning of a wonderful camaraderie.
Excitedly, Kim presented the idea to Friends of ACAFM who showed immediate interest and support in joining the March. On January 15, a dozen Friends from ACAFM and BMM joined in with members of the Atlantic City community for the 30 minute, 1-mile-long walk starting at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex and ending at the Civil Rights Garden for a brief program. One friend even created a beautiful banner for ACAFM which was carried by non-Quakers as a gesture of friendship and unity. The program culminated with dynamic, inspirational speakers including the Mayor of Atlantic City, Marty Small Sr., as well as a Dr. Terricita Sass, Executive Vie President and Chief of Staff for Stockton University, sharing encouraging words of wisdom to remember the Dream of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and the importance of continuing the work to be done. Friends from ACAFM and BMM are looking forward to participating again in 2025.
The Journey from Non-Denominational to Quakerism
Kim and her spouse whom both originally hail from a charismatic, non-denominational religious background became increasingly uncomfortable as the support for former President Donald Trump increased, leaving them feeling as if they no longer truly knew or felt connected to their own congregation. She felt a definitive shift in the church’s focus on Christ to excessive focus on one man and felt a deep sense of misalignment with the direction in which the church was headed. While reassurances were offered of a commitment not to discuss politics in the pulpit, Kim and spouse felt the stance was doing a great disservice to the state of Christianity as it allowed misinformation to be perpetuated instead of addressed and dismantled.
With the tail end of the COVID19 pandemic still affecting daily life combined with the continued misalignment of Biblical values her family long held dear, Kim resigned her position in ministry as part of the worship team at her former church. Shortly thereafter, Kim met a colleague (and unbeknownst to her — a Friend), Robert Barnett. Bob, a longtime member, and former Clerk of the ACAFM shared the rich history of the involvement and activism of New Jersey Quakers for civil rights which peaked Kim’s interest enough to decide to visit the meeting house. Kim first began meeting with Friends via Zoom as an attender and relished her post-meeting conversations with then Clerk of ACAFM, Alice Gitchell. Soon after, Alice would move to the New England area leading Friends of ACAFM to begin the process of discernment for filling the role of a new Clerk.
The Feeling of Belonging.
Impressed by her experience with Friends of ACAFM, Kim expressed interest in being Co-Clerk. Friends of ACAFM reached out to Kim offering her the opportunity to be Clerk. Although fairly new to Quakerism; Kim accepted the role and currently serves as Clerk of the Atlantic City Monthly Meeting.
Kim began her service as the new Clerk of the ACAFM on MLK Day 2023 (January 15th). She feels incredibly supported by Friends as she learns the responsibilities of Clerk which makes her job easier. Although she and her husband are two of three attenders of African American descent, she hopes to help share the history of Quaker abolitionism, activism, and advocacy to other minority communities where they will feel supported, seen, heard, and advocated for while aligning with deeply rooted spiritual values. Kim has learned a lot about Black History from fellow Quakers and finds it refreshing to be able to learn about the experiences of older non-Black Friends who were also on the front lines of social justice during the civil rights movement of the sixties.
“I am where I’m supposed to be.”
– Kim Spence
Kim hopes to attract more members of marginalized communities to Quakerism through intentional outreach to those communities. “Getting out and about and looking for opportunities to be more visible can serve the Religious Society of Friends well,” said Kim. She notes there needs to be less resistance of Friends to talk about themselves if they are to reach others. Nowadays, Kim is working on strategizing on how her local meeting can be both intentional and humble in their outreach to the local community. Yesterday, it was simple hello while visiting her gym, tomorrow, it can be an invitation to visit ACAFM through a nearby college newspaper. By the end of the year, Kim hopes to secure Quaker granting funds to help reach out to the wider local community.
Kim is committed to sharing her Quaker faith and is looking forward to continuing to serve her monthly meeting for years to come.
