On April 27-29, the Young Adult Friends community gathered at Green St Monthly Meeting for our annual spring retreat. In business, the body approved by consensus the nomination of Carl Stanton as Pastoral Care Committee co-clerk. The body also approved the following minute of appreciation for outgoing clerk/YAF, Janaki Spickard-Keeler.
The Young Adult Friend Community of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting minutes our appreciation for the faithful service of Janaki Spickard-Keeler, who has served as a Pastoral Care co-clerk in our community for a year and as a Friend in our community for four years. Janaki started serving on pastoral care soon after joining the YAF community and has brought warmth, a lending ear, and a dedication that is deeply appreciated.
Janaki’s rallying force and understanding of the community – both deep and broad – helps bring all of us together and feel included and valued. With a keen awareness of the needs of others, as well as when and how they may need healing, Janaki has shepherded our community through lots of challenging moments. After the YAF Community’s minute on ending racism and white supremacy in PYM and our own group, Janaki volunteered and spearheaded the first workshop with Mai Spann Wilson at the 2017 Annual Sessions so we could begin to understand and challenge our biases. When that first workshop did not work out as planned, Janaki quickly prepared to lead the workshop alone, demonstrating Janaki’s strength as a leader and a healer. As Friends of Color at the workshop were led to co-create the program, Janaki created space for this to occur.
As Janaki departs from the YAF Community, we are confident we will still see Janaki’s smiling face and warm presence continue to positively impact the greater PYM community.
