Friends General Conference
.jpg) |
|
| Abbreviation | FGC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1900 |
| Type | religious organization |
| Purpose | Provide services and resources to individual Quakers, Quaker yearly meetings and monthly meetings primarily in the United States and Canada, and people interested in the Quaker way. |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Location |
|
|
Membership
|
Approximately 35,000 |
|
General Secretary
|
Barry Crossno |
|
Budget
|
US$ 2.7 million (2015) |
|
Staff
|
24 |
| Website | www.fgcquaker.org |
Friends General Conference (FGC) is a North American Quaker association of 15 Quaker yearly and 12 monthly meetings in the United States and Canada that choose to be members. FGC was founded in 1900.
FGC-affiliated meetings are typically in the "unprogrammed" Quaker tradition, though there are a number of Friends churches, or meetings, with pastoral leadership who also belong. "Unprogrammed" means that such meetings take place without a designated pastor who leads the service, or a prepared order of worship. In 2013, there were approximately 35,000 members in 641 congregations in the United States affiliated with FGC.
FGC's programs include traveling ministries, religious outreach, interfaith relations, book publishing and sales, religious education, and an annual conference.
The main offices for the FGC are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As of February 2015, FGC is overseen by a Central Committee of 142 Friends, 69 of whom are appointed by affiliated yearly and monthly meetings. Members of this committee, known as Central Committee, are appointed on an annual basis. Central Committee is responsible for:
The work of the FGC is carried out by the staff members of its program committees and numerous volunteers.
FGC is managed by the General Secretary (similar to an Executive Director). The General Secretary provides spiritually grounded leadership for FGC, adhering to the vision statement, mission, and objectives as determined by Central Committee.
In 2015, FGC had a budget of US$ 2.7 million and assets of US$ 5.5 million.
A key program of FGC is the annual Gathering of Friends held at a different college campus every July. The event usually attracts 1,200 to 1,500 attenders from around the world, but most participants come from the United States and Canada. The event features 40–60 workshop and a slate of plenary speakers. Topics covered include Quaker faith and practice, arts and crafts, multigenerational programming, and opportunities for political dialogue and action. The Gathering hosts both Quaker and non-Quaker speakers focusing on messages of interest to Quakers. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offered a Plenary presentation in 1958. More recently, the Gathering hosted Lester Brown in July 2004,Shane Claiborne in March 2015, and Ben Pink Dandelion.
...
Wikipedia