“I am honored for this opportunity to continue to serve the Religious Society of Friends on an international level, recommitting myself to be accountable, faithful and principled in seeking continuing revelation together in our global family.”
Evan Welkin, North Pacific Yearly Meeting
The Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas—the global fellowship association for the Religious Society of Friends—is pleased to announce that Evan Welkin, from North Pacific Yearly Meeting, has been appointed as the next Executive Secretary, starting July 15, 2024.
“Evan Welkin impressed us with his grasp of the breadth of Quakerism, his administrative capabilities including project management, fundraising, and grant-writing, and most importantly, his spiritual grounding and rootedness in Quaker process. The search committee relied heavily on the leading of the Holy Spirit during the entire process and we felt the prayers of many who are devoted to our very important work in FWCC. On behalf of the search committee, we thank you for your prayers and let us continue in prayer for Evan as he begins his new role.”
Brenda McKinney, Friends Church of North Carolina
Evan Welkin is a member of Olympia Monthly Meeting (North Pacific Yearly Meeting), born and raised in the Cascadia region of the US Pacific Northwest on lands of the Siuslaw, Squaxin Island and Nisqually peoples. His grandparents Jack and Judy Brown (University Friends Meeting) became convinced Friends through their work with AFSC camps after the end of WWII.
He holds a BA from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA and Masters from Schumacher College in Totnes, Devon, UK. He is a graduate of the Guilford Quaker Leadership Scholars Program (QLSP) where he served as a Sojourning member released from Olympia MM to study theological diversity among evangelical, conservative, programmed and unprogrammed Friends in Guilford County. While in QLSP, he offered ministry at local meetings and churches, supported development of the QLSP Service Committee and received a Clarence and Lilly Pickett Fund for Quaker Leadership grant to survey meetings along the Eastern Seaboard. He participated in several service learning projects with the North Carolina Friends Disaster Service, advocated for graduates of the Ramallah Friends School targeted by campus violence at Guilford and received a Lyman Fund grant to join a Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) delegation to Israel and Palestine in 2008. While on the CPT delegation, he met his Italian future wife, Federica Faggioli, as she served as project coordinator on a EU-funded human rights monitoring project in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. Returning to the Pacific Northwest, Evan served as Clerk of Olympia Monthly Meeting’s Finance and Worship & Ministry Committees while beginning a career in management and community organizing with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, TOGETHER! of Thurston County and the Squaxin Island Tribe.
He married Federica in 2012 under the care of Olympia Monthly Meeting and her Catholic community, the Pope John XXIII Association. From 2012 to 2015, Evan and Federica tested a leading to move to Italy while connecting with the FWCC Europe and Middle East Section and supporting Quakers in Italy to host an annual gathering of Italian Friends, held each year on the Faggioli family farm from 2016-2023. Their first son, Oliver, was born in 2014 as Evan founded a private consulting practice focusing on support for nonprofit development and network facilitation for clients including the Global Ecovillage Network, Climate Action Network-International, PEN America, the European Network of Community-Lead Climate Initiatives, the Global Fund for Children, and Permaculture for Refugees.
From 2016-2017, Evan completed the Young Adult Leadership Programme at Woodbrooke Learning and Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham, UK and served as Elder and Trustee of Europe and Middle East Young Friends. In 2018 after the birth of their second son, Gabriel, the family found way open to move definitively to the farm and found an ecovillage, learning center and permaculture project called “Borgo Basino.” From 2020 to 2024 Borgo Basino served as a living, learning community connecting education, networking and wellness on a small multifunctional farm. Nestled in the hills outside of Bologna, Borgo Basino offered a hub for agricultural innovation, community wellness, and sustainable hospitality. Despite facing significant challenges caused by the COVID pandemic, Evan continued his work as a lecturer and administrator at the Spring Hill College Italy Center while leading activities with groups, interns and community members on the farm. In 2022, he began work for the FWCC in the Europe and Middle East Section (EMES), supporting communications and development of the EMES Peace and Service Network. He also served the FWCC World Office facilitating the Global Quaker Sustainability Network. In Spring 2023, massive landslides caused extensive damage to the farm and its only access road, provoking difficult discernment about the sustainability of the farm after many setbacks. In early 2024, Evan and his family made the difficult decision to leave the farm and return to the United States, trusting again that way would open to new possibilities. The opportunity to continue his vocation and career with the FWCC Americas Section is truly the continued realization of a personal dream, connecting Friends around the world in faith, spiritual formation and a deeper connection with all life on earth.
In his spare time, Evan keeps bees, makes artwork and sails (and repairs!) wooden boats.
“It seems God is at work with loving and caring ways in FWCC Section of the Americas! I am so pleased Evan Welkin has agreed to join us to serve as Executive Secretary. I believe he will bring gifts to enhance our vision for the future of our Section. For this I am grateful.”
LaVonna Loesch, Great Plains Yearly Meeting
Presiding Clerk of the Section of the Americas
Evan’s favorite verses:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)