Released Ministers and Clerks

We Quakers believe we all have equal access to God. We are all pastors. We share the responsibility of leadership. Early Quakers discovered the need to “release” specific people in their meeting from the need to make money in the world, and to take care of the needs of the meeting. In our context, we have two released ministers. In addition to the released ministers we have an administrative assistant, and clerks which oversee vital aspects of our community. These folks are listed below for your reference! If you have questions about other roles in our community do not hesitate to ask!

Nathan Meckley (he/him) - Interim Minister

Nathan joined our community in July 2025. Nathan has over 20 years of ministry experience, including both settled and interim pastor roles. He most recently served as Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Portland from 2008 to 2024, where he provided spiritual and organizational leadership through significant transitions, including the pandemic shut-down, a building sale, and multiple relocations. Nathan is a trained and experienced interim minister, having served in transitional leadership at large and mid-sized congregations.

Nathan holds a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology, as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees in music. He has a collaborative leadership style and a strong commitment to inclusion, emotional intelligence, and spiritual depth.

About working with Quakers, he shares:

“While I have many ancestors who were Quakers/Friends, and I highly value the depth of Quaker history and spiritual practices, I do not personally have Quaker identity or experience. I joyfully welcome the opportunity to experience and learn more!”

Holly Dhynes (she/her) - Administrative/Communication Coordinator - Clerk of the Meeting

Holly has been a part of our community for a long time, but became our administrative/communication coordinator in 2018. Holly's ministry at WHF focuses on the following areas: creating and distributing key communications, such as the Sunday Bulletin and the Weekly Update, sending out prayer requests to the prayer chain, managing the meeting and building schedules, as well as general clerical duties, and bookkeeping. You can contact her if you should have any questions or requests in those areas! Holly became Presiding Clerk in July 2025, and is serving in both roles.

Some of her favorite books: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and Out of Place by Edward Said.